My First Voyage to Southern Seas, by W.H.G. Kingston.
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This is one of Kingston's earlier books, but is very much in the style
for which he became famous. The theme is that the father of a family, a
well-to-do merchant in London, dies suddenly. His eldest son had gone
off to sea, but had not been heard of for some time, and by some was
presumed dead. The second son is our young hero, who goes to sea as a
midshipman. The book is thereafter filled with his adventures as he
finds his way through rumour and chance to rescue his brother from where
he is in captivity.
It's quite a long book, but the action never drags, and there are some
interesting descriptions of the places visited, specially Ceylon.
As always with Kingston the seamanship is excellent. The action takes
place in the 1850s, and we are in the age of sail. There are pirates,
drunken captains, shipwrecks, strange coincidences, indeed all the usual
components of a good Kingston novel.
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