Produced by Chuck Greif and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net (This book was produced from scanned images of public domain material from the Internet Archive.) LAST WORDS BY STEPHEN CRANE AUTHOR OF "RED BADGE OF COURAGE," "ACTIVE SERVICE," "PICTURES OF WAR," "THE THIRD VIOLET," "THE OPEN BOAT," "WOUNDS IN THE RAIN," ETC. London DIGBY, LONG & CO. 18 Bouverie Street, Fleet Street, E. C. 1902 CONTENTS PAGE THE RELUCTANT VOYAGERS 1 SPITZBERGEN TALES-- THE KICKING TWELFTH 35 THE UPTURNED FACE 52 THE SHRAPNEL OF THEIR FRIENDS 59 "AND IF HE WILLS, WE MUST DIE" 69 WYOMING VALLEY TALES-- THE SURRENDER OF FORTY FORT 81 "OL' BENNET" AND THE INDIANS 88 THE BATTLE OF FORTY FORT 99 LONDON IMPRESSIONS 110 NEW YORK SKETCHES-- GREAT-GRIEF'S HOLIDAY DINNER 133 THE SILVER PAGEANT 145 A STREET SCENE 148 MINETTA LANE 154 ROOF GARDENS 166 IN THE BROADWAY CARS 173 THE ASSASSINS IN MODERN BATTLES 181 IRISH NOTES-- AN OLD MAN GOES WOOING 193 BALLYDEHOB 198 THE ROYAL IRISH CONSTABULARY 203 A FISHING VILLAGE 207 SULLIVAN COUNTY SKETCHES-- FOUR MEN IN A CAVE 217 THE MESMERIC MOUNTAIN 225 MISCELLANEOUS-- THE SQUIRE'S MADNESS 231 A DESERTION 245 HOW THE DONKEY LIFTED THE HILLS 252 A MAN BY THE NAME OF MUD 258 A POKER GAME 263 THE SNAKE 268 A SELF-MADE MAN 273 A TALE OF MERE CHANCE 282 AT CLANCY'S WAKE 288 AN EPISODE OF WAR 294 THE VOICE OF THE MOUNTAIN 301 WHY DID THE YOUNG CLERK SWEAR? 306 THE VICTORY OF THE MOON 315 LAST WORDS THE RELUCTANT VOYAGERS CHAPTER I. Two men sat by the sea waves. "Well, I know I'm not handsome," said one gloomily. He was poking holes in the sand with a discontented cane. The companion was watching the waves play. He seemed overcome with perspiring discomfort as a man who is resolved to set another man right.