Voyages and Travels of an Indian Interpreter and Trader

De: John Long

Narrado por: Nick Adams

In 1768, John Long set out from Gravesend in England, bound for Canada and a position as an articled clerk. Quickly developing an affection for the First Nations people he encountered, he determined to learn native languages and thereby make him useful in the 'Indian Trade' living first among Mohawks at Cahnuaga (Kahnawake) and later, among Ojibwa and Cree people north of Lake Superior.

Long's journal provides a thrilling depiction the life of a fur trader in the late 18th century. It is a dangerous world, where starvation, torture, murder, war, disease and misfortune are constant threats.

Although clearly writing for a contemporary English audience, with all the attitudes and sensibilities that required, Long's affection for and comfort with the First Nations people with whom he lives and works comes through strongly - indeed, even when offered comfortable accommodation within the officers quarters at Michilimackinac, he prefers to continue to live outside the fort with his First Nation friends and partners. The stories he tells about life on the fur trade frontier and the hazards and dangers he encounters are described with frankness and humor, neither aggrandizing his own achievements or diminishing those of others.

While Long's Voyages and Travels has been republished a number of times. it is still not well known. This is a tragedy, as few other works provide as clear and engaging picture of life on the fur trade frontier.

Public Domain (P)2020 Nicholas R. Adams

History That Hits—Powered by Nick Adams

I’ll be honest—I didn’t expect this book to hit me the way it did. Fur-trade memoirs from the 1700s can be dense and academic, but John Long’s Voyages and Travels is vivid, unpretentious, and unexpectedly gripping.

Long’s firsthand account of life among the Mohawk, Ojibwa, and Cree shows just how brutally demanding—and astonishingly courageous—the world once was. Starvation, war, disease, torture, murderous rivalries, impossible travel, and weather that could kill you in hours… I wouldn’t have lasted fifteen minutes.

What surprised me most was Long himself. For a writer of his time, he treats the First Nations communities around him with unusual warmth and respect. His stories are frank, often funny, and far more revealing about the fur-trade frontier than anything in a textbook. And he doesn’t shy away from the harsher realities—especially the difficult and often dangerous lives of women in that world. Through modern eyes, those moments really land.

But the reason I came to this audiobook—and stayed glued to it—is Nick Adams.

Nick has the rare ability to take material that might be intimidating on the page and make it not only accessible but alive. His rhythm, timbre, and instinct turn this memoir into an immersive experience. What might have been a slog in print becomes something unfolding right in front of you.

As a fan of Nick’s Friends of the Dead series, it was also a thrill to spot the real historical threads he borrowed for Evil at Lac la Mort and Hot Blood, Warm Flesh, Cold Bones. No spoilers, but the connections are absolutely brilliant.

This audiobook is a perfect match of story and narrator. A forgotten classic brought fully to life.

Highly recommend.