WITH PAPER-KNIFE AND PEN.

New Zealand Mail, Issue 1425, 22 June 1899, Page 22

WITH PAPER-KNIFE AND PEN.

I. " The Queen's Service." by Horace Wyndliam. London : Wm. Heinemann. 11. “ The Prodigal’s Brother/’ by John Maclcie. (Jarrold’s Colonial Library.) London: Jarrold and Sons. 111. "Market Harborough,” by G, J. Whyte-Melville. London and Melbourne: Ward, Lock and Co. Wellington: Whitcombe and Tombs. The rough, the sometimes brutal humour of barrack life has received full justice in the verse and prose of Kipling, but the riotous fun of Mulvaney, Ortheris and Learoyd does not constitute the whole of soldiering. In his book “The Queen’s Service” (1) Mr Horace Wyndhnm gives us a. most intimate and evidently most carefully constructed picture of life “in the ranks.” Commencing with his enlistment, at St. George's Barracks, the well-known military rendezvous in Trafalgar Square, where so many a fine young fellow had fallen a victim to the blandishments of the recruiting sergeants ancl taken “the Queen’s shilling,” he conducts us through some six or seven years’ experiences of soldiering, showing us pictures of life in barracks and camp, not only in England and Ireland, but at Malta, Gibraltar and the Cape. Every detail of a soldier’s life is described, his duties, rights and privileges fully explained and full justice done to his complaints and grievances. The book contains some forty chapters, many of the papers having appeared in service and other journals. Mr Wyndham lias treated of the soldier’s life in the piping times of peace, and on the whole he makes out a fairly strong case for his general argument that a sober, intelligent, young man can find a very wholesome and even enjoyable career in the British Army. His description of life on board a troopship, his remarks on array schools, on military rewards and punishments, his pictures of “gentlemen rankers,” of “married life in the army,” and other features of military life are all most entertaining and. not a little instructive. We know of no book which will afford a better all-round knowledge of the life of the British soldier. Mr Wyndham makes no pretention to any brilliant literary style, but he writes soberly, plainly and to the point. Paper, print and binding, as with all Mr Heinemann’s publications, are unimpeachable. The price is 3s 6d.

“The Prodigal’s Brother,” by John Mackie (Jarrold’s Colonial Library), is a. cleverly written story of life in the North-west Territory of Canada. The author, we understand from a publisher’s note, was for some time in the Northwest Mounted Police, and' the local colour of the story may therefore be taken as correct. Mr Mackie has an eye for the picturesque and does full justice to the fine scenery along the turbulent Saskatchewan, the weird splendour of prairie sunsets and the generally fascinating charm of the free and open life in frontier settlements. His characters are strongly drawn, notably the two brothers, Steve and Paul Ironsides, and the heroine, a daughter of a high State official from Ottawa, is a charming girl. A distinct feature of the story is its biting and trenchant satire upon the “Little Bethel-ism” which has so strong a hold in Canadian townships; in this respect it reminds us not a little of the late Harold Frederick’s powerful story “Illumination.” The satirical note is perhaps a trifle too pronounced, but the author, though severe on the shams and hypocrisies of hysterical religionists, can give due praise to a sincere and manly preacher. A. special and attractive feature of the story is the introduction of scenes from the half-breed rebellion headed by Riel and quashed by Lord, then Sir Garnet Wolseley. The plot lacks strength at first, but there is a jiowerful climax, and the whole story marks its author as a coming man in the ranks of novelists. This is the first volume we have seen of Messrs Jarrold’s Colonial Library. The book is well printed in fine bold type on good paper and the binding of dark blue buckram is ohastely attractive. Prioe, 3s 6d. Messrs Ward, Lock and Co.’s handsome new edition of Whyte Melville’s

works continues to make good progress. The last volume to hand contains the author’s rattling hunting story, “Market Harborough,” and a series of short' sporting sketches entitled “Behind the Bar. ’ “Market Harborough” is almost as much as a “hunting classic” as Sartees’ famous stories “Jerrocks,” “HawGrange,” and “Plain and Ringlets.-’ It is a. healthy, lively, brisklytold yarn of fox hunting and. Jove making. and includes a series of capital character sketches, which could easily be recognised in any hunting country. No ono could better describe a slashing run than could Whyte Melville, and lie had almost as keen an for the humours of the .spbrt as had John Leech himself. There is i:o Leech, alas, nowadays, to illustrate Melville’s novels, ouc the publishers have made a very wise choice of their artist for this particular novel. Mr John Charltonk hunting pictures in “Punch” and Lie Graphic ’ have Jong ago stamped nun as a master in his own line, .and the pictures he has done for the new edition of “Market Harborough” are excellent. “Behind the Bar,” which is included i:i the volume, :s a- ser'e-s of clever sketches of hunting men’ and their ways. (Price, 3s fid.)