inst the savages. This
shelter being provided, their whole time now was given to hunting and
exploring the country. Hunting was a pastime indeed, the game was so
abundant. They could look out upon herds of buffaloes scattered through
the canebrakes, browsing upon the leaves of the cane, or cropping the
tall grass; the deer bounded fearlessly by the very door of their hut,
and wild turkeys were to be found everywhere. Everything was in a state
of nature; the animals had not yet learned to be afraid of man. Of
course, they did not suffer with hunger: provisions of the finest kind
were ever in their cabin. But the buffaloes provided them with more than
food. From time to time, as they needed moccasins for their feet, his
skin supplied them; and when at night they felt the dampness of the
weather, his hide was the blanket in which they wrapped themselves and
slept soundly.

The country, as they wandered through it, struck them as beautiful
indeed. There were the lofty trees of the forest, with no undergrowth
except the cane, the grass, and the flowers. They seemed to have been
planted by the hand of man at regular distances. Clear streams were seen
winding through lovely meadows, surrounded by the gently-sloping hills;
and the fearless buffalo and deer were their companions every hour. In
their wanderings they came several times to hard and well-tramped roads.
It was by following these that they discovered many of the salt springs
or licks where salt is made even now. The roads to these were worn thus
hard by the buffaloes and other animals that were in the habit of
visiting the springs.

The place of Finley's old trading-post, where their cabin now stood,
seems to have been chosen by him not only as a central point for trade:
it was on the side of a finely-sloping hill, and commanded a good view of
the country below. The situation was beautiful. Perhaps he chose it when
he was a lonely white man in the wilderness, because thence he might
readily see the approach of Indians, and make his escape, or perhaps it
was the very beauty of the spot that charmed him. He had a love for the
beautiful. One day, he and Boone were standing by the door of the cabin.
The wind was sighing in the tops of the forest, and while they were
listening to the music, they were looking out upon the beautiful region
below; the grass was green, and the bright flowers turned up their
leaves to the sun. "Glorious country!" cried Finley; "this wilderness