Daniel Orme

A short story from the Classic Shorts collection: The Happy Failure by Herman Melville

The biographical sketch follows a solitary retired sailor whose earlier history remains an enigma to his officers and shipmates. Melville frames the portrait around an aging man-of-war veteran bearing dense gunpowder scars and a concealed crucifix tattoo.

The narrative traces his retreat to shore lodgings by the docks, where persistent rumors connect his past to privateers and Gulf buccaneers.

• Man-of-War Veteran: Melville depicts an aged septuagenarian topman retired from naval service to an obscure lodging near the docks.
• Buccaneer Rumors: Shipboard gossip follows the solitary sailor ashore, whispering that his gunpowder-peppered face and cutlass scar mark a past with Lafitte.
• Guarded Secrets: Curious lodgers drug the quiet veteran's tea to inspect the private crucifix tattooed upon his chest.
• American Literature: This late sketch presents a haunting psychological study of solitude, aging, and maritime reticence.
• Also by This Author: Moby Dick, Great Short Works of Herman Melville and The Happy Failure.