They were afterwards often at a loss to keep the trail, from the extreme
care of the Indians to cover and destroy it. But still, in their
perplexity, the sagacious expedient of the fair young captives put them
right. A shred of their handkerchief, or of some part of their dress,
which they had intrusted to the wind unobserved, indicated their course,
and that the captives were thus far not only alive, but that their
reasoning powers, unsubdued by fatigue, were active and buoyant. Next
day, in passing places covered with mud, deposited by the dry branches
on the way, the foot prints of the captives were distinctly traced,
until the pursuers had learned to discriminate not only the number, but
the peculiar form of each foot print.

Late in the evening of the fifteenth day's pursuit, from a little
eminence, they discovered in the distance before them, through the
woods, a smoke and the light of a fire. The palpitation of their
parental hearts may be easily imagined. They could not doubt that it was
the camp of the captors of their children. The plan of recapture was
intrusted entirely to Boone. He led his company as near the enemy as he
deemed might be done with safety, and selecting a position under the
shelter of a hill, ordered them to halt, with a view to passing the
night in that place. They then silently took food as the agitation of
their minds would allow. All but Calloway, another selected person of
their number, and himself, were permitted to lie down, and get that
sleep of which they had been so long deprived. The three impatiently
waited for midnight, when the sleep of the Indians would be most likely
to be profound. They stationed the third person selected, on the top of
the eminence, behind which they were encamped, as a sentinel to await a
given signal from the fathers, which should be his indication to fly to
the camp and arouse the sleepers, and bring them to their aid. Then