How It All Goes Down
Homecoming
- On February 25, Chase, Lawrence, and Nickerson arrive in Chile. They're practically celebrities after the ordeal they've been through.
- Meanwhile, the Dauphin and the Diana have hooked up with another ship, the "Two Brothers" (13.9). Pollard and Ramsdell are then transferred to the Two Brothers, which is heading for Chile.
- Finally, the five remaining crewmembers of the Essex reunite. Afterwards, everyone but Pollard heads back to Nantucket aboard the Eagle. Pollard's health is still too shaky for the voyage.
- Have you forgotten our three island-dwellers? We sure did. Another ship, the Constellation, heads to Henderson Island, where they pick up Chappel, Weeks, and Wright. Huzzah.
- And what about Hendricks' crew? Well, months later, a ship stumbles across "a whaleboat [...] with four skeletons inside" (13.23). Oh, well.
- The Eagle arrives in Nantucket on June 11. On the bright side, Chase discovers he has a fourteen-month-old daughter.
- Pollard doesn't arrive for another two months. This time, however "no one said a word" when he stepped foot on land (13.37).
- Pollard has some business to handle, anyway—like talking to Nancy Coffin, his cousin and Owen's mother. Understandably, "Nancy Coffin did not take it well" (13.44).
- Chase has already begun working on a book about the Essex disaster, presumably ghostwritten by William Coffin Jr. Chase is basically only writing it for the extra green.
- Naturally, Chase makes himself look as good as possible. This does, however, lead to him being ostracized by the tight-knit Nantucket community.
- Pollard, on the other hand, is shown a great deal of respect. He even captains the Two Brothers just three months later with both Nickerson and Ramsdell as crewmembers.