Captain Blood: His Odyssey

Levasseur receives a note from Madeleine informing him that her father is sending her to Europe on a Dutch brig, and she begs him to rescue her. He decides to separate from Arabella to pursue her and, in the process, acquire more ships to form a fleet. Levasseur’s lieutenant, Cahusac, warns against the undertaking, since it would break Blood’s rule banning attacks on the Dutch. Levasseur ignores the warning, and that night his ship, La Foudre, secretly parts with Arabella to chase the Dutch brig, Jongvruow.

Jongvruow and La Foudre engage in a short battle before Levasseur triumphs and takes possession of the brig. Madeleine is ecstatic, but Levasseur’s brutality soon destroys her illusions. He murders the Dutch captain, abuses Madeleine’s brother Henri, and forcefully kisses her and mocks her naïveté. Damage to La Foudre and the sight of two ships sailing nearer distract Levasseur from Madeleine. One of the ships is Arabella, and the other is a prize. Levasseur visits Blood aboard Arabella. Blood explains his prize ship is Santiago, a Spanish vessel full of treasure, coin, and cacao. Blood is not pleased with Levasseur for attacking the Dutch, especially for such paltry cargo, but he doesn’t press the matter. The captains agree to meet again once La Foudre is repaired.

On the uninhabited island La Virgen Magra, Levasseur tries to extort money from Madeleine’s brother by threatening her with harm. Blood surprises the party and asks the prisoners’ identities. Henri d’Ogeron introduces himself and his sister. Blood is secretly disgusted at Levasseur, but he discusses the prisoners’ value like a callous pirate. He reasons that the siblings are prizes of war, therefore they belong to the whole pirate crew as stipulated in the articles. Blood concludes Levasseur must pay the ransom he sought from Governor d’Ogeron to their crews if he insists on keeping the prisoners.

Levasseur and Blood argue, the French captain growing furious while Blood maintains his usual calm sarcasm. Levasseur admits he doesn’t have enough money to buy the captives. Blood offers pearls worth twice the amount Levasseur was asking. Nevertheless, Levasseur swears Blood will not take Madeleine while he lives. Blood obliges Levasseur with a sword fight, which Levasseur fatally loses. Levasseur’s crew receive their share of Captain Blood’s plunder and ask to continue their association with him. Blood accepts on condition they return the Dutch brig and its cargo to the rightful owners. The d’Ogerons fear further brutality aboard the Arabella, but Blood assures them that they are safe with him. Madeleine begs forgiveness for assuming Blood is like Levasseur. He privately hopes Arabella Bishop will learn of his chivalrous deed and think better of him, too.

Captain Blood’s service to the d’Ogerons raises his reputation. He establishs a fleet of three ships and enlists 500 more men. He remains captain of Arabella; Cahusac becomes captain of La Foudre; and Hagthorpe becomes captain of Santiago, which they rename Elizabeth, after Queen Elizabeth I.

The fleet’s raid on Maracaybo doesn’t proceed as planned. Cahusac runs La Foudre aground in Maracaybo’s lake, and they find the town deserted. They must salvage supplies from La Foudre, which slows the fleet’s progress. They head for Gibraltar, but their delay gives the people time to escape. Blood and his crew nonetheless conduct a lucrative attack. They return to Maracaybo’s lake, where they are soon trapped by Admiral Don Miguel’s fleet of four ships. Cahusac blames Blood and insists they accede to Don Miguel’s demand to return their spoils and leave the town unharmed. Blood, however, announces he has already refused Don Miguel’s terms; he gives Cahusac and the French crew the opportunity to depart, which means they have to relinquish their share of the plunder, but they decide to stay.

Blood devises a surprise attack on the Spanish fleet. They load a sloop with explosives and send it toward Encarnacion; then, they battle the remaining ships. Encarnacion is destroyed; another ship is damaged; and the two remaining Spanish ships are vanquished by Blood’s buccaneers. The damaged ship, Salvador, is Don Miguel’s. He sails for a fort guarding Palomas. Arabella and one of the prize ships, Infanta, chase Salvador to the fort, from which a barrage of cannon fire ensues. Blood’s ships suffer damage that forces them to retreat.

Captain Blood’s fleet returns to Maracaybo. Cahusac again complains. Blood writes to Don Miguel to offer a deal: He will leave Maracaybo and his Spanish prisoners unharmed in exchange for a ransom and safe passage from the lagoon. Don Miguel returns refuses, so Blood intends to burn Maracaybo. Cahusac negotiates passage for him and his men; they safely leave the lagoon empty-handed. The deputy-governor of Maracaybo, Don Francisco, promises Blood he can gather the ransom by the end of three days; he trusts the captain not to burn Maracaybo in the meantime because, he tells Blood, “You have the repute of making war like a gentleman” (175). Blood agrees and Don Francisco keeps his word.

The ships are seaworthy again within a few weeks, and Blood creates a new plan for escape. He tricks Don Miguel, who is still in the fort, into believing he and his men are coming ashore to attack. Don Miguel orders the cannons turned toward land, a laborious feat for his soldiers. That night, Blood’s ships escape the lagoon before the Spanish soldiers can re-aim their artillery. After escaping, Blood’s ships meet a Spanish ship on its way to Palomas; after capturing the vessel, Blood’s crew discovers Cahusac and his men imprisoned in the hold. Cahusac becomes the butt of jokes for relinquishing his share of Blood’s haul out of cowardice.

Don Miguel is obsessed with revenge on Blood. Yet, his obsession doesn’t distract him from attacking English ships. Colonel Bishop also dreams of vengeance. The secretary of state appoints him deputy-governor of Jamaica, giving him the power to fight piracy in the Caribbean, though he’s mostly concerned with capturing Blood. Arabella Bishop sails to Jamaica on Royal Mary in the company of Lord Julian Wade. Lord Julian wishes to locate Blood because he carries a commission from the secretary of state offering Blood clemency if he serves the king by ridding the Caribbean of piracy. Lord Julian discusses the renowned buccaneer with Arabella; he relates a version of the Levasseur story according to which Blood murdered Levasseur for the hand of Madeleine d’Ogeron.

Don Miguel, aboard Milagrosa, encounters Royal Mary and orders an attack. The Spaniards quickly vanquish the English; Don Miguel invites Arabella and Lord Julian to board his ship before the Royal Mary sinks. The Admiral explains to his English guests that they’re his hostages, and he’ll free them upon receiving a large ransom.