"Tecumseh, cleave the bosom of the lake,
And the west bank of the Miami take.
In ambush there your banded host secrete,
To rise and at a blow their lives complete;
If past the river they from us should fly,
You'll sharp your daggers for a butchery.
"Cawataw, you, and you, Tekelah good,
Will land with me at sunrise of the flood.
The Stars surrender ere the close of day--
The Eagle flutters in her death away..
"Cherish in mind, how wide they 've seiz'd your
For vengeance now, let every bosom boil.
Never the olive we present our foes,
Till yield they north of where th' Ohio flows.
Drive but the vile intruders from the plain,
And that vast hunting shall be yours again!"
Thus spoke the man of dubious origin-
The savage heard and smil'd a murderous grin,
Resembling something that no words can tell,-
Like that depictur'd in the pains of hell.
They load their barges-sweep the waters o'er,
And land like swarming on the freedom shore.
Twelve hundred patriots fortified are all
To play the brass and aim the rifles small;
And had not Harrison, t' avoid the fate
Of bleeding Raisin-from Ohio state,
Procur'd and hurried the supplies and men,
In infant weakness had the fortress been.
The time that Proctor with imperious pride,
Drew forth his strength to navigate the tide,
The venerable Shelby, silver hair'd,-
The fort-defenders in its centre squar'd--
Laid open his designs: "The winter spent--
Soon shall we hear the martial argument
Peal from the drums. Alas, but Raisin's tide
Compels us here defensive to abide,
Till youthful Perry shall his ships complete
To bear us o'er, the allied host to meet.
"What though adversity our arms constrains,
Here to resist the foe upon the plains,
Brown is preparing at Ontario's wave
To cross with Chauncey and dig deep their grave.
And doubt, there cannot be, but now the height
Of Queenstown shines with liberty's pure light-
Express to me hath made it evident,
That Rensselear was moving the descent.
"The human soul is limited to time-
When proud on reason's wing it towers sublime,
Planning with wisdom for the future hour
To grasp its hope in fulness of its power,-
The shifting of a breeze, a song, a hair,
Will break its flight and prove how weak we are:
"We thought our purposes with judgment laid,
That we, ere this, the Eagle had display'd-
But by the giddy changes of an hour,
We stand in weakness-wither'd all our power
"How? wither'd! never! Though in numbers small, Our strength is ample to defend the wall.
None more I wish the barbarous name to check,
Till Dudley shall arrive their ranks to break;
I've heard his passing of Ohio's stream
With twice twelve hundred, anxious to redeem
Their martyr'd brothers, perish'd in the flame.”
The chief was interrupted in discourse
By Hamilton returning with his force,
Sent as a spy, should enemies appear
To speed the tiding to the general's ear:
"Warrior of many fields! two leagues below,
In martial circumstance invade the foe,
Deep as thick mist slow travelling o'er the vale,
Borne on the pinions of the summer gale.
Cawataw, I, Tekelah, Proctor, saw—
1 search'd to find Tecumseh, whose stern awe Darkens the field when warriors, falchions, drawBut him, I not beheld. Elliot was dress'd
In royal robes, more haughty than the rest.
Reynolds and Muir, like stars mid clouds of night, Reflected on the host a partial light."
The herald ended. Harrison began
To spare the waste of blood renown'd the man :
"With modest deference to your judgment now,
Would I propose retiring from the blow,-
Here to abide, will prove an overthrow.
With reverence due to thy superior age,
These darkening thousands we can ne'er engage,
And dream to be successful. They'll surround
This frail defence and raze it to the ground.
"I'd be the last to recommend retreat, If hope remained to shelter from defeat.
Should we this small, but patriot army lose,
The States, alas! would be compell'd to choose-
Or rush upon their steel and there be slain,
Or yield our freedom to the foe again.
"But should we backward to the river* hie,
In safety could we shun the conflict nigh-
Protect the troops advancing on the rear,
And by our prudence save our character."
Thus he. And Shelby then: "Most true I feel
Your heart is wedded to the public weal.
In conduct, prudence is a polar star,
But in this virtue we may go too far.
'Tis not to be disguis'd, that we severe,
Have lost by reckless-passionate career.
""Twixt rashness, courage, wide is the extremeThat brings defeat, but this substantial fame : By courage pois'd with judgment, armies tower, And stand superior to unmarshall'd power. 'Tis not to numbers that the victory 's given, But to wise conduct with the smiles of heaven.
"Patriots! yea, more than ample is our force
To curb this Proctor in his savage course.
The hopes of freedom on our arms depend-
We stand a rock our country to defend.
If few our names, more worth shall we evince,
And place our deeds on fame's proud eminence.
* Carrying River.
Prove your hearts corded with your father's nerve,
Never to shrink-from danger never swerve.
Where danger comes not, courage ne'er is seen-
The day of battle proves the souls of men.
Though even now the enemy comes forth
In multitudes to bury us in earth,
Prompt to Sandusky, Croghan must repair
To guard the passage of the river there.
"Proceed, fair warrior,-strike for volunteers,
Twelve, ten times number'd equal to thy years."
Straight at the order, Croghan pass'd the lines,
While Harrison to Shelby thus rejoins:
“A leaden weight upon my heart I feel, Longer my thoughts of hazard to conceal,Hence, on the principle of public good, . I must divulge what darkness I forebode. Wisdom is gifted with a patient ear,
The calm opinions of her friends to hear.
"And do you purpose that the youth should stand,
If murdering hordes should swarm upon the land?
A single brass the bulwark would destroy,
And cast in air the inexperienc'd boy.
Yea, and I fear that we ourselves must die--
My soul forebodes a horrid butchery!
We need our every bayonet for defence--
It seems too daring to detach him hence."
"This, fear you not. When flourish'd ancient Rome, While to her portals Hannibal had come,
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