Page:Oregon Historical Quarterly volume 13.djvu/250

242 with a porthole or lookout on one side of the door, that could be closed up at night and opened up in the day to give light in the house. All the inmates had to observe a certain rule of rising in the morning at a stated hour, or as soon as they could see across the street, about sixty feet wide. Thus they could see if there were any redmen at their neighbors' doors. The only way the wild Indians could hope to cope with Kentucky rifles was by placing a watch at the door of each house with a tomahawk in hand to strike down the inmate as soon as he opened the door. But before the door opened each watcher, almost at the same time, fell dead at the door he was watching. There was no truce to bury the dead, but the Kentucky braves gave the red braves a decent burial all in one grave. One such occurrence as this was the last time the noble redman of the forest ever tried that plan.

Of course, the bow and arrow was no match for the Kentucky rifle, many of which the frontiersmen made themselves. My grandfather was a gunsmith and made as good accurate shooting guns as are made in this day and age of the world.

Kentucky now began to settle up in earnest, mostly from Virginia and Tennessee. Cornwallis had surrendered and Tories had to hunt their holes. Peace and quiet now reigned throughout the land. Kentucky was filling up rapidly with the F. F. Vs.

My grandfather soon met and married a Miss Sarah Kimbrough, of Welsh descent. Her father moved from Virginia with all his household, including a large family of negroes, many cattle and horses, and an even half-bushel of Spanish- milled dollars, the only real land office money we had at that time that amounted to anything. This silver is now considered unsound, dishonest, corrupt fifty-cent dollars. Rag money is good enough for the common people now. I only mention this to show what a wonderful change has taken place since I was a man grown.

In 1812 war again broke out between the United States and Great Britain. I had two uncles who were old enough to shoulder a rifle. One of them made his own gun, he being a gun-