Adam Gray's three-year adventure begins in 1810, when he becomes an intentional stowaway on a trader sailing from New York to Oregon. Unpaid and overworked, scorned by row and captain alike, Adam finds personal maturity in a rugged school indeed. Before he can return to New York and family, young seaman Gray has traveled as far afield as China, absorbed facts of life both on ship and off. A rousing yarn of sailors and ships pun with sure appeal for its intended audience.