Ben, the Trapper

This is the opening installment of *Ben, the Trapper; or, the Mountain Demon*, a Beadle and Adams dime novel by Major Lewis W. Carson, published in 1875. The narrative follows three trappers—Ben Miffin (American), Jules Damand (French voyageur), and Jan (Dutch immigrant)—as they establish a camp in the Black Hills to pursue fur trapping during the competitive period between the American Fur Company and Hudson Bay Company. The text comprises primarily dialogue establishing the trappers' characters through banter about Rhine wine, food, and smoking habits. Jules secretly serves frog soup, which Jan adamantly refuses to eat until discovering he has already consumed it. The chapter concludes with the three departing their camp to travel five miles to a prime beaver-dam location. An action sequence involving a grizzly bear appears imminent, as Chapter II begins.