“When he was about fourteen, Daniel learned to read and write. The wife of one of his older brothers taught him how. He never mastered spelling, but he became a devoted reader. He took books with him on hunting trips. At night, he read by the light of the campfire. He also learned some arithmetic. Daniel’s lack of schooling didn’t make him different from his friends. In fact, on the frontier, he was considered well educated.
But his best subject was the woods. There, no sound escaped him, and every animal track was familiar. He rarely got lost. It was as though the trees themselves helped him find his way.”