The Half-Blood; or, The Panther of the Plains

# The Half-Blood: The Panther of the Plains

Edward S. Ellis's serialized western novel begins in 1824 on the Kansas River, where trappers Edward Murtel (an English deserter from the War of 1812) and Harry Harmer (a Kentuckian) set traps and exchange tales. While awaiting prey, Harmer recounts a twenty-year-old adventure from Wisconsin when, as a young man, he and companion Tom Haberly separated during a hunt. Harmer stumbled upon a sleeping Native American by a campfire; attempting to knife him, Harmer's misstep alerted the warrior. What followed was a dramatic chase through wilderness involving three armed Native Americans pursuing Harmer toward a fifty-foot river bluff. Harmer leaped into the water; Haberly, positioned opposite, began shooting the pursuers. The narrative breaks mid-climax as the trappers prepare to attend their actual traps.