The summer that young Dave Foster went to work on his uncle's farm in the Maine wilderness, the French were stirring up the Indians to attack colonial settlers. But Uncle Jonathan laughed at the possibility of an Indian attack on their settlement. His assurance was proved tragically wrong within a few days when an Indian war party swept down from Canada, surprised the settlers, and made off with Dave and three other captives.
The long and dangerous trek back to Canada, by forced march and war canoe, toughened Dave and gave him a new sense of responsibility. He filled a winter of enforced idleness in the Indians' village acquiring the Indian skill in hunting, trapping, and fishing. But with the coming of spring, Dave seized his chance to escape, and with a fellow captive, Nancy, finally managed to reach civilization and his home once more.
As in all his historical novels for boys, Mr. Meader has re-created a period of history, giving breadth, reality, and excitement to the time of the French and Indian Wars. This is a book for all boys who like adventure and the out-of-doors.