With the boys getting ready for their flat boat trip to New Orleans, something's not right at the Eagle Tavern. Serious problems lie ahead. Deep thinking is needed to solve it. The return of the Shakespeare spouting Steamboat Captain Amos Beacon might be the solution. But, to quote Himself "I doubt it."
What flows down the Ohio should remain downriver. Sometimes things wash up on shore. They are quickly set adrift. As the boys get ready to take their flatboat to New Orleans, discordant notes disrupt their harmony. The time has come for all of them to look in the mirror.
The Ohio River is running fast. Dozens of flatboats are floating to New Orleans and anticipated profit. The boys are among them. Who of all assembled is brave enough to make the voyage? For, like the river, the course true love never runs true. Dangers lie ahead.
A comet is hurtling to earth. Criminals are running amok and, the extinguishing of all life is imminent. Yes, it's another typical day in the sleepy "Hamlet" of Vevay, IN. The boys contemplate their impending doom with stoicism, a little bit of humor, and plenty of ardent.
Trouble is brewing in Vevay between two companies of local militia.. The infantry and artillery are forming battle lines over which is the superior method of warfare. As the slow match ignites the powder momentous news arrives.
Before Tolkien dreamt of Middle Earth, there was once a place called Hollow Earth. It was quite the topic of debate in the 1820's. War of 1812 hero Captain John Cleves Symmes, believed the earth was composed of five concentric spheres. He stops by the Eagle Tavern trying to recruit the boys to join him on his voyage of discovery.