[From the back cover:] BLAZE A TRAIL INTO PARADISE! In the woods of Vermont, he built his strength cutting trees for his father. In the war of 1812, he mastered the ways of war and the need to fight for what he believed. And now, after seven years at sea, William Beard is ready to seek his fortune and pursue his dreams. He jumps ship, a hanging offense, and strikes out on his own, drawn by the sirenlike cries of a mysterious land--the great Northern California territory.