'Northwest Passage' (Book I -- Rogers' Rangers) (1940)

When Elizabeth Browne's father forbids her from marrying Langdon Towne, Towne gets drunk and is forced to leave town. He meets Hunk Marriner and Major Robert Rogers, who convinces them to join his Rangers on a mission to destroy a village of marauding Indians. They go through a challenging journey, carrying large boats over a mountain, trekking through swamps, and fording a river. They reach the village, burn it down, and kill all its inhabitants. Short on food, they make their way to Fort Wentworth, where they expect to find British soldiers with supplies. However, they find the fort empty. Just as they lose hope, the British arrive with food and supplies. The Rangers return as heroes to Portsmouth, where Major Rogers announces another, more difficult expedition to the West. Langdon Towne, determined to pursue his career as an artist, chooses to stay behind.