The Fort Is Saved

Boone became known far and wide as the greatest man in the Kentucky
Wilderness. One winter, about a year after he had saved the girls from
the Indians, he went with some other men to a place where there were
salt springs. These were called salt licks because the wild animals
liked to lick the salt. The men planned to camp there several weeks.
They would boil the water in big kettles until there was only salt
left. Then they would take the salt back to the people at
Boonesborough.

One day Boone went out hunting alone. Suddenly he was surprised by
Indians. They were a war party led by Chief Blackfish. They were on
their way to Boonesborough. These Shawnee Indians came from north of
Kentucky. They felt that Henderson had no right to claim their hunting
grounds. Certainly _they_ had not sold Kentucky to him. They might not
have been so warlike if the American Revolution had not started. The
British were making friends with the Indians everywhere and helping
them fight the settlers.

Boone knew how the Shawnees felt about having to share their hunting
ground with the white men. But he knew also that he must find a way to
save the fort.

"Don't go to Boonesborough now," he told the Indians. "You don't have a
big enough war party. Boonesborough is far too strong for you to
capture."

This was not true at all. There were not many men at the fort. But
Daniel hoped to stall off the Shawnees until Boonesborough had time to
send for help.

"Wait until spring," he went on. "Then you won't have to fight. The
people will come willingly. I will bring them north to you. Right now
it is too cold for the women and the children to travel. But in the
spring they will come with you."

Chief Blackfish was delighted to find that Boone was so friendly. He
had admired Boone for a long time. He did not know that Boone was
trying hard to fool him.

"What about your men?" Chief Blackfish asked.

Boone thought quickly. He knew the Indians had seen the men at the salt
licks.

"I will lead you to my men," he told Chief Blackfish, "if you will
promise not to kill them."

Chief Blackfish promised. Boone took the Indians to his men.

"We are in great danger," he whispered to them. "We must go north with
the Indians, or they will kill us. The fort is in danger too. But
perhaps we can escape and warn our families."

At the end of the long journey the Indians and their prisoners reached
the Shawnee towns in the north