It was soon evident that the Indians, disheartened by this fresh attack, were withdrawing into the forest.
As soon as Daniel Boone saw Peleg and the two men approaching with their burden, his plan instantly changed. Summoning the young scout, he said, "Send all the rest of them back to the settlement as fast as they can go. You and I, lad, are the only ones prepared, so we are the only ones who can protect these men."
"Will the Indians leave?" inquired Peleg in a low voice.
"For a time, yes," answered Daniel Boone. "If the surveyors make haste they will be able to get back to the settlement. You and I, lad, must try to hold these Indians off until our friends have had time to carry back the man who was shot. Was he killed?"
"No. He was alive when I saw him last, but I do not think he will live long."
"Was it an arrow?"
"Yes, sir."
Daniel Boone nodded his head and made no further reply. Darting from tree to tree, the two scouts stealthily made their way through the forest in the direction in which their friends had gone.
Apparently there was no longer any peril of an immediate attack by the Indians. None of them appeared within sight, and the sound of their wild cries no longer was heard.
Alternately stopping and retreating, Daniel Boone and his young companion at last regained the shelter of the settlement at the Falls of the Ohio.