It likely goes without saying, but this is a harrowing tale of survival after 4 men's yacht sank in tumultuous open seas. They rode out the next 24 days in a 15 foot dinghy with no fresh water and only 2 small tins of turnips. In 1884, it was "the custom of the sea" that if it became necessary for survival, a ship's crew could draw lots to determine which of them would become "sustenance" for the rest of the crew.
The Mignonette crew refused to draw lots so the Captain - on day 19 - chose to take the life of their youngest member who had drunk seawater (a fatal choice) and was near death, to prolong the lives of the remaining 3 who had wives and children counting on their return.
The story recounts, not only the intense drama of their survival, but the personal and legal drama that ensued when they were subsequently the first to be tried for murder for practicing this "custom." It's easy to dislike the Javert-like prosecutor, especially given the dire circumstances, the upstanding character of the Captain, and his refusal to hide or deny what he had done. It's also impossible to imagine a level of distress that would allow otherwise civilized, rational, moral humans to justify taking another's life to sustain their own.
Be prepared to wrestle with empathy for and solidarity with the Captain, and expect a hearty internal debate on situational ethics and the nature of self-preservation vs. self-sacrifice.
A worthy read.
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