
CHAPTER I - IN THE HARBOR
CHAPTER II - THE GIRL ON THE SHIP
CHAPTER III - SOME DISCOURTESIES
CHAPTER IV - A FOE AND A FRIEND
CHAPTER V - THE COUSIN
CHAPTER VI - MURK—AND MURDER
CHAPTER VII - EVIDENCE
CHAPTER VIII - LIES AND LIARS
CHAPTER IX - PUZZLED
CHAPTER X - ON THE TRAIL
The story opens in a mist‑shrouded harbor where the rust‑caked steamer Manatee fights its way into port. As fog lifts, the sun catches the bustling chorus of sirens, foghorns, and passing vessels. Standing on the rail, Sidney Prale surveys the scene with a mixture of excitement and seasoned confidence. Tall, weather‑worn, and clearly accustomed to danger, he carries the air of a man who has spent a decade far from home.
Prale's former colleague, Rufus Shepley, greets him with a cigar‑filled laugh, their conversation tinged with the distance of ten years spent in Honduras. Their banter hints at old business ties and at a life that has changed in unexpected ways. As the ship docks, Prale’s thoughts turn toward the city he left behind and the mysteries waiting there. Listeners are drawn into a world of gritty ports, old friendships, and the promise of a new investigation that will pull Prale back into the shadows of his former profession.
Language
en
Duration
~5 hours (314K characters)
Publisher of text edition
Project Gutenberg
Release date
2007-06-21
Rights
Public domain in the USA.

1883–1958
Best known as the creator of Zorro, this prolific pulp writer turned out hundreds of stories, dozens of novels, and screenplays that helped shape popular adventure fiction. His heroes were fast-moving, masked, and built for pure storytelling momentum.
View all books
by Johnston McCulley

by Johnston McCulley

by Johnston McCulley

by Johnston McCulley

by Johnston McCulley

by Vinceslas-Eugène Dick

by Royall Tyler

by Philippe Aubert de Gaspé