The Voyage of the "Steadfast"--The Young Missionaries in the Pacific,
by W.H.G. Kingston.
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The "Steadfast" is a whaling vessel, based on Liverpool. The whaling
grounds are in the Pacific, so each voyage involves a long time away
from home. The story opens with the owner-captain's wife and daughter
sitting at home during a great storm, in which a vessel is wrecked very
near their house.
On board the ship are Harry Graybrook, the skipper's son, and another
youngster called Dickey Bass. Leonard Champion is the mate, and is also
in love with the captain's daughter, whom we met in Chapter One. There
is an incident with a whale which results in the "Steadfast" being
separated from a small boat containing the above, as well as an old
seaman known as "old Tom", and several other seamen. They try to regain
contact with the mother ship, but fail. They run out of food and water,
but land on an island where they are catching fish and filling their
water containers, when they are attacked by a hostile band of natives
who kill some of the seamen. After a long time at sea with very little
water and food they are picked up by another whaling vessel, but are
treated very badly by her moody and eccentric captain.
Shipwrecked again, and after various adventures, they meet up with some
missionaries. Eventually contact is made again with the "Steadfast",
and back they go to England, where Leonard Champion marries the
daughter, and takes command of the ship on old Graybrook's retirement.
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THE VOYAGE OF THE "STEADFAST"--THE YOUNG MISSIONARIES IN THE PACIFIC,
BY W.H.G. KINGSTON.