Romance of a sea voyage and shipwreck with gothic touches. A sailing ship leaves Sydney for London with three passengers - all others preferring steamship travel. The narrator falls in love with the captain's niece but only the privations of shipwreck with thirst, starvation and the crew's cannibalism, and an encounter with her mad husband on a deserted wreck in mid-ocean, reveal the nature of her sorrow and clear the path for their romance. (PB)