L. Frank Baum, the author of the famous Oz books, wrote a number of series for children (and occasionally, books for older readers) under a variety of pseudonyms.
Among those you can find many examples of adventure fiction, including this, the inaugural title of the Sam Steele series. Sam Steele is the son of a sea captain; his father is reported killed in a shipwreck, and Sam is quickly cheated of his inheritance.
Now an orphan, he meets his maternal uncle, Naboth Perkins, another sea captain and ship-owner; together the two set sail in the Pacific trade. At home again, Sam and Naboth discover that Sams father Captain Steele has survived shipwreck, with the loss of a leg.
Unusually for Baum, the tale of Sam Steeles Adventures on Land and Sea is told in the first person, by the title character.
