The Headless Horseman

✒ Author	Thomas Mayne Reid
📖 Pages	916
⏰ Reading time	36 hours
💡 Originally published	1865
🌏 Original language	English
📌 Type	Novels
📌 Genres	Detective, Children's literature, Historical, Adventure, Realism
📌 Sections	Historical novel , Adventure novel , Realistic novel

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Content

Table of contents
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Prologue	1
Chapter One. The Burnt Prairie	5
Chapter Two. The Trail of the Lazo	17
Chapter Three. The Prairie Finger-Post	30
Chapter Four. The Black Norther	40
Chapter Five. The Home of the Horse-Hunter	52
Chapter Six. The Spotted Mustang	65
Chapter Seven. Nocturnal Annoyances	78
Chapter Eight. The Crawl of the Alacran	89
Chapter Nine. The Frontier Fort	96
Chapter Ten. Casa Del Corvo	108
Chapter Eleven. An Unexpected Arrival	118
Chapter Twelve. Taming a Wild Mare	130
Chapter Thirteen. A Prairie Pic-Nic	146
Chapter Fourteen. The Manada	155
Chapter Fifteen. The Runaway Overtaken	163
Chapter Sixteen. Chased by Wild Stallions	173
Chapter Seventeen. The Mustang Trap	184
Chapter Eighteen. Jealousy upon the Trail	195
Chapter Nineteen. Whisky and Water	212
Chapter Twenty. An Unsafe Position	226
Chapter Twenty One. A Duel within Doors	236
Chapter Twenty Two. An Unknown Donor	243
Chapter Twenty Three. Vows of Vengeance	253
Chapter Twenty Four. On the Azotea	260
Chapter Twenty Five. A Gift Ungiven	267
Chapter Twenty Six. Still on the Azotea	278
Chapter Twenty Seven. I Love You!—I Love You!	284
Chapter Twenty Eight. A Pleasure Forbidden	292
Chapter Twenty Nine. El Coyote at Home	300
Chapter Thirty. A Sagittary Correspondence	305
Chapter Thirty One. A Stream Cleverly Crossed	312
Chapter Thirty Two. Light and Shade	317
Chapter Thirty Three. A Torturing Discovery	322
Chapter Thirty Four. A Chivalrous Dictation	329
Chapter Thirty Five	337
Chapter Thirty Six. Three Travellers on the same Track	344
Chapter Thirty Seven. A Man Missing	353
Chapter Thirty Eight. The Avengers	360
Chapter Thirty Nine. The Pool of Blood	366
Chapter Forty. The Marked Bullet	375
Chapter Forty One. Cuatro Cavalleros	383
Chapter Forty Two. Vultures on the Wing	392
Chapter Forty Three. The Cup and the Jar	404
Chapter Forty Four. A Quartette of Comanches	414
Chapter Forty Five. A Trail gone Blind	427
Chapter Forty Six. A Secret Confided	440
Chapter Forty Seven. An Intercepted Epistle	452
Chapter Forty Eight. Isidora	460
Chapter Forty Nine. The Lazo Unloosed	474
Chapter Fifty. A Conflict with Coyotes	486
Chapter Fifty One. Twice Intoxicated	494
Chapter Fifty Two. An Awakener	502
Chapter Fifty Three. Just in Time	512
Chapter Fifty Four. A Prairie Palanquin	523
Chapter Fifty Five. Un Dia de Novedades	531
Chapter Fifty Six. A Shot at the Devil	545
Chapter Fifty Seven. Sounding the Signal	559
Chapter Fifty Eight. Recoiling from a Kiss	568
Chapter Fifty Nine. Another who cannot rest	578
Chapter Sixty. A Fair Informer	587
Chapter Sixty One. Angels on Earth	596
Chapter Sixty Two. Waiting for the Cue	605
Chapter Sixty Three. A Jury of Regulators	614
Chapter Sixty Four. A Series of Interludes	625
Chapter Sixty Five. Still another Interlude	635
Chapter Sixty Six. Chased by Comanches	645
Chapter Sixty Seven. Los Indios!	654
Chapter Sixty Eight. The Disappointed Campaigners	661
Chapter Sixty Nine. Mystery and Mourning	671
Chapter Seventy. Go, Zeb, and God Speed You!	680
Chapter Seventy One. The Sorell Horse	687
Chapter Seventy Two. Zeb Stump on the Trail	698
Chapter Seventy Three. The Prairie Island	706
Chapter Seventy Four. A Solitary Stalker	712
Chapter Seventy Five. On the Trail	717
Chapter Seventy Six. Lost in the Chalk	723
Chapter Seventy Seven. Another Link	732
Chapter Seventy Eight. A Horse-Swop	738
Chapter Seventy Nine. An Untiring Tracker	747
Chapter Eighty. A Doorway Well Watched	752
Chapter Eighty One. Heads Down—Heels Up!	761
Chapter Eighty Two. A Queer Parcel	770
Chapter Eighty Three. Limbs of the Law	776
Chapter Eighty Four. An Affectionate Nephew	781
Chapter Eighty Five. A Kind Cousin	792
Chapter Eighty Six. A Texan Court	802
Chapter Eighty Seven. A False Witness	810
Chapter Eighty Eight. An Unwilling Witness	819
Chapter Eighty Nine. The Confession of the Accused	828
Chapter Ninety. A Court Quickly Cleared	836
Chapter Ninety One. A Chase through a Thicket	842
Chapter Ninety Two. A Reluctant Return	848
Chapter Ninety Three. A Body Beheaded	855
Chapter Ninety Four. The Mystery Made Clear	863
Chapter Ninety Five. The Last Witness	874
Chapter Ninety Six. Stole Away!	886
Chapter Ninety Seven. The Chase of the Assassin	894
Chapter Ninety Eight. Not Dead yet	900
Chapter Ninety Nine. Attempted Murder and Suicide	905
Chapter One Hundred. Joy	911

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The Headless Horseman in Russian

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Prologue

The stag of Texas, reclining in midnight lair, is startled from his slumbers by the hoof stroke of a horse.

He does not forsake his covert, nor yet rise to his feet.

His domain is shared by the wild steeds of the savannah, given to nocturnal straying.

He only uprears his head; and, with antlers o’ertopping the tall grass, listens for a repetition of the sound.

Again is the hoof stroke heard, but with altered intonation.

There is a ring of metal—the clinking of steel against stone.

The sound, significant to the ear of the stag, causes a quick change in his air and attitude.

Springing clear of his couch, and bounding a score of yards across the prairie, he pauses to look back upon the disturber of his dreams.

In the clear moonlight of a southern sky, he recognises the most ruthless of his enemies—man.

One is approaching upon horseback.

Yielding to instinctive dread, he is about to resume his flight: when something in the appearance of the horseman—some unnatural seeming—holds him transfixed to the spot.

With haunches in quivering contact with the sward, and frontlet faced to the rear, he continues to gaze—his large brown eyes straining upon the intruder in a mingled expression of fear and bewilderment.

What has challenged the stag to such protracted scrutiny?

The horse is perfect in all its parts—a splendid steed, saddled, bridled, and otherwise completely caparisoned. In it there appears nothing amiss—nothing to produce either wonder or alarm.

But the man—the rider?

Ah! About him there is something to cause both—something weird—something wanting!

By heavens! it is the head!

Even the unreasoning animal can perceive this; and, after gazing a moment with wildered eyes—wondering what abnormal monster thus mocks its cervine intelligence—terror-stricken it continues its retreat; nor again pauses, till it has plunged through the waters of the Leona, and placed the current of the stream between itself and the ghastly intruder.

Heedless of the affrighted deer—either of its presence, or precipitate flight—the Headless Horseman rides on.

He, too, is going in the direction of the river. Unlike the stag, he does not seem pressed for time; but advances in a slow, tranquil pace: so silent as to seem ceremonious.

Apparently absorbed in solemn thought, he gives free rein to his steed: permitting the animal, at intervals, to snatch a mouthful of the herbage growing by the way.

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