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




Murder of Jimmy Boone and His Companions

James and the two men of our company had found their way to the Clinch River without trouble, and the settlers at that place were so well supplied with meal as to be willing to let us have more than Jimmy and his companions could carry. Six of the people therefore proposed to visit our camp, bringing the meal on their horses.

[Illustration] from Hannah of Kentucky by James Otis

When they were within three miles of our camp, they wandered from the trace into the darkness. Believing it would be better to make camp and wait until morning, when there would be no difficulty in finding their way, they came to a halt. They felt secure against a visit from the Indians, and so built a camp fire and made themselves as comfortable as possible, even lying down to sleep without a guard.

A band of Shawnee Indians, who had been on a raid to the Cherokee villages on the Little Tennessee River, came upon the slumbering men and killed and scalped all save the two who had ridden into our camp.

Our fathers believed that the Shawnees were probably lingering near at hand, awaiting a favorable chance to fall upon our party, and made such preparations to protect us as were in their power. The women were armed with pistols or rifles, and boys even younger than Billy were called upon to act the part of men.

And during all that time Mr. Boone and his wife were grieving over the death of their oldest son!