Ramage and the Freebooters
| Company type | Novel |
|---|---|
| Industry | Literature |
| Founded | 1969 |
| Founder | Dudley Pope |
| Products | Historical fiction novel |
Ramage and the Freebooters, a historical fiction work by Dudley Pope, unfolds during the period of the French Revolutionary Wars and represents the third book in the Ramage series, succeeding Ramage and the Drumbeat.
Plot
After recuperating from medical leave following the Battle of Cape St Vincent, Ramage is called upon by Lord Spencer to take command of the brig HMS Triton. His assignment involves delivering confidential dispatches to British admirals stationed near Brest, Cadiz, and the West Indies. At this time, Triton is moored at Spithead, where Royal Navy sailors have initiated a mutiny over grievances related to pay and working conditions. Failure in this mission would lead to Ramage becoming a political scapegoat.
Although he empathizes with the mutineers' demands, Ramage must proceed with his orders. He substitutes half of Triton's crew with reliable men drawn from the Kathleen, including Southwick and Jackson. To suppress the mutiny, he severs the anchor cables during ebb tide, compelling the crew to man their stations or face capsizing.
With the mutiny quelled—thanks in part to covert assistance from Jackson, Stafford, Rossi, and Maxton—Ramage undertakes rehabilitating surgeon Bowen from his alcoholism through enforced sobriety and bolstering his confidence by appealing to his skill as a chess player. Bowen subsequently becomes a competent medical officer.
Ramage successfully completes rendezvous with Admiral Curtis off Brest and Admiral Jervis near Cadiz before setting sail across the Atlantic. On route, he captures La Merlette, a French slave ship, then meets Admiral Robinson aboard HMS Prince of Wales at Barbados.
He is tasked with investigating unexplained disappearances of merchant vessels between Grenada and Martinique, suspected to be caused by privateers. However, Admiral Robinson and his captains have been unsuccessful in locating these privateers and plan to hold Ramage accountable if he fails.
Upon arrival at Grenada, Ramage experiences a strained introduction with Colonel Wilson and conducts fruitless searches of nearby islands. He encounters Governor Fisher, a pompous social climber, but accepts an invitation to a social event aimed at engaging local shipowners. At this gathering, Ramage develops an attraction to Claire de Giraud, the Governor’s efficient private secretary.
During the event, a shipowner urgently requests departure due to perishable cargo; despite suspicions of impending capture, Ramage reluctantly consents. Observing native drumming and bonfires transmitting ship schedules to pirates, Ramage suspects Claire’s involvement. Upon confronting her, he learns she is an unwilling pawn manipulated by Governor Fisher’s butler—a French spy who is also her father.
Ramage directs native crewman Maxton to instruct Jackson in sending deceptive signals as part of a trap for privateers. Disguised aboard a vessel supplied by Rondin, Ramage and twenty crew hide in the hold to allow capture. Southwick trails nearby aboard Triton. Although outnumbered, Ramage retakes the ship and fights through the pirate stronghold. With support from Triton, he seizes two privateer ships.
Returning to Grenada, Ramage faces reprimand from Admiral Robinson and receives a scathing report from Governor Fisher—cementing his role as scapegoat. Nonetheless, capturing the privateers bolsters Ramage’s standing against political adversaries.
Characters
- Nicholas Ramage – lieutenant and former commander of cutter HMS Kathleen
- Thomas Jackson – American coxswain serving under Ramage
- Henry Southwick – former master aboard HMS Kathleen
- Bowen – medical officer struggling with alcoholism
- Maxton – Grenadian crewman (occasionally referred to as "Maxwell")
- Colonel Humphrey Wilson – British Army commander stationed on Grenada
- Sir Jason Fisher – governor of Grenada
- Miss Claire de Giraud – Governor’s private secretary
- John Rondin – regional businessman and shipowner
- George Spencer, 2nd Earl Spencer – First Lord of the Admiralty
Ships
- HMS Triton
- HMS Rover
- HMS Prince of Wales
- Le Merlette
- Jorum
Critical reception
Booklist praised it as "Another stirring eighteenth-century sea adventure," while The New York Times remarked that "Not even C.S. Forester knows more about the routine and battle procedures of the British Navy in the days of Nelson."