Charlie Codman's Cruise A Story for Boys by Horatio Alger - book 
1-931927-82-0

PAPERBACK ILLUSTRATED A poor Boston boy is shanghaied aboard a ship full of rough sailors to ensure his silence about an embezzlement and blackmail plot. Aka: Bill Sturdy: or, A Young Sailor's Pluck. In Campaign Series.


Charlie Codman, a handsome and honest teenager, grew up in poverty with his widowed mother in Boston, Massachusetts. He now sells papers to earn a meager wage. Charlie and his mother were originally deprived of their fortune by their very own landlord, Peter Manson embezzled money from Mrs. Codman’s father, unbeknownst to her or Charlie, and still profits from his thievery.
A sailor named John Randall knew of the embezzlement and decides to blackmail Manson in exchange for keeping his secret. The two scoundrels plot to kidnap young Charlie in order to protect their interests. Randall takes Charlie on board his ship the Bouncing Betsy by claiming that the boy is his nephew. Randall then takes Charlie on a long sea voyage, binding and gagging him to prevent his escape.
Meanwhile, back at home, Mrs. Codman struggles with the heart-wrenching disappearance of her son, while trying to support herself by tutoring a young girl. Little does she know that her own Charlie is still alive and being mistreated by both Randall and the captain of the Bouncing Betsy.