The Wild Karroo. A solitary horseman—a youth in early manhood—riding at a snail’s pace over the great plains, or karroo, of South Africa. His chin on his breast; his hands in the pockets of an old shooting-coat; his legs in ragged trousers, and his feet in worn-out boots. Regardless of stirrups, the last are dangling. The reins hang on the neck of his steed, whose head may be said to dangle from its shoulders, so nearly does its nose approach the ground. A felt hat covers the youth’s curly black head, and a double-barrelled gun is slung across his broad shoulders. We present this picture to the reader as a subject of contemplation. It was in the first quarter of the present century that the youth referred to—Charlie Considine by name—rode thus meditatively over that South African karroo. His depression was evidently not due to lack of spirit, for, when he suddenly awoke from his reverie, drew himself up and shook back his hair, his dark eyes opened with something like a flash. They lost some of their fire, however, as he gazed round on the hot plain which undulated like the great ocean to the horizon, where a line of blue indicated mountains. The truth is that Charlie Considine was lost—utterly lost on the karroo! That his horse was in the same lost condition became apparent from its stopping without orders and looking round languidly with a sigh. “Come, Rob Roy,” said the youth, gathering up the reins and patting the steed’s neck, “this will never do. You and I must not give in to our first misfortune. No doubt the want of water for two days is hard to bear, but we are strong and young both of us. Come, let’s try at least for a sheltering bush to sleep under, before the sun goes down.” Animated by the cheering voice, if not by the words, of its rider, the horse responded to the exhortation by breaking into a shuffling canter. After a short time the youth came in sight of what appeared to be a herd of cattle in the far distance. In eager expectation he galloped towards them and found that his conjectures were correct. They were cattle in charge of one of that lowest of the human race, a Bushman. The diminutive, black-skinned, and monkey-faced creature was nearly naked. He carried a sheepskin kaross, or blanket, on his left shoulder, and a knobbed stick, or “kerrie,” in his right hand. “Can you speak English?” asked Considine as he rode up. The Bushman looked vacant and made no reply. “Where is your master’s house?” asked the youth. A stare was the only answer. “Can’t you speak, you dried-up essence of stupidity!” exclaimed Charlie with impatience. At this the Bushman uttered something with so many klicks, klucks, and gurgles in it that his interrogator at once relinquished the use of the tongue, and took to signs, but with no better success, his efforts having only the effect of causing the mouth of the Bushman to expand from ear to ear. Uttering a few more klicks and gurgles, he pointed in the direction of the setting sun.... Views: 239
For too long, Violet and the people of the outer circles of the Lone City have lived a life of servitude, controlled and manipulated by the royalty of the Jewel. But now, the secret society known as the Black Key is preparing to seize power and knock down the walls dividing each circle.
And while Violet knows she is at the center of this rebellion, she has a more personal stake in it—for her sister, Hazel, has been taken by the Duchess of the Lake. Now, after fighting so hard to escape the Jewel, Violet must do everything in her power to return, to save not only Hazel, but the future of the Lone City. Views: 239
Tempted by Love (The Steeles at Silver Island) Views: 239
Miss Ravenel\'s Conversion from Secession to Loyalty (1867) is an American Civil War novel by veteran John William DeForest.In contrast to much of the Civil War fiction that had gone before it, Miss Ravenel\'s Conversion portrayed war not in the chivalric, idealized manner of Walter Scott, but as a bloody and inglorious hell. Though William Dean Howells praised DeForest as a "realist before realism was named",most critics[who?] have argued that the Romantic elements of his plot mix poorly with the otherwise admirable realism of the battle scenes. The novel is often cited[by whom?] as a possible influence on Stephen Crane\'s The Red Badge of Courage, though the evidence that Crane had read the novel remains inconclusive. Views: 239
The Secret of the Reef By Harold Bindloss Views: 239
George Washington Hayduke III was last seen clinging to a rock face in the wilds of Utah as an armed posse hunted him down for his eco-radicalist crimes. Now he is back with a fiery need for vengeance.
In this sequel to the enormously popular and entertaining The Monkey Wrench Gang, Hayduke teams up with his old pals Doc Sarvis, Seldom Seen Smith, and Bonnie Abbzug in a battle against the world’s biggest earth-moving machine. Fundamentalist preacher Dudley Love, the mastermind behind "G O L I A T H," wants to turn the Grand Canyon into a uranium mine, but not if eco-warrior Hayduke and his group of committed environmentalist friends have anything to say about it.
Hayduke Lives! is full of noisy politics and seemingly improbable situations (yet all too real) that showcase Abbey’s energetic prose and his infectious comic genius as a writer. Views: 239
Although devastated when she is asked to leave an exclusive Connecticut ballet school, Mina Smiths finds solace in her friendship with Tamer Shipp, the summer minister, and learns about his own difficult adolescence, Harlem ministry, and family life. Views: 239
"Sherman Zahd" is an antiwar satire set in San Francisco schools in the early days of the Iraq War. The story is loosely based on Sheherezade. The humor is closely based on George Bush and the like."Sherman Zahd" is an antiwar satire set in San Francisco schools in the early days of the Iraq War. The story is loosely based on Sheherezade. The humor is closely based on George Bush and the like. The story has previously appeared in Mobius, Write Side Up, and Pulse. The author appreciates the opportunity to expand the story's reach by furnishing a free ebook edition to kind readers. Views: 239
In this evocative and poignant novel from the USA TODAY bestselling author of Blind Kiss and Wish You Were Here, a young widow in the midst of grieving her late husband through Facebook posts learns to heal and fall in love again. "See you on the other side." Laya Marston's husband, Cameron, a daredevil enthusiast, always said this before heading off on his next adventure. He was the complete opposite of her, ready and willing to dive off a cliff-face, or parachute across a canyon—and Laya loved him for it. But she was different: pragmatic, regimented, devoted to her career and to supporting Cameron from the sidelines of his death-defying feats. Opposites attract, right? But when Cameron dies suddenly and tragically, all the stages of grief go out the window. Laya becomes lost in denial, living in the delusion that Cameron will come back to her. She begins posting on his Facebook page, reminiscing about... Views: 239
All the passions and intrigues of Bonaparte's court are seen through the eyes of a silk merchant's daughter from Marseilles, a young woman who became Napoleon's fiancee and, ultimately, the Queen of Sweden.First published in 1953. Views: 239
