The Indomitable Lady

15. An Indomitable Lady

"What does this mean?!" Teresa couldn't believe what she had understood.

"He's going to be whipped, and all the slaves in the house have to watch. My fellow slave has already gone there."

"But why?! Does Colonel and Carlos know about this?"

Alice didn't have the answers, but she was as distressed as Teresa. She looked at the fellow slave.

"I don't know the details either," explained the black woman with a sad voice, " I have to go there..."

"We're going too," Teresa decided promptly.

The three them rushed out of the house. Holding up their skirts to not hinder their movements, Teresa couldn't run as fast as they could. By the time she turned the corner, the black woman had disappeared. She caught up with Alice when she stopped, hidden by the wall the house, looking at the open space in front of the slave quarters where Lucas, his back exposed, was chained by his arms to a log. Several slaves, mostly women and some children, watched anxiously. Paulo and R were near him, the latter holding a long horsewhip and cracking it in the air as if he wanted to test it.

Alice held Teresa back before she could rush into the middle of the courtyard.

"Shh! If they know we're here, they'll send us away."

The whip cracked on Lucas' back, and he screamed in pain. Teresa covered her mouth, stifling a scream of terror. Some slaves cried, and the atmosphere was desolate.

Another lash, another piercing scream, and Teresa recognized Ruth among the black women. She cried, clinging to another older slave.

When the third lash fell on Lucas' back, blood began to trickle, and his scream turned into an animalistic howl. Tears streamed down Teresa's face as well.

Raul made the whip fall on the young slave's back again, and Teresa jumped out of her hiding place. Alice tried to grab her, but she was already running into the midst of the torture area, positioning herself between the overseer and the tortured slave. Raul stopped his arm movement just in time to prevent the whip from advancing and lowered his arm with fury.

"What are you doing here, crazy woman?!"

"Stop! Stop this right now!" Teresa shouted angrily.

A silence of astonishment and anticipation fell among the slaves. With her mouth and eyes wide open, Alice emerged from her hiding place.

"Are you mad, madam?" Raul tried to give a hint of politeness to his exasperated words.

"Take this man off the log!" Teresa ordered, staring fixedly at the overseer.

Raul raised the whip again.

"Get out of the way, madam, or I might hit you with the whip!"

Teresa stood her ground.

"Then do it! What will Carlos do to you after whipping his own wife? Maybe he'll send you away for good... after whipping you."

Paulo took a step and approached Teresa and Raul.

"Let's calm down, madam!"

"Don't touch me!" Teresa shouted at the overseer who tried to remove her. "I won't leave until they take that man off the log."

Paulo looked at Raul.

"We better it."

"Do you want to obey a crazy woman?" Raul shouted at him. "I'm the one in charge here. Remove her, and the punishment will continue."