The first edition of this book is dated 1876. The edition used is dated 1905. The publisher was George Routledge & Sons, Ltd, London; (EP Dutton NY) The number of pages is 392.

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General information

This long and at times very amusing story starts off with the sighting of a barque under full sail in mid-Pacific, and wearing the Chilian flag upside down. For a vessel to wear its ensign inverted is a known sign of distress, so that the British naval vessel that sights her has to try to board her, to render assistance. But the barque is a good sailer, and does not reduce her sail or heave-to. She appears to have only two men on board, rather strangely dressed in reddish fur clothing.

How this strange state of affairs arose takes the whole book to tell. The captain of the barque and his passenger have been tied so securely that they cannot move; the crew are no longer on board; the two men in reddish fur turn out to be orang-outangs.

Reid was an excellent writer, credited with being the first to write in the Wild-West genre. This book, with its background of the sea, is out of his usual line, but it is nevertheless a quite brilliant book. You will enjoy the part of the story that takes place on the sea-front of San Francisco of 1849.

It makes an excellent audiobook, if you can cope with the numerous words of unusual spelling, to represent the speech of illiterate seamen, and the Spanish words. The latter are also to be found in Reid’s Wild-West novels. For some reason Reid often uses a few French phrases, but that was not unusual at the time he wrote.

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Contents

Chapter I.
A Chase.

Chapter II.
A Call for Boarders.

Chapter III.
Forecastle Fears.

Chapter IV.
The Cutter’s Crew.

Chapter V.
A Feast Unfinished.

Chapter VI.
“A Phantom Ship—Sure!“

Chapter VII.
A Black Squall.

Chapter VIII.
A Fleet of many Flags.

Chapter IX.
A Brace of British Officers.

Chapter X.
A Pair of Spanish Señoritas.

Chapter XI.
Mutual Admissions.

Chapter XII.
A Couple of Californian “Caballeros.“

Chapter XIII.
Confession of Fear.

Chapter XIV.
A Sweet Pair of Suitors.

Chapter XV.
A Rude Rencontre.

Chapter XVI.
A Ship without Sailors.

Chapter XVII.
A Charter-Party.

Chapter XVIII.
In Search of a Second.

Chapter XIX.
A “Paseo de Caballo.“

Chapter XX.
Pot Valiant.

Chapter XXI.
A “Golpe de Caballo.“

Chapter XXII.
“Hasta Cadiz!“

Chapter XXIII.
On Pleasure Bent.

Chapter XXIV.
A Tar of the Olden Type.

Chapter XXV.
The Sailor’s Home.

Chapter XXVI.
Opportune Visitors.

Chapter XXVII.
An Inhospitable Hostelry.

Chapter XXVIII.
The “Hell” El Dorado.

Chapter XXIX.
A Monté Bank in Full Blast.

Chapter XXX.
Fighting the Tiger.

Chapter XXXI.
A Plucky “Sport.“

Chapter XXXII.
A Supper Carte-Blanche.

Chapter XXXIII.
Harry Blew Homeless.

Chapter XXXIV.
In Dangerous Proximity.

Chapter XXXV.
Crusaders, to the Rescue!

Chapter XXXVI.
A Neglected Dwelling.

Chapter XXXVII.
Mysterious Communications.

Chapter XXXVIII.
A Conversation with Quadrumana.

Chapter XXXIX.
The “Blue-Peter.“

Chapter XL.
Dreading a “Desafio.“

Chapter XLI.
The Last Look.

Chapter XLII.
A Solemn Compact.

Chapter XLIII.
The “Bonanza.“

Chapter XLIV.
“Ambre La Puerta!“

Chapter XLV.
A Scratch Crew.

Chapter XLVI.
“Adios California!“

Chapter XLVII.
A Tattoo that needs Retouching.

Chapter XLVIII.
A Crew that means Mutiny.

Chapter XLIX.
Two “Sydney Ducks.“

Chapter L.
An Appalling Prospect.

Chapter LI.
Plot upon Plot.

Chapter LII.
Share and Share Alike.

Chapter LIII.
“Castles in Spain.“

Chapter LIV.
Coldly Received.

Chapter LV.
“Down Helm.“

Chapter LVI.
Panama or Santiago?

Chapter LVII.
A Cheerful Cuddy.

Chapter LVIII.
Kill or Drown?

Chapter LIX.
The Tintoreras.

Chapter LX.
The Scuttlers.

Chapter LXI.
The Barque Abandoned.

Chapter LXII.
Two Tarquins.

Chapter LXIII.
Within the Grotto.

Chapter LXIV.
Oceanwards.

Chapter LXV.
Partitioning the Spoil.

Chapter LXVI.
A Tender Subject.

Chapter LXVII.
A Duel Adjourned.

Chapter LXVIII.
Long-Suffering.

Chapter LXIX.
Help from Heaven.

Chapter LXX.
Conjectures too True.

Chapter LXXI.
A Struggle with the Storm.

Chapter LXXII.
A Card Recovered.

Chapter LXXIII.
The Last Leaf in the Log.

Chapter LXXIV.
A Lottery of Life and Death.

Chapter LXXV.
By the Signal Staff.

Chapter LXXVI.
A Very Nemesis.

Chapter LXXVII.
Almost a Murder.

Chapter LXXVIII.
The Tables nearly Turned.

Chapter LXXIX.
A Sailor’s True Yarn.

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