Out on the Pampas

Name: Out on the Pampas
Rating: 2.5 (5 reviews)

by G. A. Henty

First published 1871

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2.5(5)

The Hardy family leaves England for Argentina after Frank and Clara Hardy conclude that their children will have better prospects by building a farm on the pampas. Charley, Hubert and their sisters prepare for the move by learning Spanish and practical skills, then discover that settlement demands far more than enthusiasm once the family reaches its new home.

Farm work, lost cattle, dangerous wildlife and the enormous distances of the plains test the family’s self-reliance. The adventure becomes more serious when raids and violence threaten neighbouring settlers and a grass fire races across the pampas. Henty’s early novel treats emigration as a family enterprise rather than a solitary male adventure, showing children and adults learning how to work together as they attempt to turn unfamiliar land into a permanent home.