Chapter II: Introduction

Nearly twenty years had now elapsed since Daniel Boone had spent that memorable twelve-month all alone in the depths of the boundless wilderness; yet was Kentucky still the Hunter's Paradise, or the land of the Dark and Bloody Ground, just as the wild adventurer or peaceful laborer might happen to view it. In the more central regions, it is true, a number of thriving settlements had already sprung up, and by this time--1789, or thereabout--were quite too populous and strong to apprehend any further serious molestation from their Indian neighbors. But between these points and the Ohio River lay a wide border of debatable land, where the restless savages still kept up their hostile demonstrations, which, though less bloody and wasting than at an earlier period, were yet sufficiently frequent and harassing to keep the white settlers in perpetual disquietude and fear.

Sometimes different settlements would unite their forces into strong parties of from fifty to two hundred riflemen, when a dash would be made across the river and the war carried for a week or two into the enemy's country. But as the Indians, with their characteristic wariness, had usually timely notice of the approaching danger, and would abandon their villages for the more secure shelter of the forest, the white invaders could do little more in the way of vengeance and intimidation than burn the deserted towns and level the corn-fields to the ground. A brief interval of quiet would sometimes follow these raids; but it happened not unfrequently that the pioneers would hardly be back to their several stations, disbanded, and fairly at their labors in the field, when there again was the Indian war-whoop ringing along the periled border as melodiously as ever, and the pillaging, murdering, scalping, and burning going on in the good old orthodox fashion the pesky red ravagers loved so well.

What greatly aggravated this distressing state of things, Kentucky was still but a district of Virginia, hence powerless to use to the full extent the means of self-defense which otherwise had lain within her reach; while the seat of government was so remote from the scenes of disorder that the mother State could succor her infant settlements scarcely more than had they lain on the other side of the Rocky Mountains, instead of the Alleghenies. Thus trammeled, Kentucky could do little more than, like a tethered bison, butt at the dangers which year in and year out beset her on every side. To be sure, conventions composed of her best men, and having for their object her erection into a separate State of the Union, had been for the last three years, and for the next three years continued to be, as frequent as camp-meetings--quite as demonstrative too, and noisy, and quite as much to the purpose, so far as concerned the object in view. Why, does not beseem us here to inquire. Finally, just as the danger was over and gone, and the last hand of hostile Indians that ever raised the war-whoop in the land of the "Dark and Bloody Ground" had been driven across the Ohio, Kentucky was untrammeled, and suffered to rear her bleeding front among the mighty sisterhood of States--an independent, sovereign part of the independent, sovereign whole, as the phrase should go, until the great rebellion should call for new constructions and clear definitions. Thenceforth for twenty years the fiery lines of war receded fitfully northward, till stayed at the Battle of the Thames, quenched in the life-blood of the heroic, the high-minded, the hapless Tecumseh.

CONTENTS.

CHAPTER I. PAGE How Big Black Burl Figured in the Paradise 9

CHAPTER II. How Little Bushie Figured in the Paradise 17

CHAPTER III. How Big Black Burl and Bushie Figured in Each Other's Eyes 26

CHAPTER IV. How Somebody was Lost in the Paradise 39

CHAPTER V. How Grumbo Figured in the Paradise 46

CHAPTER VI. How Big Black Burl Figured on the War-path by Day 52

CHAPTER VII. How Big Black Burl Figured on the War-path by Night 60

CHAPTER VIII. How Big Black Burl Figured in a Quandary 67

CHAPTER IX. How Big Black Burl Figured in Ambush 73

CHAPTER X. How Big Black Burl Figured in the Fight 81

CHAPTER XI. How Little Bushie Figured in the Fight 90

CHAPTER XII. How Big Black Burl and Grumbo Figured After the Fight 99

CHAPTER XIII. How Big Black Burl Figured in his Triumph 109

CHAPTER XIV. How Big Black Burl Figured in Oratory 117

CHAPTER XV. How Big Black Burl Sewed it Up in his War-cap 127

CHAPTER XVI. How Big Black Burl Figured on the Peace-path 136

CHAPTER XVII. How the Glory of his Race Figured in his Rising 147

CHAPTER XVIII. How the Eagle and the Lion and the Big Bear Figured in the Great North-west 154

CHAPTER XIX. How Big Black Burl Figured at the Death-stake 164

CHAPTER XX. How Kumshakah Figured in The Light of the Setting Sun 174

CHAPTER XXI. How the Glory of his Race Figured in his Setting 180

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