"If this letter is correct, they should be here any day," Daniel Boone said setting the piece of paper on the kitchen table. "They should have arrived at Fort Potterville last week and made contact with a man bringing freight to Boonesborough shortly after. They may even be here by now."

His beautiful redhead wife frowned. "Saul Gorman? I don't think I remember him.

"They're close friends with Colonel Shaw and his wife. We met them briefly at the social the Shaw's threw in Philadelphia last August. According to this here letter, the Gorman's are coming to see if they want to settle in Kentuck."

Becky was stirring the pot of Irish stew she had set to boil. Philadelphia folk in the wilderness? She shook her head. They would never survive.

…..

When Dan entered Boonesborough, he went straight to see Cincinnatus. If anything was happening in the settlement, the tavern keeper would know.

"Cincinnatus, I'm expectin' some guests from Philadelphia," he said as he accepted a mug of ale. "I'd be grateful if you let me know when they get here."

The wiry tavern keeper grinned broadly. "Done and done, Dan'l. I think the folks you're lookin' for are sittin' at the table yonder," he said pointing to the far side of the room.

Dan glanced in that direction. It was a man and woman, probably in their mid-fifties. He could tell from their demeanor that they were out of their element. They alternated between staring at the table top and staring around at the other tavern patrons.

The frontiersman picked up his mug of ale and made his way toward the couple. "Mr. Gorman," Dan said extending his hand. "Mrs. Gorman. Good seein' you both again."

"Mr. Boone. I was becoming concerned that perhaps you had not received my letter," the other man said.

Daniel gave them his lopsided grin. "Yep, I got it. Just today as a matter a fact. You almost got here before it did."

The older man shook his head. "I am sorry, Mr. Boone. Can I take it that you will have time to show me the area or is there someone else you could recommend?

The woodsman shook head. "I'd be proud to show you my neck of the woods. Tell you what, why don't you and the Missus get a room here at Cincinnatus' for now. That will give you time to rest up from your trip. Then I'll come back later this afternoon and you can have dinner with me and my family tonight."

"We'll look foreword to it. Thank you, Mr. Boone."

"Dan," the tall man corrected. "We're simple folk here. I'll be back for you later today."

…..

"Daniel Boone," Becky scolded, with her hands on her hips. "I don't have anything prepared for guests from Philadelphia. All I have is Irish Stew and biscuits."

"Perfect," her husband said. "They've come out here to see what life on the frontier is like. They might as well see if for what it is."

The redhead sighed. "If you say so."

"Besides," Dan continued. "They've been on the road four days since leavin' Fort Potterville. I think one of your home cooked meals will really hit the spot."

…..

Five hours later, Saul and Esther Gorman from Philadelphia were seated at the table with Dan and Becky and their two children, Jemima and Israel.

"So how was your trip," Becky asked. She had made the journey from Boonesborough to Philadelphia a couple of times and knew that it could long and bumpy.

Saul's dark-haired wife shook her head. "It was rather pleasant until we arrived at Fort Potterville. It's such a pity. They have been having horrible difficulty with the native population."

Dan nodded, he had heard that Choctaw had been raiding and burning cabins in the area after a young brave was killed by a white settler.

"At Fort Potterville, we met up with the supply wagon driver heading south to Boonesborough," Esther continued. "When we were only a few miles out of town, we were surrounded by a band of the filthiest heathens I had ever seen. They made us get off the wagon; with their dirty hands they pawed through all the supplies and our luggage. One of them even stole an earring straight from my jewelry box." She shivered with the memory. "I wanted to turn back right then and there, but Saul insisted we continue."

"Do you ever have much trouble with the Indians here in this part of Kentucky?" Saul asked the tall woodsman.

Dan shrugged. "Sometimes. Most of the tribes don't really pay us no mind as long as we stay off their land. We've got a treaty with the Cherokee. It's the Shawnee that are not feelin' too friendly toward us right now."

"And you're not afraid?" Esther asked Becky. "Out here all by yourself?"

Becky smiled. "As Dan said, they generally don't come close to the settlement."

…..

As Mingo came over the crest of the hill, he noticed that the front door to the Boone cabin was open. Although that was often the case during the warm summer months, it always put the native on alert, especially if none of the family members were visible outside.

He quickly crossed the yard and silently stepped onto the porch, but relaxed when he heard Daniel's wife humming a familiar Irish tune.

"Rebecca," he called out from just outside the door, not wanting to startle her.

Becky instantly recognized the deep voice of their friend. "Come on in, Mingo."

With practiced ease, the Cherokee bent slightly before entering, assuring that the feathers adorning his head would clear the door jam and he propped his rifle against the wall.

Becky smiled as he leaned around the corner of the kitchen alcove where she was preparing dough for the apple pies she was planning for dessert that evening. "Dan's not here," she said, attempting to swipe a strand of coppery red hair from her eyes. In the process, she left a streak of white flour on her forehead. It reminded the Indian of war paint.

"Actually, it is your advice that I am seeking," the bemused Indian said with a grin.

"Really?" she asked, wiping the remaining flour onto her apron.

He nodded tentatively; his expressive eyebrows arching high on his forehead. "I have rather unexpectedly been invited to attend the wedding ceremony of Eli and Elizabeth Tupper's eldest daughter, Sarah, and would like to give an appropriate gift to the bride and groom."

The redhead could barely hide the joy that she felt at that moment. She knew this invitation meant a great deal to Mingo. He had been asked to be included in an event in the Boonesborough community; a rare opportunity to belong and to be accepted in his own right, rather than to be simply tolerated on the fringe because of his association with her husband.

She could only imagine the thoughts that ran through his mind at times like these. As a young man in England, he had been a member of the privileged elite. Here, he was often treated as if he were barely civilized. He was truly a man trapped between two worlds, but somehow he managed. And it was because of those circumstances that Becky felt him to be a kind of kindred spirit. She too had endured rejection due to the class system while an indentured servant.

"I see," she said, picking up the rolling pin to begin flattening out the pie crusts. "Do you have anything specific in mind?" She suspected that her friend had already put much thought into the gift and was merely looking for her approval.

Mingo shifted nervously a couple of times. Despite the fact that they were alone in the cabin, he took a few steps closer so that he could speak more quietly. "Well, I was considering an imported English bone-china serving bowl I saw in a shop in Salem." He held his arms out in front of him, hands about a foot apart. His long, slender fingers curved to replicate the size of the bowl he was describing.

At that precise moment, the Boone's Philadelphia visitors appeared at the open door. Daniel had sent them on to the cabin while he stayed behind to reconcile some business at the settlement.

Saul gasped as he saw the Indian standing with his arms outstretched toward Becky as if he intended to strangle her and her only defense was the rolling pin in her hand.

"Get away from her, you filthy savage!" he yelled, pointing his flintlock directly at Mingo.

The native started in response to the unexpected threat and quickly spun to face the door, accidentally knocking the rolling pin from Rebecca's hand.

…..

The explosion from the gun was incredibly loud inside the confines of the small cabin.

Mingo jerked as the rifle ball struck him in the chest and he staggered back a step before falling to the floor.

"Oh Dear God," Becky cried out as a prayer to the Almighty, not as a curse. She stared in shock at the man standing in her doorway, the rifle still smoking, and then toward the man writhing on the floor.

…..

The Cherokee rolled back and forth in pain, both hands clawing at the fire that had entered his body. Blood poured from between his fingers, soaking the sleeveless doeskin shirt he wore and dripping onto the floor.

Rebecca instantly knelt beside him and attempted to pull his hands away. "Mingo, let me look," she ordered sternly as she tried to assess the damage that had been done. He fought with her momentarily, but gave up the fight as he tried to draw a ragged breath. It sounded more like the gurgle of someone slowly drowning.

The dispassionate determination for survival required of women of the frontier suddenly kicked in. "Go to the fort," she barked at Saul. "Bring Dan and Cincinnatus. Tell them Mingo's been shot and its bad."

"Esther, help me here. I need you to put pressure on the wound to staunch the bleeding while I get the bandages."

"Move!" Becky shouted when her stunned guests continued to stand at the doorway.

…..

Saul turned to leave, but hesitated on the porch. He was reluctant to leave the two women alone in the cabin with that heathen. Still, the Indian appeared to have been severely incapacitated. Maybe he would be dead by the time they returned from the fort and the threat would be over. He stepped off the porch and started toward Boonesborough.

In the tavern, he spotted Daniel leaning with his back to the counter as the two men in front of him appeared to be pleading their side of the grievance that was between them. The frontiersman was acting as the arbitrator.

"Dan," Saul called out to get his attention. He rushed to stand beside the tall man. "I don't mean to interrupt, but you need to come home right away."

The woodsman took in the man's shocked expression and knew it was serious. "Trouble?" he asked as he took a step toward the door.

"Yes. Someone's been shot."

Dan stopped short and turned back to face his guest. "Shot?"

Saul nodded. "Some filthy, Indian. I arrived at the door just as he was attempting to…" he paused, not wanting to cause undue alarm. "Threaten, well, harm your wife. I warned him to back away, but he struck out at her. I did what I had to do to protect her and I shot him."

The frontiersman frowned deeply, trying to figure out who among the tribes would have such a hate against him that they would risk hurting Becky in their own home.

Suddenly his guest's voice quickly took on a note of urgency, "The women! They are still alone in the house with him lying there. Your wife knew the savage by name and sent me to get you and the tavern keeper."

Daniel felt the color drain from his face and a knot form in the pit of his stomach. He had done his best to protect his family from the most dangerous of the natives, by intentionally not mentioning them. The details of the situation certainly didn't seem quite right, but if Becky knew the name and had been willing to send Saul to get help; it was someone she was acquainted with and he guessed it was someone they knew well.

"Cincinnatus," he shouted to the man behind the bar. "Grab your kit. I think Mingo's been shot."