depredations on the habitations of the new settlers. The general construction of these block-house forts was about this: The lowest order of these forts was a single house, strongly built, a story and a half or two stories high. The lower story was provided with port-holes to shoot through, and also with substantial puncheon doors, three or four inches thick, with strong bars, to prevent the Indians from entering. The second story projected over the first three or four feet, and had holes in the floor, outside the lower story, to shoot down at the Indians attempting to enter.

Another higher grade of pioneer fortifications was made thus: Four large, strong block-houses, fashioned as above, were erected at the four corners of a square lot of ground, as large as the necessities of the people required. The intervals between these block-houses were filled up with large timbers, placed deep in the ground, and extending twelve or fifteen feet above the surface. Within these stockades were cabins built for the families to reside in. A well of water, or a spring, was generally found to be necessary in these forts. In perilous times the horses were admitted into the forts for safe keeping. Generally there were two strong gates to these garrisons, with bars in proportion, to secure the doors against the savages. Port-holes were cut in the stockade at about seven feet high, and platforms raised to stand on when shooting.

The timber in the vicinity of these forts was carefully cleared off, so as to afford no hiding-places to the Indians. In the mornings it was often dangerous to open the gates and walk out. The Indians frequently attacked the milking parties and others first going out of the fort. Sentinels were kept up all night in dangerous times.

Emigrants from the remotest parts of the Union and of Europe would come together in these forts. Many were the quarrels, which such a mixed state of society would naturally lead to. The property of one man was often so contiguous to that of another as to excite strong temptations in the mind of the latter to annex it to his own; nor does it appear, that the women were an exception to this rule. Whenever a violation of the sixth commandment took place, in which case, owing to the extremely limited space, detection was sure to follow, the grave old ladies would put on their spectacles and hypocriti

cally exclaim : "Oh the sins of the world! It is no wonder we have an Indian war upon us!"

The customs of these early American settlers were much on the French model, extremely gay, polite, and merry.

In personal appearance these pioneers were rough and unrefined, yet were they kind, social, and generous. They were brave, energetic, and hospitable, and ready to share with their neighbors or newlyarrived strangers their last loaf.

Their habits and manners were plain, simple, and unostentatious. Their dwellings were log cabins of the simplest structure, their furniture, utensils and dress were also as simple and economical as possible.

For clothing, dressed deer-skins were extensively used, for huntingshirts, pants, leggins and moccasins; the red skin of the prairie wolf or fox was converted into the hat or cap. Dressed skins of the buffalo, bear and elk furnished the covering of their beds. Wooden vessels were used instead of bowls. A gourd formed the drinking-cup.

Every man carried his knife in his girdle, while the whole family had often to use the solitary remaining one. If a family chanced to have a few pewter dishes, knives and forks, it was in advance of the neighbors.

The American settlers were hunters and stock-growers, raising, be sides a small amount of wheat, chiefly corn, which was beaten for bread in the mortar, and ground on a grater, or in a hand mill.

Many of these settlers observed the Sabbath with an austerity that would have become a Puritan.

To the French, on the other hand, the Sabbath always had been and still was a day of hilarity and pleasure. They would strictly attend mass in the morning and practise their devotions in the church; and in the afternoon would assemble in parties at private houses for gay social intercourse, when cards, dances, and various sports, made the time pass. Intemperance, either in eating or drinking, was never witnessed among them.

CHAPTER II.

THE Indians had not been included in the treaty of peace signed between Great Britain and America. Several tribes, therefore, wrought upon by British gold, continued their hostilities as before, and between 1783 and 1790 nearly 2000 men, women and children in Kentucky alone had been killed or carried away into captivity. All peaceable remonstrances on the part of the United States government having been in vain, it became incumbent upon the latter to pacify the Indians by force of arms. Gen. Harmar was accordingly despatched with a body of militia, amounting to 1433 men, into the country of the Miamies, but imprudently dividing his forces, he was attacked and defeated in detail by Little Turtle, the renowned warrior-chief of the Miamies, and obliged to return with a loss of 200 men.

In the subsequent year, 1791, a new force of 2000 soldiers and a large body of militia were raised, and the previous Governor, Arthur St. Clair, though from physical debility altogether disqualified for service, appointed commander of it. Gen. St. Clair commenced his march, and having reached with part of his troops a tributary stream of the Wabash, encamped, intending to entrench himself and to await the arrival of the remainder of his troops. Penetrating his design, Little Turtle, at the head of about 1500 warriors, assailed the camp about midnight. The militia gave way, and the Indians rushed after them, spreading terror everywhere. The greatest confusion at once ensued throughout the whole camp. Gen. St. Clair being unable to walk, was borne upon a litter into the hottest of the engagement, and exerted himself to the utmost to restore order, but seeing all his efforts to be in vain, he ordered a retreat, which immediately degenerated into a precipitate flight. Such was the panic, which had seized the army, that they abandoned their entire artillery train and baggage to the Indians, threw away their arms, and could not be brought to a stand before they reached Fort Jefferson. The Americans lost nearly

one half of their whole force engaged, or about 600 men, the Indians only 58.

This disastrous defeat rendered it necessary, that the American Government should prosecute the war with the utmost vigor, in order to retrieve the credit of its arms. Negotiations were at first attempted, but failed, the savages being too much elated with their victory to think of peace. A new and still larger force was therefore raised, and its command entrusted to Gen. Wayne, famed for the gallant manner, in which he stormed Stony Point during the Revolutionary war, "where, after wading through a deep morass and surmounting a double row of abattis, and forcing his way up to the strong works on the summit of the hill amid a shower of shells and shot of every kind, being struck on the head by a musket-ball, he fell, and immediately rising on one knee, he exclaimed: March on and carry me into the fort; if the wound be mortal, I will die at the head of the column !'" With such a leader the event of the expedition could hardly be doubtful. His offers of peace being rejected, Gen. Wayne advanced on the 15th of August, 1794, to Roche Debout, where he erected a small fort, which he called Fort Deposit. Five days afterwards he marched against the enemy and discovered them, about 2000 strong, in a position difficult of attack, their front protected by trees overthrown by a tornado, their right flank covered by thickets, and their left resting on the river Miami. As he was forming his army in order of battle, a brisk fire was opened upon his advance-guard from a thicket of underwood. He immediately ordered the "front line of legionary infantry to rouse the Indians out of their thickets with the bayonet, and when up to deliver a tremendous fire on their backs, followed by a brisk charge, so as not to give them time to load again." So furious was the onset of the troops, and so irresistible their bayonet charge, that the Indians were completely routed before any of the other corps could have come up. The American loss was 107, while that of the Indians was far greater. Gen. Wayne was not remiss in following up this victory, laying waste whole villages and cornfields, for a distance of fifty miles around. The destruction of their cabins and cornfields at last broke down the savage obstinacy of the Indians, and they sued for peace, which was promptly granted, and mutually concluded on the 7th of August, 1795. With the termination of this bloody war

the lives and property of the settlers were secured to them, and a new impulse was given to immigration, which began to pour slowly in.

In 1803, a new territory, known as the territory of Indiana, which embraced the whole of the North-western Territory, with the exception of the present State of Ohio, was formed, and William H. Harrison, since President of the United States, appointed its first Governor. Illinois remained a part of the new territory until 1809, when it was erected into an independent territory, and Ninian Edwards appointed its first Governor.

Peace had been made, and the white man had permanently established himself in the region, once a favorite hunting-ground of the Indian. No effort of the latter to recover the heritage of his fathers could have prevailed against the superior will and discipline of the former. Despair filled the minds even of the boldest of the Indian race, and the indefatigable and enterprising Little Turtle himself, who had beaten the foreign intruder in many a bloody engagement, becoming satisfied of the impossibility of making the Ohio the boundary-line between the red and white man, relaxed in his efforts, and at last acquiesced in the rule of the white man. But when he ceased to battle for the rights of his people, a hero arose among the Indians, no doubt the most gifted and exalted of his race, who, collecting the nearly exhausted strength of his people for a last and desperate struggle, placed himself at their head, and fought foremost in their ranks, until his untimely death on the field of battle forever sealed the doom of his unhappy race.

The name of this extraordinary man, with whom we will next occupy ourselves, is Tecumseh. He was a patriot, and the love of his country rendered him an irreconcilable enemy of the white man, upon whom, he was heard to declare, he could never look without feeling the flesh crawl upon his bones. His penetrating mind foresaw the total extinction of his race, the cause of which he traced, with unerring certainty, to the white immigration. He studied the subject as a statesman, and having satisfied himself that justice was on the side of his countrymen, with his heart oppressed by grief and inflamed with implacable vengeance, he tasked his mighty brain to find means to avert from his people the tide which threatened to engulf them. Upon the great work contemplated by him, Tecumseh entered in