The riot at Bucksnort and other Western tales

274 Pages·2005·1.599 MB·English

by  Robert E. Howard, David Gentzel, David Gentzel

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4 TheRiotatBucksnortand
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3 The Riot at Bucksnort and
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Other Western Tales
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10 RobertE.Howard
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23 Editedand
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DavidGentzel
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33 UniversityofNebraskaPress
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KimE—UniversityofNebraskaPress/Pageiii//TheRiotatBucksnortandOtherWesternTales/RobertE.Howard
1 ©2005byREHProperties,Inc.
2 Introduction©2005bytheBoardofRegents
3 oftheUniversityofNebraska.
4 Allrightsreserved.ManufacturedintheUnited
StatesofAmerica.
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SetinFredSmeijers’QuadraatbyKimEssman.
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DesignedbyRichardEckersley.
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PrintedandboundbyEdwardsBrothers,Inc.
8 (cid:1)(cid:1)
9 LibraryofCongressCataloging-in-PublicationData
10 Howard,RobertErvin,1906–1936.
11 TheriotatBucksnortandotherTexastales/
12 RobertE.Howard;editedandwithan
13 introductionbyDavidGentzel.
p.cm.–(TheworksofRobertE.Howard) [-4], (4)
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isbn0-8032-2425-7(cloth:alk.paper)–
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isbn0-8032-7354-1(pbk.:alk.paper)
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1.Texas–Sociallifeandcustoms–Fiction. Lines: 66 to 116
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2.Westernstories. I.Gentzel,David. II.Title.
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KimE—UniversityofNebraskaPress/Pageiv//TheRiotatBucksnortandOtherWesternTales/RobertE.Howard
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contents
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6 Introduction vii
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MountainMan 1
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MeetCap’nKidd 15
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10 GunsoftheMountains 31
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ThePeacefulPilgrim 45
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WaronBearCreek 61
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14 TheHauntedMountain 79
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TheFeudBuster 93
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TheRiotatCougarPaw 108 Lines: 116 to 201
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18 PistolPolitics 124 ———
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“NoCowherdersWanted” 140
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21 TheConquerin’Hero Normal Page
oftheHumbolts 158
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23 AGentfromthePecos 174
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GentsontheLynch 191 [-5], (5)
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TheRiotatBucksnort 208
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27 KnifeRiverProdigal 223
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AMan-EatingJeopard 238
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SourceAcknowledgments 255
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KimE—UniversityofNebraskaPress/Pagevi//TheRiotatBucksnortandOtherWesternTales/RobertE.Howard
1
2 david gentzel
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Introduction
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8 Mayhem,Mirth,andMyth:RobertE.Howard’sHumorousWesterns
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ThereisnodenyingthatRobertE.Howard’sheroicfantasytalesarehis
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mostpopular,butsomewhohavebeeninspiredtodigdeeper(orhave
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been lucky enough to encounter the random fugitive paperback) have
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discovered the wealth and depth of the author’s range and versatility. [-7], (7)
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Conan,Kull,andtheirbreedhavebeenadaptedintocomics,servedasthe
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basisforseveralmovies,andinspiredseeminglycountlesspastichesand
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continuations.Howard’shistoricaladventures,westerns,andboxingtales Lines: 203 to 233
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allhavestrongfollowings,andhishorrorstorieshavealsoreceivedmod-
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estattentionandhavebeenincludedinnumerousanthologies.Butmany 10.14839pt PgVar
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20 ofthosefamiliarwithHoward’swritingsandcharacterswouldprobably ———
21 besurprisedtolearnthathumorwasadominantthemeinhispublished Normal Page
works. In fact, there are fewer completed stories featuring Conan of
22 PgEnds: TEX
Cimmeria (twenty-one stories), easily Howard’s best-known character,
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thanthereareofeitherofhismostsuccessfulhumorcharacters:Sailor
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25 SteveCostigan(twenty-fivestories)andBreckinridgeElkins(twenty-two [-7], (7)
26 stories).
27 IhaveaspecialaffectionforHoward’shumorouswesterns.Theselarg-
28 er-than-lifetaleshaveanamazingvitalityandpower.Thecombinationof
29 intenseactionandbroadslapstickcarriesthestorieslikearunawayfreight
30 train toward the inevitable conflagration. Howard created three unique
31 characters for these tales: Breckinridge Elkins of Bear Creek, Nevada;
32 Buckner J. Grimes of Knife River, Texas; and Pike Bearfield of Wolf
33 Mountain,Texas.“Breck”wastheoriginalcreation–PikeandBuckner
34 wereprimarilycreatedtoselltodifferentmarkets,althoughtheycertainly
35 have discriminating features (both in character and in story structure).
36 Therecanbelittledoubtthatthisisdue,atleastpartially,topracticalrather
KimE—UniversityofNebraskaPress/Pagevii//TheRiotatBucksnortandOtherWesternTales/RobertE.Howard
Introduction
1 thanartisticconsiderations.AsawriterworkingintheGreatDepression,
2 Howardsawmanymagazines(andhencemarketsforhiswriting)come
3 andgo.Itwasveryimportantforhimtoselltoavarietyofpublishersso
4 thathislivelihoodwouldnotbejeopardizedbythefinancialproblemsofa
5 singlemarket.Conan,forexample,waspublishedsolelybythemagazine
6 WeirdTales.TherewasnoguaranteethataConantalewouldbeaccepted
7 bythatmagazine,andonceastorywasacceptedandpublished,payment
8 wasnotoriouslytardy.WithSailorSteveCostiganand,later,Breckinridge
9 Elkins, both sold to Fiction House publications, Howard managed to
10 developanimportantsecondarymarket.
11 Still,thereismoretotheseworksthanjusttacklingamarket.From
12 hisearliestdaysofwriting,Howardshowedanactiveandsharpsenseof
13 humor.Theletterstofriendsfromhisteenyearsarefullofwit,including
[-8], (8)
14 bawdypoetry,parodiesofpopularsongsandpoetry,andpoliticalcom-
15 mentary.Itwasnatural,therefore,forHowardtocombinethissenseof
16 humorwithhisloveoftalltalesandhisknowledgeoftheSouthwest.And
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17 thiscombinationdevelopedintoBreckinridgeElkins,thecentralcharacter
18 inmostofthestoriesincludedinthisvolume. ———
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19 ButbeforedivingmoredeeplyintoHoward’shumorouswesterns,let’s *
20 stepbackafewyears.Onecannotunderstandthegenesisofthewesterns ———
21 that make up this volume without some knowledge of the humorous Normal Page
22 boxing stories that were their direct precursors. From July 1929 until * PgEnds: PageBreak
23 March 1932, eighteen Sailor Steve Costigan stories were published in
24 FightStoriesanditssisterpublicationActionStories.Thesestoriesbuilton
[-8], (8)
25 Howard’swell-documentedfollowingofthesweetscienceandshowed
26 the rapid development of a very broad, slapstick style. Unfortunately
27 both Fight Stories and Action Stories suspended publication in 1932. As
28 theCostiganstoriesformedasignificantpercentageofHoward’ssales
29 duringtheprecedingtwoyears,thiswasaseriousblowtohisfinances.
30 Howarddidmanagetosellafewyarnstootherboxingperiodicalsbut
31 withnowherenearthereliabilityandregularityhehadpreviouslyenjoyed.
32 SoitwasdoubtlessexcellentnewswhenHowardlearnedthatActionStories
33 was resuming publication in late 1933. As he wrote to August Derleth
34 aroundDecember1933:
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Introduction
1 Recently – or rather a few months ago – an old stand-by of mine,
2 Action Stories, returned to the wars on a bi-monthly basis, but I’ve
3 beensobusytryingtolearntohammeroutdetectivesthatIhaven’t
4 givenittheconsiderationIintendto.Sofar,sincecomingbackinto
5 circulations,I’velandedonlyoneyarnwiththem,butIhopetowork
6 outaseries,asIusedtointhepastwithSteveCostigan,thefighting
7 sailor.(Whom,ifyoureadthelatestMagicCarpet,youencountered
8 under the cognomen of Dennis Dorgan.) My new character is one
9 BreckinridgeElkins,agiantoftheHumboltmountainswhoseexploits
10 areofthePecosBillstyle.
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Howard’sconcentrationondetectivestoriesturnedouttobefairlyshort-
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lived,andthesuspensionofhisbestdetectivemarketscoincidednicely
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withtheresurrectionofActionStories.Asaresult,theBreckinridgeElkins [-9], (9)
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seriessoonbecameHoward’smostreliablysaleablecharacter.
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Fromhisdebutin“MountainMan”intheMarch–April1934issueuntil
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Howard’sdeathinJune1936,aBreckinridgeElkinsstoryappearedinevery
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18 issueofActionStories.Infact,Breckenridgecontinuedtoappearforseveral ———
19 monthsafterHoward’sdeathasthestoriesalreadysoldwerepublished. 8.69994pt PgVar
20 Breckinridgeislargerthanlife,averitablemaninaworldofboys.Just ———
21 abouttheonlyfolkshemeetswhocomeclosetohissheerphysicalstature Normal Page
22 areothermembersofhisownfamily.Heis,asHowardnotedintheletterto PgEnds: TEX
23 Derleth,adirectliterarydescendentofPecosBill,themythicalprototypical
24 cowboy.Breckinridgefirststrodeontothescenein“MountainMan,”and
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25 fromtheveryfirstpage,heshowedtheseeminginvulnerabilitythatwould
26 becomehistrademark:
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Hecomeup,andsaid:“Breckinridge,ain’tthatabeesettin’onyore
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ear?”
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Ireachedup,andsureenough,itwas.Cometothinkaboutit,Ihad
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feltkindoflikesomethingwasstingingmesomewhere.
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32 Inthefirststoryalone,Breckenridgeencountersbeestings,cactusnee-
33 dles,clubs,fists,knees,bullets,andbuckshot.Thesethingsareshaken
34 offlikeyouorImightdealwithasplinterorapebbleinourshoe.Andyet
35 Breck’slegendisnotyetfullyformed.Hissteedisamostunflattering,if
36 physicallyimpressive,mulenamedAlexander–hardlyasuitablemount
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