I Mi i LIBRARY OF CONGRESS. Cli;r,>. ::t Copxriglit iS'o. STATES OF AMERICA. STORIES OF PIOxNEER LIFE FOR YOUNG READERS BY y FLORENCE BASS AUTHOR OF "THE BEGINNER'S READER," "STORIES OF PLANT LIFE," AND "STORIES OF ANIMAL LIFE" BOSTON, U.S.A. D. C. HEATH & CO., PUBLISHERS 1900 84040 [ US— [ W€0 Library of Gona Two C0P5€S Recewco DEC 4: 1900 Copyright «alnr S£CO«0 COPY Minml to ORDER OIVISIOH nfn iniun.. I .3 .03 Copyright, 1900, By D. C. Heath & Co. TO WHOSE MANY STORIES OF EARLY TIMES HAVE ALWAYS AROUSED MY CHILDISH AS WELL AS MY MATURE INTEREST THIS BOOK IS AFFECTIONATELY INSCRIBED TO THE CHILDREN Dear Little Friends : Here is a book of stories about real people and what actually happened not so very long ago. Indeed, many people are still living who saw things like these of which I tell you. I hope that these stories will help you to look with respect upon aged people. Even if they have not had such trials as I have described, their lives have in some way helped to make your life pleasant. You know that Longfellow says: — " Lives of great men all remind us We can make our lives sublime. And, departing, leave behind us Footprints on the sands of time." This does not mean only those great men whom all the world knows. There have been many great men and women whose names even are vi To the Children not known. They have just as truly left their *' footprints on the sands of time " as if we could tell who they were. Look at this beautiful country of ours, with its rich farms, its good roads, and its fine cities and towns with their pleasant homes. Think of its safety from Indians and wild beasts, of its many churches and schools, and of its bright flag of freedom. All these are the footprints of the brave pioneers who lived before us. I am sure that such things make us feel as if we should like to live noble lives, and leave worthy footprints to guide those who follow us. Your sincere friend, FLORENCE BASS. CONTENTS. CHAPTER I. Our Land — Present and Past . Introduction. Indian children. Indian women. In dian men. Hunting. II. The Coming of the White Man . Indians and the white man. Indians and guns Indians and horses. Change in the Indians. PAGE I 13 21 III. Marquette, Missionary Preparing for the journey. Among the strange Ind ians. Down the Mississippi River. Marquette's last trip. IV. Hunters 29 Camps. Weapons. Game. V. Daniel Boone 33 First visit to Kentucky. Attempt to remove his fam- ily. Building the fort. Capture of the children. Finding the children. Boone's capture. His escape. His later days. VI. Flat-boats 4^ An old man's story. Another Indian story. VII. Blockhouses and Forts 5^ A pioneer's story. viii Contents. CHAPTER PAGE VIII. Down the Ohio — Marietta 54 The second Mayflower. Mounds in Ohio. The new home. Story of Isaac Williams. Story of Lockhart. Story of Josiah Hunt. Story of Captain Wells. Peace with the Indians. IX. Story of Frances Slocum 69 The lost girl. Her life among the Indians. Her discovery. X. Abraham Lincoln 79 His first home. His life in Kentucky. Removal to Indiana. A new home. A better home. Lincoln at school. Lincoln a young man. XI. An Old Settler's Story 91 Lost in the woods. XII. A Story of Early Times 95 Leaving the old home. Indians. The winter. The founding of Indianapolis. XIII. Grandfather's Story 103 The trip down the river. The new home. The flood. Food. Clearing the land and raising corn. After the harvest. Schools. Clothing. Lack of conveniences. Money. Pioneer preachers. Mails. Difficulties of trade. Roads. New settlers. Stages. Cars. Tele- graph. ILLUSTRATIONS. A Country Scene Frontispiece PAGE "Waving at the Train I Indian Baby 3 Indian Bow and Arrows 4 Indian Women at Work 5 Carrying the Wigwam 6 Indian Warriors 7 Indian Peace-pipe .......... 8 Indian Letter on Birch Bark 9 Indian Weapons .......... 10 Indian with Snowshoes 1 1 " Some great under-water animal must have done it " . . -14 An Old-fashioned Gun 15 Knives and Axes 17 Riding to the Indians' Camp 18 Statue of Marquette 21 Birch-bark Canoes 22 On Lake Michigan 23 Carrying the Boats 26 A Hunter's Camp 29 A Hunter with his Weapons 30 Buffaloes on the Plain 31 Daniel Boone 33 Cane Brake 35 Daniel Boone's Fort . . 37 Animals at a Salt Lick 41 Boone's Tobacco-drying Shed 44 A Flat-boat 46 A Blockhouse 51 Elephant Mound 56 Mounds near Marietta ... 57 ix X Illustrations. PAGE Campus Martius . . • 5^ Tall Corn 59 Nettle 60 The Indian behind the Tree 62 Hunter reloading his Gun 64 Indians going West 67 " He threw Frances across his shoulder " 70 Frances Slocum 75 Lincoln's P'irst Home 80 Half-faced Camp 8;^ Lincoln's Indiana Home . .84 A Home-made Bed 85 Cotton 86 Flax 86 A Curious Slate 88 Abraham Lincoln 90 Driving Sheep 92 " I did not look back "......... 97 Grandfather's Log Cabin ......... 99 On the Sand Bar 104 The Street Full of Stumps 105 The Old Fireplace 107 Pounding the Corn . 108 Father working Late no A Scarecrow 112 Making Cob Houses 114 Going to the Mill 115 Fanning away the Chaff , . . . . . . . .116 The Blazed Path through the Woods . . . 1 . . • ^^7 The Best Hiding Place 121 Shearing Sheep .122 Coonskin 126 A Fip -^ worth 6| cents 127 A Bit — worth I2|- cents . . . 127 A Travelling Preacher 128 Carrying the Mails 130 Towing Canal Boats 131 An Old-fashioned Train of Cars 13^ Stories of Pioneer Life. y'i^c Our Land — Present and Past, I. INTRODUCTION. Boys and girls, do you not often ride through the country on the cars ? You Hke to go ghding along many miles in a few minutes ! WAVING AT THE TRAIN. It is pleasant to look out from the car window a': the beautiful fields, meadows, and woods ! You like to watch the horses, sheep, and cows run away as the train goes rushing by 1 2 Stories of Pioneer Life. Sometimes children come out of the farm- houses and wave at the cars. You are sorry for them because they are not riding on the cars, also ! When the train stops at the little towns and the large noisy cities, you enjoy watching the people, who get on and off the train. You won- der where they live and where they are going. I am sure that our country seems very beauti- ful and interesting to you. Did you* ever think that it did not always look as it does now ? Less than one hundred fifty years ago the central part of it was a wilderness. No one could have seen the country then from a car window. There were no cars, no railroads, no good roads of any kind. There were no farms, no towns, no houses even, such as we now see. No white people lived in this region. There were great forests, beautiful rivers, and wide prairies. There were many wild animals, such as deer, bears, and buffaloes. Here, too, lived the Indians, who were almost as wild as the animals. II. INDIAN CHILDREN. If we could have gone into the forest then, we might have found other babies in the trees be- sides those of the squirrels and birds. Often an Our Land — Present and Past. Indian baby in his queer cradle would swing from the branch of a tree. His cradle was a board covered with skins, dried moss, or grass. Till he was two years old, the Ind- ian baby spent most of his time tied to this board. He was carried about on his mother's back or hung up away from harm as she worked. It was of no use for him to cry. The first lesson that he had to learn was to bear dis- comfort. He learned this lesson well, for after a while he would bear any pain without a cry. He would go hungry for days with- out complaining. His first plaything INDIAN BABY, 4 Stones of Pioneer Life. was a bow and arrow, with which he soon learned to shoot well. It was a proud day for the Indian boy when he was able to kill a deer. INDIAN BUW AND ARROWS. He learned to fish and to swim while he was only a tiny boy. And so he grew up, learning to hunt, to fight, and to fear no pain or danger. The little Indian girls learned different lessons. As soon as they were able to walk, they began to help their mothers in their work. III. INDIAN WOMEN. Instead of the pleasant towns which we see now, there were then only Indian villages. In place of the good houses that men now build, were wigwams, or tents, made by the Indian women. They set a number of long poles in the ground in a circle and made them meet at the top. These were covered with skins, or rushes, or the bark of trees. In the centre of the wigwam a little pit was dug for a fire. A hole was left at the top for the Our Land — Present and Past. 5 smoke to go out. Of course, much of it stayed inside and made the wigwam a smoky, unpleas- ant place. There were no tables, beds, or chairs, and no floor but the bare earth. Skins of animals served for seats or beds. INDIAN WOMEN AT WORK. The Indians did not stay in their wigwams as we do in our houses. They lived out of doors most of the time. The forest was their home. Often a whole Indian village would be moved. Then the Indian women pulled up the wigwams, carried the poles and covering to the new camp- ing place, and set them up again. The Indian woman planted and tended the Stories of Pioneer Life. little patches of beans, corn, and melons. Of course she did all the cooking. She knew how- to bake before the fire a rough kind of cornbread, and how to cook corn and beans. '^h)^i^^^ CARRYING THE WIGWAM. She could make soup in a wooden kettle. She did this by heating stones very hot and dropping them into the soup. When these were cool, they were taken out and more hot ones put in. This Our Land — Present and Past. 7 was done over and over till the meat and soup were cooked. Besides all this the Indian woman had to prepare the skins of animals for clothing and then make the clothing. Do you not think that she had much hard work to do ? Yet she did not wish the Indian man to help her. She thought such work not fit for him. IV. INDIAN MEN. INDIAN WARRIORS. Such men as these lived in our country in the early times. How different they look from the men we see here now ! Think of the work that you see men doing now, — farming, building, buying and selling, mak- 8 Stories of Pioneer Life. ing beautiful and useful things of all kinds. The Indians cared for none of these. Their chief delight was to fight. They were often bitter enemies to Indians of another tribe, and fought very cruelly. When an Indian killed an enemy, he took his scalp. This means that he cut off a little piece of the skin with the hair just at the crown of his head. The Indian that had taken the most scalps was thought to be the bravest of all. Sometimes Indians took their enemies captive and treated them very cruelly. But a brave Indian would show no sign of pain. INDIAN PEACE-PIPE. When Indians made peace with their enemies, they smoked the peace-pipe together. Offering the peace-pipe was always a sign of friendship. Sometimes Indians who had gone to war wished to send a message to their friends very quickly. We might think that they had a queer way of telegraphing. They found a high place Our Land — Present and Past. that could be seen far away, and here they built a little fire of something that made a big smoke. One column of smoke meant the success of a war party. Little columns near by told how many scalps were taken. Sometimes the fire was smothered and then allowed to go up in puffs. In that way some other message was sent. J-JJJJJrJ^ X ^ 5^32 A% Hn^^ INDIAN LETTER ON BIRCH BARK. Once an Indian wrote a letter like this. It was written on birch bark and stuck into a pole which was set slanting in the ground. The pole pointed in the direction in which the party had gone. Three notches were cut in it to show that the party would travel for three days. The letter itself tells of their three camp-fires of the night before, and of the prairie hen and lO Stories of Pioneer Life. turtle that they had cooked. The men without hats are Indian guides, and the others are white men. Would not that seem to us a queer way to write a letter.? Sometimes such writing was put upon rocks or skins of ani- mals. An Indian wrote a kind of history in this way. A picture was made to show something that hap- pened each year. I am sure that we should not like such books and letters so well as we do our own. V. HUNTING. Indians spent much time in fishing and hunting. They did not hunt for sport, but because they needed the animals for food and their skins for clothing. It was sometimes hard to se- cure the game, for before the white man came the Indians had only clubs and bows and arrows to use in hunting. INDIAN WEAPONS. Our Land — Present and Past. II In winter the Indian sometimes wore snow- shoes when he went hunting. These held him up on the soft snow so that he could run many miles in a day. He could easily bring down a deer, for it could not run so fast, as its feet sank into the snow. When the Indians could not catch game or fish, there were often days when they had very little to eat. They did not know how to keep food, and to provide for all times, as we do. You see why the Indians roamed about. They could not always find game in one place. They must go where it could be found. No one Indian owned a certain amount of the land as your fathers do. A great part of the country belonged to a tribe of Indians, and they roamed over it as they pleased. No one could buy or sell any of it, but all might hunt or camp on it. Some parts of the country seemed to belong to no one tribe. As many different tribes hunted there, bloody battles were often fought INDIAN WITH SNOW-SHOES. 12 Stories of Pioneer Life. You can see why the Indians did not want the white man to come into this country to live. The white man took the land for his own. The game was soon killed off, and the Indian lost his hunting ground. The Coming of the White Man. I. INDIANS AND THE WHITE MAN. Do you wonder how the Indians felt when they first saw white men ? Here is a story tell- ing of some Indians who had never before seen or heard of a white man. Several Indians were one day going through the woods, when they came to some trees that were cut in a strange way. At first they thought it must be the work of beavers, but they saw that this could not be so, for the chips were too large. A beaver could not open his mouth wide enough to cut such big chips. At last they said, " Some great under-water animal must have done it." They saw a place where a tree trunk had been cut down and dragged away. They followed this path or trail, and soon found footprints of an animal. The footprints did not seem to them like those of men, for there was a deep place at the heel. The Indians did not know that these 13 14 Stories of Pioneer Life. prints had been made by shoes with heels, for they had never heard of such things. "SOME GREAT UNDER-WATER ANIMAL MUST HAVE DONE IT." Soon they looked through the brush and saw the animals at work. At first the Indians thought that they were bears, but as they came a little nearer, they thought that perhaps the workers might be men. Yet they had hairy faces — a great deal of hair hanging down from their chins. The Indians hid behind the trees and watched them. Some of the white men were piling up logs while others were picking up sticks. The Indians w^ere afraid to come nearer. One of the oldest of them said : " Perhaps they will The Coming of the White Man. 15 smell us or feel us here. Perhaps they will kill us. Let us go away." So they went back to their camp. They said: " We saw some queer water animals that looked much like people. They had white faces with much hair on them. Some had red bodies and some were black." The Indians did not know that it was the men's clothing that was red and black. AN OLD-FASHIONED GUN II. INDIANS AND GUNS. Many Indians were then eager to see these strange animals. So they went carefully through the woods and found them still at work. One Indian said : " I will go f^rst alone. If they try to hurt me, you must all rush out and we will fight them." Soon the Indian came up to one of the white men, who looked straight into his face and stretched out his arm. The Indian did not know that he wanted to shake hands. Then more of the white-faced creatures came up and the Indian saw that they were men. The 1 6 Stones of Pioneer Life. white people made motions for the Indians to come into their house ; but the Indians did not understand, or were afraid to go. At last, some of them dared to follow the white men. When they came back they told the others what strange things they had seen. A white man showed them a queer-looking stick. He poured some black sand into his hand and then into a hole in this stick. He took a round thing out of a bag and put this also into the stick. The Indians watched him very closely. The white man began to make strange signs to the Indians; but they did not understand. He made a loud noise with his mouth and pointed to the stick. He put his finger on the under part of it and motioned for the Indians to do the same. One of the Indians did so and there was a terrible crash. The Indians were very much frightened for they had never seen or heard a gun before. They were not long in learning the power of this queer stick. The white men showed them their knives and axes, and how to use them. The Indians were surprised to see how quickly a white man cut a log in two with a big axe. They wanted guns, The Coming of the White Man. 17 knives, and axes themselves. They soon found that the white men would give them these things in exchano^e for skins of animals. KNIVES AND AXES. III. INDIANS AND HORSES. Once a man was in camp near an unfriendly tribe of Indians. He had not been able to kill any game for some time, and so he had no food. At last he decided to ride into the Indians' camp and offer to exchange his horse for food. This tribe of Indians had never seen horses. As the man came riding in, an old chief said: " Here is something very strange. I have heard of many wonderful things; but I have never heard of anything like this. This thing must have come from the sun or out of the earth. Do not say anything to it. Be still and wait. If we try to hurt it, perhaps it will go into that hill again." i8 Stories of Pioneer Life. At first the Indians were very much frightened, but as it came nearer they saw that it was a man riding a strange animal. The man patted the horse's neck, and made signs to show that he was friendly. At last he made the Indians understand that he had been without food for a long time, and would give RIDING TO THE INDIANS' CAMP. them the horse for some buffalo meat. Then they gladly gave him food in exchange for his horse. When the Indians first got horses, they did not know what to feed them. They would offer them pieces of dried meat. The horses would turn away, put down their heads and eat grass. The Coming of the White Man. 19 Very soon the Indians began to have horses of their own. One Indian owned so many that he was named " Many Horses." IV. CHANGE IN THE INDIANS. It is easy to see how the Indian changed after white men came. He soon got guns and knives and horses from them. Then he could kill game more easily and travel much faster and farther. The white men gave him another thing of which I am sorry to tell you. That was rum. The Indian called it " fire water," which is a good name for it. He soon became very fond of it. He would give almost anything for the " fire water" of the white man. Yet what a wicked and cruel man it made of him ! When white men first came over the sea into our country, most of the Indians were friendly with them. They thought that the white men came from the sky. It is hard to tell whether Indians or white men did the first wrong; but it is certain that in many places they both did very many cruel things. The Indians captured or killed the white 20 Stories of Pioneer Life. people in the most dreadful way. They soon began to think all white people were their ene- mies, as they came farther and farther into the country and drove the red men from their hunt- ing ground. Marquette. I. PREPARING FOR THE JOURNEY. I AM sure that all boys and girls know what a missionary is. You know that he goes to teach people about the Bible, and how to live better lives. You have often oriven your pennies to help send a missionary to some far-off country. You think of those countries as far away in an- other part of the world. Would it not seem strano^e to think of missionaries com- ing to our own beautiful country ? Yet missionaries were among the very first white people to come into the middle part of the United States. Marquette was a good missionary, who left his pleasant home in France and came here over two STATUE OF MARQUETTE. 21 21 Stories of Pioneer Life. hundred years ago. The white people had heard of a great river in this part of the country, and a man named JoHet was sent to find it. Mar- quette came with him to teach the Indians about God. These two men chose five other Frenchmen to come with them. They built two small canoes BIRCH-BARK CANOES. of birch bark, into which they put plenty of smoked meat and Indian corn. Marquette had already been teaching the Ind- ians for two years, and had learned to speak their language. The Indians had tried to keep him from going away into unknown lands. They said that the river was full of great monsters that would swallow his boats. They told him that the heat down the river was terrible, and that the Marquette. 23 Indians were unfriendly and would kill him. But Marquette said that he was willing to lose his life for a chance to teach the Indians. II. AMONG THE STRANGE INDIANS. Marquette and Joliet with their five friends started out on Lake Michigan in their two little ON LAKE MICHIGAN. boats. They went down into Green Bay, then into the Fox River. From here they carried their boats a mile and a half across the land to the Wisconsin River. They sailed down this unknown stream to find the great river of which they had heard. At night they camped on shore. They roasted their meat before the fire, and slept on skins and blankets. 24 Stories of Pioneer Life. In about a month they were made happy by the sight of a great river which they were sure must be the Mississippi that they had started to find. Here they saw huge fish that made them think of the monsters of which the Indians had told them. Now they began to fear savage Indians, so they did not land at night, but slept in their boats in the middle of the river, one man keep- ing watch while the rest slept. For two weeks they sav/ no Indians. One day they saw footprints in the sand and a path leading from them. Joliet and Marquette fol- lowed the path till they found an Indian village. Soon the Indians crowded out to see them. They offered the white men the peace-pipe to smoke, which showed that they meant to be friendly. The Indians told them that their visit made the sun more bright, the sky more blue, and the earth more beautiful. Was not that a pleasant way to say that they were welcome ? Marquette told the red men of the God who made them and that they should obey Him. Afterward the Indians gave Marquette and his men a great feast. An Indian fed them as if they were children, putting the food into their Marquette. 25 mouths. Next morning several hundred of these red men went out with them to their boats. They gave the missionaries a peace-pipe and bade them a friendly good-by. III. DOWN THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER. On and on down the great river these tiny canoes floated. By and by the explorers came to the place where the Missouri River rushes into the Mississippi. Its strong current almost upset th^ir boats. Still they went bravely forward. The weather became very warm, and the mosqui- toes tormented them night and day. At one place many savages rushed out with a war-whoop to attack them. Some even aimed their bows and arrows at the white men. One Indian threw his war club at them. At last the older men of the village came out, and kept the young warriors from hurting the white men. The Indians saw the peace-pipe which Marquette held up, and invited him to land with his followers. This they did with great fear, but they were feasted and well-treated. Mar- quette tried to teagh his hosts the truths of his religion. The Indians warned the white men not to go 26 Stories of Pioneer Life. farther down the river, for fear of the savage tribes there, so Marquette and Joliet decided to return at once. What a hard trip it was, going back up the river against its strong current ! Marquette be- came very weak and ill, and suffered much. They did not return just as they went, but rowed up the Illinois River. From here they CARRYING THE BOATS. carried their boats across the land to the Chicago River, and so sailed into Lake Michigan. It is believed that the great missionary Mar- quette once visited the spot where Chicago now is. From here they paddled up to Green Bay, the place from which they had started. They had been gone four months, and had travelled over twenty-five hundred miles. Marquette. 2y IV. MARQUETTE'S LAST TRIP. Marquette was very anxious to get well so that he might go back and preach to the Illinois Ind- ians, but it was a whole year before he was able to start. He took two Frenchmen and a number of Indians with him. He had ten canoes this time. They went down Lake Michigan to the Chicago River. The weather was cold and stormy, and Mar- quette became ill again. They went about five miles up the river and built a rude hut. Perhaps this was the first house built by white men where the great city of Chicago now stands. Marquette spent the cold, dreary winter here, but in the spring he grew somewhat better. So he went on to preach to the Illinois Indians. As he went from wigwam to wigwam, he was received with great joy. At one time he preached to a great council. Five hundred chiefs were seated in a ring, behind whom were fifteen hundred young men and war- riors, and back of these were all the women and children of the village. These people begged Marquette to stay and teach them, but he knew that his life was nearly 2 8 Stories of Pioneer Life. over, so he started back to his old mission at Mackinac, where he had first taught the Indians. His friends rowed him carefully up the river as he lay weak and ill in the boat. They crossed Lake Michigan, but he felt that he could go no farther, so he asked his friends to land. They built him a bark hut, and cared for him as tenderly as they could. It was not long before he died in this little hut in the wilderness. He was glad to give his life in trvino; to do o;ood to the Indians. Hunters. I. When white people first came to this country, it was not to make their homes here. Some came to find out what kind of country it was. Some of them came to teach the Indians about God. Others came to trade with the Indians or to hunt. Hunting was not a day's sport with such men ; it was the work of a season. In the fall they hunted the deer. The winter and early spring was the time to hunt bears and other fur-bearing animals. Sometimes hunters built a camp like this. Often a hunter had no shelter in which to sleep. 29 30 Stories of Pioneer Life. Then he would roll himself up in a buffalo skin, and lie on the ground with his feet toward the fire. The hunter had a queer kind of clothing well- suited to the woods. Over one ear hunor the o bushy tail of a raccoon, for his cap was gen- erally made of that ani- mal's skin. He wore a long coat and leg- gings made of fringed deerskin, and had also deerskin moccasins. Such clothing could not be easily torn, and would not wear out very soon. The hunter always carried with him his trusty rifle. His well- filled powder-horn was swung over his shoul- der. He had also an Indian tomahawk which he used in clearing a way through the forest. He carried a long, keen-edged hunting-knife to be used in taking the skin from "any animal that he might shoot, A HUNTER WITH HIS WEAPONS. Hunters. 31 With his knife he cut off bits of meat which he placed upon a forked stick and roasted before the fire. Often his meat was eaten without salt. Perhaps this was the only kind of food that he had for months. When the hunter killed a buffalo, he was sup- plied with both food and bedding. The animal's shaggy skin made a fine warm blanket for him. BUFFALOES ON THE PLAIN. II. These hunters were brave, strong men. They had to protect themselves from wild animals and Indians, and to provide their own food and clothing. They knew well how to use their rifles. They could load very quickly and fire very accurately 32 Stones of Pioneer Life. They thought it was a disgrace to waste a shot. Their aim was so sure that one man would even hold a board between his knees as a mark for another to fire at. A hunter stood with his back as^ainst a tree when loading, that he might not be surprised by an enemy. Once a hunter, who was able to load while running, was pursued by Indians. He fired his gun, killing one of them. The rest thought he could not shoot again, so they dropped their guns that they might run faster. But the hunter loaded as he ran. Soon he turned and fired again. He did this two or three times. At last the Indians gave up the chase, saying, " No catch dat man ; he gun always loaded." Daniel Boone, I. FIRST VISIT TO KENTUCKY. Daniel Boone was a great hunter. He had heard of the beautiful country of Kentucky, which was beyond the moun- tains west of his old home. Boone and five other hunters came over the mountains into this beau- tiful land. It was a fine hunting ground with many deer, bears, wolves, panthers, buffaloes, and other animals. For six months the hunters roamed through the forests. One day in the winter Boone and another man were captured by the Indians. For a long time they saw no chance of escape. In order that the Indians might not watch them V^ . '\ ^t"' ^ ^ ^^f /^ J ^^^ j'/ ^m ^^i^^^^s^ ^^^ ]/ \M^^ P^^5^^^^^^ ^K^^j/ ^^^^^ "m^^^^' 1 ^^^M H^^^^K^a^P^^ b'^^^^^^^ \!^^m^^^mk IBt-^^^^^^^^ ^^C ^k^M^ DANIEL BOONE. zz 34 Stories of Pioneer Life. so closely, they acted as if they were satisfied to^ stay. One night they found a chance to slip away without being seen. How glad they were to be free from the Indians again! They went back to the camp where they had been with the other hunters, but alas! no one was to be seen! Boone and his friend did not know what had become of their companions. One day Boone's brother and another man came over the mountains to join them. Boone must have been delighted to hear from his home! There were now four white men in the forest to- gether. But the cruel Indians were watching them ; and it was not long before they killed two of the hunters, and only Boone and his brother were left. Soon the brother went home for more powder and lead, leaving Boone alone in the great forest. He must have felt strange with no friend near. He had not even a horse or a dog for company. His only food was the game that he killed ; he had no bread, salt, or sugar. To hide from the Indians he often slept in the cane brakes, where all night he could hear the howling of wolves. There were about him many kinds of fierce, wild animals, and at all times he was in danger from the Indians. I Daniel Boone CANE BRAKE. But Boone was not afraid, for he loved the beautiful forest in spite of all its dangers. After three months his brother came back with powder, lead, and other supplies. II. ATTEMPT TO REMOVE HIS FAMILY. Boone wandered through the forests of Ken- tucky for nearly two years ; then he went back to bring his family into the forest to live. It was some time before they were ready to go. Several other families started with them to make their home in the new country. At night they camped out in rude tents which were made of poles and covered with bedding. Day and night the people were on the watch for Indians. ^6 Stories of Pioneer Life. One day the men who drove the cattle had dropped somewhat behind the others, as the cat- tle could not go so fast as the people did. Sud- denly a report was heard from the guns of the Indians who had been hiding behind trees. Six men who drove the cattle were killed. One of them was Boone's son. How sad all the people were then ! They would go no farther into the new country so full of Indians. They went back to their old homes beyond the mountains. III. BUILDING THE FORT. You may be sure that Boone was not willing to leave this beautiful land to the Indians. He wished to make a home here himself. Some time after this he and several other men came again. They cut down trees and built a stronsf fort. There was a two-story log house at each corner of the fort. The upper story stood out over the lower, so that the Indians could not climb in. There were loopholes in the upper part through which the men might shoot. Such houses w^ere called blockhouses. There were also several smaller cabins. The Daniel Boone. 37 spaces between the cabins were filled by a high lo2f fence, which was sometimes called a stockade. The logs were sharpened at the top and set deep in the ground, close enough to touch each other. Heavy wooden gates were made, to let the people in and out of the fort. DANIEL BOONE'S FORT. When this fort was done, Boone went back for his wife and children. This time they reached their new home in safety. The horses and cattle were driven into a large open space in the centre of the fort. Before long several families were living here. 38 Stories of Pioneer Life. IV. CAPTURE OF THE CHILDREN. As long as the people stayed in the fort, they were not in much danger. The Indians could not get in, and their bullets could not go through the thick walls. But the men needed to q-q out- o side to fish and hunt. The women, too, knew how to use rifles, and they would shoot an Indian if he tried to harm them when the men were away. They could kill a deer if one happened to come near. The men must go outside the fort to plant and tend their little crops of corn, beans, and potatoes. The Indians did not trouble this fort very much for some time, so perhaps the people grew a little careless. One day three girls went outside the fort. One of them was Boone's daughter Jemima, who was about fourteen years old. The other two were Betsey and Frances Calloway, fourteen and sixteen years old. They saw a boat on the river and said, " Let's have a little row." So they got into the boat and splashed merrily about for some time. At last they turned to go home, when sud- denly two fierce-looking Indians sprang out of the woods and seized the boat. Three more Daniel Boone. 39 appeared, ready to shoot the girls if they tried to get away. They screamed loudly, and Betsey fought with her oar, but it did no good : the Indians carried them off through the woods. Betsey reached up and broke the bushes as she passed along. She knew that her father would look for her, and she hoped he might follow her by seeing the broken bushes. The Indians soon made her stop this. Then she tore off little bits of her dress, and dropped them by the way. The girls were much frightened to be carried thus away from home ! They did not know how the Indians might treat them. V. FINDING THE CHILDREN. You may believe there was trouble in the fort that night. When the hunters came home, they were told that their daughters had been carried away by the Indians. Boone with several others started out at once to hunt for them. They went very carefully, for they thought, " If the Indians see us coming for the girls, they will kill us and escape." All the next day they kept up their search. Often they were guided by a broken bush or a bit of Betsey's dress. At last they saw a light 40 Stones of Pioneer Life. smoke curling up through the woods. They peered through the bushes, and there with the Indians were their daughters, nearly worn out with terror and fatigue. Just as the hunters were ready to fire, the Indians saw them and ran, but not without losing four of their number. The girls were now safe from their terrible danger. They had feared that they should never see their homes or parents again. They had been taken thirty miles from the fort. The jour- ney back seemed much shorter. No words can tell how great was their joy at being free from the Indians. VI. BOONE'S CAPTURE. One thing that the people needed very much in the fort was salt. Not far away were some springs where the water that came up was very salty. Such places were called salt-licks, because many animals used to come here to lick the ground about the spring, for animals, too, need salt. A salt-lick was a good place to go hunting. The men could hide in the bushes near it, and when the animals came, it was easy to shoot them. Daniel Boone. 41 Men also came here to get salt for themselves. They boiled the salt water a long time. At last the water would disappear, and leave the salt. One day Boone and some other hunters went to a salt-lick to make salt. Suddenly a number of Indians rushed out, captured Boone, and car- ried him away many miles. ANIMALS AT A SALT-LICK. The Indians watched him very closely. They did not intend to let him escape this time. As before, he acted as if he w^ere willing to stay with them. They soon grew very fond of him. An Indian adopted him in place of a son that he had lost. His head w^as shaved like an Indian's, and his face was painted until he looked like one. 42 Stones of Pioneer Life. Sometimes they let him go out to hunt. They made him show game for every bullet they gave him. But he was sharper than they were. He cut the bullets in two, and saved half for himself. He was getting ready to run away. VII. HIS ESCAPE. Boone stayed with the Indians a long time, for he found no chance to escape. The people at the fort thought that he was dead, and his wife went back to her old home. One day he heard the Indians planning to go to his home, break down the fort, and kill the settlers. He knew then that he must escape to save his peoplCo The next morning he started out to hunt. He managed to slip away without being seen. He knew that the Indians would surely kill him if they found him again. He dared not fire a gun, fearing that the Ind- ians might hear it and find him. He could not light a fire, for fear they might see the tell-tale smoke. For four days he travelled almost without stop- ping. During that time he had but one meal, Daniel Boone. 43 which was a little dried meat he had carried with him. On the fifth day he came in sight of the fort. He seemed more nearly dead than alive, having travelled one hundred sixty miles almost with- out food or rest. How surprised his friends were to see him ! He told them of the Indians' plans against them. They made ready for the attack, and when the Indians came some time later, they were not able to break down the fort. It was saved because Boone had been so strong and brave. VIII. His LATER DAYS. As the years went by, many more white people came to live in the new country. They were able to do some farming. Boone himself became a farmer as well as a hunter. One day he was at work in his drying shed, hanging up tobacco to dry. Four strong Indians slipped quietly in at the door before Boone saw them. Pointing their guns at him they said : " Now, Boone, we got you ; you no get away any more. We carry you off this time, sure. You no cheat us any more, Boone." Boone looked down in surprise. He soon saw 44 Stories of Pioneer Life. that they were the Indians whom he knew when he was a captive before. It seemed as if he would have no chance to get away this time. boone's tobacco-drying shed. He must have thought pretty fast as to how he could escape. He did not seem to be at all alarmed, but spoke to the Indians as friends. He kept talking to them pleasantly while he went on with his work. Daniel Boone. 45 He gathered up a few handfuls of very dry tobacco and suddenly threw the dust into their faces and eyes. Then he jumped down, pushed them aside, and ran past them very quickly. They could not see him, for they were blinded by the fine tobacco dust. They stamped and raged with pain and anger at the trick he had played them. Boone was soon in his cabin and able to defend himself. He lived to be a very old man, but he was never again captured by the Indians. Flat-boats. I. Vou remember that Boone and his friends journeyed across the mountains into the new country. Many other people came down the Ohio River — not in steamers of course, for there were no such things in those days. A FLAT-BOAT. They came in a flat-boat or house-boat. Some- times it was called a " Kentucky Ark." It was a large flat raft, with a tent or little house upon it. Here one or two families lived as they floated down the river. Would it not seem strange to camp out on a boat.? 46 Flat-boats. 47 Such a boat could not go very fast, for it simply drifted down the river. The oars were used only to guide the boat. It was not always easy to make it go where the men wished. Sometimes it stuck fast upon a sand bar, and then it was hard work to push it into the water again. Of course people did not travel very fast in flat-boats ; but they were not in a hurry in those days. Sometimes it took several weeks to make the trip down the river. In the early times such a journey was full of danger. The Indians were always watching for white people, and they were ready to capture and kill all they could. Hundreds of these boats drifted down the river in the early times, and hundreds of people were killed by the Indians. Do you not think travellers must have been very brave to face such danger.^ II. AN OLD MAN'S STORY. Here is a story, told by an old man, of what happened when he was a little boy. " When I was ten years old, I came with my father's family down the Ohio River in a flat- 48 Stories of Pioneer Life. boat. Several families were in one boat, and our cattle were in another. " We were gliding down the river very safely, we thought. About ten o'clock at night we heard the terrible yells of the Indians who had a number of fires along the shores. As they kept this up, we thought that perhaps they had captured some white men and were killing them. " We fastened our two boats together, and floated on as quietly as possible, hoping that the Indians would not see us. " Just as we came opposite their fires, they commanded us to ' come to.' " We were perfectly silent, for father had given strict orders that not a sound should be made, except from a gun. About a hundred Indians with a fearful cry jumped into their canoes and followed us. On we floated in dead silence; not an oar was touched. " They came within a few yards of us. My mother quietly put an axe by the side of each man, keeping a hatchet for herself. The Ind- ians kept on yelling and following us for three miles ; still not a word from us ! not a sound ! " At last the Indians became awed by this strange stillness. Perhaps they thought us a Flat-boats. 49 boat full of dead men floating down the river. They ceased to follow us, and we were safe once more." III. ANOTHER INDIAN STORY. People who were attacked by the Indians did not often escape unharmed. Once a party of men, women, and children were coming down the river in a flat-boat. Just at daylight, one foggy morning, some one called to them from the shore, asking to be taken on the boat. They knew that this was only a trick of the Indians to get them near the shore. The men at once left their oars and went to their guns. The women and children were told to lie flat on their faces on the cabin floor and to keep as still as death. Before long several canoes full of painted savages came swifdy toward them. Tables, boxes, and chairs were thrown from the flat-boat, that there might be more room to fight. The Indians were soon at hand, and a close, hot fight followed. Three of the white men were killed and others were badly hurt. Several Indians lost their 50 Stories of Pioneer Life. lives, and at last the rest pushed off for the shore, fairly beaten. None of the women or children was hurt, ex- cept one little boy. When the fight was over, he asked to have a bullet taken from his scalp. " That is not all, captain," said the brave little fellow, as he held up his arm, showing where it had been shot at the elbow. " Why did you not tell us of this before ? " asked his mother. " Because the captain told us to be still," said the little boy. He was surely a brave little lad to bear so much pain in silence ! Blockhouses and Forts. I HAVE told you about the fort in which Boone and his friends lived, and how it was made to protect them from the Indians. In those days all new settlers had to live in or near a fort. If there were only a few fam- ilies, they sometimes had only one blockhouse. Their own little farms and cabins were not far away. Here they lived except in times of danger. Sometimes they would hear that Indians were near, or a report would come that some one had been killed by them. Then every white person would hurry in great fright to the blockhouse. One pioneer tells us what he remembers of such times : — " When I was a little boy, the fort to which 51 A BLOCKHOUSE. 52 Stones of Pioneer Life. my father belonged was three-quarters of a mile away from our farm. Sometimes we were waked up in the dead of night, on account of danger from the Indians. " Once a messenger came softly to the house and gently tapped on the door, telling us that the Indians were near. Every one of us was up and wide awake at once. Father seized his gun, while mother dressed the children as quickly as she could. " I was the oldest of the children, so I was able to help carry things to the fort. There was no chance to get a horse to take us there, so we walked and carried what clothing and food we could find in the dark. We dared not light a candle or even stir a fire, fearing that the Ind- ians might see us. " We were as quiet as possible, as we made ready to leave our home. We took great care not to wake the youngest child, lest he might make a noise. The one word ' Indians ' was enough to keep the rest of us still. In a short time we were all safe inside the fort." Often a number of families would be in their own home in the evening, and before morning they would all be in the fort. The next day men with loaded guns would go back to the cabins Blockhouses and Forts. ro and bring such needed things as they had not been able to take the night before. The families stayed in the fort until the danger seemed past. Then they went back to their little cabins again. Down the Ohio. I. THE SECOND MAYFLOWER. You have heard of a great war in this country which made us free from English rule. You have been told what a hard time our soldiers had and how bravely they fought. When the war was over, there was not money enough to pay the soldiers, so our government offered to give them land in the new country, north of the Ohio River. There they could make new homes for themselves. A number of them decided to go, and they began at once to make ready for the long jour- ney. One cold day in December they left their homes in the East, starting out for the " Far West," as they called it. They followed the Indian path over the moun- tains. After eight weeks they reached a small river. They expected to go the rest of the way to their new homes by water. It was now so cold that they could go no 54 Down the Ohio. 55 farther till spring. While here, they built a large, strong boat which they named the Mayflower, Probably they were thinking of the little ship, Mayflower, that brought the Pilgrims to America many years before this. This boat was not much like the ship for which it was named. It had a roof and strong sides that could stand against the bullets of the Indians. In April all the little company entered this rude boat and floated down the river. On and on they went, down into the beautiful Ohio. They landed opposite Fort Harmar, which was held by a number of soldiers. This fort made the people feel somewhat safer from the Indians. How pleased they were with the new country that they had reached ! Such big, fine trees they had never seen. Such rich, black soil and such fine weather were very promising. They began at once to build their houses. While building, they lived in the Mayflower, There were fewer than fifty people in this first company. In about three months they were joined by nearly a hundred others, who had trav- elled nine weeks to reach this new home. ^6 Stories of Pioneer Life. II. MOUNDS IN OHIO. In this new country there were some queer earth mounds which were a great wonder to the new settlers. They were somewhat Hke httle hills ; but they were perfect in shape, smooth and reofular. You know real hills are seldom like that. Some of these mounds were built in the shape of animals. One was like an elephant, and an- .-r.i, , U were made so long fc'.J^ Vs i %%m aofo that ereat trees ,a mmm ^^ .-^ictc ^. f Mi| iiiiii have had time to grow upon them. ELEPHANT MOUND. The Indians who lived there could not tell who built the mounds. Men have never found out surely who made them. We know only that these mounds were made by men far back in the past, so it will hardly do to call this a new country. Indeed, it must be a very old country, though it was new to the people who came here a little over a hundred years ago. The new settlers wished to preserve these old Down the Ohio, 57 mounds. They built a fort upon one of them, thinking they could not find a better place. They took such good care that the mounds should not be destroyed that very many of them are still to be seen. MOUNDS NEAR MARIETTA. III. THE NEW HOME. The fort which the settlers built was white- washed and looked very fine as the sun shone on it. They dug a well inside the fort, then began to clear the land and plant corn. They laid out a little town, which w^as called Marietta. Then they made laws for their town, which were written out and nailed to a tree where everybody might learn them. All the people seemed glad to obey them. 58 Stories of Pioneer Life. Before long a preacher came to live among these pioneers. He preached to them on Sun- days, and taught the children during the week. They had their school and their church in one of the blockhouses. At first they were very happy in their new home. The soldiers at the fort said they had never seen such happy people. CAMPUS MAKTIUS. The soil was so rich that the corn grew fast and tall. One man said to his friends in the East: "Why do you w^aste your time trying to raise corn there ? Here we have to stand on tip-toe to break off the ears. There you have to stoop down to get it." Another man said, " It would be as easy to be lost in a cornfield as in a cedar swamp." Though the settlers enjoyed their beautiful, rich country, they had their troubles, too. They could not work outside the fort without danger from Down the Ohio. 59 the savages. They must always be protected by armed men. The Indians could not bear to see the white man's corn growmg on their hunting ground. As hundreds of white people began to settle in this new countr}^ the Indians grew more enraged. At last they said in anger, " No white man shall plant corn '^\^ north of the Ohio River." They did all they could to drive the white men out, kill- ing many and car- rying others away as prisoners. The Indians burned the crops and destroyed as much game as possible so that the settlers could not find food. TALL CORN. 6o Stories of Pioneer Life. This soon led to war with the Indians. There were many cruel and bloody battles. At last, after a long time, the Indian was compelled to let the white man make his home in the new country. Then many of the Indians went farther west. Those who did not go were friendly to the white people. IV. STORY OF ISAAC WILLIAMS. Fear of the Indians was not the only trouble the early settlers had. Sometimes it was hardly possible to get food. At one time people had to eat nettles and potato tops. Once, food was so scarce that little children had to live on half a potato a day. At another time the people had nothing fit for use in making bread. It happened in this way. They had planted their corn as usual, but before it was ripe there was a After the corn was gathered it be- came mouldy, and when it w^as ground and made into bread, it made many people ill. Yet even this poor corn sold at such a high price that the settlers could hardly afford to buy it. heavy frost. Down the Ohio. 6i I fear many of them would have starved, had it not been for a kind man, whose name was Isaac WiUiams. He had planted his corn early, and had gathered a fine harvest before the frost. Some men who wanted to make money tried to buy his whole crop, offering him a dollar and a quarter a 'bushel for it. Isaac Williams would not sell it to them. In- stead, seeing how badly the settlers needed it, he let them have it for fifty cents a bushel. If they had not the money, he gave them the corn, taking only their promise to pay when they were able. He was willing to help his neighbors, though he lost money by it. Such men make the world better. V. STORY OF LOCKHART. Some time after this one of the settlers was ill. When he began to get well, he wanted some deer meat. He asked a man, named Lockhart, to go into the woods and kill a deer for him. It was a dangerous thing to do, because there was an Indian war at the time, but Lockhart said at once that he would go. He went out into the forest and soon killed two fine deer. Then he started back for the fort. 62 Stories of Pioneer Life. Suddenly he met two Indians in the path. They were as much surprised as he was. Seeing his rifle, they at once sprang behind trees. One of them happened to choose a tree too small to cover him. So Lockhart fired and wounded him. Then the other Indian rushed out, thinking that the gun could not be fired again at once. But Lock- hart had reloaded instantly and was ready for him. The Indian, seeing that he was ready to shoot, ran back to the tree again. Lockhart, too, '^4f(i%v'\,^3 THE INDIAN BEHIND THE TREE. hid behind a tree. There both men stayed until it was nearly dark. Each was afraid to come out, because that would give the other a chance for the first shot. At last Lockhart thought of a plan to get the I Down the Ohio. 6^ Indian to leave his tree. Putting his hat on the end of his ramrod, the hunter pushed it very carefully around the tree. It looked to the Indian as if the man himself were peeping around the tree, so he fired at the hat and rushed out to get his scalp. This gave Lockhart the chance he wanted. He fired at the Indian, and killed him instantly. Then he went in safety to the fort with his deer. VI. STORY OF JOSIAH HUNT. Once during an Indian war there was a very brave hunter named Josiah Hunt. It was his duty to supply game for the men at the fort. It was almost impossible to leave the fort with- out being shot at by the Indians. They used to climb trees near by so that they could watch any one who came out. Then they would follow, and perhaps kill him. Hunt always left the fort at night so that he could not be seen. He said, " When I am once in the woods, I have as good a chance as the Indians." In the night he went to that part of the forest where he expected to hunt the next day. In winter he needed a fire to keep from freez- 64 Stories of Pioneer Life. ing, but he must not have any flame, or the Indians might see it. So he dug a hole in the o-round about as bisj as the crown of a hat. This he filled with strips of white oak bark, which will burn somewhat, even if covered with ashes. After the fire was started, he nearly covered it with earth, leaving only two or three little holes =^ ^. .,.^v. o to let in the air. To fc>4^^^^^ftfl ^^^P ^^ dampness, he gis c^ ,:.A>'i^^.