Table of

s lived almost entirely east of the Alleghany Mountains. If you will look at yo

ns had few settlers west of the Alleghanies, and had d

as the Mississippi River. How this was done we shall see if we turn our attention to those early

as born in Pennsylvania, and, like many of the heroes

the wild forest. The story is told that while a mere lad he wandered one day into the woods some distance from ho

el B

r a pile of burning sticks. If you have done outdoor camp cooking, you can almost taste its woodland flavor. Then at night as he lay u

in the forests, and trained him for the work he w

d on the Yadkin River. There the boy grew to manhood. After his marriage, at twenty, he

rs had taken up their abode. And young Boone's imagination leaped to the country beyond the mountains, where the forest stretched for miles upo

unt" we know about. At this time he went as far a

er his first trip, having heard from a stray Indian of a wonderful hunting-ground far to the west

way through lonely and pathless mountain forests,

OES TO

d running streams, they felt well repaid for all the hardships of their long journey. It was indeed as the Indian had said, a

a man named Stewart, while off on a hunting expedition, were captured by an Indian band. For several days the dusky warriors carefully guarde

cape from

d Stewart. The two crept stealthily away until out of hearing of the Indians, when, rising to their feet, they bounded off l

rrived with another man and joined the camp. The four were quite contented, living and hunting together, until one day Stewart was shot by an Indian and kille

e cabin in the forest. Then, as their powder and lead were getting low, Squire Boone retu

ear of being surprised, he dared not sleep in camp, but hid himself at night in the cane

e he did not speak to a single human being, nor had he even a dog, cat, or horse for comp

d of two months, bringing the needed supplies! Other hunters also ca

ds he returned to his home on the Yadk

hat many others wished to go with him. So when he started there were, besides his wife and children, five families and forty men driving t

ss in the mountains. Six men were killed, among them Boone's eldest son, and the cattle were scattered. This mi

at he was "ordained of God to settle the wilderness," and in the end he carrie

ns called it "a dark and bloody ground," for, as an old chief told Boone, many tribe

utright. Yet, to avoid strife, a friend of Boone's, Richard Henderson, and a few others made

e, Henderson sent Boone, in charge of thirty men, to open a pathway

ridle-path was the beginning of the famous "Wilderness Road," as it is still called. Later the narrow trail was widened into a highway for wagons, and it was alon

ow we are thinking about the very first of t

SETTLERS AT

the outer sides of log cabins, and in part of a stockade, some twelve feet high, made by setting deep into the ground stout posts with pointed tops. In all the cabins ther

esbo

y settled, it was springtime, and Kentucky was at its best. Trees were in leaf, the beautiful dogwood was in

learing, where he lived with his family and took care of his own stock. But even then in time of great danger all went to the fo

could endure great hardship. Though quiet and serious, his courage never shrank in the face of danger, and men believed in him because he believed in himse

hirt, moccasins and leggings, all made from the skins of wild a

in a boat near the bank. Suddenly five Indians darted out of the woods, seized the three girls, and hurried away with them. In their flight the Indians observed the eldest of the girls breaking twigs and dropping them

rail and kept up the pursuit until, early on the second morning, they discovered the Indians sitting around a fire cooking breakfast. Suddenly the

rd to imagine the difficulty which those settlers, living far back from the ocean, had in obtaining this necessary part of their food. They had to go to "salt-licks," as

hat in a few weeks they were able to send back a load so large that it took three men to carry it. Hardly had they started, however, w

ains the Revolution was being fought, and the Indians west of the Alleghanies were fighting on the English side. They received a sum of money for

as a prize, offered five hundred dollars for him. The Indians admired him because he was a mighty hunter,

ad. But when he overheard the Indians planning to make an attack upon Boonesb

ourney of one hundred and sixty miles, during which I had but one meal." He could not get any food, for he dared not use his gun nor build a fire for fear his foes might find out

Boone, we got you. You no get away any more. You no cheat us any more." While they were speaking Boone had gathered up in his arms a number of dry tobacco leaves. Rubbing th

o the Eyes of the Indians

rom them all he came out safe and for years continued

Four years later he moved still farther west, led on by love for the wild, lonely life

period of very great change in the growth of our country. By th

de for several years. However this may be, we know that he was one of those fearless and dar

ngs to T

boyhood had

ring the weeks when he was alone in the Kentu

e by the Indians and his esc

r Kentucky? What