“A man needs heroes. He needs to believe in strength, nobility, and courage. Otherwise we become sheep to be herded to the slaughterhouse of death. I believe this. I am a soldier. I try to fight for the right cause. Sometimes it is hard to know.
“But I do not sit back and sneer in cowardice at those with the courage to fight. The blood of good men makes the earth rich, as it is here. When I die sword in hand, I hope someone lives to sing of it. I live my life so that when death comes I may die will. I ask no more.” – Barnabas Sackett (Sackett’s Land, by Louis L’Amour)
A great writer. So many movies were made from his books. I have most of his books and have read many of them twice or more. Good sources of historical facts especially useful if you actually travel and camp in the areas he writs about. If you want to enjoy a well written novel with great historical facts and connections then pick up “The Walking Drum” by L’Amour. Quite different from his usual stories.
My Dad and I would swap them back and forth usually with the into “Hey, I got another good one.” I am at four and five times with those books. It is a way to touch Dad.
When I was young we were at a scout camp surveying and preparing. A man in our group had been out fishing on the lake and was back about dawn after catching his limit. My Dad commented that he was drinking coffee from a metal cup. The man responded that “real men drink from a metal cup”. Dad scoffed or snorted. That moment stayed with me all my life. Many years later I realized Dad’s answer was “Real men don’t care what you think.”
FYI – The Louis L’Amour Collection will be shutting down in 2022. You can pick up many of their books on eBay for 1/3 of the original cost. Once the club shuts down, the value of the books should go up if they are in good shape. The website is already non-functional, but you can still see the books. It was faux leather, but they were smyth sewn and good quality.