The End of the Tether is a novella by Joseph Conrad, written in 1902. It was collected in Youth, a Narrative and Two Other Stories and published by William Blackwood in 1902. The other stories in the trio were Youth and Heart of Darkness. The story is about an old, widowed, merchant-service captain, Henry Whalley, famous in his younger days as dare-devil Harry Whalley, captain of the clipper Condor. Although saving all his life, he had lost almost all to a banking collapse, having just enough to buy a barque, the Fair Maid, 'to play with' in his retirement. A letter from his daughter requesting financial help is the catalyst that changes Whalley's course. He sells his ship, sends his daughter the requested money and to support himself and preserve his remaining capital, enters into partnership with Massy, about whom he has serious doubts.
