In those days no insult went unpunished...

In those days no insult went unpunished; no tribe failed twice in its obligations. The circle of French influence was firmly extended around the haunts of the Iroquois in New York and along the Ohio. From Frontenac, on Lake Ontario, north to Hudson’s Bay, was French land. To the westward, along the Ottawa River, and skirting the north shore of Lake Huron to Michillimackinac and Green Bay, were the strong French allies, the Hurons, Ottawas, Nipissings, Kiskagons, Sacs, Foxes, and Mascoutins. Down at the lower end of Lake Michigan, at the Chicagou and St. Joseph 6 portages, were the Miamis; and farther still, the Illinois, whom the Sieur de la Salle and Henri de Tonty had drawn close under the arm of New France."

Several Image Galleries for your Viewing Pleasure

I was looking for inspiration the other day and came across these sites.

Indian Summer: Scenes from the Frontier
French and Indian war diorama.

Golden Demon Award Winners Website
A huge handful of beautifully painted horror and fantasy miniatures.

Miniatures Scenes
A small collection of ‘N’ or ‘Z’ gauge (?) miniatures arranged in some very distinctive ways.

My Fall and Early Winter Reading List

It seems that I am to continue my reading of sea yarns and of pirates.  Within this list I have three novels by Captain Fredrick Marryat; two of those being sea yarns, and one being upon the War of Roses.  I have listed one title by Samuel Merwin, which tells a tale of the French and Indian War and one title by Brain Jacques, Mattimeo which I am looking forward to reading. It has been a while since I read anything in the Red Wall series.

Captain Marryat:

The Pirate

The Phantom Ship

The Children of the New Forest
It is set in the time of the English Civil War and the Commonwealth (War of the Roses).

Samuel Merwin:

The Road to Frontenac
A novel taking place during the French and Indian war. High adventure and intrigue.

Brian Jacques:

Mattimeo

Howard Pyle:

Book of Pirates (non fiction) (currently reading)

The Patriarchal Natty Bumppo

About a week ago I made a post on James Fenimore Cooper’s Leather Stocking series of novels that feature the protagonist, Natty Bumppo. I mentioned that I had read a few of the novels out of historical sequence.

After reading The Deerslayer, The First War Path I am glad for this unintentional breach. I am afraid if I had I started with The Deerslayer I may not have decided to continue to my readings in this series.

In the novels that following the Deerslayer, Natty Bumppo is circumspective, but laid back. Natty Bumppo was a character that I could live with; however in the Dearslayer I found the character of Natty Bumppo to patriarchal for his age. Natty Bumppo is young here, this is his first war path, but he seems to have wisdom beyond his years.

He is ready to return to the Huron’s camp to be to be tortured and you find him giving advice to all of his compatriots. This is the point where the character of Natty Bumppo takes a turn and no longer seems convincing.

The Leatherstocking Series

The Leatherstocking Tales is a series of five novels written by James Fenimore Cooper. Each features the main hero of Natty Bumppo, which is known by European settlers as Leatherstocking, The Pathfinder, and the trapper. He is also known by Native Americans as "Deerslayer," "La Longue Carabine" and "Hawkeye".

It seems that I have read these novels out of sequence for I have read The Last of the Mohicans, The Pathfinder, The Inland Sea, and am just now reading “The Deerslayer, The First War Path”. The first three of Fenimore’s novels depict the French and Indian Wars era. The correct historic sequence of these novels is:

Story Dates	Title
1740-1755	The Deerslayer, The First War Path
1757	The Last of the Mohicans, A Narrative of 1757
1750s	The Pathfinder, The Inland Sea
1793	The Pioneers, The Sources of the Susquehanna; A Descriptive Tale
1804	The Prairie, A Tale

All three novels that I have read include very spirited stories with encounters with antagonist Indians and, in some cases, an interesting view of the North American frontier. Natty Bumppo, the protagonist, having grown up with a tribe of Delaware Indians is companied by his Mohican "brother" Chingachgook or Big Serpent. These two protagonists either fight or outwit their enemies in these novels.

I just finished the “The Pathfinder, The Inland Sea” not too long ago and the story still pretty fresh in my mind, however I read the “The Last of the Mohicans” sometime ago. I am thinking on picking up The Last of the Mohicans again after I have finished reading “The Deerslayer”. After rereading the “Last of the Mohicans” I will pick-up the sequence again with “The Pioneers and The Prairie”.