Podcasts Stories The Stranger

Introduction
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A comprehension activity based on the story.

Read the story

The Stranger
by Ambrose Bierce
A man stepped out of the darkness into the little just Ramon Gallegos, William Shaw, George W.
illuminated circle about our failing camp-fire and Kent, and Berry Davis.'
seated himself upon a rock. The man repeated the names slowly and
'You are not the first to explore this region,' he distinctly, as if to fix them in the memories of his
said gravely. audience, every member of which was now
attentively observing him, but with a slackened
Nobody controverted his statement; he was apprehension regarding his possible companions
himself proof of its truth, for he was not of our somewhere in the darkness that seemed to
party and must have been somewhere near when enclose us like a black wall; in the manner of this
we camped. Moreover, he must have volunteer historian was no suggestion of an
companions not far away; it was not a place unfriendly purpose. His act was rather that of a
where one would be living or travelling alone. For harmless lunatic than an enemy. We were not so
more than a week we had seen, besides new to the country as not to know that the solitary
ourselves and our animals, only such living things life of many a plainsman had a tendency to
as rattlesnakes and horned toads. In an Arizona develop eccentricities of conduct and character
desert one does not long coexist with only such not always easily distinguishable from mental
creatures as these: one must have pack animals, aberration. A man is like a tree: in a forest of his
supplies, arms -- 'an outfit.' And all these imply fellows he will grow as straight as his generic and
comrades. It was perhaps a doubt as to what individual nature permits; alone in the open, he
manner of men this unceremonious stranger's yields to the deforming stresses and tortions that
comrades might be, together with something in environ him. Some such thoughts were in my
his words interpretable as a challenge that mind as I watched the man from the shadow of
caused every man of our half-dozen 'gentlemen my hat, pulled low to shut out the firelight. A
adventurers' to rise to a sitting posture and lay his witless fellow, no doubt, but what could he be
hand upon a weapon -- an act signifying, in that doing there in the heart of a desert?
time and place, a policy of expectation. The
stranger gave the matter no attention and began Having undertaken to tell this story, I wish that I
again to speak in the same deliberate, uninflected could describe the man's appearance; that would
monotone in which he had delivered his first be a natural thing to do. Unfortunately, and
sentence: somewhat strangely, I find myself unable to do so
with any degree of confidence, for afterward no
'Thirty years ago Ramon Gallegos, William Shaw, two of us agreed as to what he wore and how he
George W. Kent, and Berry Davis, all of Tucson, looked; and when I try to set down my own
crossed the Santa Catalina mountains and impressions they elude me. Anyone can tell some
travelled due west, as nearly as the configuration kind of story; narration is one of the elemental
of the country permitted. We were prospecting powers of the race. But the talent for description
and it was our intention, if we found nothing, to is a gift.
push through to the Gila river at some point near
Big Bend, where we understood there was a Nobody having broken silence the visitor went on
settlement. We had a good outfit, but no guide -- to say:

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 Podcasts Stories The Stranger

This country was not then what it is now. There yards up the slope, beyond the edge of the brush,
was not a ranch between the Gila and the Gulf. were vertical cliffs, in which, directly in front of us,
There was a little game here and there in the was a narrow opening. Into that we ran, finding
mountains, and near the infrequent water-holes ourselves in a cavern about as large as an
grass enough to keep our animals from ordinary room in a house. Here for a time we
starvation. If we should be so fortunate as to were safe: a single man with a repeating rifle
encounter no Indians we might get through. But could defend the entrance against all the
within a week the purpose of the expedition had Apaches in the land. But against hunger and
altered from discovery of wealth to preservation thirst we had no defence. Courage we still had,
of life. We had gone too far to go back, for what but hope was a memory.
was ahead could be no worse than what was
behind; so we pushed on, riding by night to avoid 'Not one of those Indians did we afterward see,
Indians and the intolerable heat, and concealing but by the smoke and glare of their fires in the
ourselves by day as best we could. Sometimes, gulch we knew that by day and by night they
having exhausted our supply of wild meat and watched with ready rifles in the edge of the bush -
emptied our casks, we were days without food or - knew that if we made a sortie not a man of us
drink; then a water-hole or a shallow pool in the would live to take three steps into the open. For
bottom of an arroyo so restored our strength and three days, watching in turn, we held out before
sanity that we were able to shoot some of the our suffering became insupportable. Then -- It
wild animals that sought it also. Sometimes it was was the morning of the fourth day -- Ramon
a bear, sometimes an antelope, a coyote, a Gallegos said:
cougar-that was as God pleased; all were food. "Senores, I know not well of the good God and
what please Him. I have live without religion, and
'One morning as we skirted a mountain range, I am not acquaint with that of you. Pardon,
seeking a practicable pass, we were attacked by senores, if I shock you, but for me the time is
a band of Apaches who had followed our trail up come to beat the game of the Apache."
a gulch -- it is not far from here. Knowing that 'He knelt upon the rock floor of the cave and
they outnumbered us ten to one, they took none pressed his pistol against his temple. "Madre de
of their usual cowardly precautions, but dashed Dios," he said, "comes now the soul of Ramon
upon us at a gallop, firing and yelling. Fighting Gallegos."
was out of the question: we urged our feeble 'And so he left us -- William Shaw, George W.
animals up the gulch as far as there was footing Kent, and Berry Davis.
for a hoof, then threw ourselves out of our I was the leader: it was for me to speak.
saddles and took to the chaparral on one of the "He was a brave man," I said --"he knew when to
slopes, abandoning our entire outfit to the enemy. die, and how. It is foolish to go mad from thirst
But we retained our rifles, every man -- Ramon and fall by Apache bullets, or be skinned alive -- it
Gallegos, William Shaw, George W. Kent, and is in bad taste. Let us join Ramon Gallegos."
Berry Davis.' "That is right," said William Shaw.
"That is right," said George W. Kent.
'Same old crowd,' said the humorist of our party. 'I straightened the limbs of Ramon Gallegos and
He was an Eastern man, unfamiliar with the put a handkerchief over his face. Then William
decent observances of social intercourse. A Shaw said: "I should like to look like that -- a little
gesture of disapproval from our leader silenced while."
him, and the stranger proceeded with his tale: 'And George W. Kent said that he felt that way,
too.
'The savages dismounted also, and some of "It shall be so," I said: "the red devils will wait a
them ran up the gulch beyond the point at which week. William Shaw and George W. Kent, draw
we had left it, cutting off further retreat in that and kneel."
direction and forcing us on up the side. They did so and I stood before them.
Unfortunately the chaparral extended only a short " Almighty God, our Father," said I.
distance up the slope, and as we came into the "Almighty God, our Father," said William Shaw.
open ground above we took the fire of a dozen "Almighty God, our Father," said George W. Kent.
rifles; but Apaches shoot badly when in a hurry, "Forgive us our sins," said I.
and God so willed it that none of us fell. Twenty "Forgive us our sins," said they.
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 Podcasts Stories The Stranger

"And receive our souls." The stranger rose, standing tall in the light of the
"And receive our souls." expiring fire, which in our breathless attention to
"Amen!" his story we had neglected to keep going.
"Amen!"
'There were four,' he said -- 'Ramon Gallegos,
'I laid them beside Ramon Gallegos and covered William Shaw, George W. Kent, and Berry Davis.'
their faces.'
With this reiterated roll-call of the dead he walked
There was a quick commotion on the opposite into the darkness and we saw him no more. At
side of the camp-fire: one of our party had sprung that moment one of our party, who had been on
to his feet, pistol in hand. guard, strode in among us, rifle in hand and
somewhat excited.
'And you!' he shouted -- 'you dared to escape? --
you dare to be alive? You cowardly hound, I'll 'Captain,' he said, 'for the last half-hour three men
send you to join them if I hang for it!' have been standing out there on the mesa.' He
pointed in the direction taken by the stranger. 'I
But with the leap of a panther the captain was could see them distinctly, for the moon is up, but
upon him, grasping his wrist. 'Hold it in, Sam as they had no guns and I had them covered with
Yountsey, hold it in!' mine I thought it was their move. They have
made none, but damn it! they have got on to my
We were now all upon our feet -- except the nerves.'
stranger, who sat motionless and apparently 'Go back to your post, and stay till you see them
inattentive. Some one seized Yountsey's other again,' said the captain. 'The rest of you lie down
arm. again, or I'll kick you all into the fire.'
'Captain,' I said, 'there is something wrong here. The sentinel obediently withdrew, swearing, and
This fellow is either a lunatic or merely a liar -- did not return. As we were arranging our blankets
just a plain, everyday liar whom Yountsey has no the fiery Yountsey said: 'I beg your pardon,
call to kill. If this man was of that party it had five Captain, but who the devil do you take them to
members, one of whom -- probably himself -- he be? '
has not named.' 'Ramon Gallegos, William Shaw, and George W.
'Yes,' said the captain, releasing the insurgent, Kent.'
who sat down, 'there is something -- unusual. 'But how about Berry Davis? I ought to have shot
Years ago four dead bodies of white men, him.'
scalped and shamefully mutilated, were found 'Quite needless; you couldn't have made him any
about the mouth of that cave. They are buried deader. Go to sleep.'
there; I have seen the graves -- we shall all see
them tomorrow.'

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 Podcasts Stories The Stranger

After reading

Exercise 1
Below are 19 statements about the text. For each one, decide if it is True or False.

1. The author believed that the stranger had companions nearby.

2. The stranger was worried when the men around the camp-fire put their hands on their guns.
3. The stranger's party were looking for gold or other valuable substances.
4. The stranger seemed to be unfriendly.
5. The author thought that being out in the wild might have made the stranger crazy.
6. The author found it quite surprising that none of them could accurately describe the stranger.
7. The stranger's party's reason for being there changed soon after their expedition started.
8. The Apaches behaved as they always did.
9. The stranger's party left behind everything they had except their guns.
10. The others in the author's party did not like the humorist making a joke.
11. The stranger's party were shot by a dozen rifles.
12. The stranger's party were safe from the Apaches when they reached the cave.
13. The stranger's party could see the Apaches' waiting in the edge of the bush with their rifles ready.
14. Ramon Gallegos committed suicide.
15. The stranger did not kill himself because his two companions wanted to lie in peace before the
Apaches got them.
16. Sam Yountsey threatened to kill the stranger.
17. The author believed the stranger's story.
18. The sentinel did not shoot at the three men because they got on his nerves.
19. The stranger and the other three men were ghosts.

Answers
Exercise 1: 1. True (T); 2. False (F); 3. T; 4. F; 5. T; 6. T; 7. T; 8. F; 9. T; 10. T; 11. F; 12. T; 13. F; 14. T; 15. T;
16. T; 17. F; 18. F; 19. T

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