Wild Water

Introduction

“Wild Water” was submitted to the Kline Agency on June 15, 1933, but was promptly returned as ‘unsuitable.’ After a rewrite submitted on October 9, V. I. Cooper attempted to market it, but it remained unsold and returned to the agency by May 7, 1934. The story is preserved as a carbon of Howard’s final version. An earlier draft has minor textual differences, such as “Walnut Valley” instead of “Locust Valley.”

The story was first published in Cross Plains #7, George Hamilton, September 1975.

Additionally, a short paragraph was written by Howard, addressing some chronological details:

Wild Water Timing

Bisley was on Locust Creek, in Locust Valley. Jim Reynolds drove in from Lost Knob at 9 o’clock, and killed Saul Hopkins. That took perhaps ten minutes. At ten past nine, he drove out of Bisley. In twenty minutes he drew up at Joel Jackson’s house. It was then 9:30, and already raining up on the head waters of Locust Creek and Mesquital. It took Reynolds and Jackson about half an hour to get the car hidden and get back to the house, which made it 10 o’clock. Half an hour passed in eating and in conversation. It was about 10:45 when Jackson called the police in Bisley. They came in a hurry, and it was a few minutes past 11 when Reynolds ambushed them on the side of the hill. A few minutes later it began raining; it took him until daylight to get to Bisley Lake.

From the letters

Howards agent, Kline, received this on June 15, 1933, and commented on it in a letter to Howard the next day; “the other westerns you sent me are short…”

In a letter (#251) to August Derleth, July 3, 1933 Howard mentions Lake Brownwood:

The great drawback of this country is always lack of water, except during certain years when it is swept by terrific floods. (Such as filled Lake Brownwood in twenty-four hours, after the engineers had predicted that two years at the least would be required to fill it.) This lake may mean life to hundreds of cattle; what it will mean to the farmers who irrigate with it, only time can tell.

On the night of July 3, torrential rains created flooding on both Pecan Bayou and Jim Ned Creek, with peak inflows into the newly created reservoir estimated at 235,000 cubic feet per second. The basin was filled to 150,000 acre-feet, covering more than 7000 acres of land, in about six hours. Howard’s story is based on this event.

About the story - spoiler alert

“Wild Water” by Robert E. Howard is a vivid and intense story set in a rural area known as Locust Valley. The narrative revolves around themes of revenge, societal changes, and the destructive power of nature.

The story begins with Saul Hopkins, a powerful and wealthy man who has risen to prominence in Locust Valley through financial means, rather than the violent methods of his predecessors. His authority is challenged when the community rallies to prevent the foreclosure of John Brill’s farm, a move that infuriates Hopkins and leads him to have Brill and his allies imprisoned.

Jim Reynolds, Brill’s brother-in-law, embodies the old ways of direct action and personal justice. Living a relatively law-abiding life but simmering with resentment against the modern system, Reynolds decides to take matters into his own hands. He drives to Bisley and murders Saul Hopkins in his office. Reynolds then flees, but his actions attract the attention of the police.

Reynolds seeks refuge at Joel Jackson’s farm, planning further violence against those he holds responsible for his community’s suffering. However, he discovers that Jackson, frightened by the potential consequences, has betrayed him to the police. In a fit of rage, Reynolds knocks Jackson unconscious.

As Reynolds prepares to defend himself against the approaching police, the narrative shifts to Bill Emmett, a man who has lost everything due to the construction of Bisley Lake. Emmett, driven mad by his losses, plans to blow up the dam and flood Bisley as a form of revenge.

The story culminates in a dramatic and violent confrontation on the dam. Emmett, intent on destroying Bisley, is confronted by Reynolds, who, despite his own vendetta, cannot condone mass murder. In a struggle, Reynolds kills Emmett, but he himself is fatally wounded.

As Reynolds lies dying, he reflects on his fate, regretting that his death serves to protect the very people he despised. The story ends with dawn breaking over a landscape transformed by a violent storm, symbolizing both the end of an era and the relentless march of time and change.

Characters and their roles:

  • Saul Hopkins: The wealthy and powerful “king” of Locust Valley, whose modern methods of control clash with the old ways.
  • Jim Reynolds: John Brill’s brother-in-law, who embodies the old, violent ways of justice and takes action against Hopkins.
  • John Brill: A farmer whose foreclosure sparks the initial conflict.
  • Joel Jackson: A farmer who provides refuge to Reynolds but ultimately betrays him to the police.
  • Bill Emmett: A man ruined by the construction of Bisley Lake, who plans a catastrophic revenge by destroying the dam.
  • Mike Daley: A policeman who responds to the shooting of Hopkins.
  • The Community: The farmers and ranchers who initially resist the foreclosure of Brill’s farm, representing a collective spirit of defiance.

The story is marked by Howard’s signature style of intense action and deep, often dark, characterization, painting a picture of a world in transition, where the old ways collide with the new, and where individual actions can have far-reaching and unintended consequences.

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