The Devon Boys, a Tale of the North Shore, by George Manville Fenn.
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As per the title, the story revolves round the cliffs of the north shore
of Devon, in South West England. It is 1752. There are three local
teenage boys, who are all boarders at the nearby Barnstaple Grammar
School. It is the summer holidays. Bob Chowne is the son of a local
doctor, and is a bit cross in his manner; Bigley Uggleston is the son of
a local fisherman (or smuggler), and is a very pleasant-mannered boy;
while Sep Duncan, the "I" of the story, is the son of Arthur John
Duncan, a naval officer, who has just bought an extensive stretch of the
cliffs.
The boys decide to move a rock from the top of the cliff, to the bottom.
They use explosives, and there is exposed a rich vein of galena, a lead
and silver ore, so Sep's father begins a mine, which does very well.
The boys get up to various daring escapades, which generally end up in
near-disaster, from which they are rescued by various turns of fortune,
including being rescued from way out at sea by a Frenchman, a smuggler
of course, who is in league with Bigley's father.
There is a French attack on the coast, but they were definitely looking
for the twenty boxes of silver bullion Sep's father has amassed. Luckily
they don't get away with it. NH
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