This is an extraordinary tale which at first seems to fit the genre of the tall tale but later takes on an unexpected...

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RATE, PAWNEE, MOUNTAIN MAN: The Saga of Hugh Glass

This is an extraordinary tale which at first seems to fit the genre of the tall tale but later takes on an unexpected credibility. Mr. Myers assembles all the relevant material of the saga of Hugh Glass, a man who actually lived and whose life had more bite than a snapping turtle. The central experience of Glass's story is that he fought an enormous grizzly bear and was left to die by two companions after they'd robbed him. Subsequently, and ""all tored to peases"", he tracked the two men down for over two thousand miles, intending to kill them. The first man he catches, however, turns out to be a 19-year-old kid whom Glass can't bring himself to kill. The second man, when Glass catches him, has joined the Army and his uniform shields him. Glass gets his beloved rifle back and bears no grudge. The story's theme is that of the in-destructible frontier spirit. Glass has four lives: as a sea-captain or mariner; as an active pirate with Jean Lafitte; as a Neolithic savage among the Wolf Pawnees; and as a homeless white hunter on the Plains. Each life contributes to the strength by which he carries out his final act as Nemesis. A stark tale with all the romance well-bleached away. Recommended.

Pub Date: Oct. 17, 1963

ISBN: N/A

Page Count: -

Publisher: Little, Brown

Review Posted Online: N/A

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 1, 1963

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