REDOUBLED EFFORTS FOR A NEW INVASION. 213 
carriage; still another was holding the tongue of the wagon. 
After various ineffectual efforts, and much loud hallooing, mingled 
with doubts and fears on our part, the oxen gave one “ long and 
strong pull together,” and the wheels moved. The man standing 
nearest them fell into the water, but he came up again with a 
broad grin upon his face, and we could not help making it general. 
With three pulls, and three several “dips” of the man into the 
creek, the laugh each time being louder as his good-natured face 
appeared dripping with the muddy water, not a jot of his cheer¬ 
fulness abated, the wagon was removed from the way. Our party 
being quickly reseated in the carriage, by the aid of the drenched 
man, who offered to stand by the bridge that we might know where 
it was, we reached the other shore safely, and were on our way 
again. We asked the doctor, who had had a California trip over¬ 
land, how this compared with some of their crossing of streams on 
the plains, and he answered us very energetically, that “ it was 
nothing in comparison to those.” On our arrival at Tecumseh, 
we found the party who had started ahead of us had had trouble 
in crossing, the water being so high that they had to leave their 
carriage for a time, getting over themselves at some other point, 
or climbing among the dead logs. 
Tecumseh is a fine location for a town ; high from the river, 
with a heavy growth of wood near by. A court-house of brick, 
with pillars, is being built, also a large brick store, while the 
hotel, which is a wooden building, is quite capacious. Stinson, a 
white man, who married a Shawnee wife, resides here. He is a 
pro-slavery man, and owns two or three slaves. By the treaty, 
every member of his family is entitled to two hundred acres of 
land ; hence, he is quite a landholder. Judge Elmore also re¬ 
sides here. It has been currently reported, and never contra¬ 
dicted, that, during the severe cold of last winter, the judge and 
his wife were obliged to take care of their nineteen slaves —he 
hauling wood, and cutting it, to keep them warm ; that one old 
man froze to death in his bed, while another was crippled for 
life. 
The district here is largely free-state, notwithstanding some of 
the owners in the tnwn are pro-slavery. Col. Woodson, of Inde- 
