In the Current of the Revolution 143 



by the moral effect of so formidable a retaliatory 

 foray following immediately on the heels of Bird's 

 inroad. Therefore, thanks to Clark, the settlements 

 south of the Ohio were but little molested for the 

 remainder of the year. 47 The bulk of the savages 

 remained north of the river, hovering about their 

 burned towns, planning to take vengeance in the 

 spring. 48 



Nevertheless small straggling bands of young 

 braves occasionally came down through the woods; 

 and though they did not attack any fort or any large 

 body of men, they were ever on the watch to steal 

 horses, burn lonely cabins, and waylay travelers be- 

 tween the stations. They shot the solitary settlers 

 who had gone out to till their clearings by stealth, 

 or ambushed the boys who were driving in the milk 

 cows or visiting their lines of traps. It was well 

 for the victim if he was killed at once; otherwise 

 he was bound with hickory withes and driven to the 

 distant Indian towns, there to be tortured with hide- 

 ous cruelty and burned to death at the stake. 49 Boone 

 himself suffered at the hands of one of these parties. 

 He had gone with his brother to the Blue Licks, to 

 him a spot always fruitful of evil; and being am- 

 bushed by the Indians, his brother was killed, and 

 he himself was only saved by his woodcraft and 

 speed of foot. The Indians had with them a track- 

 ing dog, by the aid of which they followed his trail 



47 McAfee MSS. 

 8 Virginia State Papers, I, 451. 



49 McAfee MSS. The last was an incident that happened to 

 a young man named McCoun on March 8, 1781. 



