The Secret of the Sands; Or, The "Water Lily" and her Crew

"The Secret of the Sands; Or, The 'Water Lily' and her Crew" by Harry Collingwood is a nautical adventure novel written in the late 19th century. The story revolves around the protagonist, who, after a dramatic shipwreck and the loss of his crew, learns about a treasure hidden in a wreck on a deserted island in the Pacific Ocean. Intrigued by the tale, he teams up with his friend Bob Trunnion to build a small ship, the Water Lily, and embark on a journey to find this hidden wealth while also dealing with personal motivations, nautical challenges, and the dangers of the sea. At the start of the book, the narrative captures the intensity of a November gale that brings a vessel ashore and the ensuing peril faced by its crew. The main character, whose identity unfolds through the story, and his companion, Bob Trunnion, witness the wreck and attempt to save the shipwrecked sailors. Following the rescue efforts, they meet an injured Spaniard who reveals his story of treasure buried on a coral island. Driven by the promise of riches, the protagonist and Bob devise a plan to construct a capable vessel to undertake the adventure of a lifetime, setting the stage for a thrilling exploration into unknown waters and the pursuit of buried treasure. (This is an automatically generated summary.)

Harry Collingwood was the pseudonym of William Joseph Cosens Lancaster, a British civil engineer and novelist who wrote over 40 boys' adventure books, almost all of them in a nautical setting.