With France expelled and the Indians deprived of their white
allies, the westward path lay open to the pioneers, even though
the red man himself would rise again and again in vain endeavor
to bar the way. So a new era begins, the era of exploration for
definite purpose, the era of commonwealth building. In entering
on it, we part with the earliest pioneer--the trader, who first
opened the road for both the lone home seeker and the great land
company. He dwindles now to the mere barterer and so--save for a
few chance glimpses--slips out of sight, for his brave days as
Imperial Scout are done.
Chapter V. Boone, The Wanderer
What thoughts filled Daniel Boone's mind as he was returning from
Braddock's disastrous campaign in 1755 we may only conjecture.
Perhaps he was planning a career of soldiering, for in later
years he was to distinguish himself as a frontier commander in
both defense and attack. Or it may be that his heart was full of
the wondrous tales told him by the trader, John Findlay, of that
Hunter's Canaan, Kentucky, where buffalo and deer roamed in
thousands. Perhaps he meant to set out ere long in search of the
great adventure of his dreams, despite the terrible dangers of
trail making across the zones of war into the unknown.
However that may be, Boone straightway followed neither of these
possible plans on his return to the Yadkin but halted for a
different adventure.
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