The Sea-Wolf

The Ghost reaches Japanese waters and begins following the seal herd, hunting as they go. Humphrey remarks on the abject slaughter of the animals, as well as the materialism that drives the hunters and sailors partake in such brutality, musing that men slaughter animals so “that they might later adorn the fair shoulders of the women of the cities. It was wanton slaughter, and all for woman’s sake. No man ate of the seal meat of the oil” (121). As the hunters daily set out with their teams, the Ghost is manned by Humphrey, Larsen, and Mugridge. Humphrey muses on how much he’s changed, both physically and mentally, since coming aboard the ship. As he learns more about sailing, he strives to prove to Larsen that he can “live in ways other than of the mind” (123).

One day, while the men are out hunting, a storm approaches on the horizon. Larsen, Mugridge, and Humphrey must sail through the storm while picking up each of the boats. Humphrey’s newfound skills are tested as each man concentrates on their tasks. As they work, Humphrey admires Larsen’s capabilities, “pitting his will against the will of the storm and defying it” (128). In such circumstances, Humphrey realizes the necessity of Larsen’s strength.

As the boats are retrieved, the storm rages, and Kelly is lost as the men attempt to recover a broken boat. A sailor’s finger is crushed. Humphrey amputates it. There are still three boats missing in the storm as Humphrey and the others settle down to rest.

Larsen and Humphrey set Mugridge’s ribs, broken during the storm the previous day. As the weather clears, the crew searches for the missing boats. They have joined the rest of the sealing fleet and spend a few days boarding different schooners in search of their men. Over five days, they recover two more boats. Certain crew members—Henderson, Holyoak, Williams, and Kelly—are officially lost. The crew resumes hunting seals.

Further north, the sea fogs descend, making it difficult for the Ghost to keep track of its boats—but also making it easy for Larsen to capture boats from other ships and claim their hunters and sailors for the Ghost’s crew. Humphrey struggles to reconcile his morality with his impulse to kill Larsen: “I could not quite rid myself of the idea that right conduct for me lay in killing him” (136). The fear that Larsen inspires in his crew, as well as his cruelty, confuses Humphrey’s sense of right and wrong. When Larsen is struck with one of his headaches, Humphrey is now familiar enough with sailing the Ghost that he can take command.

Leach approaches Humphrey and asks how far they are from Yokohama. Humphrey eagerly tells him they are about 500 miles away, as well as the bearings Leach will need. The next morning, one of the boats is missing along with Johnson and Leach. Larsen hunts them down mercilessly for three days, when a boat is finally spotted. Believing it to contain the runaways, Larsen bears down upon the boat—only to discover that there are five people in it. Believing Larsen to be on the verge of killing Johnson and Leach, Humphrey goes below to retrieve a loaded shotgun to kill Larsen if necessary.

Inside the boat is a woman, Maud Brewster, with four men. Larsen brings them aboard and orders Humphrey to fix up the port cabin for the Maud’s use. Humphrey is overcome by her presence, reflecting that he is “aware of a hungry outreaching for her, as of a starving man for bread” (139). As the Ghost is close to Yokohama, Maud assumes that she and the men she was shipwrecked with will be brought there directly. Humphrey settles Maud in the cabin, warning her not to expect any great deeds from Larsen: “But our captain is a strange man, and I beg of you to be prepared for anything, understand?” (140). When the port cabin is ready, Humphrey leads her to bed just as he hears shouts of a boat sighted above; it is Johnson and Leach.