Description

Naval adventure in the Far East during the 1840s

This book is a highly regarded classic of naval history. Its author was the captain of the ship, HMS Dido, which is central to the events recounted within its pages. The subject matter of his tale of adventure could hardly be more romantic or evocative. This is an account of the Royal Navy on duty and in action in the early part of Queen Victoria's long reign, sailing the tropical waters of the furthest corner of her burgeoning empire. Here the reader will enter the nineteenth century world of the East Indies-a place of unpredictable exotic seas bordered by fetid, steaming jungles perilously populated by head-hunting Dyaks and merciless Malay pirates who scourged the seaways only to disappear into hidden creeks to their defended stockades. Here the reader will be introduced to the legendary 'White Rajah' of Sarawak, James Brooke, who under the Union Flag all but forged a kingdom for himself in Borneo and who spread his influence over the entire region. All readers who are fascinated by the doings of the Royal Navy in the last days of sail, here on a mission to make the tropical seas safe for trade, will find much to satisfy them within the pages of Keppel's account. Available in softcover or hardcover with dust jacket for collectors.