
Three friends—Randolph, Donald Graeme, and the fiery‑tempered Pepper—meet at dawn on a mist‑laden mountain road above the sleepy town of Creston. The boys, all sixteen, are already swapping jokes and teasing each other, their personalities strikingly different: Randolph’s thoughtful caution, Donald’s easygoing humor, and Pepper’s restless energy. Their conversation drifts from breakfast delays to a mysterious pamphlet about scouting, hinting at a shared ambition to test themselves in the great outdoors.
Eager to start a fishing expedition, they set off despite the lingering rain, their spirits undampened by wet jackets. A sudden encounter with a speeding wagon forces them to scramble up a bank, giving a taste of the unpredictable dangers that lie ahead. Together they will learn the Scout virtues of endurance, self‑reliance, and teamwork, as the mountain’s trails promise both excitement and the occasional narrow escape.
Language
en
Duration
~2 hours (172K characters)
Publisher of text edition
Project Gutenberg
Release date
2004-05-01
Rights
Public domain in the USA.
Adventure, travel, and Boy Scout action drive these early 20th-century stories, which were written to feel fast-moving and current for young readers of the time. The surviving record is thin, but his books suggest a writer drawn to outdoor exploits, teamwork, and far-flung settings.
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