Sard Harker

The novel begins with establishing narrative describing the fictional Santa Barbara as being geographically situated "far to leeward, with a coast facing to the north and east".

Ten years previously, on 18 March 1887, Sard was serving on another ship, the Venturer, in exactly the same harbour when he had a strange dream that he would meet a girl on the second of three visits to a white house called Los Xicales.

On the Pathfinder’s final day in Las Palomas Captain Carey and Sard Harker watch a boxing match.

A long section of the novel is concerned with his ever more arduous journey across Santa Barbara, with minor characters and natural hazards endangering his life.

The novel concludes with a confrontation with Sagrado B, a practitioner of black magic who wants Miss Kingsborough to complete one of his satanic rituals.

The Crowmarshes also play a minor role in Eggs and Baker, and are also in that novel situated near Condicote, Masefield's fictional name for his home town, Ledbury.

(The Abner Brown of Sard Harker appears at first to be an old man, with a long white beard,[5] but this is revealed to be a disguise[6] and his true age is not given.)

Santa Barbara features as a primary location in three of John Masefield's novels, Sard Harker, ODTAA and The Taking of the Gry, as well as being the origin of the treasure in The Midnight Folk.