Beadle's Half Dime Library, No. 683

"Saltpeter Sol, or The Unseen Enemy: The Romance of a Blind Cruise" by Jo Pierce. Two boys, Ned Brampton and Saltpeter Sol Wayne, operate a homemade raft down the Hudson River, transporting Ned's household goods to Peekskill after his guardian defrauded him. They rescue a drowning couple—Jimmy Flocton and Eliza Burch—from an overturned boat. The rescued pair claims to have lost all funds and accepts the boys' hospitality. Sol suspects their story; the reader learns Jimmy and Eliza are criminals seeking "the boodle" (stolen money) concealed on the raft. Ned constructed the ingenious craft after losing his inheritance, inspired by pioneer-era flatboat voyages. The narrative establishes the boys' resourcefulness and character while introducing the villainous couple as a concealed threat.