Through Three Campaigns. By G. A. Henty. (Blackie and Son.
6s.)—Lisle Bullen, the son of an officer in an Indian regiment, finds himself an orphan, after a skirmish in which his father is mortally wounded. Rather than go to England, he elects to disguise himself and accompany the regiment as a private on the march to Chitral. His knowledge of the natives and their language, and his natural aptitude for coming to the fore, soon procure him a commission. His V.C. and D.S.O. follow as a matter of course in the Afridi Campaign, and he winds up by distinguishing himself in the relief of Kumasi. Mr. Henty was always very particular about his facts, and the historical note is very prominent in the recital of young Bullen's adventures. Indeed, they partake of a circumstantial narrative of the episodes of a soldier's career, containing nothing that need strain the imagination of the most matter-of-fact reader. A boy can learn a great deal of the routine of campaign life from this careful work, in which well-known names are handled with befitting respect. This was doubtless Mr. Henty's motive, and a better one he could not have had. A boy should learn good grammar from the perusal of such carefully written pages ; probably he may wonder if a Punjabi speaks with the precision credited to him. A boy will find, however, no better guide to Indian warfare among boots for boys than Through Three Campaigns.
Previous page
