The End of the Tether
Captain Whalley has spent a lifetime at sea with an unblemished record, but a bank collapse has wiped out the savings meant for his daughter far away in Melbourne. Aging and quietly going blind, he takes command of a shabby coastal steamer in the Malay Archipelago, concealing his failing sight with the silent help of his Malay boatswain so he can keep sending her money. Conrad turns this simple situation into a study of pride, paternal love, and the fear of becoming useless. The greedy engineer who half owns the ship senses something amiss, and the voyage moves toward a quiet catastrophe. First published in 1902, the novella remains one of his most affecting portraits of a proud man’s decline. Read it here as a free PDF and EPUB edition.
About the Author
Joseph Conrad (1857-1924) was a Polish-British writer regarded as one of the greatest novelists in English, though it was his third language. His works probe moral isolation, colonialism, and the darkness within.
See all books by Joseph Conrad →
Listen to The End of the Tether Audiobook Free
Listen to The End of the Tether by Joseph Conrad free online. The full audiobook (5 hr 17 min, 14 chapters, read by Peter Dann) streams free on this page.
The End of the Tether (1902) is a public domain work.
| # | Chapter | Length | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Chapter 1 | 8:29 | |
| 2 | Chapter 2 | 18:46 | |
| 3 | Chapter 3 | 13:02 | |
| 4 | Chapter 4 | 18:25 | |
| 5 | Chapter 5 | 23:01 | |
| 6 | Chapter 6 | 13:04 | |
| 7 | Chapter 7 | 12:24 | |
| 8 | Chapter 8 | 18:32 | |
| 9 | Chapter 9 | 23:27 | |
| 10 | Chapter 10 | 22:50 | |
| 11 | Chapter 11 | 29:41 | |
| 12 | Chapter 12 | 31:24 | |
| 13 | Chapter 13 | 38:32 | |
| 14 | Chapter 14 | 44:54 |
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