Jack London (1876-1916) was an American novelist, journalist and social activist. Pioneering the genre of magazine fiction and prototyping science fiction, he became one of the first writers, who gained worldwide fame and a large fortune. Partially based on the author's voyage around Cape Horn on the Dirigo in 1912, this novel tells the story of Mr. Pathurst who books passage on a cargo vessel sailing from Baltimore to Seattle. To his surprise, the hero becomes a witness of a mutiny that starts with the sudden death of the captain.