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STORIES 
 
 OF 
 
 AMERICArt PIOflEERS 
 
 DANIEL BOONE 
 
 LEWIS AND CLARK 
 FREMONT 
 
 KIT CARSON 
 
 EDUCATIONAL PUBLISHING C 
 BOSTON 
 New York Chicago San fRANCisc^^. 
 
 TWO COPIES RECEIVED 
 

 Copyrighted 
 By educational PUBLISHING COMPANY, 
 
 1897. 
 
CONTENTS. 
 
 Page 
 
 7 
 
 Daniel Boone ....... 
 
 Westward .,..,.. 13 
 
 Boone's Brother . . , . . . - 25 
 
 The New Home . , . . . 31 
 Boone's Escape ....... 41 
 
 Colonel Boone ...... 51 
 
 Bryan Station . . . . , . -57 
 
 An Ambuscade ...... 65 
 
 Boone's Last Years . . . . . • 71 
 
 Meriwether Lewis and William Clark . 75 
 
 John Charles Fremont and Kit Carson 123 
 
 Kit Carson as Fremont's Guide . . 131 
 
 Fremont's Peak . . . -139 
 
 A Second Expedition . . . . 153 
 
 Fremont's Men Surprised . . .163 
 
DANIEL BOONE ON GUARD. 
 
TORY 
 
 AI 
 
 1735 — 1820. 
 
 Daniel Boone was a Pennsylvania boy. 
 He lived in Exeter, then a very little town 
 sixty miles from Philadelphia. 
 
 Even when a boy he showed rare pluck 
 and courage. 
 
 One day he was at play in the woods 
 with two other boys, when a wild yell echoed 
 through the forests. 
 
 The boys turned pa e with fright ; for 
 they well knew nothing but a panther could 
 make that cry. 
 
8 DANIEL BOONE. 
 
 Every boy seized his rifle; for in those 
 days boys always carried rifles with them. 
 
 The panther with another yell leaped 
 from the great rock to the limb of a tree. 
 Then he set his yellow eyes upon the boys 
 and crept towards them. 
 
 " Stay here," said Boone to the boys. 
 *'I will run towards the creature. If I fail 
 to shoot him, and he attacks me, come and 
 help." 
 
 Then Daniel crept towards the panther. 
 He held his rifle ready, and, as the fierce 
 animal sprang from the tree, he fired. 
 
 Snap ! snap ! went the rifle ; and the 
 panther, with another yell, fell at the young 
 hunter's feet, dead. 
 
 The boys dragged the creature into the 
 village, and all the people came to look at 
 the panther that little Dan Boone had killed. 
 
10 DANIEL BOONE. 
 
 From this time, Daniel began to spend 
 much of his time in the forests. He loved 
 the big trees ; and to him there was no such 
 sport as hunting. 
 
 One day, while he was prowling up and 
 down the Schuylkill River, he came upon a 
 spot most beautiful. 
 
 " What a place for a hut ! " he thought. 
 " I will build one." So he sat to work at 
 once. 
 
 It was not a log cabin the boy built. 
 O, no ; that would not have been wild 
 enough to suit his taste. 
 
 In one place there were two great rocks 
 close together. The sides were steep, as if 
 sometime the rock had split apart. 
 
 "This will make a fine cave," he said. So 
 he cleared away the small rocks between, and 
 covered the floor over with clean, dry leaves. 
 
DANIRL BOONE. 11 
 
 Then he built up a back for his cave, 
 and covered it with a roof of twigs and 
 grasses. 
 
 With stones he made a place to do his 
 cooking; he piled up leaves in one corner 
 to make a bed for himself and his dog, and 
 then his hut was finished. 
 
 " How would you like to live here, old 
 fellow ? " he said, patting the head of his 
 faithful friend. 
 
 The dog looked up into his master's 
 face, and wagged his tail. 
 
 He understood and Daniel understood; 
 so they went into their hut and went to 
 sleep. 
 
 For several days the boy and the dog 
 lived there — the happiest boy and the hap- 
 piest dog in all the world. 
 
 But, by and by, Daniel's parents began 
 
12 DANIEL BOONE. 
 
 to fear some accident had happened to the 
 boy ; and then the men of the village set 
 out into the forest to find him. 
 
 They came one morning just as Daniel 
 was cooking his breakfast. The smoke 
 poured out through the little hole in the roof 
 of the hut. 
 
 ''There he is!" they cried; and started 
 towards the hut. 
 
 " Good morning," they said, when they 
 came upon Daniel hard at work at the door- 
 way of his new home. 
 
 So Daniel had " company for breakfast; " 
 and when, a few hours later, his guests went 
 back to the village, he went back with them. 
 
 But he always said he never had such 
 a good time in all his life as he had that 
 week alone in the woods. 
 
^A^ESTWARD. 
 
 By and by, Daniel's parents moved to 
 North Carolina. Daniel liked the change, 
 for it was warmer there, and he could live 
 in the woods the whole year round if he 
 wished. 
 
 Here, in Carolina, Daniel grew to be a 
 man. He was very happy, farming and hunt- 
 ing. And when the Cherokee Indian war 
 broke out, he was one of the most daring 
 heroes in that war. 
 
 But it was when Daniel left his Car- 
 olina home and went west that the wonder- 
 ful part of his life began. 
 
 When the Cherokees were driven west- 
 is 
 
Lc^^2^ 
 
 WESTWARD. 
 
DANIEL BOONE. 15 
 
 ward, white settlers began to hear of the 
 wonderful country beyond the mountains. 
 
 They were told that the soil was very 
 fertile ; that it was a rich farming country ; 
 that game was plenty ; and that there was 
 iron and silver in the mines. 
 
 It was the fur traders who brought back 
 these marvellous stories. 
 
 Later parties of white men began 
 to take journeys into this new country. 
 They found it as beautiful as the fur traders 
 had said. 
 
 '' I will go, too," said Daniel Boone ; so 
 he packed his knap-sack and started out. 
 
 We know it was as early as 1760 that 
 Daniel Boone went west ; for he cut some 
 words on a beech tree, and the date, 1760. 
 This old tree was standing until only a few 
 years ago. 
 
l(j DANIEL BOONE 
 
 The words Daniel Boone cut were these : 
 D. Boon 
 CillED A Bar On 
 
 in ThE Tree 
 
 yEAR 1760 
 
 You see, from this, that Daniel was not 
 an educated man. He could not always spell 
 as he should. And he does n't seem to 
 have quite understood the use of capitals. 
 
 But we must remember there were no 
 schools in those days, except in the towns 
 and villages. If a boy learned to read easy 
 words and could write his name, that was 
 enough. 
 
 In 1769, Daniel Boone became acquainted 
 with James Findley. Findley was a success- 
 ful Kentucky trader. Each time he came 
 back to Carolina, he had wonderful stories 
 to tell. 
 
DANIEL BOONE. 17 
 
 It was with James Findley and four other 
 daring men, John Stuart, Joseph Holden, 
 Jam^es Murray and William Cool, that Boone 
 first set out into the wild west. 
 
 They traveled through forests so dense 
 that the sunlight could not peep through ; 
 they swam across rivers ; and they climbed 
 up and down rocky mountains. 
 
 There were hostile Indians on every 
 side. At any time an arrow might come 
 whizzing out frorrt behind a tree at them. 
 At night the wolves howled and the panthers 
 yelled. 
 
 At last they gained a peak of the Cum- 
 berland, and looked down upon the beautiful 
 fields of Kentucky. 
 
 There lay the sparkling Kentucky river, 
 and up and down its banks herds of buffalo 
 were grazing. 
 
r' 
 
DANIEL BOONE. 19 
 
 In this valley the six hunters made their 
 camp, and there they spent the winter. 
 
 Late in December, Daniel Boone and 
 John Stuart started towards Ohio to hunt 
 and explore the country. They had seen no 
 Indians up to this time. But one day, while 
 they were hunting on the banks of the Ken- 
 tucky, a band of savages sprang out from 
 the tall grasses and attacked them. 
 
 Of course, two men wxre helpless before 
 so many Indians. 
 
 The savages seized them by the arms 
 and led them away. 
 
 '' We must not be afraid. We must pre- 
 tend to be interested in the wigwam life of 
 these people," said Boone. 
 
 '' I have heard that when a captive 
 appears to enjoy his new life in the camp of 
 his captors, they are not likely to kill him." 
 
20 DANIEL BOONE. 
 
 The Indians began, after a time, to treat 
 them as guests. 
 
 So the two men pretended to be greatly 
 interested in the camp to which their captors 
 took them. 
 
 They played with the little children. 
 They helped to grind the corn. They showed 
 the Indians how to build cabins. They helped 
 their captors to gather the thick cane brake, 
 and to prepare the game for cooking. 
 
 Then the Indians began to treat them 
 as friends. They grew less watchful of them. 
 By and by, they did not tie them at all when 
 night-time came. They allowed them to sleep 
 in the wigwams, as free as the warriors them- 
 selves. 
 
 But all this time Boone and Stuart were 
 on the watch. 
 
 One night the Indians were very tired. 
 
DANIEL BOONE. 21 
 
 They had been hunting all day long, and so 
 slept heavily. 
 
 In the middle of the night, the two 
 men crept out from their wigwam. 
 
 They crept softly into the thicket and 
 made their way tow^ards the river. All night 
 long they ran ; and when morning came they 
 hid again in the dense forests. 
 
 When the Indians knew their captives 
 had fled, they ran in all directions. Once 
 Boone heard them not far away ; but they 
 did not find the white men, and soon gave 
 up the search. 
 
 Then Boone and Stuart hurried down 
 the river till they came at last to the old 
 camp. 
 
 But a strange thing had happened. The 
 camp was deserted, and not a man was to 
 be found. 
 
C' -'-^:t^^^ 
 
 THE INDIANS KAN IN ALL DIRECTIONS. 
 
DANIEL BOONE. 23 
 
 The cabin, though in ruins, was still 
 standing. And near by was a pile of logs 
 still burning. 
 
 Boone and Stuart waited, thinking the 
 four companions must have gone out to hunt. 
 
 '' And still they would not have left 
 their camp unguarded," said Boone. 
 
 " There seem to be signs of' a struggle or 
 massacre," said Stuart. 
 
 But whatever had or had not happened, 
 the four men never came back to their camp. 
 And no one, to this day, has ever known 
 what became of them. 
 
 The Indians round about were questioned, 
 but they all declared they did not know. 
 Certainly the men did not return to Carolina ; 
 and so the fate of these four men is still 
 a mystery. 
 
THE COMING OF BOONE'S BROTHER. 
 
 Boone and Stuart were now all alone in 
 the deep forests. They had very little 
 ammunition, and they knew there was dan- 
 ger on every side. 
 
 They built a log cabin for themselves 
 and plastered it over with mud. This plas- 
 ter kept out the rain and snow. And, besides, 
 the men could conceal themselves better in 
 mud huts in case of attack from the red men. 
 
 For a long time the two men lived 
 here alone. It was winter, and they dared 
 not set out to travel homeward until the 
 snow was gone. 
 
 One day in midwinter, two white men 
 appeared before the cabin. Never were two 
 
 25 
 
26 DANIEL BOONE. 
 
 white men so glad to see two other wliite men. 
 
 And the greatest surprise of all was that 
 the two men were from Boone's Carolina 
 home. They had come in search of Daniel 
 and the other men of the party. 
 
 One of the men was Squire Boone, 
 Daniel's own brother. '' We were worried 
 about you," said he ; '' and so started out to 
 find you. We thought you might need food 
 and ammunition. 
 
 '' Indeed we do/' said Boone. ''You have 
 not come a day too soon." 
 
 " But w^here are the other men ? " 
 
 Then Boone and Stuart told the story 
 of their own capture and the empty camp 
 they had found on their return. 
 
 Fortunately, the two new-comers had 
 brought a good supply of ammunition. 
 
 " Now," said Boone, '' we will begin hunt- 
 
DANIEL BOONE. 27 
 
 ing in good earnest. Stuart and I will hunt, 
 and you two shall prepare the skins. Then 
 when spring comes we will go back to Car- 
 olina and sell our furs." 
 
 So each day Boone and Stuart went 
 out into the forests, and each night they 
 brought home their game. 
 
 They had little fear, for the red men 
 were not apt to be prowling about the forests 
 in the winter. 
 
 But in some way, the Indians heard that 
 the white men wxtc living in the old camp, 
 and they determined to watch for them. 
 
 The white men suspected no danger; but 
 one day as they were tramping through the 
 forest, a volley of arrows poured in upon them. 
 Indians were firing upon them from among" 
 the bushes and behind trees. 
 
 Boone and Stuart raised their guns, but 
 
28 DANIEL BOONE 
 
 it was too late. Another volley came and 
 Stuart fell dead. Boone fled to a thicket and 
 managed to escape. Only a day or two 
 after, Squire Boone's companion returned 
 home, and the two brothers were left alone. 
 
 It was very lonely then in the cabin, and 
 when spring- came, Daniel's brother took what 
 skins they had prepared and went back to 
 Carolina. 
 
 ''I will get horses and ammunition, 
 Daniel," he said, "but why not come home 
 with me?" 
 
 But Daniel loved the forests, and would 
 not leave them. Solitary and alone, he roamed 
 the forests for two months, before his brother 
 again found him. Together they then set 
 out exploring the country. 
 
 Daniel found a beautiful place on the 
 Kentucky river, and made up his mind that 
 he would make a home for his family there. 
 
DANIEL BOONE. 29 
 
 Two years passed, however, before he 
 returned to North Carolina. Then his brother 
 with his family, Daniel's family and five other 
 families, set out for the Kentucky home. 
 
 They brought five horses loaded with 
 household goods, and three cows. Forty other 
 men afterwards joined them. They were 
 sure so large a company could protect them- 
 selves from the Indians ; and so felt happy 
 and secure. 
 
 But alas ! even before they had reached 
 their new home, the red men fell upon them, 
 and a fierce battle followed. 
 
 Several of the white people were slain ; 
 and all were discouraged. " Let us go no 
 farther," they said, '' into the wilderness. Let 
 us return." 
 
 So they returned to a settlement on the 
 Clinch river in Virginia, and Daniel Boone 
 went and lived there with them. 
 
30 DANIEL BOONE. 
 
 He stayed only a few months, for the 
 governor of Virginia sent him back into 
 Kentucky to find some surveyors of a com- 
 pany that had been sent out there. No 
 sooner had Daniel again returned than a 
 company, called the Transylvania Company, 
 was formed to purchase Kentucky from the 
 Indians who claimed it. 
 
 They wished to make a settlement out 
 there, and they knew no one braver than 
 Boone to place in charge of the party. 
 
 .. It was dangerous business. They had to 
 make a roadway through the wilderness, but 
 Boone gladly set out. When they reached 
 the Kentucky river, they began building a 
 fort. Three times the savages attacked them, 
 and each time some of the white men were 
 killed. 
 
THE NEW HOME. 
 
 But Daniel Boone was not the man to 
 be driven back. The fort was raised, pali- 
 sades constructed ; and not until all was done 
 did Boone return to his home on the Clinch. 
 
 The settlement was named Boonesboro, 
 in honor of its daring" leader; and, by and 
 by, Daniel and his family moved out to it, 
 brin<j^in^' many other families with them. 
 
 The new colony prospered. In a year 
 there were three hundred people living there. 
 For a long time there had been- no trouble 
 with the Indians. The people were begin- 
 nincr to think there would be no trouble with 
 
 them ever again. 
 
 31 
 
DANIEL BOONE. 33 
 
 But one day when three young girls 
 were rowing in a canoe in the river, the red 
 men sprang out from the reeds along the 
 bank, and dragged the canoe to the opposite 
 shore. 
 
 The girls screamed for help, and were 
 heard at the fort. 
 
 Men came running down to the water, but 
 it was too late. One of the girls was a 
 daughter of Boone ; and when he came in at 
 night from hunting in the forests, the people 
 rushed out to tell him. . 
 
 Daniel Boone did not even stop to lay 
 down his gun. " Come with me," he said 
 to the men. And away they went to try 
 to find the three captives. For days they 
 traveled through the forests. It was night 
 when, at last, Boone and one companion, who 
 had hurried on ahead, reached the Indian 
 
34 DANIEL BOONE. 
 
 camp. There the three girls lay asleep, two 
 Indians watching over them. 
 
 Bang ! bang ! went rifles from out of the 
 forests. Two Indians fell. The other Indians 
 were too frightened to move. 
 
 Bang ! bang ! bang ! Again the bullets 
 whizzed through the air. Then in rushed 
 Boone's friends. At sight of them, the Indians 
 yelled and ran. They forgot everything in 
 their fright. So the white men had only to 
 untie the three girls and return to their camp. 
 
 There was great rejoicing when the party 
 came back safe again. 
 
 But the Indians were very angry at the 
 loss of their three captives. They meant to 
 keep them for slaves. 
 
 Every little while they would make some 
 attack upon the village. They did not harm 
 the people very much, for sentinels were 
 
DANIEL BOONE. 
 
 always on the watch. But one night they 
 burst upon Boonesboro, meaning to destroy 
 it. There was a large number of the Indians, 
 and they attacked the little settlement on all 
 sides at one time. 
 
 It was a hot fight, but the savages were 
 driven off at last, and for a whole year made 
 no further trouble for the white men. 
 
 It was in the winter of 1777 and 1778 
 that the little colony exhausted their supply 
 of salt. They could not live without salt. 
 They could not preserve their meats. Salt 
 they must have. 
 
 And so Boone with thirty men started 
 out to Licking Creek. Here there were some 
 salt springs. They obtained the salt by boiling 
 the water of the springs in large kettles. But 
 they had not been long at work, before they 
 were attacked by the Indians. 
 
DANIEL BOONE. 37 
 
 Again Boone was taken prisoner. He 
 knew the little party at the creek could not 
 protect themselves against so many Indians. 
 So he pretended to be pleased that he had 
 fallen into the hands of these Indians. He 
 complimented them on their fine village and 
 their handsome warriors. He feigned great 
 interest in their ways of hunting and fish- 
 ing. He tried to do everything he saw them 
 do, till the Indians wxre so delighted with 
 him that they decided to adopt him. 
 
 This was better than being killed, cer- 
 tainly. So Boone stood as still as a tree 
 while the red men oiled him and painted 
 him and stuck feathers in his hair. 
 
 Then they danced and whooped ; for this 
 was the way they always did when they 
 adopted any one into their tribe. 
 
 All this Boone pretended to enjoy very 
 
38 DANIEL BOONE. 
 
 much. He, too, danced and whooped, till the 
 Indians were sure he would make a fine warrior. 
 
 When the ceremony was over, Boone 
 said, '' Come now, let us go find my com- 
 panions. Let us take them prisoners and 
 carry them to the British camp. The British 
 will take care of them." 
 
 So the Indians led Boone to his com- 
 panions. He gave the white men a sign to 
 do whatever he told them to do. 
 
 The men did not know what it all meant ; 
 but they knew it must be all right. So they 
 allowed themselves to be taken by the savages 
 and carried to the British camp. 
 
 In this way Boone saved his own life and 
 the lives of his companions. 
 
 The British were willing to send the 
 other men back to Boonesboro, but Boone 
 they wished to keep in their own camp. 
 
Dx\NIEL BOONE. 3<j 
 
 '' No, no," the Indians said, " he belongs 
 to us." And Boone was marched back to 
 the home of the Indians. 
 
 Poor Boone ! his heart was very heavy. 
 He longed to get back to his own people at 
 Boonesboro. 
 
 But he was too wise to show that he 
 was unhappy. He pretended that he was 
 glad to go back with the Indians. And when 
 he reached their village, he began at once 
 to make friends with all the people. 
 
 He taught them many things ; he told 
 them wonderful stories ; he danced and sang 
 with them. 
 
 By and by, they began to trust him to 
 go out to hunt. At first they watched him. 
 Boone knew they would, so he made no 
 attempt to escape. 
 
 They then gave up watching him, but 
 
40 DAN I EI. BOONE. 
 
 they counted the shot they gave him. Then 
 when he came in from the hunt, they would 
 count the game and expect him to bring 
 back the right amount of shot. 
 
 But Boone soon learned to cut the little 
 bullets in halves, and so make one bullet 
 shoot two birds. 
 
 In this way he was soon able to hide 
 away a great deal of shot for his own use 
 later on. 
 
DANIEL BOONE'S ESCAPE. 
 
 One ni^^ht, when Boone came in from a 
 hunt, he found five hundred warriors in the 
 village from a neighboring tribe. 
 
 They were covered with war paint, and 
 they had their tomahawks and scalping knives. 
 They were on their way to Boonesboro. 
 They had come to join Boone's tribe ; then 
 they would attack the fort together. 
 
 Boone pretended not to notice what they 
 said. He pretended to be too tired to talk. 
 But. when the Indians were asleep, he started 
 out from his wigwam. He crawled through 
 the high grass until he was out of sight- 
 Then he ran. 
 
 On, on he w^ent, till he reached at last 
 
 41 
 
42 DANIEL BOONE. 
 
 the Ohio river. '' If I only can cross it," 
 he said, '' I shall feel safe." 
 
 Boone dreaded the swift river, for he could 
 not swim very well. But when he reached 
 the shore, there lay an old canoe. It was 
 leaky, for there was a big break in one side. 
 
 But Boone soon mended this and pad- 
 dled across. Then how he ran ! He did not 
 stop to eat or sleep. And at the end of the 
 fifth day, the brave man staggered into the 
 fort, half dead. 
 
 All he could say was, "The Indians are 
 coming! the Indians are coming!" 
 
 As soon as he was able, Boone called 
 the men together. 
 
 He put the fort in order and made the 
 defences stronger. Then with a brave little 
 band he started out. 
 
 On the banks of a river he came upon 
 
DANIEL BOONE. 43 
 
 a band of fifty Indian warriors sound asleep. 
 These he put to rout, and then hurried on. 
 Soon he came upon the main body — five 
 hundred of them. 
 
 These he learned were on the way to 
 Boonesboro. Of course it was useless to 
 attack so large a number; so he crept back 
 to the fort and made it ready for their com- 
 
 mit:. 
 
 These five hundred men were in charge 
 of a British officer; for this was during the 
 Revolution ; and the Ikitish, you know, often 
 joined with the Indians against the colonists. 
 
 At last, the five hundred Indians reached 
 the fort. 
 
 '' We demand surrender," said the British 
 commander. 
 
 '* You must fight for it, then," answered 
 Boone ; and the battle began. 
 

 GOOD SHOT. 
 
DANIEL BOONE. 45 
 
 For hours the bullets flew fast and thick. 
 But little harm was done the fort ; for many 
 of the bullets lodged in the hard wood pali- 
 sades. 
 
 Then the Indians tried to fire the build- 
 ings ; but water was plentiful, and again they 
 failed. 
 
 Then they tried to dig a tunnel under- 
 ground, but the pioneers saw what they were 
 doing ; for the soil they dug out made the 
 water of the river muddy. 
 
 Then Boone began, too, to make a mine, 
 throwing the soil out over the palisades. 
 The Indians did not like this. They, too, 
 were in danger; and so in a few more days 
 they gave up the siege and went back to 
 their own villages. 
 
 While Boone had been in the village of 
 the Indians, his family had gone back to their 
 
46 DANIEL BOONE. 
 
 old home in North Carolina. Mrs. Boone 
 believed he. had been killed by the savages, 
 and, so, longed to go back to her father's 
 home. 
 
 As soon, then, as the siege was over, 
 Boone set out for North Carolina, to find 
 his family and show them he was still alive. 
 
 It was some little time before he brought 
 his family back to Kentucky, for there were 
 all kinds of errands to be done for the 
 people of Boonesboro. 
 
 One wanted a cow bought for him ; 
 another wanted a horse ; there were nails and 
 carpenters tools to be bought, and lead for 
 shot. 
 
 At last, all these were collected. But 
 besides this, Boone had a great deal of money. 
 This money he was carrying to the pioneers 
 from their friends in the east. This money 
 
DANIEL BOONE. 47 
 
 he had stored away in his boots, and he 
 supposed no one knew that he had it. 
 
 But some one did know ; for when he 
 had reached the densest part of the wilder- 
 ness, out sprang some Indians upon him, 
 shouting '' The wampum ! the wampum ! " 
 
 It was useless to struggle — one man 
 against so many, and he gave up the money. 
 
 A sad, sad man was he when he dragged 
 himself and his family into the fort. He 
 told his story to the people; then sat down 
 and buried his face in his hands. 
 
 • But saddest of all was this. Brave and 
 upright as he had always been, there were a 
 few who believed Daniel Boone had hidden 
 the money. 
 
 '' This," Boone used to say, " was the 
 hardest trial I ever had to bear." 
 
 But these foolish people did not believe 
 
48 DANIEL BOONE, 
 
 ill of Boone very long. . He was too honest 
 in his life, and too ready always to do for 
 his people all that could be done. The few 
 who had spoken evil of him grew to be 
 ashamed of what they had said. 
 
 Soon after his return to the fort, Boone 
 and his brother started out alone to the 
 place where they had set up the salt works. 
 
 Just as they were beginning to work 
 Indians sprang upon them from an ambush. 
 Boone's brother they shot down ; but while 
 they were whooping and yelling over their 
 victory, Boone escaped. For two days and 
 two nights he ran this way and that, trying 
 to escape the pursuing savages. 
 
 Once their dogs were close upon him. 
 
 Ouick as a flash he seized the hio[-h 
 branch of a tree, sprang into the air, and 
 let it swing him far out over a bank. 
 
DANIEL BOONE. 
 
 49 
 
 On, on, came the dogs, their noses close 
 down to the earth. But when they reached 
 the tree, the trail was lost. 
 
 They ran round and round. Then they 
 ran, yelping, back to their masters. Rut in 
 all this time Boone had gained a mile upon 
 them, and so at last reached the fort airain 
 in safety. 
 
DANIEL BOONE. 
 
COLONEL BOONE. 
 
 By and by, there were so many pioneers 
 in Kentucky, that they asked for military 
 protection. 
 
 The governor of Virginia sent out mili- 
 tary forces. The pioneers themselves formed 
 a military company, and Daniel Boone was 
 placed at the head. 
 
 ** He deserves the honor," said the gov- 
 ernor, '' for he founded the first settlement ; 
 he has protected it for years ; and he is the 
 bravest pioneer in Kentucky." 
 
 Daniel Boone — now Colonel Boone — 
 sent Simon Kenton out as a spy. These 
 pioneers had to keep spies always on the 
 watch ; for the Indians were likely at any 
 
 51 
 
52 DANIEL liOONE. 
 
 time to burst out from the forests and attack 
 the white settlements. 
 
 Now, the British had learned to dread 
 Boone. They knew he was the leader in all 
 battles. They knew, too, that they could never 
 destroy Boonesboro till he was captured. 
 
 He understood the ways of the Indians, 
 and so, was always more than a match for 
 them. 
 
 Still, the Indians were always lurking in 
 the forests. The British had told them to 
 keep on the watch. They had offered the 
 savages great rewards if they would bring 
 the scalp of Colonel Boone to their camp. 
 
 One day Kenton took his gun early in 
 the morning and went out to shoot. Just 
 as he left the fort, he saw two Indians 
 spring out from the forest and attack two 
 white men. 
 
54 DANIEL BOONE. 
 
 One of them they killed; Kenton raised 
 his rifle and shot the Indian dead. Then he 
 pursued the others. 
 
 Boone heard the shots and rushed rut 
 from the fort with ten other men. They saw 
 in an instant that there was trouble ; they, 
 too, raised their rifles and ran with Kenton 
 after the red men. 
 
 Boone did not know there were so many 
 Indians in the fight, for they hid themselves 
 in the tall grass. 
 
 But as soon as they were well away from 
 the fort, the savages sprang out. And before 
 Boone knew it, he was surrounded by them 
 on all sides. 
 
 *' Charge !" shouted Boone, and bang went 
 the rifles of every man. One second, and a 
 volley of shot poured from the rifles of the 
 red men. 
 
DANIEL BOONE. 55 
 
 Six of the ten men dropped wounded ; 
 and Boone himself fell, his leg broken, and 
 his arm badly hurt. 
 
 The Indians gave a yell of delight, and 
 sprang towards him. One Indian had already 
 seized him by the hair and was flourishing 
 his scalping knife. 
 
 Kenton saw this, and fired. His 
 rifle never failed, and the savage fell back 
 dead. Then Kenton seized Boone by the 
 arms, threw him over his strong shoulders, 
 and ran with him towards the fort. The 
 other men held the savages at bay till the 
 f( t was reached ; and then, when the Indians 
 knew they had lost Boone, they ran away into 
 the forests. 
 
 You may be sure Boone never forgot 
 his debt to Kenton. They were life-long 
 friends. And when, by and by, they both 
 
56 
 
 DANIEL BOONE. 
 
 died, they were buried in the same burial 
 ground. If you should visit Kentucky to-day, 
 you would see the stones that mark their 
 
 graves. 
 
BRYAN STATION. 
 
 Not very far from Boonesboro was 
 another colony. This was settled by three 
 of Mrs. Boone's brothers, James, William, 
 and Daniel Bryan. It was called, " Bryan's 
 Station." 
 
 One morning five hundred Indians, led 
 by a cruel white man — an exile and an 
 outcast — fell upon this little settlement. 
 
 There were only fifty men in the camp, 
 and the fort was not in good condition. The 
 savages knew this, and chose their time. 
 
 The attack began first with twenty 
 Indians who ran ahead and fired into the 
 fort. 
 
 57 
 
58 DANIEL BOONE. 
 
 The pioneers were taken by surprise. 
 For a second, they were panic stricken. Then 
 they rallied. Every man was a hero. They 
 took their places at the walls, ready to 
 fire at the first red man that dared show 
 himself. 
 
 Three men crept out from the fort and 
 crawled through the grass and ran for help. 
 
 Soon the twenty Indians appeared again. 
 They fired one volley, then ran again into 
 the forests. In this way, they hoped to draw 
 the men out from the fort. The rest of the 
 five hundred kept themselves hidden. 
 
 ''We know your plan," said the leader 
 inside the fort ; " but we fall not into your 
 trap." 
 
 Now the spring, from which the people 
 of the settlement drew their water, was out- 
 side the fort. This was unfortunate, for 
 
DANIEL BOONE. 59 
 
 water must be had, especially if the fort was 
 to be besieged. 
 
 '' What shall we do ? " the men asked of 
 each other. 
 
 '' Let the women bring" the water," said 
 one old lady. "The Indians would be more 
 likely to let us go unharmed. They could 
 have no object in attacking us. It is the 
 fort they want." 
 
 For a moment the women held back.- 
 Mothers clasped their children close to their 
 hearts and wept. 
 
 ** Let me go alone," said the old lady 
 again, ''perhaps it would be just as well. 
 Then, too, it would not matter if I were 
 killed. For I am e^ettin^ old and am not of 
 much use to you here." 
 
 But at this, twenty women sprang to 
 their feet. '' Let you eo out into danofer 
 
 fe 
 
 alone ! Never ! " they said. 
 

DANIEL BOONE. 61 
 
 Then each took a bucket, and together 
 they went out to the spring. 
 
 Their hearts beat hard, and many a face 
 was w^hite with fear. But they went out 
 bravely, laughing and talking, and pretending 
 to have no fear. 
 
 The savages lay everywhere concealed 
 in the grass. They saw the women come 
 and go ; but made no attempt to harm them. 
 
 '' Now we are ready for a siege, if there 
 must be one," said the men. 
 
 Then thirteen men were sent out to 
 draw the Indians on to battle. '' If there 
 must be a battle, let us have it now," 
 the captain thought. 
 
 As soon as the thirteen men from the 
 fort appeared, the Indians retreated. They 
 wanted to draw them into the forest. Then 
 they could surround them and kill them all. 
 
g2 DANIEL BOONE. 
 
 Besides, they supposed these thirteen men 
 were all there were in the fort. 
 
 When the Indians had drawn these 
 thirteen away, the white leader crept up 
 towards the fort. He thought he could take 
 it easily now. 
 
 But when he drew near, out blazed 
 thirty-five rifles at him. Several Indians fell 
 dead. Then came another volley ! Another 
 and another! The savages ran for their 
 lives. 
 
 The little party who were attacking the 
 thirteen fled too. Then the thirteen came 
 back to the fort. 
 
 They closed the gates and prepared for 
 
 a siege. 
 
 The Indians and their white leader crept 
 back soon. They hid in the grass and 
 waited. The men in the fort knew they were 
 
DANIEL BOONE. 63 
 
 there, for every now and then they would 
 shoot at the fort. 
 
 But ah'eady help was coming. The men, 
 who had crept out from the fort to go for 
 help, had reached the other settlements in safety. 
 
 Fifty horsemen rode up to the fort. 
 The men in the fort could not give them 
 warning; and before they knew that the 
 Indians were in the grass, out came a 
 volley of shot upon them. 
 
 The men in the fort threw open the 
 gates and the horsemen rushed in. Not a 
 man was killed, but several were wounded. 
 
 The white leader of the Indians was 
 angry enough that he had lost the fort. He 
 knew well enough it was useless to attempt 
 battle now. 
 
 So he climbed upon a stump and made 
 a speech to the people in the fort. 
 
64 
 
 DANIEL BOONE 
 
 It was a very wonderful speech, no doubt; 
 but it did not scare the pioneers. 
 
 They only laughed at him and told him 
 to bring on his savages and they would whip 
 them all. 
 
 The white leader saw he could not 
 frighten the pioneers, so he crept back into 
 the grass. The next morning he had dis- 
 appeared and taken his savages with him. 
 
AN AMBUSCADE. 
 
 News of the attack on Bryan Station 
 had spread from colony to colony. Each 
 colony sent men to the rescue ; and on the 
 next morning one hundred and eighty men 
 had come to the station. 
 
 Among- these was Daniel Boone. " Let 
 us pursue these Indians," said the men. 
 '* We may overtake and surprise them." 
 
 '' I do not believe it will be wise," said 
 Boone. 
 
 '' But the trail is easy to follow," said 
 the men. '' Everywhere are signs of the route 
 they have taken. The grass is trodden down, 
 trees are broken, and even old coats are 
 lying in the bushes. 
 
 65 
 
6G DANIEL BOONE. 
 
 ''That is just why I think it would not 
 be wise to pursue them ;" said Boone, " Indians 
 know better than to leave their tracks like 
 that." 
 
 '' Perhaps they forgot, in their hurry," 
 said one. 
 
 '' Indians never forget," answered Boone. 
 " And you may be sure they have done this 
 simply to decoy us. They think we shall 
 follow, because the trail is so plain. Then 
 they will hide themselves and wait for us. 
 Before we know it, we shall be in a trap." 
 
 But the men would not listen to Boone. 
 They were eager for battle, and so pushed ahead. 
 
 They marched for seven miles before an 
 Indian showed himself at all. 
 
 At Licking Creek a few were prowling 
 around. Never had a trail been so easy to 
 follow. 
 
DANIEL BOONE. 67 
 
 '' What if Boone was right," one man 
 whispered. 
 
 " I half believe he was," whispered 
 another. 
 
 ''What do you think of it now, Boone?" 
 asked the commander. 
 
 " I think we are near an ambuscade," 
 answered Boone coolly. " The Indians are in 
 that ravine yonder, or I don't know Indians! 
 Whatever else we do, we must not cross this 
 river. 
 
 " Nonsense ! " cried the leader. And 
 turning- his horse, he galloped down the 
 banks of the river, shouting, " Come on ! 
 come on ! All who are not cowards, come 
 on ! " 
 
 Down the bank the whole company 
 rushed, after their hot-headed leader. Boone's 
 heart sank, but he followed on. 
 
G8 DANIEL BOONE. 
 
 Hardly had they shaken themselves dry 
 on the other side of the river, when out 
 blazed the rifles of the red men. 
 
 There they were, as Boone had said. 
 Snap ! snap ! snap ! w^ent their rifles. Five 
 hundred of them ! The savages were every- 
 where ! In the grass, in the trees, behind 
 the rocks ! 
 
 The white men had ridden into a net. 
 Most bravely they fought, Boone in the very 
 front ; but it was a terrible battle. The 
 white men fell in tens and twenties. At last, 
 the few that were left, turned and fled. They 
 hurried back to the station, lest the Indians 
 should again attack the fort. 
 
 Then Boone wrote a long letter to the 
 governor of Virginia, begging him to send 
 them help. The Indians meant mischief, 
 there could be no doubt. 
 
DANIEL BOONE. 
 
 69 
 
 The Kentuckians formed themselves into 
 an army and went up and down the country, 
 trying everywhere to beat back the savages. 
 
 It was a terrible year. The Indians 
 were maddened and the British were ahvays 
 ready to urge them on. It was 1782, the 
 darkest year in the history of Kentucky. 
 
TMf 
 
 k ^ c 
 
 ^■'M 
 
 *« 
 
 ^'-m' 
 
 '- J. 
 
DANIEL BOONE'S LAST YEARS. 
 
 But at last, the war between the British 
 and the colonists came to an end. 7^he 
 British gave up their stations in the w^est 
 and went back to England. 
 
 The Indians could not fight so wc\\ now. 
 They did not know how to plan their attacks. 
 They were not so bold, and the pioneers could 
 manage them easily. 
 
 The people began to come from the east 
 to Kentucky. Hundreds and hundreds of 
 families came. By and by, there were so 
 many people they called themselves a state. 
 They chose a capital. Each man had his 
 own land where he raised corn and tobacco, 
 and traded it for goods from the east. 
 
72 DANIEL BOONE. 
 
 Daniel Boone built a comfortable home 
 for himself, and meant to spend the rest of 
 his life in quiet. 
 
 But, by and by, speculators came out to 
 Kentucky and began to buy up the land. 
 
 They saw that Boone's land was good, 
 and so first tried to buy it of him. 
 
 '' I do not care to sell," he said ; '' my 
 family is comfortable, and we are content to 
 stay here." 
 
 But the speculators were determined to 
 have his land. They asked him to show the 
 deeds. Boone brought them forth ; but the 
 sharp men soon saw that they were not 
 carefully made out. The lawyer who had 
 made them had been careless. He thought 
 it didn't matter out there in the wilderness. 
 
 And so Daniel Boone lost his land. It 
 was a cruel thing to do to this man who had 
 fought so bravely for Kentucky. 
 
DANIEL BOONE. 73 
 
 But the men did not care. They took 
 the land, and Boone went back to Virginia. 
 
 Boone's son, meantime, had gone to 
 Missouri. And when his father lost his home, 
 he sent for him to come to him in the new 
 state. Daniel went, and it was there he spent 
 the rest of his life. 
 
 But the Kentucky people never forgot 
 the founder of their state. And if you should 
 visit Frankfort, Kentucky, to-day, you would 
 find there a fine monument, upon which is 
 carved four pictures of Indian battles, and 
 beneath them the name of Daniel Boone. 
 
rW[,liir^|f,,lii1ffP| 
 
 
 THOMAS JEFFERSON. 
 
MERIWETHER LEWIS AND 
 WILLIAM CLARK. 
 
 When Jefferson became President of 
 the United States, he made up his mind to 
 know more of this broad country. 
 
 '* We are only living along the coast of 
 it as yet," he said. '' There is a rich country 
 beyond the Alleghanies ; but we have hardly 
 crossed them to see. 
 
 '' There must be great rivers. There 
 ^ must be wide plains and rich lands for 
 farming. 
 
 ''To be sure we have long owned the 
 land as far as the Mississippi ; but we know 
 nothing about it. And as to the land beyond 
 the Mississippi, not even our few traders 
 dare cross into its forests." 
 
 75 
 
LEWIS AND CLARK. 
 
 So, first of all, Jefferson set to work, far- 
 seeing man that he was, to buy the land 
 beyond the Mississippi from the French who 
 claimed it, under the name of Louisiana. 
 
 Now the French, since they owned the 
 land beyond the Mississippi, had, of course, 
 the right to sail up and down the river with 
 their canoes, establishing trading stations, 
 that they might carry on fur trade with the 
 Indians. This commerce Jefferson wanted to 
 bring under control of the United States. 
 And so, in 1804, he succeeded in making 
 satisfactory terms with France, and the land 
 west of the Mississippi became the property 
 of our people. 
 
 " Now^ we are indeed a great country," 
 said Jefferson. '' Our land stretches from 
 ocean to ocean. We have homes for all who 
 will come to our shores ; and we shall some- 
 
LEWIS AND CLARK. 
 
 time be, perhaps, the greatest among nations." 
 
 Now Jefferson was a man of action. 
 Therefore when the land was once the prop- 
 erty of the United States, he appointed two 
 men — Lewis and Clark — to explore it. 
 
 Now, we sometimes think that all the 
 exploring was done in the times of De vSoto 
 and La Salle ; but this is not so. 
 
 It is hard for us to understand it ; but 
 w^hen in 1804 — only about ninety years ago — 
 these two brave men set out, there was just as 
 much danger and hardship before them as 
 ever there had been in the days of De Soto 
 and La Salle. 
 
 The forests were just as dense. The 
 Indians quite as likely to prove unfriendly; 
 the swamps and morasses were just as 
 treacherous. 
 
 The great rivers of the far west were all 
 
T^^^^^s^l^' 
 
LEWIS AND CLARK. 
 
 unknown ; and as to distances and directions, 
 these men knew no more than had those 
 daring men that followed Columbus. Often 
 they would wander into dense wildernesses, 
 from which it was almost impossible to es- 
 cape. They could neither go on nor retreat, 
 such was the danger before them and behind. 
 Often they would travel for days along a 
 trail, only to come in the end to some in- 
 surmountable mountain range, or some river 
 unsafe to cross by boat and impossible to 
 ford. 
 
 Still, knowing that all these things must 
 be, Lewis and Clark set out, commissioned 
 by Jefferson, to explore the new country and 
 make a report to the government of all that 
 happened to them. 
 
 St. Louis was then the most prosperous 
 trading station ; and the government had 
 
80 LEWLS AND CLARK. 
 
 hopes that some direct route might be dis- 
 covered from that station to the Pacific. 
 
 Full directions were given the two 
 explorers, and with boats laden with presents 
 for the possibly hostile Indians, they set out. 
 
 First, they were to visit the Indians up 
 and down the western bank of the river, tell 
 them of the change in ownership, and with 
 presents and promises for the future, win 
 their good will and co-operation. 
 
 Of course, no one could forsee whether 
 the Indians would be friendly or hostile. 
 Neither was it known what dangers might 
 await them in attempting to ascend the 
 restless, rushing Missouri. 
 
 First of all, a keel boat, fifty-five feet 
 long, not drawing more than three feet of 
 water, was made at Pittsburg, for the 
 explorers. 
 
LEWIS AND CLARK. 81 
 
 It was an odd looking boat, to be sure — 
 not unlike the old Greek galleys — with its 
 large, square sail and its places for twenty- 
 two oarsmen. There was a half deck at the 
 bow and another at the stern ; and these 
 formed the cabins. Between the cabins was 
 the space where the twenty-two oarsmen sat. 
 I Two other smaller boats, propelled by oars 
 , only, were provided by the government, and 
 , with these the explorers prepared to set sail. 
 Twenty-five brave men were selected by 
 Lewis and Clark; the smaller boats were 
 ^ loaded with coffee, sugar, crackers, dried meats, 
 carpenter tools, and all manner of bright- 
 colored objects for presents to be distributed 
 among the Indians. 
 ' A few horses, even, were made room for 
 
 on the large boat ; and so, heavily laden, the 
 ! little exploring party set off, down the Ohio, 
 
82 LEWIS AND CLARK. 
 
 into the Mississippi, stopping first at the 
 French village, St. Louis. 
 
 Here at St. Louis, the leaders found it 
 quite necessary to remain until definite 
 knowledge of the tribes up and down the 
 river could be gathered. Twenty more men 
 joined the expedition, and on the 4th of Ma}, 
 1804, the explorers left St. Louis, and really 
 embarked upon the dangerous journey, mak- 
 ing, that night, their first encampment on the 
 banks of the unknown Missouri. 
 
 It was very slow — their ascent of the 
 river — for the current, always turbulent, was 
 now swollen with the heavy spring rains, and 
 often whole trees would come crashing down 
 the stream ; or the bank, giving way, would 
 fall across the river, helping to catch and 
 bank up the drifting debris that came down 
 / with the current. 
 
LEWIS AND CLARK. 83 
 
 From time to time, the men were forced 
 to fasten their boats securely, lest they be 
 crushed and carried down the stream ; mean- 
 while they set to work to clear the river. 
 
 For a while they dared not advance 
 in the darkness, lest some tree come crash- 
 ing down upon them ; nor was it always 
 possible to guide the boats in the mighty 
 whirlpools, even under the full light of the day. 
 
 At the mouth of the Osage, the party 
 at last decided to encamp and send out 
 parties to explore the interior. 
 
 Up the Osage, lived the Osage Indians, 
 a tribe particularly strong, and fierce, and 
 warlike, and having a reputation for hostility, 
 against all white men. 
 
 Therefore, the arms and ammunition of 
 the little party were carefully examined before 
 the men went into the forest. 
 
84 LEWIS AND CLARK. 
 
 It was a land rich in timber, they found 
 here. There were oak and ash, hickory and 
 black walnut, — large old trees — for these 
 forests had stood undisturbed throughout 
 centuries. 
 
 On the fourth of June, the party returned, 
 bringing with them ten deer, which were 
 most welcome to the taste of the explorers, 
 after living one month on dried meats. The 
 cook prepared a great feast upon the bank 
 of the Missouri, at the mouth of the Osage, 
 and the hungry men, forgetful for the time 
 of all dangers, feasted right merrily. 
 
 On the next day, they started on up the 
 Missouri. Very, very slowly they were forced 
 to make their way, so wild was the current. 
 First, they met some French canoes, loaded 
 with furs. 
 
 "These," said the Frenchmen, ''we bought 
 
LEWIS AND CLARK. 85 
 
 from Indians up the river." And later 
 another party of Frenchmen was met, their 
 canoes loaded also with furs ; bought too, of 
 the Indians up the river. 
 
 But one day, the boats swung into a 
 narrow bend in the river. Here the current 
 rushed and seethed, driven on through the 
 strait by the great mass of waters from 
 behind. 
 
 In the midst of the stream, whirling and 
 swirling, lay a great raft of driftwood. Clark 
 stood at the helm when the great mass, 
 sweeping through the strait, bore down upon 
 the large boat. ''To the oars! to the oars ! 
 to the oars ! " he shouted. One instant, and 
 every man was in his place. 
 
 '' Back her ! back her ! " thundered the 
 captain. Every man strained to his utmost! 
 Then the stern caught fast. '' Pull ! pull ! 
 
86 LEWIS AND CLARK. 
 
 pull ! " the captain thundered again. And the 
 men did pull. 
 
 Bang against the side of the boat came 
 the raft, raking the sides from end to end. 
 For a moment the oarsmen on that side 
 were powerless. The boat swung across the 
 stream. It tossed and careened. But with 
 a great, strong, long pull, the men wrenched 
 the stern from its entanglement ; the boat 
 righted itself, and again rode free. 
 
 '' Bravo ! " shouted Clark. All felt much 
 relieved; for had the boat been wrecked, they 
 must have made their way back to Pittsburg, 
 and the expedition would thus have been a 
 failure. 
 
 But now a great wind arose. It swept 
 down the river and across the prairies like 
 a mighty tempest. The waters rose like 
 ocean waves ; the wind roared, and the forests 
 
LEWIS AND CLARK. 87 
 
 creaked. This was a western gale — a prairie 
 sweep — the first one these eastern explorers 
 had known. 
 
 With much difficulty they anchored their 
 boats. Then, making their way to the shores, 
 they threw up enough shelter and encamped 
 for the night. All night long the wolves 
 howled and the panthers yelled ; but sentinels 
 kept guard and the weary men slept. 
 
 The next morning broke clear and bright. 
 At sunrise the explorers were awake and 
 ready to set out again on the river. All 
 day long they sailed, meeting with no adven- 
 ture till near the evening. Then they met 
 a fleet of canoes loaded with furs and pelt- 
 ries which the Frenchmen were carrying to 
 St. Louis from the camps of the Sioux 
 Indians farther up the river. 
 
 Together the explorers and the French- 
 
( 
 
 88 LEWIS AND CLARK. 
 
 men encamped, and all night long they talked 
 of their plans. The French were kindly, and 
 Lewis and Clark gained much information 
 regarding the country and the savage tribes 
 that dwelt along the river banks. One 
 Frenchman, who understood well the Indian 
 language, they induced to join the explor- 
 ing party, and act for them as interpreter. 
 
 But they had come now upon a grove 
 of oak and hickory. 
 
 " Let us stop here and make new oars 
 from the wood of these strong old trees," 
 said the oarsmen. And, indeed, there was 
 need for new oars ; for in the river collision, 
 many had been broken and others had been 
 strained and wrenched. 
 
 So the little company encamped again — 
 this time for several days. And while the 
 oarsmen worked at the oars and upon the 
 
LEWIS AND CLARK. 89 
 
 boats, the hunters scoured the country for 
 game. 
 
 Each night they came in with fish and 
 fowl ; and once with deer and bear. 
 
 From these the explorers had another 
 feast, and when the feast was over, there was 
 still an abundance of meat to prepare and 
 store away for future use. There seemed 
 now little danger of starving, whatever else 
 the future might hold for them. 
 
 At last the oars were made, and all 
 injuries to the boat repaired. Then the little 
 company set forth again. For a day or two 
 all went well ; then a sudden rise in the 
 river tide, and the rushing current again came 
 down upon them. 
 
 Every man strained at the oars. For 
 hours they worked against the current. To 
 anchor was impossible; for even the heaviest 
 
90 LEWIS AND CLARK. 
 
 anchors dragged. Faster and faster the rush- 
 ing current poured down upon them. Not 
 only was progress impossible, but in spite 
 of all effort, the boat was drifting down the 
 river. 
 
 '' This will never do," said Clark. 
 
 " We shall find ourselves back at the 
 mouth of the Missouri," said Lewis. 
 
 '' We must pull the boat along till we 
 pass these rapids," said the captain. 
 
 So a great cable was fastened through 
 the boat, the ends reaching from bank to 
 bank. 
 
 Then the men rowed to the shores, and 
 running with the great cable, pulled the boat 
 up the stream. 
 
 For a whole mile they had pulled, when 
 the keel scraped upon a sand bar just at a 
 turn in the river. 
 
LEWIS AND CLARK. 91 
 
 '' A sand bar ! a sand bar ! " shouted the 
 captain ; for his trained ear knew well the 
 sound of the grating keel. 
 
 '^ Pull ! pull ! pull ! " 
 
 Then the strong men pulled. With all 
 their strength, and with all their will, they 
 pulled. 
 
 But the fates were for the time against 
 them ; the cable snapped, and the great boat, 
 nearly stranded, fell upon its side. 
 
 Then the great mast swayed to and 
 fro. It snapped and fell, and lay dragging 
 the boat over still more upon its side. All 
 this time the wnnd was rising, and the fury 
 of the tempest increasing. 
 
 '' It's an ill wind that blows no good," 
 said one of the men ; for already the water 
 was rising, driven on by the great force 
 behind and by the rushing wind; and with 
 
92 LEWIS AND CLARK. 
 
 the bursting of one great wave over the sand 
 bar, the boat lurched, righted itself, and was 
 again free. 
 
 Then the men cut away the mast, and 
 fastening the boat until the hurricane was 
 over, encamped till they were able to push 
 their way on again up the river. 
 
 For three or four days after this, they 
 sailed on in peace and quiet. Then they 
 reached the mouth of the Kansas. 
 
 ''This is a river of importance," Clark 
 and Lewis said ; so the company encamped 
 again, and one party was sent to explore, 
 while another was sent to hunt for game. 
 
 Four deer and two wolves were brought 
 in ; and one day the hunters snared a great 
 wood rat — of a kind never seen before by 
 these explorers. 
 
 It was late in July when at last they 
 
LEWIS AND CLARK. 93 
 
 reached the mouth of the Platte. There were 
 Indians here, and Lewis and Clark sent out 
 a party to find them. 
 
 The Frenchman went with them and 
 strove to make them understand that no 
 longer were they to obey the King of France, 
 but that the Great Father at Washington 
 had bought the w^hole vast territory from 
 France, and that henceforth all Indians west 
 of the Mississippi were to look to this Great 
 Father for protection. 
 
 The red men seemed consented with the 
 
 - change, and the chiefs came and sat in coun- 
 cil with Lewis and Clark, beneath the great 
 
 , bluffs over against where the city of Omaha 
 now stands. 
 
 After a long council, and the exchange 
 
 I of many gifts, the peace pipe was smoked, 
 
 j the place was named Council Bluffs, and the 
 
THE MEETING WITH THE INDIANS. 
 
LEWIS AND CLARK. 95 
 
 white men, glad that their first meeting with 
 the savages of the forests had ended so 
 successfully, again set forth up the river. 
 
 It was, to them, a wonderful country they 
 were now passing through. From the high 
 bluffs they had looked out upon the vast 
 prairie reaching in all directions, like a great 
 sea, from horizon to horizon. 
 
 These plains were treeless and grassy, 
 and great herds of buffalo roamed up and down 
 them. But the explorers were now coming 
 into the region of Dakota, where dwelt many 
 savages not as peaceful nor as kindly dis- 
 posed toward the white men as had been 
 the tribe on the Platte. 
 
 At once, councils were held, and the 
 Indians were given presents. Still, for some 
 reason, the red men seemed dissatisfied ; and 
 once, when the explorers were about to return 
 
*^- 
 
 
 
 BUFFALO ON THE PLAINS. 
 
LEWrS AND CLARK. 97 
 
 to their camp, they seized the cable and would 
 not allow the boat to push out. 
 
 '' Aim ! " said Lewis coolly. " Aim ! but 
 do not fire." 
 
 In an instant every rifle was pointed 
 towards the savages. 
 
 '' We mean no harm," said they, drop- 
 ping the cable and moving back. '' It is 
 only that we wish to trade with you still 
 more." 
 
 But the explorers deemed it wiser to 
 move away, and so the boat was rowed rapidly 
 up the river. 
 
 The Indians followed on, however, along 
 the bank of the river, calling to the white 
 men, and telling them that there were other 
 tribes farther inland that wished to talk with 
 them. But the more earnest the invitations, 
 the more worth while it seemed to the white 
 
98 LEWIS AND CLARK. 
 
 men to paddle along in the middle of the 
 river. 
 
 But all this time the summer had been 
 passing; autumn, too, had come and gone; 
 and already the cold winter was settling down. 
 The trees were bare, the foi*ests were heavy, 
 and more than once the river had crusted over. 
 
 '' We must go into winter quarters," said 
 Clark. So they selected an island in the 
 territory of the Mandans, whom they had good 
 reason to believe would be friendly, and built 
 their winter quarters. 
 
 Now^ in these days the art of making 
 matches was quite unknown. The Indians, 
 when they needed to strike a fire, did it by 
 a most laborious process. 
 
 They would take two sticks and rub them 
 together till they were hot enough to catch 
 fire from each other. 
 
LEWIS AND CLARK. 1)9 
 
 The white man's way of striking fire 
 was only a little less crude. He had learned 
 that striking flint and steel together would 
 produce a quick spark. Then, if this spark 
 could fall upon some easily inflammable sub- 
 stance, a blaze could be started. 
 
 But if the sun was shining, there was an 
 easier way still than this. The white man 
 had learned to use a sunglass, for this, by 
 concentrating the rays of light, would easily 
 produce a blaze. 
 
 The Indians, of course, knew nothing of 
 the white man's way of making a fire. And 
 so, when Captain Clark came into their wig- 
 wam, and lighted his pipe with his sunglass, 
 meaning to have a social smoke, the Indians 
 looked on in terror. 
 
 At first they only stared, eyes and mouth 
 wide open. Then they gave a great whoop, 
 and ran away into the forests. 
 
100 LEWIS AND CLARK. 
 
 ''What can the matter be7 " said Clark. 
 '' I meant to smoke the peace pipe with 
 them." 
 
 '' I will find out," said the French inter- 
 preter; and away he went in pursuit of them. 
 
 Now, these Indians had never seen a 
 white man before ; and it happened that when 
 Clark first came into their village, he had 
 raised his gun and shot down a wild goose. 
 
 The Indians had not seen him approach- 
 ing; but had only heard the report of his gun. 
 
 What could it be ! They ran out from 
 their wigwams to look. There was the smoke 
 still in the air ; and there upon a rock sat a 
 strange being, like no man they had ever 
 seen before. 
 
 Surely he had dropped from the sky! 
 And the noise they had heard was the thunder 
 that had sent him down ! 
 
LEWIS AND CLARK. 101 
 
 No wonder the innocent red men were 
 frightened. They ran back to their wigwams 
 and drew together the skins that covered the 
 doorways. They dared not look out. 
 
 Then Clark, all unconscious of the panic 
 he had produced, came up to the wigwam of 
 the chief. 
 
 He opened the door of the wigwam and 
 looked in. There sat the chief trembling 
 with fear, brave chief though he was. 
 
 But Clark spoke kindly to him, and gave 
 presents, so that, by and by, he grew less 
 afraid. 
 
 He was sure Clark was a spirit even 
 now ; but he was a good spirit and meant 
 no harm to the red men. 
 
 But when he lighted his pipe with 
 nothing! — that was more than they could 
 believe even of a good spirit. Again panic 
 
%. 
 
 MANDAN INDIANS. 
 
LEWIS AND CLARK. lO:} 
 
 struck them, and away they fled whooping 
 and yelling. 
 
 It was a long time before they could 
 be made to understand ; but when they did 
 they were kind and friendly. They were 
 willing to help the white men in their hunt- 
 ing and in their building. They watched 
 them in their cooking, and tried to cook their 
 owm meats as they saw the white men do. 
 They learned to make a quick fire with flint 
 and steel, and were very proud that they 
 had learned so many things that other Indians 
 did not know. 
 
 The winter was long and cold, but the 
 time passed quickly. For often the Mandans 
 would come into the white men's camp and 
 tell most wonderful stories of their own 
 people. 
 
 " The Mandans," so they told the 'white 
 
104 LEWIS AND CLARK. 
 
 men, *' will go down beneath the great lake 
 to dwell by and by when they die ; for that 
 was their original home. 
 
 '' For long, long years the tribe dwelt 
 there; but one day a brave chief climbed 
 along the roots and up the trunk of a tall 
 grapevine. 
 
 '* He saw the light above and was sure 
 that he had found a world most beautiful. 
 
 '' Then he hurried back and told his 
 people. Together they all climbed the grape- 
 vine, and one half of them had already leaped 
 out upon the earth. Then, alas, the grape- 
 vine broke, and all the other Mandans fell 
 back into their old home beneath the lake ; 
 and so it was that the whole tribe, when, at 
 last they should die, must go back to the 
 original home of their people." 
 
 So the winter passed. Often the white 
 
LEWIS ANT) CLARK. 105 
 
 men had been cold and hungry; and often 
 they had longed for a look into their 
 comfortable homes far away beyond the 
 Alleghanies. 
 
 But they were not the men to turn back 
 till their work was finished ; and so, when 
 spring came again, and the river was clear 
 
 I of ice, and there was no danger from floods, 
 
 I they set out again. 
 
 The Mandans had told them much of 
 the country beyond. '' There were great 
 
 ■ mountains," they had said. '' And there was 
 
 i 
 
 S a great gorge, where a whole river plunged 
 over the cliffs. It had a roar like thunder, 
 and on the cliffs there was an eagle's nest. 
 It was in the cottonwood, and in the very 
 midst of the torrent." 
 
 More and more difficult grew the journey 
 up the river. The water was shallow here 
 
LEWIS AND CLARK. 107 
 
 and there, and made its way over sharp and 
 dangerous rocks. The cable was used often, 
 and sometimes the boats could be guided 
 among the rocks only by oars and long poles. 
 
 At last, on the 26th of May, the Yellow- 
 stone River was passed; and up against the sky 
 rose the Rockies. The summits were covered 
 with snow, even as the Mandans had said • 
 and one day in June, behold — the cataract 
 itself was heard roaring in the distance. 
 
 Then Lewis started out. For hours he 
 traveled, forcing his way through dense 
 thickets and through treacherous waters. 
 
 Louder and louder grew the roar ; and 
 at last, climbing on a rocky hill, Lewis stood 
 upon a high cliff and looked down upon the 
 cataract, — the first white man who had ever 
 looked upon this sublime sight! 
 
 For thirteen miles — one tearing down 
 
108 LEWIS AND CLARK. 
 
 upon another — with great areas of foaming 
 rapids between — stretched these wonderful 
 cascades of the Missouri. 
 
 Awe struck, Lewis stood and looked ; 
 for where on the whole earth is there a sight 
 more grand ! 
 
 Then Lewis went back to the boats. 
 *Tt is worth all the suffering and all the 
 danger to have seen such glory," he said; nor 
 could any words describe it. 
 
 The boats were brought up to the foot 
 of the rapids ; and although it was full 
 eighteen miles to safe waters again beyond 
 the rapids, the men prepared to drag the 
 boats by land around the falls. 
 
 The horses, which they had brought from 
 Pittsburg, had perished during the long winter; 
 and there was no way to carry the boats but 
 to build rough wagons, or construct rollers 
 and so drag them overland. 
 
LEWIS AND CLARK. 109 
 
 This the brave men did ; and with great 
 cables dragged the boats along. This was a 
 task most difficult ; and no one but men of 
 heroic souls would have had the courage to 
 attempt it. For we must not forget the con- 
 dition of the country. To have pulled these 
 great boats along a smooth road, by hand, 
 would have been no small task; but here 
 was all the roughness and wilderness of a 
 forest, which in a thousand years had been 
 unmolested. Trees had to be felled, thickets 
 cleared, rocks dug out, and the soil levelled. 
 
 But in spite of all this, the men were 
 not discouraged. Rough carts with crude 
 wheels were made ; the great boats were 
 mounted, and some way — the men them- 
 selves often wondered, years after, how they 
 did it — the w^ork w^as accomplished. A 
 month later the boats were relaunched, and 
 the explorers again set sail up the river. 
 
110 LEWIS AND CLARK. 
 
 But again they were brought to a halt. 
 For hardly were they well on their way, 
 when they found that again the river was 
 unnavigable — at least by boats like these. 
 
 Again they stopped, felled trees, and built 
 new boats. This time the boats were only 
 " dugouts ; " for such only could withstand 
 the sharp rocks hidden everywhere beneath 
 the water. 
 
 In these, they paddled on, till at last they 
 reached the deep five mile canyon. Never 
 had they dreamed of such grandeur. For in 
 some places the walls of the canyon are a 
 thousand feet deep ; the cliffs are steep, the 
 waters black and still. 
 
 " The gate of the mountains!" they said; 
 and almost without a word, they silently 
 row^ed their boats through, and came out at 
 last into the sunlight at the upper course of 
 the river. 
 
LEWIS AND CLARK. Ill 
 
 Taking the northern branch of the river 
 — which they named the Jefferson — they 
 found themselves at the foot of the first 
 range of- the Rockies. 
 
 Difficult as had been their journey up 
 the river, the route ahead seemed more diffi- 
 cult still. How were they to climb this 
 rocky ridge ? Scouts were sent out, hoping 
 that Indian guides might be found ; but 
 though they traveled in all directions, no signs 
 of Indian life could be found. 
 
 To attempt to cross the ridges without 
 guides would, they all knew, be mere fool- 
 hardiness. 
 
 ''I will set out alone," said Lewis. ''It 
 must be there are tribes somewhere about 
 these mountains." 
 
 And so, climbing the precipices, Lewis 
 made his way to the crest of the ridge. 
 
w^ 
 
 > ^.p 
 
 liJ I 
 
LEWIS AND CLARK. li;3 
 
 There, he could look down upon the wonder- 
 ful valley on either side. 
 
 At the western base flowed a river; 
 and far up the river he could see the village 
 of the Shoshones. These Lewis reached; and 
 having made the red men presents, induced a 
 few of them to return with horses to guide 
 his people across the ridge. 
 
 There was great rejoicing in the camp 
 on the Jefferson when Lewis returned. At 
 once they all set forth into the mountains. 
 It was a most perilous journey; for the guides 
 led them through deep canyons, along the 
 edges of rocky precipices, always higher and 
 higher, till at last the crest was reached, and 
 the downward descent begun. This, if pos- 
 sible, was more perilous still ; for so steep were 
 the descents and so narrow the paths, that 
 one misstep must have thrown both horse and 
 
K*- 
 
 ^. V^ 
 
 
 ~r 
 
 / 
 
LEWIS AND CLARK. 115 
 
 rider down precipices thousands of feet deep. 
 But the horses and the guides were well 
 trained, and the mountains were familiar ; so 
 no accidents happened, and the little party 
 at last reached the valley safe and sound. 
 
 One whole month had been spent in 
 this journey; for on some days the roads were 
 so blocked with snow or covered with ice, 
 that no one dared trust the horses to make 
 their way down the steep places. Often not 
 more than five miles could be covered in a 
 day ; and some days it was safe only to stop 
 and camp. 
 
 The winds blew, and it was bitter cold 
 among the snow clad peaks. Hunting was 
 impossible ; and only an occasional squirrel or 
 hawk could be found; for there was little life 
 at this altitude. 
 
 A little dried meat and fish was all that 
 
IIG LEWIS AND CLARK. 
 
 was left of the supplies they had brought, 
 and the men were famishing. One by one, 
 the horses died from exhaustion and lack of 
 food ; and upon the flesh of these the starv- 
 ing men seized with the fury of wild men or 
 famishing beasts. There was nothing these 
 men did not suffer during this terrible month 
 in the mountains ; still their courage did not 
 fail, and the brave leaders were ready always 
 to cheer them on. 
 
 Ragged, starving, ill, they came down into 
 the village of the Indians. 
 
 Here they rested, and made up a goodly 
 supply of fish and game for their journey 
 farther westward. Boats were built, and again 
 the little party made their way up the rivers 
 which we now call the Lewis and the Clark. 
 
 From these they entered the Columbia. 
 Fortunately, all along the way, they found 
 
LEW[S AND CLARK. 117 
 
 tribes of Indians who were friendly, and 
 willing always to supply them with fish. 
 
 It w^as November again when they came 
 at last into the broad, smooth Columbia that 
 pours its flood into the Pacific. The cold, 
 rainy season had already set in, and there 
 was nothing to do but to again build cabins 
 and encamp for the winter months. 
 
 The second winter passed much as the 
 first had passed. The Indians were friendly, 
 and were willing always to guide the wdiite 
 men tn their hunting expeditions. They 
 gathered in the cabins during the long 
 winter nights and told stories of their tribes 
 and of the country round about, all of which 
 Lewis and Clark wTote down in their long 
 journals to carry back to the government at 
 Washington. 
 
 As soon, however, as signs of spring 
 
1 
 
LEWIS AND CLARK. 119 
 
 began to come, the party were ready and 
 eager to set out again for home. 
 
 Boats were built, and they again embarked 
 — ^this time towards the east, and over land 
 and waters not wholly unknown. The Indians 
 along the route met them with friendly greet- 
 ings, and every tribe was willing to help them 
 with food and supplies of corn. 
 
 The journey back was slow, for there 
 were still the mountains and the rapids ; but 
 it was successful. And at last, one bright day, 
 the little fleet of boats turned again into the 
 Mississippi and entered the little port of St. 
 Louis. Glad indeed were the people to see 
 them back again and to hear of all that had 
 happened. 
 
 But Lewis and Clark were impatient to 
 reach Washington ; so away they sped again, 
 up the Ohio to Pittsburg, and then over land 
 to Washington. 
 
LEWIS AND CLARK. 121 
 
 Great was the rejoicing when the two 
 heroes returned. News was sent up and 
 down the country, and people flocked to the 
 city to get a glimpse at the travelers. 
 
 Jefferson was proud, indeed, of the suc- 
 cess of his plan. The journal of the voyagers 
 was read and explained ; specimens of flowers, 
 and trees and rock were produced, and a full 
 report of the whole journey given. 
 
 The government was convinced that the 
 
 purchase of the land beyond the Mississippi, 
 
 was a wise move. Lewis and Clark were 
 
 i^ enrolled upon the country's list of brave 
 
 ■ men; and for their services to their country 
 
 they will always be held in honor and respect. 
 
JOHN CHARLES FREMONT AND 
 KIT CARSON. 
 
 It was in 1(842 that the government 
 sent out another exploring party under 
 John C. Fremont. 
 
 Fremont was a young man, and he had 
 already explored much in the west. 
 
 Already pioneers had settled here and 
 there through the west, even to the shores of 
 the Pacific. There were towns and villages 
 everywhere. 
 
 Still the deep regions of the Rockies 
 had not been explored. Fremont believed 
 that wonderful things were to be found 
 there; then, too, the government was eager 
 to find a safe and direct route through the 
 mountains. 
 
 123 
 
124 FREMONT AND CARSON. 
 
 So Fremont went to St. Louis, still a 
 leading fur station. He collected there a 
 band of daring men, and set out. 
 
 The men were mounted on horses, 
 except those who drove the provision carts, 
 and Kit Carson was their guide. 
 
 Now, Kit Carson himself was a wonder- 
 ful man in his time. He was born in Miss- 
 ouri, and in those days when every settler had 
 to keep a watch over the Indians. 
 
 His father was a hunter; and Kit him- 
 self became a hunter when a mere boy. 
 But Kit's father was very poor. He could 
 not clothe his children, and often they were 
 hungry and cold. 
 
 One day when Kit was fifteen years 
 old, his father said to him, '' Kit, you must 
 go to work, you must learn a trade." 
 
 And so Kit was made an apprentice. 
 
FREMONT AND CARSON. 125 
 
 For two years he worked hard in a saddler s 
 shop. It was a hard life for the hunter 
 boy, and he longed to escape to the woods. 
 
 One morning a band of traders came into 
 the town, on their way to New Mexico. 
 
 They told marvellous stories of the places 
 they had visited, and of New Mexico most 
 ' of all. Kit listened to these stories as long 
 as he could, then hurried back to his work. 
 The shop seemed duller than ever. He felt 
 as if he were in prison. 
 
 '' I will not bear it ! " he said. '' I will 
 ? be free!" and when the traders left the vil- 
 lage. Kit went with them. 
 
 In Mexico he found the freedom his soul 
 longed for. For a year he spent his time in 
 catchmg wild horses and breaking them to 
 the harness. This was a perilous life, but 
 Kit enjoyed it because it was perilous. 
 
126 FREMONT AND CARSON. 
 
 By and by, he joined a party of trappers 
 who were going westward to fight the 
 Indians. 
 
 The party set forth one morning bright 
 and early, for the Salt River. There were 
 Indians there who were always on the watch 
 to drive away the trappers. They did not 
 like the coming of these white men, for they 
 were destroying the homes of the beavers 
 and driving them up the river. 
 
 It was here Kit Carson had his first 
 Indian fight. It was a sharp, quick fight, in 
 which not one of the trapping party was 
 harmed. 
 
 After a time this party broke up, and 
 eighteen of them started for California. Kit 
 went with the eighteen, for he wanted to 
 see new lands and make new discoveries. 
 
 It w^as a long, hard journey from Mexico 
 
FllEMONT AND CARSON. 127 
 
 to the California coast ; for there were only 
 Indian trails to guide the white men. And 
 sometimes it was wisest to avoid even these, 
 and creep along through high grasses and 
 dense forests. 
 
 The trappers suffered bitterly on this 
 journey. Their food gave out, and often they 
 could find no water. More than once the 
 horses had to be killed for food, and when 
 at last the California station was reached, the 
 men sank down exhausted. 
 
 This was young Kit Carson's first bitter 
 experience. Still he did not flinch. For he 
 loved the freedom of the trapper's life. He 
 used to say, *' I would rather starve here on 
 the prairies than live in a city!" 
 
 One night when the trappers were asleep, 
 some Digger Indians crept down to their 
 camp, and stole their horses, every one. 
 
128 FREMONT AND CARSON. 
 
 Now Kit was only nineteen, but he had 
 already proved himself plucky and daring. 
 And so to him was given the lead of a little 
 party to pursue the thieves. 
 
 It was easy to follow the trail. Indeed, 
 it seemed to Kit Carson, too easy. For the 
 grasses w^ere trodden down, bushes were bent 
 aside, and every thing looked as if a large 
 number had passed through. 
 
 Now there were only twelve in Kit's 
 party, and they were poorly equipped for 
 battle. Still they pushed on, and at last came 
 in sight of the Indian camp. 
 
 It was just at sunset, and the Indians 
 were getting ready for the night. There 
 were certainly a full hundred of them ; still 
 Kit believed he could surprise them. 
 
 Stretching themselves in the grass, they 
 watched the camp until darkness fell. Then 
 they waited till midnight. 
 
FREMONT AND CARSON. 129 
 
 At midnight they crept down close to 
 the camp. Then with a dash they burst 
 upon them. They tore open the wigwams 
 and shot straight in upon the savages. They 
 whooped and yelled ! They ran round and 
 round, firing every second. 
 
 Then they hurried to the corral where 
 the horses were tethered. Each man mounted 
 one and led another. All the rest were 
 stampeded, so that the Indians would have 
 no means of pursuit. 
 
 And so, before the Indians had time to 
 collect their wits, the trappers were gone, and 
 they were left helpless in their wigwams. 
 
CROSSING THE PLAINS. 
 
KIT CARSON AS FREMONT'S GUIDE. 
 
 This was the kind of life Kit Carson led 
 for years. He wandered up and down the 
 country, through the Rockies, across the plains, 
 till he knew every trail and every pass. 
 
 People began to call him the '' Monarch 
 of the Plains." 
 
 And so when General Fremont started 
 out, he sent for Carson and asked him to 
 guide them. 
 
 The little party set out from St. Louis. 
 Reaching the Kan river, they left their boats, 
 and struck out across the Kansas prairies to 
 the Platte. 
 
 For a few days the journey was peace- 
 ful. Too peaceful, Carson thought, for noth- 
 
 131 
 
132 FREMONT AND CARSON. 
 
 ing happened. There was no danger, for no 
 Indians appeared. 
 
 But just as the party passed Fort Lar- 
 amie, a herd of buffalo appeared upon the 
 prairie, and the explorers gave chase. 
 
 This was all new and w^onderful to 
 General Fremont's men, and General Fremont 
 wrote it all out in the journal he was to carry 
 back to the government. 
 
 Here is what he wrote: — 
 
 '* As we were riding along a bank, a great 
 herd of buffalo came crowding up from the 
 river. They had been down to the water to 
 drink. 
 
 '' The wind was favorable ; the morning 
 was cool ; the distance across the prairie gave 
 us a good chance to charge upon them. 
 
 " It was too good a chance to be lost. 
 Kit Carson, Maxwell and I started out on 
 our horses for the chase. 
 
FREMONT AND CAKSON. 133 
 
 '' The herd was a half mile away. We 
 rode till we were about three hundred yards 
 from them before they saw us coming. 
 
 '' Then they began to run hither and 
 thither. They had seen us and were pre- 
 paring for a stampede. 
 
 '' We urged our horses on, and for a 
 time rode breast to breast with them. We 
 were closing in upon them rapidly, and those 
 in front were tearing along like the wind. 
 
 '' Once in a while one in the rear would 
 turn and face us, then dash on after the rest. 
 We were now rushing over the ground like 
 a hurricane, when Carson gave the hunter's 
 shout to charge ! and we broke upon the herd 
 
 '' We entered at one side, and the herd 
 gave way before us. Many of them were 
 thrown to the ground, and all scattered in all 
 directions. 
 
134 FREMONT AND CARSON. 
 
 '' My own horse was a trained hunter. 
 And with eyes flashing and the foam flying 
 from his mouth, he set upon one buffalo like 
 a hungry tiger. We came up along side, I 
 fired, and the creature fell at our feet. 
 
 '* Then I looked around to see what 
 Carson was doing. He, too, had just shot 
 down a buffalo, and away in the distance 
 Maxwell's gun, too, was heard. 
 
 " Between me and the hill the body of 
 the herd was still dashing on. I turned my 
 horse, and again we dashed after them. 
 
 *' The thick cloud of dust blinded and 
 stifled me so that I could not see the herd. 
 They crowded closer and closer together; 
 still I could see nothing, and my horse nearly 
 leaped upon them. 
 
 '' Then the herd divided. My horse 
 rushed into the gap. 
 
FREMONT AND CAKSON. 135 
 
 '' Five or six of the maddened creatures 
 charged upon us, but we left them far behind. 
 Singling out one in the herd, I fired. My aim 
 was too high ; the buffalo leaped into the air 
 w^th a roar, then scurried on swifter than 
 before. 
 
 " But we were reaching now a prairie- 
 dog village. I reined up my horse, and the 
 herd tore by like the wind. It was dangerous 
 to pursue them among the mounds, and they 
 stretched in all directions not less than two 
 miles." 
 
 But while Fremont pursued his buffalo, 
 Carson had been attacked by another. 
 
 With a great roar one had charged upon 
 him, horns down, and heels in air. 
 
 Carson, too, charged, and the buffalo 
 turned and fled. 
 
 Carson pursued and fired. The bullet 
 
13G FREMONT AND CARSON. 
 
 only wounded the animal, however, and with 
 another roar, he turned and charged upon 
 Carson again. 
 
 Just then Carson's horse stumbled in 
 the mounds of the prairie-dog village, and 
 the rider was thrown. 
 
 It was now^ a race for life. The buffalo 
 was in swift pursuit ! There was no time to 
 reload ! But one thing w^as possible — to 
 reach the river. 
 
 On they flew — the buffalo gaining at 
 every bound. His roars filled the air. Already 
 his hot breath was close upon him, when 
 the river was reached and Carson sprang 
 into the water! 
 
 For an instant the maddened buffalo 
 stared. Then he raised his head and bel- 
 lowed. Then he shook his great mane and 
 braced his forefeet. He kicked his heels high 
 in the air and roared again. 
 
FREMONT AND C ARSON. IT) 7 
 
 But all this did Kit Carson no harm, 
 for he was safe in the water, or at least 
 beyond the reach of the angry foe. It was 
 only a question of how long the buffalo 
 would keep him there. 
 
 The buffalo seemed to understand the 
 situation. He bellowed and bellowed, then 
 turned and began to eat grass, keeping his 
 eyes always on his prisoner. 
 
 How long this might have gone on, we 
 cannot know. But fortunately Maxwell saw 
 the dilemma, and crept up behind the buffalo. 
 
 So busy was the creature watching Car- 
 son, that he did not hear the approach of 
 Maxwell ; and when Maxwell raised his gun, 
 he fell, shot through the heart. 
 
FREMONT'S PEAK! 
 
 At Fort Laramie Fremont found the 
 Indians illy disposed towards all white men. 
 Only recently there had been a contest 
 between the red men and the white men, in 
 which the Sioux had lost ten of their warriors. 
 
 Their war paint, therefore was still on, 
 and they were ready to attack any white man 
 who should enter their territory. 
 
 Fremont's men were all men who had 
 explored in these regions ; and were, then, 
 used to danger and to Indian warfare. Still, 
 the reports made them uneasy. Carson him- 
 self called it foolhardiness to go on, and so 
 the little party encamped at Fort Laramie and 
 waited. 
 
 139 
 
^ 
 
FREMONT ANT) CARSON. 141 
 
 While they were encamped here, the red 
 men made them many visits. Fremont him- 
 self had gone to them and told them why 
 he had come into the country. 
 
 He showed them the thermometers and 
 barometers he had brought and told them 
 their uses. The use of the chronometers and 
 the quadrant he explained to them. And 
 when they were sure he had not come to 
 molest them or even to take up a claim of 
 land in their country, they were willing to 
 be friendly. 
 
 Once a redskin came to Fremont's own 
 tent and invited him to a dog feast. This 
 was the greatest honor the redskin could 
 give a stranger. Of course he did not think 
 the stranger might not enjoy the dog feast. 
 
 Fremont would have been very glad if 
 he could have ''sent regrets." But he dared 
 
142 FREMONT AND CARSON. 
 
 not. The savages would never have forgiven 
 him. 
 
 So he went. He was invited into the 
 wigwam of the chief. The women and chil- 
 dren sat in circles outside the wigwans. 
 
 The dog was still boiling in the kettle 
 when Fremont entered. But at once a squaw 
 bailed it out into huge wooden bowls and 
 gave it to the guests. 
 
 It tasted like mutton, Fremont thought; 
 and he tried to think it was mutton. He 
 had his bowl filled twice; for it would have 
 been very rude to eat only one bowlful. The 
 red men would have thought he did not like 
 their cooking. 
 
 Fremont was impatient now to go on. 
 So he got the wagons ready and called the 
 men together. 
 
 '' If any man wishes now to go home," 
 
FREMONT AND CARSON. 143 
 
 said Fremont, "now is his time; for I want 
 only bravest men with me in this expedition." 
 
 Only one man refused to go on. The 
 others were eager and anxious to go. So 
 Fremont gave the one man the money that 
 was his share and sent him home. 
 
 Just as Fremont was ready to start, 
 some of the old chiefs came running to him. 
 *' Wait, wait ! " they said. " Our young war- 
 riors mean to fire upon you. They lie in 
 ambush for you ! " 
 
 Fremont listened with respect. But he 
 did not believe what the chiefs said. "This 
 is only a game," he said to his own men, 
 " to keep us here for trade." 
 
 " But we are all ready to go," Fremont 
 said to the chiefs ; and we must go. Tell 
 the young warriors we have a great supply 
 of shot and are ready for them." 
 
144 FREMONT AND CARSON. 
 
 The chiefs went back to their village, 
 and the white men went on. There was no 
 attack from the young warriors, and the little 
 band passed through in safety. 
 
 After a week of travel, Fremont came 
 into a land of drought. The winds were hot 
 and dry ; the grass was parched ; not a buf- 
 falo was to be seen. The grasshoppers had 
 infested the country, and not a sign of life 
 was left. 
 
 The Indians had abandoned their villages 
 and had gone farther south. 
 
 Then Fremont called his men to him 
 and said : '' You see the condition of the 
 country. But we must pass through it if 
 we would reach the mountains. We have 
 water, and we have ten days provisions. If 
 we can find no game, we can, if we are 
 driven to it, kill our horses and mules for 
 
FREMONT AND CARSON. 145 
 
 food. How many are ready then to push 
 on ? 
 
 Every man sprang to his feet. And '' I ! 
 I, sir," rang out across the prairie. 
 
 They were now at the base of the foot 
 hills. Full in front of them lay the white 
 topped Rockies. 
 
 '' We must leave behind," said Fremont, 
 '* everything we do not really need." 
 
 Then the men all set to work. They 
 dug a great hole in the forest, and laid in 
 all the baggage. They took the wagons to 
 pieces and laid them, too, in the hole. 
 
 Then they covered them over with turf 
 and dry leaves. No one would have dreamed 
 that any change had been made in the soil. 
 
 " Now if a rain would come and pack 
 down these leaves, no one could suspect us," 
 said Fremont. 
 
146 FREMONT ANT) CARSON. 
 
 The men went back to their tent. But 
 hardly had they reached it when down came 
 a cyclone. It caught the tent up as if it 
 were a mere leaf. It upset the barometer 
 and dashed it against the ground, and broke 
 the thermometer in bits. 
 
 This loss was serious ; for Fremont 
 wished to test the temperature of the moun- 
 tain peaks, and had brought the thermom- 
 eter all this distance. 
 
 A few days later, in crossing the Green 
 River, the boat was upset in the rapid current. 
 Crash went the barometer upon the rocks ; 
 and when they picked it up, the tube was 
 broken in the middle. 
 
 This was a sad loss to Fremont, for 
 now he would have no way of measuring 
 the height of the peaks. 
 
 " Perhaps it can be repaired yet," Fre- 
 
FREMONT AND CARSON. 147 
 
 mont said. So he set to work. For two 
 whole days he worked. First he made glue 
 from the hoofs and horns of the buffalo. 
 Then he filed down a piece of horn till it 
 was flexible and so that it could be seen 
 through. 
 
 This he bound around the tube and 
 held it in place with the thick glue. Then 
 they tested the barometer, and to their delight, 
 found that it was all right. 
 
 '' Now for the highest peak ! " shouted 
 Fremont. 
 
 The next morning every man ate a hearty 
 breakfast. They filled their knapsacks and 
 hid the rest of their food under the rocks. 
 
 Then the men saddled their niules and 
 started up the mountains. Sometimes they 
 went up places so steep that the men had to 
 lie flat on the mules' backs. Sometimes they 
 
Wj 
 
 %m 
 
 PIKE S TEAK FROM THE GATEWAY OF THE GAKUEN OF THE GODS. 
 
FREMONT AND CARSON. 140 
 
 went through places so dark they could hardly 
 see the rock beneath their feet. 
 
 Once they came to a wall of rock, 
 thousands of feet high. 
 
 At the end of this wall they found lakes 
 in the solid rock. 
 
 But the explorers were now nearing the 
 top of the mountain. It was the very highest 
 in the range, and they were ambitious to 
 stand on its very top. 
 
 So their mules were left to graze — 
 indeed there would have been no grass for 
 them farther up — and the men set off alone. 
 
 The air grew thinner and thinner. It 
 was cold and hard to breathe. The men put 
 on moccasins, for often they had to creep on 
 their hands and feet. Often there were only 
 crevices for them to set their grasp upon. 
 
 But at last the peak was reached ! The 
 
150 FREMONT AND CARSON. 
 
 highest peak in all the Rockies. Around it 
 lay snow and ice. One by one, the men crept 
 up on the topmost rock ; for it was very 
 small — only about three feet w^ide. But 
 every man stood upon it, one at a time. 
 
 Then they placed their barometer to 
 estimate the height. It was 13,570 feet above 
 the sea level. 
 
 They gathered a few flowers that grew 
 there even on the very edge of the snow, and 
 placed them in books to carry back to 
 Washington. 
 
 Then they raised the stars and stripes, 
 and gave three rousing cheers for America! 
 The greatest country in all the world they 
 were sure ! 
 
 But the air was so cold and thin, and 
 even a little exertion made the men so 
 breathless, they were glad to descend. 
 
DANIEL BOONE. 
 
 151 
 
 Their return east — by way of the Platte, 
 this time — was happy and successful. And 
 in a few weeks the party reached Washington 
 ready to report to the government their story 
 of the wonderful Rockies. 
 
A SECOND EXPEDITION. 
 
 Fremont's success encouraged him to 
 set out on a second expedition. 
 
 At Fort Bent he again engaged Carson 
 for a guide, and they set off for the Sacra- 
 mento Valley. 
 
 They reached the Bear River and rowed 
 up twenty miles, till they came upon Great 
 Salt Lake. 
 
 From here they pushed onward to the 
 territory of the Pierced Noses, in California. 
 This was as far as F'remont cared to go ; for 
 from here another explorer took up the line 
 and carried it to the coast. 
 
 It was now nearly midwinter. Still 
 Fremont was unwilling to return l3y the old 
 
 153 
 
m^-^'fl^^: 
 
FREMONT AND CARSON. 155 
 
 route. '' It would be a waste of time," he 
 said. '' Let us take another route and so 
 discover something new." 
 
 The route chosen this time was by way 
 of Tlamath Lake, — a route unknown even to 
 Carson. But the men were ready to follow 
 their leader, and they set out bravely. 
 
 There were only twenty-five of them, and 
 some of them were very young. But they 
 were daring, every one ; and Fremont felt 
 secure. 
 
 Two Indian guides were engaged, and 
 they made their way first to Tlamath Lake. 
 The lake was rather a disappointment ; for 
 they found it only a shallow basin. 
 
 With no guide except their compasses, 
 they pushed on to Mary's Lake. They found 
 themselves now in a land of cold and famine. 
 
 In one place they had to stop and dig 
 
15G FREMONT AND CARSON. 
 
 their way through a wall of snow twenty feet 
 deep. 
 
 In this bitter cold, their pack horses 
 were lost, and many of the men died from 
 exhaustion. 
 
 They reached Fort Sutter in May — and 
 a pitiful party it was that staggered into the 
 fort, ragged and sick and half starved. 
 
 Here at Fort Sutter they rested for 
 several days. But as soon as it seemed 
 wise, Fremont set out again homeward. 
 
 It had not been a successful expedition ; 
 men had suffered and died ; and no great 
 discovery had been made. 
 
 Still it had proved the courage of the 
 explorers more, perhaps, than had the first 
 expedition ; and the name of Fremont was 
 honored by his countrymen. 
 
 It was not very long before he set out 
 
FREMONT AND CARSON. 
 
 on another expedition. Again he engaged 
 Kit Carson as guide, and they set out for 
 Sutter's Fort. 
 
 Much of the journey lay over the old 
 ground ; but the company was better pre- 
 pared this time, and so suffered less. 
 
 At Sutter's Fort they again rested and 
 refilled their wagons with provisions. 
 
 It w^as well they had this rest ; for hardly 
 had they set out again when they met a 
 body of Mexicans. 
 
 The Mexicans were led by General Castro, 
 who meant to drive back any Americans who 
 attempted to come near their border lands. 
 
 This was not long before the war between 
 Mexico and America broke out. And in 
 this war we shall soon learn that Fremont 
 and Carson both fought bravely for their 
 country. 
 
ir)8 FIIEMONT AND CARSON. 
 
 There were four hundred of these Mex- 
 icans ; but they hesitated to attack Fremont's 
 little party. They knew that it was a bold, 
 daring company, even if small. 
 
 So they w^aited until they could get the 
 Apache Indians to help them. 
 
 Fremont, of course, knew nothing of all 
 this ; and suddenly down poured the Apaches 
 — a thousand of them — upon the valley. 
 
 '' We must not stay here," said Fremont. 
 *' This basin is the worst possible place. 
 The enemy can surround us and pour their 
 arrows down upon us." 
 
 Then a council of war was held. Carson, 
 who knew^ the w^ays of Indians, advised that 
 they keep a sharp watch on the enemy. 
 And when they w^ere least suspecting it, rush 
 upon them. 
 
 '* This is the surest way," said Carson, 
 to deal with savaiires." 
 
FREMONT AND CARSON. i;,9 
 
 "You are right," said Fremont. Then 
 Fremont made Carson lieutenant, and they 
 marched forward. 
 
 They marched some fifty miles before they 
 reached the place where the Indians were 
 camped. 
 
 They marched very slowly, so that the 
 horses should not be exhausted. For they 
 would need them in the attack. Two scouts 
 kept on a mile ahead of the party. One 
 night, just at sunset, they came hurrying back. 
 
 " We have found them ! " they cried. 
 ''They are in the camp beside the lake. 
 They are off guard. They are getting ready 
 for the night. They are not even on the 
 watch ! " 
 
 Fremont and Carson hurried forward to 
 see for themselves. It was as the scouts had 
 said. 
 
160 FllEMONT AND CARSON. 
 
 '' Now is our time ! " said Carson. 
 
 Then they went back to the men and 
 prepared them for an attack. 
 
 '' Our best w^ay will be this," said Carson. 
 '' Wait till the savages are asleep. Then 
 rush in upon them. Rowland yell and fire! 
 Make the greatest possible noise ! Throw 
 them into confusion ! Make them think there 
 are ten thousand of us ! If we can do this 
 we can rout them ! " 
 
 At midnight Fremont's party had crept 
 close up to the camp of the enemy. The 
 savages were sound asleep. 
 
 Then Fremont's men scattered themselves 
 around the outside of the camp on all sides. 
 Every man was mounted. Rifles were ready. 
 
 When all was ready, Fremont gave the 
 signal ! And with a whoop the little band 
 bounded into the camp. 
 
FREMONT AND CAUSON. 161 
 
 The Indians sprang" up bewildered. They 
 looked out of their wigwams. As soon as 
 a head appeared, the white men discharged 
 their rifles upon him. 
 
 Bang! bang! bang! Whoop! whoop! 
 whoop ! No sooner did an Indian appear 
 than he was shot down. 
 
 Bullets rained in upon the wigwams. 
 Indians fell in tens and twenties. 
 
 Then panic seized them ! They dared 
 not raise an arrow even. But creeping out 
 from beneath their wigwams, they ran like 
 hares into the forests. 
 
 It was a great victory. A complete 
 victory ; and one that taught the Indians a 
 lesson they did not soon forget. 
 

FREMONT^S MEN SURPRISED. 
 
 After this Fremont went back to Lan- 
 son's Post for ammunition and provisions. 
 
 Then he started off northward, meaning 
 to make his way into Oregon. 
 
 One day, as they were journeying along, 
 two white men came hurrying to meet them. 
 This was a surprise. And a greater surprise 
 still when Fremont saw they were two 
 men who had served .with him in the first 
 expedition. 
 
 Quickly the men told their story. Lieu- 
 tenant Gilespie with a small band of explorers, 
 was encamped not far away. They were 
 nearly starved, and were in danger of attack 
 from the savages. 
 
 163 
 
1G4 FREMONT AND CARSON. 
 
 These men had been sent out in the 
 hopes of finding Fremont's party. 
 
 Without further words Fremont, with ten 
 of his strongest men, set out with food for 
 Gilespie's party. 
 
 For sixty miles they traveled through 
 the rough country; and at last found the little 
 band hidden in a pass in the mountains. 
 
 Glad indeed was Gilespie for food and 
 help. The two men sat by their camp fire 
 talking till midnight. All the men, tired with 
 their long march, were sound asleep. No 
 one dreamed of danger. 
 
 But at midnight, without a sound of 
 warning, down came the savages. A whoop, 
 a yell, and they were upon them. 
 
 It was the Tlamath chief and fourteen 
 of his warriors. 
 
 A hot fight followed. The Tlamath 
 
FREMONT AND CARSON. 165 
 
 chief himself was slain at last, however; and 
 as he fell the savages fled. 
 
 All night long the white men lay in the 
 tall grass expecting another attack. None 
 came. And ini the morning they gathered up 
 their own dead, carried them into the forest 
 and covered them over with leaves and 
 boughs of trees. 
 
 Fremont's party was angry when they 
 heard of this massacre, and thirsted for 
 revenge. 
 
 '' Come on ! " said Carson. And with a 
 picked half dozen he started off for the 
 Tlamath Lake camp. It was easy to find; 
 and without mercy Carson charged upon it, 
 drove the frightened warriors in all directions 
 and burned every wigwam of their village. 
 
 From the dispatches Gilespie had brought, 
 Fremont learned that war was now declared 
 
160 FREMONT AND CARSON. 
 
 between Mexico and America. The Indians 
 were allied to the Mexicans. Therefore they 
 wTre eager now to attack the explorers for 
 two reasons. 
 
 Fremont's party now^ went down the 
 Sacramento to learn, if possible, the plans 
 of the Mexicans. 
 
 Soon the Mexicans attacked a garrison 
 at Sonoma, and carried off a large amount 
 of ammunition. 
 
 '' We will kill every American in Cali- 
 fornia ! " said the Mexican general. 
 
 '' We will see ! " said Fremont. And he 
 got together an army and marched towards 
 the Mexican camp. 
 
 The Mexicans heard that Fremont was 
 coming. They forgot to boast now, and 
 began to run away. 
 
 For six days they ran, Fremont follow- 
 
FREMONT AND C.\US()N. . 1G7 
 
 ing. Fremont took several prisoners and 
 then turned back. So successful had he been, 
 that men came to join his army from all 
 over the state. 
 
 With this army Fremont again set out. 
 This time to Los Angeles, where General 
 Castro was stationed. 
 
 '' We will demolish the Mexican army 
 this time," said Kit Carson. 
 
 And so they would have, had not Castro 
 again fled. 
 
 This was a cowardly flight; for Castro 
 had twice as many men as Fremont had. 
 
 But he knew the kind of men Fremont 
 had. That w^as why he fled. And Fremont 
 took Los Angeles without a struggle. 
 
 California was now free from Mexican 
 rule — and Fremont was made governor. 
 
 For a time all went well, Carson was 
 
168 FREMONT AND CARSON. 
 
 sent to Washington to tell all that had hap- 
 pened in the far west. It was a perilous 
 journey, and Carson was the only man who 
 knew the route well enough to attempt it. 
 
 At this time Commodore Stockton sailed 
 for San Diego. Now Stockton had command 
 of southern California; and as soon as he 
 went away, the Mexicans came creeping back. 
 They recaptured Los Angeles and many 
 other places. Fremont began to grow uneasy. 
 He watched eagerly for the return of Kit 
 Carson. He needed reinforcements. And 
 he longed to go again into battle. 
 
 Kit Carson at last came back ; and with 
 him came General Kearny, with a force of 
 several hundred. 
 
 At once Kearny took charge of the Cali- 
 fornia army, Fremont joined him and war 
 began again in that state. 
 
FREMONT AND CARSON. 1G9 
 
 In the south, Fremont and Kearny were 
 attacked suddenly by a great force of Mex- 
 icans. There were twice as many Mexicans, 
 and for a time the Americans seemed lost. 
 
 But they drew off into a timberland and 
 threw up intrenchments. 
 
 Here the Mexicans attacked them and a 
 hot battle followed. 
 
 Then the Mexicans settled down for a 
 siege. 
 
 " We are lost," said Fremont's men. 
 
 " We can hold out only a few days. 
 Our food will give out." 
 
 " There is but one hope," said Kit Car- 
 son. '' We must have help. We must get 
 word to the army at San Diego." 
 
 '' But how can we get through the enemy's 
 lines ? They are all around us. We are 
 hemmed in by them." 
 
170 FREMONT AND CARSON. 
 
 '' But we've got to get through ! " was 
 Carson's answer. '' It is our only chance." 
 
 Then Carson with one companion set 
 out. 
 
 At midnight they crept out from the 
 timber. Carson had learned from the Indians 
 how to crawl along through the grass. 
 
 In this way they reached the first line 
 of guards. The sentinels were on the watch, 
 but they did not see the two men crawling 
 along so near them. 
 
 Sometimes they would lie still for a 
 whole half hour till a sentinel walked to 
 the other end of his line. 
 
 Sometimes the sentinels came so near^ 
 they were sure he must see them. 
 
 At last they had passed this line of sen- 
 tinels. Then they took off their boots, lest 
 their steps, even now, should be heard by 
 
FREMONT AND CARSON. 171 
 
 some scout, and ran in their bare feet over 
 the rocks and briars and across the sharp, 
 stubby grass. 
 
 But Commodore Stockton was reached ! 
 Forces were sent ; and the little army in the 
 timber land was saved from massacre. 
 
 But it had been a terrible journey. For 
 two months Carson was unable to step, and 
 it was two years before his companion was 
 able to take his place in the army again. 
 But these brave men made no complaint ; 
 both were proud that they had done their 
 country such service ; and for it their country 
 did not fail to give them honor. 
 
 So the war went on in California. Fre- 
 mont and Kearny always victorious, though 
 the Mexican forces were so large and strong. 
 
 At last, one day, the Mexican forces 
 started north towards Fremont's camp. 
 
172 FREMONT AND CARSON. 
 
 At a short distance they halted and sent 
 forward their messengers. The Mexican gen- 
 eral wished to speak with Fremont and 
 Kearny. They had come to surrender their 
 arms ; they had come to give themselves up 
 prisoners of war. This was the end of hos- 
 tilities, and the country over which Mexico 
 and the United States w^ere disputing, now 
 came into the possession of the United States. 
 
 Gladly and generously General Kearney 
 wrote to Washington this letter. 
 
 '* This morning Lieutenant Colonel Fre- 
 mont, of the regiment of mounted riflemen, 
 reached here with four hundred volunteers 
 from Sacramento. The enemy surrendered 
 to him yesterday, agreeing to lay down their 
 arms. We have now the prospect of peace 
 in this part of the country." 
 
 When the war was over all these brave 
 
DANIEL BO(^NE. 
 
 173 
 
 men went to Washington ; and you may be 
 sure that not least among the many heroes 
 were Fremont and his brave guide Kit 
 Carson. 
 
MYTHOLOGY. 
 
 {Second Year Pupils.) 
 
 The Story of Ulysses. 
 
 Large Type Edition. Illustrated. Boards, 30 cents; 
 Cloth, 40 cents. 
 
 In Mythland. 
 
 By M. Helen Beckwith, Florence Kindergarten, Mass. 
 Fully illustrated. Boards, 30 cents; Cloth, 35 cents 
 
 It is one of the most excellent books of its character yet 
 produced. Mason S. Stone, 
 
 State Supt. of Edu ation, Vt, 
 
For 3rd and 4th Years. 
 
 Little Flower Folks, or Stories from 
 Flowerland. 
 
 By Mara L. Pratt. Vols, I. and II. Boards, 30 cents; 
 Cloth, 40 cents. 
 (Adopted in several cities and State Reading Circles.) 
 
 There is in little children an innate love for flowers. No 
 one so enthusiastically welcomes the springtime as do the 
 children — no one else has time to welcome it, to no one 
 else is it all so new and beautiful. Then why not nourish 
 and cultivate this taste of the child for the flower-world ? 
 
 15 
 
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