itan hotels. And the
dainty morsel cut with artistic skill from the fat buffalo, and toasted
on the end of a ramrod before the camp-fire, possessed a relish which
few epicures have ever experienced at the most sumptuous tables in Paris
or New York. And as these men seem to have been constitutionally devoid
of any emotions of fear from wild beasts, or still wilder Indians, the
idea of a journey of a few hundred miles in the wilderness was not one
to be regarded by them with any special solicitude.

Gradually they formed a plan for organizing a small party to traverse
these beautiful realms in search of a new home. A company of six picked
men was formed, and Daniel Boone was chosen their leader. The names of
this party were John Finley, John Stewart, Joseph Holden, James Moncey,
and William Cool. A journey of many hundred miles was before them.
Through the vast mountain barrier, which could only be traversed by
circuitous wanderings some hundreds of miles in extent, their route was
utterly pathless, and there were many broad and rapid streams to be
crossed, which flowed through the valleys between the mountain ridges.
Though provision in abundance was scattered along the way, strong
clothing must be provided, powder and bullets they must take with them,
and all these necessaries were to be carried upon their backs, for no
pack horses could thread the defiles of the mountains or climb their
rugged cliffs. It was also necessary to make provision for the support
of the families of these adventurers during their absence of many
months. It does not appear that Mrs. Boone presented any obstacle in the
way of her husband's embarking in this adventure. Her sons were old
enough to assist her in the management of the farm, and game was still
to be found in profusion in the silent prairies and sublime forests
which surrounded them.

In the sunny clime of North Carolina May comes with all the balminess
and soft zephyrs of a more northern summer. It was a beautiful morning
on the first day of May, 1769, when Boone and his companions commenced
their adventurous journey. In the brief narrative which Boone has given
of this excursion, we perceive that it was with some considerable regret
that he separated himself from his much loved wife and children on the
peaceful banks of the Yadkin.

We must infer that the first part of their journey was fatiguing, for it
took them a full month to accomplish the passage of the mountains.
Though it