Lexington; and them that don't find me thar, let them follow to Bryant's,
or to any-whar whar thar's Injuns! Hurrah, you brutes! whar's your guns
and your horses? your knives and your tomahawks? If thar's a thousand
Injuns, or the half of 'em, thar's meat for all of you. Whar's Ikey
Jones, the fifer? Let's have Yankee-Doodle and the Rogue's March for, by
the etarnal Old Scratch, all them white men that ar'n't a-horse-back in
twenty-five minutes, are rogues worse than red Injuns!--Hurrah for
Kentucky!"

The spirit of the worthy officer of militia infused animation into
all bosoms; and, in an instant, the settlement, late so peaceful,
resounded with the hum and uproar of warlike preparation. Horses were
caught and saddled, rifles pulled from their perches, knives sharpened,
ammunition-pouches and provender-bags filled, and every other step taken
necessary to the simple equipment of a border army, called to action in
an emergency so sudden and urgent.

In the meanwhile, the intelligence was not without its effects on
Roland Forrester, who, seeing himself so unexpectedly deprived of the
promised escort,--for he could scarce think, under such circumstances,
of withdrawing a single man from the force called to a duty so
important,--perceived the necessity of employing his own resources to
effect escape from a position which he now felt to be embarrassing. He
regretted, for the first time, his separation from the band of emigrants,
and became doubly anxious to follow them: for, if it were true that so
large a force of Indians was really in the District, there was every
reason to suppose they would, according to their known system of warfare,
divide into small parties, and scatter over the whole country, infesting
every road and path; and he knew not how soon some of them might be found
following on the heels of the messenger. He took advantage of the first
symptom of returning serenity on the part of his host, to acquaint him
with his resolution to set out immediately, the rains having ceased, and
the clouds broken up and almost vanished.

"Lord, captain," said the Kentuckian, "I hoped you would have been for
taking a brush with us; and it war my idea to send a messenger after your
party, in hopes your men would join us in the rusty. Whar will they have
such another chance? A thousand Injuns ready cut and dried for killing!
Lord, what a fool I war for not setting more store by that tale of Nathan
Slaughter's! I never knowed