My Unknown Chum

The ship leaves Boston to sailors’ songs and a last lunch of lobsters; by the next morning, pale passengers are making hurried retreats from the breakfast table. For one traveler, even seasickness is part of the Atlantic’s strange appeal.

In Charles Bullard Fairbanks’s wry travel sketch, an older American sets out for Europe, trading business cares for the ship’s steady routine and the memories of youthful voyages. The open sea leads his thoughts toward the Mediterranean, where ancient history once seemed to rise from the water itself; but head winds, queasy passengers, and a captain’s patience keep the present voyage lively too. As the ship presses on toward the Old World, what pleasures—and memories—will the sea bring back?

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