Jeremy's father helped him drive the sheep into the rude pen on the island off the coast of Maine, and then hurried to return to his colonials clearing on the mainland. "I sort of hate to leave you here alone," he said, "but I'll be back this time tomorrow," Before "this time tomorrow" the boy had been carried away by pirates who had been using the island as a base. A perilous trip follows to the West Indies, rough and lonesome for the boy until the son of a man prominent in the Carolinas is captured. Their attempts to escape and their trip overland to Maine complete the story.

"As thrilling a tale of piracy as any boy could desire."—The Congregationalist.

From the dust jacket

In 1718, long before the turbulent years of the American Revolution, life on a Maine sheep farm is a quiet affair. But unbeknownst to 14-year-old Jeremy Swan, his island home is ripe for plundering by sea raiders, who swoop down and drag him away. Once aboard the Revenge, it's all he can do to keep from getting keelhauled by the villainous Pharaoh Daggs. But what sinister secret is that pirate hiding in his trunk? To find out, Jeremy enlists the help of his fellow prisoner, Bob Curtis, and together the boys plot to escape their captors — and to find a way to even the score.

From the Dover paperback edition