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Early Mountie novels and story collections free online fiction.
MOUNTIE FICTION Royal Canadian Mounted Police Online Books for Free
“I’m Bernice Gallegher from the Lazy G Ranch. Some of that damn Yankee bunch down at Crow’s Nest has been running off our stock. One of our old punchers, the darned renegade, recognized me and chased me out.”
She paused for breath. Sergt. Childress waited anxiously for her next word. The Crow’s Nest renegades over in Montana and their particular connection with the rustling of stock out of Fire Weed was the detail which would take him into mufti in the next few days.
“Running me out of the Nest wasn’t enough,” went on the girl whose mane looked like flaming gold in the moonlight. “Been chasing me all afternoon — running me ragged. They’re right behind me now, and my horse is all in. Any wonder I thanked the good God for meeting up with a Mountie?”
For no part of a second did the Mountie doubt the girl’s story. And there came confirmation thereof in the distant thud of many hoofs. To get the flame-haired youngling out of danger zone became his first consideration.
“We’ll swap horses,” he suggested, swinging from the silver beast’s saddle.
“Off that bay, miss, and on your way. Meet me at Soda Springs anytime to-morrow and we’ll trade back. Mount the silver beast. Quick!” he directed.
“But, sergeant, there are five of them!” she cried. “I counted, looking back from the top of the hill, just the other side of the boundary.”
“You heard me, girl,” he snarled, a tone that few had dared disobey. “Make dust away from here.”
Bernice Gallegher watched his square-shouldered back, upon the scarlet coat on which the moon was playing so vividly, as he strode down the road to face, single-handed, the wild, rough-riding quintet who had followed the supposed boy, intent upon a necktie-party.
For no fraction of a second had she thought of accepting his generous offer — considered making “dust” away from her Providence-sent protector. Like a streak, she took after him.
The galloping horses of the outlaw posse pounded nearer and nearer. Sergt. Childress set himself squarely in the road, ready for King’s-name confrontation. The pad-pad of the girl’s rushing feet caused him to turn.
“You — here?” he grumbled, as though disbelieving that his order had been disobeyed. “Thought I told you—”
“Two guns are better than one against five,” she said, panting.
She added, “It’s my battle you’re fighting and I’ve the right to help you shoot it out.” From somewhere about her boy clothes she whipped a handgun.
“Too late,” the sergeant groaned, as he saw the lead rider of the posse top the rise of the Medicine Line. “Too late for a get-away. Behind me!”
Childress would have made a perfect target as he stood mid-trail, the moon multiplying the brilliance of his uniform. But the weird light also showed the raiders what he was. Perhaps some of the band had felt the steel of the Mounted before. At any rate, his sharp “Who goes?” brought the girl’s pursuers to a stop.
“We’re chasing a hawse thief,” drawled one of the interlopers, possibly the leader. “Let us pass an’ we’ll get him…”
from THE LONG ARM OF THE MOUNTED by James French Dorrance
MOUNTIE FICTION Royal Canadian Mounted Police Online Books for Free
The 275 few good men of the North-West Mounted Police had hardly arrived in the Canadian West, when stories were being written about them.
Not many years passed before former members of the Scarlet Riders were telling yarns based on their own proud exploits.
Roger Pocock, originally from Wales, joined the NWMP, serving during the North-West Rebellion. His best known work of fiction is THE CHEERFUL BLACKGUARD. In the novel, José de la Mancha y O’Brien joins the Force, and tells us his adventures during the Rebellion. A strange, sardonic romp.
BENTON OF THE ROYAL MOUNTED was written by Ralph S Kendall. Kendall served with the Royal North-West Mounted for eight years. He was stationed in Calgary, where his two novels were set. I’ve called his BENTON “A masterwork. And worth hunting down for your Canadiana bookshelves. A must for Canadian Patriots.” See Book Review.
The Reverend Charles William Gordon, writing as Ralph Connor, released his CORPORAL CAMERON OF THE NORTH WEST MOUNTED POLICE: A Tale of the MacLeod Trail in 1912. And it’s sequel, THE PATROL OF THE SUNDANCE TRAIL in 1914.
In the way that Owen Wister’s THE VIRGINIAN created the classic Western genre, Ralph Connor’s CORPORAL CAMERON and SUNDANCE TRAIL created the archetypal Mountie genre. Connor’s belief in Muscular Christianity, the Scottish-Canadian concept of “Law and Justice” and his Mountie hero’s almost religious zeal for policework, created the Mythic Mountie.
Another popular Northwestern writer was American James Oliver Curwood. Many of his Mountie novels hit the best seller lists.
Described as “an author, screen-writer and conservationist, Michigan-born Curwood attended Owosso’s Central High School until tenth grade when he was expelled….
“Curwood wrote 33 novels during his lifetime. [1]
“His first Mountie novel was PHILIP STEELE OF THE ROYAL NORTHWEST MOUNTED POLICE. RIVER’S END (also a Mountie story) was his first novel to sell more than 100,000 copies in its first edition.”
Other Mountie novels available as online books for free are THE FLAMING FOREST and THE GOLDEN SNARE.
“Most of Curwood’s books were adventure tales set in the Canadian North country. Many of his books were picked up by motion picture companies and made into large motion pictures and many were also published in foreign languages.”
In 1920, The North-West Mounted was amalgamated with the national Dominion Police, renamed the Royal Canadian Mounted Police.
The Twenties saw the force become mechanized. But remote areas, such as the Rocky Mountains, were still seeing horseback patrols. And the High Arctic saw the continuation of long dogsled patrols.
Modern writers were still telling thrilling stories in the Northwestern manner.
An exciting example of this was THE LONG PATROL: A Tale Of The Mounted Police by Albert M Treynor.
Albert M Treynor (1884-1948) was a writer of short stories, novels and Hollywood screenplays. He also worked as a drama critic for newspapers in Chicago and New York City.
Born in Kane, Iowa, Treynor published most of his novels in the 1920’s and worked on movie scripts in the 30’s. His co-authored screenplays were mainly comedies. It’s a Small World, starring Spencer Tracy (1935), The Rainmakers (1935) and Dancing Co-Eds, starring Lana Turner (1939) were his most successful projects. Dancing Co-Eds was based on Treynor’s own short story that had appeared in American Magazine the year before. The Jane Withers-starring Always in Trouble was also based on a Treynor magazine story.
Treynor is best remembered today by fans of Northwestern fiction. Besides THE LONG PATROL: A Tale Of The Mounted Police, his Mountie novels are ROGUES OF THE NORTH, THE TRAIL FROM DEVIL’S COUNTRY and SNOW-BLIND. His Western novels were THE RUNAWAY TRAIL and HANDS UP! In 1930 he produced two Sahara-set adventure novels: HAWK OF THE DESERT and FLAMING SANDS.
Other writers of Mountie Books for Free are Luke Allan (THE RETURN OF BLUE PETE and THE LONE TRAIL), Floria Howe Bruess (CODE OF THE MOUNTED), Ridgwell Cullum (THE LAW-BREAKERS), Harwood Steele (SPIRIT-OF-IRON — Manitou-Pewabic — An Authentic Novel of the North-West) and Bertrand W Sinclair (RAW GOLD: A Novel).
Scotland-born Bertrand W Sinclair was raised in British Columbia. His first novel was RAW GOLD, published to much acclaim in 1908. His next two books drew a fascinated following: THE LAND OF FROZEN SUNS and NORTH OF FIFTY-THREE.
And James French Dorrance wasn’t the only author to use the title THE LONG ARM OF THE MOUNTED!
In 1948, American author William Byron Mowery released a collection of magazine stories also called THE LONG ARM OF THE MOUNTED. The stories were titled “The Mystery of the Ghost Gold,” “Mannikin Talk,” “A Relic of the Vikings” and “Shepherd of the Storm.”
One of the Top 10 Mountie writers, editors called Mowery “The Zane Grey of the Canadian Northwest.”
MOUNTIE FICTION Royal Canadian Mounted Police Online Books for Free
Did you like this Mountie Fiction Free Books Post?
YOU MUST SEE “THE WRITERS OF THE NORTH-WEST MOUNTED POLICE” — MY MOST POPULAR LITERARY HISTORY POST:
“Thanks for a wonderful in-depth article on Mountie fiction. I’m a big fan of the Mounties and I really enjoyed the amount of details you provided and found many, many more books to put on my wish list.” Jack Wagner
“I just discovered your blog recently. I’m all for anything that increases people’s knowledge about these older, mostly forgotten authors. That post on Mountie fiction is great!” Western writer James Reasoner
An expansive study of the writers who created the magnificent Mythology of our North-West Mounted Police. My Top 10 Mountie Fiction Writers in some detail, including Ralph Connor, James Oliver Curwood and William Byron Mowery. And a look at many other authors! Lavishly illustrated with breathtaking book and pulp magazine cover art. FREE TO READ ==> The GREATEST AUTHORS OF NORTH-WEST MOUNTED POLICE FICTION
“No other nation owes its primary Mythology to such a mix of international writers! Four Americans, three Canadians, an Australian, an Englishman and a Norwegian. The Aussie and Norwegian served as Mounties.” Brian Alan Burhoe
Yes! You can read the Mounted Police novels featured here as Online Books for FREE!
See Project Gutenberg: Books for Free about the North West Mounted Police (Canada) — Fiction. Harwood Steele, Ralph Connor, Bertrand W Sinclair, Luke Allan & Roger Pocock.
See Project Gutenberg: Books for Free about the Royal Canadian Mounted Police — Fiction. Ridgwell Cullum, Floria Howe Bruess, Ralph S Kendall, James Oliver Curwood, Luke Allan, James French Dorrance & Albert M Treynor.
Also Internet Archive: The Long Arm Of The Mounted by William Byron Mowery.
And the best thing is you can read free books online without downloading.
[1] Curwood Festival www.curwoodfestival.com/james-oliver-curwood.
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