rried we could soon ketch up with the enemy; so we didn't wait, as
some o' the oldeh men advised, fur the reinfo'cements whut Gen'ral
Logan hed already started."

"Had we waited," interrupted Gilcrest sadly, "no doubt the story of
savage butchery enacted at Blue Licks two days later, might have had a
different ending."

"Maybe so," assented Rogers, "or ef, when we did git to the springs
thar on the banks uv the Lickin', we'd heeded the counsels uv Boone an'
Todd an' Trigg, instid o' the lead o' thet red-headed, hot-blood
Irishman, Hugh McGary, when he plunged his hoss inteh the river, an'
wavin' his knife oveh his haid, challenged all whut wuzn't cowa'ds to
folleh him. My soul! my hair rises yit when I think uv whut come next.
On we all reshed afteh McGary inteh the river, an' up the redge on
t'otheh side; fur, of course, Todd an' Boone an' our otheh rightful
leadehs, whose advice we'd disregawded, wouldn't fursake us when they
seed we wuz detarmined to rush it. Et fust, without ordeh or caution,
we hustled forwa'd--until the foes sprung out uv ambush. Good Lawd!
Ev'ry cliff, ev'ry bush an' cedah-tree wuz alive with them red devils;
an' it seemed lak all hell hed bust loose on us. Still, Boone an' the
otheh commandahs, afteh the fust minit's surprise, managed to rally us
in spite o' the hell fire whut rained on us frum behind ev'ry tree an'
rock. So when we'd reached the backbone uv the redge, we formed in some
sort uv ordeh. Boone, fust in command, took the left wing; Todd, the
centah; Trigg, the right; an' the Lincoln County men undeh Harlan,
McBride an' McGary a sort o' advance guard. But 'twuz no use then. We
only fired one round. Befoh we could reload, them devils wuz on us with
tommyhocks an' scalpin'-knives. Then, a hand-to-hand fight fur a minit.
Afteh thet, our men--all whut wuz left uv us--wuz mekin' back towa'ds
the river, with the yellin', whoopin' swarm o' hell's imps at our
heels."

"Who can depict the horrors of that day!" Gilcrest ejaculated. "It has
been estimated that at least one-tenth of all the able-bodied men in
Kentucky either fell on that battlefield, or were carried captive to
meet lingering death by torture. You see," he continued, "we had
thought we could have a better chance at the enemy on foot than on
horseback, so we had dismounted before forming into line; and then we
were so closely pursued that few had time to reach the horses."

"An' thet," said Rogers, taking up the narrative, "gi