Officer and Man

by Louis Becke

Downloads: Under 100
Pages: 14

Read PDF online Download Save

About this book

A visitor interrupts a British warship's departure from Levuka with information about a supposed naval deserter. Obadiah Howlman, a storekeeper and contractor involved in missionary work, insists on speaking to Rear-Admiral Garnet about George Barcom. His account links a disputed marriage, an island trading station and a photograph that may identify the man he wants the Navy to pursue.

Louis Becke moves this short story from an impatient admiral's cabin to a trader's thatched house beneath banana and breadfruit trees. Lieutenant Carteret must weigh the accusation against his own memory, while the arrival of armed men frightens the trader's wife, Tuilagi. Sharp dialogue and conflicting judgments give the story its tension. Readers interested in maritime fiction will find a compact study of official duty, personal motives and the care required before an accusation becomes an arrest.

About the author

Louis Becke

Louis Becke was an Australian short-story writer and novelist whose years as a trader and traveler in the Pacific supplied much of his subject matter. Born George Lewis Becke in Port Macquarie, he went to sea young, worked in Samoa and Micronesia, survived shipwreck, and later turned those experiences into fiction.

More by Louis Becke

See all 13 books

Discussion

No comments yet. Share a thought, a question or a favourite passage.

Read or download

Public domain book This work is in the public domain and free of copyright. Anyone may read, download and share it.

Read PDF online Opens the original PDF pages in our reader.

PDF 163 KB Keeps the printed page layout
EPUB 18 KB Reflows on phones and e-readers

Downloads start right away. How to open EPUB on your phone

Report a problem with this file

Book facts

Author: Louis Becke
Pages: 14
Language: English
Genre: Nautical and Sea Stories
Formats: PDF, EPUB, Read online

Help and policies

Language