
A gritty portrait of seafaring life unfolds as we follow Sam Small, a weather‑worn sailor who’s just returned ashore after months at sea. He drifts through bustling London streets, swapping tales of hidden loot and hard‑won wages with fellow dockhands, while the city’s smoky cafés and narrow pubs provide a vivid backdrop for his restless wanderings.
In a chance encounter at a modest coffee‑shop, Sam meets a well‑dressed stranger whose polished manners mask a curious fascination with the sailor’s world. Their conversation swings between the value of money, the lure of a fresh drink, and the uneasy promise of a new start. As they trail toward a hidden tavern, the narrative captures the tension between freedom on the waves and the pull of land‑locked comforts, hinting at friendships that might blossom—or unravel—amid the clatter of glasses and the murmur of city life.
Language
en
Duration
~4 hours (232K characters)
Publisher of text edition
Project Gutenberg
Credits
David Widger Updated: 2022-12-26.
Release date
2004-03-01
Rights
Public domain in the USA.

1863–1943
Best remembered for the chilling classic "The Monkey's Paw," this English writer also built a huge readership with witty, sharply observed tales of dockworkers, sailors, and everyday London life. His stories mix humor and unease in a way that still feels vivid more than a century later.
View all books
by W. W. (William Wymark) Jacobs

by W. W. (William Wymark) Jacobs

by W. W. (William Wymark) Jacobs

by W. W. (William Wymark) Jacobs

by W. W. (William Wymark) Jacobs

by W. W. (William Wymark) Jacobs

by W. W. (William Wymark) Jacobs

by W. W. (William Wymark) Jacobs