The Headless Horseman - A Strange Tale of Texas
Thomas Mayne Reid
Read by LibriVox Volunteers
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! (Excerpt from the Prologue)
The Headless Horseman is a novel by Mayne Reid written in 1865 or 1866 and is based on the author's adventures in the United States. The Headless Horseman or a Strange Tale of Texas was set in Texas and based on a South Texas folk tale.
Vladimir Nabokov recalled The Headless Horseman as a favourite adventure novel of his childhood years - "which had given him a vision of the prairies and the great open spaces and the overarching sky." At 11, Nabokov even translated The Headless Horseman into French alexandrines.(Summary from Wikipedia) (22 hr 34 min)
Chapters
| 000 - Prologue. | 5:32 | Read by Barry Eads |
| 001 - The Burnt Prairie. | 15:48 | Read by Barry Eads |
| 002 - The Trail of the Lazo. | 16:25 | Read by Barry Eads |
| 003 - The Prairie Finger-Post. | 11:34 | Read by Barry Eads |
| 004 - The Black Norther. | 14:54 | Read by Barry Eads |
| 005 - The Home of the Horse-Hunter. | 18:38 | Read by Chris Caron |
| 006 - The Spotted Mustang. | 21:17 | Read by Chris Caron |
| 007 - Nocturnal Annoyances. | 15:52 | Read by Chris Caron |
| 008 - The Crawl of the Alacran. | 13:36 | Read by Richard Kilmer (1942 - 2022) |
| 009 - The Frontier Fort. | 18:37 | Read by Richard Kilmer (1942 - 2022) |
| 010 - Casa Del Corvo. | 18:13 | Read by Richard Kilmer (1942 - 2022) |
| 011 - An Unexpected Arrival. | 18:26 | Read by Richard Kilmer (1942 - 2022) |
| 012 - Taming a Wild Mare. | 26:34 | Read by Richard Kilmer (1942 - 2022) |
| 013 - A Prairie Pic-Nic. | 13:55 | Read by Richard Kilmer (1942 - 2022) |
| 014 - The Manada. | 12:44 | Read by Chris Caron |
| 015 - The Runaway Overtaken. | 12:20 | Read by Ric Cornwall |
| 016 - Chased by Wild Stallions. | 14:07 | Read by Ric Cornwall |
| 017 - The Mustang Trap. | 14:04 | Read by Ric Cornwall |
| 018 - Jealousy upon the Trail. | 23:55 | Read by Ric Cornwall |
| 019 - Whisky and Water. | 18:57 | Read by Ric Cornwall |
| 020 - An Unsafe Position. | 11:42 | Read by Ric Cornwall |
| 021 - A Duel within Doors. | 11:51 | Read by Chelsea S. |
| 022 - An Unknown Donor. | 15:33 | Read by Chris Caron |
| 023 - Vows of Vengeance. | 11:57 | Read by Jules Hawryluk |
| 024 - On the Azotea. | 13:01 | Read by Jules Hawryluk |
| 025 - A Gift Ungiven. | 17:42 | Read by Jules Hawryluk |
| 026 - Still on the Azotea. | 11:02 | Read by Jules Hawryluk |
| 027 - I Love You!—I Love You! | 9:56 | Read by Ric Cornwall |
| 028 - A Pleasure Forbidden. | 10:49 | Read by Ric Cornwall |
| 029 - El Coyote at Home. | 7:05 | Read by Ric Cornwall |
| 030 - A Sagittary Correspondence. | 10:17 | Read by Ric Cornwall |
| 031 - A Stream Cleverly Crossed. | 9:49 | Read by Hilara |
| 032 - Light and Shade. | 7:54 | Read by Ric Cornwall |
| 033 - A Torturing Discovery. | 11:14 | Read by Ric Cornwall |
| 034 - A Chivalrous Dictation. | 9:34 | Read by Chris Caron |
| 035 - An Uncourteous Host. | 11:08 | Read by Chelsea S. |
| 036 - Three Travellers on the same Track. | 14:18 | Read by Chris Caron |
| 037 - A Man Missing. | 10:09 | Read by Gen Jones |
| 038 - The Avengers. | 8:09 | Read by Gen Jones |
| 039 - The Pool of Blood. | 11:44 | Read by Gen Jones |
| 040 - The Marked Bullet. | 16:03 | Read by Bill Mosley |
| 041 - Cuatro Cavalleros. | 13:17 | Read by Ric Cornwall |
| 042 - Vultures on the Wing. | 17:05 | Read by Ric Cornwall |
| 043 - The Cup and the Jar. | 16:04 | Read by Kamna |
| 044 - A Quartette of Comanches. | 20:47 | Read by Chris Caron |
| 045 - A Trail gone Blind. | 23:19 | Read by Jules Hawryluk |
| 046 - A Secret Confided. | 17:52 | Read by Chris Caron |
| 047 - An Intercepted Epistle. | 11:34 | Read by Chris Caron |
| 048 - Isidora. | 23:51 | Read by Chris Caron |
| 049 - The Lazo Unloosed. | 16:00 | Read by Chris Caron |
| 050 - A Conflict with Coyotes. | 11:33 | Read by Chris Caron |
| 051 - Twice Intoxicated. | 11:41 | Read by Chris Caron |
| 052 - An Awakener. | 15:36 | Read by Chris Caron |
| 053 - Just in Time. | 15:12 | Read by Chris Caron |
| 054 - A Prairie Palanquin. | 11:54 | Read by Chris Caron |
| 055 - Un Dia de Novedades. | 23:36 | Read by Chris Caron |
| 056 - A Shot at the Devil. | 21:09 | Read by Chris Caron |
| 057 - Sounding the Signal. | 14:33 | Read by Chris Caron |
| 058 - Recoiling from a Kiss. | 15:36 | Read by Chris Caron |
| 059 - Another who cannot rest. | 13:00 | Read by Chris Caron |
| 060 - A Fair Informer. | 14:40 | Read by Chris Caron |
| 061 - Angels on Earth. | 12:24 | Read by Chris Caron |
| 062 - Waiting for the Cue. | 12:55 | Read by Chris Caron |
| 063 - A Jury of Regulators. | 14:45 | Read by Chris Caron |
| 064 - A Series of Interludes. | 14:41 | Read by Chris Caron |
| 065 - Still another Interlude. | 14:37 | Read by Chris Caron |
| 066 - Chased by Comanches. | 12:27 | Read by Chris Caron |
| 067 - Los Indios! | 11:37 | Read by Kristin G. |
| 068 - The Disappointed Campaigners. | 17:51 | Read by Kristin G. |
| 069 - Mystery and Mourning. | 13:23 | Read by Kristin G. |
| 070 - Go, Zeb, and God Speed You! | 9:56 | Read by Chris Caron |
| 071 - The Sorell Horse. | 15:14 | Read by Chris Caron |
| 072 - Zeb Stump on the Trail. | 12:03 | Read by Chris Caron |
| 073 - The Prairie Island. | 8:29 | Read by Michelle Day |
| 074 - A Solitary Stalker. | 6:50 | Read by Michelle Day |
| 075 - On the Trail. | 7:19 | Read by Michelle Day |
| 076 - Lost in the Chalk. | 11:08 | Read by Michelle Day |
| 077 - Another Link. | 7:41 | Read by Michelle Day |
| 078 - A Horse-Swop. | 12:46 | Read by Chris Caron |
| 079 - An Untiring Tracker. | 7:09 | Read by Chris Caron |
| 080 - A Doorway Well Watched. | 11:35 | Read by Chris Caron |
| 081 - Heads Down—Heels Up! | 11:41 | Read by Chris Caron |
| 082 - A Queer Parcel. | 8:36 | Read by Chris Caron |
| 083 - Limbs of the Law. | 6:24 | Read by Diana Majlinger |
| 084 - An Affectionate Nephew. | 13:44 | Read by Chris Caron |
| 085 - A Kind Cousin. | 13:10 | Read by Chris Caron |
| 086 - A Texan Court. | 15:04 | Read by Chris Caron |
| 087 - A False Witness. | 12:25 | Read by Chris Caron |
| 088 - An Unwilling Witness. | 12:47 | Read by Chris Caron |
| 089 - The Confession of the Accused. | 9:49 | Read by Chris Caron |
| 090 - A Court Quickly Cleared. | 7:22 | Read by Chris Caron |
| 091 - A Chase through a Thicket. | 7:34 | Read by Chris Caron |
| 092 - A Reluctant Return. | 9:04 | Read by Chris Caron |
| 093 - A Body Beheaded. | 10:39 | Read by Chris Caron |
| 094 - The Mystery Made Clear. | 14:47 | Read by Chris Caron |
| 095 - The Last Witness. | 18:47 | Read by Chris Caron |
| 096 - Stole Away! | 11:16 | Read by Chris Caron |
| 097 - The Chase of the Assassin. | 8:47 | Read by Chris Caron |
| 098 - Not Dead yet. | 8:10 | Read by ddemers78 |
| 099 - Attempted Murder and Suicide. | 12:06 | Read by John |
| 100 - Joy. | 13:11 | Read by John |
Reviews
Mike Magyar
the story is great it's the kid who reads most of the story that's the problem he can't pronounce words correctly every other sentence I'm going to have to give it three stars if it would have been the other people that read the whole thing I give it five
headless horseman of Texas
jlp111111
the book was quite enjoyable, using great vocabulary to provide exacting descriptions. But what good does that do when the reader can't pronounce any of the exquisite words? some were simply laughable. mr. caron should occupy himself with childrens books or another occupation altogether.