Old Bear-Paw, the trapper king

In Short

Published in 1873 as a Beadle and Adams dime novel, Henry M. Avery’s frontier yarn follows celebrated scout Lew Kelly and his colorful companion Jehiel Filkins into the Black Hills. What begins as a prospecting trip quickly descends into a series of abductions, daring rescues, and tribal skirmishes involving the Sioux, Blackfeet, and Pawnee. Joined by Captain Curtiss and an eccentric hermit known as Old Bear-Paw, the heroes dodge death at the stake and hidden caverns. It remains a classic artifact of 19th-century American pulp fiction, built on rapid-fire action and melodrama.

The Story

The narrative opens upon a high peak in the Black Hills, five days' ride from Fort Randall. Scout Lew Kelly and his Yankee partner Jehiel Filkins have ventured into Blackfoot territory to investigate rumors of rich gold deposits and abundant game. Though they find ample gold dust and peltry, Kelly grows eager to return to his waiting wife. Their plans change abruptly when they intervene in a frontier conflict.

Kelly rescues Snowdrop, the daughter of the Blackfoot chief Gray Eagle, from the villainous Sioux chief Red Pine. Snowdrop’s father lies injured with a broken leg, and Kelly uses smoke signals to call Blackfoot braves to their aid. However, Red Pine and his warriors remain on their trail, targeting both the scouts and a separate party led by Captain Curtiss.

A series of skirmishes and captures ensues. Jehiel falls into the hands of Red Pine’s band and is bound to a stake to be burned alive at sunrise. Before the torch can ignite the brush, Kelly rides in, shoots the executioner, cuts Jehiel’s thongs, and carries him away on his powerful horse. Meanwhile, the Pawnee chief White Wolf captures Snowdrop. Loving her, White Wolf promises to save her father from the Sioux to win her hand, though Snowdrop secretly harbors feelings for Kelly.

To evade the relentless Sioux, Kelly leads Curtiss, Snowdrop, and an Indian girl named Nulela through a narrow canyon into a hidden cavern. There they encounter the mysterious hermit, Old Bear-Paw, who lives underground alongside tamed wild beasts. As the conflicts converge, Red Pine traps Gray Eagle and his Blackfoot braves atop an inaccessible, rocky hill, planning to starve them out after recapturing Snowdrop.

Deep within the subterranean cavern, Bear-Paw’s health begins to fail. Before he dies, he reveals the secret of the chasm’s hidden wealth to Kelly and tells of his lost daughter, stolen long ago by Apaches, whom he marked with a square and compass tattoo. Nulela bames her arm to reveal the identical mark, revealing she is not Red Pine's sister but Bear-Paw's long-lost child. Father and daughter reunite just moments before the old trapper passes away peacefully.

With Bear-Paw laid to rest in the chasm, the party breaks the siege, outwits the Sioux, and restores order among the tribes, allowing the surviving heroes to depart the Black Hills with their fortunes and lives intact.

How It Unfolds

Scouting the Black Hills Lew Kelly and Jehiel Filkins inspect the gulches west of Fort Randall, verifying reports of abundant game and rich gold deposits. Kelly expresses a desire to return home to his wife, but ongoing frontier dangers interrupt their departure.

Rescues and Red Pine’s Wrath Kelly saves Snowdrop from the Sioux warrior Red Pine, breaking the villain's arm in the process. He brings the chief’s daughter back to her wounded father, Gray Eagle, and sets signal fires to assemble the Blackfoot warriors.

The Stake and the Escape Jehiel is captured by the Sioux and taunts his captors as they pile dry brush around him for execution. Just as a brave moves to light the pyre, Kelly shoots the warrior and swoops in on horseback to sever Jehiel's bonds.

Into the Hermit’s Cavern Evading pursueing war parties, Kelly guides his companions up a stream to mask their footprints, leading them through a hidden stone fissure into a massive cave system. Inside, they meet the eccentric trapper Old Bear-Paw and his menagerie of wild animals.

Siege at the Bluff Red Pine surrounds the Blackfoot forces atop a steep, rocky plateau, aiming to starve them into submission. Snowdrop falls into Sioux hands once more, leaving Gray Eagle trapped above without provisions.

A Deathbed Discovery Inside the deep cave, Old Bear-Paw prepares for death and bequeaths his furs and gold secrets to Kelly. When Nulela reveals a distinct tattoo on her arm, Bear-Paw realizes she is his missing daughter, dying content in her arms before the party secures their final escape.

The People

• Lew Kelly (White Panther): A renowned scout torn between his home life and frontier duties. He wants to return to his wife, but his unwavering code of honor forces him to rescue captives and fight off hostile war parties. He emerges victorious as a dependable leader.
• Jehiel Filkins: A loyal, fast-talking Yankee scout who values his freedom and his old coat. He routinely taunts his captors, fights courageously beside Kelly, and provides comic relief throughout their life-or-death struggles.
• Snowdrop: The defiant daughter of Blackfoot chief Gray Eagle. She resists unwanted suitors like White Wolf and Red Pine, holding out hope for Kelly's protection and remaining steadfastly loyal to her father.
• Old Bear-Paw: A tragic, reclusive trapper living in a subterranean cavern with wild animals. He seeks peace after losing his family years ago, ultimately finding his long-lost daughter right before he dies.
• Red Pine: A vengeful Sioux chief determined to reclaim Snowdrop and eliminate the white scouts. His relentless pursuit drives the plot's conflicts until his forces are outmaneuvered.
• Nulela: Believed to be the sister of Red Pine, she escapes with Captain Curtiss and is later revealed by her tattoo to be Bear-Paw's stolen daughter.

In Its Own Voice

"Yew are 'tarnal right; he won't!"

— Jehiel Filkins interrupts Lew Kelly's solitary thoughts on the Black Hills peak, reassuring his partner of his arrival.

"When the sun shows its face above the trees, the pale-face shall die by fire."

— A Sioux chief announces Jehiel's impending execution to the captured scout.

"The sooner the better, old stoughton bottle. It's a chilly night, and a little fire will do a fellow good."

— Jehiel defiantely mocks his captors as they pile dry brush around his waist.

What It's Really About

Beneath its frantic wilderness chases and gunfights, the story explores the clash of cultures and survival codes on the 19th-century American frontier. It contrasts the honor-bound fidelity of scouts like Lew Kelly with the unforgiving realities of tribal warfare. The narrative delves into themes of lost identity and family restoration, central to the melodrama of Old Bear-Paw and his daughter Nulela. It also reflects period anxieties and fascinations surrounding the Black Hills gold rush, depicting the wilderness as both a realm of untold riches and constant mortal peril.

Why Read It Today

Old Bear-Paw, the Trapper King offers modern readers an unvarnished window into the height of American dime-novel publishing. Fans of historical frontier fiction and 19th-century popular culture will enjoy its brisk pacing, colorful dialogue, and dramatic cliffhangers. The book captures the specific flavor of post-Civil War sensational literature, complete with exaggerated Yankee dialect ("'tarnal", "jewhillakens") and classic melodrama.

Readers should note the presence of period ethnic stereotypes, sensationalized depictions of Native American tribes, and theatrical phrasing typical of 1870s mass-market paperbacks. Despite these historical artifacts, the story moves with energy, driven by inventive set pieces like subterranean animal dens, smoke-signal communications, and narrow canyon escapes. It remains a quick, engaging read for anyone curious about the origins of American pulp adventure fiction.