In the Belly of the Bloodhound facts for kids
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| Author | Louis A. Meyer |
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| Cover artist | Cliff Nielsen |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Genre | Young Adult's, Historical novel |
| Publisher | Harcourt Children's Books |
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Publication date
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October 1, 2006 |
| Media type | Print (hardback) |
| Pages | 528 pages |
| ISBN | 978-0-15-205557-8 |
| OCLC | 62493095 |
| LC Class | PZ7.M57172 In 2006 |
| Preceded by | Under the Jolly Roger |
| Followed by | Mississippi Jack |
In the Belly of the Bloodhound is an exciting historical novel by L.A. Meyer. It tells the story of a brave young girl named Jacky Faber, also known as Bloody Jack. Her adventures take place in the early 1800s.
This book is the fourth part of the popular Bloody Jack series. It follows Jacky as she returns to land after her sea adventures in the previous book, Under the Jolly Roger. The series began with Bloody Jack, Curse of the Blue Tattoo, and Under the Jolly Roger. Jacky's story continues in many more books, including Mississippi Jack and My Bonny Light Horseman.
Contents
Jacky's Return to Boston
This novel begins with Jacky Faber arriving back in Boston. She sails her small boat, the Morning Star, secretly into the harbor. She avoids two large British ships. Once she is safely hidden, she finds a young boy named Jim Tanner. She asks him to watch her boat.
Jacky then goes into town to meet her lawyer, Ezra Pickering. They decide it's best for Jacky to go back to the Lawson Peabody School for Young Girls. The school is being rebuilt with strong bricks. This is because a fire happened there earlier when Jacky was in a dangerous situation.
The next day, Jacky, Ezra, and Jim take the Morning Star to Dovecote. They visit Amy, Jacky's friend, who is feeling very sad. Jacky surprises Amy by bringing her lunch. She shares her recent adventures with Amy. Then, they all join Ezra and Randall for a meal.
Life at School and a New Threat
Months pass peacefully after Jacky returns to school. She greets her old friends. Her old rival, Clarissa, brings someone back with her. Jacky is very upset by this. After about a month, a man named Higgins comes to the school. He becomes the head of the serving staff.
More months go by with regular classes. One day, all the girls, except Amy, go on a planned trip to the shore. Jacky is surprised that Mistress Pimm, a teacher, does not come. She is even more surprised when she realizes Higgins is also missing. Only Mr. Harrison, who is leading the trip, and his helper Jerome are there.
When they reach the docks, Jacky refuses to get into the lifeboat. She says she won't go without Mistress Pimm or Higgins. Mr. Harrison then points a gun at her. He forces her to get into the boat with the other girls.
Captured on the Bloodhound
The girls are taken onto a ship. They learn that Mr. Harrison is actually Colonel Bartholomew Simon. Clarissa angrily calls him "Blackman Bart." Clarissa recognizes him as someone involved in forced labor. Blackman Bart tells the girls they will be taken to North Africa and forced to work.
The girls are very scared and upset. Jacky quickly shoves her seabag, full of useful supplies, into the ship's lower deck. Jacky quickly takes charge of the group. She divides the girls into three smaller groups. She assigns a leader to each group: herself, Dolley, and Clarissa. They find a small hole leading to a storage room. They plan to make it bigger using Jacky's small knife to escape.
There is a guard at the door of the girls' prison. The crew calls him Dummy. Jacky soon realizes he is actually Hugh the Grand, or Hughie. He was part of the Rooster Charlie Gang from the streets of London. Jacky reveals her true identity as "Little Mary," now Jacky. Hughie recognizes her.
Struggles and Resistance
The next day, a man named Sin-Kay enters the hold. He had pretended to be Blackman Bart's helper. In reality, they are partners in this terrible plan. He lines the girls up in alphabetical order. Clarissa quickly shows her strong will. Sin-Kay quickly picks out Clarissa and Jacky as "troublemakers."
The girls start to listen to their group leaders: Jacky, Clarissa, and Dolley. Only one girl, Elspeth Goodwin, cannot cope. She becomes very upset and begs to be sent home.
After a week, Elspeth tells on Jacky. She reveals Jacky is the leader of the girls. This is a desperate attempt to be sent home. Jacky then receives a painful whipping with a special whip. This punishment is for organizing a hunger strike among the girls. The hunger strike was a protest. The girls wanted better food and cleaner living conditions.
As the girls work to widen the hole and sneak supplies, Jacky makes a deal. She talks with two less aggressive sailors, Mick and Keefe. They agree to help the girls get clean water for washing. In return, Jacky reveals parts of herself. One girl, Constance Howell, is very upset by this. But Jacky continues to do it. This ensures every girl gets water to wash with.
Jacky also works to spread scary stories among the crew. She has the youngest girl, Rebecca, wake up screaming. Rebecca pretends to see a ghost. This scares the very superstitious crew. Jacky also tells the sailors that the Captain plans to harm them.
Escape and Rescue
Two big disturbances also happen while the girls are held captive. Clarissa keeps bothering Sin-Kay and calling him rude names. The girls rush out and cause trouble when he tries to throw Clarissa overboard. Jacky also sneaks out of the hold. She pretends to be a "black ghost." Two sailors see her. When the sailors become terrified and cause chaos, Jacky sneaks back in. She covers for herself by kissing Clarissa in the hold. She claims they are "particular friends." Jacky notices Clarissa resists the kiss at first, then doesn't. Jacky thinks she has "been kissed by worse."
Soon, the hole is big enough for them to escape. The girls create a slow-burning fuse. This fuse will ignite the ship's gunpowder. This will help their escape. They all make it out of the hole. They escape in one of the lifeboats. Jacky's old friend, Hugh the Grand, helps them.
Shortly after they escape onto the lifeboat, Hugh dies. He was injured while protecting Jacky on the ship. Jacky also becomes ill from a wound on her leg.
Jacky wakes up on a Royal Navy Ship, the HMS Juno. This ship is taking the girls back to Boston. Before they reach Boston, the Juno stops quickly in New York. There, they meet Henry Hoffman. He is the school's stable boy and engaged to one of the girls. That girl rides back to Boston with Henry ahead of the others.
When news of the girls' rescue spreads, everyone is excited. They prepare for their return. When the Juno arrives, parents and loved ones are waiting. Jaimy, Jacky's fiancé, is also there. The Juno docks, and the girls step off. The last three to get off are Dolley, Clarissa, and Jacky. The book ends with two marines stopping Jacky. They tell her she is under arrest for past actions at sea.
Main Characters
- Mary "Jacky" Faber: The main hero of the series. Jacky has been an orphan, a schoolgirl, a ship's boy, and more. Now, she returns to Boston to continue her education. She tries to stay hidden from the authorities.
- Amy Trevelyne: Jacky's best friend. Amy has written a book about Jacky's early life.
- Clarissa Worthington Howe: Jacky's schoolmate and rival. During their captivity, Clarissa forms an unexpected team with Jacky. They work together to lead the girls in their escape from the Bloodhound.
- Katy Deere: A serving girl at Lawson Peabody. Jacky once worked with her. During their capture, Katy shares her difficult past with Jacky. After surviving the ordeal, she decides to leave her job and return home.
- Sin-Kay/Jerome: A man who oversees the plan to take the girls to Africa. He is the main villain of the book. Sin-Kay is killed during the girls' daring escape.
- Captain Blodgett: The captain of the Bloodhound. He whips Jacky and Clarissa to set an example when the girls try a hunger strike. He also dies when the ship sinks.
- Bo'sun Chubbuck: The cruel boatswain of the Bloodhound. Katy Deere kills him during the escape.
- James "Jaimy" Emerson Fletcher: Jacky's fiancé. He spends the novel trying to find out what happened to Jacky.
- John Higgins: Jacky's loyal helper.
- Ezra Pickering: Jacky's lawyer in Boston.
- Hugh the Grand: Jacky's childhood friend. He is simple-minded. He is hired onto the Bloodhound by Sin-Kay, who calls him "Dummy."
- Dobbs: Mistress Pimm's grumpy handyman. He betrays the girls to the captors. However, Chubbuck kills him as part of a plan to make the girls' disappearance look like an accident.
- Beadle and Strunk: Private detectives who previously caused trouble for Jacky. When they come looking for her again and hurt her boat helper, Jacky leads them into a trap. Jacky's friends, John Thomas and Smasher McGee, then deal with them.
