Cover of Spawn of the Desert

Spawn of the Desert

  • Free to read
  • 1 hour to read
  • 7 chapters
  • Reading level: 5th grade

"Spawn of the Desert" by W. C. Tuttle is a novel written in the early 20th century. Set against the backdrop of the Mojave Desert, the book follows the lives of characters embroiled in the rough and tumble world of a mining town called Calico. With themes exploring the nature of life, death, and morality amidst hardship and societal decay, the story weaves in elements of adventure and drama typical of Western literature. The narrative revolves primarily around the enigmatic figure known as Le Saint and his companion, Duke Steele. As they arrive in Calico, they encounter a town marked by lawlessness and violence, with its inhabitants living for the moment amid the relentless desert sun. The plot intensifies as the Saint finds himself drawn into the town's tumultuous social dynamics, including confrontations with the powerful and ruthless Silver Sleed, who holds sway over the town. The story culminates in a dramatic confrontation that reveals deep personal histories, lost identities, and ultimately a cycle of vengeance. As tensions within the town escalate, the Saint grapples with memories of a traumatic past, leading to a climactic showdown that intertwines themes of justice and the search for self.

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  • Western stories
  • American fiction · 20th century

Read the opening

Chapter I

The Mohave Indians have a legend of the Calico Mountains and their origin. According to their beliefs, the Great Spirit finished the big task of making the world at this spot.

The desert was the final work of the Great Spirit, and he was much pleased; but in his arms he held a big jumble of rocks, sand and pigments, which were left from the great work. The world was all made and very good to look upon, so he had no place for this extra material.

To get rid of it he simply dropped it at his feet in a mass, and the many-hued pigments spilled over it until the whole was as a bright-hued piece of cloth.

Thus, according to the Indians, was formed these mountains, which are but a jumble of barren rocks, rising sheer from the level desert; scourged through the centuries by the desert sun, wind and sand—an unfading proof that, unlike man, the Great Spirit painted deeper than the surface.

But with all their gaudy colors in the sun, these mountains, at night, are black silhouettes, which appear to be without breadth or thickness; or broken into misty, hazy, unreal piles in the moonlight.

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Contents

  1. Chapter I
  2. Chapter II
  3. Chapter III
  4. Chapter IV
  5. Chapter V
  6. Chapter VI
  7. Chapter VII

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About this edition

This free edition of Spawn of the Desert by W. C. Tuttle comes from Project Gutenberg eBook #64284, released 2021-01-13. 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.

Summary provided by Project Gutenberg (automatically generated).

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