# The loss of the Swansea

By W. L. Alden.

"The loss of the Swansea: A story of the Florida coast" by W. L. Alden is a seafaring adventure novel for young readers written in the late 19th century. It follows Bristol brothers Jack and Tom, cast onto the Florida coast after a mutiny on the brig Swansea, as they face pirates, wild country, secret caves, and the lure of hidden treasure alongside a weathered ex-pirate ally. The opening of the story finds the orphaned brothers bound for America on the Swansea, where the drink-weakened Captain Fearing is overthrown by his mate, John March. Set adrift with the captain, the boys reach a Florida inlet, discover an abandoned pirate fort and a glittering cave, and endure a night of rattlesnakes and panthers. When another pirate gang appears and murders Fearing, the boys flee into the cave, are swept by an underground river to a hidden pool, and meet Bill Catchley, a marooned former pirate. With Bill’s help they blast open Blackbeard’s iron gate, wander a labyrinth, and narrowly find daylight again. They then slip upriver, steal back a boat, and push into the Everglades, where Bill reveals a long-buried treasure he once nearly unearthed. As they begin to dig at the marked spot, six armed Indians emerge and seize them. (Summary by Project Gutenberg, written by machine.)

- Language: English
- Illustrator: F. O. Small
- Subjects: Orphans -- Juvenile fiction; Conduct of life -- Juvenile fiction; Teenage boys -- Juvenile fiction; Pirates -- Juvenile fiction; Sailing -- Juvenile fiction; Brothers -- Juvenile fiction; Voyages and travels -- Juvenile fiction; Seafaring life -- Juvenile fiction; Caves -- Juvenile fiction; Mutiny -- Juvenile fiction; Youth -- Conduct of life -- Juvenile fiction; Prisoners -- Juvenile fiction; Everglades (Fla.) -- Juvenile fiction

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From Project Gutenberg. Public domain in the United States.