Wild Adventures in Wild Places

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Stables Gordon. Wild Adventures in Wild Places

Chapter One. Part I – The Moors and Fens of England. In the Depths of the Forest – Frank and his Toad – A Day with the Hounds – The Furies’ Leap – “That Fox was my Fate.”

Chapter Two. Frank undergoes the Process of “Hardening Off” – Camp-life on the Banks of the Thames – A Week among Rabbits – “’Ware Hare.”

Chapter Three. Frank is thoroughly “Hardened Off” – Deer-stalking in the Highlands – Partridge, Pheasant, and Duck Shooting – “Good-bye” – “None but the Brave deserve the Fair.”

Chapter Four. Part II – The Polar Ice-Fields. Outward bound – Night in the Pack – The Aurora – The awful Silence of the Ice-fields – Seals! Seals! – The Battle with the Bladder-noses – Jack in the Box with a Vengeance – A Fight with Walruses

Chapter Five. The West Land of Greenland – A Fall! a Fall! – Danger on all Sides – “Man the Ice-saws” – Working for Life – Beset in the Dreary Pack

Chapter Six. Winter in the Ice-fields – The Ice breaks up – Sailing South – A Sledge Adventure – The Storm and Shipwreck – Afloat on an Iceberg – Land! land! – A terrible Journey – Cronstadt

Chapter Seven. Part III – The Russian Steppes. Quiet days on the Kyra – Captain Varde’s happy Home – Fred Freeman’s Rustic Russian – The Captain tells a tale of Adventure

Chapter Eight. The Captain’s tale continued – Winter brings the Bears from the Mountains – The Tragedy in the Forest – Bears at Bay – Breast to breast with Bruin – Fred Freeman falls in love!

Chapter Nine. The Russian Steppes (concluded) Pleasant Times – A Glorious Hide – A Happy Christmas – Boar-hunting – Attacked by Wolves

Chapter Ten. Part IV – The Wilds of Africa. Off to the Cape – Among the Rock Rabbits – A Wild Ride – Lost on the plains

Chapter Eleven. Cruising in the Dodo – The Bluebell – How oysters grow on trees – Away up the beautiful river – The Bluebell aground – Noontide on the river

Chapter Twelve. An Inland Lake – Enchanting Scenery – The Encampment – Tropical Storms – Hunting the Rhinoceros – Frank Unhorsed – Lyell’s Adventure with a Lion – Encounter with a Gorilla

Chapter Thirteen. Part V – The Indian Jungle. A Tête-à-Tête Dinner – Letters from Home – The Journey Junglewards – The Camp and Scenery around it – A Sportsman’s Paradise – Lost in the Forest

Chapter Fourteen. Adventure with a Python – Moondah’s House – “The Tiger! The Tiger!” – Panthers – Hunting with the Cheetah – The Panther and the Boar

Chapter Fifteen. Elephant Hunting – The Elephant and Tiger – The Tusker’s Charge – The Runaway Elephant – The Man-eating Tigress

Chapter Sixteen. Part VI – Australia. Convalescent at last – A Run to Australia – Set out for the Interior – The Scenery – A Queer Mistake – Frank’s Cousins

Chapter Seventeen. The Corobory – Native Arms – Quiet Life in the Australian Bush – Chisholm and Eros – A Day with the Kangaroo Hounds

Chapter Eighteen. Part VII – The Pampas. Swallowed up in the Forest – Buenos Ayres – Away to the Wilds – A Colony of Highlanders – Frank to the fore

Chapter Nineteen. Chasing Wild Horses – Ostrich-Stalking – A Moonlight Ride – A Deed of Blood – Los Indios! – The Fight – Victory and Pursuit

Chapter Twenty. Part VIII – The Backwoods. Rounding Cape Horn – Storm and Tempest – San Francisco – Guides for the Backwoods – The Group around the Camp-fire – A Wild Hunter’s Story

Chapter Twenty One. Dugald continues his story – A fearful storm – Attacked by wolves – Lost in the forest – Indians – The surrender – The escape – The mine of gold

Chapter Twenty Two. Merrie England – A Week at Willoughby Place – Our Heroes Part – A Pleasant Re-union, on which the Curtain drops

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There was something about Fred Freeman which is difficult to describe, but which caused everybody to like him. He had the manners of a high-bred English gentleman, but that did not, of course, constitute the something that made him a favourite, because bon ton, manners are happily not rare. However, there’s no harm in my trying to describe him to you, because he is one of our three heroes. Fred wasn’t much, if any, above the middle height; he had a short dark beard and moustache – they were not black, however. He was very regular in features – handsome, in fact, handsome when he was in his quiet moods, which he very frequently was, and even more so when merry, for then he was simply all sunshine, and it made you laugh to look at him. He was very unobtrusive. He was a capital shot, and a daring hunter and sportsman, but never boasted about his own doings. His constitution was as tough as india-rubber, and as hard as nails. If there be anything wanting in this description, the reader must supply it himself. Anyhow, Fred was a genuine good fellow. He had hitherto travelled a good deal, sport-intent, chiefly on the Continent; but he jumped at the proposal to go round the world on “a big shoot,” as he called it.

Freeman was a bachelor, and said he would always remain so; Chisholm O’Grahame was also a bachelor. Perhaps he was seen to the best advantage when his foot was on his native heath, and a covey of grouse ahead of him. He was one of the so-called “lucky dogs” of this world. On the death of an uncle, he would come into a fine old Highland estate. Meanwhile he had nothing to do, and plenty of time to do it in. After his visit to Frank, he went back to see Frank’s father, who was delighted at the success of his mission.

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“I’m ready,” said Fred quietly.

And that “rabbit shoot” began Frank Willoughby’s sporting adventures. They had a whole week of it, and very much they enjoyed it. Chestnut Farm was a dear old-fashioned, rustic, rumble-tumble of a place, with a rolling country all around it, and the river quietly meandering through its midst. They pitched their tent not far from the river; under canvas they lived and ate and slept. Fred Freeman was a capital cook; he built his fire of wood and hung his kettle-pot gipsy fashion on a tripod, and the curries and stews he used to turn out were quite delightful. The farmer and his wife would fain have had them to live in their hospitable dwelling, but being told that Frank was undergoing the process of hardening off and general tuition in camp and sporting life, the good farmer looked at the young man for a moment or two from top to bottom, just as if he had been a colt.

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