Little Thunderbolt

LITTLE THUNDERBOLT: OR, THE RANGERS OF THE CAROLINAS By Jos. E. Badger, Jr., this dime novel follows frontier scouts during a violent frontier engagement. The narrative centers on Steve Larrabee, a small but exceptionally skilled scout called "Little Thunderbolt" by the Cherokees, alongside his giant comrade Corney Voss. In the featured excerpt, Larrabee scouts a defile in the Carolinas and detects an Indian ambush through minute observation—a freshly-cut band of green grass that shouldn't be there. Upon recognizing the trap, he shoots an Indian creeping toward him with a noosed rope intended for capture. The ambush is then sprung prematurely. Though outnumbered, Larrabee and his fellow rangers repel the Indian attackers through superior marksmanship while awaiting their captain's arrival with reinforcements. The narrative emphasizes action, wilderness survival, and frontier combat.