The Quest of the 'Golden Hope': A Seventeenth Century Story of Adventure

In Short

Percy F. Westerman’s The Quest of the 'Golden Hope' is a classic maritime adventure that plunges a young lad into the chaos of seventeenth-century England and the perilous waters of the Atlantic. Following the failed Monmouth Rebellion of 1685, young Clifford Hammond flees his Hampshire home to escape political ruin and bloodthirsty pursuers. He stows away aboard the Golden Hope, a vessel commanded by the veteran Captain Jeremy Miles, who holds a secret chart pointing to the sunken treasure of the Spanish galleon Madre de Dios. Its enduring appeal lies in its authentic nautical detail, tense naval skirmishes, and classic treasure-hunting tropes.

The Story

The narrative opens in the wake of the battle of Sedgemoor in 1685. Young Clifford Hammond and his sister Constance witness the brutal reality of King James II’s dragoons hunting down scattered rebels across the New Forest. Their friend, the old mariner Captain Jeremy Miles, has barely escaped the capture of the Duke of Monmouth near Ringwood. After helping Captain Jeremy conceal the bodies of two slain troopers in the bracken of Brockenhurst Heath, Clifford assists his father in buying Captain Jeremy’s confiscated possessions at a sheriff’s auction in Lymington. Among these items is an unremarkable Neapolitan sea painting. A mysterious, red-faced stranger attempts to outbid them, but Clifford’s father secures the artwork, which hides a secret chart showing the location of the Madre de Dios, a Spanish treasure ship lost in the West Indies.

When the red-faced rogue breaks into their home, slashes the painting from its frame, and flees into the heath, Clifford tracks the wounded thief across Black Down to the Lym river. Realizing his uncle intends to send him away, Clifford makes a midnight escape, lowering himself from his bedroom window by a rope and walking to Poole Harbour. There he stows away in the hold of the Golden Hope, Captain Jeremy’s brig. Upon discovery, Captain Jeremy accepts the boy aboard, and the enterprise begins in earnest.

Crossing the Atlantic, the Golden Hope and her consort, the Neptune, face mounting dangers. They endure a fierce brush with Barbary corsairs, during which they rescue an escaped galley slave. Clifford also discovers that his enemy from the auction—the rogue Ned Slater—has infiltrated the crew under a false name. Reaching an uncharted West Indian isle, the expedition drops anchor in a land-locked bay to begin the search.

Their peace is shattered when a fleet of buccaneers flies the skull and crossbones outside the reef. Captain Jeremy holds his fire until the pirates board, leading to a bloody broadside battle and a desperate defense of an earthen stockade. Clifford survives the explosion of a pirate vessel’s magazine, discovering the flooded hulk is packed with bullion. Yet natural perils prove just as deadly: while exploring the reefs, Clifford is dragged under by a monstrous octopus, barely severing its tentacles with his knife before escaping a circling shark.

Treachery strikes from within when Ned Slater mutinies, seizing the Neptune, spiking the Golden Hope's broadside guns, and stealing the chart. Nevertheless, Captain Jeremy’s memory of the landmarks allows them to hack a two-mile path through dense jungle to unearth the main cache of silver and gold. Homeward bound, they rescue passengers from the burning emigrant ship Phoenix, where Clifford pulls his future bride, Winifred, from the sea. Slater meets his end, the treasure is safely sold to a London goldsmith, and Clifford eventually settles in Virginia.

How It Unfolds

Fleeing the Redcoats After the defeat at Sedgemoor, Clifford Hammond and Captain Jeremy Miles cover up a bloody encounter with royal dragoons in the New Forest before hiding out from King James's troops.

The Sheriff’s Auction Clifford's father outbids a short, bull-necked stranger to purchase a Neapolitan painting, which secretly conceals a chart detailing the location of a wrecked Spanish galleon.

Flight to the Sea After a thief slashes the picture from its frame, Clifford tracks the intruder across Black Down before escaping his own home at midnight by sliding down a bedstead rope to reach Poole.

Stowaway Aboard the Golden Hope Clifford sneaks into the hold of Captain Jeremy’s brig and is discovered at sea near the Poole chalk cliffs, earning a place among the crew as they set sail for the Atlantic.

Battle and Buccaneers The Golden Hope survives an attack by Algerine corsairs, only to be cornered in a land-locked West Indian bay by a fleet of buccaneers flying the skull and crossbones.

The Monster of the Reef While exploring a shallow channel near the island, Clifford is dragged beneath the surface by a large octopus, managing to slice off its tentacles with his knife before a shark attacks.

Mutiny and Recovery The villainous Ned Slater spikes the brig’s broadside cannon and escapes on the Neptune with the chart, but Captain Jeremy’s crew hacks a path through the brush to recover the buried gold.

Rescuing the Phoenix On the voyage home, the crew rescues survivors from the burning emigrant ship Phoenix, where Clifford pulls his future wife Winifred out of the ocean.

The People

• Clifford Hammond: The young Hampshire narrator. He wants to escape his quiet domestic future and protect his family's secret. Facing royal troopers, giant sea creatures, and shipboard explosions, he matures from an impulsive runaway into a seasoned mariner who eventually settles in Virginia.
• Captain Jeremy Miles: A veteran mariner of forty years afloat who fought for the Duke of Monmouth. He wants to recover the lost Spanish gold of the Madre de Dios to secure his fortune. Guided by strict nautical discipline and quiet kindness, he leads the expedition through battle, injury, and betrayal.
• Ned Slater: A bull-necked, red-faced thief and veteran pirate. He wants the treasure chart for himself at any cost. Standing in the way of the expedition through theft, false identity, and open mutiny, he acts as Clifford’s persistent, vengeful enemy until his final downfall.
• Winifred: A passenger aboard the ill-fated emigrant vessel Phoenix. Trapped on a burning ship bound for Virginia, she is pulled half-drowned from the Atlantic by Clifford, later becoming his wife.

In Its Own Voice

"Master Hammond, I was a fool even to set out for the West. What I've seen in forty years afloat is naught to what I've seen these last few days. But let's to work!"

Captain Jeremy reflects bitterly on the carnage of the Monmouth Rebellion while hiding the bodies of two royal dragoons in the New Forest bracken.

"The pain of the hundred of suckers was intense, and I felt my legs giving way under the loathsome contraction of the creature's tentacles."

Clifford describes his horrific underwater struggle with a giant octopus while exploring the shallow reefs of Treasure Island.

"Farewell, Captain Miles! A thousand thanks for having handed over the Madre treasure, to say nothing of having provided the means to find the way out."

The mutineer Ned Slater taunts the crew of the Golden Hope from the deck of the stolen Neptune while waving the stolen chart.

What It's Really About

Beneath its rousing plot of pirate broadsides and hidden maps, the story explores the heavy price of greed and political upheaval. Written against the backdrop of the 1685 Bloody Assizes, the book examines how national chaos forces ordinary citizens into outlawry and exile. It contrasts the lawful, disciplined camaraderie of Captain Jeremy's crew with the chaotic self-destruction of the buccaneers and mutineers. Wealth gained through the Madre treasure comes at the cost of blood, fire, and lost lives, suggesting that true fortune is not found in golden coin, but in surviving trials to build a honest life across the ocean.

Why Read It Today

The Quest of the 'Golden Hope' offers traditional historical adventure crafted with technical seamanship and vintage pacing. Fans of Robert Louis Stevenson or G. A. Henty will appreciate Westerman’s detailed knowledge of sail-era navigation, rigging, and coastal geography—from the heathlands of Hampshire to West Indian channels.

The prose moves smoothly, maintaining high energy through shipboard fires, diving accidents, and cutlass duels. Readers should note that as a period juvenile adventure, the book reflects the straightforward morality and broad archetypes of early twentieth-century boys' fiction. The dialogue contains occasional archaic maritime phrasing ("shipshape and Bristol fashion," "hard a larboard"), but the clear narrative line keeps the story easily accessible. It remains a satisfying, classic sea yarn that captures the salt-spray atmosphere of wooden ships and forgotten maps.