The Lost Middy

Aleck Donne breaks his money-box in a fit of temper, then prepares to sail to Rockabie for supplies. His gruff uncle worries about changing weather, dangerous currents and the local fishermen, whom he suspects of smuggling. Around their sheltered house, a deep garden and a winding cleft through towering cliffs give the opening a sharply drawn coastal setting. Aleck's eagerness to prove his skill with a boat soon meets the practical demands of life on the water.

George Manville Fenn's adventure novel for young readers combines seaside danger with questions of conduct and friendship. Later, Aleck steers through darkness with Tom Bodger and an injured smuggler named Eben while boats from a press-gang search nearby. Their tense conversation mixes gratitude, caution and rough humour. Readers who enjoy nautical fiction can find suspense in the boat handling and character in the exchanges between an impatient boy and experienced seafaring men.