Joseph Conrad 
Youth 

A group of men, all belonging to the merchant navy, are having some drinks, while talking about their first adventure across the sea. One of them, Marlow, gets control of the conversation and begins to tell about his own first experience as a second mate on a ship called Judea. It happened twenty-two years earlier, when he was only twenty: a very young man, full of passion, strength and illusions. He and his crew were on a trip to Thailand, the East, when confronted with violent natural events. Will they be able to overcome them? Youth is an autobiographical short story by Joseph Conrad.

Unabridged edition.