James is now a captain in his own right, and bearing a 'Letter of Marque' signed by the Duke of Northumberland he sets out to rescue his old Captain and crew who he believes are being held captive by pirates on an island in the Azores. By offering shares in the spoils, he raises enough money to buy the prize brig Etoil and arm her with canon from the Dukes Castle at Alnwick. With Charles as his First Mate and Charles's cousin Rupert in command of 120 troopers from the Dukes Regiment of Borderers, he sets out to enrich his backers and enhance his own fortune by capturing the pirates treasure. Along the way, he becomes embroiled in the Royal Naval attack on the French port of Brest, and later, in the Government backed expedition to capture the West African Colony of Senegal.