The Black Barque

The Black Barque, by T. Jenkins Hains, is, by way of contrast, to the last an out-and-out story of piracy, and the breezes that blow through its pages are laden, so we are constantly reminded, with the pestilent breath of the slave ship. It is claimed for this book that the descriptions of life on board ship are noteworthy for their realistic strength; and there seems to be no reason for questioning their accuracy. But taken altogether, the brutality of the officers toward their crew, the inhumanity meted out to the living cargo of slaves, the carnage of the encounter with rival pirates, and…