Following the successful launch of her first book, The House Without Windows (Alfred A. Knopf, 1927), thirteen-year-old Barbara Newhall Follett dived deep into pirate lore. She wanted to write about a fortune-telling girl her age whose world was gypsies and pirates-that is, another fictional autobiography like House. One problem: Barbara has never been to sea. She lacks the knowledge necessary for pirate writing. Luckily, a schooner from Nova Scotia...