“...On the serene surface of the water they were alone; for hundreds of kilometers around there was not a soul, only the ocean sparkling under the sun and strands of floating algae swaying on the water. The deck of a drifting two-masted ketch. Lying low, Dennison did not take his eyes off the captain. If Dennison kills him now, quickly and unnoticed by the civilized world, the captain's ship, his money, and even his name on the documents will belong to him. And when Dennison, the tramp, next comes into view of the civilized world, he will turn into Captain James, a hero covered in legends. James did not suspect - and could not suspect - that in a nondescript, sun-burnt, washed-up loafer , working out his passage to New York, hides an iron grip and determination... "Translation: I. Nepochatova