Embrace of the Wild Inspired by Equestrian Explorer Isabella Bird by Linda Ballou ➱ Book Tour with Giveaway
Embrace of the Wild
Inspired by Equestrian Explorer Isabella Bird
by Linda Ballou
Genre: Historical Fiction
Excerpt from Embrace of the Wild. Hilo or Bust
The narrow track now slippery with red mud was treacherous.
My mare struggled for traction with her legs sliding out from under her.
Cascades streaking white down the cleft of the pali dislodged rocks that
rattled down the mountain. At times the rain was so dense, I lost sight of
Kilani who forged ahead undaunted. We crossed several smaller gulches with
rushing water up to my horses belly without incident. But, when we arrived at
the lip of Hakalau gulch lost my conviction. Foaming water broiling in a riotous
rush to the sea had risen half way up the side of the water corridor. Limbs of
trees and leaves swirled in a muddy chaos below. The thunderous sound of
breakers crashing on the sea cliffs filled me with dread. If I didn’t drown in
the river, I would surely be crushed on the rocks by the pounding sea. I
decided I would prefer spending a night in the rain on the shore over
attempting this crossing.
Two native men on the other side of the raging torrent had
lassoed the horse of a woman trying to reach the other side. With ropes tied to
trees they were pulling her to the shore. Her horse floundered falling
backwards into the brew. The woman went into the drink. She clung to the horn
of the saddle while her body was caught in the current. With a herculean effort
the men pulled the flailing animal to the shore. The horse found purchase and
the woman was rescued.
Kilani was not
dissuaded by the perilous crossing we just witnessed. She stood on the edge of
the gulch prepared to jump into a certain death. The men threw the lasso over
her horses head and she pressed her horse forward. My heart was in my throat as
I watched her being picked up by the roiling water and sent spinning
downstream. I screamed over the wild
chorus of the river for her to face the flow. She was attempting to cross
sideways with her horse completely submerged up to its head. She managed to
swing around to face the torrent and the men were able to pull the wretched
animal towards the shore. The horse’s eyes rolled white with fear, snorting and
puffing as it struggled with every ounce of it’s being to find footing on
slippery rocks while the rain pounded even more intensely. Kilani managed to gather herself back onto
the horse as it lurched up the far bank of the river. I could only hope for her
that her husband’s affections would be rewarded in kind.
I made my decision not to follow her lead to a sudden death.
But, as I was about to turn back a lasso was draped around my mare’s neck.
Without so much as an “Are you ready?” I was pulled into the roiling
drink. Instantly immersed up to my neck,
I had no choice but to press forward. I spurred the hapless animal beneath me
with all my might. She was swimming toward the far side, but we were drifting
towards the sea. I yelled for help over the roar to no avail. My screams were
swallowed in the roar of the ceaseless foaming rollers below. This looked to be
a sad ending to my new found freedom.
From shore Kilani screamed “Spur. Spur. Spur.” Both men were on the rope they pulled taunt
around my horse’s neck. They secured their feet on boulders and grunted with
each pull giving a small release so they did not choke her to death. The animal
was gasping, and gave out a sorrowful whinny that shook her entire body. I was
lifted by the water out of the saddle. My arms were being pulled out of their
sockets as I clung to the big horn of the Mexican saddle. The rain was blinding
and I was about to let go and join the spirits in the underworld of Po.
Suddenly, my mare found a reserve of strength and lurched forward. With the
help of the men pulling her, she was able to swim close enough to the shore to
scramble up the slick wall of mud and out of the torrent.
Upa finally arrived with a mule in tow. The men tossed him
the rope that he put around the creatures neck. He deftly hopped rocks, dove
into the muddy brew and navigated the charging river like an amphibious
creature leading the mule behind him. He laughed loudly when he reached our
party on the other side.
“Lucky we get here today,” Upa said.
My horse stood trembling. My teeth chattered involuntarily.
The tumult of blinding rain had not ceased.
I didn’t feel lucky.
NABBW-Embrace of the Wild-Lemons to Lemonello
In writing Embrace of the Wild I hope I have turned the
lemons of Covid 19 into lemonello; a zesty elixir that excites and satisfies the
senses. In early 2020 I returned from a whirlwind tour of Australia just in
time for lockdown. I was grateful to be back on U.S. soil, but in shock to see
the streets of downtown Los Angeles empty.
A new world order was upon us. I had no idea how long this was last, but
I did know my travel wings were clipped and I needed to do something to save my
sanity.
According to many a centenarian the secret to staying young is
maintaining a sense of humor and staying mentally engaged. I have written two
novels and I know that it requires a huge time commitment and the willingness
to forego other ambitions for a while. For me it means mentally being in the
places that I am describing and imagining what it would be like to be the
characters in my story and how they felt. The silver lining of the pandemic for
me was that I could drop out of society focus on writing and no one would
notice. It was easy for me to pretend that I had won a stay at the writer’s
residency in Rocky Mountain National Park.
Isabella Lucy Bird is a woman I admired who received
recognition when she was alive, but had fallen through the cracks of time. When I went to Estes Park, Colorado to
explore the region she wrote about so glowingly in a Ladies Life in the Rockies, I asked local shopkeepers if they knew
her name. They did not! However, I did find a book on her young years, and Following Isabella Travels in Colorado Then
and Now by Robert Root in the local bookstore.
My research for Embrace of the Wild included hiking in the
Rocky Mountain National Park in 2019 and viewing YouTube videos by Nick Sangetta
who takes you with him on his daily sojourns into the region. His video of
hiking Longs Peak was especially helpful as even though Isabella made to the
summit, I never will. I stayed at Sylvan Dale Ranch where Isabella stopped on
her way to Estes Park. I then drove to the Laramie River Ranch on the border of
Wyoming where she arrived by train from San Francisco.
The first third of the story takes place in Hawaii where
Isabella spent six transformative months in the Sandwich Islands. I used her
book about her times there in 1873 in my research for Wai-nani: A Voice from Old Hawai’i. Her language is a bit flowery
for modern readers, but her descriptions of the terrain are unrivaled. I have hiked in Waipio Valley and on the
flank of the Kilauea on the Big Island where Isabella rode and have written
articles set in the Islands. My research
for Wai-nani gave me a deep knowledge of the Hawaiian people and their culture.
It was fun for me to be there once more.
Part two of the story told by James Nugent AKA Rocky
Mountain Jim allowed me to give voice to a largely overlooked dark episode in
America’s history. It also served to make him a more understandable, if not
sympathetic character. In part three Jim and Isabella meet and recognize one
another as soul mates who share a love for nature and find a connection in the
majesty of the mountains.
It is my hope that readers will enjoy riding with Isabella
on her way to spiritual freedom and self-discovery. Writing the story did give
me peace and purpose in what has been a difficult year for all of us. A special thanks to Anne Holmes for her
generous review of Embrace of the Wild.
Note: The paperback is available on Amazon in larger print for screen weary eyes.
Thank you for sharing Embrace of the Wild with your readers. They will need to hang on for a Wild Ride. Best, Linda
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