Beadle's New Dime Novels: Mossfoot, the Brave

This issue of Beadle and Adams' dime novel series (No. 475) contains Mossfoot, the Brave: The Fat Scout of Oneida Lake by W. J. Hamilton. The story centers on a rivalry between two Indian chiefs during the early Revolutionary period near Oneida Lake in New York. The Huron chief Scar Face challenges the Oneida brave Mossfoot to single combat over a woman named Silver Voice, a half-white Huron maiden whom Mossfoot has stolen from the Huron lodges. The two chiefs meet at the lakeside for their duel, with Silver Voice as witness. The combat sequence depicts their knife and hatchet fight in brutal detail, with both men taunting each other and drawing blood repeatedly. The narrative emphasizes the warriors' prowess, courage, and martial honor within their tribal contexts.