A Modern Buccaneer

Set in the South Pacific, this novel is written in the form of an autobiography, told by Hilary Telfer. Fascinated by tales of sailors and South Sea Traders, he leaves Sydney at the age of seventeen to take up a life at sea. The novel follows his adventures and provides a commentary on the trade between the islands and the practice of "blackbirding" that was rife at the time.

The "Buccaneer" of the title is Bully Hayes, an American-born ship's captain, on whose ship Telfer finds himself.