Last of the Breed

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Last of the Breed, by Louis L'Amour, tells the fictional story of Native American Air Force pilot Joe Mack, shot down over Soviet airspace. Although the setting of the book is never precisely stated, it is imagined to be the 1970s or 1980s, a precise understanding of the time-setting, however, is not essential to the storyline.

[edit] Plot summary

The start of the book chronicles his daring escape from captivity, but also introduces another American held captive. This American is never addressed again, and seems to be a forgotten character.

The success of his subsequent foot travel across Siberia to the Bering Strait is dependent on his Native American hunting, tracking, and evasion skills. It is mentioned several times in the text that these skills were learned by his people, and taught to each generation across thousands of years. Now the skilled flyer of aircraft must remember and practice bow and arrow, fire-making, tracking, stalking, hunting, skinning, and ambush skills taught by his elders. Knowing that "a man with a knife can survive," he sneaks into a miner's cabin, and leaving no evidence he was there, he steals preserved food, a coat and a knife. This knife becomes a key item keeping him one step ahead of his pursuers but also gives them a clue as to his whereabouts.

He also has strong attachments to his people's discipline and self-mastery. When he comes upon an army patrol he crawls inside in an old hollow tree to hide. His pursuers make camp in the same area, and he must remain motionless until it gets dark and only the sentries are awake. When captured, he receives a very rough beating from his pursuers, but true to his heritage, he never makes a sound. A man who previously informed on him unlocks the shed he is in and allows him to escape. He ends up killing Alehkin the Yakut, who was following him.

At the end of the book, the success of Joe's 90 mile kayak ride to Alaska (given a good kayak) is left unresolved. The resolution of the story is left to the imagination of the reader.