Deerfoot in The Mountains — Key Ideas to Explore

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In Category - Fantasy Juvenile Worlds

Authors: Ellis, Edward Sylvester, 1840-1916, Davis, John Steeple, 1844-1917 [Illustrator] Digital Source: Project Gutenberg Gutenberg Release Year: 2008 First Publication Year: Not confirmed

Key Word: Shawnee Indians -- Juvenile fiction; Siksika Indians -- Juvenile fiction; Overland journeys to the Pacific -- Juvenile fiction Target Reader: Readers of public-domain and historical texts

Book Edition: Project Gutenberg digital edition Book Language: en

Edition facts

Words 73,645

Reading time 321 min

Text sections 9

The catalog record for Deerfoot in The Mountains — Key Ideas to Explore provides practical reading context through 73,645 words, 5 hr 21 min estimated reading time, and 9 detected text sections.

The text analysis averages about 19.8 words per sentence, while the detected sections provide another way to judge how the source is divided.

Project Gutenberg metadata also associates the work with “Shawnee Indians -- Juvenile fiction,” connecting these edition facts with the source record’s subject description.

Source: Project Gutenberg record #25334

This editorial note examines how Edward S. Ellis structures Deerfoot in the Mountains through alternating scenes of travel and settlement, using recurring images of snow, fire, and physical contests to mark the Shawanoe's movements between Blackfoot villages and the wilderness.

Editorial Edition Score 4.7/5

★★★★★ ★★★★★

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Description quality20 pts
Title & short description10 pts
Source metadata20 pts
Text length15 pts
Chapters / structure15 pts
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Total of 100 points, scaled to a 2.5-5.0 range. Editions with an empty description or a missing EPUB file are not scored.

Edition quality

File: pg25334

Read the Text

Deerfoot the Shawanoe, Mul-tal-la the Blackfoot, and the twin brothers, George and Victor Shelton, had completed their long journey from the Ohio River to the Pacific slope, and, standing on an elevation near the Columbia, spent hours in looking out upon the face of the mightiest ocean of the globe. They feasted their vision on the magnificent scene, with the miles of wilderness, mountain, vale, river and Indian villages spread between their feet and the ocean.

It was a picture worth journeying across the continent to see. From beyond the convex world a ship had sailed up to view, its snowy sails looking at first like a tiny but growing cloud in the soft sky. As the craft drew steadily nearer, they saw it careening to one side under the impulse of the wind against the bellying canvas, while the curling foam at the bows spread out like a fan and dissolved in the clear waters beyond the stern.

Deerfoot had taken the glass after Mul-tal-la was through, and he stood for a long time gazing at the waste of waters. None spoke, for there was that in the scene and the occasion which made all thoughtful. The grandeur, the majesty, the vastness filled them with awe and held them mute. Finally, the Shawanoe lowered the instrument, and turning toward the boys, said gravely, as he pointed first to the east and then to the west:

"Yonder is the endless forest of wood, and yonder the endless forest of water; they shall all become the home of the white man."

"I don't doubt you are right," replied George Shelton, "but it will be hundreds of years after you and I are dead; there is room between here and the Ohio for millions upon millions, but where will they come from?"

"The white men will become like the leaves in the forest and the sands on the seashore; no one can count the numbers that will overspread the land; they will be everywhere."

"And what of your own people, Deerfoot?" asked Victor.

The dusky youth shook his head, as if the problem was beyond him.

"The two ought to live in peace side by side, for such is the will of the Great Spirit. The white man cannot become like the red man, but the red man may grow into the ways of the pale-faces, and all may be brothers, and so live till time shall be no more."

The theme was too profound for the youths, though it was manifest that the Shawanoe had given much thought to it. He added nothing, and while the day was young they walked back to the Columbia, re-entered the canoe and headed up stream.

Henceforward their work was different from that which they faced when descending the river. There were long stretches where, despite the current, the dusky boatmen found no special trouble in driving the craft eastward; but, as they progressed, the labor became severer, for the stream narrowed and the velocity of its flow became greater. The portages were long and toilsome, and, as the party advanced, many places were met where these portages became necessary on account of the rapidity of the current alone. All, however, bent resolutely to work, Victor and George taxing their strength to the utmost. Deerfoot seemed tireless, but he could never be inconsiderate to others. He could have outworn Mul-tal-la, though not till after the exhaustion of the boys, who agreed between themselves that the job was the biggest they had ever tackled; and yet their adult companions not only did the work the twins were doing, but swung the paddles in addition.

Our friends stayed one night at the Echeloot or Upper Chinook village, which they had visited when coming down the river. You will remember that it was there they first saw wooden houses made by Indians. The explorers were treated as hospitably as before, but, as you will also recall, the natives were Flatheads, and the sight of the misshapen skulls, towering at the rear like the ridge of a roof, was so disagreeable that the travelers were glad to turn their backs upon them.

You have not forgotten the thrilling descent of the Falls of the Columbia, where all the skill of Deerfoot and Mul-tal-la was needed to save the canoe from being dashed upon the rocks.

"Are you going to paddle through them again?" asked Victor.

"Deerfoot does not wish to see his brother scared so bad as he was before."

"I was about to say that if you and Mul-tal-la don't feel equal to the task, George and I are ready to take it off your hands."

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Deerfoot in the Mountains, the third volume of Edward S. Ellis’s New Deerfoot Series, follows the Shawanoe and his companions from the Pacific slope into Blackfoot territory. The narrative alternates between westward travel and extended stays in Native villages, a structural pattern that allows Ellis to contrast the open wilderness with the social constraints of tribal life. Recurring images of snow, fire, and athletic contests anchor the story in a specific seasonal and cultural landscape.

Movement Between Wilderness and Village

The book’s structure hinges on a repeated cycle: the party journeys through mountain passes or across plains, then settles for weeks or months in a Blackfoot village. Chapter titles such as “Eastward Bound,” “The Trail Northward,” and “Homeward Bound” signal the travel segments, while “In Winter Quarters,” “Blackfoot Citizens,” and “Summoned to Court” mark the stationary interludes. This alternation creates a rhythm of exposure to natural hazards followed by diplomatic or social challenges. The excerpts show that even within the village, movement continues—Deerfoot goes on hunting expeditions, crosses the river by canoe, and eventually participates in a foot race. The setting shifts from the Columbia River overlook to a “bleak plain at the rear of the village,” reinforcing that the landscape is never far from the action.

Snow, Fire, and the Passing of Seasons

Ellis uses weather and elemental imagery to mark time and mood. In one excerpt, snow ceases falling and a thin coating melts by daylight, giving way to “almost spring-like” weather that resembles “the lingering days of Indian summer.” This description serves as a prelude to the arrival of Deerfoot in the Blackfoot village, linking seasonal change with narrative transition. Fire appears in the chapter “By the Camp Fire,” where Deerfoot is shown lost in reverie—a moment of stillness that contrasts with the physical contests to come. The cold and snow of winter quarters (Chapter XI) give way to the “bright, keen, sunshiny afternoon” of the foot race, suggesting that the story’s climax is timed to a thaw. These recurring details root the plot in a tangible, seasonal world.

The Athletic Contest as Structural Centerpiece

The foot race described in the excerpts is the most fully developed scene in the available text, and it functions as a structural pivot. Ellis devotes a week of preparation within the story and a full chapter (“A Memorable Duel”) to the event. The race is framed as a test of Deerfoot’s reputation: boasts by Mul-tal-la and the Shelton brothers have preceded him, and the Blackfeet are skeptical. Deerfoot initially avoids displaying his skill, but the contest forces him to act. The description emphasizes the crowd, the five contestants, and the two-hundred-yard distance. Ellis notes that “the most noted test of athletic skill that ever occurred in the history of the Blackfeet tribe” takes place on a bleak plain, and the outcome is never in doubt for the reader. This scene crystallizes the book’s interest in physical prowess and cultural encounter.

Voice and Narrative Distance

Ellis’s narrator frequently addresses the reader directly, using phrases like “you have no more doubt of the result than did the victor.” This technique creates a conspiratorial tone and signals that the outcome is predetermined. The narrator also editorializes about Deerfoot’s modesty, noting that he “did not wish to become a competitor and deceive the others by not doing his best.” Such commentary shapes the reader’s perception of the protagonist without relying on interior monologue. The voice is consistently omniscient, moving from the group’s collective experience to Deerfoot’s private feelings. This narrative distance allows Ellis to present the Blackfoot village from an outsider’s perspective while still rendering its customs and inhabitants with enough detail to ground the story.

Readers may find it useful to track how each chapter’s setting—open trail or enclosed village—shapes the kind of conflict that emerges. The recurring images of snow, fire, and footraces are not merely decorative; they organize the plot and signal shifts in tension. Pay attention to how Ellis uses the changing seasons to mark the passage of time, and how the narrator’s direct addresses guide expectations about Deerfoot’s abilities.

That snow in the Blackfoot passes—how it hushes everything, same as the quiet house in spring. I remember finishing Deerfoot in the Mountains on a cold evening, then later finding that same stillness in The Story of a Cat — Reading Notes, where a creature's small rituals become the whole world. Both books said: watch, wait, and the warmth comes to you.