Is 'Captains Courageous' the greatest (Masonic) adventure novel ever?

Earlier today, I finished reading an adventure novel that I’ve always wanted to read, “Captains Courageous” by Rudyard Kipling.

First published in 1897, the main character in this book is a 15-year-old Californian named Harvey Cheyne Jr. While on his way to school in Europe, this spoiled brat son of a millionaire railroad magnate falls overboard in the north Atlantic only to be rescued from certain death by the crew of a fishing boat called the “We’re Here.” When Harvey tells the fishermen that he’s the son of a millionaire, they don’t believe him, and they make him earn his keep by putting him to work.

This good, healthy dose of hard work turns out to be the best thing that’s ever happened to Harvey, who matures a great deal while aboard the “We’re Here.” When they return to their homeport of Gloucester, Mass., Harvey’s reunited with his parents, who believed all along that their only child had died at sea. Before it’s all said and done, Harvey and a young friend from the “We’re Here” are on the fast track to running a fleet of tea-clippers owned by Harvey’s rich father.

“Captains Courageous” is generally considered to be one of the best adventure stories of all time, and you’ll find it on a number of “best of” lists. One of my favorite websites is The Art of Manliness (artofmanliness.com), and I’ve especially wanted to read “Captains Courageous” ever since that site ranked the book No. 4 on a list they called “The Essential Library: 50 Fictional Adventure Books.” Later, on a list they called “The 50 Best Books for Boys and Young Men,” the site ranked “Captains Courageous” at No. 30. You’ll also find “Captains Courageous” ranked No. 21 on an awesome book list published by Bookmarks Magazine in 2006 called “101 Crackerjack Sea Books.”

I enjoyed “Captains Courageous,” and I was pleasantly surprised to find a number of Masonic references between its covers. Kipling is arguably one of the most famous freemasons of all time, and he became a member of the fraternity in 1885, about 12 years before the publication of “Captains Courageous.” He was a member of Hope and Perseverance Lodge No. 782 in Lahore, Pakistan and was also a Mark Master Mason and Royal Ark Mariner. The Masonic references in “Captains Courageous” were somewhat overt, and won’t likely be missed even by the unitiated. They don’t play a huge role in the story, but I thought it was interesting that Kipling included them in his novel.

Another cool thing about “Captains Courageous” is that it’s now within the public domain, that is, the copyright has expired and you can find free copies of it on the internet. I read the free edition on Amazon.com on my Kindle Fire. The novel’s also a short read. The Kindle Fire edition was only 107 pages long, and I read it in a couple of days.

In the end, how many of you have read “Captains Courageous”? What did you think about this novel? What did you think about its Masonic elements? Let us know in the comments section below.