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Audiobook editionPaperback · 6 × 9 in · printing soonHardcover · 6 × 9 in · printing soonAbout this book
A bent twig or a print in the mud can mean everything when a tenderfoot goes missing.
In Alan Douglas's Pathfinder; or, The Missing Tenderfoot, outdoor adventure meets the lessons of early American scouting. A tenderfoot is a beginner: a boy who promises to follow the scout oath and law but still has much to prove. The title sets that newcomer beside the pathfinder, who reads the land and leads others through it.
Tracking, teamwork, and wilderness survival shape this world. Small signs offer clues, while the patrol asks boys to share tasks and look out for one another. The woods hold beauty and risk: weather can change, food can run short, and distance can deceive. Knowing what to do matters, but so does knowing how to act.
What you’ll discover
- Clues beneath your feet See how small marks in the landscape can turn uncertainty into understanding.
- A beginner's challenge Explore the gap between promising to follow scout values and proving practical skill.
- Strength in the patrol Discover an adventure tradition where shared tasks matter more than a single hero.
- Beauty with real risks Enter woods where changing weather and uncertain distances test judgment as well as endurance.
- Adventure with a purpose Encounter early Scout fiction's blend of outdoor excitement, honor, and responsibility toward others.
Who will love it
You will enjoy this book if you like woodcraft, mysteries solved by sharp eyes, and adventure where clear thinking counts for more than luck.
What’s inside
The key ideas, in the 15-minute summary
- A woodland game becomes a mystery
- Simple pictures carry useful messages
- The trail reaches a feared place
- Questions give the search a direction
- The mill holds signs of visitors
- Landy contributes an important clue
- Evidence matters more than suspicion
- Practical lessons become part of action
- Look closely before choosing an explanation
Who’s who
- Elmer ChenowithThe assistant scoutmaster and pathfinder, a sharp tracker raised in Canada, who wants to find his missing friend and solve the mystery by reasoning.
- Matty EgglestonThe leader of the Beaver Patrol, a patient reader of trail messages who is working toward First Class rank.
- Lil ArthaA tall, joking scout with a pocket camera who admires Elmer and is always game for danger.
- Chatz MaxfieldA brave, dignified boy from South Carolina who half believes in ghosts and hopes to meet one at the old mill.
- Landy SmithThe stout newcomer to the Wolf Patrol, who wants to prove he can be a real scout.
- George RobbinsA doubting new recruit who questions everything and knows a little Italian from his father's workers.
- Nat ScottA strong, gentle scout who loves to poke into everything and has gone missing near the mill.
- Red HugginsA red-haired, eager Beaver Patrol scout who loves action and cannot keep his opinions to himself.
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Pathfinder; or, The Missing Tenderfoot in 25 languages, side by side, paragraph by paragraph, once the book texts are online: the way to learn a language with a book you love.
Pathfinder; or, The Missing Tenderfoot
by Alan Douglas · 1911
A scrap of birch bark, a missing scout and a mill said to be haunted set Elmer Chenowith on a trail.
Medium level2–5 hours to read20 languages
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In short
Seven boys stop in the deep woods. A stick stands upright in the trail, and a scrap of birch bark is wedged in its split end.
Pathfinder; or, The Missing Tenderfoot at a glance
- Reading time
- About 2 h 25 min1 h 55 min fast, 2 h 50 min slow
- Length
- 34,300 words
- Library level
- Medium longer sentences, everyday words
- First published
- 1911by Alan Douglas
Reading time at 238 words a minute (fast 300, slow 200). How long the classics take to read · Updated
From the 15-minute summary · Key idea 1
A scrap of bark teaches picture writing
The story opens with a game. Part of the Hickory Ridge troop goes into the woods early, and assistant scoutmaster Elmer Chenowith follows an hour later as pathfinder. He leaves a trail and drops a message now and then. Two groups of scouts follow, reading the signs.
The first message is the birch bark in the split stick. Matty Eggleston, leader of the Beaver Patrol, explains it to the two newest boys, George Robbins and Landy Smith. They see three little men, and under each is the sign of a patrol. Matty says picture writing holds no secret code. It is made simple on purpose, so anyone can read it.
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Which edition is right for me
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Details
- First published
- 1911
- Language
- English
- Level
- Medium level
Cite this edition
Douglas, Alan. Pathfinder; or, The Missing Tenderfoot. Library of Alexandria, 2026, libraryofalexandria.com/products/pathfinder-or-the-missing-tenderfoot.
Douglas, A. (2026). Pathfinder; or, the missing tenderfoot. Library of Alexandria. https://libraryofalexandria.com/products/pathfinder-or-the-missing-tenderfoot (Original work published 1911)
Douglas, Alan. Pathfinder; or, The Missing Tenderfoot. Library of Alexandria, 2026. https://libraryofalexandria.com/products/pathfinder-or-the-missing-tenderfoot.
@book{douglas2026pathfinder,
author = {Douglas, Alan},
title = {Pathfinder; or, The Missing Tenderfoot},
publisher = {Library of Alexandria},
year = {2026},
url = {https://libraryofalexandria.com/products/pathfinder-or-the-missing-tenderfoot},
note = {First published 1911}
}
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What is Pathfinder, or The Missing Tenderfoot about?
A Boy Scout troop plays a tracking game in the woods. When scout Nat Scott vanishes near an abandoned mill said to be haunted, the troop and their pathfinder Elmer Chenowith search for clues to find him.
Who is Elmer Chenowith?
Elmer is the assistant scoutmaster of the Hickory Ridge troop and the pathfinder of the game. He grew up in Canada, tracks like an expert, and solves the mystery by studying footprints, objects and smells.
What is Indian picture writing in the book?
It is a simple system of pencil drawings on birch bark. Patrol signs, bent legs, missing hats and drawn fires tell the following scouts who is ahead, which way they went, and how recently.
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