A Tropical Frontier

In 1696, the English barkentine, Reformation, sailing out of Port Royal, Jamaica, wrecked on the desolate shores of La Florida, the so-called "Land of Cannibals." There, the party of castaways, including a Quaker named Jonathan Dickinson and his family, were captured by the fierce Ais Indians, who were known for torturing and killing shipwreck survivors who were not of Spanish origin - as were those onboard Reformation. Hope seemed a distant mirage; but then, the Hand of Fate can be a fickle thing.