The time is 1813, during America's last war with England; the place isthe Ohio Valley, the thickly wooded, hilly, creek-carved highway of westernsettlement. Wolves still howl at midnight on village greens. Each log cabin is afortress, and no one travels without a knife and gun. Through this armed and fearfulcountryside, three people -- Ely Jackson, a 17-year-old backwoods boy; OwenLightfoot, a lawyer from Philadelphia with a romantic view of the frontier; and RainHawk, a half-breed girl living on her own in the wilderness -- chase an awesomequarry, a mysterious giant-like figure who is on the run for murder. Ely and Owenset out on the trail of the "Bearman" with the intent of bringing him"to justice," while Rain Hawk struggles to protect him from the public'swrath. Bad Man Ballad is a riveting tale by a masterful storyteller and an appealingcontemporary addition to the Library of Indiana Classics.