Captain Blood (1935) - full transcript
Arrested during the Monmouth Rebellion and falsely convicted of treason, Dr. Peter Blood is banished to the West Indies and sold into slavery. In Port Royal, Jamaica the Governor's daughter Arabella Bishop buys him for £10 to spite her uncle, Col. Bishop who owns a major plantation. Life is hard for the men and for Blood as well. By chance he treats the Governor's gout and is soon part of the medical service. He dreams of freedom and when the opportunity strikes, he and his friends rebel taking over a Spanish ship that has attacked the city. Soon, they are the most feared pirates on the seas, men without a country attacking all ships. When Arabella is prisoner, Blood decides to return her to Port Royal only to find that it is under the control of England's new enemy, France. All of them must decide if they are to fight for their new King.
Dr. Blood!
Who is it?
That we'll know better
when you've opened the door.
Me?
My mistake. After I've opened the door.
Open it, quick!
Why, Jeremy Pitt, isn't it?
It's your friend, Lord Gildoy, wounded
at Andrew Baynes' farm by the river.
- The rash fool.
- He sent me for you. No time to lose.
Why, to be sure, I'll lose none,
nor my head either.
Come in and regain yours
while I get my things.
- I'll wait here.
- As you please.
Come, Mrs. Barlow, help me dress.
Jeremy, how was the battle?
Battle? Slaughter, rather!
What can clubs do against cannon?
In case this business keeps me overlong,
take care you water my geraniums...
especially those
under the bedroom window.
Geraniums. Won't you ever grow up?
One would think you were still
at medical school.
Geraniums!
You would think of geraniums...
when every other able-bodied man
is out fighting.
It's out of favor I seem to be with you,
my vinegary virgin.
- Half the town is saying you're a papist.
- Why?
Because I have the sense to sleep tonight
instead of rushing to my ruin...
in an attempt to put
this Duke of Monmouth on the throne?
He'd be even worse than King James.
Make haste with that cloak there,
my pretty one.
And the other half of the town
that defends you...
claims that you're just a coward.
Mrs. Barlow, my darling,
you can tell them, if you like...
that I've been most anywhere
that fighting was in evidence.
Fought for the French against the Spanish,
and the Spanish against the French...
and I learned my seamanship
in the Dutch Navy.
But having had adventure enough
in six years to last me six lives...
I came here, hung up the sword,
and picked up the lancet.
Became a man of peace and not of war.
A healer, not a slayer...
and that I am going to be as long as
I'm on top of the sod and not under it.
- Will you be back for breakfast?
- Who knows, my pretty one?
The worst is done, my friend.
Give your mind peace.
The King's men!
There's nothing to fear.
This is a Christian country.
Christian men don't make war
on the wounded...
or those who shelter them.
I'm Capt. Hobart of Col. Kirke's dragoons.
What rebels do you harbor?
No rebels. This wounded gentleman...
No need to ask
how he came by his wounds.
A rebel. Out with him.
This man can't be moved
without peril to his life.
Who the devil may you be?
Peter Blood, Medicinae Baccalaureus.
Don't fling your French at me.
Latin, my dull friend.
It means I'm a doctor.
Or a liar.
If your wit were as big as your voice,
it's the great man you'd be for this.
You may find me great enough
to hang you!
Yes, I don't doubt it.
You've the looks and manners
of a hangman.
Take him away, and the others, too!
"ln the name of His Majesty,
Our Sovereign Lord...
"prisoners of the Crown,
you stand indicted...
"for having maliciously
and traitorously conspired...
"to change, alter, and wholly to subvert
the ancient government...
"of this Kingdom of England.
"Therefore, you are charged
with high treason...
"against the most illustrious
and most excellent...
"Prince James II by the grace of God...
"of England, Scotland, France,
and Ireland, King.
"Having no fear of God in your hearts...
"and being moved
and seduced by the devil...
"you have failed in the love
of due obedience toward the King...
"and have moved to disturb
the tranquility of the nation...
"and to stir up war to depose said king
from title...
"honor, and the regal name
of the imperial crown.
"Therefore, you are here to be tried
before His Majesty's Commissioner...
"the Lord Chief Justice,
Baron Jeffreys of Wem...
"and by a jury of 12 good men and true."
James Haynsworth, hold up your hand.
- Guilty or not guilty?
- Guilty.
- Harold Carron, guilty or not guilty?
- Guilty.
- Andrew Baynes, guilty or not guilty?
- Guilty.
- Jeremy Pitt, guilty or not guilty?
- Guilty.
- John Wolverstone, guilty or not guilty?
- Guilty.
Uriah Ogle, guilty or not guilty?
Guilty. Praise the Lord.
Henry Hagthorpe, guilty or not guilty?
Guilty.
- Lord Chester Dyke, guilty or not guilty?
- Guilty.
Peter Blood, guilty or not guilty?
It's entirely innocent, I am.
Take the stand and face His Lordship.
Are you guilty or not guilty?
You must use the right words.
Words, is it? Not guilty.
And speaking of words, I'd like to
say a few about the injustice...
of keeping an innocent man
locked up for three months...
in such filth and heat and ill-feeding
that my chief regret is I didn't try...
to pull down the filthy fellow
that sits on the throne.
Silence!
Are you entirely ignorant
of the proper procedure of the court?
Most happily ignorant up to now.
I could gladly have done
without this acquaintance.
Enough of this.
There is nothing more to be said,
except the passing of sentence.
May it please Your Lordship,
but there's a deal more to be said!
Silence!
- How now, fellow?
- There is the little matter of my defense.
Very well, then...
but in heaven's name, be brief, man.
We have much to do.
I am guilty of nothing, my lord...
unless it be adjudged a crime
that a man try to live peaceably.
Living peaceably
with the army of Monmouth?
I was not with Monmouth's army, my lord.
I was arrested while engaging
in my profession as physician.
What's this?
You tell us you're a doctor, you rogue?
And as such was summoned
to the aid of Lord Gildoy...
by Jeremy Pitt, who can so testify.
Master Pitt will testify.
He that is himself a confessed traitor.
- Ls that your witness?
- There is also Andrew Baynes.
Master Baynes
will have enough testifying...
in a useless effort
to keep his own neck from the halter.
I can bring a hundred from Bridgwater,
the town where I live.
We've no time for all this.
If these other traitors
are as stubborn as you...
I may sit here till the next assizes.
Very well, then.
There's a witness I'll give you
that you can't deny:
yourself, sir.
For if I'm not physician,
how is it I know that you're a dying man?
The death to which you're dooming
hundreds of poor men daily...
in a frantic effort to send their souls
to perdition before your own...
is a light pleasantry...
compared to the bleeding death
in the lungs...
to which the great Judge
has condemned you.
Now, fellow,
we'll be done with the witnesses...
and I will convict you
out of your own rascally mouth.
When this Pitt came to summon you,
as you claim...
did you know you were called
to attend another rebel?
My business was with his wounds,
not his politics.
Did you know the law...
that any person who does
knowingly receive, harbor, comfort...
or succor a rebel
is as guilty as if he himself bore arms?
I only knew my sacred duty as a physician.
Your sacred duty, rogue, is to your king!
I thought it was to my fellow man.
It's a fearful thing
to send a man's soul to perdition...
but I am bound by my conscience...
and my love of my king to deal out justice.
Therefore, I instruct you,
gentlemen of the jury...
that inasmuch as Peter Blood
has admitted...
aiding a traitor to your king...
you do bring in a verdict of guilty...
that he may be hanged...
for the high treason he has committed.
What a creature must sit on the throne...
who lets a man like you
deal out his justice.
- Your Majesty.
- Sunderland, what brings you here?
These numerous hangings.
Splendid, aren't they?
We kill the rebels, we kill the rebellion.
Very true, Your Majesty...
but a foolish waste
of valuable human flesh.
How so?
Your Majesty's colonies in the West Indies
are urgently in need of slaves.
A healthy, vigorous man
can be reckoned worth from £10 to £20.
Splendid, Sunderland.
Send out word immediately that the King
is graciously pleased to command...
that all rebels convicted
but not yet hanged...
be gathered together...
and shipped by the first available boats
to the Americas.
Give us water!
There are men dying down here.
You'd think they'd take better care
of a valuable cargo like us.
Ahoy, the deck! Land sighted, Port Royal!
It's a truly royal clemency we're granted,
my friends...
one well worthy of King James.
He spares us the mercifully quick
extinction of the hangman's rope...
and gives the slow death of slavery.
He grants us our lives
in exchange for a living death.
It's an uncertain world entirely.
"Be it known, men, that these prisoners
who stand before you...
"are now to be sold at a right
and fitting price.
"They may be put to labor
in the sulfur mines...
"or on the plantations
for a period of 10 years.
"And the parties
to whom they are assigned...
"must enter into security
for the proper punishment...
"of their offense."
His Excellency, the Governor of Port Royal.
Guards, attention! Present muskets.
Good day, Captain. Lovely day, isn't it?
Or is it?
- Good day, Dixon.
- Good day, Governor.
I suppose we can begin this sale now,
Governor.
No, better wait for Col. Bishop.
He has the privilege
of being late for everything.
Yes, I know.
There he is.
- Good afternoon, Col. Bishop.
- Good afternoon, Governor.
Good afternoon, Miss Arabella.
How is my darling, the Governor,
and his foot?
Every day I think my gout
can't get any worse...
and every day it does.
My dear Colonel,
according to the King's request...
it is for you to take first choice
of this dainty nosegay...
and at your own price.
Egad, they're an appalling lot...
not likely to be of much value
on the plantation.
The less you want, the more for Dixon.
- Dixon? Uncle, I wish you'd buy them all.
- Buy them all?
To keep them out of Dixon's hands.
I perceive somebody's been talking
behind my back...
telling the truth.
- And you can joke.
- Arabella dear, don't be childish.
These men are rebels against their king.
They should be hanged, drawn,
and quartered.
- Any fate they meet is too good for them.
- Your uncle is right.
- Let the sale commence.
- My foot!
My dear, the law is the law,
and it's His Majesty's law...
and must be obeyed.
The best of the lot.
Open your mouth.
- £20.
- Sold!
Sold to Col. Bishop for £20.
- As if he were buying horses.
- Yes, quite.
- Same price.
- This is Jeremy Pitt, ship's pilot...
young and sturdy.
- Same price.
- Sold!
Sold to Col. Bishop for £20.
Quiet!
Open your mouth.
His pride has bought him a ticket
to Dixon's mines.
He isn't there yet.
- My dear, consider your social position!
- Uncle!
- Which one?
- That one.
- Him? I will not.
- But I want you to.
No. Let him cool his head
in Dixon's mines. I'll have none of him.
- £5.
- £5? That's an insulting sum to offer.
- Does anyone offer more?
- £6.
£7.
You're making an exhibition of yourself...
a girl like you,
bidding for a slave before these people.
- Will you buy him?
- Certainly not.
£8.
When a lady's interested in a man....
Calm down, Dixon,
£8 is nothing for such a man...
a skilled physician,
a gentleman, and a scholar.
- All right, £9.
- £10!
It's apparent Miss Bishop wants him
more than I do.
Sold to Miss Arabella Bishop for £10.
Sold!
£10, sold.
What would you like done with him,
Miss Bishop?
Why, I don't know.
You're extremely foolish.
It might have cost you your life.
It was fortunate for you
that I was here to save you.
I hardly consider it fortunate to be bought
by anyone by the name of Bishop.
You could learn a lesson in gratitude.
I could thank for not interfering.
As it happens, you are hardly in a position
to have anything to say about it.
You may join the others belonging
to my uncle...
and henceforth you may take your orders
from him.
Your very humble slave, Miss Bishop.
Come on. Move on, there.
Last night, this dog attempted to escape.
Today you'll see what happens
to those who forget...
that my friend King James
did you all a favor...
in saving you from your just fate
on the gallows.
Show them the iron, Kent.
F-T.
Whoever wears that brand
is known as a fugitive traitor...
and will be treated as such.
Burn those letters in your brain...
lest they be burned on your hides, too.
There speaks a fit friend for King James
if ever I heard one.
Would I had him and his friend James
roasting on a spit over that fire.
Great would be the burning thereof
and loud the rejoicing in Heaven.
Do your duty!
What a cruel shame
that any man is made to suffer so.
- This beastly gout!
- Perhaps a new dressing will help.
Perhaps.
- I have it here.
- Put it down.
So sorry, Doctor.
Easy, you clumsy louts!
- We won't hurt you, Governor.
- You thick-fingered jackasses!
His Excellency will have his little joke.
Lll-begotten bunglers!
- Blundering pill peddlers!
- Your Excellency...
That is the final straw.
Out of this house...
and never let me see your faces again.
- But think of our reputations.
- Hang your reputations!
Leave me! I don't want to see you again!
Away! Out!
I don't want to see you!
Out into the streets!
Stop shouting.
You brought on my headache again.
Good! Hannibal, come take my crutch.
Easy, now. Help me up with my foot.
No remedy. Why, thank you, dear.
Why doesn't His Excellency
try another doctor?
Another doctor?
There are only those two
on this wretched island...
- and each one is worse than his partner.
- There is another.
And according to what I've heard,
he became a slave by being a doctor.
A slave?
Would you elevate a slave
to the position of doctor to the Governor?
- Ls he a good doctor?
- I don't know.
Why are you laughing?
I'm just thinking how annoyed
Peter Blood would be...
if I did him another favor.
Your Excellency, there are diverse citizens
of this sovereign island...
who come before you with complaints.
Complaints, complaints.
Can none of my citizens
follow the example of their governor...
who endures the utmost agony
without a murmur?
- Easy there, fellow.
- Did I hurt you, sir?
No, but I thought you were going to.
Your Excellency,
this vagrant hides his sins...
behind the name of Honesty Nuttall.
- He's charged with being in debt.
- State your case, fellow, and no lies.
I was on the way to pay the butcher
on Tuesday...
as Honesty Nuttall is my name,
when I chanced on a poor old beggar.
It was Jones from the grog shop...
who begged me to have a drink with him.
Try standing on it, Your Honor.
Stand on that bundle of pain? Impossible.
I remembered in time my poor
starving wife in need of the five bob.
What is this all about? Silence!
- Sit down.
- What's he here for?
For debt, Your Excellency,
and the prevaricator...
If it's for debt,
don't annoy me with such petty things.
Order him to work it off.
Work? Not that, anything but work.
What's your trade?
I'm a ship's carpenter
when the painful necessity arises.
Take him to work on the docks...
and don't you attempt to escape
till every farthing's paid...
or I'll stretch your hide on the rack!
Escape? How could a debtor escape
from this island...
even if he had a boat to do it with?
I couldn't escape any more
than a slave could escape.
I can walk.
Wonderful, my dear fellow.
Only two months' treatment,
and I'm a well man.
It's a miracle.
- The next complaint...
- Drat the next complaint. I can walk.
Come, Doctor.
You'll get your reward for this,
Peter Blood.
- From now on, you're my physician.
- Your Excellency is too kind.
Come back early tomorrow.
You're always welcome, Dr. Blood.
Hello.
Don't I know you?
A lady should know her own property.
- My property?
- Let me refresh your memory.
My name is Peter Blood,
and I'm worth precisely £10.
Forgive me for not recognizing you,
Dr. Blood.
You're so changed...
for the better.
The Governor tells me
I have you to thank for that.
You don't sound very grateful, Dr. Blood.
Do you think I'd be
grateful for an easy life
when my friends are
treated like animals?
It's they deserve your favors, not I.
They're all honest rebels.
I was snoring in my bed
while they were trying to free England...
from an unclean tyrant.
I believe you're talking treason.
I hope I'm not obscure.
- You could be flogged for that.
- No.
The Governor would never allow it.
He has the gout.
You depend upon that?
I intend to, for all it's worth,
and that promises to be considerable.
But you'd hardly know about that.
You've probably never had the gout.
- Good afternoon, Miss Bishop.
- Good afternoon.
15-2, 15-4, and a pair are six.
- Another?
- What else is there to do...
ever since you ruined the Governor's foot
and our reputations with it?
- I ruined the Governor's foot?
- I tell you, Doctor, you're methods are...
- Someone coming.
- A patient?
A patient!
- I beg your pardon, Doctor. I'm so sorry.
- Lt's all right.
Come in.
Good afternoon, colleagues. Dr. Bronson.
- Dr. Whacker.
- Good afternoon.
How's business, my friends?
- Terrible.
- Good.
- Terribly good.
- That relieves me.
I had heard that things
were not altogether....
ldle gossip, obviously.
You intend to remain here?
Remain here? Why not?
It's queer.
There are you, free to come and go as
you please, and you choose to stay here.
While I, who hate this
pestilential island....
Such are the quirks
of circumstance.
I must be running along, gentlemen.
Good day, gentlemen.
It's pleasant to see
everything so prosperous with you here.
- Not so hasty.
- Just a moment.
There's something I'd like to ask you.
Well, gentlemen?
Have you been thinking of leaving us,
Doctor?
Leaving? Now, Doctor.
How could a slave think of leaving?
Or even if he were fool enough to try,
by what means could he hope to escape?
And where, for example,
could he raise the few pounds necessary...
to purchase even a small boat?
- We might supply it.
- You?
- Now, gentlemen.
- Now, let's talk this thing over.
Now, if you'll just sit down here.
Now then, how much will you need?
£20 might buy a small wherry,
£10 more might equip it.
He's right.
- He means...
- You needn't tell me what he means.
I know two Christian gentlemen
when I see them.
Two men whose hearts are bleeding
for a brother doctor in distress.
But it's too much to ask,
too noble a gesture to hope for.
No, my good man, not at all.
But who would buy the boat?
We would not dare,
and you, a slave, you could not.
True.
That would be my part. To find someone.
A man as eager to escape as I.
- A man held here for debt, say.
- Then it's a bargain?
Gentlemen,
you've opened for me the gates of hope.
Doctor.
- My dear colleague.
- Gentlemen.
Now we have him.
We've only to get him involved
and reveal his plan.
He'll steal very little of our business
when he's in irons.
Gentlemen.
There's one thing slipped
my mind entirely.
Simple-minded men might think this
an opportunity for trickery...
but brilliant men like yourselves
will remember in what favor I stand...
with the Governor
in contrast to some others...
and how little their words
would weigh against mine.
Heigh-ho for the Governor's foot!
Good day, gentlemen.
- Are you all with me?
- Yes.
Listen.
There's a man named Nuttall
who's in trouble with the Governor.
He's looking for a small boat
which he'll purchase...
on the night chosen for our escape.
- Escape?
- Quiet!
While he gathers stores and equipment,
we must be ready on the inside.
We might steal some sugarcane knives
and hack through the stockade walls.
Or dig our way under.
Once at sea, if we get there,
our troubles will have just begun.
If any of you want to withdraw,
now's the time.
- No.
- Not me.
You'll be a lubber crew, but I'll match
your hearts against any other.
We can thank our stars for Jeremy Pitt.
He was a ship's pilot.
Here's one you won't have to teach.
Six years in King James' Navy.
- What?
- That's nothing. I was a blooming gunner.
- A gunner?
- Ln the King's Navy, too.
I was always ashamed of it up to now.
We'll have a crew yet!
Any of you others
been keeping such secrets?
Where's Baynes?
- Where is he?
- He tried to escape today.
No! Caught?
- Branded?
- Yeah.
No!
Why did you do it, Andy?
I told you I'd try to get you out.
I couldn't stand it any longer.
I couldn't stand it.
I was going mad.
What do you think a man is made of?
How much do you think he can stand?
"Watchman, what of the night?"
lsaiah 21:1 1.
Don't make the purchase
until well on in the evening.
That way there'll be less risk...
of anyone wondering where you came by
the money.
Lumme, Captain. lt ain't too
late for us to change our minds.
Stow the provisions away on board
as soon as it's dark.
Then all you've got to do is sit down here
and wait for us.
Is that all?
Wait all alone in the blooming dark...
waiting for someone to come along
and nab me.
Nuttall, my lad,
there's just one other little thing.
Could you find me a good piece of timber
about so thick and so long?
Yes, I think so.
Then do so and lash it to your spine.
It needs stiffening.
Courage. I'll join you at midnight.
How long does it take to feed
this pack of dogs?
It's a wonder we make a profit at all.
You don't drive them hard enough.
Get them out of here!
I've just been with Nuttall at the boat.
It's tonight.
- At last!
- For heaven's sake, command yourself.
- Tonight, Hagthorpe.
- Caution above everything.
He who goes slowly, goes safely.
Remember, Jeremy,
you're the only navigator among us.
Without you, there's no escape.
Hello, Uncle!
Riding again? What do you plan to see
riding always the same road?
You'd be surprised what interesting things
there are to see on this island...
if you only keep your eyes open.
Today, for instance, I saw something
that you'd give 1,000 ducats to know.
Stores and equipment
are all stowed away onboard.
We could use more food,
but there's no money left.
I'm not taking any chances
by asking our medical friends for more.
I told Nuttall we'd get to the boat
by midnight.
Jeremy, we must not fail tonight.
What the devil have you been up to?
Tonight will be a fine night,
judging by the sky.
There you are, Pitt. Keep it covered up
and it should heal in a day or so.
Miss Bishop. You looking for me, sir?
Yes. You, stop!
What's the matter? Why are you shaking?
Nothing. l....
What's going on between you two?
Why, nothing. The man has a bad leg.
I'll tend to you later.
Where have you been?
I've been at my work,
attending to the Governor.
You lie.
Do I?
The Governor's had another attack of gout.
He's been screaming for you
like a wounded horse all the afternoon.
Then it appears
I was not with the Governor.
Then where have you been?
- Why, I've been at....
- He was with me, Uncle.
What?
Thank you for protecting my reputation,
Dr. Blood, but it was a useless gallantry.
My uncle knows that I spend my time
with whomever I please.
You might choose your company
with better taste.
His Excellency's waiting for you!
Here, Kent, lend him your horse.
Yes, sir.
Otherwise, the lout will be all night
getting there.
Will I be required there long, sir?
You're afraid your work will interfere
with your social affairs?
If I get back late, before midnight,
could I get back into the stockade?
Will you stay here talking all night?
Be off with you!
Take him to the stockade!
Go on, get along in there.
If he talks, we're lost.
Well?
It seems that you're continually
doing me favors.
- I don't know why.
- Neither do I.
Yes, I do.
It's because you're so very grateful
and always thank me so prettily.
Sure now, you don't blame me
for resenting you and your favors.
This is interesting. I've had men tell me
they had reasons for admiring me...
and some have even laid claims
to reasons for loving me...
but for a man to store up reasons
for resenting me, how refreshing.
You must tell me a few of them.
The first is reason enough.
You bought me.
I've had no lack of experiences in my time,
but to be bought and sold was a new one.
I was in no mood to thank my purchaser.
That I can understand. Go on.
I've resented you because your name
is Bishop.
My thoughts have lumped you
with your uncle.
How was I to know
that a devil could have....
That a devil could have an angel
for a niece?
From a resentful man,
that is a pretty fair compliment.
Have you any more reasons
for resenting me like that one?
Indeed, I have. And the strongest of all...
I've resented you
because you're beautiful, and I'm a slave.
Do you understand that?
I don't know.
Perhaps if you were to
explain further, I....
I've already talked too much.
I'll open your mouth!
You'll stay here
without food or water until you talk.
- Why did you lie to your uncle?
- Because....
Dr. Blood,
you're a physician and should know.
Is it not considered unhealthy
for a slave to be seen at a boat?
- Why should it be?
- Boats put out to sea.
Slaves may not.
You're jumping to conclusions, aren't you?
Am I?
The Governor will be waiting for you.
Yes.
Miss Bishop, it's difficult
for an Irishman to apologize.
But I hope you can forgive me
for having thought badly of you.
I will, if you tell me
how you think of me now.
How I think of you now? I think of you....
I think of you as the woman who owns me.
Her slave.
But I think the man is lucky
who can count you his friend.
I think you know you can.
Your slave is grateful
for all marks of favor.
When you forget your slavery
and go so far...
Now there, you're mistaken.
However far this slave may go,
he won't forget.
It's a characteristic we Irish
have in common with the elephants.
Hello. Where are you going?
You're so much improved,
I was returning to the stockade.
Don't leave me tonight. I'm a sick man.
I assure you, sir,
there's nothing more I can do.
There must be something.
Perhaps you ought to bleed me again.
Very well, then, if you wish it.
But mind, no more softness about this.
I'm gonna have you well by midnight
if I have to bleed you to death.
- Who goes there?
- Peter Blood.
- Jeremy, what's happened?
- Water.
Easy, lad.
I didn't tell him. I didn't.
- Tell him what, Jeremy?
- About our plans.
My back.
Help me.
- Who did this?
- Bishop.
Bishop. Swine!
I didn't tell him. I didn't.
- Ls our boat still standing in at the bay?
- Yes, Jeremy.
I wondered if I was still out of my mind.
I've been seeing boats
sailing in and out...
in and out, but ours will never sail.
Not now.
Or if it does, you'll sail without me.
What?
And get lost at sea without our navigator?
- Nonsense, lad.
- We are not going this time.
It's hopeless for all of us.
We'll manage somehow.
- What are you doing here?
- Doing?
Why, the duties of my office.
I said he was to have
no food nor drink till I ordered.
Sure now, I never heard you.
How could you? You weren't here.
Then how do you expect me
to know what orders you've given?
In the name of humanity!
If you know the word.
- You dare take that tone with me?
- Yes, I do!
I've been too soft with you...
but that shall be mended.
Kent, tie him up!
Had it easy here up to now. Get up there.
Now I'll take this rod to you...
until there's not an inch of hide left
on your dirty carcass.
Another beating?
This will be a good half-dozen of them
you've given me in promise.
This will be as real as it is overdue.
And what becomes of His Excellency
the Governor's gouty foot?
You'll not save yourself with that device
this time. Nothing will save you.
Pirates! Spanish pirates!
This is what I call a timely interruption.
Though what will come of it,
the devil himself only knows.
We've got to get through the town
to get to the boat.
Wait here, lads.
It's me. Mr. Nuttall.
You came close to being
the ex-Mr. Nuttall.
Wouldn't be the first death I died today.
We can't stay here waiting for them
to catch sight of us.
Let's get to the boat down this way.
Sunk to the bottom of the briny.
And it sunk our hopes with it.
- Perhaps not.
- What do you mean, Peter?
- He's gonna take a bath?
- Yes, but not for cleanliness.
Since the Spaniards have been
thoughtless enough to sink our craft...
I'll see if I can't persuade them
to lend us one of theirs.
Your Excellency,
facts are so often dull and deplorable.
Nevertheless, at the risk of boring you...
it is my painful duty to inform you
that 250 of my men...
are now complete masters
of the town of Port Royal.
Your most worthy islanders
have been disarmed...
and your city is now
absolutely in the hands...
of the forces of His Majesty
King Philip of Spain.
Now that you have our city,
what do you want with it?
For a price,
I could forebear reducing it to ashes.
- What price?
- 200,000 pieces of eight.
200,000 pieces of eight?
That's why we waited till this morning
to put to sea.
We've a message for those Spaniards.
They are on their way now to receive it.
- Hagthorpe, man the guns!
- Clear deck!
- All ready, Hagthorpe?
- Aye, Peter, ready.
Give them a taste of their own iron!
You've done it, Hagthorpe!
Hurrah!
Didn't I tell you I was a gunner, sir?
You did that,
you son of a Yorkshire steer...
and bless your rusty heart,
it's a gunner you are!
It's the Governor.
It must be that some brave party
of citizens captured the ship.
I think you're right.
Someone should go aboard
and congratulate them.
Yes. My foot.
Since your gout so unhappily
prevents you, allow me to be the one.
Go ahead. You've always wanted
to be governor anyway.
Don't be nervous.
- Man those sweeps.
- Aye, sir.
- Shall we hoist anchor, Peter?
- Aye. Get under way.
There's another boat approaching.
It looks like Col. Bishop.
- Who?
- Bishop.
The fool would come blundering
in just now.
- I'll make short work of him.
- No, Hagthorpe, none of that.
But.... Who....
Welcome aboard the Cinco Lagos,
Colonel darling.
You? Was it....
Peter Blood, was it you, then, who took
this ship and turned defeat into victory?
Myself it was. Myself and these,
my friends. And your friends.
And you saved my money, too!
- Yes, it was heroic.
- Heroic, is it?
It was epic.
You amaze me.
On my soul, you deserve well.
You all deserve well.
- You shall find me grateful.
- How grateful?
I shall ask His Excellency to write home
to the King an account of your exploit.
Perhaps some of your sentencing
shall be remitted.
That's just about
what we expected from you.
Now, Wolf, Col. Bishop has a kind heart.
- But what kind, I'd hate to say.
- What is this?
Why, Colonel darling,
such unusual generosity from you...
must be making you feel unwell.
- As your physician, I'd prescribe...
- A bit of neck-stretching.
Lads, we shouldn't hang this man.
- No?
- No.
Tie him over the end of a gun!
I'll scatter his innards
all over the sugarcane field.
You're wasting words, I say. Hang him!
Wait, lads. Hanging's
too dignified for him.
Can you swim, Colonel darling?
We're giving you the chance to cool off
some of that excessive heat of yours.
Over the side with him, men!
One, two...
three!
Peter Blood, I'll make you pay for this...
if I spend the rest of my life doing it!
And then the whale came,
and the whale swallowed Jonah. I hope.
Goodbye, Jonah. Don't forget to write.
What's the next move, Peter?
Up anchor! Wolf, man the capstan bar.
Hagthorpe, get the sails aloft.
Thomas, get those men over here.
Round you go, men!
That's no water wheel you're working.
- Can you handle it, Jeremy?
- Aye, aye, Peter.
We sail. Hard to starboard.
Up that rigging, you monkeys, aloft!
There's no chains to hold you now!
Break out those sails...
and watch them fill with the wind
that's carrying us all to freedom.
We, the undersigned...
are men without a country...
outlaws in our own land,
and homeless outcasts in any other.
Desperate men,
we go to seek a desperate fortune.
Therefore, we do here and now
band ourselves...
into a brotherhood of buccaneers...
to practice the trade of piracy
on the high seas.
We, the hunted, will now hunt!
To that end, we enter into
the following articles of agreement.
First...
we pledge ourselves
to be bound together as brothers...
in a life-and-death friendship...
sharing alike in fortune and in trouble.
Second article.
All moneys and valuables
which may come into our possession...
shall be lumped together
into a common fund...
and from this fund
shall first be taken the money...
to fit, rig, and provision the ship.
After that, the recompense each
will receive who is wounded as follows:
For the loss of a right arm,
600 pieces of eight.
Left arm, 500.
For the loss of a right leg, 500.
Left leg, 400.
A fellow can get rich if he's lucky.
Greedy.
If a man conceal any treasure captured...
or fail to place it in the general fund,
he shall be marooned.
Set ashore on a deserted isle...
and there left with a bottle of water,
a loaf of bread...
and a pistol with one load.
If a man shall be drunk on duty,
he shall receive the same fate.
And if a man shall molest
a woman captive against her will...
he, too,
shall receive the same punishment.
These articles entered into,
this 20th day of June, in the year 1687.
Now, men, you've heard the agreement.
It's the world against us
and us against the world.
"His hand will be against every man,
and every man's hand against him."
Genesis 16:12.
Those of you in favor of these articles,
raise your right hands and say aye!
Aye!
Blood!
This impertinent,
ungoverned rascal must be eradicated.
Yes, Your Majesty.
Sinking Spanish ships
causes me enough embarrassment...
- but he sinks English ships as well.
- Yes, Your Majesty.
Cannot Gov. Steed do something about it?
He does his best,
but conditions on the island...
Silence, Willoughby! I'm not interested
in anything you have to say.
I know your feelings towards me.
Sunderland, what are you Secretary
of State for? Have you no solution?
- Yes, Your Majesty.
- Get your head off that hinge. Speak up.
Since Gov. Steed is incapable,
you should appoint a stronger man.
Who?
Col. Bishop assures me
that if he were in power...
he would not rest day or night...
until this Capt. Blood
was swinging on execution dock.
Angling for the office, is he?
What difference
if he's the iron man we need?
Draw up the appointment.
I've already taken the liberty of doing so,
Your Majesty.
Mrs. Steed, Mr. Steed,
I wish you both a pleasant journey.
I thank you, Governor.
Again, congratulations, Gov. Bishop.
- May your term of office be successful.
- Thank you, my friend.
Arabella dear,
have a nice holiday in England.
I'm sure I shall.
- Captain.
- Yes, sir.
- Keep a weather eye open for pirates.
- Very well, sir.
Before you return, Arabella,
I shall have the sea swept clean of them.
Particularly one.
I think you know whom I mean.
I hope he gets the gout
the infernal office gave me.
Come along. Goodbye.
Thomas Fulton. One share, no injuries.
James Graham. One share,
plus 100 pieces of eight for a pike wound.
Zachary Stevens.
For bravery at the battle of Maracaibo...
one share, plus £10 of silver.
Oliver Clark. One share, plus 400 pieces
of eight for the loss of his left leg.
There you are, Oliver, I'm proud of you.
Lord Chester Dyke.
No injury, one share and £5 of silver.
Anton Brazilimo.
Andrew Fell.
One share, plus 500 pieces of eight
for the loss of his left arm.
There you are, Andrew, and good luck.
David Sampson. One share, no injuries.
Honesty Nuttall. No injuries, one share.
Hold on, Captain.
How about me little toe,
heroically sacrificed in battle?
Honesty Nuttall. One share, and nothing
for the toe he just shot off himself.
You stupid numskull.
You should have shot out your brains
and left your toe for thinking with.
Ahoy, the deck!
An English ship on the port bow!
So it is.
A fine big ship, too,
as far as I can judge from this distance.
Shall we sail over
and give them a surprise?
No, Peter.
The men are set on putting in at Tortuga.
Their gold's burning
holes in their pockets.
What's one ship more or less to us now?
It appears I have a mutiny on my hands.
What ho, the deck! A ship to starboard!
It may be a pirate!
Very well, then.
Sail on, little ship, back to England...
where we may never go.
You'll never know
how close you came to not getting there.
Your turn, mon capitaine.
Up!
It's your turn now.
Again, my captain.
- Are you ready?
- Right.
It's good.
This time, my friend, huh?
- You missed.
- No.
I am defeated.
You win the prize, Capt. Blood.
- Goodbye, my dear.
- Goodbye.
What a charming captain.
Some other time, perhaps.
Why?
What sort of a man are you?
I'm the sort of man you like, my dear.
A man with money.
The money!
Mon capitaine,
what a pair we would make.
In all the Caribbean,
there is no buccaneer so strong as me.
Except you.
You almost flatter me, Levasseur.
Why do you hold off your consent so long?
We become partners.
You've been in Tortuga
these three, four months.
You must be even so much
in need of gold as I.
Such a partnership requires sober thought.
My poor head has been dancing with rum
this whole week past.
Even so drunk, your brain is the greatest
this side the Caribbean.
With your brain and my strength,
there is nothing we cannot do.
There's very little I
can't do all by myself.
Long live Capt. Levasseur!
And here's to Capt. Blood!
Hurrah!
Then, it's a good dinner guest, my friend.
- You're next, Peter.
- Mon capitaine.
It's clearly understood, then,
that we sail under my articles.
Those very severe articles of yours?
Mais oui, I sail under the articles
of a girls' séminaire...
to have you as my partner, mon capitaine.
Women will be the death of you yet,
Levasseur.
It is a very pleasant way to die,
even if it is expensive.
What is the first order,
mon capitaine partner?
We sail on the tide.
Outside the harbor, we'll scatter.
Each ship will proceed singly to pick up
any stray ships we'll find on the journey.
We'll meet at the island of Virgen Magra.
Magnifique!
I give you the toast. To our great success!
Let me give one.
To the greatest captain on the Caribbean!
- Oui! To Capitaine Levasseur!
- Capt. Blood.
Bravo!
The articles aside,
let's give a toast to Capt. Blood.
Capitaine Levasseur.
To the greatest captain on the coast.
The greatest captain on the coast, is it?
Methinks the greatest captain
on the coast...
has just made the greatest mistake...
the most ordinary common fool
could make.
It's been so lovely. I'd like to stay
forever. You've all been so kind.
Come again and visit us soon, dear.
England is so much more beautiful
when you're here.
- Thank you. Goodbye.
- Goodbye.
- Thank you for everything.
- Goodbye, dear.
- Goodbye, Amelia.
- Goodbye, Mary.
However else the court may have changed,
the art of flattery still flourishes.
Stab me if it's flattery.
When the King ordered me on this journey
as a special emissary to the West Indies...
I looked forward with some trepidation
to a life among the savages.
But when I found
you were one of those savages...
returning to your native heath,
my grateful eyes could hardly believe it.
You pictured us running around
in animal skins, eating raw meat?
Why not, in a country filled
with Indians and pirates?
Speaking of pirates, did you ever happen
to hear of a wild rogue named Blood?
- Peter Blood?
- Yes.
No. I don't know him.
I hardly number pirates
among my acquaintances.
Of course not. Stupid of me.
I merely mention him in passing.
Because he's one of the objects
of my mission.
- Your mission?
- Yes.
I've been sent to try to blot out
all this piracy, my dear.
And in a manner
I must keep secret till I find Capt. Blood.
Ship on the port side, sir!
Yes, that's a fine ship.
- Captain, what ship is that?
- I don't know, Lord Willoughby.
She flies the French flag.
She could be anything in these waters.
- We're in pirate waters now, aren't we?
- Yes, we are.
Yonder bank of low clouds
is the island of Virgen Magra.
- Exciting, isn't it?
- Very.
Could she be a pirate ship, by any chance?
Any ship we meet in the Caribbean
could be a pirate ship.
Ahoy, English ship off port side!
Prepare to come onto starboard tack!
Starboard tack it is!
Steady at the helm!
Ready?
Stand by your guns.
What luck.
Just as I'm about to give up and anchor
to wait for my partner, Capt. Blood...
this fine English prize
walks into my parlor and says:
"Hello, Capt. Levasseur. "
- We've got to give welcome, Cahusac.
- Yes, and how. Light it!
The ransom for you two is fixed at
20,000 pieces of eight.
I shall provide a boat for you...
to go to Gov. Bishop at Jamaica
to collect it.
Meanwhile, mademoiselle remains
with me as hostage.
I find it very lonely on this island.
I refuse absolutely and utterly!
You know this? It is the rosary of pain.
It is possible to screw a man's eyes
out of his head.
Very well. Do your worst.
Alors!
No, stop!
Lord Willoughby, thank you,
but don't be foolish.
Mademoiselle is right.
Thank you, miss.
I beg you to spare yourself
and the young lady.
You know,
I've been too modest with you...
but since I have said
20,000 pieces of eight...
eh bien, I have said
20,000 pieces of eight.
For what, if you please,
have you said 20,000 pieces of eight?
If it ain't the niece
of our old friend Col. Bishop.
You don't recognize her. Mind that.
What does he mean?
Your guess is as good as mine.
- Good morning, Levasseur.
- Hello, Captain.
- Cahusac.
- Capitaine.
I arrived late last night and put
into a cove a few miles to the west.
We've walked across
to give you good morning, but, faith...
it seems we've interrupted
some business of yours.
- Who are these people?
- Oh, yes, here.
As you see, two prisoners.
I captured an English ship.
Yes. We saw her coming across the spit.
I must congratulate you, Levasseur.
I didn't so much as sight a sail.
The fortunes of war, my partner.
And these are also the fortunes of war?
Big fortunes. A nobleman and the niece
of the Governor of Jamaica.
Really?
I suppose congratulations
are again in order...
but have you forgotten there's an article
in our agreement...
forbidding the taking of women prisoners?
That's a foolish article of yours.
I was not aware you regarded it so
when we signed.
Would you care to dispute
my opinion now, your men against mine?
Not this morning, thank you.
As you say, a foolish article.
Heard, my friend.
That is why these are prisoners
of my own, a matter personal.
- And the 20,000 pieces of eight?
- Their ransom.
- That is also a personal matter?
- Lt is.
Obviously, these two prisoners,
and particularly the young lady...
must be kept in someone's hands for,
shall we say, safekeeping...
but why your hands?
Why shouldn't Pierre have her,
or Roch, or Jacob...
since she's as much their property
as yours?
Or doesn't that please you?
You'd like to keep her for yourself.
And who might that be, do you suppose?
- That is your Capt. Blood.
- Capt. Blood?
Now, my captain...
since you covet our joint property
of war, you may have her...
providing you're willing to buy her.
- Buy her?
- At the price you yourself have put on her.
20,000 pieces of eight.
The ransom is to be paid by Gov. Bishop.
It is for division when it comes.
But if the Governor should refuse to pay
the ransom, what then?
No. If you're to keep the girl meanwhile,
pay the ransom.
Let it be your risk to collect it
from the Governor.
Capt. Blood is right.
- Lt's in the articles.
- What's in the articles, you fools?
Where do you suppose
I have 20,000 pieces of eight?
- Let someone buy her who has.
- Who?
- L.
- You?
Jeremy, Wolf, bring the prisoners forward.
Here they are, Peter.
I bid 20,000 pieces of eight.
Can you improve on that, Levasseur?
I don't wish to be bought by you.
As a lady once said to a slave...
you are hardly in a position
to have anything to say about it.
- You want the girl?
- Why not?
And I'm willing to pay for what I want.
Cahusac, you boast a knowledge of pearls.
At what do you value each of those?
1,000 pieces each.
They're worth rather more, but very well.
Here are 12.
The three-fifths the value of the prize
due your ship for having made the capture.
For the share due my men,
I make myself responsible.
Now, Wolf, will you be so kind
as to take my property aboard ship?
And that settles that, my captain partner.
- No, you don't!
- Stop, Capitaine!
Wait! You'll not take her while I live!
Then I'll take her when you're dead!
- Capitaine, it has been honorably settled.
- Lt has not been settled for me!
What is a girl, more or less?
Do not be a fool, Capitaine!
It's my business.
Two breaches in our articles committed
by you. You should be marooned.
It's what I intended for you in the end...
but since you prefer it this way,
you muckrake, I'll be humoring you.
Up!
And that, my friend, ends a partnership
that should never have begun.
All these things I've gathered
in my journeys.
I've gone far since I was a slave
on your uncle's plantation...
thousands of restless, hectic miles.
But somehow tonight,
I've got a strange feeling...
that my journey's almost over.
You see these ankle rings?
They came from a ship
that was out from Persia.
And these pearls...
they're the choice from a fleet
we captured off the Azores.
- Have you ever seen such pearls?
- Yes, I have.
They're like the pearls you sometimes
use for making purchases, are they not?
- Yes, they are.
- How many lives did they cost?
As few as possible.
It wasn't lives I was after.
- What, then?
- I never quite knew.
Some urge that drove me on.
Revenge, I suppose.
But I've had my fill of revenge.
I often wondered
why I bothered to save all these things.
Tonight I know it's because...
one day you'd be here in this cabin
to wear them.
I'll never wear them, never!
Those nor any other plunder gotten
by a thief and pirate.
Thief and pirate.
I've seen your pirate ways.
I've seen myself bargained for
and fought over.
A combat between jackals.
But I thought you understood.
You mean you thought you'd bought me.
I suppose I should have regarded that
as a compliment.
You pirates are used to taking
without the formality of purchase.
I advise you to go back to your ladies
at Tortuga...
who are thrilled by your bold,
lawless ways.
I only hate you and despise you.
I might have expected your thanks
for what I've done this day...
but very well, let it be so.
I'm a thief and pirate and I'll show you
how a thief and a pirate can deal.
Once, you bought me for a miserable £10.
Now I've bought you for considerably
more. The amount's of no matter.
What matters is
now I own you as you once owned me.
You're mine, do you understand?
Mine to do with as I please!
Capt. Blood,
Lord Willoughby sends his compliments...
and requests you to talk with him
at your convenience.
He's been sent by the King himself.
Tell him I'm not convenient
to any friend of the King's.
All I've got to say is good riddance...
as soon as I can get him
to his destination.
I shall.
Jeremy. Wolverstone.
- Wolverstone!
- What is it, Peter?
We're changing course.
Draw down every rag of canvas
the yards will hold.
- Aye, aye, Peter, but....
- Jeremy!
All hands on deck!
- Jeremy!
- Coming, Peter!
Forever sleeping when I need you?
- I wasn't sleeping. I was...
- Never mind! Get ready to go about.
- Set the course for Port Royal.
- Port Royal?
But the English fleet is at Port Royal.
Col. Bishop...
Sweet, merciful heaven! Haven't you ears?
Set the course for Port Royal!
- Make speed there, Wolverstone.
- Speed it is, Peter.
- Follow we a helm, west by north.
- West by north, sir.
Make speed there! To your halyards!
Tacks and braces. We head for Port Royal.
Make speed there! That's the order!
Make speed there.
There's a gallows waiting
for each of us at Port Royal...
and no man should be late
to his own hanging.
How you hate the villain.
If I were a young man,
I'm dashed if I wouldn't be jealous.
But you said you didn't even know him.
He was once my slave.
Slave?
Did you know him well?
I did.
He's not such a bad fellow for a pirate.
When he made his escape,
I was thrilled and happy.
That was before I knew how he would use
his freedom.
But aren't you forgetting...
that a man's bitter heart
may demand revenge?
That is the unforgivable thing:
to have put his revenge above
everything else...
and to have destroyed himself.
That's what he's done.
I've seen pirates. I know their ways.
Cruel, evil, greedy,
plundering peaceful cities...
torturing their captives. Beasts.
Are you so much in love with him?
In love with him?
That you care so much what he does?
I don't care in the least what he does.
Someone should,
in view of what he's doing now.
But your uncle's with the fleet
at Port Royal. That much is fortunate.
Why? What's this about my uncle
in Port Royal?
He amazes me, this fellow.
That's where he means to take us.
- No, he can't.
- They won't let me near him.
He's alone on his quarterdeck
in a fine Irish temper, I suspect.
- But I learned of it from one of the crew.
- Lord Willoughby, he mustn't.
My uncle is a hard, unforgiving man.
He lives in the hope of one day
taking and hanging Capt. Blood.
Capt. Blood probably doesn't know that,
of course.
I doubt if it'd make any
difference if he did.
He's chivalrous to the point of idiocy.
Chivalrous?
And yet he's been what he's been
these last three years...
and done what he's done.
Lord Willoughby, help me.
I see your point, my child...
but that's something
you must decide for yourself.
Life can be infernally complex.
It's hard to lay tongue to the right words.
I'll lay tongue to them.
We won't sail to Jamaica.
Them's the words.
Aye, Bishop's entire fleet's at Jamaica.
When you risked your neck in a duel
over that petticoat...
that was your business.
But it's our necks you're risking now,
and I say no.
Not for her, nor a dozen like her.
I got a great affection for my neck.
I have no wish to hear it cracked
by a hangman's knot.
This is what comes from sailing the seas
with a lovesick madman.
We've been with you since the first, Peter.
We have a right.
You, too, Jeremy?
All right, lads.
What do you mean, Peter?
You told me we're not sailing to Jamaica.
There's nothing more to be said.
- Hurrah for our side!
- Quiet. You sound like a rooster.
Good night, lads.
Wait a minute, Peter.
Where are we sailing for?
That's for you to tell me...
since I'm no longer running this ship.
We didn't say that, Peter.
As Jeremy says, you've got the right.
You've been with me from the first,
and you've been loyal and true...
followed me into every tight corner
men could follow another.
- But you always got us out.
- And none the poorer for it.
Yes, but on this occasion,
there's no gold to be got.
Do you think it was
for gold we followed you?
No, but I can see now I've not got
the right to ask you to follow me.
The girl is my concern, not yours.
Are we gonna stand by and see
this little snip laugh at our captain?
There's Bishop's fleet.
That might be paying a high price
to keep from being laughed at.
We're not yet such lily-livered scum
as to be afraid of Col. Bishop.
No. That is, not very afraid.
Fie on you deserting our captain
in this way...
you scurvy traitors, you Judas Iscariots,
you snakes in the grass...
you wolves in sheep's clothing!
I was only with them to spy on them.
You'd better think carefully, lads.
Yonder lies Jamaica,
and straight we sail for it.
- Aye. And straight we sail for it.
- Aye!
- Ahoy, the deck!
- Ahoy!
I have sighted Port Royal!
Aye! Port Royal, you say?
Aye, sir!
There's something amiss!
I see flashes of gunfire
from ships in the harbor!
- Fetch the Captain.
- Aye, sir.
Bugler, all hands on deck!
It's terrible to wake up at dawn
dreaming of thunder.
That's gunfire if I ever heard any.
- There's a battle in Port Royal harbor.
- How many ships do you make out?
It's hard to see clearly in the early
morning light. I think there are two.
It's an attack on Port Royal, but who?
Pirate craft, perhaps.
Wish I could make out their flags.
- Perhaps I can supply you the answer.
- You can?
Yes, if I may speak to
so inaccessible a person.
If Port Royal is being attacked,
they are likely French ships.
French?
You say Port Royal's attacked
by the French? Why?
When two countries are at war
and one is attacked...
who would it be but the enemy?
What's this? France and England at war?
You mean you don't know? Where have
you been the past few months?
At sea, out of touch with the world.
The fire from the fortress is weakening!
One ship is already firing on the town!
That's strange.
Where is the English fleet
that's supposed to protect the town?
It's my turn to supply the answer.
It's out chasing pirates.
Bishop would never let his fleet leave its
post in time of war. He wouldn't dare.
Col. Bishop, if I may say,
is a very old and dear friend of mine.
- Lt's probably me he's after.
- That fool! Blunder!
And me in his own front yard.
Shorten sail there, Wolf.
Lend a hand forward, Andy.
Stand by helm and keep her headed
two points to larboard of the fort.
Aye, aye, sir.
Get your men to their stations, Chester.
Port watch to stations!
Speed there, lads!
- Reef the fore topsail!
- Aye, aye, sir!
Take in the topgallant sail.
May I ask, Captain,
what are your intentions?
Lord Willoughby, I set out to land you
at Port Royal, but now....
Miss Bishop,
an unlooked-for circumstance...
prevents my landing you
on your own dock.
But I trust that if I put you ashore
on the beach nearby...
that would be equally satisfactory?
- L...
- Thank you.
Only please understand,
this is a bargain...
your freedom for my freedom.
From now on,
I no longer regard myself as a slave.
My life's my own...
even though I'm a thief and pirate.
Capt. Blood, are you,
an Englishman, thinking of leaving...
when yonder,
an English town is being taken?
Hagthorpe,
clear my deck and keep it cleared.
- Aye, Peter, we'll take care of him.
- Take your hands off!
- Wait, lads.
- Capt. Blood, I must talk to you.
Very well then, Lord Willoughby.
Myself, I've the honor to be Irish,
but part of my crew's English.
I was myself once, too, in loyalty.
Of what should we be thinking?
Of the chance to fight for your king.
To fight for my king?
Yes. He was loyal enough
to send me to seek you out...
to offer you pardon for your past crimes...
freedom from your slavery
and more than that...
a commission in his own navy
for you and your men.
You hear that, Chester?
The King wants us to join his navy!
Read it for yourself.
Lord Willoughby,
you're a guest aboard my ship...
and I've still some notion left me
from better days of decent behavior...
so I'll not be telling you
what I think of this offer.
All I'll say is,
I wouldn't soil my hands with it...
even though they're the hands
of a thief and a pirate.
But this concerns you, too, my lads.
What do you say to serving the King?
No!
I'd like to serve him with a rope necktie.
I'd rot before I'd serve him.
I'd sink this ship with all hands
before I'd serve him.
It would appear then
that my crew is still a little dubious...
as to the merits of His Majesty's offer.
However you hate the King,
England is still England.
And a bad king is bad king,
and worse one if he's James.
James?
This commission is sent by King William.
King William? Who may King William be
and what's he king of?
I'm alluding to His Majesty,
King William III, William of Orange...
who, with Queen Mary,
has come over from the Netherlands...
and has been ruling England
the past two months or more.
They've roused themselves at home
and kicked out that pimple James?
Yes, and he's fled to France
and he's in hiding there...
and England and France are at war.
The English people will go so far,
Capt. Blood...
and then they get up
on their stubborn hind legs.
- And William sent us this commission?
- Yes.
He knows you're good men,
wrongfully sold into slavery.
He can use good men in his navy.
It's the long-winded fellow you are.
Why didn't you tell us this
in the first place?
Bugler, summon the men amidships!
Men!
I've just heard a startling piece of news.
King James is kicked out of England
and good King William reigns in his stead.
For me,
this changes the shape of the world.
For you who were slaves with me...
it means that we're no longer slaves.
That we once more have
a home and a country.
For you who are English...
it means a chance to fight
for your native land...
for I now propose to sail into Port Royal
and take it from the French!
Those of you who are not English...
will have to be content
with fighting for Capt. Blood...
and the loot you'll find
on the French ships.
- Are you willing to fight, men?
- Aye!
Have we an English battle flag on board,
Hagthorpe?
We have every manner of battle flag,
including a lady's purple petticoat.
Wait, I've a better idea.
When an English lion creeps up
on a nest of French foxes...
he wears a bushy tail.
Hoist the French flag, Hagthorpe.
Keep her trimmed by the head, Wolf.
Stand by the helm, Jeremy.
Forward, men, to your stations.
- Ls that satisfactory to you?
- Perfectly.
Clear decks for action!
Capt. Blood's orders.
You'll be put ashore with these men.
A ship is no place for a woman
in time of battle.
- I want to talk to him.
- I'm sorry. The Captain's busy.
- Lnto the boat.
- Aye, sir.
Follow me, Miss Bishop.
Musketeers, to your stations!
A French ship.
Hope we get on them
before they discover the trick.
- Andy.
- Aye, Peter.
Run to Hagthorpe.
Tell him to fetch all the hot coals.
- Put them by the guns.
- Hot coals, sir?
- No questions. Run.
- Aye, aye, sir!
Stand by ready to fire as soon as
we come amidships.
Stand ready to fire
as soon as we've come amidships!
Open your ports!
Strike that French flag
and hoist our own colors.
Man your port guns!
Ready, Hagthorpe?
Fire!
Hagthorpe,
give them the hot galley broadside!
Aye, Peter! Load them, lads!
Hagthorpe, keep pounding that water line!
We never miss.
- That's one ship neatly disposed off.
- Now for the other one.
- Jeremy, helm quarter to port.
- Aye, aye, Peter.
Clear away that burning wreckage!
- Port guns, Wolf. Hurry.
- Aye, Peter.
Man your port guns!
Those French gunners
must've learnt their trade in England.
That's their third direct hit.
Two guns out of order.
Ship's taking water below.
Replace them with two
from the starboard side.
- Keep hammering that waterline.
- Aye, aye, sir.
Lower gun deck's awash, we're sinking.
What should we do?
Do? We'll board a ship that's not sinking.
Get your men forward.
Aye, aye, sir.
- What now, Peter?
- Take the helm yourself, lad.
Straight into them!
- We'll never do it, Peter!
- Musketeers to the prow!
Grappling hooks to larboard. Forward
gunners, fire as hard as they can load!
Rapid fire, men!
Hagthorpe, double them up!
They won't take it, Peter!
They're blazing hot!
Up into the shrouds, men!
We're going to swing across on ropes.
When we clear the rail,
come over the side!
Aye, aye, Peter!
You and your men swing across
into their rigging.
When you see me cut down
that French flag, drop down.
Up, men, into the shrouds!
Strong and sure! Grapnels over!
All right, my hearties, follow me!
Follow on, men!
"Dust thou art,
and unto dust thou shalt return."
"Love thy neighbor as thyself."
Leviticus 19:18.
- Hurry, Cato. We'll be late.
- Yes. The fleet's in already.
- Stop!
- Yes.
Capt. Blood!
Miss Bishop.
I'll be on the veranda.
I thought you'd gone.
You can't be here.
My uncle's just returned.
- Yes, I know.
- You know?
- What are you going to do?
- Just stay here.
No, it's impossible. You mustn't stay here.
- He's sworn he'll hang you.
- I doubt he will.
I've always been bad luck for your uncle.
You can't know the threats he's made.
The dreadful threats he's made.
His whole life is spent
in searching for you.
- Now he's found me.
- But you can still save yourself.
Please, for my sake.
For your sake? What do you mean for your
sake? Isn't it true that you hate me?
- Hate you?
- Or is it that you love me?
I'll hide you. And tonight after
dark, I'll find some way...
You love me, don't you?
Whom else would I love? Now will you?
You love me!
Lord Willoughby, she loves me!
He'll be here any minute.
I'll hide you somewhere.
We'll hide together. I know just the place.
How's this?
You must be mad. He'll come here first.
Good. I forgot to tell you.
The Governor and I are
on the best of terms.
He lets me come and go here
as I please. Look.
- You can't arrest me!
- I have, by order of the Governor.
The Governor? You are mad.
I am the governor.
You mean, you were the governor.
But we've changed that in your absence.
What?
You're broken for abandoning your post
in time of war.
Who are you?
My name is Willoughby. I'm a special
emissary of His Majesty the King.
Lord Willoughby?
- You were informed, I think, of my coming.
- Yes.
Yet you went off
on some wild goose chase after a pirate...
leaving your capital at the mercy
of the enemy.
Col. Bishop, this is a serious matter,
as you may well find.
Seeing that you hold your office
from James...
it's even possible the charge of treason
lies against you.
But, my lord...
I'm not concerned to hear
your reasons, man.
- His Excellency the Governor will.
- The Governor?
You'll find him inside.
It rests entirely with him
whether you're hanged or not.
This is the fault of that scoundrel Blood.
What a reckoning
there'll be when we meet.
Have mercy, Your Excellency!
- Arabella, why are you here?
- Uncle!
I have been pleading
with the Governor on your behalf...
asking him to be as merciful
as you would be cruel.
Uncle, this is the Governor.
Good morning, Uncle.