Articles from the October 9, 2014 edition

Oct 9, 2014

Ranald MacDonald By Finn J.D. John Ranald MacDonald was overcome with emotion as he watched the whaling ship disappear over the sea, leaving him behind in his small open boat. No doubt he had at least a moment of doubt. His plan was audacious almost to the point of recklessness: He intended to deliberately land on the closed and forbidden island of Japan, present himself as a shipwreck victim, and hope for the best. Ranald’s situation was made the more intriguing because of who he was. He was no ordinary mariner; he was the highly educated a...