"It is surely one of the most entertaining books on a technical subject that have ever appeared, as well as one of the most instructive and comprehensive."--Nation.
By CAPTAIN CHARLES GILSON
On Secret Service. Illustrated by JOHN DE WALTON.
Captain Gilson's new book carries us back to the early days of the war, when the hidden menace of spies in our midst was scarcely less formidable than the obvious menace from the enemy without. Daniel Wansborough, a retired Scotland Yard detective, takes up active service again in the hour of his country's need, and becomes aware of a well-organised system of espionage at work, with its headquarters in London; but for a time he cannot discover whose is the brain directing the organisation. His nephew, George, a lad of sixteen, is instrumental in obtaining this information. George falls into the hands of the arch-spy, and is kept a prisoner in London. Here he learns the details of an ingenious plan whereby the chief Government offices in Whitehall are to be destroyed by Zeppelins. The detective, in trying to unravel the mystery of his nephew's disappearance, finds the threads mingling with those of the spy-plot, and when at length he locates the house in which the boy is shut up, he finds himself with his hand upon the very nerve-centre of the German Secret Service organisation. George is able to supply the missing links in the chain of evidence, and the scheme for the destruction of Whitehall if frustrated at the eleventh hour.
The Spy
A Story of the Peninsular War. Illustrated in Colour by CYRUS CUNEO.
To the work of story-writing Captain Gilson brings a remarkable combination of talents: an unrivalled knowledge of military history, an imagination that never flags, a dramatic literary style, and a keen sense of humour. These qualities are seen to perfection in "The Spy." The hero, Sir Jeffery Jones, Bart, when a boy of sixteen, secures a commission in a famous foot regiment, then under orders to sail for Portugal under the command of Sir Arthur Wellesley. His first encounter with the enemy takes place before he is fifty miles from home, for on the road to London he pursues and comes near to capturing a spy in the pay of Bonaparte. Several times subsequently the paths of the two cross, and eventually Sir Jeffery is the means of thwarting the Frenchman's schemes. He takes part in much of the fighting in the Peninsula, and, at the storming of Badajoz and elsewhere, renders his country good service.
"Every boy who loves tales of war and perilous enterprise--and what boy does not!--will read 'The Spy' with unqualified enjoyment."--Bookman.
The Lost Empire
A Tale of Many Lands. Illustrated in Colour by CYRUS CUNEO. With Map.