Captain Blood: His Odyssey

Captain Blood and his fleet sail to the bay of Petit Goave and await the arrival of the French fleet under their commander M. le Baron de Rivarol. Rivarol’s attitude toward the hired buccaneers is disdainful, which annoys Blood; he rebuffs the nobleman with his ironic wit, disregard for rank, and irrefutable logic. Although offended, Rivarol honors the contract M. de Cussy signed with the pirates. Otherwise, he won’t have the power he needs to wage war.

Blood bests Rivarol in argument repeatedly. He criticizes a plan to attack Cartagena because Rivarol’s intent isn’t to uphold the honor of France but to plunder a Spanish settlement for his enrichment like a common pirate. Rivarol feels shame and resentment at Blood’s insight, yet sticks to his plan. Blood promises to accept Rivarol’s orders although he disparages them.

Rivarol calls a meeting aboard his flagship when Cartagena is in sight. Blood listens to Rivarol’s plan with scorn. He once reconnoitered Cartagena when he thought to raid it, so he knows how Rivarol’s approach will fail. He despises Rivarol’s cowardly proposal to put the buccaneers in the frontlines, while the baron and his fleet stay clear. Blood points out flaws in his reasoning. The baron, incensed and stubborn, insists on executing his plan without the buccaneers’ help—the venture fails exactly as Blood predicted it would.

Early the following morning, Blood and his men carry out the plan he suggested to Rivarol. Rivarol adopts Blood’s strategy; by noon the next day, Cartagena surrenders. Rivarol proclaims Cartagena a French colony, empties the city’s treasury, and then leaves while his soldiers pillage the homes of their new countrymen. The action is very lucrative for the baron and his men.

Blood hurries to Rivarol to demand the pirates’ share of the plunder. Blood and Rivarol argue for some time before Rivarol begrudgingly agrees to distribute the treasure onboard his ship, Victorieuse, the next morning. However, when morning comes, the entire French fleet is gone. Blood decides to chase the baron.

Pitt discovers Blood in his cabin, where the captain agonizes over what Arabella will hear about this action. He intended to give up piracy, but Rivarol’s plunder of Cartagena implicates Blood in the worst act of piracy he’s perpetrated. He despairs of ever holding a respectable position. Arabella and Elizabeth set a course for Hispaniola to catch Rivarol. The ships sail near Jamaica; Pitt and Blood hear the sound of gunfire. They expect to find a buccaneer ship engaging in battle with the English fleet, but instead, they find an English ship set ablaze and Rivarol’s fleet retreating. Blood has his crew rescue the survivors.

Two of the survivors are gentlemen, Lord Willoughby and Admiral van der Kuylen. Willoughby explains that King James was deposed by his daughter Mary and her husband William of Orange. England is at war with France because King Louis is an ally of the deposed James. He suspects Rivarol heard the news and decided to uphold the honor of France by attacking the admiral’s flagship.

James’s dethronement means Blood is no longer an outlaw. Lord Willoughby offers him a commission, but Blood is consumed by the thought of going home, so he declines. However, he hears that Colonel Bishop took the entire English fleet to hunt for him, leaving Port Royal vulnerable. Bishop’s abandonment of his duties, despite his knowledge of England’s new monarch and the war with France, outrages Lord Willoughby, and he expects Rivarol will take advantage soon. Blood sees how to use the situation to benefit England both militarily and financially, while also getting justice for his men: He proposes to Lord Willoughby that he will defeat Rivarol’s fleet, claim the treasure from Cartagena for King William, and pay the buccaneers the five percent Rivarol owes them. Lord Willoughby agrees to the terms.

Captain Blood’s ships await Rivarol’s fleet in a spot hidden from view. The French fleet attacks the fort guarding Port Royal and takes some damage from the fort’s cannons. Once Blood hears the shots from Port Royal tapering off—a sign of depleted ammunition or defeat—he orders his two ships to sail to the mouth of the bay, thus trapping the unsuspecting enemy. Arabella and Elizabeth attack with guns, then sail toward Rivarol’s ships to board them.

The plan appears doomed when Arabella begins to sink, but the buccaneers don’t admit defeat; they use various tactics to board the Victorieuse, fight their opponents, and win the battle despite being outnumbered. Rivarol is dead, and only a few French soldiers survive, but Blood mourns the lost Arabella. Blood’s crew takes charge of the French vessel to aid the crew of Elizabeth in a skirmish with another French ship, Medusa. Lord Willoughby apologizes for doubting the captain.

The surviving pirates enjoy the rewards of conquering Rivarol’s fleet and securing an immense treasure for King William’s government. Lord Willoughby waits in the deputy governor’s house to punish Colonel Bishop upon his return. When he offers Bishop’s position to Blood, Blood doubts his capabilities. Lord Willoughby badgers him into accepting.

Blood’s buccaneers choose either to stay in the king’s service or to depart once their captain distributes their share of the treasure. Colonel Bishop’s vessel approaches the island. Blood awaits the inevitable confrontation in his office when Arabella visits. He promises not to harm her uncle or Lord Julian Wade. Blood is still bitter about Arabella’s epithet “thief and pirate,” for which she apologizes. Blood asks about her relationship with Lord Julian; when she denies any interest in him, Blood passionately expresses his affection, which she reciprocates.

Colonel Bishop and Lord Julian arrive in Port Royal, and Bishop is arrested. Arabella urges Blood to be merciful toward her uncle. Bishop enters his former office to find his successor is the man he abandoned his post to pursue.