Daniel Weston Hall was fifteen years old when he joined the crew of the whaling ship, Condor, and sailed from New Bedford harbor in 1856. Like many young boys of that period, he had high expectations of combining adventure with a fortune in whale oil. When he waved good-by to his family he did not expect to see them for a long time. But Daniel's whaling voyage lasted even longer than he had imagined, for due to the cruelty of the captain, he deserted the Condor and spent a winter in Siberia. He was finally picked up by another American ship on the Siberian coast the following spring, and in another year made his way back to New Bedford in time for his nineteenth birthday.

Fortunately, Daniel kept a journal of his adventures and in 1861, his story was published for the first time.

From the dust jacket of William R. Scott 1968 edition