Palm Tree Island Part 23

I have been long of telling my story; yet I might have told much more but for the fear of wearying you. Billy sometimes says he wouldn't have minded taking a trip to the South Seas and having a look at Old Smoker; but if it had come to the point I think he could hardly have torn himself away from Elizabeth and the little Bobbins. As for me, though I have neither wife nor child, I am too busy a man, and maybe too old, to think of entering upon what would, I fear, be a long and troublesome search. There have been many voyages of discovery in those parts since my time, and if Palm Tree Island is now marked on maps and charts for the guidance of captains and navigators, I think I should feel a trifle sorry did I see it under another name.

[1] This must have been Bougainville Island, one of the Solomon Group.--H.S.

RICHARD CLAY & SONS, LIMITED,

BREAD STREET HILL, E.C., AND

BUNGAY, SUFFOLK.

HERBERT STRANG'S

BOOKS FOR BOYS

"_Mr. Strang is the legitimate successor to the late Mr. Henty. There were many chapters of Henty's, however, which boys were p.r.o.ne to 'skip'; they will not be tempted to skip anything of Mr.

Strang's._"--BIRMINGHAM POST.

Humphrey Bold: His Chances and Mischances by Land and Sea

Ill.u.s.trated in Colour by W. H. MARGETSON. Crown 8vo, cloth elegant, olivine edges, 6/-. Special Presentation Edition, 7/6 net.

In this story are recounted the many adventures that befell Mr.

Humphrey Bold of Shrewsbury, from the time when, a puny slip of a boy, he was befriended by Joe Punchard, the cooper's apprentice (who nearly shook the life out of his tormentor, Cyrus Vetch, by rolling him down the Wyle Cop in a barrel), to the day when, grown into a st.u.r.dy young giant, he sailed into Plymouth Sound as first lieutenant of the _Bristol_ frigate. The intervening chapters teem with exciting incidents, telling of sea fights; of Humphrey's escape from a French prison; of his voyage to the West Indies and all the perils he encountered there.

"A most thrilling and romantic story. We can easily understand any boy becoming so interested and fascinated as to want to read it at a sitting."--_Schoolmaster_.

Rob the Ranger: A Story of the Fight for Canada.

Ill.u.s.trated in Coiour by W. H. MARGETSON, and three Maps. Crown 8vo, cloth elegant, olivine edges, 6/-. Special Presentation Edition, 7/6 net.

Rob Somers, son of an English settler in New York State, sets out with Lone Pete, a trapper, in pursuit of an Indian raiding party which has destroyed his home and carried off his younger brother. He is captured and taken to Quebec, where he finds his brother, and escapes with him in the dead of the winter, in company with a little band of New Englanders. They are pursued over snow and ice, and in a log hut beside Lake Champlain maintain a desperate struggle against a larger force of French, Indians, and half-breeds, ultimately reaching Fort Edward in safety.

This book is recommended by General Baden Powell first among scouting stories for boys.

One of Clive's Heroes: A Story of the Fight for India.

Ill.u.s.trated in Colour, and Maps. Crown 8vo, cloth elegant, olivine edges, 6/-

Desmond Burke goes out to India to seek his fortune, and is sold by a false friend of his, one Marmaduke Diggle, to the famous Pirate of Gheria. But he escapes, runs away with one of the Pirate's own vessels, and meets Colonel Clive, whom he a.s.sists to capture the Pirate's stronghold. His subsequent adventures on the other side of India--how he saves a valuable cargo of his friend, Mr. Merriman, a.s.sists Clive in his fights against Sirajuddaula, and rescues Mr.

Merriman's wife and daughter from the clutches of Diggle--are told with great spirit and humour.

"An absorbing story.... The narrative not only thrills, but also weaves skilfully out of fact and fiction a clear impression of our fierce struggle for India."--_Athenaeum_.

Settlers and Scouts: A Story of the African Highlands.

Ill.u.s.trated in Colours. Crown 8vo, cloth, olivine edges. 5/-.

An Englishman and his son emigrate to a remote part of British East Africa, where they settle down as farmers and stock raisers. The story tells of their difficulties through the depredations of wild beasts, and the yet more formidable attacks of an Arab engaged in the ivory trade. The story is a worthy successor to "Tom Burnaby," also an African tale, by which Mr. Herbert Strang made his reputation as a writer for boys.

Samba: A Story of the Congo.

Ill.u.s.trated in Colour. Crown 8vo, cloth elegant, olivine edges, 5/-.

The first work of fiction in which the cause of the hapless Congo native is championed.

"It was an excellent idea on the part of Mr. Herbert Strang to write a story about the treatment of the natives in the Congo Free State....

Mr. Strang has a big following among English boys, and anything he chooses to write is sure to receive their appreciative attention."--_Standard_.

"Mr. Herbert Strang has written not a few admirable books for boys, but none likely to make a more profound impression than his new story of this year."--_Scotsman_.

Barclay of the Guides: A Story of the Indian Mutiny.

Ill.u.s.trated in coiour by H. W. KOEKKOEK. With Maps. Crown 8vo, cloth elegant, olivine edges, 5/-.

Of all our Native Indian regiments the Guides have probably the most glorious traditions. They were among the few who remained true to their salt during the trying days of the great Mutiny, vying in gallantry and devotion with our best British regiments. The story tells how James Barclay, after a strange career in Afghanistan, becomes a.s.sociated with this famous regiment, and though young in years, bears a man's part in the great march to Delhi, the capture of the royal city, and the suppression of the Mutiny.

"One of the best boys' books of the year, and one which will find favour everywhere."--_Journal of Education_.

With Drake on the Spanish Main

Ill.u.s.trated in Colour by ARCHIBALD WEBB. With Maps. Crown 8vo, cloth elegant, olivine edges, 5/-

A rousing story of adventure by sea and land. The hero, Dennis Hazelrig, is cast ash.o.r.e on an island in the Spanish Main, the sole survivor of a band of adventurers from Plymouth. He lives for some time with no companion but a spider monkey, but by a series of remarkable incidents he gathers about him a numerous band of escaped slaves and prisoners, English, French and native; captures a Spanish Fort; fights a Spanish galleon; meets Francis Drake, and accompanies him in his famous adventures on the Isthmus of Panama; and finally reaches England the possessor of much treasure.

Jack Hardy: or, A Hundred Years Ago.

Ill.u.s.trated by W. RAINEY, R.I. Crown 8vo, cloth extra, 2/6.

The old smuggling days! What visions are called up by the name--of stratagems, and caves, and secret pa.s.sages, and ding-dong fights between st.u.r.dy seamen and das.h.i.+ng King's officers! It is in these brave days of old that Mr. Herbert Strang has laid the scenes of his story "Jack Hardy." Jack is a bold young middy who, in the course of his duty to the King, falls into all manner of difficulties and dangers: has unpleasant experiences in a French prison, escapes by sheer daring and ingenuity, and turns the tables on his captors in a way that will make every British boy's heart glow.

"Herbert Strang is second to none in graphic power and vivacity ...

Here is the best of characterization in bold outline."--_Athenaeum_.