R. M Ballantyne
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Story of Captain James Cook of the British Navy and his explorations of the South Seas including Tahiti around 1760. Ballantype called some of the islands the Cannibal Islands due to reports of cannibalism. This short book contains some discussions of things like breadfruit, and how it was prepared. Captain Cook's arrival was to essentially to stone age societies, that did not have iron or copper or brass or the other industrial metals. Theft was...
24) Martin Rattler
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Martin Rattler tells the story of a young boy, Martin, who is captured by Native Americans and must use all of his cunning and resourcefulness to escape. Ballantyne uses great detail to bring the setting to life. The characters are well-developed and engaging, and the plot is fast-paced and exciting. This is a great read for anyone interested in adventure stories or historical fiction.
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(Excerpt): "A solitary horseman-a youth in early manhood-riding at a snail's pace over the great plains, or karroo, of South Africa. His chin on his breast; his hands in the pockets of an old shooting-coat; his legs in ragged trousers, and his feet in worn-out boots. Regardless of stirrups, the last are dangling. The reins hang on the neck of his steed, whose head may be said to dangle from its shoulders, so nearly does its nose approach the ground....
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Excerpt: "Sitting under a pine-tree, in the wild wilderness that lies to the north of Canada with the drumstick of a goose in one hand and a scalping-knife in the other; with a log-fire in front of him, and his son, a stripling of sixteen, by his side, he delivered himself of the following sentiments..."
29) The Island Queen
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Castaways in a sea of danger! Pauline, Otto, and Dominick were children cast into the wild South Sea's ocean. The brave Rigonda family of England, however, clung to life on their lifeboat despite the demise of the rest of the castaways, searching weakly for a sail in the distance. Instead, they found a dead ship, wrecked on a reef. And the reef, most fortunately, was by an island. They were castaways, little Robinson Crusoes on an exotic volcanic...
30) The Eagle Cliff
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It is the story of young John Barret an active sportsman, who with his friends Bob Mabberly and Giles Jackman sail off on a vacation in Bob's father's yacht and are promptly ship-wrecked on a Scottish isle. The entire crew is saved and John is sent off to find help. He does so in the young 'Tonald' (Donald) who guides him to one of the small villages on the island. The next day, John travels to Kinlossie to tell the 'Laird' of the island the story...
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Martin Rattler is the story of a mischievous young boy with a good heart. By mistake, he winds up on the ship Firefly with his friend Barney O Flannagan, headed to the South Seas. Escaping pirates and surviving a shipwreck, the two explore South America in one frolicking adventure after another. A thoroughly delightful read, you will follow these young adventurers as they canoe down the Amazon, narrowly escape an alligator, eat an anaconda and turtle...
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"At sea once more!" said Will Osten in a meditative mood. Our hero made this remark one night to himself, which was overheard and replied to by his friend, Captain Dall, in a manner that surprised him. "It's my opinion, doctor," said the captain in a low voice, "that this is the last time you or I will ever be at sea, or anywhere else, if our skipper don't look better after his men, for a more rascally crew I never set eyes on, and, from a word or...
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One day, many years ago, a brig cast off from her moorings, and sailed from a British port for the Polar Seas. That brig never came back. Many a hearty cheer was given, many a kind wish was uttered, many a handkerchief was waved, and many a tearful eye gazed that day as the vessel left Old England, and steered her course into the unknown regions of the far north.
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(Excerpt): ""I wish to be an artist," said Frank with some firmness. "I thought so; the old story. No, sir, you shall never be an artist-at least not with my consent. Why, do you suppose that because you can scribble caricatures on the fly-leaves of your books you have necessarily the genius of Rubens or Titian?""
35) Post Haste
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In this fun adventure in merry, old England, the reader is taken back to the beginning days of the General Post-Office, learning about the founding of the mail system. In the 1800's, guaranteeing a letter to delivery was a bit of a challenge, as Phillip Maylands, his sister Mary, and their friend George Aspel quickly find out. Though the British Post-Office at this time delivered in good condition over fourteen hundred million letters, a half-dozen...
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"The Buffalo Runners: A Tale of the Red River Plains" is a children's adventure novel set in the American Old West by Scottish author R. M. Ballantyne. Full of thrilling action, terrible danger, and intrepid heroism, "The Buffalo Runners" will appeal to children with an interest in history and would make for a worthy addition to collections of vintage Western literature.
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Excerpt: "Early on a summer morning, about the beginning of the nineteenth century, two fishermen of Forfarshire wended their way to the shore, launched their boat, and put off to sea. One of the men was tall and ill favored, the other, short and well-favored. Both were square-built, powerful fellows, like most men of the class to which they belonged. It was about that calm hour of the morning, which precedes sunrise, when most living creatures are...
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(Excerpt): "After becoming acquainted with gun-cotton, nitroglycerine, dynamite, lithofracteur, and other combinations of powerfully-explosive agents, I took to searching for and inventing methods by which these might be utilized. To turn everything to good account is a desire, which I cannot resist. Explosives naturally drew my attention to mines-tin-mines, coalmines, and other commercial enterprises. They also suggested war and torpedoes. At that...
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(Excerpt): ""Well, Jeff, what do you think of doing?" asked that austere relative, two days after the funeral. "Of course at your age you can't carry on the school alone." "Of course not," answered the boy, with a suppressed sob. "What say you to entering my office and becoming a lawyer, Jeff?" "Thanks, uncle, I'd rather not." "What will you do, then?" demanded the uncle, somewhat offended at this flat rejection of his proposal. The lad thought for...
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On a small island in the heart of the Pacific, a colony of settlers receives a visit from a mysterious man known as the Sandal Wood trader. Some say he's a pirate while others believe he is exactly what he claims-a harmless trader. Join Henry, Bumpus, Reverend Mason, and a host of other memorable characters as they unravel the mystery of who this trader really is. Are the settlers about to be robbed and destroyed? Or, is this man's assistance necessary...