Christine of the Hills

By Max Pemberton

1897

First Published

292

Number of Pages

8H52M

Audio Length

We had been sailing for some hours with no word between us, but Barbarossa woke up as the yacht went about under the lee of the promontory, and with a lordly sweep of his brown-burnt arms he indicated the place. “Olà, excellency,” said he, “yonder is the pavilion of little Christine.” I had called him Barbarossa, though heaven knows he was neither Suabian nor renegade Greek of Mitylene, but an old sinner of Sebenico who chanced to have a yacht to let and a week to idle through. “Shew your excellency the islands?” cried he, when I had made him the offer. “Madonna mia, there is no man in all the city that knows them so well! From Trieste to Cattaro I shall lead you with a handkerchief upon my eyes. Hills and woods and cities—they are my children; the Adriatic—she is my daughter. Hasten to step in, excellency. God has been good to you in sending you to me.” It was all very well for him thus to appropriate the special dispensations of Providence; but, as the fact went, he proved almost an ideal boatman. Silent when he saw that silence was my mood; gay when he read laughter in my voice; well-informed to the point of learning—this sage of Sebenico was a treasure. For days together I let him lead me through the silent islands and the infinitely blue channels of the “spouseless sea;” for days together we pitched our tent in some haven which the foot of man never seemed to tread. No bay or bight was there of which he had not the history; no island people whose story he could not write for you. Now rising in finely chosen heroics to the dead splendours of Venice, now cackling upon the trickeries of some village maiden, the resources of this guide of guides were infinite, beyond praise, above all experience. And I admitted the spell of mastership quickly, and avowed that Barbarossa was a miracle in a land where miracles were rare and to be prized.

Author

Max Pemberton

Author · 4 books

Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name. See this thread for more information. Max^^Pemberton Sir Max Pemberton (19 June 1863 – 22 February 1950) was a popular British novelist, working mainly in the adventure and mystery genres. He was educated at St Albans School, Merchant Taylors' School, and Caius College, Cambridge. A clubman, journalist and dandy (Lord Northcliffe admired his 'fancy vests'), he frequented both Fleet Street and The Savage Club. Pemberton was the editor of boys' magazine Chums during its heyday. Between 1896 and 1906 he also edited Cassell's Magazine, in which capacity he published the early works of R. Austin Freeman and William Le Queux. His most famous work The Iron Pirate was a bestseller during the early 1890s and it launched his prolific writing career (see below). It was the story of a great gas-driven ironclad, which could outpace the navies of the world and terrorized the Atlantic Ocean. Other notable works included Captain Black (1911). During January 1908, Pemberton had a story entitled Wheels of Anarchy published by Cassell & Company (London). This story was based upon notes that were written by Bertram Fletcher Robinson shortly before he died in January 1907. It is an adventure tale about anarchists and assassins that is set across Europe. The novel’s hero and narrator, Bruce Driscoll, a recent Cambridge graduate, appears to be modelled upon Fletcher Robinson. Wheels of Anarchy by Max Pemberton was republished in December 2010. In 1920, Pemberton founded the London School of Journalism, wrote a biography about Alfred Harmsworth, 1st Viscount Northcliffe and was knighted. He was married to Alice Tussaud, granddaughter of Madame Marie Tussaud and daughter of Joseph Tussaud. Pemberton also wrote a biography of Sir Henry Royce published in 1934 shortly after Royce's death.