Epigraph
“Wrecks, buccaneers, black flags, and desert lands On which, alone, the second Crusoe stands.”
My Dear Young Readers
In presenting this book to you I have only to repeat what I have said in the prefaces of my former works,—namely, that all the important points and anecdotes are true; only the minor and unimportant ones being mingled with fiction. With this single remark I commit my work to your hands, and wish you a pleasant ramble, in spirit, through the romantic forests of Brazil.
Yours affectionately,
R.M. BALLANTYNE.
[October, 1858.]