by W. S. Stacey (Author), G. a. Henty (Author) When Roger Hankshaw boards the merchant ship Swan for a perilous journey to the New World, little does the young Englishman know what adventure awaits him. After a shipwreck strands him in Pre-Columbian Mexico, Roger must find a way to avoid becoming one of the many human sacrifices offered to the Aztec gods. Proving himself to be honorable and trustworthy, Roger builds enduring friendships with many of the natives. Later, when the Spanish noble and explorer Hernando Cortez arrives, Roger is placed in a difficult position. How can an Englishman explain his presence in Mexico? Cortez, with a military force intent on converting the heathen Aztecs, will also plunder their riches. Can Roger help his native friends survive the turmoil of the Spanish conquest of Mexico? (Stacey, WS (Walter S.), 1846-1929) George Alfred Henty (8 December 1832 - 16 November 1902) was a prolific English novelist and war correspondent.He is best known for his historical adventure stories that were popular in the late 19th century. His works include The Dragon & The Raven (1886), For The Temple (1888), Under Drake's Flag (1883) and In Freedom's Cause (1885).Biography--G.A.Henty was born in Trumpington, near Cambridge. He was a sickly child who had to spend long periods in bed. During his frequent illnesses he became an avid reader and developed a wide range of interests which he carried into adulthood. He attended Westminster School, London, and later Gonville and Caius College, Cambridge, where he was a keen sportsman. He left the university early without completing his degree to volunteer for the Army Hospital Commissariat when the Crimean War began. He was sent to the Crimea and while there he witnessed the appalling conditions under which the British soldier had to fight. His letters home were filled with vivid descriptions of what he saw. His father was impressed by his letters and sent them to The Morning Advertiser newspaper which printed them. This initial writing success was a factor in Henty's later decision to accept the offer to become a special correspondent, the early name for journalists now better known as war correspondents. Shortly before resigning from the army as a captain in 1859 he married Elizabeth Finucane. The couple had four children. Elizabeth died in 1865 after a long illness and shortly after her death Henty began writing articles for the Standard newspaper. In 1866 the newspaper sent him as their special correspondent to report on the Austro-Italian War where he met Giuseppe Garibaldi.