Popular Adventure Tales

by Mayne Reid

  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.]