Fritz Galt

Lost Cutlass Fritz Galt

Rab Burnside, the youngest sailor in the Queen's Navy, is given a family heirloom, a steel cutlass that can be used for maximum good or ill. Rab lives with Jesse his competitive brother and Buttons, their quixotic grandfather, on the windswept coast of Newfoundland in the middle of Queen Anne's War. One day, Buttons spots a mysterious ship sailing toward shore, doomed to crash into the shoals. Rab and Jesse scramble to save it and set in motion a series of events that take them on the trip of a lifetime, beginning with the court of Queen Anne of Great Britain. There, the queen informs the trio of a nefarious pirate named Captain John Smallbeer who is terrorizing the coast of England, kidnapping for ransom, and generally creating havoc on the high seas. Rab and his family's quest is to find and capture the pirate and bring him to justice. The trio must first travel across England to meet the Prince-Baron of Durham, who can inform them of Captain Smallbeer's whereabouts. But the prince-baron has a few obstacles awaiting the threesome, as he is fond of playing horrifying tricks on his guests. This is only the beginning of a series of adventures that take Rab and his small band around the world, often coming face-to-face with the sinister Captain Smallbeer, who steals Rab's powerful cutlass. They must conquer the Beam of Justice in the Sahara, survive kidnappings and shipwrecks, put down revolts on the pampas, negotiate a perilous passage to the Pacific, and confront gathering armies in China. But can Rab ever capture the evil pirate Captain Smallbeer, who vows never to give up the Lost Cutlass?