7 FEBRUARY 1903, Page 24

John Ermine of the Yellowstone. By Frederic Remington. (Macmillan and

Co. 6s.)—John Ermine is a white man, natural- ised, so to speak. among the Indians in his earliest years, and then brought again into contact with his own race. This combination of circumstances gives him an extraordinary aptitude for the work of a scout, which he takes up in his new surroundings. He has the Indian faculty of observation and the white man's power of reasoning. But he has other qualities, and these do not work out for good,—a fine nature and a heart open to impressions. In short, he is an Uncas with a difference. The story is very power- fully told. We would especially note the admirable description of the training which "Crooked-Bear," also a white who has lived among Indians, gives to the lad in whom he wishes to revive and develop the instincts of race. As for the ending of the story, we recognise that it had to be what it is. There could be but one ending for John Ermine after he met Katherine Searles.