Colonel Thomas Hoyer Monstery was one of the most celebrated swordsmen in American history. During his long life, he served under the flags of 12 nations; participated in more than 50 duels with the sword, knife, and pistol; and took part in countless battles, conflicts, and revolutions.

In this semi-autobiographical novel, originally published in 1881, Monstery recounts his adventures in Spanish America, where he journeyed during the 1850s as a soldier of fortune and itinerant master-of-arms. Within its minutes - which sound like a combination of swashbuckler, Spaghetti Western, and Indiana Jones, with shades of Robert E. Howard - Monstery tells of his duels with espadachíns (sword-wielding bravos), of evading assassination in moonlit tropical glades, of battling bandits in the windswept deserts of Mexico, and of pursuing a lost Aztec civilization, reportedly still in existence deep within the jungles of the Yucatan.

Accompanying Monstery on these journeys are his two indefatigable companions: the revolver-toting, pugilistic Englishman, Dr. Charlie Brown, and the honorable but roguish Hispanic cavalier, Don José Ramírez. Together, these three seek their fortunes while attempting to rescue the beautiful but fiery Carmelita Ximenes - a character directly based on Monstery’s own wife. To this classic adventure novel, now in print again for the first time in more than a century, has been added a new, extensive introduction by the editor.

Drawing upon a wealth of previously unknown sources, Monstery’s historical activities in Spanish America have been chronicled in greater detail than ever before, so that listeners can now dissect the facts of his real life from the fiction of his novel. In this new audiobook version, the text of both the historical introduction and novel has been vividly and dramatically brought to life by actor Luke Barton.