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Another book relating to the Ben Carlin/Half Safe story is Once a Fool written by an American named Boye De Mente who was recruited by Ben in Japan and crewed with him to Anchorage Alaska.
Not to put too fine a point on it, in this book Ben comes across as deserving the reputation attributed to the infamous Captain Bligh.
Speaking of Bligh, I've just got through reading Rob Mundle's book titled 'Bllgh - Master Mariner. If you are interested in a story of incredible skill, courage, hardship and perseverance this would be difficult to surpass. The survival of Bligh and 17 loyal members of the Bounty crew in a 23 foot open boat they sailed three and a half thousand miles through tropical storms and treacherous waters is an epic of seamanship few could equal.
As has been observed you don't have to be a nice guy to be an achiever and perhaps the opposite temperament can be an advantage in getting things done.
Bligh was a genuine hero and a 'straight shooter'. His character was assassinated whilst he was on the other side of the planet on the king's business. We could sure do with a few more like him and maybe even Ben. As the preacher says in the funeral oration for Cable Hogue, 'He wasn't a really good man, he wasn't a bad man but, he was a man.' That in effect is what Lang is saying. Ben was a man you had to respect even if you didn't like him.

David