The Castaways (24 page)

My thanks to:

Kathleen Larkin of the Prince Rupert Library, who found the answers to many questions; Françoise Bui, my editor at Delacorte Press, who made the bad men bad, and the whole thing better; Bruce Wishart, with whom I capsized off Lucy Island, for his encouragement and help; Paul Miller, for explaining how steam engines work; David Miller, who brought a sailing doctor just when one was needed; Kristin Miller, for putting up with the sounds of writing; Jan and Goody, for lending me a name; Rick and Kim, and anyone else who followed the story of Tom Tin, for asking, What will happen next?

Iain Lawrence studied journalism in Vancouver, British Columbia, and worked for small newspapers in the northern part of the province. He settled on the coast, living first in the port city of Prince Rupert and now on the Gulf Islands. His previous novels include the High Seas Trilogy:
The Wreckers, The Smugglers
, and
The Buccaneers;
as well as
Gemini Summer, B for Buster, Lord of the Nutcracker Men, Ghost Boy, The Lightkeeper’s Daughter
, and the companions to
The Castaways: The Convicts
and
The Cannibals
.

You can find out more about Iain Lawrence at
www.iainlawrence.com
.

Published by Laurel-Leaf an imprint of Random House Children’s Books a division of Random House, Inc. New York

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

Copyright © 2007 by Iain Lawrence

All rights reserved.

Laurel-Leaf and colophon are registered trademarks of Random House, Inc.

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The Library of Congress has cataloged the hardcover edition of this work as follows:
Lawrence, Iain.
The castaways / Iain Lawrence.
p. cm.
Summary: Bad luck continues to follow Tom Tin and his mates as they find themselves aboard
a ship that had been abandoned, are taught to be sailors by two black-hearted castaways they
rescue, and sail to a Caribbean island where they make important new friends and enemies.
[1. Adventure and adventurers—Fiction. 2. Seafaring life—Fiction.
3. Slave trade—Fiction. 4. Survival—Fiction. 5. Fate and fatalism—Fiction.
6. Caribbean Islands—History—19th century—Fiction.] I. Title.
PZ7.L43545Cas 2007
[Fic]—dc22
2006101156

eISBN: 978-0-375-89279-0

RL: 5.5

v3.0