audiobook

The Young Fur Traders

by R. M. (Robert Michael) Ballantyne

EN·~11 hours·32 chapters

Chapters

32 total

Preface.

0:42

Chapter One. - Plunges the reader into the middle of an Arctic winter; conveys him into the heart of the wildernesses of North America; and introduces him to some of the principal personages of our tale.

16:49

Chapter Two. - The old fur-trader endeavours to “fix” his son’s “flint,” and finds the thing more difficult to do than he expected.

21:20

Chapter Three. - The counting-room.

12:33

Chapter Four. - A wolf-hunt in the prairies—Charley astonishes his father, and breaks in the “noo ’oss” effectually.

31:38

Chapter Five. - Peter Mactavish becomes an amateur doctor; Charley promulgates his views of things in general to Kate; and Kate waxes sagacious.

22:21

Chapter Six. - Spring and the voyageurs.

11:54

Chapter Seven. - The store.

27:10

Chapter Eight. - Farewell to Kate—Departure of the brigade—Charley becomes a voyageur.

9:47

Chapter Nine. - The voyage—The encampment—A surprise.

32:47

Description

Set against the stark, snow‑covered banks of the Red River, this tale follows the restless Charley and his sister Kate as they confront the harsh realities of frontier life. Their small settlement, a mix of Indigenous peoples, Scots, and French‑Canadians, clings to a remote corner of North America where fur‑trading ships arrive only once a year, and survival depends on the relentless rhythm of the wilderness.

When Charley decides he can no longer bear the constraints of his world, he and Kate slip away across frozen rivers, seeking a freedom that feels both distant and inevitable. Their journey introduces listeners to the rugged landscape, the bustling trade routes, and the everyday struggles of a community cut off from the comforts of civilization, all rendered with vivid, almost painterly detail.

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Children's Fiction

451 titles

Details

Language

Duration

~11 hours (676K characters)

Publisher of text edition

Project Gutenberg

Credits

Produced by Nick Hodson of London, England

Release date

2007-06-06

Rights

Public domain in the USA.

Subjects

Indians of North America -- Juvenile fiction Fur traders -- Juvenile fiction Northwest, Canadian -- Juvenile fiction

About the author

R. M. (Robert Michael) Ballantyne

1825–1894

A Scottish adventure writer whose stories of survival, exploration, and moral courage thrilled generations of young readers. Best known for The Coral Island, he drew on real experience and a gift for vivid storytelling to bring distant worlds to life.

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