were dark in the deep woods. Prowling wolves kept up a constant howling. William, an experienced woodsman, recognized the mournful cries. “John you better muzzle your hounds,” he said. “They’ll want to join that chase, but will be torn to bits by the timber wolves. From here on we’ll post a sentry around the camp.”
The wolves moved in so close one night that the horses and Old Beauty became extremely agitated. Stamping and snorting, they threatened to break out of their makeshift pen. David was standing guard. “Wolves,” he yelled. “Hurry, help me build up the fire.”
His brothers sprang to his aid, throwing wood onto the coals. The flames climbed skyward, and the bright firelight drove the darkness away, calming the stock. After that experience a hot fire was kept blazing throughout the long nights.
The Cherokee were a nation of many towns and villages. Their homeland reached from the Ohio and Tennessee Rivers to the west, southward across Alabama and Georgia. The Indian hunters moved with the seasons, following the migrating animals they needed for food.
The Allington men thought it unlikely they would encounter any hunting parties now. This wild region was the Cherokee’s summer hunting grounds. Nevertheless, a sharp lookout was kept for any tell tale sign that Indians recently had passed through.
Clarinda, who loved the outdoors, was overwhelmed by the ongoing panorama of nature. The blue mountains rose layer upon layer into the clouds. Daily they passed by glittering cascades of water rushing down the steep slopes. Rocky cliffs gave way to sweeping valleys. She noticed the flowering forest trees were beginning to show signs of spring.
The children moved back and forth between the wagons, riding in first one, then another. Clarinda did her best to help Rebecca keep them in tow, while investigating anything new or different herself. She had always been inquisitive and questioned the reason behind everything she saw or heard.
Climbing into the seat beside William one morning, Clarinda begged, “Tell me about the Cherokee Indians your Pa knew in North Carolina, and then I want to hear more about Kentucky.”
William laughed and slapped his horse’s reins. Clarinda had learned that he enjoyed telling her about his adventures because she was such a good listener, and she always remembered what he taught her.
“Sis, it was a long time ago in North Carolina, before the wars caused such bad blood on both sides. The Cherokee believe, as do most of the tribes, that the universe consists of three worlds. The Upper World, the Lower World and This World. Man lives in This World along with his friends, the animals and plants. The Indians exist in harmony with the earth. They believe all living things have souls and should be shown proper respect and consideration.
“The Cherokee have an advanced culture. They’re known as the Real or Beloved People. They live in permanent towns with long, low houses. The men are hunters and traders. My Pa traded with them. He took the goods that ships brought from England and France to their villages. They exchanged fine furs for firearms, ammunition, knives, beads, paint, clothing and whiskey.”
Clarinda’s eyes widened. “Whiskey, I thought your Pa was a preacher man?”
“He was, but that was much later on in his life.” William continued. “As more immigrants came to the New World, the Indians were forced to move further and further west. There were bloody battles over land, and disputes over the fur trade and slaves.
“About 1760 the Cherokee revolted. The story goes, a group of Cherokee warriors had been helping the English fight the French in a battle near the Ohio River. They stopped on the way back to their village to capture wild horses. A few white settlers pretended the horses belonged to them, and killed the Cherokees. The white men sold the horses, and collected bounties on the Cherokee scalps, claiming they were taken from Indians allied to the French, which was not true.”
William looked at Clarinda to see if his story had moved her.
“I don’t see why so many bad things happen? Tell me more,” she pleaded. “I want to learn all I can before we get to Kentucky.”
“Well, after this incident, the various Cherokee bands made war on the white settlements. Then the King sent British troops by the thousands and that caused more needless bloodshed. Within two years the Cherokee were completely crushed. Their towns were burned and crops destroyed. The Beloved People were starving.
“In the peace pact that followed, the Cherokee were forced to give up a large portion of their eastern homeland and move further west to what they called the Overhill country.”
William paused, before explaining. “During the War for Independence, some Cherokee fought alongside the British, while others fought with the Americans. It was a terrible time for all of us and triggered some strange circumstances.
“There were wrongs done by both sides. That’s why the peace treaty was sealed. The wise chiefs of the Five Civilized Tribes and our new American leaders want peace, but I’m afraid it will be a long time in coming. Some red men, and white, as well, will not move beyond the past.”
Clarinda sighed. “I wish they could make a real peace. I don’t like being fearful of Indians. Do you think they’ll bother us in Kentucky?”
“I don’t know, Sis. When I was there last, the Cherokee and Shawnee both claimed Kentucky and Tennessee as rightfully theirs, and to be honest I guess it should be. Because of the many battles fought over the land there the Cherokee named it The Dark and Bloody Ground.
“At Boonesborough we treated the Indians fair. Boone insisted on it. Trouble is most white settlers and fur traders don’t understand the Indian’s attitude about wildlife or the land. The Indian worships both. The bear can’t be killed without an apology and ceremony to explain to the animal his meat is needed to feed the tribe.
“The white man sees things much differently. One other thing, the Cherokee will not allow the death of a fellow tribesman or kinsman to go unavenged. An Indian raid has wiped out whole forts or settlements, because one white man killed an Indian, just because he was an Indian.”
William patted Clarinda’s dark curls. “That’s enough about Indians for one day. Don’t you trouble your pretty head about such things. Go on in the back of the wagon and help your sister with the baby.”
“I will, but I hope you can tell me more later. It does help me to understand better. I know Pa tried to treat the Indians right.” Clarinda disappeared inside the canvas opening where Rebecca was singing Ben to sleep.
I’m goin’ there to see my father;
I’m goin’ there, no more to roam.
I’m just a-goin’ over Jordan,
I’m just a-goin’ over home.
I know dark clouds will gather ‘round me.
My way is steep and rough, I know,
But fertile fields lie just before me
In that fair land to which I go.
William let his mind wander as he guided the team along the rough trail. He knew the tribes were gradually being forced to yield up more and more of their precious homeland as the settlers grew in number. Already the once powerful Six Nations Confederation had been broken. Tribes who once came to each other’s aid now fought among themselves. Some of the northeastern tribes had been driven to the Western Door, a name given to the Mississippi Valley region.
William understood the Indian’s hostility. He had witnessed the horrible depredations resulting from the Indian wars. He spoke Cherokee, and knew some of the principal chiefs in the nation. He believed they would honor their treaty. It was a sacred trust. They had signed the paper called “words that cannot be taken back.” The scattered uprisings were not of the principal chiefs’ making.
Still, no punishment was meted out to the renegade warriors. They were hailed as heroes upon returning to their villages. They were even granted a higher status in the tribal hierarchy. The men had a fondness for war. But that