Trading the Southern Belle

My step father's fear of my 21th birthday had grown more intense during the last year. My grandfather had made sure that only a true blood relative could inherit his plantation. Now I was only two and a half months away from that birthday. I and my grandfather's friend and banker believed he would do anything to either keep control of or 'steal' my plantation. He had even tried to get me to marry Jefferson Dolmen a friend of his who was not only a bore but I'm sure my step father had a lot of control over him too. When that didn't work he even tried to charm me into becoming interested in him!

My mother died six years ago and I now locked my bedroom door at night because I didn't trust him or what he might do. He knew since he wasn't liked by anyone in town they would support me if I wanted him out of the house and off the plantation, which was exactly what I did want.

I was coming back from shopping Friday afternoon when I saw John Reed, my step father greeting his friend Captain Flynn at the front door. Captain Flynn always smelled of rum, sweat and stale tobacco and like all of John's other friends I also didn't trust him. My step father had been financing his trips to Africa to buy slaves and they would split the profits between them. Now two and a half months from now he wouldn't have enough money he could 'steal' from the plantation to do this anymore.

When Captain Flynn was going to stay for dinner, Abigail the cook would always serve my meals in my bedroom. She also didn't like Captain Flynn.

As usual after dinner my step father and Captain Flynn went into the den for brandy and to talk business.

"Well John, I guess your plan to get Jefferson Dolmen and Charlotte married hasn't worked." Flynn said.

"What makes you say that?" John replied.

"Jefferson met me at the docks today and he asked me to talk you into giving him a share of the next slave shipment." Flynn told him. "I don't think we can trust him John."

"I agree, I don't think we can trust him, but he knows too much of what I'm up to."

"Then I should tell him you said no?" Flynn asked John.

"No, you can tell him the truth. It's too close to Charlotte's 21th birthday for me to give you any money for another trip. I would not be able to hide the fact of where the monthly money from the trust fund went so we're out of business." John told him.

"Hm. Maybe you won't have to steal any of the money and we can get an even bigger shipment of slaves too. If I can find the right woman that is?" Captain Flynn told him.

"What do you mean, if you can find the right woman?" John asked Captain Flynn.

"Katungi, the chief of the tribe I do business with told me that if I could get him a 'white slave' wife he'd give me 1000 black slaves in return. If she was also a virgin he'd give me 2000 slaves and even 500 more if she were also pretty." He said.

John paced back and forth thinking about what he said.

"I think I've got a plan that will solve all our problems and even get me this plantation." He told Flynn.

"Tell me the plan."

"First, when is the soonest you can sail?" He asked Flynn.

"Sunday, if I can also find some more ships so we can get all the slaves on board and that way Katungi won't have any time to change his mind."

"Good. You tell Jefferson he can have the profit on 500 slaves if he helps you and even goes with you to Africa. Of course he won't make it to Africa and you'll get to keep that profit yourself, if you get what I mean?" He said.

"Life on the sea is a very hard life. Someone almost every trip falls overboard and is never found. So why not a land lover like Jefferson Dolmen too." Flynn said, "But what about the woman?"

"The woman is the best part. I will ask Jefferson to write me a letter saying that he and Charlotte are going to France to be married. I will write a letter from Charlotte to the bank saying the same thing and telling them that I will be in charge of the plantation until she returns. When you're ready you come here for dinner with Jefferson who will stay hidden until we need him. I will have drugged Charlotte's food with a sleeping potion that will make her sleep 10 to 12 hours. By the time she wakes you'll be out to sea. She'll only have a shift1 on so she won't go up on deck especially if she's told that if she does or makes noise she won't even have that. When you get to the African coast you'll give her a man's shirt, pants and boots to wear. Gag her mouth and place a burlap sack over her and transport her to the shore. Everyone who might see her will think it's a man. Maybe even Jefferson." He told Captain Flynn.

"John I think you're going to get your plantation real soon." Captain Flynn said with a laugh.

"I'll get more than that Flynn, I get to teach my Bitch of a step daughter a lesson in humility that she'll never forget." John replied.

John sent Abigail on an errand to do in the next town right after she had given Charlotte her dinner he had laced with a sleeping powder. The other servants were also sent away that night so there would be no witnesses of what really happens to Charlotte that night.

John went into Charlotte's room to make sure she had finished her meal and was asleep. Then he got her dressed in her shift1 and although tempted to molest her, he knew she was worth much more if he didn't do anything. He placed a gag over her mouth and a burlap sack over her head which would go down to the middle of her calves. By the time this was done Captain Flynn returned with Jefferson who would help the Captain carry her down to the carriage. They then headed to Captain Flynn's ship. By 3:00 AM the ship was well on its way to Africa.

The dose of sleeping powder John had given Charlotte was almost too much and she slept for about 16 hours before waking up. She was tied and gagged and laying on a bed. After an hour or so she heard the door unlock and Captain Flynn steped inside with a tray of food. Which he placed on a small table.

"Ah, I see you're finally awake. Now if you keep nice and quiet I'll remove that gag so you can eat. If however you want to scream or make loud noises then you'll be without even that shift1 and if that doesn't work I'll chain you naked on deck and I'm sure the crew would like that." He said, "If you agree to keep quiet just shake your head yes."

I nodded my head yes and he removed my gag.

"Why have you kidnapped me? As soon as I'm missed they'll find you and you'll hang for this."

"You won't be missed at all John has a letter from you telling him you decided to go to Europe for a while and how he would be in charge of the plantation until you got back." He said.

"Even my step father will get suspicious if I'm gone too long." I told him.

"He won't get suspicious, because he planned all of this. Even to putting a sleeping powder in your food." Captain Flynn said with an evil grin.

I should have known my step father was behind this. His greed to get my plantation was a lot stronger than I thought. Somehow I would pay him back. Captain Flynn had told me that our trip would take us a little more than two months but he wouldn't tell me our destination. During the first month I felt I was losing my mine because I was sure I heard Jefferson Dolmen's voice. The last time I heard it Captain Flynn was outside the door talking to someone.

"I told you if you want your share of the profits to stay away from this cabin." Captain Flynn told someone in the hallway outside the door.

"Yes, I understand." The voice like Jefferson said.

Captain Flynn came in and locked the door behind him. We hadn't said more than ten words to each other since that first day.

"Who was that in the hallway?" I asked.

"Just the stupid 3rd mate of mine. He doesn't know his place yet but he'll find it real soon."

I felt that he was lying about what he just said.

Two months and five days of our trip. Then we dropped anchor around 3:30 PM. Captain Flynn came to my room and through some mans clothing and boots on the bed.

"Put these clothes on. You'll need them tonight after dinner." He said and left the room.

I never had time to protest that they were mens clothes. I had however learned not to argue with him. I put on the clothes even though it made me feel strange. He would bring me my dinner at almost 7:00 PM which was later than normal.

"I have to go ashore to pick up fresh supplies before we continue. So I'm bringing you with me just in case these men have started any rumors about you being on board this ship." He said as I started to fall asleep because my food was again drugged.

I woke up in what looked like late afternoon. My arms were tied to the arm rests of a chair which had long poles attached to the sides of the chair. Two natives in front and two on the rear were carrying the chair through the jungle. I could see natives in front and behind us carrying different packages. I couldn't see were Captain Flynn was because the vegetation on the trail blocked me from seeing more than 50 feet in either direction. We came to a clearing where tents were being set up. Captain Flynn was there telling the natives what to do in their language. Captain Flynn stopped when he saw the natives carrying me put the chair down in front of the tents. He then came over to me.

"Charlotte MacKay it's good to see you're awake again. We're going to stay here tonight and leave early in the morning." He said.

"Where the hell are we going?" I asked.

"We're going to a native village that will take a little more than a week." He said.

"Why are we going there?"

"Your father and I have business with the chief of the tribe there, his name is Katungi, I'll introduce you to him when we get there." He said with a big smile.

"John Reed is not my father. He's my step father and a bastard too." I told him.

Captain Flynn and I didn't talk the rest of the trip. I think he was avoiding me. Nine days later we arrived in the village.

Captain Flynn along with two native guards brought me into a large hut where there were about twenty warriors standing around a kind of chair that had a middle aged man with a slight pot belly sitting on it.

Captain Flynn talked to him for a minute and then said to me.

"Charlotte MacKay. I would like you to meet the chief of this tribe, chief Katungi.

I said nothing.

Flynn then talked some more to the chief and they both laughed several times.

Katungi then spoke first to me to which I did not respond to, then to the two guards who were on either side of me. The guards quickly grabbed my arms and took me to another hut that was next to this one. It had two guards outside the doorway with spears. Inside there were five native women and what looked like a possible bed of animals skins on the ground. The old woman said something to my guards who took me to this bed like thing and made me lie down on it. As soon as I was flat on the ground they grabbed my arms tied ropes to my wrists and then tied the end of the ropes to stakes at each corner of this bed. Several of the women grabbed my legs and removed my boots and socks and tied my ankles to stakes at the corners of that end of the bed. I now laid spread-eagle on the bed unable to move.

It was a few hours later that Captain Flynn was brought into this hut.

"Well Charlotte, I see they made you comfortable. I'll be leaving in the morning so I guess this is good-bye than." He said.

"What about me?" I said very frightened.

"Oh you. Well your helping John and me to become very rich. You'll of course find out more about that later. John, your step father, said this will teach my bitch of a step daughter a lesson in humility, those were his words I believe." He said laughing as he left.

The old woman who's name was Ellema, which I would learn later, sent the two guards in the hut outside and then barked some orders to the other women, one whom gave her what looked like sheep clippers. She grabbed one of my pant's legs and started to cut them off of me, then the other pant's leg was done. Two of the other women pulled the pants from under me. I was naked from the waist down. It didn't seem to trouble them, I guess because they were naked from the waist up. The old woman then handed the clippers to one of the other women who cut up the sleeves of my shirt and then removed it too. I was now completely naked. The old woman then started to gently probe my private area between my legs. She was checking to see if I was still a virgin. When she was sure I was she said something to the other women who then giggled. All but one woman left the hut. The youngest one, Jira who would become my best friend while I was here, stayed there. Jira who was sitting next to me put her hand on her breast while she stared up and down my body. This only made me more embarrassed than I was already. She then placed her other hand on my breast in the same place her hand was on her own breast. Softly touching and squeezing as she moved both hands to the nipples of each of our breast. By the time she started gently touching and squeezing my nipples they were as hard as hers were. When the old woman returned she stopped immediately before she entered the hut. The old woman said something to her and they both left the hut.

Almost an hour later Katungi the chief walked in and stood at my feet.

He let out a big laugh before talking to me.

"You Wife, me King." Laughing after saying this.

This was the beginning of my terror here. Katungi then removed his loin cloth exposing his manhood to me. He then laid down between my legs and slowly at first he entered me. I don't know if it was out of kindness because he knew I was a virgin or if he just wanted to feel my maidenhead before he entered all the way in. He stopped for a few seconds with his manhood against my maidenhead then pushed it in slowly until it broke. There was a quick and sharp pain as it broke but he continued until he was all the way in and then stopped buried deep inside me. After a short time he would pull himself almost out and again plunge his manhood all the way in. He repeated this over and over again getting faster and faster until he finally plunged in as deep as I think he could go and he became ridge except for some smaller jerking motions. I had been raped and was no longer a virgin.

In the morning I was untied so I could eat and wash from a bucket of water. I was however not allowed to cover my naked body at all. At night I would again be tied to the stakes and Katungi would again rape me. This would happen every night for a month and a half. It stopped when Ellema told Katungi I was pregnant. I was then allowed to wear a loin cloth like the other women. My breasts were uncovered like these other women however and I wasn't allowed to leave the hut either.

Nine months later I gave birth to a boy which Katungi named. For three months after that I was left alone by Katungi, but it wouldn't last. Starting in the fourth month after the birth of my baby I was again tied to the stakes and raped by Katungi nightly for over three months when again I was pregnant. I gave birth to another boy. I now knew that I would be raped over and over again giving birth almost every year until I either died or escaped.

During the third year of my captivity I lost the baby I was pregnant with. I was sure that Katungi would start his raping of me as soon as he felt he could, but wars between neighboring tribes kept Katungi to busy in the fourth and part of the fifth year.

In the seventh month of my fifth year here Katungi was killed in an ambush less than a mile from the village. His brother, Chike, became chief after getting revenge on the other tribe. This would be my salvation from captivity, but I didn't know that at the time.

Jira and I had become the best of friends during this time and I had taught her enough English and even writing that we could talk in English without others understanding us. Her English was a broken English but I got the meaning of what she was saying. It would also be a great benefit to me later.

About a week after Katungi's death, Lisimba, his 3rd wife disappeared. Jira told me that Chike believed she had betrayed Katungi so he had her buried alive. This worried me as I'd been told a new chief sometimes takes the old chief's wives as his own wives. Which meant I have a new rapist to deal with.

Chike liked Jira and I was sure wanted her for his wife and this was good for me. Chike told the tribe that because Katungi had taken a white woman as a slave and wife he had been punished by the gods of the tribe so he was going to send me back to my people and that I was not to be harmed, but my children by Katungi would stay as his children. I knew that Chike loved these children as much as I did and I knew I couldn't bring them back with me either.

Jira and Chike came to my hut followed by natives carrying boxes on poles. One was brought into the hut. It was my old steamer trunk, Captain Flynn had brought it and given it to chief Katungi who gave it to Jira.

"Charlotte I'm going to translate as good as I can what Chike has to tell you so there will be no misunderstanding." She said.

"Yes I understand." I said.

Jira listened to Chike and then translated since I was not as good at understanding their language as Jira understood English.

"Chike says that since the death of his brother he must bring the tribe together and before the rumors get out of hand."

"Of course I understand that. What rumors are causing problems?" I asked.

"The rumors are about you and Katungi. Some of the tribe believe that he was killed because he had a white woman as a slave and wife. Bad magic from the tribal gods. Now they fear that some whites in the coast town will punish us because of that if they find out." Jira said.

Chike again started talking to Jira.

"Chike had me bring this case to you because it has your old clothes in it." She said and opened the trunk. "He also had me put some of these in here and there are more in some of the other boxes that will go with you to the coastal port."

The bags were made of animal skins. They were about four inches wide and twelve inches long. Before I could ask what they were Jira told me what they were.

"There filled with gold. Chike and I wanted to make sure you'd be able to get back home and be able to live alright." She said.

Chike again talked to Jira.

"One thing that might bother you. By tribal law your children must stay here. They will become Chike's and my children once we're married." She said.

I knew Chike and Jiar were right about my children. What kind of life could I give them on a plantation where all the other blacks there were slaves. The gossip alone would isolate them and me at home. Because I did love them I knew it was best for them.

It was almost two weeks before we got to the port city and another two weeks before I left Africa for New Orleans, a three an a half month trip.

Once I was in New Orleans I hired some people to find out about what my step father and Captain Flynn were up to and what they had done during the last five years.

Captain Flynn so happened to now be in of all places but New Orleans and now had a large scar on his face.

"Good morning Miss MacKay." Carl Mason one of the people checking on Captain Flynn said.

"Good morning Carl. Have you found out about Captain Flynn?" I asked.

"A lot more then you'll need I believe if you can pay for it." He said.

"Well how much money are you talking about?" I asked him.

"For $5000.00 Captain Flynn will give you a confession of what your step father did and also that John Reed paid the 3rd mate of Captain Flynn's ship to kill Jefferson Dolmen on the trip to Africa. That was the same ship you were on. I know for a fact from the 2nd mate of that ship that the 3rd mate was really Jefferson Dolmen so Flynn is likely the killer." He said.