1920. Farnol was one of the best-selling authors of the early part of the 20th century. The book begins: The Frenchman beside me had been dead since dawn. His scarred and shackled body swayed limply back and forth with every sweep of the great oar as we, his less fortunate bench-fellows, tugged and strained to keep time to the stroke. See other titles by this author available from Kessinger Publishing.