The Riddle of the SandsWhile on a sailing trip in the Baltic Sea, two young adventurers-turned-spies uncover a secret German plot to invade England. Written by Childers—who served in the Royal Navy during World War I—as a wake-up call to the British government to attend to its North Sea defenses, The Riddle of the Sands accomplished that task and has been considered a classic of espionage literature ever since, praised as much for its nautical action as for its suspenseful spycraft. |
Contents
| 5 | |
THE DULCIBELLA | 12 |
DAVIES | 25 |
RETROSPECT | 35 |
WANTED A NORTH WIND | 43 |
SCHLEI FIORD | 51 |
THE MISSING PAGE | 58 |
THE THEORY | 71 |
CLEARING THE AIR | 156 |
IMPERIAL ESCORT | 167 |
THE RUBICON | 173 |
THE LITTLE DRAB BOOK | 186 |
BLINDFOLD TO MEMMERT | 197 |
THE QUARTETTE | 212 |
A CHANGE OF TACTICS | 224 |
FINESSE | 237 |
SIGN ARTICLES | 83 |
HIS CHANCE | 92 |
THE PATHFINDERS | 100 |
MY INITIATION | 109 |
THE MEANING OF OUR WORK | 120 |
THE FIRST NIGHT IN THE ISLANDS | 126 |
BENSERSIEL | 135 |
COMMANDER VON BRÜNING | 142 |
DOUBLE BACK | 252 |
THE SEVEN SIELS | 263 |
THE LUCK OF THE STOWAWAY | 275 |
WE ACHIEVE OUR DOUBLE AIM | 289 |
EPILOGUE | 299 |
READING GROUP GUIDE | 309 |
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Common terms and phrases
anchor asked Balje Baltic Baltrum bank Bartels began Bensersiel better boat Böhme booms Borkum Brüning Brunsbüttel cabin canal Carruthers channel chart Childers coast compass course cruise Cuxhaven dark Davies's deck deep dinghy Dollmann Dornum ducks Dulcibella dyke east Eider River Elbe Emden England English Esens estuaries eyes felt fiord Flensburg galliot German Grimm half Hamburg hand harbour heard Hohenhörn Juist knew Kormoran land Langeoog laughed light lighter look low water Medusa Memmert miles mind minutes never night Norddeich Norden Norderney North Sea oilskin once passed port quay Rottum round sail sand sculls seemed shore shouted side skylight soon sort sou'-west Spiekeroog steamer suppose talk tell There's thing thought tide Tief told took turned von Brüning wait Wangeroog weather whole Wilhelmshaven wind wreck yacht