A gold ring sparks off recollections of a previous life for Major Tim O'Hara, one-time Superintendent of Indian Affairs for South Dakota Territory. It is 1865 and the Native American tribes are being corralled into reservations against their wishes, or deliberately starved into extinction. O'Hara, a stout defender of the Indians' way of life, has fought hard against the crushing tide of colonization to preserve the Sasquatchoni tribe's unique culture, but fears he may have lost the battle; many of his fellow soldiers would prefer to see them wiped out. RoShann, last chief of the proud Sasquatchoni people, leads the tribe in its desperate struggle to survive the predations of the white European settlers. As a young man, RoShann explored the mountains and stumbled across a dark secret he now fears to divulge. There is magic in the world... An encounter with some rapacious gold miners leads to tragedy and retribution. The US Army is riven by power struggles; should it assist in the genocide of the tribes, or should it defend the Indians' right to co-exist? Voices are raised on both sides, with career ambitions driving the conflict to fevered heights. It is time for the Sasquatchoni tribe to decide its destiny. Refusing to live on a reservation, the tribe defies the will of the authorities and lives in freedom until the final, bloody showdown. When all seems lost, RoShann reluctantly reveals his secret, hoping that it may have the power to save his people from oblivion. Years later, folktales emerge telling of nightmarish encounters with hideous creatures that stalk the woodlands. Are they just stories born out of a whiskey bottle? Or is the truth behind the legend of the Sasquatch Man more astonishing than anyone ever imagined?
About the Author: John P. Burling has been writing poetry and novels for 25 years, inspired by the work of Paul Verlaine, E. E. Cummings and Jack London. His interests include Wild West cinematography; the history of Hawaii; classical and modern music; and, as a young man, the noble art of boxing. He grew up in East London during the Blitz and after a period of National Service spent his entire working life in the City. He is now retired and devotes himself to writing, painting and traveling. He lives in Essex with his wife, Val.