This is the title of a short story written by Stephen Crane. In this story, Crane describes (in a fictionalized way) his recent experience. It was 1897, and Crane was sailing from Florida to Cuba to work as a newspaper reporter. En route, the boat was shipwrecked. Crane, with three other men, spent thirty hours rowing a lifeboat in high seas before reaching shore.
The story is a classic of American literature. It’s themes of hardship, of endurance, and of the bond formed between men in times of adversity, make it an excellent read for any young man who has some knowledge of English as a Second Language, and who wishes to develop his vocabulary and his ear for style.
There is a nice narration of party of the story, with graphics and explanation, on youtube at the following link:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ipKXvkFTEMc
The full text of the story, nicely formatted, can be found at the following link:
https://americanenglish.state.gov/files/ae/resource_files/the-open-boat.pdf
Philosophical Instigations 