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The Pirate Island
The Pirate Island
A Story of the South Pacific
"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.This story details the adventures of a lad who was found in his infancy on board a wreck, and is adopted by, and brought up as, a fisherman. By a deed of true gallantry his whole destiny is changed, and, going to sea, he forms one of a party who, after being burned out of their ship in the South Pacific, and experiencing great hardship and suffering in their boats, are picked up by a pirate brig and taken to the "Pirate Island." After many thrilling adventures, they ultimately succeed in effecting their escape. The story depicts both the Christian and the manly virtues in such colours as will cause them to be admired—and therefore imitated. There is not a single objectionable expression or suggestion throughout the book; and it abounds in adventures of just the kind that are most eagerly devoured by juvenile readers.
Book Excerpt
not be brought to bear upon it too suddenly. Old Bill, meanwhile, stood aft by the taffrail with the lead- line in his hand, anxiously noting the shoaling water as the smack drifted sternward toward the wreck.
"Hold on, for'ard," he shouted at last, when the little Seamew had driven so far in upon the sand that there was little more than a foot of water beneath her keel when she sank into the trough of the sea. "Now lay aft here, all hands, and let's see if we can get a rope aboard of 'em."
The smack was now fairly among the breakers, which came thundering down upon the shoal with indescribable fury, boiling and foaming and tumbling round the little vessel in a perfect chaos of confusion, and falling on board her in such vast volumes that had everything not been securely battened down beforehand she must inevitably have been swamped in a few minutes. As for her crew, every man of them worked with the end of a line firmly lashed round his waist, so that in the extremely likely event of
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Readers reviews
4.0
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A few improbabilities at the end don't matter in this well-written tale that kept me hooked throughout. Nautical adventure at its best in a near perfect transcription.
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Really enjoyable read
09/03/2010
Good...
07/14/2010