# John Mountain — The Master of Ballantrae character guide

> John Mountain in The Master of Ballantrae by Robert Louis Stevenson.

**Role:** supporting

**Also known as:** Mountain, Mr. Mountain

**First appearance:** 0014-narrative-of-the-trader-mountain

## Snapshot

A wilderness trader and guide whose knowledge of the American backwoods makes him indispensable to the Master's desperate party in the New World.

## Who they are

Mountain belongs to the rough frontier economy of traders and guides who move between settlements and the deep forest, selling their knowledge of trails, rivers, and native peoples to those who need them. His value lies precisely in what the Durrisdeer gentlemen lack: practical survival in a land that does not care about Jacobite titles or family honour. When the Master's fortunes carry the story across the Atlantic, Mountain becomes the bridge between old-world intrigue and new-world danger, and the reliability of his guidance quietly shapes how much of the party survives.

## Relationships

### [The Master](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_master_of_ballantrae_se/characters/the_master)

_professional_

A hired ruffian and accomplice who aids the Master in his criminal exploits with grudging respect.

### [Secundra Dass](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_master_of_ballantrae_se/characters/secundra_dass)

_professional_

Fellow henchmen who work together under the Master's orders, with mutual wariness.

### [The Master](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_master_of_ballantrae_se/characters/the_master)

_professional_

A hired ruffian and accomplice who aids the Master in his criminal exploits with grudging respect.

### [Secundra Dass](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_master_of_ballantrae_se/characters/secundra_dass)

_professional_

Fellow henchmen who work together under the Master's orders, with mutual wariness.

## In the story

### [XI: The Journey in the Wilderness](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_master_of_ballantrae_se/chapters/xi-the-journey-in-the-wilderness)

Trader and accomplice of Harris; provides information to Mackellar's informant and participates in the wilderness expedition.

### [Narrative of the Trader, Mountain](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_master_of_ballantrae_se/chapters/narrative-of-the-trader-mountain)

Mountain is the narrator of this chapter, a trader and former Indian fighter who is part of the conspiracy. He provides the account of the journey and the internal conflicts among the gang.

### [XII: The Journey in the Wilderness (Continued)](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_master_of_ballantrae_se/chapters/xii-the-journey-in-the-wilderness-continued)

Relates the story of the Master's death to Sir William and Lord Durrisdeer, and is present during the exhumation.

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_master_of_ballantrae_se/characters/john_mountain
- Book: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_master_of_ballantrae_se
- All characters: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_master_of_ballantrae_se/characters