Edward S. Ellis 
Wetzel, the Scout 
Western Novel: The Captives of the Wilderness

Wetzel, the Scout is set in the Ohio River valley where the Shawnee Indian tribe lived. It begins when Captain Parks angrily accuses his black slave, Pompey, of discharging a rifle. This has made Parks very angry and left Pompey very fearful. They are on their way to meet a flatboat that is sailing down the Ohio River where the real adventure awaits.

About the author

Edward S. Ellis (1840-1916) was an American teacher, school administrator, journalist, and the author of hundreds of books and magazine articles that he produced by his name and by a number of pen names. Ellis is best known for his westerns and dime novels.