Dave Fearless and the Cave of Mystery or, Adrift on the Pacific

Deep Sea #4

by Roy Rockwood

Same as ADRIFT ON THE PACIFIC; or, The Secret of the Island Cave. NY: Grosset & Dunlap, 1908.

Paperback

First published January 1, 1908

About the author

Roy Rockwood was a house pseudonym used by the Stratemeyer Syndicate for boy's adventure books. The name is most well-remembered for the Bomba the Jungle Boy and Great Marvel series.

Reviews

[Bettie]

BOOKS FOR BOYS
BY
ROY ROCKWOOD

DAVE FEARLESS AFTER A SUNKEN TREASURE
DAVE FEARLESS ON A FLOATING ISLAND
DAVE FEARLESS AND THE CAVE OF MYSTERY

Copyright 1918 BY
GEORGE SULLY & COMPANY

Opening: "It's gone! It's gone!"

"What is gone, Dave?"

"The treasure, Bob."

"But it was on board--in the boxes."

"No--those boxes are filled with old iron and lead. We have been tricked, robbed! After all our trouble, hardship, and peril, I fear that the golden reward we counted on so grandly has slipped from our grasp."

It was on the deck of the Swallow, moored in the harbor of a far-away Pacific Ocean tropical island, that Dave Fearless spoke. He had just rushed up from the cabin in a great state of excitement.

Below loud, anxious, and angry voices sounded. As one after another of the officers and sailors appeared on the deck, all of them looked pale and perturbed.

What might be called a terrific, an overwhelming discovery had just been made by Captain Paul Broadbeam and by Dave's father, Amos Fearless, the veteran ocean diver.

For two weeks, after a hard battle with the sea and its monsters, after fighting savages and piratical enemies, the beautiful steamer, the Swallow, had plowed through sun-tipped waves, favored by gentle breezes, homeward-bound.

link: http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/41896

[Impossible A · Rating 3 out of 5]

While I, as an adult, think there are significant plot holes, generic characters, and random happenings, I think there would be young kids who would find this fun.

Yes, the adventures are improbable. Dave Fearless should absolutely be dead ten times over in this book alone. Who can (while tied to a tree like a dog) bounce a jaguar onto its back and then kick it in the teeth? I can't imagine a big cat being that slow. Who can be swept overboard into the ocean and manage to find a small empty boat complete with water and food? And, not two chapters later is he again flung back into the ocean for an all-night storm only to be washed ashore on an island?

And, let's just say that the villains of the piece are minor obstacles at best. It's kind of like a book version of Snidely Whiplash...they run in, cause mayhem, and leave snickering. The day is always saved by that young hero, Dave Fearless, who is smarter than his dad or just about anyone else with decades of experience, education, and know-how.

Who would love this? I'm thinking kids who are just starting to read chapter books. The pace is brisk and the chapters aren't long; it's adventure after adventure. Pick it up: it's free over at Project Gutenberg!