In response to the interest of millions of Patrick O'Brian fans, here is the final, partial installment of the Aubrey-Maturin series.

Blue at the Mizzen ended with Jack Aubrey getting the news of his elevation to flag rank: Rear Admiral of the Blue Squadron, with orders to sail to South Africa. The next novel, never completed, would have been the chronicle of that mission and much else besides. The three chapters left on O'Brian's desk at the time of his death are presented here. Though tantalizingly incomplete, these pages prove that O'Brian's humor, powers of observation, and understanding of his characters were undiminished to the end.

Patrick O'Brian (1914–2000) was born Richard Patrick Russ in England. During the Second World War, he and his wife were involved in British secret-service activities. After the war, he changed his name to Patrick O’Brian and began his career as a novelist, biographer, and translator. In the 1990s, Mr. O’Brian, then in his seventies, achieved the critical and popular recognition that was his due.