MeTodd. By Cuteliffe Hyne. (Macmillan and Co. 6s.)— Readers who
felt that they had by no means exhausted the attractions of Captain Kettle will be much obliged to Mr. Cutcliffe Hype for introducing them to McTodd. But those jaded persons who thought they had had quite enough of Kettle's adventures will find a certain monotony in the portraiture of the present hero. He is certainly different in character from Kettle, and Mr. Cutcliffe Hype contrives to vary each. of his many adventures in a surprisingly ingenious manner. But still there is an unmistakable family likeness in the book to its predecessors, which makes the reader appreciate the truth of the French proverb, plus c'est difjgrent, plus c'est in tame chose. Characters of this type—that is, seafaring gentle- men, with whom the reader is supposed to have a sneaking sympathy in spite of their many faults—were amusing when they were first invented. Now, however, people over the age of, let us say, sixteen are apt to weary of them. Mr. Hyne brings home to one the full horror of life in the Arctic regions; but in
spite of the graphic nature of his descriptions, one is thankful when a haul of ivory enables McTodd to provide for his aged
mother, and so end the book. Unfortunately, it is impossible to restrain a lurking fear that the old lady will invest the money badly, lose it, and so give rise to further adventures on her son's part. If this happens, it is only too certain that we have not heard the last of McTodd.
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