New-York tribune., 1902-12-06
STORIES OF PERIL.
THE ADVENTURES AND ACHIEVEMENTS
OF INTREPID PERSoNAGES. REAL
AND ROMANTIC. RELATED
FOR THE DELECTA-
TIoN OF BOYS.


fewer than usual but those that have reached
the haven Of print are, on the whole truly
creditable performances. Three Of these come
from q hand which only the other day dropped
its pen forever-that of George A Henty. with
Kitchener in the Soudan" is the story of youth
of English blood. who. born and brought UP In
Frsvot. has special qualifications for acting as a
scout under the Sirdar. He goes through all
kinds of startling adventures-the best of them
is his visit in disguise to the Dervish camp He
gets out alive but leaves the reader GREATNESS
in the process. The second Henty book deals
also with a youths experience in war. This
time il is the Carlist struggle Of 1856 in SPAN
which provides the scene and Incidents Inc
boy in his teens who is the hero Of with the
British Legion is absurdly clever, ready and
self-controlled; no mature general in the book
is half so judcious accomplished and daring.
But he is such a good fellow and so interest
ing we can forgive him for being such an Ad-
mirabie Crichton-especially his story is
thrilling In 1.-The Treasure OF the Incas" Mr..
Benty set down a tale of adventure in Peru
which no boy can read without longing to
pack a pistol and steal off TO South America In
search of buried wealth. The two young broth
ers of the story find the gold they seek-but
through what exciting days they pass in their
search! There is one episode of a night COM
bat with Indians which gives an agreeable
shiyer
the Chrfstmases when no boy can look forward
TO a new Henty book! Fortunately. the mans
work is Of the kind that bears rereading and We
imagine that it will be treasured for many
day His object he said not long ago. has been
"to teach history, and still more to encourage
manly and straight living and feeling among
boys" That object he certainly accomplished.
These three new books like his previous ones,
are published by Charles Scribner's Sons
1.-THE Story of q Scout q. B. Lippincott Com
pany) is the title of an entertaining narrative
in the Henty vein Its author is John Finne-
mere; its hero is an English boy who serves
a scout under Wellington and performs prodi-
gies of gallantry and ingenuity. The story is
exciting and sometimes thrilling. when a
French officer meeting two Englishmen riding
for life away from a detachment of French
cavalry. halts his own troops by the roadside
to give the fugitiyes a chance. and salutes
they pass.
Another English writer, Captain F. S. Brere-
ton, has used Mr.. Henty's methods, and with
some success. But while his military stories
entertaining, they have not the distinction and
easy movement of Henty's. His two Christmas
books this year are "One Of the Fighting
Scouts" q story of the Boer war; and Under
the Spangled Banner Imported by Charles
Scribner's sons, a more or less embroidered tale
of our controversy at arms with Spain. The
South African story is Vi. id and buggy" One
admirable thing in it is the justice it does to
the gallant Botha- The other book is full of
hairbreadth 'scapes and other lively incidents
but in so far a il deals with the United States
Navy it is grotesquely absurd. No graduate Of
Annapolis ever was known to talk as Mr.. Brere-
ton makes his American officers talk. It is an
extraordinary mixture Of bad grammar, White
chapel slang and so-cailed Yankeeisns Of the
cornical kind which is only found within the
pages Of the British novelist. A story Of finer
caIibre, issued by the same publishers, is that
devoted a sea waif in the War of 1872 by Mr.
Cyrus Townsend Brady. The two old cruisers
bearing the name OF Wasp figure in the book,
and justify its title In the Wasp's Nest 1t is
tale Of blood and of heroisnn, relieved by the
hurnor and the tenderness environing the pite-
Gus little figure of the shipwrecked baby picked
up at sea The quaint old sailor who muses.
the child was a real man, and character well
worth describing. Another sailor book is Jessie
Peabody Frothingham's Sea Fighters from
Drake to Farragut'' CCharles Scribner's Sons).
Drake, Tromp. De Ruyter. De Tourville Suf-
fren, Paul Jones, Lord Nelson and Farragut are
the adnirals all whose achievements shine in
these pages The authors narrative style is
simple, easy and natural, and sketches based on
such material could not be other than pictur-
esque. 1t is admirable book for boys-and
tory.
Mr.. John Bennett's ''Rarnaby Lee" Ghe Cen
tury Company is book Of real value deserv-
ing a longer life than that of the ordinary holi-
day publication. The plot, set in the New-Anl-
sterdam of Peter Stuyvesant's day, is a reason
able and consistent one, the incidents are
stirring and well worked out, the characters
creatures OF flesh and blood and the style is
pleasing. The adventures of an English boy of
gentle birth and breeding made the slave at
Of a murderous scoundrel and thief are told in a
fashion to delight healthy minded boys. Hearty
comnendation, too. may be given to Miss B. NJ
Dix's story, "a Little Captive Lad (the Mac
milan Company. 1t deals with the Puritan
period IN England, when Cavalier and Round
head kept less tragic spirit astir.
The out-at-elbows Cavalier. Jack Careless who
protects the small orphan Of his old colonel,
half starving himself thereby, is a most nkable
person-albeit nothing more than the conven-
tfonal Don Caesar. The boy is admiral bly, drawn
with all his inevitable naughtiness, courage and
foolishness his head. The story has the at
nlosphere Of its time-and this is something
which be said of all the current historical
tales for your people. Here. for example. is
Miss Edith Robinson's book, "a Puritan knight
Errant'' O.. c. Page & Coz. Sir Harry Vane.
Anne Hutchinson, Master Dudley, Mistress
Bradstreet and other real people appear in its
pages; the English Of early Boston is reasonably
well adhered to, and there are no startling de-
partures from the accepted course of history.
But the story is wooden, its characters many
puppets.
The crop Of juveniles devoted to Revolutionary
themes is this year surprisingly small. One OF
the most interesting and most workmaniike OF
the few is James Barnes's salt water story,
with the Flag in the Channel ID. Appleton &
COD. Half fact half fiction it narrates the