The Peril Finders

"The Peril Finders" by George Manville Fenn is a late 19th-century adventure story that starts with struggling settlers in California. When their fruit crops begin to fail, and everything looks hopeless, an old prospector fills their heads with fantastic stories of lost cities overflowing with gold. Inspired by the prospector's stories, a group of settlers, including two young boys named Chris and Ned, leave their failing farms and set off on a dangerous quest for mountains of gold. The settlers encounter challenges such as conflicts with Indigenous tribes and other various hardships, causing them to question whether their dreams of wealth are worth the cost, as they explore the themes of ambition, friendship, and the misleading nature of riches.