Captain Blood

A classic tale of adventure and romance, Rafael Sabatini's "Captain Blood" tells the story of Peter Blood, doctor and military veteran, who is mistaken for a rebel, arrested, tried and transported to Barbados where he is sold into slavery. Escaping his captivity during a raid on the colony, Blood and his fellow convicts capture a Spanish ship and sail off to become the most successful pirates in the Caribbean. "Captain Blood" is Sabatini at his very best, succeeding as both an adventure novel and powerful discourse on the evils of slavery and injustice.

In 1685, Irish physician Peter Blood is happily settled in a small English town when the rebellion of the Duke of Monmouth interrupts the peace. After saving the life of a wounded nobleman who turns out to be a rebel, Blood is charged with treason and sentenced to ten years as an indentured slave in the Caribbean colonies. On the islands, Blood is recognized for his knowledge as a physician, and thus he develops a romance with a young lady. But their attachment is ill-fated, as her father is the owner of Blood's servitude. When Spaniards attack the colony, Blood and his fellow convicts take advantage of their victory celebration to steal their ship, sailing off to become the boldest and most fearless pirates on the Spanish Main.