The Young Marooners on the Florida Coast Read online




  Produced by Al Haines.

  Cover]

  "Hallo!" cried Harold, his own voice husky with emotion .. . Frontispiece]

  THE YOUNG MAROONERS ON THE FLORIDA COAST

  BY F. R. GOULDING

  WITH INTRODUCTION BY JOEL CHANDLER HARRIS (Uncle Remus)

  ILLUSTRATED

  NEW YORK DODD, MEAD AND COMPANY 1927

  COPYRIGHT, 1862 BY F. R. GOULDING

  COPYRIGHT, 1881 BY F. R. GOULDING

  COPYRIGHT, 1887 BY DODD, MEAD AND COMPANY

  PRINTED IN U. S. A.

  INTRODUCTION

  I have been asked to furnish an introduction for a new edition of "TheYoung Marooners." As an introduction is unnecessary, the writing of itmust be to some extent perfunctory. The book is known in many lands andlanguages. It has survived its own success, and has entered intoliterature. It has become a classic. The young marooners themselveshave reached middle age, and some of them have passed away, but theiradventures are as fresh and as entertaining as ever.

  Dr. Goulding's work possesses all the elements of enduring popularity.It has the strength and vigour of simplicity; its narrative flowscontinuously forward; its incidents are strange and thrilling, andunderneath all is a moral purpose sanely put.

  The author himself was surprised at the great popularity of his story,and has written a history of its origin as a preface. The internalevidence is that the book is not the result of literary ambition, but ofa strong desire to instruct and amuse his own children, and the story isso deftly written that the instruction is a definite part of thenarrative. The art here may be unconscious, but it is a very fine artnevertheless.

  Dr. Goulding lived a busy life. He had the restless missionary spiritwhich he inherited from the Puritans of Dorchester, England, whoestablished themselves in Dorchester, South Carolina, and in Dorchester,Georgia, before the Revolutionary War. Devoting his life to good works,he nevertheless found time to indulge his literary faculty; he alsofound time to indulge his taste for mechanical invention. He inventedthe first sewing-machine that was ever put in practical use in theSouth. His family were using this machine a year before the Howe patentswere issued. In his journal of that date (1845) he writes: "Havingsatisfied myself about my machine, I laid it aside that I might attendto other and weightier duties." He applied for no patent.

  "The Young Marooners" was begun in 1847, continued in a desultory way,and completed in 1850. Its first title was a quaint one, "Bobbins andCruisers Company." It was afterward called "Robert and Harold; or, theYoung Marooners." The history of the manuscript of the book is aninteresting parallel to that of many other successful books. Afterhaving been positively declined in New York, it was for months left inPhiladelphia, where one night, as the gentleman whose duty it was topass judgment upon the material offered had begun in a listless way histask, he became so much absorbed in the story that he did not lay itdown until long after midnight, and hastening to the publishers earlynext morning, insisted that it should be immediately put into print.Three editions were issued in the first year, and it was soon reprintedin England by Nisbet & Co., of London, followed by five other houses inEngland and Scotland at later dates.

  Dr. Goulding was the author of "Little Josephine," published inPhiladelphia (1848); "The Young Marooners" (1852); "ConfederateSoldiers' Hymn-Book," a compilation (1863); "Marooner's Island," anindependent sequel to "Young Marooners" (1868); "Frank Gordon; or, WhenI was Little Boy" (1869), and "The Woodruff Stories" (1870). With theexception of "Little Josephine" and the "Hymn-Book," they have all beenrepublished abroad. Born near Midway, Liberty County, Georgia,September 28th, 1810, he died August 21st, 1881, and is buried in thelittle churchyard at Roswell, Georgia.

  JOEL CHANDLER HARRIS.

 

    The Border Boys Along the St. Lawrence Read onlineThe Border Boys Along the St. LawrenceThe Dreadnought Boys on Aero Service Read onlineThe Dreadnought Boys on Aero ServiceThe Dreadnought Boys on Battle Practice Read onlineThe Dreadnought Boys on Battle PracticeThe Boy Aviators on Secret Service; Or, Working with Wireless Read onlineThe Boy Aviators on Secret Service; Or, Working with WirelessThe Boy Aviators in Record Flight; Or, The Rival Aeroplane Read onlineThe Boy Aviators in Record Flight; Or, The Rival AeroplaneThe Boy Scouts at the Panama Canal Read onlineThe Boy Scouts at the Panama CanalDorothy Dixon Wins Her Wings Read onlineDorothy Dixon Wins Her WingsThe Boy Scouts at the Panama-Pacific Exposition Read onlineThe Boy Scouts at the Panama-Pacific ExpositionThe Boy Scouts' Mountain Camp Read onlineThe Boy Scouts' Mountain CampThe Bungalow Boys in the Great Northwest Read onlineThe Bungalow Boys in the Great NorthwestThe Border Boys on the Trail Read onlineThe Border Boys on the TrailThe Ocean Wireless Boys on the Atlantic Read onlineThe Ocean Wireless Boys on the AtlanticThe Border Boys with the Texas Rangers Read onlineThe Border Boys with the Texas RangersThe Border Boys in the Canadian Rockies Read onlineThe Border Boys in the Canadian RockiesThe Young Marooners on the Florida Coast Read onlineThe Young Marooners on the Florida CoastBoy Aviators with the Air Raiders: A Story of the Great World War Read onlineBoy Aviators with the Air Raiders: A Story of the Great World WarThe Border Boys with the Mexican Rangers Read onlineThe Border Boys with the Mexican RangersJanet Hardy in Hollywood Read onlineJanet Hardy in HollywoodThe Boy Scouts at the Canadian Border Read onlineThe Boy Scouts at the Canadian BorderThe Boy Aviators in Nicaragua; or, In League with the Insurgents Read onlineThe Boy Aviators in Nicaragua; or, In League with the InsurgentsThe Motor Rangers Through the Sierras Read onlineThe Motor Rangers Through the SierrasThe Ocean Wireless Boys on War Swept Seas Read onlineThe Ocean Wireless Boys on War Swept SeasBoy Scouts of the Geological Survey Read onlineBoy Scouts of the Geological SurveyThe Bungalow Boys Along the Yukon Read onlineThe Bungalow Boys Along the YukonThe Ocean Wireless Boys and the Lost Liner Read onlineThe Ocean Wireless Boys and the Lost LinerBoy Chums in the Forest; Or, Hunting for Plume Birds in the Florida Everglades Read onlineBoy Chums in the Forest; Or, Hunting for Plume Birds in the Florida EvergladesBoy Aviators in Africa; Or, an Aerial Ivory Trail Read onlineBoy Aviators in Africa; Or, an Aerial Ivory TrailBoys of Columbia High on the Gridiron : or, the Struggle for the Silver Cup Read onlineBoys of Columbia High on the Gridiron : or, the Struggle for the Silver CupBoy Settlers: A Story of Early Times in Kansas Read onlineBoy Settlers: A Story of Early Times in KansasBoy Scouts of the Flying Squadron Read onlineBoy Scouts of the Flying SquadronBoy Scouts for Uncle Sam Read onlineBoy Scouts for Uncle SamBoy Scouts Under Fire in Mexico Read onlineBoy Scouts Under Fire in MexicoBoy Scouts of the Eagle Patrol Read onlineBoy Scouts of the Eagle PatrolBoys of Old Monmouth: A Story of Washington's Campaign in New Jersey in 1778 Read onlineBoys of Old Monmouth: A Story of Washington's Campaign in New Jersey in 1778Boy Aviators' Flight for a Fortune Read onlineBoy Aviators' Flight for a FortuneBoy Aviators' Polar Dash; or, Facing Death in the Antarctic Read onlineBoy Aviators' Polar Dash; or, Facing Death in the AntarcticBoy Crusaders: A Story of the Days of Louis IX. Read onlineBoy Crusaders: A Story of the Days of Louis IX.Boy Scouts with the Motion Picture Players Read onlineBoy Scouts with the Motion Picture PlayersBoy Scouts on the Trail Read onlineBoy Scouts on the TrailBoys of Crawford's Basin Read onlineBoys of Crawford's BasinBorder Boys Across the Frontier Read onlineBorder Boys Across the FrontierBoy Scouts on a Long Hike; Or, To the Rescue in the Black Water Swamps Read onlineBoy Scouts on a Long Hike; Or, To the Rescue in the Black Water SwampsBoy Broker; Or, Among the Kings of Wall Street Read onlineBoy Broker; Or, Among the Kings of Wall Street