James Chalmers

Recording by Tim Bauer.

Chapter 3, James Chalmers' Text He was a broth of a boy, his biographer tells us.

He lived chiefly on boots and boxes.

Eager to know what lay beyond the ranges, he wore out more boots than his poor parents found it easy to provide.

Every day had its own romance, its hairbreadth escape, its thrilling adventure.

Therein lies the difference between a man and a beast.

At just about the time that James Chalmers was born in Scotland, Captain Stewart led his famous expedition into the hot and dusty heart of Australia.

When he reached Cooper's Creek on the return journey, he found that he had more horses than he would be able to feed.

The boys stood horrified, all except one, who rushed forward, pulling off his jacket as he ran, leapt down the bank to the lower side of the bridge and, clinging to the timber, held to it with one arm while he stretched out the other as the drowning boy was being carried under the bridge, seized him and held him tightly with his left hand.

James Chalmers, the boy who had gone to the rescue, though only ten years old, could swim.

Letting go of the bridge while still holding the other boy with one arm, he allowed the current to carry them both down to where the branches hung over the bank to the water's surface.

Seizing one of these, he dragged himself and the boy towards the bank, whence he was held to dry land by his friends.

The boy whom young James Chalmers had saved belonged to a rival school.

Often the wild-blooded boys, like their fierce Highland ancestors who fought clan against clan, had attacked the boys of this school and had fought them.

James, whose father was a stonemason and whose mother was a Highland lassie born near Loch Lomond, was the leader in these battles.

Bravo! And he turned to Mrs.

End of chapter 2.

Chapter 3 of A Handful of Stars Texts that have moved great minds By Frank W. Borum This LibriVox recording is in the public domain Recording by Tim Bauer Chapter 3 James Chalmers' Text He was a broth of a boy, his biographer tells us.

He lived chiefly on boots and boxes.

Eager to know what lay beyond the ranges, he wore out more boots than his poor parents found it easy to provide.

Every day had its own romance, its hairbreadth escape, its thrilling adventure.

Therein lies the difference between a man and a beast.

At just about the time that James Chalmers was born in Scotland, Captain Stuart led his famous expedition into the hot and dusty heart of Australia.

When he reached Cooper's Creek on the return journey, he found that he had more horses than he would be able to feed.