— The Seed of McCoy. Chief magistrate and governor of Pitcairn Island and a descendant of the mutineers from the Bounty who settled there, McCoy boards the ailing Pyrenees, a tall ship that has been on fire for two weeks. Hoping to save the hull, the captain is searching for a beach to scuttle the ship and McCoy volunteers to lead them to an ideal spot. The voyage goes on longer and longer while the ship grows hotter and hotter. A fire is one of the deadliest events a sailor can encounter aboard his ship and London does a tremendous job ratcheting tension, while the islander McCoy handles each obstacle in his typically unruffled island manner.
I remember reading that story of the ship with a fire that couldn’t be put out (a wooden-hull ship, too) as a kid. I still remember the suspense of reading that.
Not offering this as evidence, but Jack London (who was a sailor), obviously believed that a story of a ship in chronic under-the-deck flames was believable.
thanks for that!
I considered moving to the Pitcairn Islands, actually...
(but now that Obama’s getting OUT, finally!!!..... maybe I might hang around here awhile...? at least the urgency of the situation seems past now...)_