Ah, where are the soldiers that fought here of yore?
The sod is upon them, they'll struggle no more,
The hatchet is fallen, the red man is low;
And near him reposes the arm of his foe.
. . . . . . . .
Sleep, soldiers of merit; sleep, gallants of yore.
The hatchet is fallen, the struggle is o'er.
While the fir tree is green and the wind rolls a wave,
The tear drop shall brighten the turf of the brave.
—From an Old Poem.
FOREWORD
The BOYS' BOOK OF INDIAN WARRIORS told of the deeds by the red Americans in defense of their lives and to keep their homes. This second book tells of the deeds by the white Americans, in defense of their lives and also to clear the way for their homes. It commences with the pioneers and hunters in the East, and continues on to the frontiersmen and soldiers in the West.
These are stories of bravery and of pluck amidst great odds. In many of the stories victory was won by the aid of powder, ball and steel, used manfully. In others it was won by sheer nerve and wit alone—for a good fighter fights with his heart and head as fully as with his hands.
Americans have always been great fighters, when called upon to fight in self-defense. They never quit until they are killed or triumphant; and although many may be killed, those they leave press forward again. In France the Americans "never gave up an inch." We Americans of to-day, looking back, may be proud not only of the part played by our blood in the World War, but likewise of the part it played in the days when, rifle in hand, we were hewing the peace trail in our own country.
Clothes do not make the soldier. Whether in buckskin, wool, cotton gown or army uniform, those men and women—yes, and boys and girls—of frontier times in the forest and upon the plains and prairies were soldiers all, enlisted to face danger.
It is largely the quick, dauntless spirit inherited from the American pioneers, hunters and Indian fighters of the old days that shone so brightly in the recent days when, in record time, we raised a gallant army of fighters, at home and abroad, against a desperate enemy.
CONTENTS
| CHAPTER | |
| I |
[THE CAPTURE OF OLD CHIEF ANNAWAN] (1676) Bold Captain Church in the Lion's Den |
| II |
[THE ATTACK ON LOGAN'S STATION] (1777) And the Noble Deed of Captain Logan |
| III |
[IN THE STOCKADE AT WHEELING] (1777) And the Great Leap of Major McColloch |
| IV |
[BIG TURTLE BREAKS THE NET] (1778) And Meets His Father at Boonesborough |
| V |
[SCOUT KENTON HAS A HARD TIME] (1778-1779) How He Paid for his Horse-Stealing |
| VI |
[THE SCRAPE OF LEWIS AND JACOB WETZEL] (1778) And the Nerve of Two Boy Scouts |
| VII |
[CAPTAIN SAMUEL BRADY SWEARS VENGEANCE] (1780-1781) And Broad-Jumps Like a Wild Turkey |
| VIII |
[THE FLIGHT OF THREE SOLDIERS] (1782) On the Trail with the Crawford Men |
| IX |
[THE BRAVE WOMEN OF BRYANT'S STATION] (1782) And the Defeat of the Villain Girty |
| X |
[BETTY ZANE'S "POWDER EXPLOIT"] (1782) How a Girl Saved the Day |
| XI |
[THE FIVE BOY CAPTIVES] (1785) Adventures of "Little Fat Bear" and All |
| XII |
[ODDS AGAINST HIGGINS THE RANGER] (1814) And his Rescue by Heroine Pursley |
| XIII |
[JOHN COLTER'S RACE FOR LIFE] (1808) The Trapper and the Blackfeet |
| XIV |
[HUGH GLASS AND THE GRIZZLY BEAR] (1823) "As Slick as a Peeled Onion" |
| XV |
[A FRACAS ON THE SANTA FE TRAIL] (1829) And the Building of Bent's Fort |
| XVI |
[A SEARCH FOR A SILVER MINE] (1831) And the "Bowie Indian Fight" |
| XVII |
[THROUGH THE ENEMY'S LINES] (1846) The Three Kit Carson Couriers |
| XVIII |
[THE HOTTEST CHASE ON RECORD] (1864) Two in an Army Wagon |
| XIX |
[RELIEF FOR BEECHER'S ISLAND] (1868) And a Rattle-Snake in the Way |
| XX |
[THE DEFENSE OF THE BUFFALO-HUNTERS] (1874) When the Comanche Medicine Failed |
| XXI |
[WHITE MEN AT BAY AGAIN] (1874) The "Fight of the Privates" |
| XXII |
[BUFFALO BILL AND YELLOW HAND] (1876) A Plains-Day Duel |
| XXIII |
[THE "SIBLEY SCOUT"] (1876) A Famous Army Tale |