pioneers of the old southwest-第4部分

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　in　Pennsylvania；　while　their　brother　returned　to　England　with　glowing　reports。　On　August　17；　1717；　George　Boone；　his　wife；　and　the　rest　of　his　children　journeyed　to　Bristol　and　sailed　for　Philadelphia；　arriving　there　on　the　10th　of　October。　The　Boones　went　first　to　Abingdon；　the　Quaker　farmers'　community。　Later　they　moved　to　the　northwestern　frontier　hamlet　of　North　Wales；　a　Welsh　community　which；　a　few　years　previously；　had　turned　Quaker。　Sarah　Boone　married　a　German　named　Jacob　Stover；　who　had　settled　in　Oley　Township；　Berks　County。　In　1718　George　Boone　took　up　four　hundred　acres　in　Oley；　or；　to　be　exact；　in　the　subdivision　later　called　Exeter；　and　there　he　lived　in　his　log　cabin　until　1744；　when　he　died　at　the　age　of　seventy…eight。　He　left　eight　children；　fifty…two　grandchildren；　and　ten　greatgrandchildren；　seventy　descendants　in　allEnglish；　German；　Welsh；　and　Scotch…Irish　blended　into　one　family　of　Americans。*

*　R。　G。　Thwaites；　〃Daniel　Boone〃；　p。　5。


Among　the　Welsh　Quakers　was　a　family　of　Morgans。　In　1720　Squire　Boone　married　Sarah　Morgan。　Ten　years　later　he　obtained　250　acres　in　Oley　on　Owatin　Creek；　eight　miles　southeast　of　the　present　city　of　Reading；　and　here；　in　1734；　Daniel　Boone　was　born；　the　fourth　son　and　sixth　child　of　Squire　and　Sarah　Morgan　Boone。　Daniel　Boone　therefore　was　a　son　of　the　frontier。　In　his　childhood　he　became　familiar　with　hunters　and　with　Indians；　for　even　the　red　men　came　often　in　friendly　fashion　to　his　grandfather's　house。　Squire　Boone　enlarged　his　farm　by　thrift。　He　continued　at　his　trade　of　weaving　and　kept　five　or　six　looms　going；　making　homespun　cloth　for　the　market　and　his　neighbors。

Daniel's　father　owned　grazing　grounds　several　miles　north　of　the　homestead　and　each　season　he　sent　his　stock　to　the　range。　Sarah　Boone　and　her　little　Daniel　drove　the　cows。　From　early　spring　till　late　autumn；　mother　and　son　lived　in　a　rustic　cabin　alone　on　the　frontier。　A　rude　dairy　house　stood　over　a　cool　spring；　and　here　Sarah　Boone　made　her　butter　and　cheese。　Daniel；　aged　ten　at　this　time；　watched　the　herds；　at　sunset　he　drove　them　to　the　cabin　for　milking；　and　locked　them　in　the　cowpens　at　night。

He　was　not　allowed　firearms　at　that　age；　so　he　shaped　for　himself　a　weapon　that　served　him　well。　This　was　a　slender　smoothly　shaved　sapling　with　a　small　bunch　of　gnarled　roots　at　one　end。　So　expert　was　he　in　the　launching　of　this　primitive　spear　that　he　easily　brought　down　birds　and　small　game。　When　he　reached　his　twelfth　year；　his　father　bought　him　a　rifle；　and　he　soon　became　a　crack　shot。　A　year　later　we　find　him　setting　off　on　the　autumn　huntafter　driving　the　cattle　in　for　the　winter…with　all　the　keenness　and　courage　of　a　man　twice　his　thirteen　years。　His　rifle　enabled　him　to　return　with　meat　for　the　family　and　skins　to　be　traded　in　Philadelphia。　When　he　was　fourteen　his　brother　Sam　married　Sarah　Day；　an　intelligent　young　Quakeress　who　took　a　special　interest　in　her　young　brother…in…law　and　taught　him　〃the　rudiments　of　three　R's。〃

The　Boones　were　prosperous　and　happy　in　Oley　and　it　may　be　wondered　why　they　left　their　farms　and　their　looms；　both　of　which　were　profitable；　and　set　their　faces　towards　the　Unknown。　It　is　recorded　that；　though　the　Boones　were　Quakers；　they　were　of　a　high　mettle　and　were　not　infrequently　dealt　with　by　the　Meeting。　Two　of　Squire　Boone's　children　married　〃worldlings〃non…　Quakersand　were　in　consequence　〃disowned〃　by　the　Society。　In　defiance　of　his　sect；　which　strove　to　make　him　sever　all　connection　with　his　unruly　offspring；　Squire　Boone　refused　to　shut　his　doors　on　the　son　and　the　daughter　who　had　scandalized　local　Quakerdom。　The　Society　of　Friends　thereupon　expelled　him。　This　occurred　apparently　during　the　winter　of　1748…49。　In　the　spring　of　1750　we　see　the　whole　Boone　family　（save　two　sons）　with　their　wives　and　children；　their　household　goods　and　their　stock；　on　the　great　highway；　bound　for　a　land　where　the　hot　heart　and　the　belligerent　spirit　shall　not　be　held　amiss。

Southward　through　the　Shenandoah　goes　the　Boone　caravan。　The　women　and　children　usually　sit　in　the　wagons。　The　men　march　ahead　or　alongside；　keeping　a　keen　eye　open　for　Indian　or　other　enemy　in　the　wild；　their　rifles　under　arm　or　over　the　shoulder。　Squire　Boone；　who　has　done　with　Quakerdom　and　is　leading　all　that　he　holds　dear　out　to　larger　horizons；　is　ahead　of　the　line；　as　we　picture　him；　ready　to　meet　first　whatever　danger　may　assail　his　tribe。　He　is　a　strong　wiry　man　of　rather　small　stature；　with　ruddy　complexion；　red　hair；　and　gray　eyes。　Somewhere　in　the　line；　together；　we　think；　are　the　mother　and　son　who　have　herded　cattle　and　companioned　each　other　through　long　months　in　the　cabin　on　the　frontier。　We　do　not　think　of　this　woman　as　riding　in　the　wagon；　though　she　may　have　done　so；　but　prefer　to　picture　her；　with　her　tall　robust　body；　her　black　hair；　and　her　black　eyeswith　the　sudden　Welsh　snap　in　themwalking　as　sturdily　as　any　of　her　sons。

If　Daniel　be　beside　her；　what　does　she　see　when　she　looks　at　him？　A　lad　well　set　up　but　not　overtall　for　his　sixteen　years；　perhapsfor　〃eye…witnesses〃　differ　in　their　estimates　of　Daniel　Boone's　heightor　possibly　taller　than　he　looks；　because　his　figure　has　the　forest　hunter's　natural　slant　forward　and　the　droop　of　the　neck　of　one　who　must　watch　his　path　sometimes　in　order　to　tread　silently。　It　is　Squire　Boone's　blood　which　shows　in　his　ruddy　facewhich　would　be　fair　but　for　its　tanand　in　the　English　cut　of　feature；　the　straw…colored　eyebrows；　and　the　blue　eyes。　But　his　Welsh　mother's　legacy　is　seen　in　the　black　hair　that　hangs　long　and　loose　in　the　hunter's　fashion　to　his　shoulders。　We　can　think　of　Daniel　Boone　only　as　exhilarated　by　this　plunge　into　the　Wild。　He　sees　aheadthe　days　of　his　great　explorations　and　warfare；　the　discovery　of　Kentucky？　Not　at　all。　This　is　a　boy　of　sixteen　in　love　with　his　rifle。　He　looks　ahead　to　vistas　of　forest　filled　with　deer　and　to　skies　clouded　with　flocks　of　wild　turkeys。　In　that　dream　there　is　happiness　enough　for　Daniel　Boone。　Indeed；　for　himself；　even　in　later　life；　he　asked　little；　if　any；　more。　He　trudges　on　blithely；　whistling。



Chapter　II。　Folkways

These　migrations　into　the　inland　valleys　of　the　Old　South　mark　the　first　great　westward　thrust　of　the　American　frontier。　Thus　the　beginnings　of　the　westward　movement　disclose　to　us　a　feature　characteristic　also　of　the　later　migrations　which　flung　the　frontier　over　the　Appalachians；　across　the　Mississippi；　and　finally　to　the　shores　of　the　Pacific。　The　pioneers；　instead　of　moving　westward　by　slow　degrees；　subduing　the　wilderness　as　they　went；　overleaped　great　spaces　and　planted　themselves　beyond；　out　of　contact　with　the　life　they　had　left　behind。　Thus　separated　by　hundreds　of　miles　of　intervening　wilderness　from　the　more　civilized　communities；　the　conquerors　of　the　first　American　〃West；〃　prototypes　of　the　conquerors　of　succeeding　〃Wests；〃　inevitably　struck　out　their　own　ways　of　life　and　developed　their　own　customs。　It　would　be　difficult；　indeed；　to　find　anywhere　a　more　remarkable　contrast　in　contemporary　folkways　than　that　presented　by　the　two　great　community　groups　of　the　Souththe　inland　or　piedmont　settlements；　called　the　Back　Country；　and　the　lowland　towns　and　plantations　along　the　seaboard。

The　older　society　of　the　seaboard　towns；　as　events　were　soon　to　prove；　was　not　less　independent　in　its　ideals　than　the　frontier　society　of　the　Back　Country；　but　it　was　aristocratic　in　tone　and　feeling。　Its　leaders　were　the　landed　gentrymen　of　elegance；　and　not　far　behind　their　European　contemporaries　in　the　culture　of　the　day。　They　were　rich；　without　effort；　both　from　their　plantations；　where　black　slaves　and　indentured　servants　labored；　and　from　their　coastwise　and　overseas　trade。　Their　battles　with　forest　and　red　man　were　long　past。　They　had　leisure　for　diversions　such　as　the　chase；　the　breeding　and　racing　of　thoroughbred　horses；　the　dance；　high　play　with　dice　and　card；　cockfighting；　the　gallantry　of　love；　and　the　skill　of　the　rapier。　Law　and　politics　drew　their　soberer　minds。

Very　different　were　the　conditions　which　confronted　the　pioneers　in　the　first　American　〃West。〃　There　every　jewel　of　promise　was　ringed　round　with　hostility。　The　cheap　land　the　pioneer　had　purchased　at　a　nominal　price；　or　the　free　land　he　had　taken　by　〃tomahawk　claim〃that　is　by　cutting　his　name　into　the　bark　of　a　deadened　tree；　usually　beside　a　springsupported　a　forest　of　tall　trunks　and　interlacing　leafage。　The　long　grass　and　weeds　which　covered　the　ground　in　a　wealth　of　natural　pasturage　harbored　the　poisonous　copperhead　and　the　rattlesnake　and；　being　shaded　by　the　overhead　foliage；　they　held　the　heavy　dews　and　bred　swarms　of　mosquitoes；　gnats；　and　big　flies　which　tortured　both　men　and　cattle。　To　protect　the　cattle　and　horses　from　the　attacks　of　these　pests　the　settlers　were　obliged　to　build　large　〃smudges〃fires　of　green　timberagainst　the　wind。　The　animals　soon　learned　to　back　up　into　the　dense　smoke　and　to　move　from　one　grazing　spot　to　another　as　the　wind　changed。　But　useful　as　were　the　green　timber　fires　that　rolled　their　smoke　on　the　wind　to　save　the　stock；　they　were　at　the　same　time　a　menace　to　the　pioneer；　for　they　proclaimed　to　roving　bands　of　Cherokees　that　a　further　encroachment　on　their　territory　had　been　made　by　their　most　hated　enemiesthe　men　who　felled　the　hunter's　forest。　Many　an　outpost　pioneer　who　had　made　the　long　hard　journey　by　sea　and　land　from　the　old　world　of　persecution　to　this　new　country　of　freedom；　dropped　from　the　red　man's　shot　ere　he　had　hewn　the　threshold　of　his　home；　leaving　his　wife　and　children　to　the　unrecorded　mercy　of　his　slayer。

Those　more　fortunate　pioneers　who　settled　in　groups　won　the　first　heat　in　the　battle　with　the　wilderness　through　massed　effort　under　wariness。　They　made　their　clearings　in　the　forest；　built　their　cabins　and　stockades；　and　planted　their　cornfields；　while　lookouts　kept　watch　and　rifles　were　stacked　within　easy　reach。　Every　special　task；　such　as　a　〃raising；〃　as　cabin　building　was　called；　was　undertaken　by　the　community　chiefly　because　the　Indian　danger　necessitated　swift　building　and　made　group　action　imperative。　But　the　stanch　heart　is　ever　the　glad　heart。　Nothing　in　this　frontier　history　impresses　us　more　than　the　joy　of　the　pioneer　at　his　labor