Captain Blood and the Beagles; or, The Highwayman's Leap for Life

Catalog Description *Captain Blood and the Beagles; or, The Highwayman's Leap for Life* is an 1863 adventure serial by the author of previous Captain Blood narratives. The story centers on Claude Duval, a French-born highway robber, and his associate Captain Blood, following their rescue of each other from legal peril. In London, Claude assumes the disguise of an elderly clergyman while operating as a pickpocket alongside his accomplice Munch. Adopting the false identity of Captain Dormer, an officer of the Guard, he intervenes in St. James's Park to aid the young Lady Angela Bellair, intercepting a love letter intended for her. This act provokes Colonel Maynard, Angela's rival suitor, to challenge Duval to a duel. The narrative weaves together episodes of masquerade, romantic intrigue, criminal schemes involving stolen valuables (diamonds, snuff-boxes), and pursuit by Bow Street Officers, culminating in a climactic escape sequence involving horses, an inn, a madhouse, and pursuit by hunting dogs ("beagles"), ending with Duval's death.