. One of his
brothers, and several other Shawanoes of his own age, proposed to bet
with him, that they could each kill as many deer, in the space of three
days, as he could. Tecumseh promptly accepted the overture. The parties
took to the woods, and at the end of the stipulated time, returned with
the evidences of their success. None of the party, except Tecumseh, had
more than twelve deer skins; he brought in upwards of thirty--near
three times as many as any of his competitors. From this time he was
generally conceded to be the greatest hunter in the Shawanoe nation.

In the course of the summer of this year, 1795, he commenced raising a
party of his own, and began to style himself a chief. He did not attend
the treaty of Greenville, held by general Wayne, on the 3d of August,
1795, with the hostile Indians, but after its conclusion, Blue Jacket
paid him a visit on Deer creek, and communicated to him the terms on
which peace had been concluded.

Tecumseh remained at this place until the spring of 1796, when he
removed with his party to the Great Miami, near to Piqua, where they
raised a crop of corn. In the autumn he again changed his place of
residence, and went over to the head branches of White Water, west of
the Miami, where he and his party spent the winter; and in the spring
and summer of 1797, raised another crop of corn.

In the year 1798, the Delawares, then residing in part, on White river,
Indiana, invited Tecumseh and his followers, to remove to that
neighborhood. Having accepted this invitation, and made the removal, he
continued his head quarters in the vicinity of that nation for several
years, occupied in the ordinary pursuits of the hunter-life--gradually
extending his influence among the Indians, and adding to the number of
his party.

In 1799, there was a council held about six miles north of the place
where Urbana now stands, between the Indians and some of the principal
settlers on Mad River, for the adjustment of difficulties which had
grown up between these parties. Tecumseh, with other Shawanoe chiefs,
attended this council. He appears to have been the most conspicuous
orator of the conference, and made a speech on the occasion, which was
much admired for its force and eloquence. The interpreter, Dechouset,
said that he found it very difficult to translate the lofty flights of
Tecumseh, although he was as well acquainted with the Shawanoe
language, as with the French, which was his mother t