Based on the life of Captain Nicholas Garrison

Desperate and daring, Nicholas seeks a compass for his soul.

Young Nicholas blinked back tears and set his jaw as he watched the full moon rising. He would prove he could be trusted. He would forget the past. As soon as he was old enough, he would leave and go to sea. He loved the sea.

Nicholas' parents had taught him right from wrong. But the bitterness of loss, the anger at cruel treatment, and the lure of a sailor's loose life led him further and further from God.

After years of braving storms and pirates on the high seas, Nicholas became desperately ill. Then he remembered his Moravian friend, Brother Josef. He remembered the verses his mother helped him learn as a boy. His wicked life stared him in the face.

God had seen every sin he had ever committed. Nicholas was not smart enough to escape nor good enough to go to heaven. His attempts at right living had fallen to the ground, and he had nowhere to hide himself from God. He deserved to die.

"Father God! Give me one more chance!"

Table of Contents

• Acknowledgements
• Map of Western Europe
• Map of West Indies
• Sails of a True Ship
• Decks of a Merchant Ship

• Prologue
• 1. The Slate
• 2. The Home on Staten Island
• 3. The Ella
• 4. The Pirate's Warehouse
• 5. The Snowy Night
• 6. The Last Question
• 7. The Cherry Pie
• 8. The News at the Mill
• 9. The Cook's Hand
• 10. The Cat-o'-Nine-Tails
• 11. The Orange Cat
• 12. The Art of Sailing
• 13. The Chart Room
• 14. The Rocks
• 15. The Cape Verde Islands
• 16. The Goodbye
• 17. The Cuban Castle
• 18. The Clang of the Door
• 19. The Royal
• 20. The Jolly Roger
• 21. The Pirate Ship
• 22. The Return of the Prodigal
• 23. The Silver Locket
• 24. The Surveyor
• 25. The Golden Swan
• 26. The Captain
• 27. The Dreams
• 28. The Unhappy Man
• 29. The Peaceful Stranger
• 30. The Blood of the Lamb
• 31. The Happy Man
• 32. The Answered Prayers
• 33. The Scars
• 34. The Uncle's Namesake
• 35. The Count
• 36. The New Brother in Christ
• 37. The Old Friend
• 38. The Island Journey
• 39. The Hunters
• 40. The Bayamo Prison
• 41. The Presence of the Lamb
• 42. The Admiral
• 43. The Warship
• 44. The Day of Peace
• 45. The Moravian Community
• 46. The Wind at Scilly
• 47. The Moravian Sea Captain
• 48. The Little Strength
• 49. The Test of Trust
• 50. The Spanish Privateer
• 51. The Wilderness Missionaries
• 52. The Seasickness
• 53. The Long Way to Marienborn
• 54. The Painter's Thoughts
• 55. The Greenland Voyage
• 56. The Irene
• 57. The Newfoundland Seas
• 58. The Lamb, the Captain
• 59. The Successor
• 60. The "Retirement" Trip
• 61. The Last Voyage
• 62. The Truth
• 63. The Final Years at Bethlehem
• Afterword
• Author's Notes
• Addendum I: Garrison Family Records
• Addendum II: Nicholas Garrison's Lebenslauf
• About the Author