R. M. Ballantyne 
Big Otter 

First published in 1887, ‘The Big Otter’ by prolific author R.M. Ballantyne is one of many of his stories which draws on his own experiences of living and working in remote parts of Canada as a young man while working for the Hudson’s Bay Company. In an inhospitable part of Canada, a group of British hunters and explorers are living and working together. When two of their number, George Maxby and Jack Lumley, are instructed to set out on their own to establish a new trading post they are helped in their endeavour by a Native American named Big Otter. The trio will encounter plenty of danger and adventure along the way, as well as plenty of wonder as they explore this harsh but beautiful part of the world. —