of earth.... But them redskins didn't hurt
us. And why, says ye? 'Cos they was scared of Jim. It seemed they had a
name for him in Shawnee which meant the 'old wolf that hunts by night.
They started out to take us way north of the Ohio to their Scioto
villages, whar they said we would be punished. Jim telled me to keep
up my heart, for he reckoned we wasn't going north of no river. Then he
started to make friends with them redskins, and in two days he was the
most popilar fellow in that company. He was a quiet man and for general
melancholious, but I guess he could be amusing when he wanted to. You
know the way an Indian laughs grunts in his stomach and looks at the
ground. Wal, Jim had them grunting all day, and, seeing he could speak
all their tongues, he would talk serious too. Ye could see them savages
listening, like he was their own sachem."

Boone reached for another faggot and tossed it on the fire. The downpour
was slacking, but the wind had risen high and was wailing in the
sycamores.

"Consekince was," he went on, "for prisoners we wasn't proper guarded.
By the fourth day we was sleeping round the fire among the Shawnees and
marching with them as we pleased, though we wasn't allowed to go near
the hosses. On the seventh night we saw the Ohio rolling in the hollow,
and Jim says to me it was about time to get quit of the redskins. It
was a wet night with a wind, which suited his plan, and about one in the
morning, when Indians sleep soundest, I was woke by Jim's hand pressing
my wrist. Wal, I've trailed a bit in my day, but I never did such mighty
careful hunting as that night. An inch at a time we crawled out of the
circle--we was lying well back on purpose--and got into the canes. I lay
there while Jim went back and fetched guns and powder. The Lord knows
how he done it without startling the hosses. Then we quit like ghosts,
and legged it for the hills. We was aiming for the Gap, but it took
us thirteen days to make it, travelling mostly by night, and living on
berries, for we durstn't risk a shot. Then we made up with you. I reckon
we didn't look too pretty when ye see'd us first."

"Ye looked," said his brother soberly, "Like two scare-crows that had
took to walkin'. There was more naked skin than shirt about you Dan'l.
But Lovelle wasn't complaining, except about his empty belly."

"He was harder nor me, though twenty years older. He did the leading,
too, for he had forgotten more about woodcraft than I