Produced by Barbara Tozier, Bill Tozier, Martin Pettit and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net THE BIRTHRIGHT BY JOSEPH HOCKING AUTHOR OF "ALL MEN ARE LIARS" NEW YORK DODD, MEAD AND COMPANY 1897 COPYRIGHT, 1896, BY JOSEPH HOCKING BURR PRINTING HOUSE, NEW YORK. [Illustration: "I MADE A LEAP AT SAM LIDDICOAT."] CONTENTS. CHAPTER I PAGE TELLS HOW THE PENNINGTONS LOST PENNINGTON 1 CHAPTER II TELLS HOW I, JASPER PENNINGTON, TRIED TO GET MY OWN 15 CHAPTER III HOW I WAS ROBBED OF ELMWATER BARTON; HOW I FLOGGED THE TRESIDDERS, AND WAS PILLORIED BECAUSE OF IT 28 CHAPTER IV I ESCAPE FROM THE WHIPPING-POST, AND FIND MY WAY TO GRANFER FRADDAM'S CAVE 44 CHAPTER V I SEE NAOMI PENRYN ON ROCK CALLED THE SPANISH CAVALIER, AND RESCUE HER--WE ESCAPE FROM THE TRESIDDERS 59 CHAPTER VI I DISCOVER ANOTHER CAVE, AND HEAR A CONVERSATION BETWEEN RICHARD TRESIDDER AND HIS SON 74 CHAPTER VII I HEAR RICHARD TRESIDDER TELL NAOMI PENRYN'S HISTORY, AND AM IN DANGER OF BEING KILLED BY SMUGGLERS 87 CHAPTER VIII I GO TO KYNANCE COVE WITH CAP'N JACK TRUSCOTT'S GANG, AND MEET HIS DAUGHTER TAMSIN 100 CHAPTER IX WHAT HAPPENED AT CAP'N JACK'S HOUSE--TAMSIN'S CONFESSION, AND THE SMUGGLERS' PLANS 114 CHAPTER X WHAT BECAME OF THE WRECKERS' LIGHT--HOW I ESCAPED AND ENTERED PENNINGTON 127 CHAPTER XI I SEE NAOMI PENRYN, AND AM GREATLY ENCOURAGED, BUT SOON AFTER AM TAKEN PRISONER 141 CHAPTER XII HOW MY LOVE SAVED ME--WHEN FREE I GO TO SEA, AND MONTHS LATER COME BACK TO BETSEY'S COTTAGE AND HEAR BAD NEWS 155 CHAPTER XIII BETSEY FRADDAM AND CAP'N JACK MEET--I GO TO FALMOUTH AND MEET NAOMI--AFTERWARD I SEE MR. JOHN WESLEY 170 CHAPTER XIV I AM TAKEN PRISONER, AND AFTERWARD EXPERIENCE MANY STRANGE THINGS--I AT LENGTH FIND MYSELF IN A DUNGEON 185 CHAPTER XV MY EXPERIENCE IN MY PRISON--I AM TOLD TERRIBLE NEWS ABOUT NAOMI 200 CHAPTER XVI I HEAR A STRANGE NOISE IN MY PRISON--THE SECRET PASSAGE WHICH I FOUND--A WILD STRUGGLE, AND A HAIRBREADTH ESCAPE 214 CHAPTER XVII TELLS OF THE MANNER OF MY ESCAPE, OF THE STRANGE MAN I MET, AND OF ELI'S STORY OF A BURIED TREASURE 228 CHAPTER XVIII HOW I LEFT BEDRUTHEN STEPS AND, AFTER MEETING TAMSIN TRUSCOTT, SOUGHT FOR NAOMI 241 CHAPTER XIX TELLS HOW I CLIMBED THE WALL OF THE MANOR HOUSE GARDEN, AND WHAT I SAW 254 CHAPTER XX