The Smugglers Paperback - 2000

First line

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From the rear cover

"Steer clear of that ship", warns the mysterious gentleman who shares the coach to Dover with John Spencer and his father. "Death she'll bring you", says the gentleman. "It's the way of a ship that was christened with blood".

This is an ominous introduction to the schooner John is about to be entrusted with for a voyage north of London. But he's too charmed by the pretty Dragon to heed the advice. The ship looks clever and quick, and John, at the eager age of sixteen, can hardly wait to sail her. She was a smugglers' vessel once, but that was in the past. Now she's the Spencers' Dragon, and she will proudly carry wool for honest trade.

But soon John is forced to consider the gentleman's warning. Could a ship that's seen a smuggling run truly be spoiled for anything else? And what does John really know about his bonny crew? This rousing nautical adventure is full of danger and surprise.

Excerpt

I fetched a lantern and went right to the depths of the ship, where water, brown and fetid, slurped among the timbers. I went through the darkness in a circle of light, frightening cockroaches into shelter, hearing the groans and creaks of the hull as it worked. The places where I had to go were small and cramped, and I slithered through them as the lantern made the shadows zoom and tilt.

And someone came behind me.

When I stopped, he was silent. When I moved, so did he. I heard a faint creaking of wood as he crept up, closing the distance. He was quiet as a cat. And suddenly I felt a hand touch my shoulder. I cried out, startled, as he pushed me down against the hull.

"You're in danger, boy," said he.

I tried to lift myself, to turn and see him, but the sailor held me down.

"Watch yourself," he said. "There's one aboard who'll kill you."

"Who?"

For a moment I only heard him breathing. He said, "The one who seems least likely."

"But who?" I asked again.

He pressed harder on my shoulder. "He'll want the dead man's secrets. See you keep them safe."

"Who are you?" I asked.

"A man you never saw." And then the hand was gone.


From the Hardcover edition.

Media reviews

"Readers who devoured The Wreckers will be eager to dig into this seafaring sequel."--Booklist, Starred

"A corking good nautical adventure."--The Horn Book Magazine

"[To] be devoured in a single sitting."--The Bulletin

"Full of vivid descriptions that are swarming with historical detail."--Kirkus Reviews

Citations

• Publishers Weekly, 10/30/2000, Page 78