The first edition of this book is dated 1851. The edition used is dated 1880. The publisher was Ward Lock & Co Ltd, London New York and Melbourne. The number of pages is 328.

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General information

Peter’s father is a country vicar in Ireland, and Peter is a naughty teenager, who has got in with friends who encourage poaching, at that time a most serious offence. His father confiscates the gun, but one night Peter recovers the gun and has another coaching expedition, during which he is caught by the gamekeepers. The magistrate releases him to his father, who travels with him to Liverpool. For fifteen pounds Captain Swales of the Black Swan agrees to take him and to teach him the rudiments of seamanship on a return voyage to Canada. It turned out she was an ill-managed emigrant ship, and the emigrants were very badly treated. Captain Swales and his officers are as nasty as they come. There is a fire on board, and the people are rescued by the Mary, Captain Dean, who is a very different kind of man than the despicable Captain Swales. At Quebec Peter joins the Foam, Captain Hawk. There then follows a series of events, some good, and some bad, but all well-written.

It must be remembered that Peter the Whaler was probably the first seafaring book by Kingston, although he had written several books during the previous twenty years or so, The book was very well received by the public, and Kingston took up writing adventure novels for teenagers as a permanent occupation, until his death about thirty years later.

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Contents

Chapter I.
“Peter,” said my father, with a stern look, though the tone of his voice had more of sorrow in it than anger, “this conduct, if you persist in it, will bring ruin on you, and grief and shame on my head and to your mother’s heart.

Chapter II.
That night was far from a happy one, for I knew all the time that I was doing what was very wrong.

Chapter III.
I remember very little of my journey to Dublin, except that it was performed on the top of the mail.

Chapter IV.
When my father was gone, I went back to Mr. Cruden’s office and asked him to tell me where I could find his house, at which I understood I was to lodge.

Chapter V.
At last I was informed by Mr. Cruden that I might transfer my chest and myself on board the Black Swan.

Chapter VI.
For ten days we had fine weather and light winds; but a southerly gale sprang up, and drove us to the northward, and I then found out what it was to be at sea.

Chapter VII.
I was every day improving my knowledge of seamanship, though my schooling was, it may be supposed, of the roughest kind.

Chapter VIII.
It is my belief that, if proper measures had been taken the moment the fire was discovered, it might have been extinguished, and if not, its progress might have been retarded.

Chapter IX.
The unhappy people were more quiet the second day than during the first; for they were worn out with fatigue, terror, and hunger.

Chapter X.
Fortunately a star had appeared in a break of the clouds, and by that we continued steering the same course as before.

Chapter XI.
We were kindly welcomed and cared for on board the Mary, though we subjected her passengers and crew to much inconvenience, and to no little risk of starving, should her voyage be prolonged.

Chapter XII.
The next morning the Mary commenced discharging her cargo. Captain Dean then told me that he hoped I would sail with him, but that, as the ship required a thorough repair, it would be some weeks before she could be at sea again, and that in the meantime he would advise me to employ myself usefully; and he recommended me to take a trip in a trader to Halifax or Saint John’s, for the sake of gaining information regarding the navigation of those seas.

Chapter XIII.
At length I reached Quebec, and hurried to the quay, where I had left the Mary.

Chapter XIV.
The Susannah was a fine brig, of about three hundred tons burden.

Chapter XV.
A week passed away on board the Foam. Whereabouts we were I had no means of telling; for the captain kept me in his cabin, and would not allow me to go on deck without first asking his leave, nor would he permit me to communicate with Mr. Jones.

Chapter XVI.
I dreamed all night that I was in the hands of the Americans, with a rope round my neck and about to be run up at the yardarm.

Chapter XVII.
I did not go to sleep, it may be supposed, but walked the deck, considering what I should do.

Chapter XVIII.
I was allowed to remain on deck, under charge of a sentry, but was in no other way treated as a prisoner.

Chapter XIX.
The next day I found myself transferred on board the United States corvette Pocahuntas, of twenty guns, and one hundred and fifty men, including officers, marines, and petty officers.

Chapter XX.
The Pocahuntas continued on her course to the northward, with variable weather.

Chapter XXI.
I can scarcely picture the horrors of that night. I would fain, indeed, forget them, but that is impossible.

Chapter XXII.
That night, overcome by fatigue, strange as it may seem, we all slept soundly.

Chapter XXIII.
The vessel on board which we so happily found ourselves was called The Shetland Maid,—her master, Captain John Rendall.

Chapter XXIV.
Our ship made good progress, considering the impediments in her way, towards the fishing grounds in the north, to which she was bound.

Chapter XXV.
A cookery-book, in the possession of my good mother, advises one to catch one’s hare before cooking it.

Chapter XXVI.
For several days, during which we captured another whale, we were cruising about, in the hopes of finding a passage through the ice.

Chapter XXVII.
We were safe—so the old hands said; but it required some time before one could fully persuade one’s self of the fact.

Chapter XXVIII.
The whole coast, in most places, was lined with a sheet of ice some ten or fifteen miles wide, to the edge of which, in perfectly smooth water, our ship, with many others at various distances, was made fast.

Chapter XXIX.
The return of darkness during the night gave us notice that we were advancing towards the south, and that the short arctic summer was drawing to a close.

Chapter XXX.
Our companions slept on, and, while they happily were able to forget the hardships and dangers which were in store for them, we could not find it in our hearts to awake them.

Chapter XXXI.
For three days we travelled on; and, supposing that we advanced ten miles a day, for thirty miles not a break of any description appeared in the overhanging cliffs on our right.

Chapter XXXII.
We travelled briskly along over the ice, our encounter with the bears affording us abundant matter for amusement.

Chapter XXXIII.
We had been all so busy in building our house, and in bringing our stores from the ship and in stowing them away, that none of us had wandered a quarter of a mile from our location.

Chapter XXXIV.
We fancied that we had got everything comfortable for the winter, which now, about the middle of October, began to set in with severe earnestness, with heavy falls of snow and strong northerly winds.

Chapter XXXV.
We thought that we had known what cold was when the winter first began; but when a strong northerly wind commenced, having passed over either a frozen sea or sheet of snow, then we really felt how hard it could freeze.

Chapter XXXVI.
Having determined to build a vessel, we set to work with great energy; and we hoped by ingenuity and perseverance to make amends for our want of skill and knowledge.

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