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Audiobook editionPaperback · 6 × 9 in · 212 pagesHardcover · 6 × 9 in · 212 pagesAbout this book
In the Ozark hills, a wrong turn can lose a traveler, and a cool head can matter more than boldness.
The Hunters of the Ozark by Edward Sylvester Ellis takes you into steep ridges, thick woods, clear streams and hidden hollows. Here, hunters depend on more than the chase. Weather, water and game shape life in camp, while the country itself demands care at every turn.
Ellis makes tracking, patience and quiet movement central to this frontier adventure. Wild animals, rough ground and uncertain encounters bring danger close. Staying calm and trusting companions matter more than reckless bravery. The direct prose and brisk scenes keep attention on what the hunters face, and how they meet it.
What you’ll discover
- Hills that demand respect Enter rugged country where thick woods and hidden hollows can turn travel into a test.
- The craft of tracking Follow the patience, quiet movement and woodland knowledge that give the chase its interest.
- Courage without recklessness Discover an adventure that values a steady mind when danger comes suddenly.
- Trust on the trail Explore the importance of relying on companions when the wilderness leaves little room for mistakes.
- A brisk frontier tale Enjoy short chapters and energetic scenes that keep you eager for what comes next.
Who will love it
You will enjoy this book if you love woodcraft, canoes and campfires, brave friendships, cheerful Irish humor, and pioneer tales with action in nearly every chapter.
What’s inside
The key ideas, in the 15-minute summary
- A cowbell opens a dangerous journey
- The ringing bell hides a trap
- Deerfoot joins strength with mercy
- Pride sends the boys into danger
- A watchful guardian offers safer shelter
- Deerfoot listens before confronting the threat
- Courage takes different forms in danger
- Friendship steadies an uncertain night
- Mercy gives the adventure its center
Who’s who
- Fred LindenA strong, level-headed sixteen-year-old from Greville who sets out to join his father at the Ozark camp.
- Terry ClarkA fifteen-year-old Irish orphan, cheerful and quick with his fists, who wants a rifle of his own and Fred's company.
- Deerfoot the ShawanoeA young warrior who reads and writes, follows the Bible, spares his foes, and guards the boys with great skill.
- The WolfA Winnebago warrior who steals Brindle and then seeks revenge when he loses his rifle to Terry and Deerfoot.
- Black BearThe Winnebago chief who leads a war party toward the hunters' camp.
- George LindenFred's father, an experienced hunter and trapper waiting at the Ozark camp for his son.
- James BowlbyA short, moody trapper who dislikes all warriors until Deerfoot helps him after an ankle injury.
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The Hunters of the Ozark 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.
The Hunters of the Ozark
by Edward Sylvester Ellis · 1887
A stolen cow and a ringing bell draw two frontier boys on a hundred-mile trek menaced by roaming Winnebago warriors.
Medium level2–5 hours to read20 languages
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“The best friend Deerfoot ever knew!”
In short
What would you do if a cowbell rang in the forest, yet the cow was nowhere near it? Two frontier boys face that question on an autumn morning, and the answer sends them on a hundred-mile tramp through dangerous country.
The Hunters of the Ozark at a glance
- Reading time
- About 4 h 35 min3 h 40 min fast, 5 h 30 min slow
- Length
- 65,600 words
- Library level
- Medium longer sentences, everyday words
- First published
- 1887by Edward Sylvester Ellis
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 missing cow draws two boys into the woods
The story opens in Greville, a settlement of about two hundred people. Terry Clark comes to the cabin of his friend Fred Linden. A cow named Brindle has not come home, and Terry needs help finding her. Terry is an orphan who lives with the MacClaskey family, so the cow matters a great deal.
The boys leave their rifles behind, and this small choice will cost them later. They find hoofprints crossing the creek. Fred paddles his bark canoe across and ties it to a tree, because the creek is known for sudden floods.
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A stolen cow and a ringing bell draw two frontier boys on a hundred-mile trek menaced by roaming Winnebago warriors.
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Details
- First published
- 1887
- Language
- English
- Level
- Medium level
- Paperback
- 212 pages · 6 × 9 in
- Hardcover
- 212 pages · 6 × 9 in
- Large print paperback
- 344 pages · 6 × 9 in
- Large print hardcover
- 344 pages · 6 × 9 in
- Delivery and returns
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For Christmas, order by Thu 12 Nov
Cite this edition
Ellis, Edward Sylvester. The Hunters of the Ozark. Library of Alexandria, 2026, libraryofalexandria.com/products/the-hunters-of-the-ozark.
Ellis, E. S. (2026). The hunters of the Ozark. Library of Alexandria. https://libraryofalexandria.com/products/the-hunters-of-the-ozark (Original work published 1887)
Ellis, Edward Sylvester. The Hunters of the Ozark. Library of Alexandria, 2026. https://libraryofalexandria.com/products/the-hunters-of-the-ozark.
@book{ellis2026hunters,
author = {Ellis, Edward Sylvester},
title = {The Hunters of the Ozark},
publisher = {Library of Alexandria},
year = {2026},
url = {https://libraryofalexandria.com/products/the-hunters-of-the-ozark},
note = {First published 1887}
}
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What is The Hunters of the Ozark about?
It follows two boys, Fred Linden and Terry Clark, who search for a missing cow and then set out for Fred’s father’s hunting camp in the Ozarks. A young Shawanoe warrior named Deerfoot helps them as a hostile Winnebago band follows.
Who is Deerfoot the Shawanoe?
Deerfoot is a young Shawanoe warrior who was raised partly among white settlers and learned to read and write. He follows the Bible, spares enemies when he can, and is known for his speed and skill in the woods.
Is The Hunters of the Ozark a true story?
No, it is a work of fiction. Edward Sylvester Ellis set it in the Louisiana Territory about a century before his own time and used real frontier details such as fur trapping, flintlock rifles and log cabins.
The author
Edward Sylvester Ellis
1840–1916 · American novelist and historical writer
Edward Sylvester Ellis (1840–1916) was an American novelist and nonfiction writer. He was born in Geneva, Ohio, and worked as a teacher in New Jersey. He wrote adventure stories for young readers, including the Deerfoot books, as well as histories and biographies. He died in Maine.
“The best friend Deerfoot ever knew!”
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