On the eve of the American Revolution, Cardigan opens in colonial New York with a lyrical love letter to the frontier world of rivers, estates, legends, and Native conflict. Robert W. Chambers blends historical atmosphere with romance and adventure, following a boyhood narrator whose restless spirit is forever at odds with schoolroom discipline, classical learning, and the demands of authority. In a household shaped by Sir William Johnson's stern but affectionate guidance and the colder rule of Captain Butler, the boy's defiance, pride, and longing for the outdoors bring him into constant trouble. His sharp-tongued companion Silver Heels matches him wit for wit, turning childish quarrels into a lively contest of identity, belonging, and frontier pride. Punished for his ignorance, he is unexpectedly met with warmth, moral instruction, and even a chance at a different future, while Sir William warns him to search his conscience when loyalty to king and country divide. But the story soon widens beyond the schoolroom into violence and unrest, as nighttime street fighting, pursuit, and a brutal ambush in Pittsburg thrust the characters into the chaos of a world sliding toward war. This edition has been fully restored with modern typesetting, custom cover design.