Beadle's Half Dime Library No. 122

Phil Hardy, The Boss Boy: The Mystery of the Strongbow by Charles Morris is a serialized adventure story published by Beadle and Adams in 1879. The narrative opens on an East River wharf where street boys gather; protagonist Phil Hardy listens to a tall tale about giants and dwarfs before confronting a contemptuous rival named Dirty Dick. When a ship's mate interrupts their fight and later strikes Phil with a rope, the boy retaliates by biting the man's leg. In the second chapter, Phil secretly boards the arriving merchant vessel Strongbow, which carries mixed cargo from England. He befriends the crew in the forecastle, particularly an old sailor named Ben Bowling, questioning them about the ship's origins and mysterious cargo. The sailors hint at concerns about overloading and bad luck during the voyage.