The Jungle Scout

The Scout of the Jungle: A Romance of India This 1868 serial by Capt. H. R. Millbank, published by Beadle and Adams, depicts an adventure tale set in India during the 1857 Sepoy Rebellion. A small American merchant vessel anchors in the Bay of Bengal, where William Trevanion and Captain Burton search the shoreline for contact with a skilled spy named Langdon. Trevanion anxiously seeks news of Jennie, a woman he loves trapped among the conflict. Burton observes approximately 100 Sepoy rebels gathering in an ancient temple, apparently intent on attacking their apparently vulnerable ship. Burton confidently readies his crew of twenty-two men and loads a twelve-pounder cannon with shrapnel for defense. As darkness falls, the Sepoys begin departing the temple toward the shore, positioning for a coordinated assault on the becalmed vessel. Burton expects the engagement and maintains calm confidence in his crew's disciplined preparation.