dress and his painted cheeks, his tufted scalp-lock and his whole person
embrowned by constant exposure to the open air, could scarcely be
distinguished from any of his Indian associates. His wary captors
however, notwithstanding all the kindness with which they treated him,
seemed to be conscious that it must be his desire to return to his
friends. They therefore habitually, but without a remark suggestive of
any suspicions, adopted precautions to prevent his escape. So skilful a
hunter as Boone could, with his rifle and a supply of ammunition,
traverse the solitary expanse around for almost any length of time,
living in abundance. But deprived of his rifle or of ammunition, he
would soon almost inevitably perish of starvation. The Indians were
therefore very careful not to allow him to accumulate any ammunition,
which was so essential to sustain him in a journey through the
wilderness.

Though Boone was often allowed to go out alone to hunt, they always
counted his balls and the charges of powder. Thus they could judge
whether he had concealed any ammunition to aid him, should he attempt to
escape. He however, with equal sagacity, cut the balls in halves, and
used very small charges of powder. Thus he secretly laid aside quite a
little store of ammunition. As ever undismayed by misfortune, he
serenely gave the energies of his mind to the careful survey of the
country around.

"During the time that I hunted for them," he writes, "I found the land
for a great extent about this river to exceed the soil of Kentucky if
possible, and remarkably well watered."

Upon one of the branches of the Scioto river, which stream runs about
sixty miles east of the Little Miami, there were some salt springs.
Early in June a party of the Indians set out for these "Licks" to make
salt. They took Boone with them. The Indians were quite averse to
anything like hard work. Boone not only understood the process of
manufacture perfectly, but was always quietly and energetically devoted
to whatever he undertook. The Indians, inspired by the double motive of
the desire to obtain as much salt as possible, and to hold securely the
prisoner, whom they so highly valued, kept him so busy at the kettles as
to give him no opportunity to escape.

After an absence of about a fortnight, they returned with a good supply
of salt to the Little Miami. Here Boone was quite alarmed to find that
during his absence the chiefs had been marshaling a band of four