Thrilling Adventures By Land And Sea

There is in the adventures of the daring and heroic, something that interests all. There is a charm about them which, while it partakes of the nature of Romance, does not exercise the same influence upon the mind or heart. When there are noble purposes and noble ends connected with them, they excite in the mind of the reader, noble impulses. The object of the present compilation [1852] is to form a readable and instructive volume--a volume of startling incident and exciting adventure, which shall interest all minds, and by its attractions beget thirst for reading…

By : James O. Brayman (1815 - 1887)

00 - Preface 01 - Incident at Resaca de la Palma; True Heroism; Thrilling Incident; Incident in the War of Mexican Independence 02 - Sketch from Life on the Ocean 03 - Escape from Shipwreck; The Hunter's Wife 04 - Deaf Smith, the Texan Spy; Escape from a Shark; Adventure with Pirates 05 - A Sea-Fowling Adventure; Adventure with a Cobra di Capello; Combat of Wild Animals; Perilous Incident on a Canadian River; A Whale Chase 06 - Leopard Hunting And Adventures With Buffaloes And Lions; Hunting the White Rhinoceros, Lion, Buffalo, and Giraffe; A Leopard Hunt; Life in California 07 - A Storm among the Icebergs; Fall of the Rossberg; The Rifleman of Chippewa; Shipwreck of the Blendenhall 08 - Adventures of Sergeant Champe In His Attempt To Capture Arnold 09 - Adventures with Pirates; Kenton, the Spy 10 - The Dying Volunteer, An Incident Of Molino Del Rey; Escape from a Mexican Quicksand By Captain Mayne Reid 11 - Charged by a Rhinoceros; Burning of the Erie; Conflict with an Indian; Fire on the Prairies; The Captain's Story 12 - Tussle with a Wildcat; Incident in Frontier Life; Female Intrepidity; Encounter with Robbers; Shipwreck of the Monticello 13 - A Jungle Recollection; Attack of Boonesborough; Thrilling Incidents of Battle; Family Attacked by Indians 14 - Thrilling Incident; Adventures of Dr. Bacon 15 - A Battle with Snakes; Estill's Defeat; Incident at Niagara Falls; Skater chased by a Wolf; Our Flag on the Rocky Mountains; Running the Canon 16 - The Rescue; Shipwreck of the Medusa 17 - Hunting the Moose; Perilous Escape from Death; Fire in the Forest; Pirates of the Red Sea 18 - General Jackson and Weatherford; Cruise of the Saldanha and Talbot; A Carib's Revenge; Massacre of Fort Mimms; The Freshet 19 - The Panther's Den; Adventure with Elephants; The Shark Sentinel; Hunting the Tiger 20 - Indian Devil; Bear Fight; The Miners of Bois-Monzil 21 - Ship Towed to Land by Bullocks; Destruction of a Ship by a Whale; Burning of the Kent

There is a large class of readers who seek books for the sake of the amusement they afford. Many are not very fastidious as to the character of those they select, and consequently the press of the present day teems with works which are not only valueless, so far as imparting information is concerned, but actually deleterious in their moral tendency, and calculated to vitiate and enervate the mind. Such publications as pander to a prurient taste find a large circulation with a portion of society who read them for the same reason that the inebriate seeks his bowl, or the gambler the instruments of his vocation--for the excitement they produce. The influence of works of this description is all bad--there is not a single redeeming feature to commend them to the favor or toleration of the virtuous or intelligent. It cannot be expected that minds accustomed to such reading can at once be elevated into the higher walks of literature or the more rugged paths of science. An intermediate step, by which they may be lifted into a higher mental position, is required.

There is in the adventures of the daring and heroic, something that interests all. There is a charm about them which, while it partakes of the nature of Romance, does not exercise the same influence upon the mind or heart. When there are noble purposes and noble ends connected with them, they excite in the mind of the reader, noble impulses.

The object of the present compilation is to form a readable and instructive volume--a volume of startling incident and exciting adventure, which shall interest all minds, and by its attractions beget thirst for reading with those who devote their leisure hours to things hurtful to themselves and to community. We have endeavored to be authentic, and to present matter, which, if it sometimes fail to impart knowledge or instruction, or convey a moral lesson, will, at least, be innoxious. But we trust we have succeeded in doing more than this--in placing before the reading public something that is really valuable, and that will produce valuable results.