Abhineet Deovrat
ENG 111
Life Of A Pirate. Everyone on this planet live by following some form of code, ethics, pride and virtues. Everybody is different and the intensity of their drive makes them unforgettable, be it a fictional character or a living one. One such character is Captain Blood, created by the author Rafael Sabatini, is one such character that is not easily forgotten. Captain Bloods pride and virtues that he follows makes him an unforgettable character. The book opens with Peter Blood giving aid to an injured rebellion at the battle of Sedgemoor. Peter states that he will have no part in the rebellion and agrees to heal the wounded but he is still taken in for treason on the grounds that he was helping the rebellion of King James the II. While in court Judge Jeffreys rules out his judgement and convicts everyone to be hanged; Peter Blood claims that he was only doing his duties as a Physician and it was against his moral code to leave the wounded untreated. Judge Jeffreys wanted none of this and in the name of the king he condemned everybody to be hanged. Meanwhile the Colonies in the Americas needed slaves for work to which the king granted the prisoner that have not yet been hanged to be sent to the American colonies as slaves and be sold there. Peter Blood and the others were sent to a Caribbean Island of Barbados where they were to be sold as slaves. On the island Colonel Bishop get the first pick at the slaves and as he reaches Peter the Colonel deems Peter to be a nuisance and does not want him on his fields, but Peter is bought out by Arabella Bishop. Peter is not happy at this situation as now he is a slave to a master and this infuriates him, for according to Peter is demeaning to him. Arabella says that he should be fortunate that he was not bought by Dixon to work in the mines, to which Peter says that he hardly feels fortunate to be bought by any one. Peter’s pride as a man to be not owned by any one and he makes that very apparent in the eyes of Miss Arabella. During the course of his practice as a physician for the governor he hatched a plan to get of the island with a group of prisoners he knew from England. On the night of their escape a blessing in the disguise of a Spanish ship came to the port and started attacking Bridgetown Peter and his men escape the prison. As they reach the harbor for the boat that peter had acquired, they found out it had sunk so the only option left was to acquire the Spanish ship. Peter jumps in to the water and makes it to the Spanish ship and commandeers it for himself and brings his band of men on board and wait for the Spaniards to return so they can attack them and take the ship for themselves. The Spaniards had meanwhile conquered Bridgetown and were returning to their ship with all the loot, as they approached their ship they were attacked by Peter and destroyed. As the morning rose the colonel wanted to congratulate who ever took control of the Spanish ship and saved them, as the colonel got on the ship to his surprise it was Peter Blood who there to greet the good old colonel. The crew wanted the same faith for the colonel as the king wanted for them; by hanging but Peter who had dedicated his life to save people instead convinced the crew to toss him overboard and let him make it to the shore by himself. This is where Peter shows his virtue as not only a doctor but also as a human being to. On becoming Captain Blood he set out some rules that everyone aboard that ship was to follow from loot distribution to keeping woman and children against their will. Captain Blood rose to one of the best pirates on the Caribbean Sea and his virtues, convictions, and pride had helped him to stay on top. Captain Blood remained an honorable pirate as he only attacked Spanish ships since the Spanish were at war with England. Captain Blood continues his fighting against the Spanish, and in one daring battle, he rescues two people who had been hostages on a Spanish ship. The first of these is Arabella Bishop. Blood has long had an infatuation for Arabella, and it is hinted that Arabella returns these feelings however she is turned off by Blood's pirating life of which she had heard only untruthful stories. The other passenger is Lord Julian who informs Blood of the change of hand in the throne and now William and Mary were on the throne and as a result Blood's former conviction in a rebellion against James were nullified. Furthermore, England is at war with Spain and they want Blood's help. To which he reluctantly agrees due to colonel Bishop hunting down Blood, he quickly makes his escape. He does however gets Arabella and Julian safely ashore. Once again at sea, Blood happens upon a sinking ship. Blood's crew rescues the survivors where they find out that among the survivors are two ambassadors sent from England take Colonel Bishop's position as commander. Blood takes them to Port Royal where they find that Bishop has abandoned his post and also had taken the English Fleet in pursuit of blood. The ambassadors are angry at Bishop's incompetence, and they need a new governor for the island. They appoint Captain Blood to Colonel Bishop's old position. The Colonel is horrified by this turn of events once he returns home. Blood, however, is happy for the opportunity, particularly since it now puts him in position to pursue Arabella's affections. The mix of bravery, brains, virtues and pride is what makes the captain unforgettable. His wits and presence of mind has proved to be beneficial to him at many a times. His drive to please Arabella is also commendable. Even though he was a pirate he tried his best to lead an honorable crew and life and all this together makes him an unforgettable character.