General Wood had tried multiple times to get exploring parties over the mountains to the west of his fort in Virginia but without much luck. When he sent a party out that included young Gabe Arthur, he expected to see the boy again in about two months. Gabe’s story took a remarkable turn, however, and he spent more than a year with Native American tribes in the Blue Ridge Mountains. When he finally returned, he carried with him a history-shaping piece of information.