The Mate of the Vancouver

About this issue

This 1892 serial novel by Morley Roberts follows Tom Ticehurst, first mate of the cargo vessel Vancouver. Returning to Liverpool from Australia with mixed cargo and emigrants, Ticehurst reluctantly sails under his brother Will, the ship's captain, at their mother's urging—Will suffers from alcoholism. At Melbourne, Will's wife Helen unexpectedly boards the ship. Ticehurst finds himself drawn into an innocent flirtation with Helen, primarily when she pressures him to escort her to the theater while Will is intoxicated. The narrative follows the Vancouver's departure for San Francisco with three new passengers: Elsie Fleming, her sister Fanny, and their father—a former sailor. Two new crewmen ship aboard, including Bill Walker and a mysterious dark-featured sailor identified as a half-caste Malay named Matthias. As the voyage progresses into the Pacific, Ticehurst falls deeply in love with fair-haired Elsie Fleming while Will descends into daily drunkenness. The narrative concludes mid-voyage, establishing tension between competing emotional loyalties and hinting at complications to come.