Silver Shoals [antikvár]

For his third exciting növel, Hamilton Cochran has dramatized one of the most significant and romantic periods of history on both sides of the Atlantic: the latter part of the seventeenth century. Under the grim rule of the Puritans, the people of colonial New England seethe with dissatisfaction against the Crown for revoking their charter. To add to their troubles, they suspect that unholy witchcraft is being practiced in their midst. In England the profligate rule of Charles II has given place to that of James II, detested on all sides. Against this dark-hued background, Mr. Cochran has painted a brilliant picture of deepsea treasure hunting, robust adventure and románcé flowering in the midst of danger. Across the pages parade a succession of well-drawn characters, many of them authentic historical personages. .I Outstanding among them is Captain William Phips, bold and canny sea-going són of Maine, someday to be the first royal governor of Massachusetts. By chance he discovers the whereabouts of a vast cargo of silver and gold lying in the hold of a sunken Spanish galleon ff the Caribbee Isle of Hispaniola. Ambitious and reso-! lute, Phips secures the backing of the Duke of Albemarle and other noblemen in England and sets sail from Gravesend for Silver Shoals by way of Boston. He is joined by tall, rusty-haired Mark Andrews, who, infatuated by his benefactor's wife, is desperate to quit England. He, like Phips,