The Pioneer Boys of the Mississippi; or, The Homestead in the Wilderness

by St. George Rathborne

  CHAPTER XI

  DANIEL BOONE, THE PILOT OF THE SETTLERS

  "WELL, that settles it!" said Sandy, disconsolately, as he looked athis brother.

  "The box is certainly gone," replied Bob, trying not to show hisfeelings more than he could help, because he felt sure Sandy must beclose to the breaking-down point.

  "And we'll never see our fine belt again," continued the other. "Iwonder if the chief would feel like giving us another, in case helearned of our losing this one?"

  "I'm afraid that's out of the question," Bob returned, with a shake ofhis head. "In the first place, how could we hope to see Pontiac, whenby now he may be many hundreds of miles away from here, for he belongsup near the lakes, where the Pottawottomies have their lodges, alongwith the Sacs and the Chippewas? Then again, even if we dared take thatadventurous journey, and escaped all the perils of the wilderness,perhaps Pontiac would believe he had done all he should for us, andrefuse to hand over another belt. I'm afraid we'll never set eyes onthat wampum again."

  "Unless," remarked Sandy, with the sanguine nature of youth, "thosetrappers should strike out for the trading posts along the Mississippi,and we'd happen to run across them, some time or other. And I can tellyou this, Bob, if ever I do meet with either of those rascals, I'mbound to make him hand over our property."

  "I believe you would," declared Bob, his own eyes snapping as he sawthe look of determination on the face of his brother.

  It was a hard task for Bob to inform his parents of their loss. Sandyshirked the unpleasant duty, and remained away while his brother wentto find the others. He was moody and silent the rest of the day, amost unusual circumstance for one possessed of so bright and sunny adisposition. In the course of time this feeling would wear off in ameasure, but the loss of that valued wampum belt was going to worrySandy more than a little.

  The river continued to fall very rapidly, and, in the course of a fewdays, might be expected to get back into its natural channel. Butthere was no great eagerness shown by the settlers to rebuild thewrecked cabins.

  Truth to tell, the more they talked about making a bold push furtherwestward, the stronger the idea began to appeal to them; until it wasnow almost an assured fact that several families would throw theirfortunes in together, build a staunch flatboat, with a large logcabin on it, upon which they could embark, with their few householdnecessities, and trust to fortune to carry them safely through whatperils might lie in wait further down the Ohio.

  It was just two days after the flood went down, that a council of warwas called among the families most directly interested in the newventure. These were, besides the Armstrongs, the Harkness, Bancroft andWayne people, and several others who were as yet uncertain what courseto pursue.

  It was in a serious frame of mind that they gathered there in the open,to talk over what plans they had better arrange, looking to a migrationfrom the settlement on the bank of the Ohio to new fields.

  Every scrap of information that could be unearthed was made to do dutyover again. Mr. Armstrong had become very much in earnest now, and hewas held in such respect by the others that his change of front hadconsiderable influence in causing the Waynes to decide.

  Of course the younger element had nothing to say in this meeting; butthat did not prevent them from listening with the deepest interest asthe question was debated from all sides.

  Sandy, especially, was filled with enthusiasm. His pet project, overwhich he had spent many a sleepless hour, now seemed in a fair way ofbeing realized. Long had that mysterious West held out tempting handstoward the pioneer boy. Just as Daniel Boone had come to believe thatit was his destiny to open up the wilderness to settlers, and plant newcolonies in the midst of fertile lands; so this lad, apparently, hadfor some time felt that it was to be his fortune some day to look uponthat grand river, discovered by De Soto, which but few whites had everset eyes on, save the French traders and trappers, and they did notcount for much,--in Sandy's estimation, anyhow.

  In the end there were just the four families who bound themselvestogether in a little league, resolved to attempt to better theirconditions in this bold manner.

  Some there were, among the others, who disliked exceedingly to seethem make preparations for leaving, and threw all manner of triflingobstacles in the way. Whenever they had the chance they would work uponthe fears of the women belonging to the four households, by narratingall manner of harrowing tales of the terror that lay in wait forunfortunate voyagers down that mysterious lower Ohio.

  But women were made of pretty good stuff in those early days, andespecially the wives of the pioneers. They had always faced trials thatwould easily daunt their weaker sisters of to-day; and believed thattheir place was beside the loyal men who were their only protectors,and who stood ready to lay down their lives for those they loved.

  There were others who, while they disliked to see their friends leavingthem, were ready and willing to do everything in their power to assistthe enterprise. These loyal ones gave many a hard day's work, helpingto fetch in the timber for the flatboat, and hew the straight logs thatwere so necessary for its construction. Their good wives sacrificedsome of their treasured stores in order that those who were followingthe beckoning finger of adventure might have an abundance with whichto start their new life.

  Bob and Sandy worked hard, too, bringing in game that could be curedafter the Indian method, so that there need be no lack of food aboardthe flatboat, when once they started on their long journey.

  The trapping season being over, the boys collected their traps, andoiled them before storing them away, ready to be packed with theirother belongings. Sandy loved to picture the glorious time they wouldhave in their new surroundings, with not a white man, possibly, withinhundreds of miles, and the whole wilderness to draw upon for furs andgame and fish.

  "I hope you may never be disappointed," Bob used to say to him, afterlistening with a smile to one of these periodical outbursts. "But youknow things are not always what they seem. There may be plenty of gameaway out there, and lots of fur-bearing animals; but what do we knowabout the new dangers that we are apt to face? I do not speak in thisway before our mother and sister; but, between us, I do not like theidea of being closer to those French than can be helped. They are avillainous lot, as father says, and hold all English as their mortalenemies."

  "But, on the other hand," Sandy would reply, shrewdly, "there is achange of heart coming to these same French. Have we not heard itsaid that, should the Colonies break away from the Mother Country,and rebel, France, being at war with England, would be on our side?That might make some of these rascally French trappers our so-calledfriends. I should not like that, and especially in the case of thatprecious pair, Jacques Larue and Henri Lacroix, whom I hope to meetface to face, at the muzzle of my gun, some happy day."

  The Indians were beginning to show their teeth again, in a manner thatwas not at all reassuring to the settlers who would make up the reducedcolony, after the flatboat had started down the Ohio.

  Judge of the delight of the settlers, when one fine day, who shouldappear at the colony that he had helped to found, but the backwoodsman,Daniel Boone. He was on his way to Boonesborough, and in haste at that,for the attitude of the Shawanees had become so threatening that therewas danger of the struggling little settlement falling into the handsof the savages. (Note 8.)

  He was keenly interested in all that had gone on since his last visit,and was pleased when told that the bold adventurers had decided to taketheir fate in their hands, and proceed far into the land of the settingsun. Such a move his spirit could easily sympathize with, for mostof his life had been taken up with just such splendid and hazardousenterprises.

  "If only I had the time," he said to Mr. Armstrong, "dearly would Ilove to accompany you in this venture, for I myself have long wishedto set eyes on that wonderful Mississippi of which you speak. My bestwishes will go with you; and, if a written word of mine may do youany good by the way, you shall have it for the asking. Even among theIndi
ans I have a few good friends; for they know me as an honorableenemy in time of war, and one whose word once given is never broken."

  Sandy was of course anxious to know about the young hunter whom headmired so much, often the companion of Boone; and, when he had achance, he made inquiries. The frontiersman had by no means forgottenBob and Sandy, and, indeed, one of his first questions when he metMr. Armstrong had been of them, and what new adventures they had beenhaving of late.

  "I have not seen the young man for some time," Boone had answered, whenSandy made his inquiry. "The last I heard of him, he had gone to theOhio, and was at Fort Washington, I believe. So that there is always aslight chance that you may run across him during your voyage."

  Of course Boone was able to give them a great deal of information, aswell as warn them against the tricks of the sly Indians, who would belikely to resort to all manner of devices in order to overpower thetravellers.

  "Above all things," he urged upon the men of the party before takinghis departure that same afternoon, to rejoin his companions, campednot many miles away, "beware of the white man who appeals to you fromthe shore, and tells a pitiful story of having been captured by theIndians, from whom he has but recently escaped. The chances are as tento one that he is but one of those villainous renegades like Girty,McKee or Butler, who act as decoys for their swarthy brothers; and thathe only means to lure you close to the shore, so that they can pour adeadly volley into your midst, and board the boat in the confusion."

  "But what if his story should be true?" objected Mr. Harkness. "Weshould feel like murderers if we abandoned a poor wretch of our owncolor. And surely success could not come to an expedition founded oncruelty."

  "Your first duty is toward your own families," spoke up Boone, sternly."If, then, his story is true, demand that he enter the river, and swimout to you, while you hold the boat stationary by the anchor, but at asafe distance away. If he refuse to do this, and suddenly disappear,see to it that you lay low, for there will immediately rain a tempestof bullets and deadly arrows from the bushes, behind which his redallies lie hidden."

  In this strain, then, did the great pioneer warn those who were aboutto trust themselves and their precious families to the waters of thelower Ohio. Hearing all he said, both Sandy and Bob were greatlyimpressed, and secretly resolved to profit by the advice.

  Boone admitted that it was a great misfortune to have lost that magicwampum belt of Pontiac's, which he had seen on a former visit.

  "I know Pontiac, and how far his influence goes with nearly everytribe between here and the Mississippi," he said; "and there will bemany times, I fear, when you will deeply regret that you did not holdtighter to his gift, as it would save you from troubles that ever besetthe pioneer's life."

  When Boone shook hands with every soul in the settlement, kissed thebabies, and hurried away, to head for his own little settlement, therewas not one among them but felt that the mere presence of such a manwas a tower of strength to any struggling community on the border ofcivilization.