Red Dan, the Ranger

This dime novel by Jos. E. Badger, Jr., titled "Red Dan, the Ranger," is set during colonial times and concerns a maritime adventure with political intrigue. Two men—the tall, well-dressed sailor Steed Bonnett and his shorter, stockier companion Dick Worley—trek through a Carolina forest-swamp to meet with Native American tribal chiefs. Bonnett, speaking on behalf of the Spanish king, seeks to unite the Creek, Catawba, and Cherokee nations against English settlers ("Long-knives"). The aged Creek chief Cholecullah delivers an impassioned speech lamenting the decimation of indigenous peoples by English expansion, advocating armed resistance to drive colonists back to sea. The narrative combines period adventure fiction with frontier conflict themes, employing period-appropriate dialect and military terminology throughout.