14 h 51 minAudiobook14 minSummaryRead it, hear it, the 15-minute summary, and print and large print at cost
Audiobook edition · 14 h 51 minPaperback · 6 × 9 in · printing soonHardcover · 6 × 9 in · printing soonAbout this book
On roads of thorn trees, rivers and fever, the smallest pup in the litter refuses to be left behind.
In Jock of the Bushveld, Percy Fitzpatrick takes you along the wagon roads of the Transvaal in the 1880s. As a young transport rider, he carries supplies to the gold diggings with ox wagons and a small, brindled dog. Jock is no handsome pick of the litter, but his stubborn courage earns him a place on the road.
The Lowveld brings heat, hunger, rain and danger. Fitzpatrick hunts to feed the camp, with Jock close at his heel. African drivers and wagon leaders share the work; among them is Jim Makokel, a skilled and trusted companion. Told first to Fitzpatrick’s children, these adventures bring affection to a memoir of hard travel and loyalty tested in the bush.
What you’ll discover
- A runt with resolve Follow a small dog whose stubborn spirit matters far more than his looks.
- The long wagon road Travel through thorn country with the oxen, drivers, hunters and diggers of the Transvaal.
- Courage in the bush Join hunts where feeding the camp brings Fitzpatrick and Jock close to danger.
- Companions through hard days Meet Jim Makokel and glimpse the shared labour that keeps the wagons moving.
- Loyalty earned along the way Discover a bond shaped by years of work, hunger, rain and heat.
Who will love it
Readers who love true animal stories, frontier adventure and the African bush will enjoy this book. It suits dog lovers and anyone who likes campfire tales of courage and loyalty.
What’s inside
The key ideas, in the 15-minute summary
- Fortune begins outside the cage
- Rocky teaches attention instead of luck
- The unwanted puppy shows his courage
- Jock earns his name and lessons
- The young dog becomes a partner
- The bush brings danger and mercy
- Loss creates a new shared language
- Loyalty means standing against cruelty
- A brave dog connects the adventures
Who’s who
- JockA runt puppy who grows into a silent, fearless hunting dog and wants nothing more than to work beside his master.
- The narratorA young man who goes to the goldfields and becomes a transport rider and hunter, learning the bush and training Jock.
- JessJock's mother, a cross brindled bull terrier who is brave, loyal to Ted alone, and fierce in guarding her pups.
- RockyA silent old American prospector who teaches the narrator to hunt and to stop blaming luck.
- Jim MakokelA strong Zulu driver who loves fighting and drink, boasts of catching a lion alive, and fiercely defends Jock.
- TedJess's owner and the narrator's friend, who gives him the pick of the litter.
- SamA pious mission boy, weak at work, who endures Jim's scorn and reads his Bible aloud by the fire.
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Jock of the Bushveld
by Percy Fitzpatrick · 1907
A runt nobody wants grows into a dog who faces a koodoo bull, a crocodile and a baboon beside his master.
Medium level5–10 hours to readEnglish
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In short
Would you bet on the ugliest puppy in the litter? Everyone in the wagon camp laughs at the runt with the swollen belly and the bandy legs, until he picks a fight with a table leg and wins the respect of every man there.
Jock of the Bushveld at a glance
- Reading time
- About 8 h 40 min6 h 55 min fast, 10 h 20 min slow
- Length
- 124,000 words
- Library level
- Medium longer sentences, everyday words
- First published
- 1907by Percy Fitzpatrick
Reading time at 238 words a minute (fast 300, slow 200). How long the classics take to read · Updated
From the 15-minute summary · Key idea 1
A boy leaves the cage to seek fortune
The book opens before Jock appears, with a lonely boy who leaves a comfortable home to seek his fortune in the goldfields. His friends warn him that over there everything is uncertain and that here he is safe. Fitzpatrick calls that safety a cage, a place where today is pleasant and there is no tomorrow. The boy goes anyway.
He finds no work. Later a bearded digger gives him work shoveling gravel in icy water, but after three weeks the claim cannot feed two, and the boy tells a polite lie and leaves.
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Which edition is right for me
- 15-minute summary
- The key ideas of the whole book in about 14 minutes. A good first look, or a refresher.
Details
- First published
- 1907
- Language
- English
- Level
- Medium level
Cite this edition
Fitzpatrick, Percy. Jock of the Bushveld. Library of Alexandria, 2026, libraryofalexandria.com/products/jock-of-the-bushveld.
Fitzpatrick, P. (2026). Jock of the Bushveld. Library of Alexandria. https://libraryofalexandria.com/products/jock-of-the-bushveld (Original work published 1907)
Fitzpatrick, Percy. Jock of the Bushveld. Library of Alexandria, 2026. https://libraryofalexandria.com/products/jock-of-the-bushveld.
@book{fitzpatrick2026jock,
author = {Fitzpatrick, Percy},
title = {Jock of the Bushveld},
publisher = {Library of Alexandria},
year = {2026},
url = {https://libraryofalexandria.com/products/jock-of-the-bushveld},
note = {First published 1907}
}
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What is Jock of the Bushveld about?
It tells the true story of Jock, a runt pup who becomes a brave hunting dog in the South African Bushveld of the gold rush era, and of the transport rider who owns him.
Is Jock of the Bushveld a true story?
Percy Fitzpatrick says it is. He tells it as a true record of his life with his dog, though he moved some incidents around, and he wrote it for his children after the frontier years.
Who is Rocky in Jock of the Bushveld?
Rocky is an old American prospector and hunter who travels with the wagons. He teaches the young narrator to watch, listen and take the blame for his own mistakes, then goes north alone.
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