DANIEL BOONE
THE
PIONEER OF KENTUCKY.
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.
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.
PREFACE.
The name of Daniel Boone is a conspicuous one in the annals of ourcountry. And yet there are but few who are familiar with the events ofhis wonderful career, or who have formed a correct estimate of thecharacter of the man. Many suppose that he was a rough, coarsebackwoodsman, almost as savage as the bears he pursued in the chase, orthe Indians whose terrors he so perseveringly braved. Instead of this,he was one of the most mild and unboastful of men; feminine as a womanin his tastes and his deportment, never uttering a coarse word, neverallowing himself in a rude action. He was truly one of nature's gentlemen. With all this instinctive refinement and delicacy, there was aboldness of character which seemed absolutely incapable of experiencingthe emotion of fear. And surely all the records of chivalry may besearched in vain for a career more full of peril and of wild adventure.
This narrative reveals a state of society and habitudes of life nowrapidly passing into oblivion. It is very desirable that the recordshould be perpetuated, that we may know the scenes through which ourfathers passed, in laying the foundations of this majestic Republic. Itis probable that as the years roll on the events which occurred in theinfancy of our nation will be read with ever-increasing interest.
It is the intention of the publisher of this volume to issue a series ofsketches of the prominent men in the early history of our country. Thenext volume will contain the life and adventures of the renowned MilesStandish, the Puritan Captain.
Fair Haven, Conn.
CONTENTS.
The Discovery and early Settlement of America.
Discovery of the New World.—