The End of the Tether

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Joseph Conrad wrote a novella titled The End of the Tether in 1902. It was compiled and published by William Blackwood in Youth, a Narrative and Two Other Stories in 1902. Youth and Heart of Darkness were the other two tales in the collection. The protagonist of the tale is Henry Whalley, a widowed merchant service captain who was once known as the daredevil Harry Whalley, captain of the clipper Condor. He had been saving all of his life, but a banking collapse had cost him virtually everything. He had barely enough money left over to buy the Fair Maid as a bark "to play with" in his retirement. The event that shifts Whalley's trajectory is a letter from his daughter asking for financial assistance. In order to maintain himself and protect his remaining capital, he sells his ship, sends his daughter the needed amount of money, and forms a partnership with Massy, a man about whom he harbors grave concerns. He is now a stockholder and captain of the ship Sofala according to the agreement with Massy. Massy won the lottery when he bought the Sofala, and now that he's in debt, he's hoping for more good fortune.