Written in 1903 by a Boer War veteran, this gripping tale incorporates a wealth of technical sailing detail in its story of a sunny holiday that gradually darkens into a suspenseful adventure.

Regarded as one of the best spy stories ever written, this is the classic Secret Service novel. More like fact than fiction, it holds a special place in the affections of spy-novel fans for its richness of technical detail about inshore sailing, its highly sympathetic characters, an unsurpassed narrative style, and a setting and plot that recapture the European political scene on the eve of World War I.Two young Englishmen, Davies and Carruthers, head for the Baltic Sea in the late 1890s for a holiday of sailing and duck-shooting. The mood gradually darkens as Davies discloses his suspicions of espionage in the North Frisian Islands, and Carruthers joins in an investigation that develops into a series of increasingly dangerous intrigues. Norman Donaldson, an expert on detective and suspense fiction, offers an Introduction with details about the author as well as the novel's background and its place in the history of the spy-novel genre.

1. The Letter2. The Dulcibella3. Davies4. Retrospect5. Wanted, a North Wind6. Schlei Fiord7. The Missing Page8. The Theory9. I Sign Articles10. His Chance11. The Pathfinders12. My Iniation13. The Meaning of our Work14. The First Night in the Islands15. Bensersiel16. Commander von Bruning17. Clearing the Air18. Imperial Escort19. The Rubicon20. The Little Drab Book21. Blindfold to Memmert22. The Quartette23. A Change of Tactics24. Finesse25. I Double Back26. The Seven Siels27. The Luck of the Stowaway28. We Achieve our Double AimEpilogue