The Whale is very hungry and eats every fish he can find until only the small ‘Stute Fish is left. He is about to eat the ‘Stute Fish, too, but the fish suggests he try eating a man instead. Intrigued, the Whale follows the ‘Stute Fish’s directions and finds a Mariner with blue breaches, a jack-knife, and some very important suspenders stranded on a raft. The Whale opens his huge mouth and swallows the Mariner, raft and all. 

However, the Mariner is “a man of infinite-resource-and-sagacity” (2), and he begins causing a commotion in the Whale’s stomach, dancing and prancing around until the Whale complains to the ‘Stute Fish that the man is making him hiccough. The Mariner refuses to come out, demanding that the Whale take him back to his “natal-shore.” The Whale swims as fast as he can despite his hiccoughs and delivers the Mariner to his home. However, while the Whale is swimming, the Mariner uses his jack-knife to turn his raft into a grate of small holes, which he secures in the Whale’s throat with his suspenders.

The Mariner returns home, where he lives “happily ever afterward” (3). The Whale also goes on to live a happy life, but he can only eat tiny fish because of the grate in his throat.