Daniel Boone, the Pioneer of Kentucky
By Prof. Charles Morris
CHAPTERS IN UNITED STATES HISTORY.* NO. 6.
Daniel Boone, the Pioneer of Kentucky.
A Land of Promise—John Finley's Expedition—Daniel Boone Enters Kentucky—His Adventures—The Fort at Boonesborough—His Daughter Rescued from the Indians—"The Great Long Knife"—Boone a Prisoner—Adopted into the Tribe—The Fort Threatened—The Captive's Escape—Assault of the Fort—The Devoted Nine—The Tunnel Unmasked—Repulse of the Indians—Boone's Later Career. WEST of the broad mountain barrier which formed the frontier boundary of Virginia and the Carolinas lay a land of marvelous beauty and wonderful fertility, yet so fraught with peril and bloodshed that it had acquired the ominous title of the "dark and bloody ground." Its forests and plains so abounded with game that the neighboring tribes used it as a hunting-ground, but their vocation frequently became war, and so deadly were their contests that not even the most venturesome of the tribes dared to make of this disputed ground a dwelling-place. The first white man to penetrate this perilous region was John Finley, an Indian trader, who in 1767 made an excursion into its depths, and returned with thrilling tales of adventure and tempting stories of the beauty and richness of the land. These he told to Daniel Boone, a native of Pennsylvania, who had settled in the mountain district of North Carolina. Boone was already a famous hunter, and the narrative of Finley filled him with eager desire to penetrate this land of game and danger. On the 1st of May, 1769, he set out in company with Finley and three others on a journey from which it was doubtful if they would ever return. For many days they toiled onward, over the forest-clad and untrodden mountains, ever on the alert against savages, until at length the far-extending plains and forests of Kentucky lay before their eyes. Here they found "wild beasts of all sorts," from buffalo to the smallest game, and enjoyed this virgin paradise of animal life with all the ardor of enthusiastic hunters. But they were intruders on the Indian hunting-ground, and their lives were in constant peril. On the 22d of December, Boone and one of his companions were taken prisoners by a party of Indians, and held captive for seven days, in doubt as to their fate. Then by a skilful artifice they escaped, and made their way back to camp, to find that8the remainder of the party had left for North Carolina. But other adventurers soon joined them, Boone's brother among them, and the remainder of the winter was passed in safety. In the spring they all returned home except Boone (his brother having gone for supplies), and the daring hunter was left alone in the wilderness. Even his dog deserted him, and he had only his rifle for companion in the solitude of that vast wilderness. His peril was extreme. The intrusion of the whites had not been unknown to the Indians, who were naturally incensed at this bold invasion of their domain. Boone was daily in imminent danger of death or captivity, and only the most extraordinary caution saved him from his prowling foes. He changed his camp nightly, never sleeping twice in the same place. Traces of the savages were everywhere about him. On one occasion a party pursued him for many miles, and only his speed of foot and skill in artifice enabled him to throw them from his trail. Many were his adventures and escapes during his three months of solitary life in that wilderness land. At night wolves prowled around his sleeping-place; by day the prowling red man haunted his path; yet he braved all dangers with the bold and cheerful composure of the true pioneer. His brother at length joined him, with horses and supplies, and the two adventurers passed another winter in the wilds. In the years that followed several efforts were made to form a settlement, but they were all unsuccessful, many of the settlers being slain by the Indians, the others flying in terror. It was not until 1775 that Boone succeeded in forming a permanent settlement at a locality on the Kentucky River, which preserves his name, Boonesborough. Here a fort was built, and he brought hither his wife and daughter, "the first white woman," as he said, "that ever stood on the banks of the Kentucky River." The peril of the settlers was great. The utmost vigilance was needed to protect them from the vengeance of the red-skinned foe, furious at the invasion of their hunting-grounds. One day in spring Boone's daughter, with two other girls, who had left the fort to gather flowers, and had gone too far from its walls, were seized by lurking savages and swiftly hurried into the forest depths. They were soon missed; a search of the spot taught the practical woodmen what had occurred, and the terror-stricken fathers, with seven companions, were quickly on the trail of the dusky foe. For two days the pursuit continued. With all the skill of the Indians themselves, Boone and his companions traced the faint marks left by the moccasined savages, and followed them persistently through the forest, their search aided by scraps of clothing which the girls, true hunters' daughters, had managed to drop unseen on their way. At length the camp of the Indians was observed. Night was at hand. Waiting until darkness had fallen, they approached the camp, and Boone and Calloway, the two fathers, volunteering to attempt a rescue, crept stealthily towards the halting place of the foe. Skilled as they were, some unlucky sound warned the Indians, and the two hunters were discovered, seized, and dragged exultingly into the camp. Here a council was held, and the captives were doomed to death at the stake, as soon as the next day should dawn. Not knowing how many pursuers were on their trail, the Indians felt that they had no time to lose. With the first gleam of the coming sun, hasty preparations were commenced for their deadly work. The captives were bound to trees before the eyes of their distracted daughters, fagots were rapidly gathered, and the fatal pile was prepared. The savages, in haste to complete their dreadful work and resume their journey, were on the point of applying the torch to the dry twigs when, from the adjoining forest, there poured in a shower of bullets that stretched several of them upon the ground. Their intent interest in their occupation had permitted the comrades of the captives to creep unobserved within easy rifle range. With exulting shouts the ambushed whites now broke from their covert, dashed into the camp before the panic-stricken Indians could slay their captives, and with fresh rifle-shots put them to hasty flight. A brace of knife strokes released the prisoners, and the party returned in triumph with the recovered girls to the fort. In 1777 the Indians made a series of attacks on the settlements, and throughout this year almost incessant warfare prevailed. Two attacks were made on the fort at Boonesborough, the second by a party of 200 Indians, who kept up the assault for two days. In all this warfare Boone was the leading spirit. Such was his valor and activity, so great his knowledge of woodcraft, so thorough his acquaintance with Indian wiles, that he became the terror of his foes, who complimented his daring with the title, "The Great Long Knife." On one occasion, when assailed in the woods by two warriors, he conceived by skilful maneuvers to draw their fire, and then killed them both, the one with a rifle shot, the other with his hunting-knife, in hand-to-hand fight. But bold and skilful as he was, Boone was destined to fall into the hands of his foes, and passed through a harrowing experience. In one of his daring excursions in search of game, in February, 1778, he suddenly found himself in the vicinity of 100 Shawnee warriors, who were on the way to attack his own fort. He fled, but was pursued and taken. Soon after the Indians discovered a large party of whites, twenty-seven in all, who were making salt at the Salt Lick Springs. They were all made prisoners. This capture was deemed so important that the warriors gave up their original design and hastened to the north with their captives. It was fortunate for the latter that the Revolutionary War was then in progress, and that the Indians deemed it more profitable to sell their prisoners to the English than to put them to death. They therefore took them to Detroit, where all except Boone were ransomed by the English. A large sum was offered for his release, but his captors would not part with him. They did not propose that the Great Long Knife should be set free to trouble them as of yore.