Captain Rundel III: Bend on a Sail and Watch Me Fly

Napoleon’s army of 600,000 has decided not to invade England and is headed to Russia. The Admiralty want to know what happens to Napoleon and his man in Russia. If they survive, they may return to France with over a million fighting men to attack England. If they fail, then England will be safe for a time. News travels slowly by land but faster by sea.

Ben and his ship are sent to the White Sea to the Solovetsky Islands to rendezvous with an English spy. Ben is warned to return as soon as possible to avoid the frozen Arctic seas. When the spy does not appear on time, Ben sets out towards Moscow with two trusted men. He watches Moscow burn and sees the long trail of Frenchmen, now starving, setting out on the long, bitter cold trek back to France. Only a few thousand of them ever make it, the rest starving or freezing on the way.

Ben heads back to his ship. He and his men are waylaid by brigands and he is injured, the rest killed. Ben struggles back to his ship on badly frost bitten feet. He finds his ship quickly freezing into the sea. His surgeon amputates some toes. Then they are off to England with the news of the French army.

Once he recovers, Ben is sent to the Caribbean to escort refugees from the colonies to safer places. War is already in progress over the seizure of American seamen by the British. On one trip, Ben is frustrated by the number of new babies that are born aboard ship. He takes part in the maneuvers at Plattsburg and is court martialled for using his medical skills to save American sailors. He is sent back on blockade duty. Later, he sees Washington burn and has to deal with spies among his own men.

Ben is injured again at New Orleans and Tom is captured by pirates and forced to serve with them. Eventually both men are sent home to recover. American and British history come together in these pages and light a fire to guide men in future so that they do not destroy all that has happened in the past that made them brothers.