the other Indian boys of his tribe, by whom he was loved and respected, and over whom he exercised unbounded influence.  He was generally surrounded by a set of companions who were ready to stand or fall by his side.[B] It is stated that the first battle in which he was engaged, occurred on Mad River, near where Dayton stands, between a party of Kentuckians, commanded by colonel Benjamin Logan, and some Shawanoes.  At this time Tecumseh was very young, and joined the expedition under the care of his brother, who was wounded at the first fire.  It is related by some Indian chiefs that Tecumseh, at the commencement of the action, became frightened and ran.[C] This may be true, but it is the only instance in which he was ever known to shrink from danger, or to loose that presence of mind for which he was ever afterwards remarkably distinguished.

[Footnote A:  Stephen Ruddell’s MS. account.]

[Footnote B:  Anthony Shane.]

[Footnote C:  A similar statement is made in regard to the first battle of the celebrated Red Jacket.]

The next action in which Tecumseh participated, and in which he manifested signal prowess, was an attack made by the Indians upon some flat boats, descending the Ohio, above Limestone, now Maysville.  The year in which it occurred is not stated, but Tecumseh was not probably more than sixteen or seventeen years of age.  The boats were captured, and all the persons belonging to them killed, except one, who was taken prisoner, and afterwards burnt.  Tecumseh was a silent spectator of the scene, having never witnessed the burning of a prisoner before.  After it was over, he expressed in strong terms, his abhorrence of the act, and it was finally concluded by the party that they would never burn any more prisoners;[A] and to this resolution, he himself, and the party also, it is believed, ever afterwards scrupulously adhered.  It is not less creditable to the humanity than to the genius of Tecumseh, that he should have taken this noble stand, and by the force and eloquence of his appeal, have brought his companions to the same resolution.  He was then but a boy, yet he had the independence to attack a cherished custom of his tribe, and the power of argument to convince them, against all their preconceived notions of right and the rules of warfare, that the custom should be abolished.  That his effort to put a stop to this cruel and revolting rite, was not prompted by any temporary expediency, but was the result of a humane disposition, and a right sense of justice, is abundantly shown by his conduct towards prisoners in after life.

[Footnote A:  Stephen Ruddell.]

The boats were owned by traders.  The number of whites killed in the engagement has not been ascertained.  In the attack upon them, Tecumseh not only behaved with great courage, but even left in the back ground some of the oldest and bravest warriors of the party.  From this time his reputation as a brave, and his influence over other minds, rose rapidly among the tribe to which he belonged.