The return of the western classic that the Philadelphia Inquirer says proves that David Wagoner is the"closest nowadays approximation of Mark Twain himself. " It's 1852, and it's twenty-two-year-old Zeke Hunt's job is to herd his family's 28, insatiable, scissorbill hogs from Missouri to California, where the Hunts hope to start a new life.

But after his family is massacred, he's forced to continue the perilous, wild, unpredictable journey across the Great Plains with what's left of his scalp, his three remaining hogs, and Casper, an old whiskey salesman that he befriends along the way. "Wagoner has a winning way with a yarn, a rhythm of speech that is quaint without being unintelligible and a true storyteller's pace.

His language, as usual, is delicious. " Minneapolis Star-Tribune"An exuberantly funny, cleverly executed book.

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hilarious entertainment. " Boston Globe"Wholly delightful.

The book is so enjoyable, it's hard not to make a pig of oneself and devour it all in one sitting. " Lafayette Journal-Courier"A delightful yarn of a West too Wild for Hollywood.

David Wagoner writes like a man who enjoys his work, ladling out chunks of frontier wit. Great entertainment.

" Hartford Courant"Wagoner writes with a special blend of wit and humor. " Chicago Tribune.