Admiral (45 page)

Settlers were to be encouraged, the Duke said, and Heffer was empowered to make grants of land; every settler was to have, free of payment, fifty acres for himself and fifty more for each member of his family with him on the island. Parcels of one thousand acres could be sold to settlers, and the price was to be set by Heffer, but was to be the same for everyone. A land registry office was to be set up to record the grants and sales, and a civil register of births, deaths and marriages should be started, in addition to regular parish records.

The Duke then outlined how the island was to start to pay its own way. Notwithstanding the new policy towards Spain, any prizes bought in to the island would be condemned in the usual way by an Admiralty court, which Heffer was to set up, appointing a suitable person to act as judge, and for the first year the King’s tenth and the Lord High Admiral’s fifth was to be paid into the island’s exchequer.

Ned finished reading and handed the letter to Thomas. He then stared at Heffer, who promptly dropped his eyes. Finally Ned spoke. “You know, Heffer, your foolishness is beyond belief. Out there –” he gestured towards the anchorage “–are enough money, guns, powder and shot, settlers and ships to start Jamaica as a prosperous colony. Yet not twenty minutes ago you were going to arrest us; five minutes ago, hiding this letter, you were going to let us sail to another island. Heffer, if you are going to be typical of the governors of British colonies – and I fear you are – God help us all.”

“You’ll stay?”

“Sharpen your pen and get out the ink,” Ned said. “Don’t call for a clerk: I want an agreement written in your hand between you as governor and me as leader of the buccaneers in Port Royal to whom you have given letters of marque bearing your signature. We’ll have a copy made for you. Date it, and write in your own words as I dictate the substance. The sentry can witness your signature.

“From today the official currency of Jamaica will be the piece of eight, valued at five shillings. You let all shops, warehouses, inns, taverns and brothels function without interference. We will pay you the King’s share and the Duke of York’s share on the Portobelo purchase. You supply us with liquors and tobacco free of duty. We supply more guns, but you levy a payment in gunpowder on all ships trading here. A simple declaration of name, age and country of birth is all that will be needed to establish citizenship. You agree so far? Very well, let’s get on…”

Dates given are for first publication and (for Ramge series) year in which novel is set.

These Titles can be read as a series, or randomly as standalone novels

These Titles can be read as a series, or randomly as standalone novels

Published by House of Stratus

Buccaneer It is the 1650's and Spain considers the Caribbean to be its own private sea. But England, Holland and France conspire to battle for freedom on the oceans set in days littered with the plunder of piracy. Ned Yorke, a loyal Royalist living in Barbados has a small vessel and devoted crew and together they sail, hunted by Roundheads and Spaniards, determined to pay whatever the price for freedom from tyranny. What transpires is a colourful, dramatic retelling of historical events surrounding the capture of Jamaica and the infamous raid on Santiago.

Admiral Charles II returns from exile bringing with him unease to the Spanish Main. In this vivid description of seventeenth-century buccaneers, Ned Yorke, the leader and hero of the swashbuckling band are depended upon for the defence of Jamaica, fighting with captured Spanish guns. Daring raids on the Spanish seem inevitable, as Yorke sets out on the high seas to distant adventures on behalf of the King and his own honour.

Galleon As England falls under a blanket of peace with the restoration of Charles II, in distant Jamaica all is not well. Though there is peace with Spain, there is No Peace Beyond the Line. It seems that the West Indies have become the private estate of the King of Spain. But Ned Yorke, Admiral of the Brethren, leader of the Buccaneers will not kowtow to the new Governor in Jamaica who is bent on weakening the Island’s defences and destroying its currency. Ned Yorke and his Buccaneers must not remain idle. The third in a series set in the Caribbean, Dudley Pope reveals a masterful plot of subtle, seafaring lore wound around the tense excitement of adventure on the high seas.

Corsair In the 1660's Jamaica was an uneasy island, occupied by Spain but settled by the English and French. When Admiral of the Brethren, Ned Yorke, a brave, loyal Buccaneer, learns that Spain is mounting a Caribbean fleet perhaps to protect the treasures of Spanish ships, or carry an army to Jamaica, he vows to find out the truth. Yorke’s audacious attacks on Spanish camps reveal all and the Buccaneers must fight a bloody, desperate battle to try and hinder them.

Convoy A deadly game of cat and mouse unravels its way out of this spine tingling war story as Lieutenant Yorke must find an answer to one vital question: how are German U-Boats sinking merchant ships from inside the convoys? In this gripping saga of heroism and intrigue, Yorke discovers the fate of one entire convoy. Only his wit and daring can lead to its survival and that of himself.

Decoy It is February 1942 and the war in the Atlantic looks grim for the Allied convoys. The ‘Great Blackout’ has started, leaving the spy centre of Bletchley Park in Buckinghamshire at a loss as to what the Nazis are planning. U-boat Command has changed the Hydra cipher. The Enigma cannot be broken. Cipher experts can no longer eavesdrop on Nazi command, which leaves convoys open for attack by packs of marauding Nazi submarines. Winning the Battle of the Atlantic will surely give Hitler a final victory. And who can stop him?