Ranavalona makes him her military adviser and lover. Escape from the island seems impossible, and with his wife's help he has to overcome his cowardice to evade their minders. Characters Fictional characters Harry Paget Flashman - The hero or anti-hero Elspeth - His loving and possibly unfaithful wife Morrison - His father-in-law Tom Brown - His former rival at Rugby Historical characters Suleiman Usman/Solomon Haslam - The society man who went to Eton College is also the notorious pirate whose stronghold is in Borneo. Flashman describes him as "portly, you might say, if not fat, with a fleshy, smiling face, and fine teeth which flashed white against his swarthy skin." Fuller Pilch - Considered to be the best cricket batsman of his time, who Flashman catches out. Flashman says "I'm not sure that the sincerest tribute I got wasn't Fuller Pilch's knitted brow and steady glare as he sat on a bench with his tankard, looking me up and down for a full two minutes and never saying a word." Alfred Mynn - A renowned all-rounder cricketer of the era known for his roundarm bowling. Nicholas Felix - The third famous cricketer Flashman defeats. Richard Harris Barham - Noted novelist who Flashman meets at a hanging Whampoa - Chinese merchant who is the Flashmans' host in Singapore Joseph Balestier - Planter and merchant who was the first United States consul in Singapore Catchick Moses - Armenian Jewish merchant and co-founder of The Straits Times Henry Keppel - British post captain who accompanies Flashman and Brooke to Borneo James Brooke - The White Rajah who saves Flashman in Singapore and then takes him to rescue his wife. Flashman is impressed with him despite himself. Angela Burdett-Coutts - Flashman finds an image of her in Brooke's possession, and finds out that Brooke has a crush on her. Flashman remembers her not as fondly - "I'd taken a loving fumble at her myself...but she'd simply stared straight ahead of her and dislocated my thumb. Wasteful little prude." Charles Anthoni Johnson Brooke - Brooke's nephew and eventual successor as White Rajah Jean Laborde - A Frenchman and former slave in Madagascar who helps Flashman on his arrival in that country Ranavalona I - The queen of Madagascar and Flashman's lover. Flashman describes her as "a diabolical despot who was undoubtedly mad, fickle, dangerous, and fiendishly cruel," although he later decides she is more wicked