AUTHOR S PREFACE.



the treatment of great themes there is room for the
display of great literary power; but in dealing with
ordinary matters, where neither the imagination nor
the reasoning faculties are taxed, entire simplicity
will be the best indication of the writer's intelli-
gence.
  2. Thorough reliability.
  A work which attempts to present a true picture of
any phase of actual life must not be lacking in this
element. As far as dependence can be placed upon
the reliability of his material, the author feels confi-
dent that the work bears every mark of scrupulous
fidelity to truth.
  3. Freshness in matter and originality in arrange-
ment and general treatment.
  Books descriptive of Western adventure and of
Indian life, character and warfare, are so numerous
that a new work in this department of narrative liter-
ature, in order to be favorably received, must contain
something that shall make it worthy of being named
apart from the rest. The author invites a comparison
of his work with others of this class, both in respect
of contents and method in arrangement.

  The principal authorities which have been con-
sulted are Pritts's " Border Life," McBride's "Pioneer
Biography," Hall's "Romance of Western History,"
McClung's " Sketches of Western Adventure," "Spen-
cer's Narrative," and Flint's "Life of Daniel Boone."
  In the story of Spencer the language of the orig-
inal has in several places been retained. The rest



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