First published 1959
Nashville sits parched under a terrible drought. The settlement consists of only a handful of log cabins, but residents still need legal help, keeping young attorney Andy Jackson busy settling disputes. The dry spell grows so severe that hunters don't need to preserve their meat and tobacco chewers can't produce spit. Andy decides something must be done. He teams up with Chief Ticklepitcher, who carries his bow and arrow tied in his hair, for a perilous trek to East Tennessee. They face dying horses, attacking hoopsnakes, and dangerous Land Pirates along the way. When Andy first considers dragging an entire river back to Nashville, the Chief points out that once you remove all the rocks and mud, little water remains. Andy settles on a better plan: bringing back a complete water well instead. Through these adventures, the hot-tempered young lawyer learns when to control his anger and when to unleash it for maximum effect.
Genres: american-fiction, historical-fiction, adventure, 19th-century
Vibes: suspenseful, thought-provoking
Tropes: enemies-to-lovers, found-family
Setting: Nashville, East Tennessee
Period: 19th-century
64 pages · Hardcover · Harcourt, Brace and Company