"In the Misty Seas: A Story of the Sealers of Behring Strait" by Harold Bindloss is a novel written in the late 19th century. The story begins at a school where the main characters, Niven and Appleby, are young boys facing the imminent end of term. They are eager to take to the sea, but their aspirations are soon tested by the harsh realities that accompany life aboard a sealing ship. The opening portion of the book introduces readers to the camaraderie and mischief of schoolboys, focusing particularly on Appleby and Niven's adventurous spirits. As the boys scheme to retrieve a duck belonging to a fellow student, they showcase their youthful determination, setting the stage for their transition from the sheltered life at school to the unforgiving life at sea. The chapter encapsulates not only the boys' antics but foreshadows the challenges and trials they will face as they venture into the vast unknown of the ocean. (This is an automatically generated summary.)