
A restless midshipman drifts through the quiet doldrums of a peacetime navy, haunted by the legend of an English ancestor who once became a trusted counselor to a Japanese shogun. Driven by ambition and a yearning for adventure, he abandons his stagnant post in Shanghai and signs aboard a swift clipper bound for the far‑reaching seas of the Orient. The voyage itself becomes a study in contrast—storm‑tossed monsoons, feverish illness, and the stark solitude of being the sole passenger among a crew of hard‑bitten Yankees.
When the ship finally slips into the emerald waters of the Hawaiian archipelago, the young officer encounters the enigmatic Princess Azai, a daughter of the shogun whose world is as alluring as it is foreign. Their tentative meeting hints at a tangled web of honor, cultural intrigue, and a romance that could reshape his destiny—if he can navigate the tides of duty and desire.
Language
en
Duration
~8 hours (505K characters)
Publisher of text edition
Project Gutenberg
Credits
Produced by Shaun Pinder, Charlie Howard, and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net (This file was produced from images generously made available by The Internet Archive)
Release date
2015-03-31
Rights
Public domain in the USA.

1870–1954
A prolific early 20th-century American novelist, he wrote fast-moving adventure and frontier stories, along with imaginative tales that helped shape the pulp era. His work often blends rugged outdoor action with romance, mystery, and a strong feel for the American West.
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