The Gun-Brand
by James B. Hendryx (1880–1963)
- Free to read
- 5 hours to read
- 25 chapters
- Reading level: 6th grade
"The Gun-Brand" by James B. Hendryx is an adventure novel written in the early 20th century. The story follows Chloe Elliston, a determined young woman, as she journeys into the wilderness of the North with the purpose of establishing a school for Indigenous peoples and confronting the treacherous influences embodied by figures like Brute MacNair. The narrative promises themes of resilience, personal growth, and the clash between civilization and the raw forces of nature. At the start of the story, Chloe, accompanied by her two companions, finds herself amidst the rugged beauty of the Canadian wilderness, preparing to navigate the challenging waters of the North. The opening chapters describe her interactions with rugged river freighters and hint at the looming threats posed by characters like Pierre Lapierre and Brute MacNair. Chloe's bold determination to pursue her mission clashing with the dangers of the land and the men who inhabit it sets the stage for an epic confrontation that will test her ideals and resolve.
Read the opening
Chapter I
THE CALL OF THE RAW
Seated upon a thick, burlap-covered bale of freight—a "piece," in the parlance of the North—Chloe Elliston idly watched the loading of the scows. The operation was not new to her; a dozen times within the month since the outfit had swung out from Athabasca Landing she had watched from the muddy bank while the half-breeds and Indians unloaded the big scows, ran them light through whirling rock-ribbed rapids, carried the innumerable pieces of freight upon their shoulders across portages made all but impassable by scrub timber, oozy muskeg, and low sand-mountains, loaded the scows again at the foot of the rapid and steered them through devious and dangerous miles of swift-moving white-water, to the head of the next rapid.
They are patient men—these water freighters of the far North. For more than two centuries and a quarter they have sweated the wilderness freight across these same portages. And they are sober men—when civilization is behind them—far behind.
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About this edition
This free edition of The Gun-Brand by James B. Hendryx comes from Project Gutenberg eBook #16174, released 2005-07-01. It is in the public domain in the United States, so you can read it here in full at no cost, on any phone, tablet or computer. Genre: Adventure, Novels.
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