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Local authors back with new adventure of the Bucktails

By FRAN De LANCEY
Era Correspondent

SMETHPORT — William P. Robertson and David Rimer spent 15 years creating their critically acclaimed seven-novel series about the famous Civil War rifle regiment the Bucktails.

Now the authors are back with a new adventure set in the primordial wilderness of colonial Pennsylvania.

“Ambush in the Alleghenies” details the exploits of “Lightnin” Jack Hawkins, “Bearbite” Bob Winslow, Will “Big Cat” Cutler and Alexander Macdonald, four freewheeling mountain men struggling to survive their savage environment and even fiercer enemies.

The opening phases of the French and Indian War provide the backdrop for the book. Historically, it begins with George Washington’s spy mission to Pennsylvania and ends two years later after British General Edward Braddock’s defeat near Fort Duquense.

The protagonists, beaver trappers by trade, are dragged into this conflict when the French invade their trapping territory and effectively put them out of business.

Robertson and Rimer take great pains to report the everyday life of Eastern mountain men. Their dress, food, weapons, trapping techniques and rough humor are all realistically depicted. Some myth-making is involved here, too, with each frontiersman possessing a special power that enables him to thwart the machinations of Bold Wolf, the evil Ottawa chief. “Lightnin’” Jack, for example, uses his speed to beat the chief’s gauntlet, while Will Culter has an extraordinary skill with weapons.

The novel also includes an element of romance as young Cutler tries to win the heart of the Iroquois princess, Bright Star. After escaping capture by the Ottawa tribe, Will already knows plenty about the Indian way of life that he ultimately chooses over his English upbringing. The authors add a wealth of information about Native American culture as they relate Will’s journey to manhood.

“Ambush in the Alleghenies” is available directly from Inquiry Publishing. More information about the novel can be found on Robertson’s Web site.

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