The story revolves around a passenger who boards a ship in Philadelphia bound for Liverpool. The passenger, a young man, is the sole survivor of a shipwreck and recounts his ordeal to a friend in a calm and matter-of-fact manner. He describes how he boarded the ship, the storm that struck, and the subsequent sinking of the vessel. The narrator then details his struggles to stay alive on a makeshift raft, including fending off sharks and dealing with hunger and thirst. Eventually, he is rescued by a passing ship and returns home.
By Edward Everett Hale · First published 1869 · Genre: Historical Fiction, Adventure, Drama