40 The Winning of the West 



in a body. Only Robertson's great influence pre 

 vented this being done; but by word and example 

 he finally persuaded them to remain. The follow 

 ing spring brought the news of peace with Great 

 Britain. A large inflow of new settlers .began with 

 the new year, and though the Indian hostilities still 

 continued, the Cumberland country throve apace, 

 and by the end of 1783 the old stations had been 

 rebuilt and many new ones founded. Some of the 

 settlers began to live out on their clearings. Rude 

 little corn-mills and "hominy pounders" were built 

 beside some of the streams. The piles of furs and 

 hides that had accumulated in the stockades were 

 sent back to the coast country on pack-horses. Af 

 ter this year there was never any danger that the 

 settlements would be abandoned. 



During the two years of petty but disastrous In 

 dian warfare that followed the attack on Freelands, 

 the harassed and diminishing settlers had been so 

 absorbed in the contest with the outside foe that 

 they had done little toward keeping up their own 

 internal government. When 1783 opened new set 

 tlers began to flock in, the Indian hostilities abated, 

 and commissioners arrived from North Carolina 

 under a strong guard, with the purpose of settling 

 the claim of the various settlers 3 and laying off the 

 bounty lands promised to the Continental troops. 4 



8 Haywood. Six hundred and forty acres were allowed by 

 pre-emption claim to each family settled before June i, 1780; 

 after that date they had to make proper entries in the courts. 

 The salt-licks were to be held as public property. 



4 Isaac Shelby was one of these commissioners. 



