ation, made his way in life. In the present tale my hero's enemy
was within, and although his victory was at last achieved the victor was
well nigh worsted in the fray. We have all such battles to fight, dear
lads; may we all come unscathed and victorious through the fray!

Yours sincerely,

G. A. Henty

CHAPTER I: A FISHING EXPEDITION

It has just struck one, and the boys are streaming out from the
schoolroom of Mr. Hathorn's academy in the little town of Marsden in
Yorkshire. Their appearance would create some astonishment in the minds
of lads of the present generation, for it was the year 1807, and their
attire differed somewhat materially from that now worn. They were for
the most part dressed in breeches tight at the knee, and buttoning up
outside the close fitting jacket nearly under the arms, so that
they seemed almost devoid of waist. At the present moment they were
bareheaded; but when they went beyond the precincts of the school they
wore stiff caps, flat and very large at the top, and with far projecting
peaks.

They were not altogether a happy looking set of boys, and many of their
cheeks were stained with tears and begrimed with dirt from the knuckles
which had been used to wipe them away; for there was in the year 1807
but one known method of instilling instruction into the youthful mind,
namely, the cane, and one of the chief qualifications of a schoolmaster
was to be able to hit hard and sharp.

Mr. Hathorn, judged by this standard, stood very high in his profession;
his cane seemed to whiz through the air, so rapidly and strongly did
it descend, and he had the knack of finding out tender places, and of
hitting them unerringly.

Any one passing in front of the schoolhouse during the hours when the
boys were at their lessons would be almost sure to hear the sharp cracks
of the cane, followed sometimes by dead silence, when the recipient of
the blows was of a sturdy and Spartan disposition, but more frequently
by shrieks and cries.

That Hathorn's boys hated their master was almost a matter of course. At
the same time they were far from regarding him as an exceptional monster
of cruelty, for they knew from their friends that flogging prevailed
almost everywhere, and accepted it as a necessary portion of the woes
of boyhood. Indeed, in some respects, when not smarting under the
infliction, they were inclined to believe that their lot was, in
comparison with that of others, a fortunate one;