Adrift in a Boat, by W.H.G. Kingston.
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This is not a very long book, but the story is a good one. Several
families have met together to have a picnic on a pleasant local beach.
To everyone's delight they are joined by Harry Merryweather, a
midshipman home on leave. Harry and another youth, David Moreton, go
for a wander round the rocks, but are cut off by the strong tide. The
weather then turns very nasty, but the boys are able to swim to a
passing boat containing an old man, Jefferies, and his young grandson,
Tristram. The weather is now so bad they can't get back to the local
harbour at Penmore.
There is an accident and young Tristram is lost overboard, and drowned.
They see a vessel, a brig, on her way down channel, but when they get to
her they find she is an abandoned wreck. More bad weather. They are
seen by a schooner about some bad business, who opens fire, probably to
destroy an unwanted witness to some crime. The brig is sinking. They
make a raft. Old Jefferies dies. They are picked up by a French
schooner, which turns out to be a privateer. At this point the story
gets even more convoluted, and you will have to read the book to see
what happens next, and how the boys eventually get home.
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