All Adrift

It was the 9th of March, 1860, and eleven o’clock at night. The sea and sky were as one, and the eye could pierce but a few fathoms into the gloom. Through the raging sea, over which the waves broke with a livid light, a little ship was driving under almost bare poles. She was a schooner of a hundred tons. Her name was the Sleuth, but you would have sought it in vain on her stern, for an accident of some sort had torn it away. In this latitude, at the beginning of March, the nights are short. The day would dawn about five o’clock. But would the dangers that threatened the schooner grow less when the sun illumined the sky? Was not the frail vessel at the mercy of the waves? Undoubtedly; and only the calming of the billows and the lulling of the gale could save her from that most awful of shipwrecks — foundering in the open sea far from any coast on which the survivors might find safety. In the stern of the schooner were three boys, one about fourteen, the two others about thirteen years of age; these, with a young negro some twelve years old, were at the wheel, and with their united strength strove to check the lurches which threatened every instant to throw the vessel broadside on. It was a difficult task, for the wheel seemed as though it would turn in spite of all they could do, and hurl them against the bulwarks. Just before midnight such a wave came thundering against the stern that it was a wonder the rudder was not unshipped. The boys were thrown backwards by the shock, but they recovered themselves almost immediately. “Does she still steer?” asked one of them. “Yes, Gordon,” answered Briant, who had coolly resumed his place. “Hold on tight, Donagan,” he continued, “and don’t be afraid. There are others besides ourselves to look after. You are not hurt Moko?” “No, Massa Briant,” answered the boy. “But we must keep the yacht before the wind, or we shall be pooped.” At this moment the door of the companion leading to the saloon was thrown open. Two little heads appeared above the level of the deck, and with them came up the genial face of a dog, who saluted with a loud, “Whough! whough!” “Briant! Briant!” shouted one of the youngsters “What is the matter?”

This carefully crafted ebook: “Adrift in Pacific and Other Adventure Tales – 17 Books in One Volume (Illustrated)” is formatted for your eReader with a functional and detailed table of contents: Adrift in Pacific or, Two Years' Vacation Michael Strogoff: or, The Courier of the Czar The Blockade Runners Tribulations of a Chinaman in China The Castle of the Carpathians César Cascabel Kéraban the Inflexible Mistress Branican North Against South or, Texar's Revenge The Begum's Fortune The Flight to France or, The Memoirs of a Dragoon Facing the Flag Green Ray The Star of the South or, The Vanished Diamond Ticket No. “9672” or, The Lottery Ticket The Waif of the "Cynthia" The Fur Country Jules Verne (1828-1905) was a French novelist who pioneered the genre of science fiction. A true visionary with an extraordinary talent for writing adventure stories, his writings incorporated the latest scientific knowledge of his day and envisioned technological developments that were years ahead of their time. Verne wrote about undersea, air, and space travel long before any navigable or practical craft were invented. Verne wrote over 50 novels and numerous short stories.

"Pee-wee Harris Adrift" is an amusing tale of the scout adventures of Pee-Wee Harris. The story revolves around a "floating island" found by Pee Wee in the river one morning. In this book, a point of eroded land that fell into a dredger's scow and formed an island was discovered. Pee Wee and other scouts member claim it as a scout camp and made it a home of adventure. It was written by the legendary Percy Keese Fitzhugh, an American author of nearly 100 books for children and young adults.