Raymond Sheppard and the Crusader series - Part Two

The Crusader Series is a great read - as long as you remember the stories were school texts and written 55 years ago! I've had a great time reading them, and then seeing the Sheppard illustrations.

Avocet Island is the story (written by John Hornby) of two boys,  together with their spaniel 'Rough', who visit their Uncle who is a keen ornithologist  in the Fens, East England. Their Uncle is watching for the very rare avocet which he hopes is nesting nearby. The boys are set to watch and guard the site when an adventure breaks out!

Cover drawn by Sheppard

Frontispiece: He kicked at Rough savagelyTwo boys' dog is kicked by a man

 p.14: Almost hidden among the bushes was a small brick building
Two boys climb the small hill following a man entering the hide

 p.31: They had long thin beaks, slightly curved at the ends
Two avocets in shallow water

p.49:Rough's leap sent him staggering
A man is knocked off his feet by a cocker spaniel – a punt in the background

Dangerous Journey is written by John Kennett and tells the exciting tale of two scouts who are hiking in the Isar Valley having attended the Boy Scout Jamboree at Allburg, Bavaria when they see a car chase with a car plunging off the side of the sheer drop! They become involved in a 'Lady Disappears' type spy plot.

Frontispiece: Before their horrified eyes the car rocketed down into the chasm
Two scouts see a car plunge over the edge

p.14: The boys dived through the trees, gasping for breath
The two scouts are chased by a man in woods

p.31: He wheeled round so quickly that Tich was almost knocked off his feet
The two scouts encounter a bull in a stall.

p.49: Eagerly Ischnitz turned to face him
A man enters a railway carriage wielding a gun while the two scouts and another man are seated