Captain Blood · Chapters
Chapters explained
Chapter companions for Captain Blood by Rafael Sabatini.
Chapter 1
The Messenger
Peter Blood, a physician in Bridgewater, calmly tends his geraniums and smokes his pipe while the town erupts in support of Monmouth's rebellion. He views the uprising with cynical detachment, knowing the Duke's claim to the throne is illegitimate and foreseeing disaster. His neighbor, the messenger Jeremy Pitt, arrives with news of the battle and invites Blood to treat a wounded rebel, Lord Gildoy. Blood mounts behind Pitt, beginning his fateful journey.
Chapter 2
Kirke's Dragoons
Peter Blood and Jeremy Pitt arrive at Oglethorpe's farm to treat the wounded Lord Gildoy after the Battle of Sedgemoor. Captain Hobart of Kirke's dragoons invades the homestead, arrests Gildoy and Baynes, and discovers Pitt hiding. Blood cleverly invents a noble identity for Pitt to save him from summary execution, but Hobart remains threatening.
Chapter 3
III: The Lord Chief Justice
Peter Blood is finally brought to trial for high treason after two months of brutal imprisonment. The chapter details his march from Bridgewater to Taunton, his growing hatred for King James, and his contempt for the corrupt justice system. In the courtroom, Blood faces the infamous Lord Jeffreys, pleads not guilty, and witnesses the cynical proceedings that condemn him and his companions.
Chapter 4
IV: Human Merchandise
Peter Blood and his fellow rebels are spared execution due to a royal decree ordering transportation to the plantations. They are shipped aboard the Jamaica Merchant, where Blood's medical skills save lives during a sickness outbreak. Upon arrival in Barbados, they are inspected by Governor Steed and Colonel Bishop, and Blood is sold to Bishop for ten pounds, despite the intercession of Bishop's niece, Arabella.
Chapter 5
Arabella Bishop
Arabella Bishop encounters Peter Blood, now a slave but practicing as a physician due to his skill. Their conversation reveals Blood's unjust conviction and his resentment of his enslavement, though he acknowledges Arabella's role in his relatively comfortable condition. The chapter explores their developing acquaintance, Blood's prejudiced view of Arabella as akin to her uncle, and the arrival of a damaged English ship, the Pride of Devon, hinting at piratical conflict.
Chapter 6
VI: Plans of Escape
Peter Blood and Jeremy Pitt begin to plan an escape from slavery in Barbados. Blood secures a promise of financial help from Dr. Whacker, who hopes to be rid of a rival. Meanwhile, Blood's interactions with Arabella Bishop are strained after a previous misunderstanding. Pitt, nearly broken by plantation life, is revived by the hope of escape, and they agree to secretly recruit other trustworthy convicts, especially those with seafaring experience.
Chapter 7
VII: Pirates
Peter Blood tends to Jeremy Pitt, who has been brutally punished by Colonel Bishop. While Blood confronts Bishop, a Spanish pirate ship enters the bay, capturing the fort and changing the course of events.
Chapter 8
VIII: Spaniards
A Spanish privateer, the Cinco Llagas, commanded by Don Diego de Espinosa y Valdez, launches a surprise attack on Barbados, catching the defenders off guard. After a brutal battle, the Spaniards take Bridgetown and demand a ransom. Peter Blood ventures into the town, rescues Mary Traill from a Spanish soldier, and escorts her to safety at Colonel Bishop's house, where he urges Arabella Bishop and her household to flee north.
Chapter 9
The Rebels-Convict
Peter Blood leads a daring night raid to capture the Spanish ship Cinco Llagas, freeing himself and fellow convicts from slavery. They overpower the Spanish crew, then later confront Colonel Bishop, who arrives expecting gratitude. Blood spares Bishop's life but forces him to walk the plank as a lesson, while the rebels take control of the ship and treasure.
Chapter 10
X: Don Diego
Don Diego de Espinosa y Valdez awakens aboard his own ship, the Cinco Llagas, to find himself a prisoner of Captain Peter Blood, who has taken command. Blood offers Don Diego a choice: death or navigating the ship to Curaçao in exchange for freedom. Don Diego accepts the offer to save himself and his son.
Chapter 11
XI: Filial Piety
Captain Blood discovers that Don Diego de Espinosa has betrayed them by steering the captured Spanish ship Cinco Llagas toward his brother's flagship, the Encarnación. To force Don Diego to cooperate and avoid capture, Blood lashes him across a cannon's mouth and threatens to fire it if the Spanish admiral attacks. Don Diego's son, young Espinosa, pleads for his father's life, and Blood extracts a promise of safe passage. Meanwhile, Jeremy Pitt, recovering from his wounds, uses his knowledge of astronomy to realize they are not on course for Curaçao, exposing Don Diego's treachery.
Chapter 12
XII: Don Pedro Sangre
Captain Blood, disguised as Don Pedro Sangre, accompanies Don Esteban de Espinosa aboard the Spanish ship Encarnación to deliver treasure and a fabricated story to Admiral Don Miguel de Espinosa. Blood's performance and the gold convince the Admiral, who avoids direct knowledge of the raid on Barbados. After a tense exchange, Blood and Esteban return to the Cinco Llagas, where Blood later spares the Spanish prisoners, including Esteban, against the advice of his crew, demonstrating a rare mercy.
Chapter 13
XIII: Tortuga
This chapter reveals that the story of Captain Blood's exploits is preserved through the logs of Jeremy Pitt, who chronicles Blood's arrival at Tortuga. Pitt emphasizes that Blood and his companions did not intend to join the buccaneers but were driven by circumstance—dwindling resources, outlawry, and the tormenting thought of Arabella Bishop. Blood's fame grows after a successful cruise, and he is approached by the French privateer Levasseur, with whom he forms an uneasy alliance. Despite misgivings, Blood sails with Levasseur, and his reputation spreads across the Caribbean, drawing the enmity of the Spanish Admiral Don Miguel de Espinosa.
Chapter 14
XIV: Levasseur's Heroics
Levasseur receives a desperate letter from Madeleine d'Ogeron, who is being sent to Europe by her father. He abandons his agreement with Captain Blood to pursue the Dutch brig carrying her, capturing it and taking her aboard. After sustaining damage in the fight, Levasseur's ship is forced to seek shelter, where they are rejoined by Blood, who has captured a Spanish prize. Levasseur hides his actions from Blood, planning to later force the Governor of Tortuga to accept the situation.
Chapter 15
XV: The Ransom
Levasseur attempts to ransom the d'Ogeron siblings for twenty thousand pieces of eight, using Mademoiselle d'Ogeron as a hostage. Captain Blood intervenes, outbids Levasseur with pearls from the raid, and secures the prisoners' release. He then reveals his true intentions: to free them without payment, driven partly by a desire to redeem himself in the eyes of Arabella Bishop.
Chapter 16
The Trap
Captain Blood and his buccaneer fleet find themselves trapped in Lake Maracaybo by a superior Spanish force under Admiral Don Miguel de Espinosa. After raiding the city, they discover the Spanish have fortified the exit. Cahusac accuses Blood of leading them into a trap, but Blood defiantly rejects the Spanish admiral's offer of safe passage in exchange for surrender, instead demanding ransom and free passage. Despite the odds, Blood devises a desperate plan to break out, and the chapter ends with the buccaneers preparing to run the gauntlet of the Spanish fleet.
Chapter 17
XVII: The Dupes
Captain Blood faces the bitter aftermath of his naval victory, trapped in Maracaybo by a formidable fort. After a failed reconnaissance and a divided council, he negotiates with Deputy-Governor Don Francisco for ransom while dealing with the defection of Cahusac and his followers.
Chapter 18
The Milagrosa
Captain Blood's fame reaches new heights after his victory at Maracaybo, and he becomes a formidable buccaneer leader with a fleet of five ships. Meanwhile, the disgraced Spanish Admiral Don Miguel de Espinosa, consumed by hatred, turns pirate himself, hunting Blood and attacking English and French vessels. The chapter introduces three ships whose paths will converge: Blood's flagship the Arabella, the Spanish galleon Milagrosa under Don Miguel, and an English man-of-war carrying Lord Julian Wade, who is on a secret mission from Lord Sunderland to negotiate with Blood. The narrative also reveals Colonel Bishop's frustrated efforts to capture Blood and Sunderland's plan to enlist Blood into the King's service.
Chapter 19
The Meeting
Captain Blood spares Don Miguel de Espinosa despite Lord Julian's protests, declaring himself a pirate and thus merciful to his kind. The next morning, Don Miguel's fleet encounters Blood's ship, the Arabella, and a battle ensues. Miss Bishop and Lord Julian watch from the Spanish ship as Blood outmaneuvers the Spanish vessels, firing a devastating broadside that cripples both enemy ships.
Chapter 20
XX: Thief and Pirate
Captain Blood broods alone on his ship after Arabella Bishop calls him a thief and pirate, grappling with the conflict between his love for her and the bitterness her words have awakened. Meanwhile, Lord Julian Wade observes the tension and questions Miss Bishop about her past with Blood, learning of his rescue of Mademoiselle d'Ogeron and his decision to alter course to return them to Jamaica.
Chapter 21
XXI: The Service of King James
Captain Blood, facing certain destruction from the approaching Jamaica fleet, accepts Lord Julian's offer of a King's commission to save his crew. He announces his decision to the men, who largely welcome it as a reprieve from death, though some like Wolverstone object. Blood secures terms that allow dissenters to depart freely. Miss Arabella Bishop commends his choice, and Blood reveals he made the sacrifice for her. When Captain Calverley arrives from Colonel Bishop to demand surrender, Blood and Lord Julian confront him with the commission, stunning the officer.
Chapter 22
Hostilities
Captain Blood, now holding a King's commission, finds himself in a precarious position in Port Royal. He is caught between the hostility of Colonel Bishop, the Deputy-Governor, and his own longing for Arabella Bishop, who avoids him. Blood receives a summons from Bishop and, despite warnings from Jeremy Pitt, decides to go ashore, aware that he carries his life in his hands. He encounters Arabella in the garden, where their conversation is tense and revealing.
Chapter 23
Hostages
Captain Blood confronts Colonel Bishop and Lord Julian Wade, having taken Bishop hostage aboard his ship to ensure safe departure from Port Royal. He reveals he sent Wolverstone to Tortuga to warn the remaining buccaneer fleet, aiming to disband them peacefully. Tensions rise as Bishop threatens a court-martial, while Blood remains defiant, using hostages to secure his position.
Chapter 24
War
Lord Julian, driven by jealousy, betrays his pledge to Arabella and allies with Colonel Bishop to destroy Captain Blood. Bishop and Julian sail to hunt Blood, but return empty-handed to news of war with France and political upheaval in England. Bishop later releases Blood's hostage, and the two men plot to attack Tortuga under cover of war to eliminate Blood.
Chapter 25
The Service of King Louis
Captain Blood returns to Tortuga in a state of despair, haunted by Arabella's scorn. He finds his fleet waiting but remains listless and apathetic, neglecting his duties and sinking into drunkenness. M. de Cussy proposes that Blood and his men enter the service of King Louis XIV of France under M. de Rivarol, offering regular commissions and a share of prizes. After consulting his officers, Blood agrees, and the articles are signed. However, Blood's heart is not in it; he is consumed by inner turmoil, and even Wolverstone's efforts to rouse him fail. The chapter ends with Blood's degeneration and the growing impatience of his men.
Chapter 26
XXVI: M. de Rivarol
Captain Blood and his captains meet with M. de Rivarol, the newly arrived French general, at Petit Goave. Blood is disgruntled and defiant, challenging Rivarol's haughty demeanor and his proposal to raid Cartagena for plunder rather than pursue a campaign that upholds French honor. Blood accuses Rivarol of piracy and withdraws from the council, though the fleet ultimately sails for Cartagena.
Chapter 27
XXVII: Cartagena
The French fleet arrives at Cartagena in early April. M. de Rivarol proposes a plan of assault based on maps, but Captain Blood, who had previously surveyed the city, points out its deceptive defenses. Blood declines the honor of leading the assault as ordered, instead offering a revised plan that involves storming the fort from the landward side. Despite French blunders, the buccaneers' fury secures victory. Cartagena surrenders, and Rivarol imposes harsh terms, plundering the city while claiming it as a French colony. Blood later reports the capture of the outer fort and suggests a strategy to take the inner harbor and the strategic heights, which Rivarol accepts.
Chapter 28
The Honour of M. de Rivarol
Captain Blood confronts M. de Rivarol over the buccaneers' share of the spoils from Cartagena, but the Baron dismisses him. Rivarol then flees with the treasure, prompting Blood and his men to give chase. During the pursuit, they hear gunfire off Port Royal and discover a burning English ship, with Rivarol's Victorieuse among the receding squadron.
Chapter 29
XXIX: The Service of King William
Captain Blood rescues Lord Willoughby and Admiral van der Kuylen after their flagship is attacked by the French. He learns of the Glorious Revolution, King James's flight, and the accession of William III, which ends his outlawry. Blood decides to defend Port Royal against the French fleet under Rivarol, proposing to block the harbor if necessary to prevent the escape of the Cartagena treasure.
Chapter 30
XXX: The Last Fight of the Arabella
Captain Blood, with Lord Willoughby and Admiral van der Kuylen, waits strategically before engaging the French fleet under M. de Rivarol at Port Royal. After the fort falls, Blood leads a daring boarding action against the Victorieuse, despite the Arabella taking heavy damage and beginning to sink. Through desperate grapnel work and fierce hand-to-hand combat, the buccaneers capture the French ship, though the Arabella is lost. Blood's leadership and resourcefulness turn certain defeat into victory, earning Willoughby's admiration.
Chapter 31
His Excellency the Governor
Captain Blood is offered the governorship of Jamaica by Lord Willoughby, accepts, and begins his duties. He orders Colonel Bishop arrested upon his return, but intends to send him back to Barbados rather than exact vengeance. Arabella Bishop visits him, and after a tense exchange, they reconcile and confess their love for each other.
