THE WINDS BLOW FREE

This historical, while not outstanding in characterizations or period atmosphere, nevertheless has an absorbing story and plenty of action on the high seas. Fifteen-year-old Roddy Rawley, Irish stowaway to Philadelphia in 1776, joins the crew of the Captain Gustavus Conyngham, daring and successful skipper of the Revenge, a menace to British shipping and a much desired prize for British men-of-war. There are sea battles, diplomatic tangles with the French and Dutch, a capture and imprisonment, an escape along a dark coast, personal associations with Ben Franklin in Paris and above all, the excitement of the slapping-sails and a raging sea. Based on authentic records of the early days of the American navy, the adventures are characterized by lively action free of melodrama, and the style is terse and restrained. Handsome sketches in black and white by Rafaello Busoni. Should make excellent supplementary reading for American history especially for boys.