The French are out and causing havoc. Along the western colonial frontier in 1753 Ben Deland is on the edge of the conflict and finds himself in a life and death struggle to survive Indians, pirates and murderers. This young hunter, scout and ship’s captain has assembled a crew of loyal and capable men to help him face the perils of wilderness mountains and the dangers of the high seas. Ben foils an Indian attack and rescues victims of French Indian terror in the New York wooded hills. He then brings his sleek Bermuda sloop and crew down the Hudson to sea only to fall in love with a surprise passenger and be forced to defend his ship and true love from a deadly pirate attack and a pitched battle with French warships.
I really liked the sea ventures Captain Deland was involved in but not so much the land ventures that the book concluded with. Captain Ben Deland agrees to ferry passengers to South Carolina and ends up falling for the pretty daughter of the wealthy farmer he is transporting. As noted, I liked the storyline up to the point Captain Ben, Thomas and Bear go west looking for certain Indians at the request of young George Washington. This part doesn’t make a lot of sense. At any rate, the story overall is a decent read.