The Raiders: Being Some Passages in the Life of John Faa, Lord and Earl of Little Egypt is an 1894 historical novel by Scottish author S. R. Crockett.
In early eighteenth century Galloway, two young people fall afoul of a ruthless smuggler, and have to go on the run.
Tropes:
- Alliterative Name: Well, nicknames: Silver Sand and May Mischief. (May's real surname is Maxwell, so she's still an example.)
- And Now You Must Marry Me: This is what Hector has in mind for May. He thinks she should be flattered.
- Artistic Licence – Geography: Crockett
admitted that he distorted the size and layout of the island on which Rathan is based to fit the requirements of his plot. - Artistic Licence – History: The novel seems to be set around 1715, but John Faa is implied to be the same man recognised as "King of the Gypsies" in 1540. (The real Captain Yawkins wasn't around in 1715 either, being mostly active around 1780.)
The sequel retcons the setting to several years earlier than 1715, as the Galloway Levellers' revolt of 1723-25 is made to take place over 20 years after the events of this novel. - Belated Love Epiphany: Patrick for May.
- Belligerent Sexual Tension: Patrick and May.
- …But He Sounds Handsome: Silver Sand, who is actually John Faa, is always ready to defend the honour of the Faas and John in particular.
- The Cavalier Years: Apparently set in the mid 1710s (King George, i.e. George I - r. 1714-27 - is "new on the throne", and middle-aged characters remember the "Killing Time" of the 1670s and 80s).
- Deadpan Snarker: May, at least towards Patrick.
- Deliberate Values Dissonance: Not only does Hector see nothing wrong in acquiring a wife by abduction: his mother, a victim of the same practice, is reportedly proud to have been kidnapped by a Faa and encourages his plans.
- The Dreaded: All coast-dwellers fear Captain Yawkins, with good reason.
- Equal-Opportunity Evil: Yawkins' gang is international in its composition.
- Funetik Aksent: Many characters speak broad Scots written phonetically.
- The Ghost: Yawkins is the main villain but the heroes never directly encounter him.
- Historical Domain Character: Captain Yawkins and John Faa... kind of. (Neither of them actually lived at the time when the novel is set, but these might just be namesakes. There was also a real Galloway landowner named Patrick Heron at the time the novel is set, but he was considerably older than Crockett's Patrick and his estate was on the mainland.)
- Invasion of the Baby Snatchers: Marion was kidnapped as a child.
- King Incognito: John Faa is technically King of the Romani in Scotland, and spends much of the book disguised.
- Pirate: Yawkins' smugglers double as the Marauding Brute type.
- Roguish Romani: Varying from villainous through roguish to falsely maligned.
- Ruthless Foreign Gangsters: Yawkins is a Manxman of Dutch heritage. His mixed Manx/Dutch/Welsh/Spanish crew are repeatedly emphasised as being much nastier than Scottish smugglers.
Some of the Romani shore gangs are similarly vicious. Not the Faas, though, if Silver Sand is to be believed. Except maybe Hector. - Scenery Porn: Crockett's trademark: lots of loving description of the Galloway countryside.
- Shout-Out: "Silver Sand" was the nickname of Johnnie Morgan, a well known itinerant knife-grinder in nineteenth century Galloway, whom Crockett probably knew (if not, he would certainly have heard of him and had acquaintances in common).
- Spoiler Title: John Faa, referenced in the subtitle, is missing from the narrative so long that it becomes obvious one of the existing characters must be him in disguise - and Silver Sand is the only serious candidate.
- Tomboy: May Mischief.
- Venturous Smuggler: Downplayed Trope. There are gallant smugglers around, but the main smuggling crew featured are Yawkins' villainous mob.
- Walking the Earth: After escaping from Yawkins' raid, Patrick, May, and Silver Sand have to spend some time moving around Galloway evading his allies.
