AUDUBON AND BOONE. 



169 



and gave them liberties which finally resulted in the desired 

 opportunity of escape, and of which they skillfully availed 

 themselves in time to get off. They found their camp broken 

 and plundered, and, to their great dismay, that the rest of the 

 party having become frightened by the appearance of the 

 Indians, had returned to North Carolina. This was a great 

 shock to Boone, but his nature was far too resolute to be 

 deterred at all from the prosecution of his fixed purpose at 

 the out-set, to explore and possess this whole region. 



