A Narrative of the Adventures and Sufferings of John R. Jewitt is a classic of its kind. In 1802, when he was nineteen, Jewitt signed on the brigantine Boston, which set sail from England for the Pacific Northwest Coast of North America. At Nootka Sound on Vancouver Island, the ship stopped to trade furs with the native people. Days later, the powerful chief Maquinna and his warriors massacred the ship’s entire crew–except for Jewitt and John Thompson.

Held captive as a slave for two years, young Jewitt experienced adventure and hardship as he learned the language, took part in many facets of native life and even married against his will. Throughout it all, he kept a forbidden journal recording his activities and observations.

Hilary Stewart enriches this reprint of Jewitt’s narrative with background information on the history of the coast and a chapter on the remainder of his colourful life.