Produced by D. Alexander and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net (This file was produced from images generously made available by The Internet Archive) DANIEL BOONE THE PIONEER OF KENTUCKY. [Illustration] BY JOHN S. C. ABBOTT. NEW YORK: DODD & MEAD, No. 762 BROADWAY. 1872. Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1872, by DODD & MEAD, in the Office of the Librarian of Congress, at Washington. _AMERICAN PIONEERS AND PATRIOTS._ DANIEL BOONE THE PIONEER OF KENTUCKY. BY JOHN S. C. ABBOTT. ILLUSTRATED. "His youth was innocent; his riper age, Marked with some act of goodness every day; And watched by eyes that loved him, calm and sage, Faded his late declining years away. Cheerful he gave his being up and went To share the holy rest that waits a life well spent." NEW YORK: DODD & MEAD, No. 762 BROADWAY. 1872. [Illustration] PREFACE. The name of Daniel Boone is a conspicuous one in the annals of our country. And yet there are but few who are familiar with the events of his wonderful career, or who have formed a correct estimate of the character of the man. Many suppose that he was a rough, coarse backwoodsman, almost as savage as the bears he pursued in the chase, or the Indians whose terrors he so perseveringly braved. Instead of this, he was one of the most mild and unboastful of men; feminine as a woman in his tastes and his deportment, never uttering a coarse word, never allowing himself in a rude action. He was truly one of nature's _gentle_ men. With all this instinctive refinement and delicacy, there was a boldness of character which seemed absolutely incapable of experiencing the emotion of fear. And surely all the records of chivalry may be searched in vain for a career more full of peril and of wild adventure. This narrative reveals a state of society and habitudes of life now rapidly passing into oblivion. It is very desirable that the record should be perpetuated, that we may know the scenes through which our fathers passed, in laying the foundations of this majestic Republic. It is probable that as the years roll on the events which occurred in the infancy of our nation will be read with ever-increasing interest. It is the intention of the publisher of this volume to issue a series of sketches of the prominent men in the early history of our country. The next volume will contain the life and adventures of the renowned Miles Standish, the Puritan Captain. JOHN S. C. ABBOTT. Fair Haven, Conn. CONTENTS. CHAPTER I. _The Discovery and early Settlement of America._ PAGE