
A breezy, wry chronicle of a sea voyage from New York to Veracruz, this narrative invites listeners to experience a travel style far removed from the polished itineraries of fashionable tourists. The author humorously critiques the conventional wanderer, preferring instead the unhurried contemplation of endless blue skies and the gentle sway of the Gulf. He paints the ship’s deck as a stage for a motley crew of adventurers, businessmen, and reluctant explorers, each drawn by circumstances rather than leisure. The tone is both observant and gently sardonic, setting the scene for a journey that feels more like a social experiment than a holiday.
Onboard, cramped quarters and bustling agents swapping berths become comic fodder, revealing the chaotic charm of early‑twentieth‑century travel to Latin America. The narrator’s fellow passengers—a solitary poet, a weather‑worn timber cruiser, and a quick‑witted interpreter—add color and insight, hinting at the diverse motives that converge in this crossing. Their interactions promise a vivid portrait of Mexico’s borderlands, seen through the eyes of those who arrive not for glamour but for purpose.
Language
en
Duration
~6 hours (357K characters)
Publisher of text edition
Project Gutenberg
Original publisher
NYC: E. Appleton and Company, 1912.
Credits
Chuck Greif and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at https://www.pgdp.net (This file was produced from images generously made available by The Internet Archive)
Release date
2023-12-30
Rights
Public domain in the USA.

1871–1938
A witty early-20th-century American novelist and essayist, he turned college life and travel into lively, observant books that helped make him a recognizable literary voice of his time. His work is especially remembered for its sharp take on Harvard and for the Mexico travel classic Viva Mexico!
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