Status Updates From The Collected Fiction, Vol....

“The Heathen’s Revenge”

This is a horribly ugly colonial story to end the tale on. The tone is ambiguous as to whether Hodgson is sympathetic to the natives given how gung-ho his MC is in beating them for information. Given that the “revenge” involves beating and then apparently raping the missionary’s wife while a circle of intense flame separates the missionary (not the MC) from her, well, who knows?

“The Haunting of the Lady Shannon”

Another nautical tale, this one based no doubt on the problems Hodgson encountered with officers as a merchant seaman who abused and terrorized their sailors. After another authored display of senseless violence perpetrated by the officers, the ship appears to be haunted as the second mate dies mysteriously. BUT—it’s not haunted; this is not one of those stories.

“Merciful Plunder”

We get a bit further from the mysteries to the anatomy of a prison break, from Captain Mellor pumping his French friend callously for information so that he can be beyond suspicion for the freeing of 20 Greek youths who are to be brutally executed. It’s a pretty good thriller that is informed by Hodgson’s seafaring experience, a fun read! Like, Hodgson was a reliably great writer.

“The Home-Coming of Captain Dan”

This is a documentary of the affairs of a ne’er-do-well at his town, starting with him getting drummed out and then later him returning extravagantly as a pirate, and then him leaving his fortune to his old girlfriend. It’s not exactly driven by mystery; this is more of a sub-plot to his bitterness with how the town moved on in the past twenty years.

“The Mystery of Captain Chappell”

This is a murder mystery where the policeman is a far worse detective than his uncle, a bootmaker, who he pushes for leads. This one has a racist epithet, a relative rarity in the Hodgson stories I’ve read. The murderer, a black man, gets his revenge on three English pirates who more than likely cut his tongue out ages ago, and the uncle is happy that he gets away with it.

“Mr. Jock Danplank”

Nothing supernatural, here. This is a story about an inheritance left to the estranged but newly favored nephew while the crafty but villainous nephew tries to find it as it’s a buried treasure. Jock has a fun foil in his wife, the American Mog, who helps him battle Cousin Billy in their duel of digging up the garden as Jock wants to beat Billy without involving the police.

“The Ghost of the Glen Doon”

Another derelict wreck. This time a young man dies as a result of a bet. It’s a creepy business, but the format is kind of familiar now. There is a credible “ghost”, but at the end of the day it turns out that it’s counterfeiters who have taken to using the old, presumed haunted boat shell as their haunt.