Roaring Bones

ROARING BONES--Prince William of Sweden--Button ($2.50). Prince William of Sweden has amused himself with journeys into the damp green mysteries of Africa, with elephant hunting, exploring and literature. His former opus, Among Pygmies and Gorillas, was an account of a zoological probe into the centre of the dark continent. This is a volume of short stories; love stories, African anecdotes, color stories about a chief who understood black magic, a leopard hunt, a march of wild phantoms through the jungle. The obvious comment upon princes, even Swedish princes, who write books is that laudatory insult reserved, also for bears who ride bicycles. But the literary lapses of Prince William do not suggest the comparison; he rides the fictitious bicycle of his fictions with grace, speed, confidence and dexterity, though lacking, perhaps, the vigor and finesse of a six-day champion.