Silent Slayer; or, The Maid of Montreal

The Silent Slayer; or, The Maid of Montreal By W. J. Hamilton, this Beadle and Company dime novel (No. 171) follows Wilton Mowbray, a young English provincial ensign, and his Irish companion Mick O'Toole as they flee through forest terrain pursued by Indian warriors. Carrying dispatches vital to the king's cause regarding French truce-breaking, they make a stand in a narrow pass, killing several attackers with rifle and pistol fire. Wilton, known to the Indians as "the Silent Slayer"—a feared scout whose parents died in an Indian massacre two years prior—confronts Rolling Thunder, a St. Regis warrior responsible for his father's death. Rolling Thunder refuses to reveal the name of the Frenchman who led the massacre raid, and is shot by one of his own allies. Wilton and Mick escape toward a hidden canoe at a nearby lake.