Contents 
Front Matter At Boonesborough Beginning of the Story Boone on the Yadkin Boone Moves his Family Ready for the Journey What we Wore Driving Cattle and Sheep Camping at Nightfall The Long Halt Jimmy Boone Goes to Clinch Murder of Jimmy Boone A Time of Mourning The Faint-hearted Return A New Home Making Moccasins Tanning Leather Governor Dunmore Our Home on the Clinch Household Duties Attacked by a Wildcat Fighting the Wildcat Boone and Father Return The Wilderness Road Building the Forts Boonesborough Gathering Salt Boonesborough Precautions Our Home in the Fort Ready for Cooking Furnishing the House The Hominy Block The Supply of Water Sports Inside the Fort Wrestling and Running Religion of the Indians Indian Babies Colonel Callaway Arives News from Eastern Colonies Venturing Outside the Fort Dividing the Land Who Owned Kentucky? Ready to Build a Home Billy's Hard Lot Preparing Flax Spinning and Soap Making Broom Making More Indian Murders Indian "Signs" Woodcraft and Hunting Pelts Used as Money Petition of the Settlers Making Sugar Building Fences Capture of the Girls My Willful Thoughts Finding the Trail The Pursuit The Story Told by Jemima Elizabeth's Heroism Rescuing the Girls Alarm Among the Settlers Indians on the Warpath The First Wedding The Wedding Festivities The Brides Home The Housewarming Attacks by the Indians Besieged by the Savages In the Midst of the Fight The Assault by the Indians Failure of the Assault Watchfulness of the Indians The Sortie My Father Wounded Our Wounded

Hannah of Kentucky - James Otis




News From the Eastern Colonies

For the first time we now heard that the eastern colonies had risen against the rule of the king, and that already war had begun. How strange it seemed for the people in America to dare do such a thing, and how we wondered whether it would make any difference to us way out here in Kentucky!

Probably our fathers had heard something about this before, for instead of being thrown into a turmoil, as I had expected, they were concerned only about matters which had to do with Boonesborough.

The clear space inside the stockade was no more than one third of an acre, and even before the coming of these new settlers our cattle, horses, and sheep had eaten every green thing to be found there. The men had been speculating that very morning as to how it would be possible to get fodder for the beasts while the Indians were lurking near at hand.

Now, however, the number of live stock was nearly doubled, for Colonel Callaway alone had brought in nine sheep, two cows; and three horses, while the Poagues and Stagers had nearly as many more. It was really wicked to keep the poor things shut up inside the fort when there was such an abundance of grass and cane beyond the gate, and surely the moment had come when something must be done.

[Illustration] from Hannah of Kentucky by James Otis

Jemima saw the men gathering in one of the watch-houses, and we were wondering what they could be doing when Billy came in, announcing, as he took his and father's rifles from the antlers on which they hung, that it had been decided to drive the live stock outside to feed.