Последние издания книг В. Х. Г. Кингстона

We had come home from school much earlier than usual, on account of illness having broken out there; but as none of the boys were dangerously ill, and those in the infirmary were very comfortable, we were not excessively unhappy. I suspect that some of us wished that fever or some other sickness would appear two or three weeks before all the holidays. However, as we had nothing to complain of at school, this, I confess, was a very unreasonable wish. The very day of our arrival home, when we were seated at dinner, and my brother Oliver and I were discussing the important subject of how we were to spend the next ten or twelve weeks, we heard our papa, who is a retired captain of the Royal Navy - and who was not attending to what we were talking about - say, as he looked across the table to mamma: "Would you object to these boys of ours taking a cruise with me round England this summer?" We pricked up our ears, you may be sure, to listen eagerly to the reply. Looking at Oliver, then at me, she said: "I should like to know what they think of it. As they have never before taken so long a cruise, they may get tired, and wish themselves home again or back at school." "Oh no, no! we should like it amazingly. We are sure not to get tired, if papa will take us. We will work our passage; will pull and haul, and learn to reef and steer, and do everything we are told," said Oliver. "What do you say about the matter, Harry?" asked papa.

A collection of animal stories by the prolific 19th Century writer. Illustrated throughout.

In this book by Kingston we are introduced to Florida in the mid-19th century, when the tail-end of the wars between the Cherokee and Seminole Indians was still rumbling on, and the white man was still occasionally disturbed by attacks by Indians. Large areas of the territory are swamp, water, and densely overgrown plains. All this is described in detail. Our hero this time is a "school-leaver" from Ireland, whose father seems to have had just one too many sons for him to be able to provide for all of them. His estate is a little encumbered by debt: he is what was
known as a squireen. While trying to make up his mind what to do the boy decides to visit relatives in the USA, and that is why he went to Florida. It must be said that he appeared quite thankful to get back more or less in one piece!According to Wikipedia: "William Henry Giles Kingston (28 February 1814 - 5 August 1880), writer of tales for boys, was born in London, but spent much of his youth in Oporto, where his father was a merchant. His first book, The Circassian Chief, appeared in 1844. His first book for boys, Peter the Whaler, was published in 1851, and had such success that he retired from business and devoted himself entirely to the production of this kind of literature, in which his popularity was deservedly great; and during 30 years he wrote upwards of 130 tales, including The Three Midshipmen (1862), The Three Lieutenants (1874), The Three Commanders (1875), The Three Admirals (1877), Digby Heathcote, etc. He also conducted various papers, including The Colonist, and Colonial Magazine and East India Review. He was also interested in emigration, volunteering, and various philanthropic schemes. Forservices in negotiating a commercial treaty with Portugal he received a Portuguese knighthood, and for his literary labours a Government pension."