
A DRIFT FROM REDWOOD CAMP
by Bret Harte
In Redwood Camp, a rough‑hewn mining settlement tucked among pine‑curtained valleys, the townsfolk are a chorus of gamblers, sharpshooters and hard‑hearted pioneers. Among them drifts Elijah Martin, a man whose reputation rests on laziness, cowardice and a knack for avoiding any real responsibility. Though the camp’s colorful characters earn nicknames and grudges, Elijah remains a nameless “him,” tolerated more than respected.
When an unprecedented spring flood swallows the camp in March of 1856, Elijah’s indifferent survival instincts carry him away on a makeshift plank. He awakens alone on a remote riverbank, famished and bewildered, with only the distant rustle of squirrels to guide his first desperate hunt for food. As he grapples with hunger and the raw wilderness, listeners are drawn into his reluctant quest for shelter and self‑reliance in a world that has long ignored his existence.
Language
en
Duration
~45 minutes (43K characters)
Publisher of text edition
Project Gutenberg
Credits
Produced by Donald Lainson; David Widger
Release date
2006-05-25
Rights
Public domain in the USA.

1836–1902
Best remembered for bringing the California Gold Rush to life in fiction, this pioneering American writer turned miners, gamblers, and drifters into unforgettable characters. His stories helped shape the local-color tradition in American literature and made the West vivid for readers far beyond it.
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