Beadle's Pocket Novels No. 69: The Yellow Hunter

About this issue

This installment, published by Beadle and Adams (1872), is an adventure serial by Capt. Chas. Howard. Set in 1769 Illinois during the aftermath of Pontiac's assassination, it chronicles a frontier war sparked by the Ottawa chief's murder. Kate Blount, a mixed-heritage eighteen-year-old, defends her cottage alongside Swamp Oak, a young Peoria ally, against attacking warriors led by Segowatha of the Pottawatomies. The narrative introduces Jules Bardue, a French creole antagonist seeking Kate, while Kate awaits the arrival of a mysterious fur-trader. The siege sequences feature gunfire exchanges, barricade construction, and escalating violence as the besieged defenders resist overwhelming numbers. The text emphasizes historical tribal confederacies and frontier conflict while tracking personal relationships amid wider warfare.