Friday, March 31, 2017

When Little Turtle's Captive Escaped


Source

Little Turtle was fond of telling of his war adventures. One anecdote he used to relate with much gusto concerning an occasion on which he himself had been outwitted.

'A white man,' said he, a prisoner of many years in the tribe, had often solicited permission to go on a war party and had been refused. 

It never was the practice of the Indians to ask or encourage white prisoners among them to go to war against their countrymen. This white man, however, had so far won the confidence of the Indians and being very importunate I took him on an expedition to Kentucky. As was our practice, we had carefully reconnoitered and had fixed on a house recently built as the one to be attacked the next morning about the dawn of day.

 ...he [the white man]...jumped to his feet [as they approached the house] and went with all his speed shouting at the top of his voice, 'Indians! Indians'! 

We had to make a precipitated retreat, losing forever our white companion and disappointed in our fancied conquest of the log cabin. From that day I would never trust a white man to accompany me again in war.



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