Issue Details: First known date: 1902... 1902 The Strange Adventure of James Shervinton and Other Stories
The material on this page is available to AustLit subscribers. If you are a subscriber or are from a subscribing organisation, please log in to gain full access. To explore options for subscribing to this unique teaching, research, and publishing resource for Australian culture and storytelling, please contact us or find out more.

Affiliation Notes

  • Dai Yin's thesis 'The Representation of Chinese People in Australian Literature' (1994) notes the inclusion of Chinese characters in this work.

Contents

* Contents derived from the London,
c
England,
c
c
United Kingdom (UK),
c
Western Europe, Europe,
:
T. Fisher Unwin , 1902 version. Please note that other versions/publications may contain different contents. See the Publication Details.
The Strange Adventure of James Shervinton, Louis Becke , single work novella
Jim Shervinton is a trader on Tarawa Island in Kiribati. Discontented and afflicted with malaria, his greatest ambition is to win fame as one of the great voyagers of the Pacific. Following a fight in which a German trader is killed, he leaves the island accompanied by three Islanders, two men and a woman, and the German trader's mistreated wife. They sail from Kiribati to Guam, a distance of more than three thousand miles, and encounter many adventures on the way. Although Jim has achieved his ambition, the outcome is tragic.
(p. 2 - 154)
'Pig-Headed' Sailor Men, Louis Becke , single work prose
Becke relates several anecdotes about incompetent or stubborn ships' captains and the damage they caused.
(p. 155 - 174)
The Flemmings, Louis Becke , single work novella
A trader, Martin Flemming, lives on the island in the Paumotu group with his Hawaiian wife and their three children. One night his two sons go out fishing with a group of islanders, including the family's two much-loved servants. The next morning the boys reach home in distress, telling their father that all the men in the fishing party have been abducted by a Peruvian slave trader. Flemming searches for his friends for ten years, but it is his elder son who eventually finds them in Samoa.
(p. 175 - 203)
'Flash Harry' of Savaii, Louis Becke , single work prose
'Flash Harry' is a deserter who has been taken up by a Samoan chief and roams the island with a gang of youths, terrorising anyone who opposes him. When the narrator insults him by refusing to shake hands, Harry swears revenge. His attempt fails, however, and he eventually meets a gruesome end.
(p. 205 - 213)
Concerning 'Bully' Hayes, Louis Becke , single work prose
The narrator looks back to the days of uncontrolled blackbirding and bemoans the restrictions introduced with legislation and military patrols, which limited the activities of blackbirders. He relates a number of anecdotes about the notorious Bully Hayes whom he appears to regard as an heroic figure, despite his brutality, dishonesty, and callous treatment of Islander women.
(p. 215 - 266)
Amona, the Child, and the Beast, Louis Becke , single work prose
Armitage is notorious in Samoa for his immoral and violent behaviour. He brutally mistreats his cook Amona, a man from Niue, but the Islander stays with him to try and protect Armitage's wife and child. Mrs Armitage dies of tuberculosis and Amona continues to care for the child, eventually taking him away to Australia.
(p. 267 - 277)
The Snake and the Bell, Louis Becke , single work prose
One evening eight-year-old Becke is waiting with his mother and sisters for his elder brothers to return home from school. The front doorbell rings, but when the door is opened there is no-one there. This is repeated numerous times until the family finally discovers the culprit.
(p. 279 - 285)
South Sea Notes, Louis Becke , single work prose
Becke describes the behaviour of a variety of creatures occupying a number of groups of islands in the Pacific. His anecdotes include, among others: saltwater-drinking cockatoos and pigeons in New Britain; birds that whistle hermit crabs from their shells in Tuvalu; and the revulsion that the natives of the Caroline Islands feel for eels.
(p. 287 - 301)
Apinoka of Apamama, Louis Becke , single work prose
Becke describes an encounter with the warlike King Apinoka.
(p. 303 - 312)

Publication Details of Only Known VersionEarliest 2 Known Versions of

First known date: 1902
Serialised by: The English Illustrated Magazine 1884 periodical (6 issues)
Notes:
Serialised in the English Illustrated Magazine in six monthly instalments between April and September 1902.
Notes:
illus.
    • London,
      c
      England,
      c
      c
      United Kingdom (UK),
      c
      Western Europe, Europe,
      :
      T. Fisher Unwin ,
      1902 .
      Description: illus.
      Note/s:
      • Other imprints include : Canada - Toronto, Allen [190-?]; US - Philadelphia: Lippincott, 1926

Other Formats

  • Also sound recording.

Works about this Work

Untitled 1902 single work column
— Appears in: The Queenslander , 4 October 1902; (p. 748)
Untitled 1902 single work review
— Appears in: The Queenslander , 6 December 1902; (p. 1251)

— Review of The Strange Adventure of James Shervinton and Other Stories Louis Becke , 1902 selected work short story
Untitled 1902 single work review
— Appears in: The Bulletin , 15 November vol. 23 no. 1187 1902; (p. 2)

— Review of The Strange Adventure of James Shervinton and Other Stories Louis Becke , 1902 selected work short story
Untitled 1902 single work review
— Appears in: The Queenslander , 6 December 1902; (p. 1251)

— Review of The Strange Adventure of James Shervinton and Other Stories Louis Becke , 1902 selected work short story
Untitled 1902 single work review
— Appears in: The Bulletin , 15 November vol. 23 no. 1187 1902; (p. 2)

— Review of The Strange Adventure of James Shervinton and Other Stories Louis Becke , 1902 selected work short story
Untitled 1902 single work column
— Appears in: The Queenslander , 4 October 1902; (p. 748)
Last amended 20 Sep 2010 14:04:06
X