The Silent Hunter; The Scowl Hall Mystery

The Silent Hunter; The Scowl Hall Mystery by Percy B. St. John begins in Ohio frontier wilderness near the Scioto and Ohio rivers during Indian conflicts. The narrative opens with atmospheric description of a moonlit forest glade beside Blue Spring, where Custaloga, a young Wyandot warrior in war-paint, meets Dick Harvey, a white artist-hunter carrying a knapsack and rifle. Custaloga, formerly taken prisoner as a boy and educated by the Moss family (including daughters Amy and Jane), has returned from a year's absence on the war-path and now warns Harvey of danger from Red-Bird and Shawnee warriors. The two hide as a Shawnee party gathers—fourteen warriors plus a terrified enslaved man—who convene at the glade for council, posting scouts. The story combines frontier adventure, Native American characters, and developing conflict among multiple parties in the wilderness setting.