A faint silvery vapour stood for the Milky Way. The stars were clear, coloured, and jewel-like, but not frosty. Robert Lois Stevenson with Modestine - Chabalier - Chemin de Stevenson-2018-D6-12 Having ascended La Mourade we continued following the railway line to our next hamlet of Chabalier where we stopped to say hi to Modestine and Mr Stevenson. I emptied it at a draught and feeling broad awake after this internal cold aspersion, sat upright to make a cigarette. My tin was standing by me half full of water. The reader has a wonderful Scots accent which brings alive the rythem and sounds of Stevenson's writings, adding a whole new dimension. When that hour came to me among the pines, I wakened thirsty. 'Travels with a donkey in the Cevennes', written in 1879 was one of his first outdoor books, an account of his 120 mile walk with the donkey Modestine from Le Puy to St. As a spoken text the only downside is it is abridged, but not too badly. He may be less well known as a pioneer travel and outdoor writer. Like a Victorian house, the book is highly "fillagreed" (ornamented) with untranslated French phrases, unexplained obscure history, ecclesiastical terms, biblical and literary references, and a tighly nuanced Victorian language and Scottish words - you will need either an annotated version or lots of time with an encyclopedia (Wikipedia has both available) to get the most out of it youi will need to work at it, I would not recommend this as light reading, although once you know all the facts, it really is very rewarding. Travels with a Donkey is one of the early classic of outdoor literature - it is one of the first book to mention a sleeping bag (of Stevensons' own inventiuon) and early portrays of outdoor travel as a vacation.
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