The Boy Miners; or, The Enchanted Island

This 1885 serial by Edward S. Ellis concerns three gold-hunters—brothers Edwin and George Inwood and Jim Tubbs, an enslaved African American—mining in the Yellowstone country. While extracting gold, they are trapped in a cave by Mohave Indians who surround the entrance. After Jim forcibly drags one of the attackers into the cave during a failed negotiation, the hunters must defend themselves. Edwin ingeniously manufactures an explosive charge by drilling a hole in a stone, filling it with "Dupont's best" (gunpowder), inserting a fuse, and concealing it with sand and dust. As the Mohaves press their siege outside, Jim prepares to hurl this bomb-shell among the attackers, suggesting the story will escalate toward violent confrontation. The narrative emphasizes resourcefulness and survival against overwhelming odds.