GIOUX, Olivier, French author (known by his pen name Gustave Aymard), born in Sevres in 1818. His father shipped him, at the age of twelve, as apprentice on a sailing-vessel, but he deserted at Vera Cruz, shipped on board a fishing-vessel, and visited the entire Gulf coast. He joined a slaver in 1836, and made several voyages from Africa to Brazil. In 1846 he offered his services to the Mexican government, and was appointed commander of an armed brigantine, in which he cruised on the coast of Louisiana, but near the mouth of the Mississippi was attacked by a United States frigate and after a stout resistance was captured and carried to Washington. He escaped and went west, where for several years he was a hunter and trapper. He was captured by the Apaches, scalped, and left for dead, but found by a squaw, through whose care he recovered. He set out for Panama in 1849, and penetrated into the interior of Colombia and Brazil, living with the Indians like one of them. In 1851 he went on a hunting expedition to Patagonia, fell into the hands of a tribe of the Pehuenches, and was kept a prisoner for fourteen months. On making his escape he went to Paris. He had described his wanderings and adventures in his novels, which include " Les trappeurs de l'Arkansas" (Paris, 1858); "Les chercheurs de pistes" (1858); "Le grand chef des Aucas" (1858); "Les rodeurs des frontieres" (1861); "Les aventuriers" (1863) ; "Les nuits Mexicaines" (1863); "L'Arauean" (1864); "Les chasseurs d'abeilles " (1864); " Les ills de la Tortue" (1864); and " Une vendetta Mexieaine " (1866). He has also published " Histoire des guerres civiles et des volutions dans le Mexique, depuis Iturbide jusqu' a la cession de la Californie aux Etats-Unis " (2 vols., Paris, 1869).