Chapter II (4)

"We were attacking some piratical junks, and landed to destroy the village where the people were firing on us. We entered a place full of pirates, and were knocked down and taken prisoners, and carried away up the country; that is six weeks ago, and you see what we are now."

"Pirate men velly bad," the Chinaman said; "plunder many junk on river and kill crew. Me muchee hate them."

"Can you do anything for us?" Jack asked. "You will be well rewarded if you could manage to get us free."

The man shook his head.

"Me no see what can do, me stranger here; come to stay with wifey; people no do what me ask them. English ships attack Canton, much fight and take town, people all hate English. Bad country dis. People in one village fight against another. Velly bad men here."

"How far is Canton away?" Jack asked. "Could you not send down to tell the English we are here?"

"Fourteen days' journey off," the man said; "no see how can do anything."

"Well," Jack said, "when you get back again to Canton let our people know what has been the end of us; we shall not last much longer."

"All light," the man said, "will see what me can do. Muchee think to-night!" And after saying a few words to the guards, who had been regarding this conversation with an air of surprise, the Chinaman retired.

The guards had for some time abandoned the precaution of sitting up at night by the cage, convinced that their captives had no longer strength to attempt to break through its fastenings or to drag themselves many yards away if they could do so. They therefore left it standing in the open, and, wrapping themselves in their thickly-wadded coats, for the nights were cold, lay down by the side of the cage.

The coolness of the nights had, indeed, assisted to keep the two prisoners alive. During the day the sun was excessively hot, and the crowd of visitors round the cage impeded the circulation of the air and added to their sufferings. It was true that the cold at night frequently prevented them from sleeping, but it acted as a tonic and braced them up.

"What did he mean about the villages attacking each other?" Percy asked.

"I have heard," Jack replied, "that in some parts of China things are very much the same as they used to be in the highlands of Scotland. There is no law or order. The different villages are like clans, and wage war on each other. Sometimes the Government sends a number of troops, who put the thing down for a time, chop off a good many heads, and then march away, and the whole work begins again as soon as their backs are turned."

That night the uneasy slumber of the lads was disturbed by a sudden firing; shouts and yells were heard, and the firing redoubled.

"The village is attacked," Jack said. "I noticed that, like some other places we have come into lately, there is a strong earthen wall round it, with gates. Well, there is one comfort--it does not make much difference to us which side wins."

The guards at the first alarm leapt to their feet, caught up their matchlocks, and ran to aid in the defence of the wall. Two minutes later a man ran up to the cage.

"All lightee," he said; "just what me hopee."

With his knife he cut the tough withes that held the bamboos in their places, and pulled out three of the bars.

"Come along," he said; "no time to lose."

Jack scrambled out, but in trying to stand upright gave a sharp exclamation of pain. Percy crawled out more slowly; he tried to stand up, but could not. The Chinaman caught him up and threw him on his shoulder.

"Come along quickee," he said to Jack; "if takee village, kill evely one." He set off at a run. Jack followed as fast as he could, groaning at every step from the pain the movement caused to his bruised body.

They went to the side of the village opposite to that at which the attack was going on. They met no one on the way, the inhabitants having all rushed to the other side to repel the attack. They stopped at a small gate in the wall, the Chinaman drew back the bolts and opened it, and they passed out into the country. For an hour they kept on. By the end of that time Jack could scarcely drag his limbs along. The Chinaman halted at length in a clump of trees surrounded by a thick undergrowth.

"Allee safee here," he said, "no searchee so far; here food;" and he produced from a wallet a cold chicken and some boiled rice, and unslung from his shoulder a gourd filled with cold tea.

"Me go back now, see what happen. To-mollow nightee come again--bringee more food." And without another word went off at a rapid pace.

Jack moistened his lips with the tea, and then turned to his companion. Percy had not spoken a word since he had been released from the cage, and had been insensible during the greater part of his journey. Jack poured some cold tea between his lips.

"Cheer up, Percy, old boy, we are free now, and with luck and that good fellow's help we will work our way down to Canton yet."

"I shall never get down there; you may," Percy said feebly.

"Oh, nonsense, you will pick up strength like a steam-engine now. Here, let me prop you against this tree. That's better. Now drink a drop of this tea; it's like nectar after that filthy water we have been drinking. Now you will feel better. Now you must try and eat a little of this chicken and rice. Oh, nonsense, you have got to do it. I am not going to let you give way when our trouble is just over. Think of your people at home, Percy, and make an effort, for their sakes. Good heavens! now I think of it, it must be Christmas morning. We were caught on the 2nd and we have been just twenty-two days on show. I am sure that it must be past twelve o'clock, and it is Christmas-day. It is a good omen, Percy. This food isn't like roast beef and plum-pudding, but it's not to be despised, I can tell you. Come, fire away, that's a good fellow."

Percy made an effort and ate a few mouthfuls of rice and chicken, then he took another draught of tea, and lay down, and was almost immediately asleep.

Jack ate his food slowly and contentedly till he finished half the supply, then he, too, lay down, and, after a short but hearty thanksgiving for his escape from a slow and lingering death, he, too, fell off to sleep. The sun was rising when he woke, being aroused by a slight movement on the part of Percy; he opened his eyes and sat up.

"Well, Percy, how do you feel this morning?" he asked cheerily.

"I feel too weak to move," Percy replied languidly.

"Oh, you will be all right when you have sat up and eaten breakfast," Jack said. "Here you are; here is a wing for you, and this rice is as white as snow, and the tea is first rate. I thought last night after I lay down that I heard a murmur of water, so after we have had breakfast I will look about and see if I can find it. We should feel like new men after a wash. You look awful, and I am sure I am just as bad."

The thought of a wash inspirited Percy far more than that of eating, and he sat up and made a great effort to do justice to breakfast. He succeeded much better than he had done the night before, and Jack, although he pretended to grumble, was satisfied with his companion's progress, and finished off the rest of the food. Then he set out to search for water. He had not very far to go; a tiny stream, a few inches wide and two or three inches deep, ran through the wood from the higher ground. After throwing himself down and taking a drink, he hurried back to Percy.

"It is all right, Percy, I have found it. We can wash to our hearts' content; think of that, lad."

Percy could hardly stand, but he made an effort, and Jack half carried him to the streamlet. There the lads spent hours. First they bathed their heads and hands, and then, stripping, lay down in the stream and allowed it to flow over them, then they rubbed themselves with handfuls of leaves dipped in the water, and when they at last put on their rags again felt like new men. Percy was able to walk back to the spot they had quitted with the assistance only of Jack's arm. The latter, feeling that his breakfast had by no means appeased his hunger, now started for a search through the wood, and presently returned to Percy laden with nuts and berries.

"The nuts are sure to be all right; I expect the berries are too. I have certainly seen some like them in native markets, and I think it will be quite safe to risk it."

The rest of the day was spent in picking nuts and eating them. Then they sat down and waited for the arrival of their friend. He came two hours after nightfall with a wallet stored with provisions, and told them that he had regained the village unobserved. The attack had been repulsed, but with severe loss to the defenders as well as the assailants; two of their guards had been among the killed. The others had made a great clamour over the escape of the prisoners, and had made a close search throughout the village and immediately round it, for they were convinced that their captives had not had the strength to go any distance. He thought, however, that although they had professed the greatest indignation, and had offered many threats as to the vengeance that Government would take upon the village, one of whose inhabitants, at least, must have aided in the evasion of the prisoners, they would not trouble themselves any further in the matter. They had already reaped a rich harvest from the exhibition, and would divide among themselves the share of their late comrades; nor was it at all improbable that if they were to report the matter to the authorities they would themselves get into serious trouble for not having handed over the prisoners immediately after their capture.

For a fortnight the pilot nursed and fed the two midshipmen. He had already provided them with native clothes, so that if by chance any villagers should catch sight of them they would not recognize them as the escaped white men. At the end of that time both the lads had almost recovered from the effects of their sufferings. Jack, indeed, had picked up from the first, but Percy for some days continued so weak and ill that Jack had feared that he was going to have an attack of fever of some kind. His companion's cheery and hopeful chat did as much good for Percy as the nourishing food with which their friend supplied them, and at the end of the fortnight he declared that he felt sufficiently strong to attempt to make his way down to the coast.

The pilot acted as their guide. When they inquired about his wife, he told them carelessly that she would remain with her kinsfolk, and would travel on to Canton and join him there when she found an opportunity. The journey was accomplished at night, by very short stages at first, but by increasing distances as Percy gained strength. During the daytime the lads lay hid in woods or jungles, while their companion went into the village and purchased food. They struck the river many miles above Canton, and the pilot, going down first to a village on its banks, bargained for a boat to take him and two women down to the city.

The lads went on board at night and took their places in the little cabin formed of bamboos and covered with mats in the stern of the boat, and remained thus sheltered not only from the view of people in boats passing up or down the stream, but from the eyes of their own boatmen.

After two days' journey down the river without incident, they arrived off Canton, where the British fleet was still lying while negotiations for peace were being carried on with the authorities at Pekin. Peeping out between the mats, the lads caught sight of the English warships, and, knowing that there was now no danger, they dashed out of the cabin, to the surprise of the native boatmen, and shouted and waved their arms to the distant ships.

In ten minutes they were alongside the _Perseus_, when they were hailed as if restored from the dead. The pilot was very handsomely rewarded by the English authorities for his kindness to the prisoners, and was highly satisfied with the result of his proceedings, which more than doubled the little capital with which he had retired from business. Jack Fothergill and Percy Adcock declare that they have never since eaten chicken without thinking of their Christmas fare on the morning of their escape from the hands of the Chinese pirates.

THE END.

_By the Author of "John Herring," "Mehalah," &c._

=Grettir the Outlaw:= A Story of Iceland. By S. Baring-Gould. With 10 full-page Illustrations by M. Zeno Diemer and a Coloured Map. Crown 8vo, cloth elegant, olivine edges, _6s_.

A work of special interest, not only because of the high rank which
Mr. Baring-Gould has of late years acquired by his brilliant series
of novels, _Mehalah_, _John Herring_, _Court Royal_, &c., but
because of his earlier won reputation as a historian and explorer
of folk-legends and popular beliefs. In the story of Grettir, both
the art of the novelist and the lore of the archaeologist have had
full scope, with the result that we have a narrative of adventure
of the most romantic kind, and at the same time an interesting and
minutely accurate account of the old Icelandic families, their
homes, their mode of life, their superstitions, their songs and
stories, their bear-serk fury, and their heroism by land and sea.
The story is told throughout with a simplicity which will make it
attractive even to the very young, and no boy will be able to
withstand the magic of such scenes as the fight of Grettir with the
twelve bear-serks, the wrestle with Karr the Old in the chamber of
the dead, the combat with the spirit of Glam the thrall, and the
defence of the dying Grettir by his younger brother.

* * * * *

BY G.A. HENTY.

* * * * *

=With Lee in Virginia:= A Story of the American Civil War. By G.A. Henty. With 10 full-page Illustrations by Gordon Browne. Crown 8vo, cloth elegant, olivine edges, _6s_.

The great war between the Northern and Southern States of America
has the special interest for English boys of having been a struggle
between two sections of a people akin to us in race and language--a
struggle fought out by each side with unusual intensity of
conviction in the rightness of its cause, and abounding in heroic
incidents. Of these points Mr. Henty has made admirable use in this
story of a young Virginian planter, who, after bravely proving his
sympathy with the slaves, serves with no less courage and
enthusiasm under Lee and Jackson through the most exciting events
of the struggle. He has many hairbreadth escapes, is several times
wounded and twice taken prisoner; but his courage and readiness
bring him safely through all difficulties.

BY G.A. HENTY.

"Mr. Henty is one of the best of story tellers for young people."--_Spectator._

* * * * *

=By Pike and Dyke:= A Tale of the Rise of the Dutch Republic. By G.A. Henty. With 10 full-page Illustrations by Maynard Brown and 4 Maps. Crown 8vo, cloth elegant, olivine edges, _6s_.

A story covering the period which forms the thrilling subject of
Motley's _Rise of the Dutch Republic_, when the Netherlands, under
the guidance of William of Orange, revolted against the attempts of
Alva and the Spaniards to force upon them the Catholic religion. To
a story already of the keenest interest, Mr. Henty has added a
special attractiveness for boys in tracing through the historic
conflict the adventures and brave deeds of an English boy in the
household of the ablest man of his age--William the Silent. Edward
Martin; the son of an English sea-captain, after sharing in the
excitement of an escape from the Spaniards and a sea-fight, enters
the service of the Prince as a volunteer, and is employed by him in
many dangerous and responsible missions, in the discharge of which
he passes through the great sieges and more than one naval
engagement of the time. He is subsequently employed in Holland by
Queen Elizabeth, to whom he is recommended by Orange; and
ultimately settles down as Sir Edward Martin and the husband of the
lady to whom he owes his life, and whom he in turn has saved from
the Council of Blood.

=The Lion Of St. Mark:= A Tale of Venice in the Fourteenth Century. By G.A. Henty. With 10 full-page Illustrations by Gordon Browne. Crown 8vo, cloth elegant, olivine edges, _6s_.

"Every boy should read _The Lion of St. Mark_. Mr. Henty has never
produced any story more delightful, more wholesome, or more
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enjoyment."--_The Saturday Review._

"Mr. Henty has probably not published a more interesting story than
_The Lion of St. Mark_. He has certainly not published one in which
he has been at such pains to rise to the dignity of his subject.
Mr. Henty's battle-pieces are admirable."--_The Academy._

"The young hero has shrewdness, courage, enterprise, principle, all
the qualities that help the young in the race and battle of
life."--_Literary Churchman._

=Captain Bailey's Heir:= A Tale of the Gold Fields of California. By G.A. Henty. With 12 full-page Illustrations by H.M. Paget. Crown 8vo, cloth elegant, olivine edges, _6s_.

"A Westminster boy who, like all this author's heroes, makes his
way in the world by hard work, good temper, and unfailing courage.
The descriptions given of life are just what a healthy intelligent
lad should delight in."--_St. James's Gazette._

"The portraits of Captain Bayley, and the head-master of
Westminster school, are admirably drawn; and the adventures in
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Henty."--_The Academy._

"Mr. Henty is careful to mingle solid instruction with
entertainment; and the humorous touches, especially in the sketch
of John Holl, the Westminster dustman, Dickens himself could hardly
have excelled."--_Christian Leader._

BY G.A. HENTY.

"Surely Mr. Henty should understand boys' tastes better than any man living."--_The Times._

* * * * *

=Bonnie Prince Charlie:= A Tale of Fontenoy and Culloden. By G.A. Henty. With 12 full-page Illustrations by Gordon Browne. Crown 8vo, cloth elegant, olivine edges, _6s_.

"Ronald, the hero, is very like the hero of _Quentin Durward_. The
lad's journey across France with his faithful attendant Malcolm,
and his hairbreadth escapes from the machinations of his father's
enemies, make up as good a narrative of the kind as we have ever
read. For freshness of treatment and variety of incident, Mr. Henty
has here surpassed himself."--_Spectator._

"A historical romance of the best quality. Mr. Henty has written
many more sensational stories, but never a more artistic
one."--_Academy._

=For the Temple:= A Tale of the Fall of Jerusalem. By G.A. Henty. With 10 full-page Illustrations by Solomon J. Solomon: and a coloured Map. Crown 8vo, cloth elegant, olivine edges, _6s_.

"Mr. Henty is ever one of the foremost writers of historical tales,
and his graphic prose pictures of the hopeless Jewish resistance to
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the world. The book is one of Mr. Henty's cleverest
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"The story is told with all the force of descriptive power which
has made the author's war stories so famous, and many an 'old boy'
as well as the younger ones will delight in this narrative of that
awful page of history."--_Church Times._

=The Lion Of the North:= A Tale of Gustavus Adolphus and the Wars of Religion. By G.A. Henty. With 12 full-page Illustrations by John Schoenberg. Crown 8vo, cloth elegant, olivine edges, _6s_.

"As we might expect from Mr. Henty the tale is a clever and
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pleased."--_The Times._

"A praiseworthy attempt to interest British youth in the great
deeds of the Scotch Brigade in the wars of Gustavus Adolphus.
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those deserve to live whose disciplined bands formed really the
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"A stirring story of stirring times. This book should hold a place
among the classics of youthful fiction."--_United Service Gazette._

=The Young Carthaginian:= A story of the Times of Hannibal. By G.A. Henty. With 12 full-page Illustrations by C.J. Staniland, R.I. Crown 8vo, cloth elegant, olivine edges, _6s_.

"The effect of an interesting story, well constructed and vividly
told, is enhanced by the picturesque quality of the scenic
background. From first to last nothing stays the interest of the
narrative. It bears us along as on a stream, whose current varies
in direction, but never loses its force."--_Saturday Review._

"Ought to be popular with boys who are not too ill instructed or
too dandified to be affected by a graphic picture of the days and
deeds of Hannibal."--_Athenaeum._

BY G.A. HENTY.

"Among writers of stories of adventure for boys Mr. Henty stands in the very first rank."--_Academy._

* * * * *

=With Wolfe in Canada:= Or, The Winning of a Continent. By G.A. Henty. With 12 full-page Illustrations by Gordon Browne. Crown 8vo, cloth elegant, olivine edges, _6s_.

"A model of what a boys' story-book should be. Mr. Henty has a
great power of infusing into the dead facts of history new life,
and as no pains are spared by him to ensure accuracy in historic
details, his books supply useful aids to study as well as
amusement."--_School Guardian._

"It is not only a lesson in history as instructively as it is
graphically told, but also a deeply interesting and often thrilling
tale of adventure and peril by flood and field."--_Illustrated
London News._

"This is a narrative which will bear retelling, and to which Mr.
Henty, whose careful study of details is worthy of all praise, does
full justice.... His adventures are told with much spirit; the
escape when the birch canoes have been damaged by an enemy is
especially well described."--_Spectator._

=With Clive in India:= Or, The Beginnings of an Empire. By G.A. Henty. With 12 full-page Illustrations by Gordon Browne. Crown 8vo, cloth elegant, olivine edges, _6s_.

"In this book Mr. Henty has contrived to exceed himself in stirring
adventures and thrilling situations. The pictures add greatly to
the interest of the book."--_Saturday Review._

"Among writers of stories of adventure for boys Mr. Henty stands in
the very first rank. Those who know something about India will be
the most ready to thank Mr. Henty for giving them this instructive
volume to place in the hands of their children."--_Academy._

=True to the Old Flag:= A Tale of the American War of Independence. By G.A. Henty. With 12 full-page Illustrations by Gordon Browne. Crown 8vo, cloth elegant, olivine edges, _6s._

"Does justice to the pluck and determination of the British
soldiers. The son of an American loyalist, who remains true to our
flag, falls among the hostile redskins in that very Huron country
which has been endeared to us by the exploits of Hawkeye and
Chingachgook."--_The Times._

"Mr. Henty's extensive personal experience of adventures and moving
incidents by flood and field, combined with a gift of picturesque
narrative, make his books always welcome visitors in the home
circle."--_Daily News._

=In Freedom's Cause:= A Story of Wallace and Bruce. By G.A. Henty. With 12 full-page Illustrations by Gordon Browne. Crown 8vo, cloth elegant, olivine edges, _6s_.

"Mr. Henty has broken new ground as an historical novelist. His
tale of the days of Wallace and Bruce is full of stirring action,
and will commend itself to boys."--_Athenaeum._

"Written in the author's best style. Full of the most remarkable
achievements, it is a tale of great interest, which a boy, once he
has begun it, will not willingly put on one side."--_Schoolmaster._

"Scarcely anywhere have we seen in prose a more lucid and
spirit-stirring description of Bannockburn than the one with which
the author fittingly closes his volume."--_Dumfries Standard._

BY G.A. HENTY.

"Mr. Henty is one of our most successful writers of historical tales."--_Scotsman._

* * * * *

=Through the Fray:= A Story of the Luddite Riots. By G.A. Henty. With 12 full-page Illustrations by H.M. Paget. Crown 8vo, cloth elegant, olivine edges, _6s._

"Mr. Henty inspires a love and admiration for straightforwardness,
truth, and courage. This is one of the best of the many good books
Mr. Henty has produced, and deserves to be classed with his _Facing
Death_."--_Standard._

"The interest of the story never flags. Were we to propose a
competition for the best list of novel writers for boys we have
little doubt that Mr. Henty's name would stand first."--_Journal of
Education._

"This story is told in Mr. Henty's own easy and often graphic
style. There is no 'padding' in the book, and its teaching is, that
we have enemies within as well as without, and therefore the power
of self-control is a quality that should be striven after by every
'true' boy."--_Educational Times._

=Under Drake's Flag:= A Tale of the Spanish Main. By G.A. Henty. Illustrated by 12 full-page Pictures by Gordon Browne. Crown 8vo, cloth elegant, olivine edges, _6s._

"There is not a dull chapter, nor, indeed, a dull page in the hook;
but the author has so carefully worked up his subject that the
exciting deeds of his heroes are never incongruous or
absurd."--_Observer._

"Just such a book, indeed, as the youth of this maritime country
are likely to prize highly."--_Daily Telegraph._

"A book of adventure, where the hero meets with experience enough
one would think to turn his hair gray."--_Harper's Monthly
Magazine._

* * * * *

BY PROFESSOR A.J. CHURCH.

* * * * *

=Two Thousand Years Ago:= Or, The Adventures of a Roman Boy. By Professor A.J. Church. With 12 full-page Illustrations by Adrien Marie. Crown 8vo, cloth elegant, olivine edges, _6s._

"Adventures well worth the telling. The book is extremely
entertaining as well as useful, and there is a wonderful freshness
in the Roman scenes and characters."--_The Times._

"Entertaining in the highest degree from beginning to end, and full
of adventure which is all the livelier for its close connection
with history."--_Spectator._

"We know of no book which will do more to make the Romans of that
day live again for the English reader."--_Guardian._

* * * * *

=Robinson Crusoe.= By Daniel Defoe. Illustrated by above 100 Pictures by Gordon Browne. Crown 8vo, cloth elegant, olivine edges, _6s._

"One of the best issues, if not absolutely the best, of Defoe's
work which has ever appeared."--_The Standard._

"The best edition I have come across for years. If you know a boy
who has not a 'Robinson Crusoe,' just glance at any one of these
hundred illustrations, and you will go no further afield in search
of a present for him."--_Truth._

BY GEORGE MANVILLE FENN.

"Mr. Fenn is in the front rank of writers of stories for boys."--_Liverpool Mercury._

* * * * *

=Quicksilver:= Or a Boy with no Skid to his Wheel. By George Manville Fenn. With 10 full-page Illustrations by Frank Dadd. Crown 8vo, cloth elegant, olivine edges, _6s._

"_Quicksilver_ is little short of an inspiration. In it that prince
of story-writers for boys--George Manville Fenn--has surpassed
himself. It is an ideal book for a boy's library."--_Practical
Teacher._

"The story is capitally told, it abounds in graphic and
well-described scenes, and it has an excellent and manly tone
throughout."--_The Guardian._

"This is one of Mr. Fenn's happiest efforts, and deserves to be
read and re-read by every school-boy in the land. We are not
exaggerating when we say that _Quicksilver_ has nothing to equal it
this season."--_Teacher's Aid._

=Dick o' the Fens:= A Romance of the Great East Swamp. By G. Manville Fenn. With 12 full-page Illustrations by Frank Dadd. Crown 8vo, cloth elegant, olivine edges, _6s._

"We conscientiously believe that boys will find it capital reading.
It is full of incident and mystery, and the mystery is kept up to
the last moment. It is rich in effective local colouring; and it
has a historical interest."--_Times._

"We have not of late come across a historical fiction, whether
intended for boys or for men, which deserves to be so heartily and
unreservedly praised as regards plot, incidents, and spirit as
_Dick o' the Fens_. It is its author's masterpiece as
yet."--_Spectator._

=Devon Boys:= A Tale of the North Shore. By G. Manville Fenn. With 12 full-page Illustrations by Gordon Browne. Crown 8vo, cloth elegant, olivine edges, _6s._

"An admirable story, as remarkable for the individuality of its
young heroes as for the excellent descriptions of coast scenery and
life in North Devon. It is one of the best books we have seen this
season."--_Athenaeum._

"We do not know that Mr. Fenn has ever reached a higher level than
he has in _Devon Boys_. It must be put in the very front rank of
Christmas books."--_Spectator._

=Brownsmith's Boy:= A Romance in a Garden. By G. Manville Fenn. With 12 full-page Illustrations by Gordon Browne. Crown 8vo, cloth elegant, olivine edges, _6s._

"Mr. Fenn's books are among the best, if not altogether the best,
of the stories for boys. Mr. Fenn is at his best in _Brownsmith's
Boy_."--_Pictorial World._

"_Brownsmith's Boy_ must rank among the few undeniably good boys'
books. He will be a very dull boy indeed who lays it down without
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British Mail._

=In the King's Name:= Or the Cruise of the _Kestrel_. By G. Manville Fenn. Illustrated by 12 full-page Pictures by Gordon Browne. Crown 8vo, cloth elegant, olivine edges, _6s._

"A capital boys' story, full of incident and adventure, and told in
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"The best of all Mr. Fenn's productions in this field. It has the
great quality of always 'moving on,' adventure following adventure
in constant succession."--_Daily News._

BY GEORGE MANVILLE FENN.

"Our boys know Mr. Fenn well, his stories having won for him a foremost place in their estimation."--_Pall Mall Gazette._

* * * * *

=Bunyip Land:= The Story of a Wild Journey in New Guinea. By G. Manville Fenn. With 12 full-page Illustrations by Gordon Browne. Crown 8vo, cloth elegant, olivine edges, _6s._

"Mr. Fenn deserves the thanks of everybody for _Bunyip Land_, and
we may venture to promise that a quiet week may be reckoned on
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"One of the best tales of adventure produced by any living writer,
combining the inventiveness of Jules Verne, and the solidity of
character and earnestness of spirit which have made the English
victorious in so many fields."--_Daily Chronicle._

=The Golden Magnet:= A Tale of the Land of the Incas. By G. Manville Fenn. Illustrated by 12 full-page Pictures by Gordon Browne. Crown 8vo, cloth elegant, olivine edges, _6s._

"This is, we think, the best boys' book Mr. Fenn has produced....
The Illustrations are perfect in their way."--_Globe._

"There could be no more welcome present for a boy. There is not a
dull page in the book, and many will be read with breathless
interest. 'The Golden Magnet' is, of course, the same one that
attracted Raleigh and the heroes of _Westward Ho!_"--_Journal of
Education._

* * * * *

BY HARRY COLLINGWOOD.

=The Log Of the "Flying Fish:"= A Story of Aerial and Submarine Peril and Adventure. By Harry Collingwood. With 12 full-page Illustrations by Gordon Browne, Crown 8vo, cloth elegant, olivine edges, _6s._

"The _Flying Fish_ actually surpasses all Jules Verne's creations;
with incredible speed she flies through the air, skims over the
surface of the water, and darts along the ocean bed. We strongly
recommend our school-boy friends to possess themselves of her
log."--_Athenaeum._

* * * * *

BY SARAH DOUDNEY.

=Under False Colours.= By Sarah Doudney. With 12 full-page Illustrations by G.G. Kilburne. Crown 8vo, cloth elegant, olivine edges, _6s._

"This is a charming story, abounding in delicate touches of
sentiment and pathos. Its plot is skilfully contrived. It will be
read with a warm interest by every girl who takes it
up."--_Scotsman._

"Sarah Doudney has no superior as a writer of high-toned
stories--pure in style, original in conception, and with skilfully
wrought-out plots; but we have seen nothing from this lady's pen
equal in dramatic energy to her latest work--_Under False
Colours_."--_Christian Leader._

BY G.A. HENTY.

"The brightest of all the living writers whose office it is to enchant the boys."--_Christian Leader._

* * * * *

=One Of the 28th:= A Tale of Waterloo. By G.A. Henty. With 8 full-page Illustrations by W.H. Overend, and 2 Maps. Crown 8vo, cloth elegant, _5s._

Herbert Penfold, being desirous of benefiting the daughter of an
intimate friend, and Ralph Conway, the son of a lady to whom he had
once been engaged, draws up a will dividing his property between
them, and places it in a hiding-place only known to members of his
own family. At his death his two sisters determine to keep silence,
and the authorized search for the will, though apparently thorough,
fails to bring it to light. The mother of Ralph, however, succeeds
in entering the house as a servant, and after an arduous and
exciting search secures the will. In the meantime, her son has
himself passed through a series of adventures. The boat in which he
is fishing is run down by a French privateer, and Ralph, scrambling
on board, is forced to serve until the harbour of refuge is entered
by a British frigate. On his return he enters the army, and after
some rough service in Ireland, takes part in the Waterloo campaign,
from which he returns with the loss of an arm, but with a
substantial fortune, which is still further increased by his
marriage with his co-heir.

=The Cat Of Bubastes:= A Story of Ancient Egypt. By G.A. Henty. With 8 full-page Illustrations by J.R. Weguelin. Crown 8vo, cloth elegant, olivine edges, _5s._

"The story is highly enjoyable. We have pictures of Egyptian
domestic life, of sport, of religious ceremonial, and of other
things which may still be seen vividly portrayed by the brush of
Egyptian artists."--_The Spectator._

"The story, from the critical moment of the killing of the sacred
cat to the perilous exodus into Asia with which it closes, is very
skilfully constructed and full of exciting adventures. It is
admirably illustrated."--_Saturday Review._

"Mr. Henty has fairly excelled himself in this admirable story of
romance and adventure. We have never examined a story-book that we
can recommend with more confidence as a boy's reward."--_Teachers'
Aid._

=The Dragon and the Raven:= Or, The Days of King Alfred. By G.A. Henty. With 8 full-page Illustrations by C.J. Staniland, R.I. Crown 8vo, cloth elegant, _5s._

"Perhaps the best story of the early days of England which has yet
been told."--_Court Journal._

"We know of no popular book in which the stirring incidents of
Alfred's reign are made accessible to young readers as they are
here."--_Scotsman._

=St. George for England:= A Tale of Cressy and Poitiers. By G.A. Henty. With 8 full-page Illustrations by Gordon Browne, in black and tint. Crown 8vo, cloth elegant, _5s._

"Mr. Henty has done his work well, producing a strong story at once
instructive and entertaining."--_Glasgow Herald._

"Mr. Henty's historical novels for boys bid fair to supplement, on
their behalf, the historical labours of Sir Walter Scott in the
land of fiction."--_Standard._

BY G.A. HENTY.

"Mr. Henty is the king of story-tellers for boys."--_Sword and Trowel._

* * * * *

=The Bravest Of the Brave:= With Peterborough in Spain. By G.A. Henty. With 8 full-page Pictures by H.M. Paget. Crown 8vo, cloth elegant, _5s._

"Mr. Henty never loses sight of the moral purpose of his work--to
enforce the doctrine of courage and truth, mercy and loving
kindness, as indispensable to the making of an English gentleman.
British lads will read _The Bravest of the Brave_ with pleasure and
profit; of that we are quite sure."--_Daily Telegraph._

=For Name and Fame:= Or, Through Afghan Passes. By G.A. Henty. With 8 full-page Illustrations by Gordon Browne, in black and tint. Crown 8vo, cloth elegant, _5s._

"The best feature of the book, apart from its scenes of adventure,
is its honest effort to do justice to the patriotism of the Afghan
people."--_Daily News._

"Not only a rousing story, replete with all the varied forms of
excitement of a campaign, but, what is still more useful, an
account of a territory and its inhabitants which must for a long
time possess a supreme interest for Englishmen, as being the key to
our Indian Empire."--_Glasgow Herald._

=In the Reign Of Terror:= The Adventures of a Westminster Boy. By G.A. Henty. With 8 full-page Illustrations by J. Schoenberg. Crown 8vo, cloth elegant, olivine edges, _5s_.

"Harry Sandwith, the Westminster boy, may fairly be said to beat
Mr. Henty's record. His adventures will delight boys by the
audacity and peril they depict. The story is one of Mr. Henty's
best."--_Saturday Review._

=Orange and Green:= A Tale of the Boyne and Limerick. By G.A. Henty. With 8 full-page Illustrations by Gordon Browne. Crown 8vo, cloth elegant, olivine edges, _5s._

"An extremely spirited story, based on the struggle in Ireland,
rendered memorable by the defence of 'Derry and the siege of
Limerick."--_Sat. Review._

"The narrative is free from the vice of prejudice, and ripples with
life as vivacious as if what is being described were really passing
before the eye.... _Orange and Green_ should be in the hands of
every young student of Irish history without delay."--_Belfast
Morning News._

=By Sheer Pluck:= A Tale of the Ashanti War. By G.A. Henty. With 8 full-page Pictures by Gordon Browne. Crown 8vo, cloth elegant, _5s._

"_By Sheer Pluck_ will be eagerly read. The author's personal
knowledge of the west coast has been turned to full
advantage."--_Athenaeum._

"Morally, the book is everything that could be desired, setting
before the boys a bright and bracing ideal of the English
gentleman."--_Christian Leader._

BY G.A. HENTY.

"Mr. G.A. Henty's fame as a writer of boys' stories is deserved and secure."--_Cork Herald._

* * * * *

=A Final Reckoning:= A Tale of Bush Life in Australia. By G.A. Henty. With 8 full-page Illustrations by W.B. Wollen. Crown 8vo, cloth elegant, _5s._

"Exhibits Mr. Henty's talent as a story-teller at his best.... The
drawings possess the uncommon merit of really illustrating the
text."--_Saturday Review._

"All boys will read this story with eager and unflagging interest.
The episodes are in Mr. Henty's very best vein--graphic, exciting,
realistic; and, as in all Mr. Henty's books, the tendency is to the
formation of an honourable, manly, and even heroic
character."--_Birmingham Post._

=Facing Death:= Or the Hero of the Vaughan Pit. A Tale of the Coal Mines. By G.A. Henty. With 8 full-page Illustrations by Gordon Browne. Crown 8vo, cloth elegant, _5s._

"If any father, godfather, clergyman, or schoolmaster is on the
look-out for a good book to give as a present to a boy who is worth
his salt, this is the book we would recommend."--_Standard._

* * * * *

BY F. FRANKFORT MOORE.

=Highways and High Seas:= Cyril Harley's Adventures on both. By F. Frankfort Moore. With 8 full-page Illustrations by Alfred Pearse. Crown 8vo, cloth elegant, olivine edges, _5s._

The story belongs to a period when highways meant post-chaises,
coaches, and highwaymen, and when high seas meant post-captains,
frigates, privateers, and smugglers; and the hero--a boy who has
some remarkable experiences upon both--tells his story with no less
humour than vividness. He shows incidentally how little real
courage and romance there frequently was about the favourite
law-breakers of fiction, but how they might give rise to the need
of the highest courage in others and lead to romantic adventures of
an exceedingly exciting kind. A certain piquancy is given to the
story by a slight trace of nineteenth century malice in the
picturing of eighteenth century life and manners.

=Under Hatches:= Or Ned Woodthorpe's Adventures. By F. Frankfort Moore. With 8 full-page Illustrations by A. Forestier. Crown 8vo, cloth elegant, olivine edges, _5s._

"Mr. Moore has never shown himself so thoroughly qualified to write
books for boys as he has done in _Under Hatches_."--_The Academy._

"A first-rate sea story, full of stirring incidents, and, from a
literary point of view, far better written than the majority of
books for boys."--_Pall Mall Gazette._

"The story as a story is one that will just suit boys all the world
over. The characters are well drawn and consistent; Patsy, the
Irish steward, will be found especially amusing."--_Schoolmaster._

BY GEORGE MANVILLE FENN.

"No one can find his way to the hearts of lads more readily than Mr. Fenn."--_Nottingham Guardian._

* * * * *

=Yussuf the Guide:= Being the Strange Story of the Travels in Asia Minor of Burne the Lawyer, Preston the Professor, and Lawrence the Sick. By G. Manville Fenn. With 8 full-page Illustrations by John Schoenberg. Crown 8vo, cloth elegant, _5s._

"The narrative will take its readers into scenes that will have
great novelty and attraction for them, and the experiences with the
brigands will be especially delightful to boys."--_Scotsman._

=Menhardoc:= A Story of Cornish Nets and Mines. By G. Manville Fenn. With 8 full-page Illustrations by C.J. Staniland. Crown 8vo, cloth elegant, _5s._

"They are real living boys, with their virtues and faults. The
Cornish fishermen are drawn from life, they are racy of the soil,
salt with the sea-water, and they stand out from the pages in their
jerseys and sea-boots all sprinkled with silvery pilchard
scales."--_Spectator._

"A description of Will Marion's descent into a flooded mine is
excellent. Josh is a delightfully amusing character. We may
cordially praise the illustrations."--_Saturday Review._

=Mother Carey's Chicken:= Her Voyage to the Unknown Isle. By G. Manville Fenn. With 8 full-page Illustrations by A. Forestier. Crown 8vo, cloth elegant, olivine edges, _5s._

"Jules Verne himself never constructed a more marvellous tale. It
contains the strongly marked English features that are always
conspicuous in Mr. Fenn's stories--a humour racy of the British
soil, the manly vigour of his sentiment, and wholesome moral
lessons. For anything to match his realistic touch we must go to
Daniel Defoe."--_Christian Leader._

"When we get to the 'Unknown Isle,' the story becomes exciting. Mr.
Fenn keeps his readers in a suspense that is not intermitted for a
moment, and the _denouement_ is a surprise which is as probable as
it is startling."--_Spectator._

=Patience Wins:= Or, War in the Works. By G. Manville Fenn. With 8 full-page Illustrations by Gordon Browne. Crown 8vo, cloth elegant, _5s._

"An excellent story, the interest being sustained from first to
last. One of the best books of its kind which has come before us
this year."--_Saturday Review._

"Mr. Fenn is at his best in _Patience Wins_. It is sure to prove
acceptable to youthful readers, and will give a good idea of that
which was the real state of one of our largest manufacturing towns
not many years ago."--_Guardian._

=Nat the Naturalist:= A Boy's Adventures in the Eastern Seas. By G. Manville Fenn. With 8 full-page Pictures. Crown 8vo, cloth elegant, _5s._

"Among the best of the many good books for boys that have come out
this season."--_Times._

"This sort of book encourages independence of character, develops
resource, and teaches a boy to keep his eyes open."--_Saturday
Review._

BY HARRY COLLINGWOOD.

* * * * *

=The Missing Merchantman.= By Harry Collingwood. With 8 full-page Illustrations by W.H. Overend. Crown 8vo, cloth elegant, olivine edges, _5s._

"Mr. Collingwood is _facile princeps_ as a teller of sea stories
for boys, and the present is one of the best productions of his
pen."--_Standard._

"This is one of the author's best sea stories. The hero is as
heroic as any boy could desire, and the ending is extremely
happy."--_British Weekly._

=The Rover's Secret:= A Tale of the Pirate Cays and Lagoons of Cuba. By Harry Collingwood. With 8 full-page Illustrations by W.C. Symons. Crown 8vo, cloth elegant, olivine edges, _5s._

"_The Rover's Secret_ is by far the best sea story we have read for
years, and is certain to give unalloyed pleasure to boys. The
illustrations are fresh and vigorous."--_Saturday Review._

=The Pirate Island:= A Story of the South Pacific. By Harry Collingwood. Illustrated by 8 full-page Pictures by C.J. Staniland and J.R. Wells. Crown 8vo, cloth elegant, _5s._

"A capital story of the sea; indeed in our opinion the author is
superior in some respects as a marine novelist to the better known
Mr. Clarke Russell."--_The Times._

"Told in the most vivid and graphic language. It would be difficult
to find a more thoroughly delightful gift-book."--_Guardian._

=The Congo Rovers:= A Story of the Slave Squadron. By Harry Collingwood. With 8 full-page Illustrations by J. Schoenberg. Crown 8vo, cloth elegant, _5s._

"No better sea story has lately been written than the _Congo
Rovers_. It is as original as any boy could desire."--_Morning
Post._

* * * * *

BY ASCOTT R. HOPE.

=The Seven Wise Scholars.= By Ascott R. Hope. With nearly One Hundred Illustrations by Gordon Browne. Square 8vo, cloth elegant, gilt edges, _5s._

"As full of fun as a volume of _Punch_; with illustrations, more
laughter-provoking than most we have seen since Leech
died."--_Sheffield Independent._

"A capital story, full of fun and happy comic fancies. The tale
would put the sourest-tempered _boy_ into a good humour, and to an
imaginative child would be a source of keen delight."--_Scotsman._

=The Wigwam and the War-path:= stories of the Red Indians. By Ascott R. Hope. With 8 full-page Pictures by Gordon Browne. Crown 8vo, cloth elegant, _5s._

"All the stories are told well, in simple spirited language and
with a fulness of detail that make them instructive as well as
interesting."--_Journal of Education._

BY G. NORWAY.

The Loss of John Humble: What Led to It, and what Came of It. By G. Norway. With 8 full-page Illustrations by John Schoenberg. Crown 8vo, cloth elegant, olivine edges, _5s._

John Humble, an orphan, is sent to sea with his Uncle Rolf, the
captain of the _Erl King_, but in the course of certain adventures
off the English coast, in which Rolf shows both skill and courage,
the boy is left behind at Portsmouth. He escapes from an English
gun-brig to a Norwegian vessel, the _Thor_, which is driven from
her course in a voyage to Hammerfest, and wrecked on a desolate
shore. The survivors experience the miseries of a long sojourn in
the Arctic circle, with inadequate means of supporting life, but
ultimately, with the aid of some friendly but thievish Lapps, they
succeed in making their way to a reindeer station and so southward
to Tornea and home again. The story throughout is singularly vivid
and truthful in its details, the individual characters are fresh
and well marked, and a pleasant vein of humour relieves the stress
of the more tragic incidents in the story.

BY ROSA MULHOLLAND.

Giannetta: A Girl's Story of Herself. By Rosa Mulholland. With 8 full-page Illustrations by Lockhart Bogle. Crown 8vo, cloth elegant, _5s._

"Giannetta is a true heroine--warm-hearted, self-sacrificing, and,
as all good women nowadays are, largely touched with the enthusiasm
of humanity. The illustrations are unusually good, and combine with
the binding and printing to make this one of the most attractive
gift-books of the season."--_The Academy._

"No better book could be selected for a young girl's reading, as
its object is evidently to hold up a mirror, in which are seen some
of the brightest and noblest traits in the female
character."--_Schoolmistress._

Perseverance Island: Or the Robinson Crusoe of the 19th Century. By Douglas Frazar. With 12 full-page Illustrations. Crown 8vo, cloth elegant, _5s._

"This second Robinson Crusoe is certainly a marvellous man. His
determination to overcome all difficulties, and his subsequent
success, should alone make this a capital book for boys. It is
altogether a worthy successor to the ancient Robinson
Crusoe."--_Glasgow Herald._

Gulliver's Travels. Illustrated by more than 100 Pictures by Gordon Browne. Crown 8vo, cloth elegant, olivine edges, _5s._

"By help of the admirable illustrations, and a little judicious
skipping, it has enchanted a family party of ages varying from six
to sixty. Which of the other Christmas books could stand this
test?"--Journal of Education.

"Mr. Gordon Browne is, to my thinking, incomparably the most
artistic, spirited, and brilliant of our illustrators of books for
boys, and one of the most humorous also, as his illustrations of
'Gulliver' amply testify."--Truth.

NEW EDITION OF THE UNIVERSE.

=The Universe:= Or the Infinitely Great and the Infinitely Little. A Sketch of Contrasts in Creation, and Marvels revealed and explained by Natural Science. By F.A. Pouchet, M.D. With 272 Engravings on wood, of which 55 are full-page size, and a Coloured Frontispiece. Tenth Edition, medium 8vo, cloth elegant, gilt edges, _7s. 6d._; also morocco antique, _16s._

"We can honestly commend Professor Pouchet's book, which _is_
admirably, as it is copiously illustrated."--_The Times._

"This book is as interesting as the most exciting romance, and a
great deal more likely to be remembered to good
purpose."--_Standard._

"Scarcely any book in French or in English is so likely to
stimulate in the young an interest in the physical
phenomena."--_Fortnightly Review._

* * * * *

BY GEORGE MAC DONALD.

=At the Back of the North Wind.= By George Mac Donald, LL.D. With 75 Illustrations by Arthur Hughes. Crown 8vo, cloth elegant, olivine edges, _5s._

"In _At the Back of the North Wind_ we stand with one foot in
fairyland and one on common earth. The story is thoroughly
original, full of fancy and pathos, and underlaid with earnest but
not too obtrusive teaching."--_The Times._

=Ranald Bannerman's Boyhood.= By George Mac Donald, LL.D. With 36 Illustrations by Arthur Hughes. New Edition. Crown 8vo, cloth elegant, olivine edges, _5s._

"The sympathy with boy-nature in _Ranald Bannerman's Boyhood_ is
perfect. It is a beautiful picture of childhood, teaching by its
impressions and suggestions all noble things."--_British Quarterly
Review._

=The Princess and the Goblin.= By George Mac Donald, LL.D. With 30 Illustrations by Arthur Hughes, and 2 full-page Pictures by H. Petherick. Crown 8vo, cloth extra, _3s. 6d._

"Little of what is written for children has the lightness of touch
and play of fancy which are characteristic of George Mac Donald's
fairy tales. Mr. Arthur Hughes's illustrations are all that
illustrations should be."--_Manchester Guardian._

"A model of what a child's book ought to be--interesting,
instructive, and poetical. We cordially recommend it as one of the
very best gift-books we have yet come across."--_Elgin Courant._

=The Princess and Curdie.= By George Mac Donald, LL.D. With 8 full-page Illustrations by James Allen. Crown 8vo, cloth extra, _3s. 6d._

"There is the finest and rarest genius in this brilliant story.
Upgrown people would do wisely occasionally to lay aside their
newspapers and magazines to spend an hour with Curdie and the
Princess."--_Sheffield Independent._

=Girl Neighbours:= Or, The Old Fashion and the New. By Sarah Tytler. With 8 full-page Illustrations by C.T. Garland. Crown 8vo, cloth elegant, olivine edges, _5s._

"One of the most effective and quietly humorous of Miss Sarah
Tytler's stories.... Very healthy, very agreeable, and very well
written."--_Spectator._

* * * * *

BY MARY C. ROWSELL.

=Thorndyke Manor:= A Tale of Jacobite Times. By Mary C. Rowsell. With 6 full-page Illustrations by L. Leslie Brooke. Crown 8vo, cloth elegant, _3s. 6d._

Thorndyke Manor is an old house, near the mouth of the Thames,
which is convenient, on account of its secret vaults and situation,
as the base of operations in a Jacobite conspiracy. In consequence
its owner, a kindly, quiet, book-loving squire, who lives happily
with his sister, bright Mistress Amoril, finds himself suddenly
involved by a treacherous steward in the closest meshes of the
plot. He is conveyed to the Tower, but all difficulties are
ultimately overcome, and his innocence is triumphantly proved by
his sister.

=Traitor or Patriot?= A Tale of the Rye-House Plot. By Mary C. Rowsell. With 6 full-page Pictures. Crown 8vo, cloth elegant, _3s. 6d._

"A romantic love episode, whose true characters are lifelike
beings, not dry sticks as in many historical tales."--_Graphic._

* * * * *

BY ALICE CORKRAN.

* * * * *

=Meg's Friend.= By Alice Corkran. With 6 full-page Illustrations by Robert Fowler. Crown 8vo, cloth extra, _3s. 6d._

"Another of Miss Corkran's charming books for girls, narrated in
that simple and picturesque style which marks the authoress as one
of the first amongst writers for young people."--_The Spectator._

=Margery Merton's Girlhood.= By Alice Corkran. With 6 full-page Illustrations by Gordon Browne. Crown 8vo, cloth extra, _3s. 6d._

"Another book for girls we can warmly commend. There is a
delightful piquancy in the experiences and trials of a young
English girl who studies painting in Paris."--_Saturday Review._