AustLit

Indian tiger tale (and text tells us they are 'Cooper's Hill young men'- ?). An Englishman kept at home in a shared Indian bungalow by an attack of fever, is trapped in his room with a wounded tiger for a quarter of an hour. His two friends had wounded it while hunting for it. (PB)

English narrative of love discovered too late, of leprosy contracted in Benares, and of the traveller Vanstein's suicide when his beloved insists on marrying and nursing him until his death. She, the narrator, is to die soon too. Overdrawn horror romance. (PB)

US - death of a horse. A horse left from a waggon [sic] train in Southern Texas is aware of the assembling buzzards and wolves before he dies. (PB)

Set in France and England in 1782 and 1793, the story of an Englishman's voluntary amputation of his leg for love, and his French surgeon's worldly-wise predictions of later regrets. Competently written with a wry undercurrent. (PB)

Set in England, a scapegrace nephew's plot to steal his dying uncle's will from the post before he could sign it and thus inherit all his wealth. His romantic dallyings with his cousin avail nothing when an older will is discovered and his confederate in the robbery is arrested and confesses all. Capably written. (PB)

Englishman's account of his romance and his near ruin by professional card sharpers on a four day steamship trip returning from America to England. Light with a taste of an Englishman's view of frontier America and Americans. Includes humour. (PB)

English tale of a warehouse owner on the banks of the Thames, his fears of a workman he sacked, and the assistance given him by his future son-in-law. Suspenseful description of the workman's entry into the warehouse one night when the owner was working late ... and his rescue. Well-written but outstanding in nothing. (PB)

US frontier tale of an Indian attack on a wagon train. The scout selected to bring aid was the sole survivor. Basic account. (PB)

Set in Switzerland and France, centres on the fighting roles of two captains' wives from the warring armies. A group of French refugee soldiers in Switzerland make a secret incursion back to France to fight the invading Russians. One of their band is cruelly tortured and burned alive, pricipally by the wife of one of the Prussian (Uhlan) soldiers. The swell troupe avenge their friend and capture the wife - having killed her husband. She avenges her husband by killing the French captain - and his wife who has been fighting alongside then insists on being left alone to take her revenge. Pictures of the Prussian woman's children and her plight - returning to her dead husband only to kill herself. Powerful themes, fighting, torture, women's revenge and compassion well realised. (PB)

Set near the Tarwin, an intricate web of revengecloses around John Dolby, who had murdered th einnocent son of an Italian settler Mag Moore - her son Steve 'Dark Bill' has sworn revenge; as had Fred Commings whose wife had run off with Dolby and died. Dolby is engaged to Jane, a fierce strong woman - unmarried at 26 - who rejects him and finally marries Commings. (PB)

Tale from early 1700s on the island of Heligoland from the pen of an aged clergyman roused from his bed to perform a forced marriage service before a crowd of silent courtiers. The bride was then shot and buried in the church, the party left and no more was heard of it. Possibly Russian connections. Competently written; mystery intriguing; slight. (PB)