The Golden Harpoon

The Golden Harpoon: Lost Among the Floes This whaling adventure by Roger Starbuck follows the crew of the whaleship *Montpelier* of New London, anchored off Kamschatka near the Sea of Ochotsk in April. The ship's captain brings his seventeen-year-old niece Alice Howard on the voyage, who wears a golden harpoon charm gifted by her uncle. Alice harbors romantic interest in Harry Marline, the boat-steerer and harpooner's aid. First mate Briggs repeatedly warns of danger from a nearby ice-floe despite the captain's dismissal. When whales are spotted on the ice field, the captain orders four boats lowered for the hunt. As the boats depart toward the whales, an oddly-described man with a grotesque appearance approaches Alice at the rail. The narrative interweaves maritime danger with romantic tension and character interaction.