CAPTAIN SHEEN.

Evening Star, Issue 12208, 28 May 1904, Page 9

CAPTAIN SHEEN.

A THMLLING NEW SERIAL STORY.

ADVENTURER

By Ch.uu.ks Owen,

An Historical Romance of New Zealand at the beginning of the Last Century.

SYNOrSIS. This story of adventure opens at 'the benow Ou.par Mirnwy, a youth of eighteen als ,n first witti lus uncle, ta.naid iCS J'"" 8 gives hiu, as a S age a greenstone ffeio and a map 0 f N ew Zealand) and subsequent Wlt l Cap; am hucim, Ronald Mutiny's partner in L, B relic. Sheen, a bully and a pirate combined, and a man possessing powerful persona, uetism, proposes to the lad, on lindiii" him hj, possession of the mere and the map," that he s.ia 1 accompany him on a voyage in search of treasure trove in New Zsaland. To this Caspar agrees and the two then find th,mselves in a difficulty from want of capital. ITns however, is got over by letting in as third (partner Martin Coulislied, an old crony ot the captain's, and the three adrait-irers two ot whom arc piratical scoundrel, chapter a brig to sail from Bristol. Before their departure Sheen is recognised in the street l\y fcpeermg as a man of infamous notoriety and an American privateersman. They escap--frora Bristol by the skin of their teeth and are closely followed by the American. On the voyage the two vessels lie together in n tog, but a breeze springing up in the nHit Sihocn escapes, and reaches New Zealand. There ho anchors at Kapii, and he, Caspar, and Coulished go ashore as guests of Te Kauparaha. During the ni-ht the mate dpcamps with the brig, leaving the three adventurers stranded. Surrounded by a howling mob of savages, Sheen appeals to the cupidity of To Rauparaha. making spacio-s promises, and finally induces tho chief to provide Maori guides to escort the pary down the East Coast and over the mountainous districts of the South Island. Arriving or. the West Coast, the adventurers find and pillage an old pirate wreck, and then, meeting with a _ terrible storm, are forced! lo traverse the Piop'otahi Gorge, and camp on the shores of the mystic Lake Waipounamu. There Coulislied dies, and S'icen and Caspar escape, guided by the Maoris throvr/h a subterranean passage. After great hardships and sufrrring Sheen returns to Kapiti. and is challenged by Tc Rauparaha to fulfil his promise?. Once more lie rains time, and just when he is at the end sf his resources Stewart arrives with the brig Elizabeth. iersuaded by Sheen, Stewart enters into the infiuuci-s contract, only too faithfully carried out, to viaisport the Ngatiloa warriors to Akaroa for th„ purpose of capturing Tamaiha-amii. Tips' h'st'Hcal scenes of murder and brutality art vividly rein led by an eye-witness in the person of Caspar, who, having broken from Sheen's control at sight cf Tamaiharanui's daughter Nga Roimata. endeavors to warn tho natives, and failing shares their captivity. At Kapiti Te Ra'iparaha pays the European? back in t'eir own coin by recusing to ca-ry out a bargain he had made with t''em to deliver a cargo of flax, and the two ruffians leave the shores of New Zealind in great dudgeon. Once more on the h'gh seas, they try to extort a promise of si'ence from C-is-par. In sp ! te cf threats of death he stead fastly maint-rns his intention of denouncing them at the first English port, and ins! as his last hour arrives Speering sights tbe Elizabeth. A fchriling denouement follows, and with it the story temvnates.

This romance should be full of interest for all classes of readers, dealing as it does with the earliest birth of civilisation in fiis country, and depicting vividly historical scenes and characters. It a.so contains faithful descriptions of some of our g-ardpst scenery, and possesses a plot of absorbing interest. Wievl and adventurous, full of originality, both of character and incident.' we can confidently recommend it to our readers.

' Captain Sheen. Adventurer,' is the story of the whaling captain who successfully matches his wits against Te Rauparaha. The story of the pirate wreck on the wild West Coast. The story cf the mysterious Greenstone Lake.

' Captain Sheen, Adventurer,' contains an historical account of the notorious Captain Stewart, of the capture of Tamaiharanui, of the strangling of Nga Ro : mata, and the massacre on board the brig Elizabeth.

' Captain Sheen, Adventurer,' is an entirely new historical romance.

The opening chapters of thi3 unique addition to the literature of adventure will appear in our columns on

ON SATURDAY, JUNE 4,