During the sitting, one
day, Harding asked Boone if he had ever been lost in the woods
when on his long hunts in the wilderness.
* Boone's son Nathan won distinction in the War of 1812 and
entered the regular army, rising to the rank of Lieutenant
Colonel. Daniel Morgan Boone is said to have been the first
settler in Kansas (1827). One of Daniel's grandsons, bearing the
name of Albert Gallatin Boone, was a pioneer of Colorado and was
to the forefront in Rocky Mountain exploration. Another grandson
was the scout, Kit Carson, who led Fremont to California.
"No, I never got lost," Boone replied reflectively, "but I was
BEWILDERED once for three days." Though now having reached the
age of eighty-five, Daniel was intensely interested in California
and was enthusiastic to make the journey thither next spring and
so to flee once more from the civilization which had crept
westward along his path. The resolute opposition of his sons,
however, prevented the attempt.
A few men who sought out Boone in his old age have left us brief
accounts of their impressions. Among these was Audubon. "The
stature and general appearance of this wanderer of the western
forests," the naturalist wrote, "approached the gigantic. His
chest was broad, and prominent; his muscular powers displayed
themselves in every limb; his countenance gave indication of his
great courage, enterprise and perseverance; and, when he spoke,
the very motion of his lips brought the impression that whatever
he uttered could not be otherwise than strictly true.
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