Dick Cheveley: His Adventures and Misadventures

# Dick Cheveley: His Adventures and Misadventures

By W. H. G. Kingston, published by Thomas Nelson and Sons, this novel chronicles the extraordinary experiences of Richard Cheveley, son of an English vicar. The narrative details Dick's determination to go to sea despite family objections. After stowing away aboard the merchant vessel Emu, he endures thirteen days trapped in the hold, surviving on discovered provisions and caught rats. The story spans Dick's travels around Cape Horn to the Pacific, including stops at Rio de Janeiro, Juan Fernández, the Sandwich Islands, and Macao. Parallel plot threads involve smugglers operating along the English coast, Dick's friend Mark Riddle's imprisonment, and the elderly sailor Roger Riddle's extensive naval service during the Napoleonic Wars, recounted through vivid battle narratives. The novel concludes with Dick's eventual rescue and return to England, where he enters respectable employment.