Story Overview

This is the story of the hard life of a trapper in Canada in the early 1800s. Charlie Kennedy lives in the Canadian arctic colony known as the Red River Settlement with Indians, Scotsmen, and French-Canadian settlers.

Charlie's Journey

His father, an old fur trader, hopes to convince his son to become a clerk by recounting the dangers of the trapper’s life, but the stories only inspire the boy more to explore the vast Canadian wilderness. Through a variety of circumstances, Charlie finds himself trapping in the vast forests, on a journey with voyageurs down perilous rivers, and surviving all sorts of scrapes and adventures with a new acquaintance, Jacques Caradoc, and an Indian named “Red Feather.”

Real-Life Inspiration

Many of Charlie’s exploits are taken from the real-life experiences of R.M. Ballantyne’s own time with the Hudson Bay Company in Canada. Just as Ballantyne had done, Charlie learns to shoot mercury from his rifle through a two inch board in 39 degree below zero temperatures!

Life of a Trapper

Discover the strenuous and vigorous life of a trapper through the eyes of Charlie and his intrepid friends. (Goodreads)