Abaft The Funnel Chapter 1 - Erastasius Of The Whanghoa

In which a grizzled ship's cat named Erastasius—part philosopher, part guardian—reveals his audacious role in preserving the steamship Whanghoa amidst treacherous waters and a mutinous steerage. Meanwhile, the sombre confession of a fallen English gentleman in a sordid San Francisco dive casts a shadow upon the ravages of lost love and self-destruction far from home.