Untitled story (So there I was.)
Introduction
Untitled story (So there I was.). 1100 words, incomplete.
"So There I Was" is an untitled and unfinished story by Robert E. Howard that embarks on a tale of maritime misadventure and survival. The narrative introduces a resourceful sailor who finds himself cast away in uncharted territory, armed only with his wits and unexpected provisions from a night of inebriation.
Summary spoilers
The narrative opens with the sailor recounting his predicament, finding himself alone on a makeshift raft after a drunken escapade aboard the Belle of Glasgow. He had been left in charge by Captain Angus MacKenzie, who had succumbed to his own vices. After drifting off course due to negligence and intoxication, the sailor awakens to the reality of being lost at sea.
He washes up on an unfamiliar island, a land teeming with fruit and devoid of any immediate danger from indigenous peoples or animals. Upon assessing his situation, he discovers a surprising inventory of items on his person: clothing, cartridges, firearms, alcohol, and a machete, but, to his dismay, no tobacco.
Equipped with these items, he evaluates his environment and climbs a tree for a better vantage point. The island is a peninsula, lush with fruit trees and seemingly uninhabited. A break in the tree line suggests a path leading toward the mainland. The story leaves off with the sailor in contemplation of his surroundings and his next course of action.
Textual states
Shown in a practical developmental order where possible: synopsis/outline, numbered drafts, submission states, then published or posthumous states. This display order does not itself assert exact chronology or textual authority.
Characters in this Work
Counts are across exact Textual Versions currently represented. They are not assumed exhaustive until the underlying texts have been analyzed.
