Boone became known far and wide as the greatest man in the Kentucky Wilderness. One winter, about a year after he had saved the girls from the Indians, he went with some other men to a place where there were salt springs. These were called salt licks because the wild animals liked to lick the salt. The men planned to camp there several weeks. They would boil the water in big kettles until there was only salt left. Then they would take the salt back to the people at Boonesborough.

One day Boone went out hunting alone. Suddenly he was surprised by Indians. They were a war party led by Chief Blackfish. They were on their way to Boonesborough. These Shawnee Indians came from north of Kentucky. They felt that Henderson had no right to claim their hunting grounds. Certainly they had not sold Kentucky to him. They might not have been so warlike if the American Revolution had not started. The British were making friends with the Indians everywhere and helping them fight the settlers.

Boone knew how the Shawnees felt about having to share their hunting ground with the white men. But he knew also that he must find a way to save the fort.

“Don’t go to Boonesborough now,” he told the Indians. “You don’t have a big enough war party. Boonesborough is far too strong for you to capture.”

This was not true at all. There were not many men at the fort. But Daniel hoped to stall off the Shawnees until Boonesborough had time to send for help.

“Wait until spring,” he went on. “Then you won’t have to fight. The people will come willingly. I will bring them north to you. Right now it is too cold for the women and the children to travel. But in the spring they will come with you.”

Chief Blackfish was delighted to find that Boone was so friendly. He had admired Boone for a long time. He did not know that Boone was trying hard to fool him.

“What about your men?” Chief Blackfish asked.

Boone thought quickly. He knew the Indians had seen the men at the salt licks.

“I will lead you to my men,” he told Chief Blackfish, “if you will promise not to kill them.”

Chief Blackfish promised. Boone took the Indians to his men.

“We are in great danger,” he whispered to them. “We must go north with the Indians, or they will kill us. The fort is in danger too. But perhaps we can escape and warn our families.”

At the end of the long journey the Indians and their prisoners reached the Shawnee towns in the north. There, Chief Blackfish told Boone that he wanted him for a son. He made Boone go through a long adoption ceremony and gave him the name of Big Turtle.

Boone liked Chief Blackfish, but he did not really want to be a Shawnee. He pretended to be pleased about becoming the Chief’s son, but he only pretended.

One day the Indians went hunting. While they were gone, Boone ran away and started for Boonesborough.

The Indians followed him, but he was too clever for them. They lost his trail. In four days he traveled one hundred and sixty miles.

Finally he reached Boonesborough.

“The Indians are on the way! Get ready to fight!” he told the people.

Soon Chief Blackfish came with over four hundred Shawnees. He called Boone to come outside the fort. Daniel Boone went out bravely.

“Why did you run away?” Chief Blackfish asked Boone.

“I wanted to see my wife and my children,” Boone answered.

“You have seen them,” the Chief replied. “Now come back with me. You and all your people.”

“Give me a little time to think it over,” Boone said.

He hoped that help would come from other forts. He waited and waited, but no help came.

“We shall defend the fort as long as a man is living,” Boone told the people.

The fight began. The Indians fired at the fort. The white men fired back. Everyone worked hard. The women and the children loaded guns and carried food to the men. The white men were outnumbered, but the Indians did not know this.

The men did not stop fighting for eight days and eight nights. By then everyone was very tired. The Indians had shot flaming torches, and the roofs of the cabins were on fire. Not a drop of water was left in the fort.

“Look! Look!” someone shouted.

The sky had been dark all day. Now it was starting to rain. It rained and it poured. The rain came down and put out the fires. It filled the tubs and pails with water to drink. Everyone felt hopeful again.

When morning came, no Indians were in sight. Every single one of them was gone. They had disappeared into the forest. The fort was saved.