ovided in the same manner for a door. They made the
floor out of the puncheons, turned with the smooth side upward, and the
roof out of rough boards, sawed from the trees. The chimney was built of
earth and stones, and a great flat stone served as the fireplace. Some
of the houses were large enough to have two rooms, one for the grown
folks and one for the children, and Mr. Ware's also had a little lean-to
or shed which served as a kitchen.

It seemed at first to Henry, rejoicing then in the warm, sunny weather,
that they were building in a needlessly heavy and solid fashion. But
when he thought over it a while he remembered what Ross said about the
winters and deep snows of this new land. Indeed the winters in Kentucky
are often very cold and sometimes for certain periods are quite as cold
as those of New York or New England.

When the little town was finished at last it looked both picturesque and
comfortable, a group of about thirty log houses, covering perhaps an
acre of ground. But the building labors of the pioneers did not stop
here. Around all these houses they put a triple palisade, that is three
rows of stout, sharpened stakes, driven deep into the ground and rising
full six feet above it. At intervals in this palisade were circular
holes large enough to admit the muzzle of a rifle.

They built at each corner of the palisade the largest and strongest of
their houses,--two-story structures of heavy logs, and Henry noticed
that the second story projected over the first. Moreover, they made
holes in the edge of the floor overhead so that one could look down
through them upon anybody who stood by the outer wall. Ross went up into
the second story of each of the four buildings, thrust the muzzle of his
rifle into every one of the holes in turn, and then looked satisfied.
"It is well done," he said. "Nobody can shelter himself against the wall
from the fire of defenders up here."

These very strong buildings they called their blockhouses, and after
they finished them they dug a well in the corner of the inclosed ground,
striking water at a depth of twenty feet. Then their main labors were
finished, and each family now began to furnish its house as it would or
could.

It was not all work for Henry while this was going on, and some of the
labor itself was just as good as play. He was allowed to go considerable
distances with Ross, and these journeys were full of novelty. He was a
boy who came to places which no w