Read "Heart of a Samurai" by Margi Preus online for free on Textopian. Full text with search, annotations, highlights, and AI-powered reading aids.
Manjiro did not have time to even consider whether he wanted to be a harpooner before he found himself standing in the bow of the whaleboat, his knee jammed into the "clumsy cleat," braced to throw a harpoon. He was vaguely aware of the coaxing coming from the headsman in the stern of the boat.
"Pull, lads! Pull like vengeance! That's it, we're gaining! Crack your backbones. Burst your hearts. Burst your liver and your lungs. But pull! Pull, me hearties; pull, me heroes. Don't give up now, blast ye! Lay on, lay on! Are ye awake or asleep?"