Rolf in the Woods
In this story I have endeavoured to realize some of the influences that surrounded the youth of America a hundred years ago, and made of them, first, good citizens, and, later, in the day of peril, heroes that won the battles of Lake Erie, Plattsburg, and New Orleans, and the great sea fights of Porter, Bainbridge, Decatur, Lawrence, Perry, and MacDonough.
I have especially dwelt in detail on the woodland and peace scouting in the hope that I may thus help other boys to follow the hard-climbing trail that leads to the higher uplands.
For the historical events of 1812-14, I have consulted among books chiefly, Theodore Roosevelt's “Naval War of 1812,” Peter S. Palmer's “History of Lake Champlain,” and Walter Hill Crockett's “A History of Lake Champlain,” 1909. But I found another and more personal mine of information. Through the kindness of my friend, Edmund Seymour, a native of the Champlain region, now a resident of New York, I went over all the historical ground with several unpublished manuscripts for guides, and heard from the children of the sturdy frontiersmen new tales of the war; and in getting more light and vivid personal memories, I was glad, indeed, to realize that not only were there valour and heroism on both sides, but also gentleness and courtesy. Histories written by either party at the time should be laid aside. They breathe the rancourous hate of the writers of the age—the fighters felt not so—and the many incidents given here of chivalry and consideration were actual happenings, related to me by the descendants of those who experienced them; and all assure me that these were a true reflex of the feelings of the day.
I am much indebted to Miss Katherine Palmer, of Plattsburg, for kindly allowing me to see the unpublished manuscript memoir of her grandfather, Peter Sailly, who was Collector of the Port of Plattsburg at the time of the war.
Another purpose in this story was to picture the real Indian with his message for good or for evil.
Ernest Thompson Seton
ROLF IN THE WOODS
Preface
Chapter 1. The Wigwam Under the Rock
Chapter 2. Rolf Kittering and the Soldier Uncle
Chapter 3. Rolf Catches a Coon and Finds a Friend
Chapter 4. The Coon Hunt Makes Trouble for Rolf
Chapter 5. Good-bye to Uncle Mike
Chapter 6. Skookum Accepts Rolf at Last
Chapter 7. Rolf Works Out with Many Results
Chapter 8. The Law of Property Among Our Four-Footed Kin
Chapter 9. Where the Bow Is Better Than the Gun
Chapter 10. Rolf Works Out with Many Results
Chapter 11. The Thunder-storm and the Fire Sticks
Chapter 12. Hunting the Woodchucks
Chapter 13. The Fight with the Demon of the Deep
Chapter 14. Selectman Horton Appears at the Rock
Chapter 15. Bound for the North Woods
Chapter 16. Life with the Dutch Settler
Chapter 17. Canoeing on the Upper Hudson
Chapter 18. Animal Life Along the River
Chapter 19. The Footprint on the Shore
Chapter 20. The Trappers' Cabin
Chapter 21. Rolf's First Deer
Chapter 22. The Line of Traps
Chapter 23. The Beaver Pond
Chapter 24. The Porcupine
Chapter 25. The Otter Slide
Chapter 26. Back to the Cabin
Chapter 27. Sick Dog Skookum
Chapter 28. Alone in the Wilderness
Chapter 29. Snowshoes
Chapter 30. Catching a Fox
Chapter 31. Following the Trap Line
Chapter 32. The Antler-bound Bucks
Chapter 33. A Song of Praise
Chapter 34. The Birch-bark Vessels
Chapter 35. Snaring Rabbits
Chapter 36. Something Wrong at the Beaver Traps
Chapter 37. The Pekan or Fisher
Chapter 38. The Silver Fox
Chapter 39. The Humiliation of Skookum
Chapter 40. The Rarest of Pelts
Chapter 41. The Enemy's Fort
Chapter 42. Skookum's Panther
“Why are there so few deer tracks now?”
Chapter 43. Sunday in the Woods
Chapter 44. The Lost Bundle of Furs
Chapter 45. The Subjugation of Hoag
Chapter 46. Nursing Hoag
Chapter 47. Hoag's Home-coming
Chapter 48. Rolf's Lesson in Trailing
Chapter 49. Rolf Gets Lost
Chapter 50. Marketing the Fur
Chapter 51. Back at Van Trumper's
Chapter 52. Annette's New Dress
Chapter 53. Travelling to the Great City
Chapter 54. Albany
Chapter 55. The Rescue of Bill
Chapter 56. The Sick Ox
Chapter 57. Rolf and Skookum at Albany
Chapter 58. Back to Indian Lake
Chapter 59. Van Cortlandt's Drugs
Chapter 60. Van Cortlandt's Adventure
Chapter 61. Rolf Learns Something from Van
Chapter 62. The Charm of Song
Chapter 63. The Redemption of Van
Chapter 64. Dinner at the Governor's
Chapter 65. The Grebes and the Singing Mouse
Chapter 66. A Lesson in Stalking
“Did you ever see any fighting, Quonab?”
Chapter 67. Rolf Meets a Canuck
Chapter 68. War
Chapter 69. Ogdensburg
Chapter 70. Saving the Despatches
Chapter 71. Sackett's Harbour
Chapter 72. Scouting Across Country
Chapter 73. Rolf Makes a Record
Chapter 74. Van Trumper's Again
Chapter 75. Scouting in Canada
Chapter 76. The Duel
Chapter 77. Why Plattsburg Was Raided
Chapter 78. Rumours and Papers
Chapter 79. McGlassin's Exploit
Chapter 80. The Bloody Saranac
Chapter 81. The Battle of Plattsburg
In broad daylight he skimmed away in his one man canoe.
Chapter 82. Scouting for Macomb
Chapter 83. The Last of Sir George Prevost
Chapter 84. Rolf Unmasks the Ambush
Chapter 85. The Hospital, the Prisoners, and Home
Chapter 86. The New Era of Prosperity
Quonab Goes Home