on the way, the foot prints of the captives were distinctly traced,
until the pursuers had learned to discriminate not only the number, but
the peculiar form of each foot print.

Late in the evening of the fifteenth day's pursuit, from a little
eminence, they discovered in the distance before them, through the
woods, a smoke and the light of a fire. The palpitation of their
parental hearts may be easily imagined. They could not doubt that it was
the camp of the captors of their children. The plan of recapture was
intrusted entirely to Boone. He led his company as near the enemy as he
deemed might be done with safety, and selecting a position under the
shelter of a hill, ordered them to halt, with a view to passing the
night in that place. They then silently took food as the agitation of
their minds would allow. All but Calloway, another selected person of
their number, and himself, were permitted to lie down, and get that
sleep of which they had been so long deprived. The three impatiently
waited for midnight, when the sleep of the Indians would be most likely
to be profound. They stationed the third person selected, on the top of
the eminence, behind which they were encamped, as a sentinel to await a
given signal from the fathers, which should be his indication to fly to
the camp and arouse the sleepers, and bring them to their aid. Then
falling prostrate, they crept cautiously, and as it were by inches,
towards the Indian camp.

Having reached a covert of bushes, close by the Indian camp, and
examined as well as they could by the distant light of the camp-fires,
the order of their rifles, they began to push aside the bushes, and
survey the camp through the opening. Seventeen Indians were stretched,
apparently in sound sleep, on the ground. But they looked in vain among
them for the dear objects of their pursuit. They were not long in
discovering another camp a little remote from that of the Indians. They
crawled cautiously round to take a survey of it. Here, to their
inexpressible joy, were their daughters in each others arms. Directly in
front of their camp were two Indians, with their tomahawks and other
weapons within their grasp. The one appeared to be in a sound sleep, and
the other keeping the most circumspective vigils.

The grand object now was to get possession of the prisoners without
arousing their captors, the consequence of which it was obvious, would
be the immediate destruction of the captives. Boone