"In the Wilderness" by Charles Dudley Warner is a collection of personal essays that delve into the connection between humans and the natural world. The author shares his experiences in the Mountains, offering a glimpse into the beauty of the landscape and the unpredictable challenges of outdoor life. The collection is punctuated with stories that highlight both the humor and danger inherent in nature. In one such episode, the author recounts a tense yet amusing encounter with a bear while blackberry picking. What begins as a mundane activity escalates into a situation requiring quick thinking and decision-making, as the author must choose between confrontation and escape. This story, alongside others, portrays the complexities of survival and human instinct when confronted by nature's unpredictability. Through vivid descriptions and light-hearted anecdotes, the essays reflect the delicate balance between respect for nature and the reality of human presence within it. The work offers both humor and reflection, exploring how humans navigate the wilderness while coping with fears, instincts, and the demands of survival. Ultimately, Warner captures the essence of outdoor life with insight and wit.
Robert Hichens, a British sailor born on September 16, 1882, was on the deck of the RMS Titanic when it sank during her maiden voyage. He was in control of the Lifeboat, and he stubbornly declined to go back and save any more drowning people. He wed Florence Mortimore in Devon, England, in 1906. His refusal to return to the scene of the catastrophe to rescue victims was charged by passengers. claimed he criticised those at the oars and dubbed people in the water "stiffs." Hichens would later claim, in statements provided to the United States Senate inquiry, that he had never used the term "stiffs" to describe bodies and that he had instead used other terms. He was imprisoned in 1933 for attempting to kill Harry Henley and freed in 1937. In 1931, his wife and kids moved away from him to Southampton, where he started drinking heavily. Hichens, died from heart failure on 23 September 1940 at 58, on board the English Trader, as the ship was docked off the shore of Aberdeen, Scotland. His remains were buried in Aberdeen's Trinity Cemetery in Section 10, Lair 244.
