It was as fine a day to be whipped as any he’d ever seen but the good weather didn’t make Peregrine James any happier with the situation he was in. Unfairly convicted of a crime he had not committed, the young cook was strung from the whipping post on the Plymouth quayside when he caught the eye of the charismatic sea captain Francis Drake, who agreed to accept Perry among his crew despite the stripes of a thief on his back.
Soon England was receding in their wake and Perry was serving an unsavory collection of sea dogs as the small fleet of fragile wood ships sailed across the deep brine. Their destination was secret, known to Drake alone. Few sailors believed the public avowal that the expedition was headed for Alexandria to trade in currants. Some men suspected Drake planned a raid across Panama to attack the Spanish in the Pacific. Others were sure the real plan was to round the Cape of Storms to break the Portuguese monopoly of the spice trade. The only thing Perry knew for certain was that they were bound for danger and that he must live by his wits if he were to survive serving at Drake’s command.
“Hill is in good company with C.S. Forester and Patrick O’Brian.” Los Angeles Maritime Museum Library
“At Drake’s Command, by David Wesley Hill, is a godsend to readers …” Awesome Indies
“You’ll be planning your day around the next opportunity to pick it up again and devour its 424 pages.” The Literate Man
“I highly recommend it.” Historic Naval Fiction
“The best nautical story I have read since I turned the last page of The Final Unfinished Voyage of Jack Aubrey by Patrick O’Brian near a decade ago.” A Fair Substitute for Heaven
“If you like a good story of exploration, adventure and piracy, this is a good book to check out.” The Book Stop