Two Gallant Sons of Devon, by Harry Collingwood.
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The story opens in the town of Devonport, now a naval dockyard, in the
year 1577, on a light June evening. Two young men, close friends, meet
after work, and go for a sail in a lugger borrowed from a boat-builder,
but while they are out, there is a violent change in the weather, with
the wind reversing and increasing to a point in which the lugger is
swamped, and about to sink. They are picked up by a passing vessel,
which turns out to be a privateer, and her captain refuses to waste time
by landing them. So they are found positions in the crew, and take part
in the subsequent events. They do battle with a Spanish vessel, loot
her, and let her go. Then they arrive at Cartagena in the West Indies,
where they also capture a Spanish galleon carrying a valuable cargo.
By accident the two young men get separated from the English privateer,
and this is where their adventures get even more exciting. They are
captured by Peruvian Indians, and condemned to a painful death, but are
reprieved on the intercession of the wives of the men they killed, who
demand them as slaves. They escape, and their adventures become ever
more singular as time goes on. Eventually they persuade the locals that
one of them is a reincarnation of the Inca, and get them to show where
the gold, silver and jewels are hidden. They then say that it is
imperative that they get these to their home, meaning England. This is
accomplished, and they use their great wealth to buy large estates.
Collingwood has extraordinary powers of description, and you will enjoy
this book very much, especially if you make an audiobook of it.
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TWO GALLANT SONS OF DEVON, BY HARRY COLLINGWOOD.