The Mad Ranger

This 1872 dime novel by Joseph E. Badger Jr. presents a frontier adventure set during Tecumseh's era. Two white scouts, Uriah Barham and Peter Shafer—the latter a boastful former Indian trader—volunteer to infiltrate Elskwatawa's (the Prophet's) town near the Wabash to learn the military intentions of allied tribes as General Harrison marches toward the region that would become famous as Tippecanoe. Moving stealthily through darkness, they kill a sentinel and deceive another with Shafer's linguistic skill, then climb a tree overlooking the village square to spy on a council gathering. From their hiding place among the branches, they observe the Prophet delivering an inflammatory speech to hundreds of warriors, urging resistance against white encroachment and boasting of numerical superiority, promising to drive Harrison's forces into the Wabash River if they attempt crossing. The narrative combines scouting adventure with period military-political conflict.