Vick is the son of a British Lord and Lady who were marooned on the West coast of Africa, which may or may not exist, by pirates. Vick's parents died when he was an infant, and he was raised by animals. As a young adult, Vick met Arthur Blank who, with others of his party was marooned at exactly the same spot on the African coast where Vick's parents were marooned roughly twenty years earlier. Observing Vick's terrific athletic potential, Blank convinces Vick to go to America to play for Blank's football team.