Hair Breadth Escapes Perilous incidents in the lives of sailors and travelers in Japan, Cuba, East Indies, etc., etc.

"Hair Breadth Escapes" by T. S. Arthur is a compilation of late 19th-century tales that recount dangerous situations faced by seafarers and wanderers in places like Japan and Cuba, focusing on the spirit of courage, the drive to survive, and how people manage to endure such challenges. The book begins with a gripping story about pirates, immediately pulling the reader into high-stakes situations; for example, the opening story presents the Dolphin’s assistant pilot, detailing a frightful scene in which pirates capture their ship near Cuba, steal their cargo, and threaten them with brutality. The tone of these opening stories is meant to leave the reader in suspense and to invite them to explore future tales of both harm and the resilience of humanity.