Rujub, the Juggler

Name: Rujub, the Juggler
Rating: 2.5 (5 reviews)

by G. A. Henty

First published 1893

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2.5(5)

Ralph Bathurst lives in India on the eve of the 1857 uprising with a private fear that threatens his sense of honour: loud explosions and gunfire can leave him physically paralysed even though he is capable of courage in other forms. When rebellion spreads through the region, that weakness becomes impossible to conceal, and Ralph must decide whether bravery means freedom from fear or the ability to act despite it.

His fate becomes linked to Rujub, a travelling juggler whose unusual abilities and loyalty repeatedly affect the course of the story. As British communities are attacked and military control breaks down, Ralph faces siege, flight and rescue attempts amid the wider Indian Rebellion. The novel is distinctive among Henty’s adventures because its hero’s central obstacle is psychological, making the historical crisis a test of how courage is understood rather than simply an opportunity to display it.