Isban-rerael. By George Cossins. (Gay and Bird.) — Mr. Cossins
has set himself, perhaps too obviously, to" beat the record" in South African sensationalism. It is only fair to him, however, to say that he has succeeded in his enterprise. Even Mr. Haggard has not contrived to locate in South Africa such gigantic Kaffirs as the cave-men with the collars of gold, whose king is the able but capricious despot Isban-Israel, whose queen is the vindictive Ira, who manage to entrap Colonel Clayton and his family and friends, and who all but succeed in thwarting the designs of Bertram Dalmayno and the forces ho musters against them. The story of the death of Isabel Clayton, and of the terrible experiences of her unfortunate lover, Adam Varney, is told with genuine power and pathos, and several of the characters —Dorothy and James Ascott, Mallee Dick, who is Clayton's faithful follower, Sir George Pomeroy, and the jealous Ira—are very well sketched. As a book, however, Isban-Ismel is too much of a mere tour de force.
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