They come upon a ship that is apparently deserted. It's a fine ship that just needs a crew. Fearing that it may be the ghost ship, Flying Dutchman, they clamber aboard anyway, perhaps on a course toward certain doom, since the rumors have it that the Dutchman casts away all who come on board to die alone on an island.

They begin to get the ship under control through hard work and Tom's able leadership. Then they locate two men stranded on an iceberg and take them on board. However, when Tom hears them plotting to get rid of him, he is just sure the men are castaways from this very ship and probably have killed all the previous crew members.

In a turbulent episode, the two rogues take Tom and his companions prisoner and prepare to sell them to pirates who are slave traders. Tom and the kids manage to escape that fate and sail to England along with the head slave trader from the island, his wife, and daughter. But things aren't easy, and Tom and the kids are again imprisoned and promised that they will once more be sent to Australia as convicts.

My only complaint is that there are a number of references to episodes that happened in the previous two books, and if you haven't read them, you must use your imagination to get you up to speed on the story line. This is an exciting, fast-moving adventure that merges neatly with the actual history of early shipping, pirates, the slave trade and transporting convicts to Australia.

The quirky characters and an incredible story with fast action will keep you turning the pages to see what happens next, complete with a very satisfying, surprise ending.