Indian Warriors #8

The Mohawks transform from a scattered, vulnerable tribe into a formidable power through the visionary leadership of Hiawatha, who forges the Iroquois League—an alliance of five neighboring nations united in defense and conquest. As the easternmost guardians of this union, the Mohawks prove their mettle against the Cree, the Ojibway, and countless other tribes, while also developing unique customs of adoption and governance that grant their women equal voice in tribal affairs. When European traders arrive with firearms, the Iroquois' dominance reaches new heights, expanding their territory from the northern reaches to the Carolinas and establishing themselves as a force that commands fear across the continent.

Hannah Dustin faces a desperate fight for survival when a brutal Indian raid tears her family apart during a freezing March day in 1697 Massachusetts—separated from her husband and newborn, she's marched deep into the wilderness as a captive. With the help of a fellow prisoner, a white boy named Samuel Leonardson, Hannah devises a daring plan to arm themselves and strike back against their captors under cover of night. Their escape down the flooded Merrimack River becomes a harrowing race against pursuers, testing every ounce of courage the resourceful woman can muster.

Rawhide Ike recounts to Bill a pivotal moment from his years with the Crow people: a fierce skirmish with invading Sioux warriors where a young Crow boy named Pine fights to earn his war name by counting coup on the enemy. Alongside Pine, Ike engages three entrenched Sioux fighters in a daring charge that tests both warriors' skill and bravery. The story then sweeps forward through Ike's later years as a government scout, bringing him to the fateful morning of June 25th, 1876, when he rides ahead of Custer's command and witnesses the scale of the gathering that will shape American history.