Boss of the Namko Drive

by Paul St. Pierre

Delore, a fifteen year old boy, has to lead the cattle drive to Williams Lake, British Columbia, from his home ranch, a distance of 200 miles. Delore's father is injured and cannot lead the drive and puts Delore in charge.

124 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1970

About the author

Paul H. St. Pierre was a journalist and author in British Columbia, Canada, where he served as Member of Parliament for the riding of Coast Chilcotin from 1968-1972. He was the first Canadian winner of the Western Writers of America Spur Award for fiction.

Reviews

[Maggie · Rating 5 out of 5]

When the Namko cattle drive's boss suffer's an accident and can no longer lead, its up to his 15 year old son, Delore, to do the job. Delore must drive 200 head of cattle across the wild Chilcoten plateau. This is a great little story about manhood and guts and doing the right thing. Its written in such an easy manner that the reader almost feels as though they're hearing the story in a friend's warm kitchen. The characters in Paul St. Pierre's books are among the most memorable I've ever known. I often open canned goods and think of Anatole and his exploding tomatoes.

[Tracee · Rating 3 out of 5]

Hard to believe a 15 year old kid could be boss of a 200 km cattle drive across the Chilcotin, but it was a good little adventurous read. Second book I’ve read from this author and I look forward to the next one I can find.

[Nikayla Reize · Rating 3 out of 5]

Old- Timey cowboy novels to get my mind off of literally everything related to my life - classic.

[Capn]

Two hundred treacherous miles lay ahead to the railhead at Williams Lake, but the Namko beef drive was ready to move.
Set in the Chilcotin Plateau of British Columbia, this adventure story is told with humour, realism and intimate knowledge of the area's ranchers and Indians.

(back cover)
&

The beef drive was ready to start at first light, and Delore was going with his father to drive the huge herd of cattle the two hundred treacherous miles to Williams Lake for sale.
Then, at the last minute, his father broke his leg. And, instead of putting one of the men in charge of the arduous three-week drive, he gave the job to fifteen-year-old Delore. He was to be the one to take all the responsibility, to decide the route and give orders to the cowboys.
It was a heavy task, made all the harder by worrying over the secret cargo on the extra packhorse which Walter the cowboy brought with him, and the bewildering conflict among the men as to the route they should take. Some mystery lay behind the men's actions, but should he attempt to investigate it, or turn a blind eye and hope he would still succeed in delivering the cattle safely?
This tough, realistic adventure story, by an author who really knows his setting in the wilder parts of British Columbia, will appeal to boys of eleven and over.

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