The first edition of this book is dated 1889. The edition used is dated 1889. The publisher was Griffith and Farran, London; E.P. Dutton & Co., N.Y. The number of pages is 62.
General information
Tom Trueman is the fourth child of a large family. The father is killed in an accident, and the mother has to try to earn enough money to feed and clothe them, let alone send them to school. So the older children have to find work. Tom decides he will go to sea, and he finds a kindly ship’s captain in the nearby port, due to sail in a few days’ time.
The “Rose” is sailing on a two or three year voyage round the Horn and then to various places in the Pacific. The work of a seaman is well described, as also the places visited. Various incidents, some rather serious, take place. Eventually Tom’s ship comes home, and we can all breathe again!
This is a very short book, one of a series described by the publishers as follows.
Each Tale complete in one volume of 64 pages, crown octavo size, cloth elegant, in large clear type, fully illustrated.
The object of this Series is to supply the cottagers and humbler classes of England, whose knowledge of reading and whose vocabularies are limited, with books in clear, large type, composed of words the meaning of which they understand, sentences which the eye can take in with ease, ideas suited to their comprehension, on subjects likely to excite their interest, so that they may obtain amusement and wholesome instruction without the labour which a large number of the works at present put into their hands demands.
The Series (Tales) will be found suitable for the poorer population of our towns, the inhabitants of our coasts, and our soldiers and sailors in barracks and on board ship ; also for reading in night schools.
Contents
Chapter I.
It was a sad, sad day for poor mother and all of us, when father was brought home on a hurdle, the life crushed out of him by a tree which fell right down where he stood.
Chapter II.
You all know what a storm on shore is when it seems as if the windows must be blown in, or the roof taken off, when the walls shake, and big trees are torn up by the roots and thrown down.
Chapter III.
“Land ho! land ho!” I heard the man at the foretop-masthead shout out.
Chapter IV.
We had now landed all the goods we had brought from England, and found that we were to sail for Canton, in China, to procure a cargo of tea, which, it was understood, we were to take to Sydney, in New South Wales, and there to receive on board a cargo of wool to carry home.
Chapter V.
We now passed several coral islands. One we saw quite near was about six miles long, with a large lake in the centre, with an entrance to it from the sea.
Chapter VI.
We had got a good supply of provisions and water, in the canoe, and I understood that the voyage might take us four or five days, or perhaps more.
Chapter VII.
“Hold on for your lives,” shouted the captain as a huge wave, dimly seen through the gloom of night, rolled on towards us.
E-Books created from nineteenth century or early twentieth century texts by Athelstane E-Books.