HUGH GLASS, MOUNTAIN MAN

by Robert McClung ‧ RELEASE DATE: Oct. 23, 1990

A rousing fictional account of a famous fur trapper's near-legendary exploits in the wild early West. After sailing with Jean Lafitte, being adopted by a Pawnee chief, and managing countless escapes from death, Hugh Glass signed on in 1823 with the Rocky Mountain Fur Company. En route from St. Louis to Yellowstone, he was attacked and mauled by a grizzly, Two companions, John Fitzgerald and 19-year-old Jim Bridger, stayed with him for five days as he clung stubbornly to life, but the two eventually fled, taking Glass's rifle and supplies, when they found signs of Indians in the vicinity. Though terribly wounded, Glass crawled and staggered 200 miles to Fort Kiowa, living on grubs, raw rattlesnake, etc. and swearing vengenace on the deserters. McClung writes in a slightly distant, documentary style that makes this tale of endurance all the more believable (most of it is based on actual events); Glass's eventual confrontations with Bridger and Fitzgerald also make for some powerfully dramatic scenes. In the end, he's convinced of their genuine remorse and lack of malice. The general facelessness of the Native Americans is the only jarring note in this saga from the author of The True Adventures of Grizzly Adams (1985). Foreword; afterword; annotated bibliography.

Pub Date: Oct. 23, 1990

ISBN: N/A

Page Count: 224

Publisher: Morrow

Review Posted Online: N/A

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 15, 1990

Categories: CHILDREN'S