- Home
- Mayne Reid
Popular Adventure Tales
Popular Adventure Tales Read online
Produced by Malcolm Farmer, Marcia Brooks and the OnlineDistributed Proofreading Team at https://www.pgdp.net
POPULAR ADVENTURE TALES
THE YOUNG VOYAGEURS ON THE RED RIVER.]
Popular Adventure Tales
COMPRISING
_THE YOUNG VOYAGEURS_OR, THE BOY HUNTERS IN THE NORTH
_THE FOREST EXILES_OR, ADVENTURES AMID THE WILDS OF THE AMAZON
_THE BUSH-BOYS_OR, ADVENTURES IN THE WILDS OF SOUTHERN AFRICA
By
CAPTAIN MAYNE REID
AUTHOR OF"_The Rifle Rangers_" "_The Wood Rangers_"_&c., &c._
_ILLUSTRATED_
LONDONSIMPKIN, MARSHALL, HAMILTON, KENT & CO.GLASGOW: THOMAS D. MORISON
BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH
Captain Mayne Reid was born at Ballyroney, County Down, on the 4thApril, 1818, and was the son of the Rev. Thomas Mayne Reid. Mayne Reidwas educated with a view to the Church, but finding his inclinationsopposed to this calling, he emigrated to America and arrived in NewOrleans on January, 1840. After a varied career as plantation over-seer,school-master, and actor, with a number of expeditions in connectionwith hunting and Indian warfare, he settled down in 1843 as a journalistin Philadelphia, where he made the acquaintance of Edgar Allan Poe.
Leaving Philadelphia in 1846, he spent the summer at Newport, RhodeIsland, as the correspondent of the _New York Herald_, and in Decemberof the same year, having obtained a commission as second lieutenant inthe 1st New York Volunteers, he sailed for Vera Cruz to take part in theMexican war. He behaved with conspicuous gallantry in many engagements,and was severely wounded and disabled at the storming of Chapultepec onthe 13th September, 1847.
Returning to the United States in the spring of 1848, he resumedliterary work. But in June, 1849, he sailed for Europe in order to takepart in the revolutionary movements going on in Hungary and Bavaria,arriving however too late, he turned his attention again to literature,and in London in 1850, published his first novel "The Rifle Rangers," intwo volumes. Between this date and his death, he produced a large numberof volumes, which indeed no one else was capable of writing, for in themare avowedly embodied the observations and experiences of his ownextraordinary career.
Unfortunate building and journalistic speculation and enterprisesinvolved him in financial failure, so he returned to New York inOctober, 1867. There he founded and conducted _The Onward Magazine_, butowing to recurring bad effects of his old Mexican wound, he had toabandon work for sometime and go into the hospital, on leaving which hereturned to England in 1870. During the later years of his life heresided at Ross in Herefordshire where he died on the 22nd October,1883, and was buried in Kensal Green Cemetery.
Mayne Reid wrote in all thirty-five works, chiefly books of adventureand travel. As in the case of all authors, the books vary much in merit,but most of them are of a high order in their own department ofliterature. Many of them have been extraordinary popular and have becomestandard works. Reid has not been surpassed by any other writer incombining at one and the same time, the features of thrilling adventureand great instruction in the fields of natural history. Many of theworks have been translated into Continental languages and are as highlyesteemed among the French and Germans as at home.
CONTENTS
THE YOUNG VOYAGEURS
OR
BOY HUNTERS IN THE NORTH.
_CHAPTER I_ PAGE THE FUR COUNTRIES 13
_CHAPTER II_ THE YOUNG VOYAGEURS 16
_CHAPTER III_ THE TRUMPETER SWAN AND THE BALD EAGLE 22
_CHAPTER IV_ A SWAN-HUNT BY TORCHLIGHT 29
_CHAPTER V_ "CAST AWAY" 34
_CHAPTER VI_ A BRIDGE OF BUCKSKIN 37
_CHAPTER VII_ DECOYING THE ANTELOPES 41
_CHAPTER VIII_ "A PARTRIDGE DANCE" 45
_CHAPTER IX_ BASIL AND THE BISON-BULL 48
_CHAPTER X_ THREE CURIOUS TREES 52
_CHAPTER XI_ HOW TO BUILD A BARK CANOE 56
_CHAPTER XII_ THE CHAIN OF LAKES 59
_CHAPTER XIII_ WAPITI, WOLVES, AND WOLVERENE 62
_CHAPTER XIV_ A PAIR OF DEEP DIVERS 69
_CHAPTER XV_ A GRAND SUNDAY DINNER 73
_CHAPTER XVI_ THE MARMOTS OF AMERICA 79
_CHAPTER XVII_ THE BLAIREAU, THE "TAWNIES," AND THE "LEOPARDS" 82
_CHAPTER XVIII_ AN ODD SORT OF DECOY-DUCK 86
_CHAPTER XIX_ THE SHRIKE AND THE HUMMING-BIRDS 91
_CHAPTER XX_ THE FISH-HAWK 94
_CHAPTER XXI_ THE OSPREY AND HIS TYRANT 97
_CHAPTER XXII_ THE VOYAGE INTERRUPTED 102
_CHAPTER XXIII_ FISHING UNDER THE ICE 105
_CHAPTER XXIV_ AN ODD ALARM 107
_CHAPTER XXV_ ENCOUNTER WITH A MOOSE 113
_CHAPTER XXVI_ LIFE IN A LOG-HUT 117
_CHAPTER XXVII_ TRAVELLING ON SNOW-SHOES 121
_CHAPTER XXVIII_ THE BARREN GROUNDS 125
_CHAPTER XXIX_ THE ROCK-TRIPE 130
_CHAPTER XXX_ THE POLAR HARE AND THE GREAT SNOWY OWL 133
_CHAPTER XXXI_ THE JUMPING MOUSE AND THE ERMINE 138
_CHAPTER XXXII_ THE ARCTIC FOX AND WHITE WOLF 140
_CHAPTER XXXIII_ THE JERFALCON AND THE WHITE GROUSE 145
_CHAPTER XXXIV_ THE HARE, THE LYNX, AND THE GOLDEN EAGLE 147
_CHAPTER XXXV_ THE "ALARM BIRD" AND THE CARIBOU 151
_CHAPTER XXXVI_ A BATTLE WITH WOLVES 155
_CHAPTER XXXVII_ END OF THE "VOYAGE" 160
THE FOREST EXILES,
OR
ADVENTURES AMID THE WILDS OF THE AMAZON
_CHAPTER I_ THE BIGGEST WOOD IN THE WORLD 162
_CHAPTER II_ THE REFUGEES 164
_CHAPTER III_ THE POISON-TREES 169
_CHAPTER IV_ THE SUPPER OF GUAPO 173
_CHAPTER V_ THE PUNA 175
_CHAPTER VI_ THE WILD BULL OF THE PUNA 179
_CHAPTER VII_ THE "VAQUERO" 181
_CHAPTER VIII_ LLAMAS, ALPACOS, VICUNAS, AND GUANACOS 184
_CHAPTER IX_ A VICUNA HUNT 187
_CHAPTER X_ CAPTURING A CONDOR 189
_CHAPTER XI_ THE PERILS OF A PERUVIAN ROAD 191
_CHAPTER XII_ ENCOUNTER UPON A CLIFF 194
_CHAPTER XIII_ THE LONE CROSS IN THE FOREST 197
_CHAPTER XIV_ THE D
ESERTED MISSION 201
_CHAPTER XV_ THE GUACO AND THE CORAL SNAKE 203
_CHAPTER XVI_ THE PALM-WOODS 207
_CHAPTER XVII_ A HOUSE OF PALMS 209
_CHAPTER XVIII_ TRACKING THE TAPIR 212
_CHAPTER XIX_ THE POISONED ARROWS 216
_CHAPTER XX_ THE MILK-TREE 221
_CHAPTER XXI_ THE CANNIBAL FISH AND THE GYMNOTUS 224
_CHAPTER XXII_ THE CINCHONA-TREES 227
_CHAPTER XXIII_ A PAIR OF SLOW GOERS 231
_CHAPTER XXIV_ THE BARK-HUNTERS 233
_CHAPTER XXV_ THE PUMA AND THE GREAT ANT-BEAR 236
_CHAPTER XXVI_ ATTACK OF THE WHITE ANTS 239
_CHAPTER XXVII_ THE ANT-LION 242
_CHAPTER XXVIII_ THE TATOU-POYOU AND THE DEER CARCASS 246
_CHAPTER XXIX_ AN ARMADILLO HUNT 248
_CHAPTER XXX_ THE OCELOT 251
_CHAPTER XXXI_ A FAMILY OF JAGUARS 255
_CHAPTER XXXII_ THE RAFT 259
_CHAPTER XXXIII_ THE GUARDIAN BROTHER 262
_CHAPTER XXXIV_ THE VAMPIRE 265
_CHAPTER XXXV_ THE MARIMONDAS 269
_CHAPTER XXXVI_ THE MONKEY MOTHER 274
_CHAPTER XXXVII_ AN UNEXPECTED GUEST 276
_CHAPTER XXXVIII_ THE CROCODILE AND CAPIVARAS 279
_CHAPTER XXXIX_ FIGHT OF THE JAGUAR AND CROCODILE 282
_CHAPTER XL_ ADVENTURE WITH AN ANACONDA 284
_CHAPTER XLI_ A BATCH OF CURIOUS TREES 288
_CHAPTER XLII_ THE FOREST FESTIVAL 291
_CHAPTER XLIII_ ACRES OF EGGS 295
_CHAPTER XLIV_ A FIGHT BETWEEN TWO VERY SCALY CREATURES 298
_CHAPTER XLV_ A PAIR OF VALIANT VULTURES 301
_CHAPTER XLVI_ THE "GAPO" 304
_CHAPTER XLVII_ THE ARAGUATOES 306
_CHAPTER XLVIII_ BRIDGING AN IGARIPE 308
_CHAPTER XLIX_ THE MANATI 311
_CHAPTER L_ THE CLOSING CHAPTER 314
THE BUSH-BOYS,
OR
ADVENTURES IN THE WILDS OF SOUTHERN AFRICA.
_CHAPTER I_ THE BOERS 317
_CHAPTER II_ THE KRAAL 319
_CHAPTER III_ THE SPRING-HAAN 322
_CHAPTER IV_ A TALK ABOUT LOCUSTS 325
_CHAPTER V_ THE LOCUST-FLIGHT 329
_CHAPTER VI_ "INSPANN AND TREK!" 333
_CHAPTER VII_ WATER! WATER! 335
_CHAPTER VIII_ THE FATE OF THE HERD 339
_CHAPTER IX_ A LION COUCHANT 341
_CHAPTER X_ THE LION IN THE TRAP 345
_CHAPTER XI_ THE DEATH OF THE LION 348
_CHAPTER XII_ THE TRAVELLERS BENIGHTED 351
_CHAPTER XIII_ THE TREK-BOKEN 354
_CHAPTER XIV_ SPOORING FOR A SPRING 359
_CHAPTER XV_ THE TERRIBLE TSETSE 361
_CHAPTER XVI_ THE LONG-HORNED RHINOCEROS 364
_CHAPTER XVII_ A HEAVY COMBAT 367
_CHAPTER XVIII_ THE DEATH OF THE ELEPHANT 371
_CHAPTER XIX_ TURNED HUNTERS 375
_CHAPTER XX_ JERKING AN ELEPHANT 377
_CHAPTER XXI_ THE HIDEOUS HYENA 379
_CHAPTER XXII_ STALKING THE OUREBI 382
_CHAPTER XXIII_ LITTLE JAN'S ADVENTURE 388
_CHAPTER XXIV_ A HOUSE AMONG THE TREE-TOPS 390
_CHAPTER XXV_ THE BATTLE OF THE WILD PEACOCKS 393
_CHAPTER XXVI_ UPON THE SPOOR 397
_CHAPTER XXVII_ A ROGUE ELEPHANT 400
_CHAPTER XXVIII_ THE MISSING HUNTER, AND THE WILDEBEESTS 405
_CHAPTER XXIX_ THE ANT-EATER OF AFRICA 409
_CHAPTER XXX_ HANS CHASED BY THE WILDEBEEST 411
_CHAPTER XXXI_ BESIEGED BY THE BULL 414
_CHAPTER XXXII_ A HELPLESS BEAST 416
_CHAPTER XXXIII_ THE ELEPHANT'S SLEEPING ROOM 420
_CHAPTER XXXIV_ MAKING THE ELEPHANT'S BED 423
_CHAPTER XXXV_ THE WILD ASSES OF AFRICA 425
_CHAPTER XXXVI_ PLANNING THE CAPTURE OF THE QUAGGAS 429
_CHAPTER XXXVII_ THE PIT-TRAP 433
_CHAPTER XXXVIII_ DRIVING IN THE ELAND 436
_CHAPTER XXXIX_ A WILD RIDE ON QUAGGA-BACK 439
_CHAPTER XL_ THE GUN-TRAP 444
_CHAPTER XLI_ THE WEAVER-BIRDS 447
_CHAPTER XLII_ THE SPITTING-SNAKE 450
_CHAPTER XLIII_ THE SERPENT-EATER 452
_CHAPTER XLIV_ TOTTY AND THE CHACMAS 456
_CHAPTER XLV_ THE WILD HOUNDS AND THE HARTEBEEST 460
_CHAPTER XLVI_ CONCLUSION 465
[Transcriber's Note: Obvious printer errors, (missing accents, missingletters, etc) including punctuation, have been silently corrected.
All other inconsistencies including archaic spellings have been left asthey were in the original.
Added a List of Illustrations.]