The War in the Northwest 251 



The backwoods horsemen rode swiftly on the 

 trail of their foes, and before evening came to 

 where they had camped the night before. A careful 

 examination of the camp-fires convinced the leaders 

 that they were heavily outnumbered; nevertheless 

 they continued the pursuit, and overtook the savages 

 early the following morning, the ipth of August. 



As they reached the Blue Licks, they saw a few 

 Indians retreating up a rocky ridge that led from 

 the north bank of the river. The backwoodsmen 

 halted on the south bank, and a short council was 

 held. All turned naturally to Boone, the most 

 experienced Indian fighter present, in whose cool 

 courage and tranquil self-possession all confided. 

 The wary old pioneer strongly urged that no attack 

 be made at the moment, but that they should await 

 the troops coming up under Logan. The Indians 

 were certainly much superior in numbers to the 

 whites; they were aware that they were being fol- 

 lowed by a small force, and from the confident, 

 leisurely way in which they had managed their re- 

 treat, were undoubtedly anxious to be overtaken 

 and attacked. The hurried pursuit had been quite 

 proper in the first place, for if the Indians had fled 



hundred Hurons and Lake Indians," besides the rangers and 

 a very few Mingoes, Delawares, and Shawnees. Later he 

 says of the battle: "We were not much superior to them in 

 numbers, they being about two hundred." 



Levi Todd put the number of the Indians at three hun- 

 dred, which was pretty near the truth; Boone thought it 

 four hundred; later writers exaggerate wildly, putting it 

 even at one thousand. 



