Popular Adventure Tales

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BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH

Captain Mayne Reid was born at Ballyroney, County Down, on the 4th April, 1818, and was the son of the Rev. Thomas Mayne Reid. Mayne Reid was educated with a view to the Church, but finding his inclinations opposed to this calling, he emigrated to America and arrived in New Orleans on January, 1840. After a varied career as plantation over-seer, school-master, and actor, with a number of expeditions in connection with hunting and Indian warfare, he settled down in 1843 as a journalist in Philadelphia, where he made the acquaintance of Edgar Allan Poe.

Leaving Philadelphia in 1846, he spent the summer at Newport, Rhode Island, as the correspondent of the New York Herald, and in December of the same year, having obtained a commission as second lieutenant in the 1st New York Volunteers, he sailed for Vera Cruz to take part in the Mexican war. He behaved with conspicuous gallantry in many engagements, and was severely wounded and disabled at the storming of Chapultepec on the 13th September, 1847.

Returning to the United States in the spring of 1848, he resumed literary work. But in June, 1849, he sailed for Europe in order to take part 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,” in two volumes. Between this date and his death, he produced a large number of volumes, which indeed no one else was capable of writing, for in them are avowedly embodied the observations and experiences of his own extraordinary career.

Unfortunate building and journalistic speculation and enterprises involved him in financial failure, so he returned to New York in October, 1867. There he founded and conducted The Onward Magazine, but owing to recurring bad effects of his old Mexican wound, he had to abandon work for sometime and go into the hospital, on leaving which he returned to England in 1870. During the later years of his life he resided 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 adventure and 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 of literature. Many of them have been extraordinary popular and have become standard works. Reid has not been surpassed by any other writer in combining at one and the same time, the features of thrilling adventure and great instruction in the fields of natural history. Many of the works have been translated into Continental languages and are as highly esteemed among the French and Germans as at home.

The Young Voyageurs

OR

BOY HUNTERS IN THE NORTH.

CHAPTER IPAGETHE FUR COUNTRIESCHAPTER IITHE YOUNG VOYAGEURSCHAPTER IIITHE TRUMPETER SWAN AND THE BALD EAGLECHAPTER IVA SWAN-HUNT BY TORCHLIGHTCHAPTER V“CAST AWAY”CHAPTER VIA BRIDGE OF BUCKSKINCHAPTER VIIDECOYING THE ANTELOPESCHAPTER VIII“A PARTRIDGE DANCE”CHAPTER IXBASIL AND THE BISON-BULLCHAPTER XTHREE CURIOUS TREESCHAPTER XIHOW TO BUILD A BARK CANOECHAPTER XIITHE CHAIN OF LAKESCHAPTER XIIIWAPITI, WOLVES, AND WOLVERENECHAPTER XIVA PAIR OF DEEP DIVERSCHAPTER XVA GRAND SUNDAY DINNERCHAPTER XVITHE MARMOTS OF AMERICACHAPTER XVIITHE BLAIREAU, THE “TAWNIES,” AND THE “LEOPARDS”CHAPTER XVIIIAN ODD SORT OF DECOY-DUCKCHAPTER XIXTHE SHRIKE AND THE HUMMING-BIRDSCHAPTER XXTHE FISH-HAWKCHAPTER XXITHE OSPREY AND HIS TYRANTCHAPTER XXIITHE VOYAGE INTERRUPTEDCHAPTER XXIIIFISHING UNDER THE ICECHAPTER XXIVAN ODD ALARMCHAPTER XXVENCOUNTER WITH A MOOSECHAPTER XXVILIFE IN A LOG-HUTCHAPTER XXVIITRAVELLING ON SNOW-SHOESCHAPTER XXVIIITHE BARREN GROUNDSCHAPTER XXIXTHE ROCK-TRIPECHAPTER XXXTHE POLAR HARE AND THE GREAT SNOWY OWLCHAPTER XXXITHE JUMPING MOUSE AND THE ERMINECHAPTER XXXIITHE ARCTIC FOX AND WHITE WOLFCHAPTER XXXIIITHE JERFALCON AND THE WHITE GROUSECHAPTER XXXIVTHE HARE, THE LYNX, AND THE GOLDEN EAGLECHAPTER XXXVTHE “ALARM BIRD” AND THE CARIBOUCHAPTER XXXVIA BATTLE WITH WOLVESCHAPTER XXXVIIEND OF THE “VOYAGE”

The Forest Exiles,

OR

ADVENTURES AMID THE WILDS OF THE AMAZON

CHAPTER ITHE BIGGEST WOOD IN THE WORLDCHAPTER IITHE REFUGEESCHAPTER IIITHE POISON-TREESCHAPTER IVTHE SUPPER OF GUAPOCHAPTER VTHE PUNACHAPTER VITHE WILD BULL OF THE PUNACHAPTER VIITHE “VAQUERO”CHAPTER VIIILLAMAS, ALPACOS, VICUÑAS, AND GUANACOSCHAPTER IXA VICUÑA HUNTCHAPTER XCAPTURING A CONDORCHAPTER XITHE PERILS OF A PERUVIAN ROADCHAPTER XIIENCOUNTER UPON A CLIFFCHAPTER XIIITHE LONE CROSS IN THE FORESTCHAPTER XIVTHE DESERTED MISSIONCHAPTER XVTHE GUACO AND THE CORAL SNAKECHAPTER XVITHE PALM-WOODSCHAPTER XVIIA HOUSE OF PALMSCHAPTER XVIIITRACKING THE TAPIRCHAPTER XIXTHE POISONED ARROWSCHAPTER XXTHE MILK-TREECHAPTER XXITHE CANNIBAL FISH AND THE GYMNOTUSCHAPTER XXIITHE CINCHONA-TREESCHAPTER XXIIIA PAIR OF SLOW GOERSCHAPTER XXIVTHE BARK-HUNTERSCHAPTER XXVTHE PUMA AND THE GREAT ANT-BEARCHAPTER XXVIATTACK OF THE WHITE ANTSCHAPTER XXVIITHE ANT-LIONCHAPTER XXVIIITHE TATOU-POYOU AND THE DEER CARCASSCHAPTER XXIXAN ARMADILLO HUNTCHAPTER XXXTHE OCELOTCHAPTER XXXIA FAMILY OF JAGUARSCHAPTER XXXIITHE RAFTCHAPTER XXXIIITHE GUARDIAN BROTHERCHAPTER XXXIVTHE VAMPIRECHAPTER XXXVTHE MARIMONDASCHAPTER XXXVITHE MONKEY MOTHERCHAPTER XXXVIIAN UNEXPECTED GUESTCHAPTER XXXVIIITHE CROCODILE AND CAPIVARASCHAPTER XXXIXFIGHT OF THE JAGUAR AND CROCODILECHAPTER XLADVENTURE WITH AN ANACONDACHAPTER XLIA BATCH OF CURIOUS TREESCHAPTER XLIITHE FOREST FESTIVALCHAPTER XLIIIACRES OF EGGSCHAPTER XLIVA FIGHT BETWEEN TWO VERY SCALY CREATURESCHAPTER XLVA PAIR OF VALIANT VULTURESCHAPTER XLVITHE “GAPO”CHAPTER XLVIITHE ARAGUATOESCHAPTER XLVIIIBRIDGING AN IGARIPÉCHAPTER XLIXTHE MANATICHAPTER LTHE CLOSING CHAPTER

The Bush-Boys,

OR

ADVENTURES IN THE WILDS OF SOUTHERN AFRICA....