Here is a first-class tale of adventure with vivid characters and accurate setting.

One spring day back in 1821 Jim Slater stole out of his father's farmhouse before daybreak and ran away to Providence to become a sailor. He signed up with the first ship he could find, and it was only when they were six days out at sea that he discovered he was one of the crew of a slave-ship bound for Africa for its cargo. On the return trip there came an opportunity to escape when the ship was in the Gulf of Mexico, near New Orleans. His struggles in the wilderness, his meeting with the naturalist, John James Audubon, and his final home-coming are as exciting and read as if the reader had lived the story himself.

"A gripping boy's book, capably told, and packed with interesting facts. It paints a vivid picture of the slave traffic, of life around the slave ports at the time, and of the great naturalist, Audubon. Meader creates atmosphere with apt, simple words, knows his subject thoroughly, and tells his story so well that even adults can find in it thrilling refreshing entertainment." —Phila. Record.

From the dust jacket