
Chapter One. - The Squatter’s Clearing.
Chapter Two. - Marian and Lilian.
Chapter Three. - The Lovers’ Rendezvous.
Chapter Four. - The Catastrophe of a Kiss.
Chapter Five. - Squatter and Saint.
Chapter Six. - An Apostolic Effort.
Chapter Seven. - The Mormon’s Demand.
Chapter Eight. - A splendid Pension.
Chapter Nine. - Friendly Advice.
Chapter Ten. - A Classic Land.
A solitary cabin rests in a half‑moon clearing deep within a Tennessee forest, its rough fence and modest outbuildings the only sign of human presence amid towering, ancient trees. The narrator paints the landscape with reverent detail—the scarred trunks, the spring‑green surge of new growth, and the chorus of birds that fills the once‑silent woods. It is a place where the squatter, a hunter who despises the sound of an axe, feels both protector and exile, living in harmony with the wild that surrounds him.
Beyond the tranquility, the story hints at a stirring tension: the lone hunter’s isolated existence is poised on the edge of change. Rumors of a fierce, untamed woman who roams the forest—known among locals as the “wild huntress”—begin to surface, promising a collision of solitude and desire. As the seasons turn, the wilderness itself seems ready to test the squatter’s resolve and open the door to an unexpected, rugged romance.
Language
en
Duration
~14 hours (846K characters)
Publisher of text edition
Project Gutenberg
Credits
Produced by Nick Hodson of London, England
Release date
2009-02-09
Rights
Public domain in the USA.

1818–1883
Adventure, danger, and wide-open landscapes run through these stories from a writer who turned real-life travel and combat into fast-moving fiction. Best known as Captain Mayne Reid, he became a favorite of generations of young readers with tales of the American frontier and beyond.
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