Jamaica in 1665 is a rough outpost of the English crown, a
minor colony holding out against the vast supremacy of the
Spanish empire. Port Royal, Jamaica′s capital, a cut-throat
town of taverns, grog shops, and bawdy houses, is devoid of
London′s luxuries; life here can end swiftly with dysentery
or a dagger in your back. But for Captain Edward Hunter it
is a life that can also lead to riches, if he abides by the
island′s code. In the name of His Majesty King Charles II of
England, gold in Spanish hands is gold for the taking. And
law in the New World is made by those who take it into their
hands.
Word in port is that the Spanish treasure galleon El
Trinidad, fresh from New Spain, is stalled in nearby
Matanceros harbor awaiting repairs. Heavily fortified, the
impregnable Spanish outpost is guarded by the blood-swiller
Cazalla, a favorite commander of King Philip IV himself.
With the governor′s backing, Hunter assembles a roughneck
crew to infiltrate the enemy island and commandeer the
galleon, along with its fortune in Spanish gold. The raid is
as perilous as the bloody legends of Matanceros suggest, and
Hunter will lose more than one man before he finds himself
on the island′s shores, where dense jungle and the firepower
of Spanish infantry are all that stand between him and the
treasure.
With the help of his cunning crew, Hunter hijacks El
Trinidad and escapes the deadly clutches of Cazalla, leaving
plenty of carnage in his wake. But his troubles have just
begun. . . .