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The unimaginative and imperturbable Captain MacWhirr pilots his steamer Nan-Shan through a typhoon of such violence that even he is moved to doubt the possibility of survival. To avoid trouble between decks, he sends his appalled chief mate Mr. Jukes down to confiscate the money of his 200 Chinese passengers. After the ship is safe and the money redistributed, Jukes concludes that MacWhirr "got out of it very well for a stupid man." In fact, the story is a deep affirmation of conservative virtues.