(c)2002 Christina Amato

Herville's dream is to enter into the lucrative whale blubber industry.

He is commissioned to captain the whaling vessel "The Surfeit".

Herville quickly begins to suspect that the men are clandestinely mocking his lack of skill with a harpoon. He is determined to prove them wrong.

However, the one time they do spot a whale, Herville's harpoon accidentally slips from his hands during a crucial moment. It bounces uselessly off the whale's back and sinks into the water.

Herville spends more and more time in his quarters. He becomes preoccupied with the maintenance of his moustaches, sometimes spending an entire day combing and trimming them.

Despite weeks of effort, all that they are able to catch are small seals and the occasional octopus. In desperation, they sail further and further North.

Herville has heard from older, experienced sailors that the waters of Hell's Peninsula teems with whales. Despite the lateness of the season, he decides that it is worth the risk to make the journey.

The water of Hell's Peninsula has already begun to freeze by the time they arrive. Some of the sailors begin to complain and insist they turn back. Herville cuts their tea rations.

As the weeks pass, they finish off the seal meat, and begin to rely heavily on canned food.

The sled dogs begin to look nervous.

Days of hunger, boredom, cold, and Cap'n John's Lead n' Kidney Chowder begin to take their toll on the men. They begin to have wild parties on the ice.

Herville begins to execute his woolen socks in increasingly long and elaborate ceremonies .

Despite his best efforts, his mustaches fall into disrepair.

Herville's first mate makes off into the dead of night with the sled dogs, along with 30 packets of Streimer's Polar Nut Food and the last of the sherry.

Herville becomes more and more suspicious of the other sailors.

He decides to set off into the frozen tundra alone to find help. He packs his last two crates of Sir Witherthrush's Fancy Mustache Pomade for Gentlemen and his journal, and heads into the unknown.

After 20 minutes or so on the ice, it becomes obvious that he will not make it.

With his final ounce of strength, Herville painfully inscribes a last message into his journal.

His body is discovered 1 1/2 miles from an upscale health sanitarium igloo colony by a vacationing widow, Mrs. Ezidora Livington.

His remains are shipped back to the United States, where they are donated to an obscure natural history museum. They are immediately relegated to a dusty corner in storage, to be viewed only by the most enterprising, thrill seeking physical anthropology students.