
The Wendigo
'The Wendigo' Summary
In the wilderness north of Rat Portage in Northwestern Ontario, two Scotsmen – divinity student Simpson and his uncle, Dr. Cathcart, an author of a book on collective hallucination – are on a moose-hunting trip with guides Hank Davis and the wilderness-loving French "Canuck", Joseph Défago.
While their Indian cook, Punk, stays to tend the main camp, the others split up into two hunting-parties; Dr. Cathcart goes with Hank, while Défago guides Simpson in a canoe down the river to explore the vast territory beyond.
Simpson and Défago make camp, and it soon becomes clear that Défago senses – or at least thinks he senses – some strange and fearful odour on the wind. That night, Simpson wakes to find Défago cowering in terror from something outside the tent. Later Défago runs off into the night, forcing Simpson to go and look for him. He follows his footprints in the snow for many miles, realising that Défago's are not the only set of tracks. The larger set of footprints are not human, and gradually it seems that Défago's own tracks have metamorphosed into smaller versions of the larger set. Eventually, both sets of tracks vanish, and Simpson believes he hears Défago's distant voice calling out from somewhere in the sky above:
"Oh! oh! This fiery height! Oh, my feet of fire! My burning feet of fire ...!"
Simpson finally manages to make his way back to the main camp, where he is reunited with the others. Dr. Cathcart and Hank go back with him to search for Défago, and when camping once more out in the wilderness, Défago – or some hideous parody of Défago – appears before them before vanishing once again into the night.
Conflicted and disturbed about what they have witnessed, they return to the main camp to find that Défago – the real Défago this time – has made his own way back, suffering from delirium, exposure, and frostbite. He dies soon after, and the three men are left in a state of bafflement and uncertainty about what has occurred. Punk alone could have explained it to them, but he fled home as soon as he caught the terrible odour that Défago carried with him. As an Indian, he instantly understood that Défago had seen the Wendigo.
Book Details
Authors

Algernon Blackwood
England
Algernon Henry Blackwood, was an English broadcasting narrator, journalist, novelist and short story writer, and among the most prolific ghost story writers in the history of the genre. The literary c...
Books by Algernon BlackwoodDownload eBooks
Listen/Download Audiobook
- Select Speed
Related books

Chasse-galerie by Honoré Beaugrand
Il s'agit de l'histoire de bûcherons de la Gatineau qui font un pacte avec le diable afin de faire voler un canot pour qu'ils puissent rendre visite à...

Hieroglyphic Tales by Horace Walpole
Horace Walpole's *Hieroglyphic Tales* are a collection of short stories that showcase his imaginative and satirical style. He weaves together elements...

The Ghost: A Modern Fantasy by Arnold Bennett
The novel opens with Carl Foster, a recently qualified doctor, coming to London to try and make his fortune. He meets a famous tenor, Signor Alresca,...

Time and the Gods by Lord Dunsany
Lord Dunsany (24 July 1878 – 25 October 1957) was a London-born Anglo-Irish writer and dramatist notable for his work in fantasy. He was influenced by...

Curse of the Reckaviles by Walter S. Masterman
In the eerie and atmospheric Curse of the Reckaviles, a chilling murder rocks the English aristocracy. As Scotland Yard investigates, they find themse...

Famous Modern Ghost Stories by Dorothy Scarborough
An entertaining selection of "modern" ghost stories selected "to include specimens of a few of the distinctive types of modern ghosts, as well as to s...

Servants of Satan by Seabury Quinn
This is a gripping novel that takes readers on a suspenseful journey into the realms of the occult and the eternal struggle between good and evil. Wri...

Master of Mysteries by L. T. Meade
"It so happened that the circumstances of fate allowed me to follow my own bent in the choice of a profession. From my earliest youth the weird, the m...

Vampire by Luigi Capuana
A suspenseful and atmospheric vampire tale, 'Vampire' by Luigi Capuana has been translated from the original Italian text by Erin O'Rourke. The story...

Great God Pan by Arthur Machen
The Great God Pan is a novella by Arthur Machen, first published in 1890. The story is set in the late Victorian era and follows the experiences of a...
Reviews for The Wendigo
No reviews posted or approved, yet...