oating on the river had been captured by Shawanoes and
carried off. Boone, accompanied by the girls' lovers and by John Floyd
(eager to repay his debt of life-saving to Boone) had pursued them,
tracing the way the captors had taken by broken twigs and scraps of
dress goods which one of the girls had contrived to leave in their path,
had come on the Indians unawares, killed them, and recovered the three
girls unhurt.

In the summer of 1776, Virginia took official note of "Captain Boone of
Boonesborough," for she sent him a small supply of powder. The men
of the little colony, which had begun so pretentiously with its
constitution and assembly, were now obliged to put all other plans aside
and to concentrate on the question of food and defense. There was a
dangerous scarcity of powder and lead. The nearest points at which
these necessaries could be procured were the Watauga and Holston River
settlements, which were themselves none too well stocked. Harrod and
Logan, some time in 1777, reached the Watauga fort with three or four
packhorses and filled their packs from Sevier's store; but, as they
neared home, they were detected by red scouts and Logan was badly
wounded before he and Harrod were able to drive their precious load
safely through the gates at Harrodsburg. In the autumn of 1777, Clark,
with a boatload of ammunition, reached Maysville on the Ohio, having
successfully run the gauntlet between banks in possession of the foe. He
had wrested the powder and lead from the Virginia Council by threats
to the effect that if Virginia was so willing to lose Kentucky--for of
course "a country not worth defending is not worth claiming"--he and his
fellows were quite ready to take Kentucky for themselves and to hold it
with their swords against all comers, Virginia included. By even such
cogent reasoning had he convinced the Council--which had tried to hedge
by expressing doubts that Virginia would receive the Kentucky settlers
as "citizens of the State"--that it would be cheaper to give him the
powder.

Because so many settlers had fled and the others had come closer
together for their common good, Harrodsburg and Boonesborough were now
the only occupied posts in Kentucky. Other settlements, once, thriving,
were abandoned; and, under the terror, the Wild reclaimed them. In
April, 1777, Boonesborough underwent its first siege. Boone, leading a
sortie, was shot and he fell with a shattered ankle. An Indian rushed
upon him and