TWO SCOUTS
Peleg resumed his congenial occupation, working steadily upon the rifle
which he was fashioning. The barrel had been part of a gun which
belonged to one of the men who had fallen in the recent attack by the
Indians, its stock having been shattered by the blow of a hatchet. After
the weapon had been found, instead of throwing it aside as its finder
was tempted to do, Peleg had taken it for himself. All the way from
Cumberland Mountain he had carried the barrel, which was all that he had
saved of the rifle. He was aware of the confidence which its recent
owner had in its qualities, and he had determined to fashion from it a
gun for himself upon which he might rely.
A smile of satisfaction lighted up the countenance of the young hunter
when after several hours had elapsed he critically examined his new
weapon, the parts of which now had all been joined.
At supper time at the home of Daniel Boone, of whose family Peleg had
been made a member since the death of James, the visitor of the
afternoon was recalled by a question of Israel Boone, the second of the
five sons of Daniel Boone.
"Why did not that man stay all night?" he inquired of his father when
the family was seated about the rude table.
"He would not remain," replied his father quietly.
"Who was he?" continued Israel.
"A messenger from Governor Dunmore."
The lad was eager to continue his questioning, but evidently he saw
something in the glance of his father which precluded further attempts,
and he became silent.
It was not until the following morning that Peleg learned of the reason,
and then only in part, for the coming of their recent visitor.
"Peleg," said Daniel Boone quietly, "would you prefer to remain here in
the settlement, or go with me on a scout?"
"I would rather go with you," responded Peleg promptly.
"It is possible that we may be gone two months or more."
"Yes, sir."
"And may have to travel something like eight hundred miles."
"I shall do my best."
"You are well aware, lad, that we shall meet many hard experiences."
"Yes, sir."
"And you are not afraid?"
"Not if you are to find the way."
Daniel Boone smiled and reached for Peleg's new gun. He examined the
weapon critically, raising it to his shoulder and sighting it several
times.
"'Tis a handy rifle, lad," he remarked, when his inspection was ended.
"Have you tried it?"
"Yes, sir."
"And is it true?"
"It is as far as I am able to make it so."
"If you go with me, is this the gun you will take?"
"Yes, sir."
"Why do you not prefer to remain in the settlement? There is work to be
done here. The gardens are to be cared for and the game must be provided
for the people. Here is where I should remain were it not that when I
hear the call of Governor Dunmore I realize that there is work for me
which I must not neglect."
Peleg was silent as he watched the great scout. Even while the man was
speaking there came into his eyes an expression such as the boy had seen
only when he and his friend had been together in the forest. It was the
look of one seeing visions, and yet there was also in it the expression
of a man of resolute purpose.
"'Twill not do," continued Daniel Boone turning again to Peleg, "to take
any chances. I had thought at first to take Sam Oliver with me, but now
it seems good to me for you to go, if you so desire."
"I do."
"I suggest that you try out your new rifle several times before we
leave. The time to prepare is before we start. After we have gone on our
way a hundred miles or more 'twill be difficult then to correct any
fault or change any plans. More than half the winning of any battle
depends upon the preparations one makes, I care not whether it be a
fight with the Indians or with one's own weaknesses. There are other
rifles from which you may make a selection," Boone added.
"Yes, sir, but I think I prefer this. I have made it myself and have
tested and tried it every way. I have chosen a name for it."
"What have you named it?" inquired Boone.
"Singing Susan."
"And you have sufficient bullets?"
"Yes, sir."
"And powder?"
"Yes, sir," responded Peleg. As he spoke he showed a huge powder-horn
which he had polished and upon which he had carved the following dire
warning:
"Ye mann what steles this powd^r horne,
Will go to helle as sure as y^re borne."
The scout slowly read the inscription and, shaking his head, said: "I
think I should leave that horn behind. There are plenty more which are
not so sharp in their warnings."
"But it is true, isn't it? If a man steals, isn't that the place where
he belongs?"
Apparently the thoughts of the great leader were withdrawn to other
matters, for, ignoring the question, he said: "Peleg, we shall start
before sunrise to-morrow morning. These June days are long and we do not
want to lose any of the hours."
"Shall we stop at night?"
"That will depend much upon events. There may be times when we shall be
glad to have the night protect us in our advance, and when it will be
necessary for us to hide in the daytime. There are some things to see to
before we go. One of these is that you must learn how to follow my
trail."
Peleg's eager manner expressed a question. His interest was keen.
"If you are lost or are not able to find me I shall mark my trail with
five stones placed like this." As he spoke the pioneer arranged five
small stones in a semicircle on the ground near him. "You may expect to
find these near the springs or at the places where I may cross the
rivers. We must plan to keep closely together, but I am referring to
this in case anything should happen to separate us. There are some other
things about which I shall tell you after we have started. I wish I felt
a little more confidence in that rifle," he added. "What did you say you
have named it?"
"Singing Susan."
Boone said no more, and Peleg withdrew beyond the border of the
settlement to make additional tests of his newly made rifle. Apparently
these were satisfactory, for at three o'clock the following morning when
he and Daniel Boone departed from the little settlement it was "Singing
Susan," which Peleg was carrying over his shoulder.
As yet the boy did not know whither he and his comrade were going. Only
in a general way had Boone explained how long they might be absent.
However, it was clear to the mind of Peleg that the scout was moved by a
feeling that he was engaging in an enterprise from which there was to be
no turning back, and that he felt that he needed some one to accompany
him.
To be near Boone was sufficient reward in itself, and buoyantly the
young man carried himself as they moved in single file through the
passes of the mountains. It was seldom that either spoke, and it was
agreed that their guns were not to be fired except when it was necessary
to secure game.
Many miles had been covered when the two hunters decided to rest, for
night was at hand. Selecting a sheltered spot near a swiftly running
brook, they were protected from peril from the rear of their camp by the
huge walls of the hill which rose abruptly behind it. A fire was kindled
with Peleg's flint and tinder and allowed to burn only long enough to
roast the loin of deer which had been secured by a shot from the scout's
rifle early that morning.
As soon as their supper had been eaten the fire was extinguished. The
June air was warm and it was with a sense of comfort that Peleg seated
himself upon the ground with his back against the protecting cliff. His
companion had seldom spoken to him throughout their journey, and the
pace at which they had been travelling had told more severely upon the
younger hunter than upon Boone. Yet there was a feeling of deep comfort
in Peleg's heart. The stars were twinkling in the sky, the gentle breeze
that swept the treetops was softly musical in its sound, and beyond all
these was the pleasure of being in the company of the man to whom he
looked up as to no one else. All combined to make the young hunter
happy.
To his surprise he found that Daniel Boone was willing to talk more
freely than he ever had known him to do before.
"Yes," Daniel Boone was saying, "my grandfather came from England and
settled in Pennsylvania. He had nine sons and ten daughters. My father
he called Squire. I do not know just why, unless it was because he was
more active than his brothers. I was born on the right bank of the
Delaware in Bucks County, Pennsylvania, in 1734. Not long after my
father married he moved to another part of the colony, and when I was a
little lad he took us overland through Maryland and Virginia and settled
at the headwaters of the Yadkin."
"A fine place, too, that is," said Peleg.
"Indeed it is," assented the scout, "but it was not for me. Somehow I
seem destined to find the way for others rather than to be able to enjoy
much of quiet and rest myself. It was on the first day of May, 1769,
that I left my family in quest of the country of Kantuckee. Five men
travelled with me, all of us relying upon the reports of John Finley,
one of our number, who had been trading with the Indians there. He
averred that he had found the most beautiful of all lands. I shall not
soon forget the seventh day of June that year, when John Finley and I,
from the top of an eminence, looked out upon the beautiful land of
Kantuckee. Buffalo were more numerous than are cattle in the
settlements. They fed upon the grass that grows marvellously on those
plains. We saw hundreds in a drove, and the numbers about the salt
springs were amazing. On the 22d of December, John Stuart and I were
having a pleasing ramble. We had passed through a great forest and were
amazed at the variety of the blossoms we saw. As for game, why it almost
seemed to seek us out instead of making us the hunters. It was near
sunset and we were near the Kantuckee River, when a number of Indians
rushed out of a canebrake and made us their prisoners."
"How long did they keep you?"
"Seven days. We did our utmost not to show any uneasiness, and gradually
they became less suspicious of us. But in the dead of the night of that
seventh day, when we were lying by a large fire and all the others were
asleep, I gently shook my companion, whispered my plan, and we left the
camp without disturbing any one. My brother and another man, who had
started after us to explore the country, found the camp of our party,
but it had been plundered and the other men in our band had fled.
Strangely enough, we soon came upon one another in the forest. You may
be sure that this meeting with my brother was most welcome. The man who
was with him, however, soon went on a private excursion and was attacked
and killed by wolves. John Stuart was killed by the Indians. There we
were in a howling wilderness, hundreds of miles from our families and
surrounded by Indians who were determined to kill us. All through that
winter we had no trouble, however, and on the first of the following May
my brother went home for a new recruit of horses and ammunition, leaving
me alone. I had been without bread for a year; I had no salt nor sugar,
and not even a horse or a dog for company.
"I knew I must not lament, however, and accordingly I undertook a tour
which I thought might be of benefit to others who, I had no doubt, soon
would follow me. Often I heard the hideous yells of the savages
searching for me. On the 27th of July my brother returned, and together
we went as far as the Cumberland River, scouting through that part of
the country and giving names to the different rivers. In the following
March I went back to my family, determined to bring them as soon as
possible, even at the risk of life and fortune, to make a home in
Kantuckee, which I esteemed a second Paradise.
"You know, my lad, how I sold my land on the Yadkin and disposed of
such goods as we could not carry with us, and how with five other
families we started on the 25th of September to journey to Kantuckee.
You were one of us at that time.
"You well remember also what occurred on the 10th of October, when our
company was attacked by the Indians, how I lost my boy, and how we all
journeyed back to the settlement on the Clinch River."
"And now?" queried Peleg.
"And now," answered Daniel Boone, "you and I are to journey to the Falls
of the Ohio. Our surveyors there are in great peril from the Indians. We
shall, without doubt, find ourselves often in danger, and I am selecting
you to accompany me because already I have found that I could rely upon
you. You have been quick to learn what I have taught you, and I do not
believe you will easily be taken unawares, because you have already
learned how to prepare yourself for any event. Any one who has not
learned that lesson can never become a successful man, to say nothing of
succeeding as a scout."