Children's Fiction

Blown to Bits; or, The Lonely Man of Rakata

About the darkest hour of a very dark night, in the year 1883, a large brig lay becalmed on the Indian Ocean, not far from that region of the Eastern world which is associated in some minds with spices, volcanoes, coffee, and piratical junks, namely, the Malay Archipelago.

Chapters

32. Chapter 32

Descending to the boat they rowed round to the face of the great cliff which had been so suddenly laid bare when the Peak of Rakata was cleft from its summit to its foundations...

34. Chapter 34

"An excellent book for young men. The addresses are vigorous and to the point. The work would certainly help to develop in a thoughtful reader a truer manliness than generally p...

21. Chapter 21

Leaving this village immediately after the slaying of the tiger, the party continued to journey almost by forced marches, for not only was Nigel Roy very anxious to keep tryst w...

33. Chapter 33

"Its evident truthfulness and fidelity to nature make us think that it is founded upon much experience of young girls in the working class. To such it would, no doubt, be exceed...

13. Chapter 13

Much to the monkey's joy, to say nothing of the men, the sun erelong asserted its equatorial power, and, clearing away the clouds, allowed the celestial blue to smile on the tur...

24. Chapter 24

It was a matter of some satisfaction to find on drawing near to the shore that the peak of Rakata was still intact, and that, although most other parts of the island which could...

25. Chapter 25

A considerable time before the tremendous catastrophe described in the last chapter--which we claim to have recorded without the slightest exaggeration, inasmuch as exaggeration...

23. Chapter 23

For a short time after this, indeed, the genial nature of the weather tended to banish from the minds of our travellers all thoughts of violence either in terrestrial or human a...

20. Chapter 20

It was not much supper that Nigel Roy ate that night. The excitement resulting from his supposed discovery reduced his appetite seriously, and the intense desire to open a safet...

7. Chapter 7

The thing that perhaps surprised Nigel most in this strange cavern was the blaze of light with which it was filled, for it came down direct through a funnel-shaped hole in the h...

19. Chapter 19

After letting the chief of the village know that the news just received rendered it necessary that they should proceed at once to the next town--but carefully refraining from go...

11. Chapter 11

Nigel was occupied with his own busy thoughts; speculating on the probable end and object of their voyage, and on the character, the mysterious life, and unknown history of the...

29. Chapter 29

The great explosions of that morning had done more damage and had achieved results more astounding than lies in the power of language adequately to describe, or of history to pa...

14. Chapter 14

When grey dawn began to dispel the gloom of night, Nigel Roy awoke with an uncomfortable sensation of having been buried alive. Stretching himself as was his wont he inadvertent...

15. Chapter 15

Although Professor Verkimier had promised to return at once, he was compelled to encamp in the forest, being overtaken by night before he could reach the river and procure a boat.

3. Chapter 3

It not only surpassed but differed from all his preconceived ideas. The brig floated on the bosom of a perfectly calm lake of several miles in width, the bottom of which, with i...

6. Chapter 6

Nothing worthy of particular note occurred during the boat-voyage along the northern shore of Java to Sunda Straits. A fair, steady breeze wafted them westward, and, on the morn...

4. Chapter 4

The ship's carpenter having been duly set to work on the repairs, and being inspected in that serious piece of prosaic business by the second mate, our captain was set free to c...

16. Chapter 16

The hunt, we need scarcely say, was abruptly terminated, and immediate preparations were made for conveying the wounded man and the two orangs to the Dyak village. This was quic...

18. Chapter 18

When the early birds are singing, and the early mists are scattering, and the early sun is rising to gladden, as with the smile of God, all things with life in earth and sea and...

17. Chapter 17

Fortunately the weather continued fine at first, and the light wind fair, so that the canoe skimmed swiftly over the wide sea that separates Borneo from Sumatra. Sometimes our t...

12. Chapter 12

In profound silence they continued to paddle until there was no chance of their being seen by the party on the islet. Then Van der Kemp rested his paddle in front of him and loo...

30. Chapter 30

Some days after the wreck of the _Sunshine_, as described in a previous chapter, Captain Roy and his son stood on the coast of Java not far from the ruins of Anjer. A vessel was...

9. Chapter 9

There is unquestionably a class of men--especially Englishmen--who are deeply imbued with the idea that the Universe in general, and our world in particular, has been created wi...

10. Chapter 10

It was early next morning when Van der Kemp and his man left their couches and descended to the shore, leaving their visitor enjoying the benefit of that profound slumber which...

5. Chapter 5

Arrived in Batavia--the low-lying seaport and capital of the Dutch island of Java--Captain Roy had his brig examined, and found that the damage she had sustained was so serious...

31. Chapter 31

A shock of disappointment was experienced by Winnie, for she fancied that the negro had referred to her father's old home, but he only meant the lower cave in which the canoe ha...

2. Chapter 2

It seemed as if the storm-fiend were satisfied with the mischief he had accomplished, for immediately after the disaster just described, the gale began to moderate, and when the...

26. Chapter 26

Three of those who had tumbled thus unceremoniously on the deck of the _Sunshine_ were soon sufficiently recovered to sit up and look around in dazed astonishment--namely Nigel,...

22. Chapter 22

"It never rains but it pours" is a well-known proverb which finds, frequent illustration in the experience of almost every one. At all events Verkimier had reason to believe in...

8. Chapter 8

The cave was enshrouded in almost total darkness when they entered it, but this was quickly dispelled, to Nigel's no little surprise, by the rays of a magnificent oil lamp, whic...

28. Chapter 28

Stunned at first, for a few minutes, by the extreme violence of the explosion, no one on board the _Sunshine_ spoke, though each man stood at his post ready to act.

1. Chapter 1

About the darkest hour of a very dark night, in the year 1883, a large brig lay becalmed on the Indian Ocean, not far from that region of the Eastern world which is associated i...

27. Chapter 27

The water had assumed an appearance of inky blackness, and large masses of pumice were floating past, among which were numerous dead bodies of men, women, and children, intermin...