Passin' Through: A Novel

by Louis L'Amour

It seemed the perfect place to lie low. The owner of the ranch was an attractive gray-haired lady who had once been an actress. The other woman was a beautiful, fragile-seeming blonde. They needed repairs done, and he needed to disappear for a while. The first sign that things were not as they should be was when a Pinkerton man questioned him about a missing woman. Then he accidentally found a will belonging to the previous owner of the ranch. After that, a young lady showed up in town making claims that the place belonged to her. Worried that his hideout was turning into a battleground, he didn’t know what would be more dangerous, staying or leaving. For a man interested only in passin’ through, he suddenly found himself entangled in a deadly struggle….

Genres: Westerns, Fiction, Historical Fiction, Adventure, Mystery, Action, Historical

253 pages, Kindle Edition

First published September 1, 1985

About the author

Louis Dearborn L'Amour was an American novelist and short story writer. His books consisted primarily of Western novels, though he called his work "frontier stories". His most widely known Western fiction works include Last of the Breed, Hondo, Shalako, and the Sackett series. L'Amour also wrote historical fiction (The Walking Drum), science fiction (The Haunted Mesa), non-fiction (Frontier), and poetry and short-story collections. Many of his stories were made into films. His books remain popular and most have gone through multiple printings. At the time of his death, almost all of his 105 existing works (89 novels, 14 short-story collections, and two full-length works of nonfiction) were still in print, and he was "one of the world's most popular writers".

Reviews

[Sophia · Rating 4 out of 5]

A lone man goes into a town just wanting a drink and ends up in a desperate adventure for his life. Louis L’Amour has a gift for capturing his audience with the opening sentence and keeping the tale exciting through the end.

Passin’ Through is a standalone western-story of the quintessential man with no-name coming to town and finding trouble he didn’t ask for, but in addition he finds a ranch with two mysterious women that need his help, a Pinkerton agent looking for a deadly killer, another woman who seems vulnerable and ripe to be conned, a hired killer and a whole posse after him. In the middle is this never named man and his spooky death horse who are fighting to survive each deadly encounter.

I thought it was fascinating that the author chose to give this man no past and yet it is a first person narrative strictly from his perspective so the reader/listener gets to know him well. The mystery element wasn’t that difficult to work out and, in truth, I thought Passin was slow on the uptake especially since a few times he was handed the answers and he ignored that.
The action and survival moments were fabulous. It was gritty and Passin didn’t have it easy. He was definitely the underdog, but he just kept getting back up to survive and fight some more.

I enjoyed all that was going on in the story, but, at the same time, there were several times when I felt it was churning up the same ground and not moving forward. There were also lots of philosophical moments which were interesting, but there was a repetition at times of some of the points that I wearied of. Tightening up on these things would have really made this story work a whole lot better for me.

L’Amour describes the setting and situation, the historical backdrop of the Old West, and the unique characters so well that I felt I was right there in the middle of it all. He researched it all so well and knew his stuff which showed.

In addition, this is a Louis L’Amour Lost Treasures edition so there are author notes and a discussion from Beau L’Amour about the book.

The narrator, Oliver Wyman, was new to me, but he was a superb match for the story. He voiced the various characters so well even the women. He caught the pace and tone whether it was an intense gun battle or a quiet moment of consideration. The production was polished. I would definitely listen to his work again.

All in all, it was an entertaining story and satisfying Western Fiction that I can easily recommend.

[Gary Sites · Rating 3 out of 5]

Told in the first-person narrative by a 28 year-old fellow that goes by the name, Passin’ Through. This man finds a heap of trouble throughout the book, and he’s only trying to go about his loner ways, and get back up into the wilderness where he feels at home. But, he has a big heart, and goes out of his way to help folks, thus, putting him at odds with all sorts of ornery and dangerous people. As he tells the story, he repeats himself a lot, which got on my nerves from time to time. He also does a few things I thought were awful dumb, but he’s a really likable character, and kept me reading. The mystery part of the story was too easy to figure out, but I still enjoyed it. If you read it and like it, be sure to read some of his other novels, which I consider far superior to this one.

[Marshall Pickens · Rating 4 out of 5]

I had forgotten how much this book influenced who I am, or at least who I wanted to be when I grew up. My father had every L'Amour book and I believe I read them all a few times, but this book in particular stuck with me. The main character is never named, but he is such a great example of how I believed, and still do believe, a man should act. Do the right thing no matter if anyone is looking or judging you. Help people because they need it and for no other reason. Never start a fight, but don't let yourself get pushed around either. And end up with the pretty girl in the end because being a good man is really all pretty girls want in life... right?

[Steven Walle · Rating 5 out of 5]

Passin through was about a drifter in the old west. He was a hard man and preferred to be alone. He would kill a man if he was put to it though. The man Passin Through stopped out at a ranch that was in some trouble. There seemed to be a discrepancy to who the owner was. It was a fast paced book full of colorful charictors.
Enjoy and Be Blessed.
Diamond

[Teri-K · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not long ago I read, for the first time, Hondo, L'Amour's first published novel. Now I've happened upon his last "traditional Western", and it's interesting to compare the two. Both books have drifters for MCs, and a woman or women alone on a ranch someone else wants. But, where Hondo was more action packed, this book had less plot and more sense of menace. I never knew when the baddies would catch up with our hero or how badly he would be hurt when they did. Also, there was the puzzle of the two women living alone on the ranch, which kept me guessing for a while. In the end I didn't like this as much as Hondo, but I still enjoyed following our man without a name, known only as "Passin' Through".

[Howard Frisk · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not my favorite book by Louis L'Amour. Sometimes the dialog was hard to follow and I couldn't tell who was speaking., and the motivations behind the actions of some characters was unclear. It's nice to know why people are doing the things they are doing. His book, Comstock Lode, was a better story.

[Phillip · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5 Stars: I have to say, I truly love Louis L’Amour, as he has provided me some of my most memorable reading experiences with his westerns. Passin’ Through, however, is disappointing on so many levels I just don’t know where to begin. First, while some stories work very well in the first-person, my general experience is that westerns—for whatever reason—just don’t. L’Amour is at his best when he’s describing the action, shooting and fighting scenes from the third-person perspective. Quite simply, in this novel, it fails, and it fails in a big way.
In short, this is a story of a lonely man who lives each day with little thought for the next. He has worked a variety of jobs and travels from one place to another, just passing through...get it? Well, he stops in a small town, kills a man after being provoked, the local town roughs attempt to hang him, he survives, and hides out in the home of a local widow who has much more in store for him than he plans.
The story is bereft of the action absolutely necessary to the western genre. The love story, if it can be called that, is a joke. Not all of the bad guys suffer for their villainy, and in the end, we don’t even know the blasted name of the protagonist? Call me disappointed...very disappointed.

[Fredrick Danysh · Rating 5 out of 5]

Passin' Through is a drifter. Forced to kill a man he is hung but is recued by Indians he had helped. Fleeing, he rides right into a ranch and n attempt to steal a ranch.

[Theo Young · Rating 4 out of 5]

Just good ole fun read. Love the 1 dimensional characters and the western idioms. Makes me miss the Colorado high country.

[Rick · Rating 3 out of 5]

It took me a little longer than usual to finish this book simply because I was bored through most of it. I have only really started reading some of L'Amour's books, and most of what I have read were good. However this one was repetitive, and in some cases repeatedly repetitive!

His description of the area, and of the scenery and setting was well done, enough information to get a full picture, and able to put the reader into the scene. Dialog wasn't too bad, and the characters were written well - well enough that when they did something that seemed out of character, it was noticeable.


Passin' Through was the nickname given to the main character by Miss Hollyrood since he answered her question with the fact that he was just "passin through". This bit gets played played and replayed whenever he meets a new character, and is constantly reminding the reader that he is a drifter, doesn't set down roots, but merely stays for a bit and then moves on.

Of course, after shooting the local bad guy gunfighter / bully and almost getting hanged by the bad guys, hey decides to lay low A FEW MILES FROM THE TOWN HE WAS ALMOST HANGED FROM! Ok, I can understand he needed to stop somewhere because he had no supplies and only the death horse, but it seems to me that if he was as capable in the brush as he was made out to be, he would have been able to recover his gear and then high tailed it to the high country that he repeatedly says he wanted to do. Instead, he stays at a ranch whose ownership is disputed with the very guys who tried to hang him.

Then he constantly remarks how perfect the grey hair on Miss Hollyrood always is, and we later learn from Pinkerton agent that he is hunting a fugitive who is in her thirties, but Passin' says couldn't be her because "her hair is grey, although she looks good for her age". Uh huh.

Finally, the ending is a mess. After getting shot for a second time and surviving, he ends up rescued by a woman who is the actual owner of the disputed ranch with whom he had only met a few times prior, and then she declares her love for him and wants to marry him and live on the ranch. He just suddenly agrees, even though he was constantly soliloquizing to himself and everyone else how he just wanted to move on to the high country. Ok. Makes for a tidy ending, if not believable.


The gunfights were brief but well done. Overall, the book was kind of slow to begin with, picked up a little, and then seemed rushed to finish and wrap it all up in a tidy ending.

[Luisa Knight · Rating 4 out of 5]

Man, I haven't read a western in a while; and it was fun listening to one, because for as many as I've read, I somehow failed to ever put a drawl to the narrative in my head. How did I miss that? So it was an enjoyable listen and the voices were good.

I liked the characters in this story, the slight mystery to the events and the action sequences; and it certainly didn't have the kind of ending all true westerns typically have. It was definitely fun and one of the better L'Amour tales (I think I've read upwards of sixty by now?? And sadly it was long before joining GoodReads so I can't recall all the titles).

My only complaint: the main character sure repeats himself. Yes, I know you're just a wanderer. I know you're just a man who wants to get back into the high country. Yes, I know you're not the settling down type. I got it. The first time. So reader (or listener), just know that it's there and brush it aside. The book is still truly worth the read.

Cleanliness: a few d*mns are in the book. A man notes (a few times) that a woman is beautiful. There are a couple mentions of alcohol. There is obviously shooting, some being murder and some self-defense - nothing very detailed though.

*Note: I listened to the audio version of this book so this Cleanliness Report may not be as thoroughly detailed as other reports are. Also, some inappropriate content may have been forgotten/missed and not included in the report.

**Like my reviews? Then you should follow me! Because I have hundreds more just like this one. With each review, I provide a Cleanliness Report, mentioning any objectionable content I come across so that parents and/or conscientious readers (like me) can determine beforehand whether they want to read a book or not. Content surprises are super annoying, especially when you’re 100+ pages in, so here’s my attempt to help you avoid that!

So Follow or Friend me here on GoodReads! And be sure to check out my bio page to learn a little about me and the Picture Book/Chapter Book Calendars I sell on Etsy!

[Stephanie · Rating 5 out of 5]

“You’re Passin’ Through? What an interesting name!”
That made me smile, something I hadn’t done much lately.

I knew I wanted to read Passin’ Through after I read its summary. A drifter, riding a blue roan with a skull and crossbones brand, decides the perfect spot to lie low is at this ranch owned by a mysterious woman? Yes, please! So when I came across a copy in the used bookstore, I was sure to add it to my steadily growing pile of Louis L’Amour books before making my way to the checkout counter. Once home, I set this one amongst other books that I planned to read in March. And I have made good on that goal to read Passin’ Through in said month.

I hadn’t expected this to be in first-person point of view, so I admit to being a little apprehensive and somewhat worried. First-person narratives can be a hit or miss for me. For that reason, I was afraid this would be the first L’Amour book that I’d be disappointed with; however, my fears were put to rest after a few chapters. This specific type of narrative flowed naturally. It also showed me that it was what suited in order to tell the story.

Speaking of, I really loved the story Passin’ Through told. It was a little more on the mysterious side, especially in regards to Mr. Passin’, but that just made the story all the more special to me. I’m aware that some might not like the fact we know the protagonist as “Mr. Passin’” or simply “Passin’ Through”, but for me personally? I liked it.

And what a way to end a story!

I haven’t even read a fourth of the things Louis L’Amour wrote, but I have a very good feeling that Passin’ Through will be sitting alongside Conagher in my top five favorites. Not just as favorite books, but as favorite characters too.

“Besides, what does a name mean? Nothing, until a man makes it mean something.”

[Monty · Rating 4 out of 5]

Late Western era story mixed with a mystery storyline.

Has some action, some philosophical outlook stuff with a somewhat mercurial main character (age 28 mostly hard years) trying to figure out in which direction he truly wants to step along his life path.

I found it relaxing and to my taste in a way, even though Passin keeps giving the nasty types more chances than I would, soothing in a manner and probably made more so by the narrator Oliver Wyman.

The author made, a for me large mistake however.
He does so with a thrown in reference to the writings/poems by Kipling and fighting Afghans, which does not compute since the setting for this story is 1881 and prior.
While Rudyard Kipling who's works I take the mention to be about, wasn't but 15-16 years old then, and I think in his last year of schooling in England at the time. He had, I am fairly sure, not published any works at that age. Kipling didn't even return to the orient India specifically until late 1882. I double checked. Anyway that part knocked me out of the story.

Other than above mentioned slip, I greatly enjoyed the story, more so since most any books published nowadays are comparatively beyond awful in every way.

[Angelien · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am not Louis L'Amour's target audience. I'm a nerdy Millennial who knows more about the digital frontier than the Western one. But my dad loved westerns, and L'Amour especially. I lost him last summer, and I miss him terribly, so I'm starting in on reading some of his old books. They remind me of him, and make me feel close to him.

I'm also kind of picky about books in general, so it helps that this one was pretty enjoyable. Mr. Passin' is a decent, if life-hardened, man caught up in trouble he never meant to find. My biggest previous experience with the genre is playing Red Dead Redemption 2, and I can't help but read him with Arthur Morgan's voice and mannerisms. He was surprisingly likeable and thoughtful compared to my expectations.

The other thing that impressed me was the sense of place, and the intricate descriptions of the landscape--enough that you could probably map it out and, if not ride the same trails, then at least figure out close enough where they might have been. I know the general area is "real"--the mountains and rivers exist on the map. How many of the details are true to life, I don't know for sure (though given the author's history, I suspect many of them are), but they FEEL real, and that's the main point.

I suppose I could put on my literary criticism hat and pull it apart, but in the end it was a good story, and it reminded me of my dad, his stories of New Mexico, and my own trips out west. And really, that's all I wanted out of it anyway.

[Judy · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5
southern Colorado, north of Mesa Verde, La Plata Mtns
front matter: note from the author, map
end: 1 p bio of L'Amour

Strong first sentence:
Behind me a noose hung empty and before me the land was wild.

Of the four main characters, three are women. The man (a 28 yo who uses the name Passin' Through) is polite, capable, good with a gun and a horse, knows how to survive in the wild, and has a strong moral compass. Thus, he encompasses what Louis L'Amour values. (And he's a good model for young readers.)

Here's what L'Amour has to say about law in the West (p 30):
In the smaller towns throughout the country, trial lawyers were like stars in the theater. When court was setting, folks would drive or ride in from miles around just to see the show, and the trial lawyers played to us in the gallery as much as to the jury, ... Some lawyers drew packed houses and often the cases were decided on common sense rather than any point of law.

I've done a lot of reading (esp original documents and old newspapers) about Colorado history, c1850-1900, so can honestly say that this story is much like a fairy tale. The good guys/gals are 'too good' and the bad ones are 'awful bad.' And the ending is 'they lived happily ever after.'

Apparently Colorado is the setting for 17 of L'Amour's books. A brief search on the internet didn't turn up a listing.

[Elise White · Rating 5 out of 5]

Maybe not for everyone, but I found this novel really epic. I'm drawn to the beauty and rawness of the West and so felt I could relate to Passin' Through in that regard. Louis L'Amour's way with words is outstanding. He is able to set up and describe a scene so that I feel I'm there. And finally, the unflappable, first person point of view of Mr. Passin' is what grabs me the most. I've always envied the ability to tell a story beginning to end with just the words speaking for themselves. I loved this!

[Hank Hoeft · Rating 3 out of 5]

Passin' Through is somewhat formulaic and predictable, but is nonetheless a good, solid Western tale in typical Louis L'Amour style. Many of L'Amour's works have been published more than once, in several different editions and formats, but as far as I can tell, Passin' Through was completed and first published in 1985, and L'Amour passed away in 1988, making it one of his last completed classic Westerns.

[William · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.25 stars. This is an excellent book on several levels. There is suspense, action, romance, character development, ethics, western history, and geography.

[William Hubbartt · Rating 4 out of 5]

A tough man manages to survive an ill-fated attempt by others to hang him. Credit goes to the blue roan used by the miscreants in their failed attempt at an unwarranted killing. The survivor gains the name "Passin'" as he and the blue roan travel through the west helping others to right encountered wrongs.

[Sean Cozart · Rating 5 out of 5]

This novel marks the end of a genre that peaked with L'Amour. This is considered his final Western before his passing so I guess this book was particularly special for me, reading his books for years. Especially since the copy I read is the "Lost Treasures" with a postscript to this very story.

He wasn't asking for trouble. He was just a drifter and all he wanted was a meal. When a drunk slinger tests his luck on a stranger, a bad man is dead but the stranger pays. He only survives his hanging by luck and now he needs to stay low while the trouble brews over. A ranch with a retired actress and a younger accomplice provide him a place to hide, where he's dubbed the name Passin' Through for his common phrase. Soon, a young lady shows up providing "proof" she owned the ranch. Despite it not being his problem, Passin' senses he's going to be stuck in the crossfire of a land war. So much for laying low and passin' through.

This is something I've noticed in L'Amours final writings is that he gets more descriptive and more informative in his works. He takes more time to develop his characters and really delve into a plot. Now I'm not his previous works are dull or bad or not informative, it's just those to me are stories. To better explain, his older works are stuff you read around a campfire, a novel like this is something you need to sit down and really contemplate what you're reading and really get the wheels turning in your head. This type of writing change in L'Amour can also be seen in the "Last of the Breed" and "The Haunted Mesa". From what I've been told, since I haven't read them yet, this same format is also used in "The Lonesome Gods" and "The Walking Drum". These five late novels all make you think about what you're reading since the plot is full of twists and turns instead of a straightforward storyline and I quite enjoy it.

Now, I've read some reviews for this novel and I'm quite surprised by the ridicule some have. "We don't even learn his name," they said. Well, I say, we do know his name, it's Passin'. I don't see any reason not to provide a real name for our protagonist, mostly because it does nothing for the plot. What are you expecting, his name to be Sackett or something. To me the name doesn't really matter, if it was necessary for the story, L'Amour would've said it. As mentioned by Beau L'Amour in the postscript in the 2020 edition:

"Over the years, both my father and I have gotten a fair number of fan letters asking about the real identity of the man who calls himself "Passin' Through." On one level, Dad was just poking fun at the legion of taciturn and unnamed heros in Western fiction and film. The idea of this "man with no name" goes hand in hand with, and was probably inspired by, the image of the kind of iconic hero who might ride the Blue Roan - or death horse."

Probably the only thing about this book that really bothered me was the romance between Passin' and Janet. I just can't see happened. Of course, the characters are to open interpretation to each reader but from I learned, I would be one to go courting after Mattie. Passin' was working at her home for what? A couple weeks? He really got to know her and he mentioned several times he felt awkward talking to such a beautiful woman. Not only that, I could tell from Mattie's behavior that she had feelings for him. Janet on the other hand, he ate dinner with her twice. I just don't see it him falling for her and not his employer.

Anyway, it was great book in my opinion, I enjoyed reading it and each novel I read from this author encourages me to grab the next one I haven't read. We'll see what I choose next.

[Tony · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm going to keep this one brief. Let me start by saying, I love L'Amour's books. They're a quick read on a weekend when I'm itching to get my Western fix. Generally not too complicated with some very good characters. Now, this one, Passin' Through, was just OK. It had a decent concept and a little bit of a mystery, but I felt like there was a great opportunity with several of the characters that gets squandered.

The character, known as Passin' Through (because he never stays in one spot long) had a TON of potential. But I feel as if L'Amour went for an easy story and never really developed this character to it's fullest. At times he was the typical tough guy cowboy and then at times he seemed a bit whimpy. I would have liked to have seen this character cloaked in a bit more mystery. And I didn't understand all of the "I'm leaving, going into town....nope changed my mind, I'm back). Once or twice, I get it, but it seemed like every other chapter, he didn't know if he was a-comin' or a-goin'.

The story is written in First Person, with Passin' Through narrating. But there was soooo much repetition throughout. I mean, we get it, he doesn't understand some things about the will (trying to avoid spoilers), but how many times do we need to have the character repeat this over and over every time he has a thought. It made it difficult to read at times and I found myself putting the book down for a bit because I would start dozing off...zzzzzzzzzzz. So what usually would be a 2 day quick read turned into a week-long struggle.

Again, I love Louis L'Amour and I think he is the best old-school western writer. This one wasn't horrible, but certainly wasn't one of his best. 2.5 stars but rounded up to 3 because, hey, it's Louis L'Amour. Just my two-cents.

[Sarah Rigg · Rating 3 out of 5]

Louis L'Amour's books are brain candy, but fun. I know I read this in 1985 because I mentioned it in my journal from that era.

[Rosalind · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is one of my favorite novels. Nothing was as it seemed and I loved the way I as constantly trying to figure out what was going on. I highlighted a lot of passages in this book, mainly because the statements which were meant to reflect the mindset of men and women during this early time period carry over to those of us today. Again, my favorite line, a line that shows up often in his books is: "Besides, what does a name mean? Nothing, until a man makes it mean something."

That's a truly profound line for me, especially considering how some people put so much stock into people today because of who they are related to. I could write a whole paper about this, but I'll just say, this was a great book.

[SouthernAngel · Rating 5 out of 5]

This has to be one of my favorite Louis L'Amour books. I just finished reading it for probably the tenth time and I couldn't get enough of it. All of Louis L'Amour's books are like this. They make you feel like you are actually living back in the old west. Passin' Through is one of those books that keeps you guessing on what is going to happen next. Makes you love certain characters and hate others. It is an amazing old western that will never get old to me. I honestly suggest anyone who loves westerns read any of L'Amour's books. They will never want to read another western after.

[Elena Baer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not my favorite Louis L’Amour story, but I enjoyed it.

[Rogue-van (the Bookman) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mr. Passin' Through, as he was called, just wanted to be left alone to drift the Colorado high country. Some of the people who wouldn't leave him alone died, sudden-like. All of the typical Louis L'Amour elements are in this story, except for boxing. Only a mature writer could have handled the complexities of this plot while presenting it as a simple, traditional western. I've read it 4 times in 20 years--it's still good! (Profanity, Violence.)

[Benjamin Thomas · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have read more than 30 Louis L'Amour books and I rank this one in the top 5. It is a bit more involved than most, combining the western story with a mystery plot. And as always, I love to read the descriptions of the landscape and the people of the South West. Life is full of choices but you could do worse than chosing to spend an evening with "Passin' Through"

[Sharon · Rating 4 out of 5]

Short stories - perfect plane fare.

[Blue Ghost · Rating 3 out of 5]

First Louis L'Amour book I've read, and from this experience I would read another. A rough-n-tumble high adventure novel that takes place during the turn of the century (~1885) when the law was coming to the West and untethered traveling men were the last of their breed. I find this focus on a liminal culture fascinating, and how those 'alive' at that time felt toward those changes.

L'Amour was very well traveled and lead a wild life. Through his writing it is clear how familiar and appreciative he was with/of the geography of the West, and specifically in this book with the Four-Corners. Without the first-hand knowledge of the author, the setting would have come off as drab and lifeless (as someone who lives in what was once the wild west).

About half-way through the book, the story begins to slow down and become repetitive. Initially, the characters seemed to have depth and mystery, but as the novel continues and the narrator repeats the same bit of character description about himself and the other folks in the book, the characters start to come off as flat, and I lost much of my investment in each individual and their arc.

The narrator seems a bit wishy-washy about what they want, but you can still assume the ending from fairly early on. If the ending is fitting to the story and the character's goals, I can't really say, but what I can say is that with many books with similar resolutions, deus ex machina is a mighty force.

[Willow Anne · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was, once again, a really good book. I always feel bad for people like Passin' who become unwanted because of the changing times. This book takes place in 1881, and because some nasty people gave Passin' some trouble and went after him, he got a reputation for being a man who brings trouble with him. The town was up-and-coming, and times were changing, so there wasn't much room for people like Passin' anymore. And I feel bad for him and those like him, who got pushed out of the way to make room for others.

What I Learned:

◾If you're stuck on a mountain in the colder seasons and can't make it down before nightfall, then you can warm up by setting fire to the area of ground you're planning on sleeping on, putting out the fire, and letting it cool a bit before laying on it. Make sure there's nothing that's still hot before you lay down though!
◾If someone's trailing you, keep doing the unexpected! Don't just follow your normal patterns, do something you wouldn't usually.
◾ It's good to help out those in trouble or who need help. You never know when you might need help yourself.
◾Let the horse lead. They can sometimes tell where there's water when you can't.
◾Make sure your eyes are used to the darkness before you walk around at night.