About This Book
A young officer aboard an iron-hulled cargo steamer describes a brilliant sunset and a strengthening gale as the ship labors through heavy, foaming seas and the crew spreads every sail to save coal. He recalls being unexpectedly promoted to fourth officer on his birthday and an evening incident in which an older seaman insists he saw a phantom vessel, provoking the captain’s scorn. The account combines detailed shipboard procedure and sensory seascape with tensions between skepticism and superstition, creating a mood of suspense and foreshadowing events that will shape the narrator’s life.
About the Author
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