The first of a new up-to-date series concerning the absorbing doings ofTom and Jack Dacre and their chums of Audubon Academy. The lure of thebig woods and the call of the rod and gun are delightfully set forth inthese volumes.
The first one deals with life in the wilder parts of Maine. Wild as theregion into which the boys penetrate, accompanied by their professor,turns out to be, they find that there are bold, unscrupulous enemieseven there. Nate Trulliber and his son Jeff prove to be formidableneighbors in more senses than one.
For instance the lost lead vein which is one of the objects of the boys'quest is associated in a strange way with this Trulliber and his evilcompanions. The plots of these men are, however, frustrated in a clevermanner by the boys; but not without their involving themselves in gravedifficulties. Danger too threatens them, as notably when Tom isimprisoned in the mountain cave with every prospect of being speedilydrowned if help does not soon come. The source from which aid finallyproceeds is as mysterious as the character of the lonely hermit who fora time is mistaken by the boys for an enemy. Not until the end of thebook do they learn how utterly they were mistaken, in his character.