Produced by Robert Prince, Juliet Sutherland, Charles Franks and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team. [Illustration: Pampas. THE FIGHT WITH THE PUMA] ON THE PAMPAS OR THE YOUNG SETTLERS BY G. A. HENTY TABLE OF CONTENTS CHAPTER I. Mrs. Hardy's Resolution CHAPTER II. The Start CHAPTER III. A New Life CHAPTER IV. The Pampas CHAPTER V. The Settler's Home CHAPTER VI. A Tale of the Mexican War CHAPTER VII. Seth Continues His Narrative of the Mexican Adventure CHAPTER VIII. Farm Work and Amusements CHAPTER IX. Neighborly Visits and Advice CHAPTER X. The Lost Cattle CHAPTER XI. Quiet Times CHAPTER XII. A Steady Hand CHAPTER XIII. The Indian Attack CHAPTER XIV. Terrible News CHAPTER XV. The Pampas on Fire CHAPTER XVI. At the stake CHAPTER XVII. Rescued CHAPTER XVIII. And last CHAPTER I. MRS. HARDY'S RESOLUTION. "What are you thinking of, Frank?" Mrs. Hardy asked her husband one evening, after an unusually long silence on his part. "Well, my dear, I was thinking of a good many things. In the first place, I think, I began with wondering what I should make of the boys; and that led to such a train of thoughts about ourselves and our circumstances that I hardly knew where I was when you spoke to me." Mr. Hardy spoke cheerfully, but his wife saw at once that it was with an effort that he did so. She put down the work upon which she was engaged, and moved her chair nearer to his by the fire. "It is a serious question, Frank, about the boys. Charley is fifteen now, and Hubert fourteen. I wonder myself sometimes what we shall do with them." "There seems no opening here in England for young fellows. The professions are crowded, even if they were not altogether beyond our means; and as to a clerkship, they had better have a trade, and stick to it: they would be far happier, and nearly as well paid. The fact is, Clara," and here Mr. Hardy paused a little, as if to gain courage to say what he feared would be very disagreeable to his wife--"the fact is, we are altogether too crowded here. The best thing for the children, by far, and I think the best thing for ourselves, would be to emigrate."