The Two Hunters

"The Two Hunters; or, The Canyon Camp" This serial romance by Mrs. M. V. Victor, published by Beadle and Adams in 1883, follows two hunters—a reserved young man of about twenty-four named Louis and a garrulous, elderly Yankee named Amos Buell—camped near the Red River in the Wachita Mountains region. Accompanied by Louis's dog Dick, they prepare supper over a campfire, roasting wild turkey stuffed with salt pork and pecans. Buell, a former lecturer and trader with rambling conversational habits, discusses tracking Comanche war parties by their fire pits while Louis remains mysteriously distant. When Buell presses Louis about his past—suggesting he's fled romantic trouble—Louis deflects and feigns sleep. The narrative emphasizes frontier survival skills, Indian relations, and the contrast between the loquacious Buell and the taciturn young man.