The whites did not like the chief of the village above Defiance, Ockonksees; they though he ought to control his young men better; but their hopes were upon his elder son, a fine young man, who would soon come into the chief ship, and whom everyone liked. He died, however, the first summer we lived at the fort.
The Indians were on there way to Detroit to draw their annuities, and, as their custom was, they encamped on the other side of the Maumee to wait for all the Indians to collect, when they would together make the journey.
The young chief's horse broke its hobbles and ran away; he and others ran very fast to catch the horse, and while heated he drank hastily and freely of what he supposed was river water (he was temperate), but on draining the cup he exclaimed "Ugh whisky!" He laid down to sleep, never waked. His corpse was brought over to the fort, and buried just a little way above the fort, on the Auglaize, under a large apple tree.
The corpse was dressed in his best suit, namely, a dark blue cloth sacque and handsome leggins and moccasins.
The coat had two small capes, one a little above the other; the edges of each were ornamented with small silver brooches.
He wore silver arm-bands, and on his breast two silver breastplates, in shape of a half-moon, hung one above the other.
A bunch of silver baubles was in each ear, and around his waist was a beautiful wampum belt, in which was his hunting-knife in its scabbard. His tomahawk and shot-pouch were by his side.
At his feet were placed a two-quart pail full of soup, together with a wooden spoon, and his pipe and some tobacco. This was the outfit of the dead chief for his journey to the great hunting-grounds.
The grave was dug so shallow that the corpse was nearly even with the surface of the ground. My brother James hastened and brought some clapboards to lay over the grave before they covered it with earth.
The Indians would not permit more than a slight and flat depth of earth over the grave. Before the grave was closed, Segatchaway, the brother of the old chief, stood over the grave and made a loud and vehement speech, threatening any man, white or Indian, with death who would rob the corpse of its expensive ornaments.
Two guns were fired off toward the Indian village, to inform a brother and sister there of the young chief's death.
Tobacco and whisky were sacrificed at the grave.
The young chief's horse broke its hobbles and ran away; he and others ran very fast to catch the horse, and while heated he drank hastily and freely of what he supposed was river water (he was temperate), but on draining the cup he exclaimed "Ugh whisky!" He laid down to sleep, never waked. His corpse was brought over to the fort, and buried just a little way above the fort, on the Auglaize, under a large apple tree.
The corpse was dressed in his best suit, namely, a dark blue cloth sacque and handsome leggins and moccasins.
The coat had two small capes, one a little above the other; the edges of each were ornamented with small silver brooches.
He wore silver arm-bands, and on his breast two silver breastplates, in shape of a half-moon, hung one above the other.
A bunch of silver baubles was in each ear, and around his waist was a beautiful wampum belt, in which was his hunting-knife in its scabbard. His tomahawk and shot-pouch were by his side.
At his feet were placed a two-quart pail full of soup, together with a wooden spoon, and his pipe and some tobacco. This was the outfit of the dead chief for his journey to the great hunting-grounds.
The grave was dug so shallow that the corpse was nearly even with the surface of the ground. My brother James hastened and brought some clapboards to lay over the grave before they covered it with earth.
The Indians would not permit more than a slight and flat depth of earth over the grave. Before the grave was closed, Segatchaway, the brother of the old chief, stood over the grave and made a loud and vehement speech, threatening any man, white or Indian, with death who would rob the corpse of its expensive ornaments.
Two guns were fired off toward the Indian village, to inform a brother and sister there of the young chief's death.
Tobacco and whisky were sacrificed at the grave.
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