On a warm summer day, 7 July 1776, Jemima and two friends, BetsyCallaw ay and Fanny Callaway, managed to talk their parents intoletting them t ake the fort's only canoe for a short float trip on theKentucky River. J emima had, a few days earlier, stepped on the"staub" of a cane stalk w hich stabbed into the bottom of her foot. Onthis Sunday, she begged he r father, saying that her foot still hurtand she wanted to dangle it i n the cool water for awhile. DanielBoone, enjoying a lazy Sunday after noon gave in. The girls had gone ashort distance when the canoe jammed o n the edge of the bank acrossand down the river from the fort. Before t hey could free the canoe, aband of Indians came out of the tall canebr ake and grabbed all threeof the girls.
The three girls were marched through the woods barefoot. The Indians,s eeing how the girls were slowing them down tore strips of cloth fromth e bottom of the girls' skirts and fashioned leggings to cover theirfee t. Jemima started tearing off bits of thread and fabric anddropping it a long the trail whenever she could risk it under thewatchful eye of the ir captors.
The girls' families back at the fort did not realize they had notretur ned until "milking time." Discovering the jammed canoe and themissing g irls, Daniel Boone headed into the forest and up the highrocky bluffs w ithout taking time to return to the fort for his shoes.He tracked the I ndians through the forest for many hours beforeanother of the men, arr ived to help in the search, and brought alonga pair of moccasins for D aniel.
The Girls were held captive for 2 days and nights before a dramaticres cue by Daniel Boone, Flanders Callaway, and some other men fromFort Bo onesborough. Jemima is said to have stated that she knew thewhole time t hat her father would find her and bring her home.
When Daniel Boone was taken prisoner by the Shawnee in 1778 andadopted b y Chief Blackfish, most everyone believed that he had beenkilled. This t ime even his wife, Rebecca believed that he was dead.She took her chil dren and along with her married daughter, Susannahand husband, William H ays, returned to North Carolina to herrelatives. However she could not c onvince Jemima to go along. Jemimanever gave up hope that her father w ould return and she didn't intendfor that to happen with no family the re to greet him. She stayed atFort Boonesborough and was there to meet h im the day he made it backto the fort after escaping from the Indians i n Ohio. Later theylearned that the very day that Rebecca had arrived b ack at the Bryancabin in North Carolina, Daniel had arrived back at Fo rtBoonesborough.
Jemima Boone worked alongside the men in times of attack at FortBoones borough. She made bullets, kept the guns loaded, put out firesfrom bur ning arrows, bravely led a group of women to the spring toget water wh ile the fort was under siege, and could shoot a gun withprecision when i t was needed. She learned to survive from her father,Daniel Boone.
