Manfish

Inspector Warren Jack Lewis of Scotland Yard flies into Jamaica and is taken to the Jamaica Constabulary Force headquarters, where he explains that he has come to seek the extradition of a wanted criminal known as “The Professor” Victor Jory. The Jamaican Inspector, reluctant to surrender the suspect, replies with a tale that unfolds in flashback, setting the stage for a twisting Caribbean mystery of treasure, betrayal, and danger.

Brannigan John Bromfield is a devil-may-care adventurer who has just won the ship Manfish and its first mate Swede Lon Chaney Jr. in a high-stakes poker game, while deftly dodging the creditors who shadow the vessel. During a booze-soaked night out, Brannigan is drawn to a woman sitting with an older man—the Professor. In the ensuing skirmish, Brannigan notices the Professor wearing an unusual heavy ring shaped like skulls and crossbones, a symbol that will haunt the tale to come.

The next day, the Manfish sails on a turtle-hunting mission. Two divers descend to explore the depths and discover a skeleton clutching a bottle. Brannigan dives in, retrieves the bottle, and cracks it open to reveal a torn page dated 1793, written in garbled French. Hidden inside the bottle is the very ring the Professor wears, linking the two men in a cipher of past and present.

Brannigan tracks down the Professor and coaxes him to disclose what he knows, learning that the brittle fragment is half of a document once forged by the pirate Jean Lafitte, with the Professor holding the other half. Fearing for his life yet driven by greed, the Professor translates the partial map and reveals that a treasure lies on the island of Hispaniola, but he destroys the original map to secure his safety and commits the crucial details to memory.

On Hispaniola, the voyage yields a chest worth £25,000, a handsome sum that the Professor calls only a drop in the ocean compared to a second, greater prize Lafitte allegedly buried. The story William unfolds in this perilous flashback, hinting at further adventures and the ever-present danger that shadows both the ship and its cast of bold, calculating characters.

Last Updated: October 05, 2025 at 11:18