Richard Bolitho, Midshipman
Douglas Reeman
 The book opens with Richard Bolitho arriving at an inn frequented by Midshipmen in Portsmouth. There he meets another midshipman Martyn Dancer. They are retrieved by a lieutenant from the Gorgon. The ship sails towards West Africa, where they encounter an empty Merchantman, the City of Athens. Dancer and Bolitho are sent aboard the ship, and discover that the ship has been pillaged and the crew killed. The officers soon deduce that the ship was raided by Pirates and Captain Conway announces that the Admiralty had dispatched them to investigate the disappearance of ships in the region. In company with the captured City of Athens, the Gorgon approaches a coastal fort surrounded by treacherous reefs and shoals. Upon approaching the fort, they see that two ships are in the nearby harbour, however the fort opens fire and destroys the City of Athens. The Gorgon withdraws and returns during the dark of the night to cut out the ship. Dancer and Bolitho are sent on the mission, commanded by the 4th lieutenant, Mr. Tregorren, who holds a grudge and mistreats Bolitho over Bolitho's prestigious heritage. They succeed at taking the ship, and also capture a Slave Dhow in the escape with the help of the Gorgon. The ships, under the guise at being members of the pilot fleet raid the castle from which the pirates had been using as a base.