John Spencer is back after his terrifying ordeal at the mercy of the wreckers - and his father is back too, none the worse for the experience, except that he leans on a cane occasionally. Remember the rats chewing at his feet as he lay chained in the underground drain?
This time perhaps John's father's judgement betrays him as he agrees to buy the Dragon,
"I'm going to buy it," he said. "By the saints, I'm going to buy that boat!"
"You've lost your head." The boatman swore. "She'll bring you trouble and nothing else. See how black she is? It's her soul you're looking at. Her heart is black inside her."
"That's rubbish," said Father.
"I think not." With a sweep of his oar, the boatman brought us in towards the hull. "Half her life she's been a smuggler. First from France and then from England. And it spoils her, mark my words. Once a ship has seen a smuggling run, she's spoiled for anything else."
It's a perfect opportunity for John though. His father is keen for him to work in the family business, and John loves nothing better than the sea:
"You'll be the owner's representative." He sat on the narrow bunk. He wrote with an imaginary quill on imaginary ledgers spread across the table. "You'll be second to none but the captain."
The trouble is, the Dragon's old captain, Turner Crowe, still has a strong interest in the little schooner. He succeeds in rejoining the ship, along with some of her former crew, and tries to carry on with the Dragon as before. Just another smuggling run to France ... It's really a question of deciding between them exactly who is in charge:
"Aye, aye," he said, and smiled. But his smile was a troubling one, one that reminded me how thin was my thread of authority. Only that thread, I saw, kept him from giving me the back of his hand instead of his kindness.
If you enjoy adventure on the high seas, this is the book for you. I think you'll love meeting the larger than life characters - Captain Crowe, Fleming Pye, and the most flamboyantly timid highwayman of them all, Dashing Tommy Dusker with the heart of gold.
What do you think about ‘The Smugglers’?
Wally, boy, age 11, from buriut, Lebanon, on 9th June 2006. Rating: 10/10
this book is very exciting and every time you put this book you wont be able to relax till u know whats on the next page.For readers who are ganna read this book or looking foward to i will so this book is the best!
Shorty, girl, age 17, from Globe AZ, United States, on 8th March 2006. Rating:
I agree with the others who have read this book it is very exciting and interesting if you go from start to finish, it took me a while to put the book down. it was a recommendation to read this book so i recommend everyone who likes this kind of story to read it.
Robyn, girl, age 11, from manchester, United Kingdom, on 1st December 2005. Rating: 7/10
i think this book is really intersting the title makes the story exciting because the word smugglers could mean anythink.
Read all 8 comments about The Smugglers by Iain Lawrence
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It's part of a trilogy, and best read in order:
If you enjoy The Smugglers I'm sure you'll also enjoy this classic by Robert Louis Stevenson:
And while we're exploring desert islands, you might like to dip into this classic by R M Ballantyne:
If you just love roaming round on the high seas you might also like to look at this one by Arthur Ransome:
