True to the Old Flag. By G. I. Heap. (Blackie
and Son.) —Mr. Henty tells us here a story of the American War of Independence, and puts us on the side which has not generally been the favourite with the writers of romance,—that of the Loyalists. The tale opens with a most spirited account of escape from an Indian attack. This one reads with unmixed pleasure, as there is nothing to divide our sympathy ; and Mr. Henty, in telling the story, is at his best. It is with less pleasure that we embark on the troubled waters of the War of Independence. It is always a painful subject, though, indeed, it is only fair that the British troops and the Loyalists who fought with them should have justice done to them. They were greatly out- numbered, and the odds were largely increased by mismanagement ; yet, as Mr. Henty truly says, "their victories in actual conflict vastly outnumbered their defeats." And as for their valour, that is beyond all question. It was the British and not the Colonials who, for instance, were the true heroes of Banker's Hill.
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