ld seem, from David Crockett's
autobiography, that in his childhood he went mainly without any
clothing, like the pappooses of an Indian squaw. These facts of his
early life must be known, that we may understand the circumstances by
which his peculiar character was formed.

He had no instruction whatever in religion, morals, manners, or mental
culture. It cannot be supposed that his illiterate parents were very
gentle in their domestic discipline, or that their example could have
been of any essential advantage in preparing him for the arduous
struggle of life. It would be difficult to find any human being, in a
civilized land, who can have enjoyed less opportunities for moral
culture than David Crockett enjoyed in his early years.

There was quite a fall on the Nolachucky River, a little below the
cabin of John Crockett. Here the water rushed foaming over the rocks,
with fury which would at once swamp any canoe. When David was four or
five years old, and several other emigrants had come and reared their
cabins in that vicinity, he was one morning out playing with his
brothers on the bank of the river. There was a canoe tied to the shore.
The boys got into it, and, to amuse themselves, pushed out into the
stream, leaving little David, greatly to his indignation, on the shore.

But the boys did not know how to manage the canoe, and though they
plied the paddies with all vigor, they soon found themselves caught in
the current, and floating rapidly down toward the falls, where, should
they be swept over, the death of all was inevitable.

A man chanced to be working in a field not far distant. He heard the
cries of the boys and saw their danger. There was not a moment to be
lost. He started upon the full run, throwing off coat and waistcoat and
shoes, in his almost frantic speed, till he reached the water. He then
plunged in, and, by swimming and wading, seized the canoe when it was
within but about twenty feet of the roaring falls. With almost
superhuman exertions he succeeded in dragging it to the shore.

This event David Crockett has mentioned as the first which left any
lasting imprint upon his memory. Not long after this, another
occurrence took place characteristic of frontier life. Joseph Hawkins,
a brother of David's mother, crossed the mountains and joined the
Crockett family in their forest home. One morning he went out to shoot
a deer, repairing to a portion of the forest much frequented by this
animal. As h