The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1904-04-03


took the reading of Sir Mortimer
not with a very pleasing grace he
remembered too vividly those Grass i'm
possibilities in ITO Have and to Hold"
and Prisoners of Hope" The vision Of
another hero being left broken-legged
in a wilderness with savages closing in
with each closing paragraph or the
story arose before the weariec fancy OF
the reviewer, freighted with not little
prejudice. The opening chapters OF the
book did not give promise of any happy
disillusion to come, but when the tale
gets into swing after about three chap
tiers there is no laying down of the
book. The reviewers pride will not
suffer him to state that it was his lack
Of taste which prevented the-due ap-
probation of ITO Have and to Hold
and prisoners of Hope; on the con-
trary he feels that, most logically, his
very strong appreciation Of Sir Nor
timer must be only due to higher
art on Miss Johnston's part, expressed
in this her latest book.
Miss Johnston is never ehary Of
choosing a large loom for her plot
weaving. The building of colony, the
inpart a very largeness and dignity of
grandeur to the stories for whose back
ground they serve. Consequently 1t is
quite natural that the author should
have placed her present tale midst the
tremendously stirring times of Drake
and Hawkins and the fights on the
Spanish Main. Even the dry bones OF
history clothe themselves with a glow
ing garment of romance when they
have to recount the tales of the
struggle for a new world and the SINCE
ing of King Philips beard by the gen.
tlemen buccaneers of old England.
They were busy men in the van
guard of a quickened age" writes Miss
Johnston in apt Characterization of the
spirit which led her characters to cross
the seas to the new world Of wonders,
"and theirs were its ardors, its argus
eyed fancy and potent imagination.
Show them an acorn, and straightway
they saw a forest Of oaks; an inch of
rainbow. and the mind grasped the
whole vast arch, zenith reaching, seven
colored, inclosing far horizons"
Miss Johnston's tale opens with the
farewells TO sweethearts and the drink
ing Of stirrup cups to the success OF
the feet under Admiral Sir John Nevil,
which was to sail for the Spanish Indies
in quest of Spanish treasure and glory
for the banners of Queen Beth. OF this
feet IS Sir Mortimer Ferne, a courtier
now turned ship captain and gentleman
pirate. After taking a rich plate ship IN
Carib waters the doughty little English
feet makes sail for Nueva Cordoba,
fortified Spanish seaport town, reported
TO be tremendously stocked with treas
ure by a renegade English spy who had
been captured In the sea fight. With
the adventures in possession Of the
town and laying siege to the fortress.
the strong spirit of the tale carries
swiftly from one adventure to the other.
Sir Mortimer is captured by the Span
ish Governor and incarcerated In the
fortress. A determined attack by the
English is pictured by the author with
a strength vibrant with tension. They
are hopelessly repulsed, routed and
forced to fly to their ships. leaving half
their number dead or destined to the
s'auto-da-fe" at the hands of their cruel
Spanish captors. Before the remnant
can leave the fatal spot comes to them
Sir Mortimer, manned and half-crazed
by the torture to which he had been
subjected during his durance In the
fortress. Wild with bodily anguish and
deep shame, Sir Mortimer tells his
companions that 1t was he who, under
torture, had told the Spaniards OF the
plan of attack which the English were
to pursue, and that II was he only.
80 -
crushing repuIse Of his comrades.
It is In the weaving of the plot
from this on that the author shows
her remarkable handling Of the
tragic. Battles and sieges yield
place to the terrible scourgings Of the
whips of Nemesis upon this chival-
rous gentleman who believes that his
honor is gone and who is called
traitor by his fellows. Publicly
scorned is he by the Queen, Stunned
as pariah by his erstwhile friends
and utterly unworthy, even In his
own eyes to receive the love OF his
lady, strong even in his disgrace, Sir
Mortimer flies England to retrieve
honor In single adventure against his
ener-- the Co cor Of Nueva Cor
doba. How he expiates his sin by
self-imposed sacrifices in the wilder
ness of the New World. how he misses
his vengeance, and how he is finally
cleared of spot or blemish are matters
not to be spoiled for the reader by
a presumptuous reviewer.
One reading "Sir Mortimer" cannot
but recall his boyhood's-or girl
hood's-breathless hours over Kings
ley's Westward Ho." In several re-
spects the similarity between the two
stories is striking, though this Is said
with no hint of plagiarism on the
part of Miss Johnston intended.
Amyas Leigh. Kingsley's hero, falls
into the hands of the Spaniards while
on buccaneering expedition; like Sir
Mortimer. he is forced to wander