The Indians, in their unhurried retreat, followed the great buffalo trace that led to the Blue Licks, a broad road, beaten out through the forest by the passing and repassing of the mighty herds through countless generations.  They camped on the farther side of the river; some of the savages had left, but there were still nearly three hundred men in all—­Hurons and lake Indians, with the small party of rangers. [Footnote:  Caldwell says that he had at first “three hundred Indians and Rangers,” but that before the battle “nigh 100 Indians left.”  McKee says that there were at first “upwards of three hundred Hurons and Lake Indians,” besides the rangers and a very few Mingos, Delawares, and Shawnees.  Later he says of the battle:  “We were not much superior to them in numbers, they being about two hundred.”

Levi Todd put the number of the Indians at three hundred, which was pretty near the truth; Boon thought it four hundred; later writers exaggerate wildly, putting it even at one thousand.]

The backwoods horsemen rode swiftly on the trail of their foes, and before evening came to where they had camped the night before.  A careful examination of the camp-fires convinced the leaders that they were heavily outnumbered; nevertheless they continued the pursuit, and overtook the savages early the following morning, the 19th of August.

As they reached the Blue Licks, they saw a few Indians retreating up a rocky ridge that led from the north bank of the river.  The backwoodsmen halted on the south bank, and a short council was held.  All turned naturally to Boon, the most experienced Indian fighter present, in whose cool courage and tranquil self-possession all confided.  The wary old pioneer strongly urged that no attack be made at the moment, but that they should await the troops coming up under Logan.  The Indians were certainly much superior in numbers to the whites; they were aware that they were being followed by a small force, and from the confident, leisurely way in which they had managed their retreat, were undoubtedly anxious to be overtaken and attacked.  The hurried pursuit had been quite proper in the first place, for if the Indians had fled rapidly they would surely have broken up into different bands, which could have been attacked on even terms, while delay would have permitted them to go off unscathed.  But, as it was, the attack would be very dangerous; while the delay of waiting for Logan would be a small matter, for the Indians could still be overtaken after he had arrived.

Well would it have been for the frontiersmen had they followed Boon’s advice. [Footnote:  Va.  State Papers, III., 337.  Col.  Campbell’s letter of Oct. 3, 1782.  The letter is interesting as showing by contemporary authority that Boon’s advice and McGarry’s misbehavior are not mere matters of tradition.  It is possible that there was some jealousy between the troops from Lincoln and those from Fayette; the latter had suffered much