Etext created by John M. Krafft
krafftjm@muohio.edu



From The Discovery and Settlement of Kentucke
by John Filson



The ADVENTURES of Col. DANIEL BOON;
containing a NARRATIVE of the WARS of Kentucke.


Curiosity is natural to the soul of man, and interesting objects
have a powerful influence on our affections. Let these influencing
powers actuate, by the permission or disposal of Providence, from
selfish or social views, yet in time the mysterious will of Heaven
is unfolded, and we behold our conduct, from whatsoever motives
excited, operating to answer the important designs of heaven. Thus
we behold Kentucke, lately an howling wilderness, the habitation of
savages and wild beasts, become a fruitful field; this region, so
favourably distinguished by nature, now become the habitation of
civilization, at a period unparalleled in history, in the midst of
a raging war, and under all the disadvantages of emigration to a
country so remote from the inhabited parts of the continent. Here,
where the hand of violence shed the blood of the innocent; where
the horrid yells of savages, and the groans of the distressed,
sounded in our ears, we now hear the praises and adoration of our
Creator; where wretched wigwams stood, the miserable abodes of
savages, we behold the foundations of cities laid, that, in all
probability, will rival the glory of the greatest upon earth. And
we view Kentucke situated on the fertile banks of the great Ohio,
rising from obscurity to shine with splendor, equal to any other of
the stars of the American hemisphere.

The settling of this region well deserves a place in history.
Most of the memorable events I have myself been exercised in; and,
for the satisfaction of the public, will briefly relate the
circumstances of my adventures, and scenes of life, from my first
movement to this country until this day.

It was on the first of May, in the year 1769, that I resigned my
domestic happiness for a time, and left my family and peaceable
habitation on the Yadkin River, in North-Carolina, to wander
through the wilderness of America, in quest of the country of
Kentucke, in company with John Finley, John Stewart, Joseph Holden,
James Monay, and William Cool. We proceeded successfully, and after
a long and fatiguing journey through a mountainous wilderness, in
a westward direction, on the seventh day of June following, we
found ourselves on Red-River, where John Finley had formerly been
trading with the Indians, and, from the top of an eminence, saw
with pleasure the beautiful level of Kentucke. Here let me observe,
that for some time we had experienced the most uncomfortable
weather as a prelibation of our future sufferings. At this place we
encamped, and made a shelter to defend us from the inclement
season, and began to hunt and reconnoitre the country. We found
every where abundance of wild beasts of all sorts, through this
vast forest. The buffaloes were more frequent than I have seen
cattle in the settlements, browzing on the leaves of the cane, or
croping the herbage on those extensive plains, fearless, because
ignorant, of the violence of man. Sometimes we saw hundreds in a
drove, and the numbers about the salt springs were amazing. In this
forest, the habitation of beasts of every kind natural to America,
we practised hunting with great success until the twenty-second day
of December following.

This day John Stewart and I had a pleasing ramble, but fortune
changed the scene in the close of it. We had passed through a great
forest on which stood myriads of trees, some gay with blossoms,
others rich with fruits. Nature was here a series of wonders, and
a fund of delight. Here she displayed her ingenuity and industry in
a variety of flowers and fruits, beautifully coloured, elegantly
shaped, and charmingly flavoured; and we were diverted with
innumerable animals presenting themselves perpetually to our
view.--In the decline of the day, near Kentucke river, as we
ascended the brow of a small hill, a number of Indians rushed out
of a thick cane-brake upon us, and made us prisoners. The time of
our sorrow was now arrived, and the scene fully opened. The Indians
plundered us of what we had, and kept us in confinement seven days,
treating us with common savage usage. During this time we
discovered no uneasiness or desire to escape, which made them less
suspicious of us; but in the dead of night, as we lay in a thick
cane-brake by a large fire, when sleep had locked up their senses,
my situation not disposing me for rest, I touched my companion and
gently awoke him. We improved this favourable opportunity, and
departed, leaving them to take their rest, and speedily directed
our course towards our old camp, but found it plundered, and the
company dispersed and gone home. About this time my brother, Squire
Boon, with another adventurer, who came to explore the country
shortly after us, was wandering through the forest, determined to
find me, if possible, and accidentally found our camp.
Notwithstanding the unfortunate circumstances of our company, and
our dangerous situation, as surrounded with hostile savages, our
meeting so fortunately in the wilderness made us reciprocally
sensible of the utmost satisfaction. So much does friendship
triumph over misfortune, that sorrows and sufferings vanish at the
meeting not only of real friends, but of the most distant
acquaintances, and substitutes happiness in their room.