Barbary Gold is another by the “King of Pulps” H. Bedford-Jones (1887-1949), an adventure novella reprinted by Steeger Books in their H. Bedford-Jones Library.
It was cover-featured in the March 25, 1919, issue of People’s Favorite Magazine, and the cover by Modest Stein was used for the reprint. The story concerns a trio of men during the later years of WWI looking for a German U-boat sunken off the Barbary Coast with a cargo of gold bullion.
We meet the trio right off in the first chapter, as they convalesce in a hotel on the French Rivera. They are our narrator, James Cartright, a wounded war correspondent who was awarded the Croix Militaire. Lt. Rumley Fortescue was in command of the British destroyer that sank the U-boat, but which was shortly sunk by a mine. His uncle is a duke, and an important man in the British government. Fortescue has a bright future in the diplomatic service. And Moncade, a Spaniard who had joined the French Foreign Legion, getting the Legion of Honor and a glass eye for his service. And his father was a marquis and his uncle a duke in Spain. Moncade also is very familiar with the coast and its currents where the U-boat went down.
The three form a partnership. Fortescue and Moncade will use their contacts to get the right permissions and permits to salvage the gold. Cartright will obtain the money to back them, which he does in a very unusual way. And all will share equally in the finder’s fee for recovering the gold.
They set out, but by different paths. This is smart as Cartright runs into someone who claims to be from Fortescue, who warns him of two women following them. Then he has a strange encounter on his ship to Spain. Are they being followed, and if so by whom?
Soon the three are off in a schooner they have outfitted and crewed with several Greeks. With their knowledge, they soon find the U-boat.
But this is a pulp adventure tale. There will be twists and turns and danger until the end. Yes, they will get the gold, though not without injury and death. Who is Eva de Mendoza and what is her connection to them? They will face a dangerous storm and Moorish pirates as well. And Cartright finds something of greater value.
This is another great adventure tale from Bedford-Jones. It’s been on my want list for a while and I picked up a copy recently. I realized that in some ways it’s similar to his Treasure Seekers series, where a trio of men comes together to hunt for treasure while being menaced by a woman connected to one who turns out to be a deadly foe.
