Lottie Carstairs is a former London songstress. Recently widowed, she was also the wife of an Indian raja and now seeks revenge on the British for depriving her of her inheritance, an Indian kingdom she and her deceased husband had plans to make into a sort of garden spot of enlightenment and justice. She seeks refuge just beyond the Khyber Pass, in the North-West Territories, in a maze of caverns, where she builds an army that threatens British stability in India. Into this web of intrigue comes Gub McLeod, a Scotsman fleeing British authorities for reasons of his own. When the Amir of Afghanistan, however, threatens to lead an invading army into India, Lottie and Gub are forced into a decision: inflict personal revenge or protect the empire.

If this sounds a bit like King of the Khyber Rifles, that is because it is. Mundy has updated his story, given it a more happy and satisfying end, but in the process removed the wonderful enticing ambiguity of King. He's also taken out much of the atmosphere that made King so compelling. In its place, is a plot heavy story, introducing what was then aspects of modern warfare to the remote corners of the British empire--airplanes, poison gas, radios.

Cock O' the North was published in 1929. That is the same year that King of the Khyber Rifles was made into a film, John Ford's The Black Watch. Perhaps that was a coincidence. Perhaps Mundy saw an opportunity to cash in on the story one more time. At any rate, Cock O' the North isn't a bad book. But it's not up to the standards established by King of the Khyber Rifles. ( )