In 1824, the whaling ship Globe sailed from Martha's Vineyard. Her captain had high hopes for a successful voyage. She headed east toward the Azores, and then south all the way around the tip of South America and across the Pacific to Hawaii and Japan. But the whales were few, and the discontent growing among the men suited perfectly the diabolical plans of first mate Samuel Comstock, who had been planning mutiny all along. His plan was bigger than mutiny, however. He plotted to take over the ship, and set up a kingdom for himself on a remote Pacific island. Through fear and coercion, Comstock succeeded. Almost.

He took over the ship and sailed to the small island of Mili. Soon after landing, however, the men fell out among themselves, and in turn began fighting with the natives. Finally, six men stole the Globe and sailed back across the Pacific to South America, where their story inspired an amazing manhunt. All is told here in full detail as it actually happened. Using the ship's logs, memoirs, and court records, EDWIN P. HOYT has uniquely reconstructed the events aboard the Globe. It was an important turning point in American maritime history, but, most of all, it was a stirring adventure of men and the sea.