Not a great deal has been written about the life of Fisher Ames, Jr. Born on April 17, 1869, he was a direct descendent removed by several generations of Fisher Ames, a statesman and founder of our nation. Fisher's grandfather, Seth, graduated from Harvard University in 1825 and practiced law and became an important jurist, residing in Massachusetts. His son, born in 1838, graduated from Harvard in 1858, set up a law practice, and married Virginia Lee, a Southerner born in Louisiana. Various Lees lived with the couple for many years along with their own two children, Fisher and the younger Roselie. As late as 1910, when Fisher Ames, Jr. was 41, he continued to live at home with his parents, Roselie, 38, and Albie Ames, 90.

It probably wouldn't be overly presumptive to think that Fisher had the advantages of a good education and upbringing given his lineage. He published a whimsical article in the New York Times in 1912 entitled "'Looking for a Farm'—A Popular Habit Just Now," in which he revealed that although involved in the real estate business, he had not escaped "the back-to-the-land fever." He was writing about the attractions of rural New England in this essay, not Florida and the Keys of circa 1900, but the article, like this book, reveals his attentiveness to the natural world.

Exactly how Fisher Ames, Jr. became so enthralled by and knowledgeable of Florida in this era is unclear, although certainly his mother's having been reared in Louisiana suggests that he may have made trips South on family visits. It would be fascinating to learn of his childhood experiences, the growth of his intellectual curiosity, and his acquisition of knowledge. Perhaps he was a student of biology rather than of the law that engaged his forefathers. There is a broadly drawn stock character, a professor of biology in By Reef and Trail, who might conceivably represent the learned side of Ames.

The earliest fiction by Fisher Ames, Jr. reissued in a story collection is from the June 8, 1905 edition of The Youth's Companion, a weekly journal which appealed to the youth of the period, particularly boys, as a way to experience faraway places and adventures vicariously. The particular story, "The Pests of the Swamp," is chapter seven of the novel.

These kinds of yarns were not new, by any means. Jack London and other writers wrote enormously successful stories in the popular genre. While not as accomplished a writer as London and some others in this genre, no one excels Fishers Ames, Jr. in bringing Florida and the Florida Keys to life and evoking a sense of the people and animal life who resided there in the era in which the book was published.

Ames published another novel in 1914 called Boys of Eastmarsh, which survives in only a few copies. In 1918 "Sergt. Warren Comes Back from France" appeared in The Youth's Companion, recounting the return of a blind soldier from World War I, who instills a sense of higher purpose in his home town to help the people of a French town after the war's end. This story of patriotism and sacrifice was reprinted in a collection intended for high school students in 1919. Possibly as a result of this story, at the age of nearly 50, the author received an Army commission and was appointed the official historian of the Red Cross. He spent two years in France in this capacity, returning in 1920. In 1921 Fisher published American Red Cross Work among the French People, a book which is still found in many libraries. A final collected story, "The Plovers and the Patrol," appeared in 1930 in The Best Bird Stories I Know, when Fisher Ames would have been 61. "Sergt. Warren Comes Back from France" was reprinted in 1934 in The Best Stories of Heroism I Know, when the author would have been 65.

In the case of By Reef and Trail, of particular interest is how well Ames positions Florida between a rustic past and an encroaching civilization inexorably imposing modernization on everything, including the hero Bob Leach's relationship with the natural world. The main character, Bob Leach, is transformed by such change for the better, but without losing the qualities which made him so comfortable with nature. Thus, while he is a latter-day embodiment of Natty Bummpo, James Fenimore Cooper's creation, rather than being thwarted by civilization, Ames's protagonist experiences personal growth. Not only is Bob Leach an evocation of Natty Bummpo in his rustic innocence, then, but his tale resonates with the many popular novels of do-gooder protagonists who have a positive effect on others, particularly the downtrodden. The rags-to-riches boys who were the mainstay of Horatio Alger novels come readily mind as examples of the type.

With respect to race and social class, the author is conflicted. Many writers from this era did not exhibit the integrity we expect from writers in our own time, but this doesn't mean they should all be dismissed out of hand. Certainly, Ames deserves some latitude. On one hand, Fisher Ames accepts some of the stereotypes which have become anathema in our own day, while on the other, he exhibits warmth and care for characters who might otherwise have been slighted or ignored because of social class or race. In this sense, the novel encapsulates the quality of life, both good and bad, which various groups faced at the time. Therefore, the novel, which has no particular axe to grind with respect to race or social class, may serve as a vehicle for discussion of how people were seen and sometimes are seen to this day with respect to their individuality.

With Bob Leach, we will learn more by concentrating on his adventures and his transition from a rustic to a more polished and knowledgeable person who, unlike Natty Bummpo, does not have to withdraw from society to maintain or regain his sense of self. Written in the Progressive Era, optimism pervades this novel, and there is an implication that the future that Leach and the other decent people in the novel encounter will be excellent. By implication, Florida will need skills such as Bob Leach and similar pioneers possess to bridge the past and future and thus help its less fortunate citizens out of poverty and ignorance.

By Reef and Trail is a book meant for young people and the young at heart. Regardless of sophistication, most of the fiction written for young people today continues to instill positive values. The courageous hero Bob Leach is part of this noble tradition. The added dimension given the novel by details of a South Florida which had not yet advanced a decade into the twentieth century makes it a memorable reading experience not only for boys but for inquisitive individuals of all ages and of either sex.

David E. Vancil, Ph.D. Indiana State University