Captain Blood

First published in 1922, “Captain Blood” is an entertaining tale of pirates by Rafael Sabatini, the Italian-English author of adventure and romance novels. “Captain Blood” tells the story of Dr. Peter Blood, an Irish physician who had traded his past life as a sailor and a soldier for a quiet life tending to his garden and patients in Somerset, England. Dr. Blood attends to the wounds of rebels injured in the Battle of Sedgemoor during the Monmouth Rebellion and is soon arrested for treason. While he did not actually participate in the rebellion and merely did what he felt he must, he is tried and convicted nonetheless. The sentence for treason is death, but King James II has the sentence commuted and instead sells Dr. Blood and his fellow rebels into slavery in the Caribbean. Dr. Blood continues to demonstrate his bravery and decency after he is bought by the cruel Colonel Bishop and takes advantage of a raid by Spanish forces to escape his new owner. Dr. Blood acquires a ship and quickly becomes the most successful pirate in the Caribbean, ultimately triumphing over his enemies and misfortune. “Captain Blood” remains a gripping and entertaining tale of pirates and high sea adventures. This edition includes a biographical afterword.