Captain Blood · Chapters

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Chapter companions for Captain Blood by Rafael Sabatini.

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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.

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The Messenger

Kirke's Dragoons

III: The Lord Chief Justice

IV: Human Merchandise

Arabella Bishop