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Hannah of Kentucky - James Otis |
On the next day after Jemima was brought home seven men from Hinkson's came into the fort, declaring that the savages were rising against us, and begging that we go back to Virginia with them. It was enough to scare even a brave person to hear the tales those frightened people had to tell, regarding what the Indians were making ready to do; but father insisted that they had cut out of whole cloth considerably more than half of all their stories.
Those men were determined to go back over the Wilderness Road while there was yet time to save their lives, and ten of our company were persuaded to join them, despite all Colonel Boone and Colonel Callaway could say to the contrary.
![[Illustration] from Hannah of Kentucky by James Otis](https://heritage-history.com/books/otis/kentucky/zpage120.gif "[Illustration] from Hannah of Kentucky by James Otis")
Father said we were well rid of the cowards, for if it happened that the Indians did make an attack on Boonesborough, we wanted with us none but those who could stand up and fight as long as a single charge of powder was left.
Neither Colonel Boone nor any of our men whom I heard talking about the matter believed there was a grain of truth in what the people from Hinkson's had told. They knew it was likely the savages might come upon us at any time; but we were in a strong fort and would be able, not only to hold our own, but, perhaps, to prevent the savages from doing very much mischief in the country roundabout.
The cowards from Hinkson's had hardly more than left us before people from all around came in, nearly dead with fear, until there were times when the stockade was so crowded one could barely move about.
They came in parties of five or ten, some from Harrodstown, others from Boiling Springs and from Miller's, until it really seemed as if all the white people in Kentucky were going back over the Wilderness Road.