THE OPEN BOAT AND OTHER STORIES ************************************* New Novels for 1898 _Crown 8vo, price 6s. each_ DREAMERS OF THE GHETTO By I. ZANGWILL THE SCOURGE-STICK By MRS. CAMPBELL PRAED THE LONDONERS By ROBERT HICHENS THE WAR OF THE WORLDS By H. G. WELLS THE FOURTH NAPOLEON By CHARLES BENHAM THE TRIUMPH OF DEATH By GABRIELE D'ANNUNZIO THE MINISTER OF STATE By J. A. STEUART CLEO THE MAGNIFICENT By Z. Z. THE BROOM OF THE WAR-GOD By H. N. BRAILSFORD THE LAKE OF WINE By BERNARD CAPES GOD'S FOUNDLING By A. J. DAWSON EZEKIEL'S SIN By J. A. PEARCE LONDON: WILLIAM HEINEMANN 21 Bedford Street, W.C. ************************************* THE OPEN BOAT AND OTHER STORIES by STEPHEN CRANE Author of "The Red Badge of Courage," "The Little Regiment," "The Third Violet," etc. London William Heinemann 1898 All rights reserved To the Memory of THE LATE WILLIAM HIGGINS and to CAPTAIN EDWARD MURPHY and STEWARD C. B. MONTGOMERY Of the sunk Steamer 'Commodore.' CONTENTS Part I Minor Conflicts Page The Open Boat 1 A Man and Some Others 41 The Bride comes to Yellow Sky 65 The Wise Men 85 The Five White Mice 107 Flanagan and His Short Filibustering Adventure 129 Horses 155 Death and the Child 175 Part II Midnight Sketches An Experiment in Misery 211 The Men in the Storm 227 The Duel that was not Fought 239 An Ominous Baby 251 A Great Mistake 259 An Eloquence of Grief 265 The Auction 271 The Pace of Youth 279 A Detail 297 Part I Minor Conflicts THE OPEN BOAT A Tale intended to be after the Fact. Being the Experience of Four Men from the Sunk Steamer 'Commodore' I None of them knew the colour of the sky. Their eyes glanced level, and were fastened upon the waves that swept toward them. These waves were of the hue of slate, save for the tops, which were of foaming white, and all of the men knew the colours of the sea. The horizon narrowed and widened, and dipped and rose, and at all times its edge was jagged with waves that seemed thrust up in points like rocks.