Of this early work, published when he was in his early twenties, Patrick O'Brian writes in a foreword: In the writing of the book I learnt the rudiments of my calling: but more than that, it opened a well of joy that has not yet run dry. The story is about a young mahout-or elephant handler-his childhood and life in India, and his relationship and adventures with elephants. As a boy, Hussein falls in love with a beautiful and elusive girl, Sashiya, and arranges for another of her suitors to be murdered with a fakir’s curse. The dead man’s relatives vow vengeance. Hussein escapes and his adventures begin: snake-charming, sword-fighting, spying, stealing a fortune, and returning triumphantly to claim his bride. All of this is set against an evocatively exotic India, full of bazaars, temples, and beautiful women-despite the fact that O'Brian had never been to the East when he wrote the story.