The Keepers of the Trail: A Story of the Great Woods

Metadata

Gutenberg ID

25596

Title

The Keepers of the Trail: A Story of the Great Woods

Language

en

Book source

Project Gutenberg

Description max 80 words

Set in the primeval wilderness of Kentucky, this adventure follows Henry Ware and four skilled companions as they guard frontier settlements against hostile Northwestern Indians. Blending deep appreciation for nature with high-stakes survival, the story celebrates courage, wit, and brotherhood as five men face overwhelming odds to protect their home and destroy a formidable enemy force.

Summary up to 500 words

In Joseph A. Altsheler's *The Keepers of the Trail*, five men—Henry Ware, Paul Cotter, Long Jim Hart, Tom Ross, and Shif'less Sol Hyde—serve as guardians of Kentucky's untamed forests. Henry, a master of the woods, leads his comrades in protecting settlements from relentless raids by Northwestern Indians. Their vigilance is tested when a smaller band of warriors, equipped with cannons, besieges their hidden hollow while the main Indian force departs south. Realizing their friends are trapped, Henry and Sol confirm the main army has abandoned the siege but decide to rescue their comrades first before pursuing the retreating force to destroy the cannons. Upon reaching the besieged hollow, they find their friends holding out, taunting the attackers with Long Jim's fiery rhetoric. Henry then executes a daring plan: he disguises himself in the regalia of a fallen warrior and infiltrates the frenzied enemy camp during a midnight dance. While the warriors are intoxicated by ritualistic chanting, Henry stealthily approaches the ammunition wagons. He cuts a strip of canvas, inserts it into a powder wagon, and ignites it with a torch before fleeing. The resulting explosion shatters the cannons and routs the terrified warriors. The heroes recover the body of the fallen Colonel Alloway, bury him with respect, and retreat to their safe haven in a cliffside cleft. There, amidst the forest's green splendor, they rest, having achieved a legendary victory through intellect and bravery, proving that five men can stand against a thousand.

LLM editorial rating

4.2/5

Download URL

https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/25596.epub.noimages

Local file path

data/epubs/pg25596.epub

Download EPUB

Downloaded at

2026-07-04 04:30 UTC

Categories

• Adventure
• Fiction