The Specter Skipper

This issue of *The Specter Skipper* contains the opening chapters of a serialized naval adventure novel. The story, set in 1823, follows First Lieutenant George Watson aboard the U.S. Navy brig *Nautilus*, commanded by the veteran Captain Robert Log. The brig is part of Commodore Porter's fleet assigned to suppress piracy in the Caribbean. George, a young man of twenty-five, is portrayed as a hero who once saved Captain Log's life during a storm off Cape Hatteras. The narrative establishes George's tragic backstory: his parents were lost at sea sixteen years prior aboard the ship *Clinton*, and his unscrupulous step-uncle has fraudulently seized the family estate. George has found refuge in naval service and has won the affection of Lucia, the captain's beautiful daughter, also aboard the vessel. The action begins as the *Nautilus* departs Boston, with Watson observing suspicious behavior among the crew—he witnesses a sailor apparently concealing a dirk—suggesting the emergence of a mutiny plot or treachery aboard ship.