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INTRODUCTION
THEauthordoesnotintendtoapologizeforwhat
manyreadersmaycallthebrutality”ofthestory;but
rathertoexplainthatitswildspiritistruetothelife
oftheWesternborderasitwasknownonlyalittle
morethanonehundredyearsago.
Thewriteristhefortunatepossessorofhistorical
materialofundoubtedtruthandinterest.Itisthelong-
lostjournalofColonelEbenezerZane,oneofthemost
prominentofthehunter-pioneer,wholaboredinthe
settlementoftheWesterncountry.
Thestoryofthattragicperioddeservesahigher
placeinhistoricalliteraturethanithasthusfarbeen
given,andthisunquestionablybecauseofalack
ofauthenticdataregardingtheconqueringofthe
wilderness.Consideringhowmanyyearsthepioneers
struggledontheborderofthiscountry,thehistory
oftheireffortsismeagerandobscure.
Iftheyearsatthecloseoftheeighteenthandthe
beginningofthenineteenthcenturywerefull
ofstirringadventureonthepartofthecolonistsalong
theAtlanticcoast,howcrowdedmusttheyhavebeen
forthealmostforgottenpioneerswhodaringlyinvaded
thetracklesswilds!Nonetherewastochroniclethe
fightofthesesturdy,travelerstowardthesettingsun.
Thestoryoftheirstormylives,oftheirheroism,and
oftheirsacrificeforthebenefitoffuturegenerations
istoolittleknown.
Itistoabetterunderstandingofthosedaysthatthe
authorhaslaboredtodrawfromhisancestor’snotes
anewandstrikingportrayalofthefrontier;onewhich
shallpaintthefeveroffreedom,thatpowerfulimpulse
whichluredsomanytounmarkedgraves;onewhich
shallshowhiswork,hislove,theeffectofthecauses
whichrenderedhislifesohard,andsurelyonewhich
doesnotforgetthewrongedIndian.
Thefrontierin1777producedwhitemensosavage
astobemeninnameonly.Theseoutcastsand
