The Reverend's Daughter (Book 2 after The Duke's Daughter)

Chapter Fourteen Part Two

The Barbary Pirates were a terrifying, fearsome lot. They were best known for preying upon human souls. Christian souls. They stole entire ships, taking the cargo and the living victims as well. They raided, looted, and pillaged coastal towns and villages to acquire more souls, who were then sold into slavery.

Women were forced into sexual and domestic slavery, and children were sold to become trained soldiers or house slaves. A soul could be ransomed, provided their family had the money to do so, and providing the slave could afford the postage to notify said family. For too many, this was just not possible.

The Barbary Pirates usually stayed south of the North Atlantic, stealing humans and valuables, yet they were known to sometimes raid as far north as Iceland.

Men were often pressed into galley service, chained to benches and made to oar, never allowed to leave the same spot, their every moment spent in these chains. Sleeping, eating and bodily functions were all carried out in the space they were shackled to. Some galley slaves were held for close to a score of years, never to see the light of day ever again, death being their only way out of bondage.

A Barbary ship, making it's way north, had the Wench in it's sights.

Bart manned the crow's nest this afternoon, he sighted the other ship and saw her change course to follow them. "Ship sighted starboard o' us, Capt'n. They've altered course to run us down." Bart called down to Violet at the helm.

Pete ran up to man the rudder, as Violet took the spyglass Pete handed him.

Violet knew those sails. Square and stained a darkened color, they only meant one thing. Slave traders had come upon them.

These ships were always heavily armed, manned by ruthless, violent men, that cared not for human lives, other than the profits to be made from selling them.

Violet knew that his own small crew did not stand a chance against these foreign men that were quickly approaching them. The Wench could not hope to outrun them, and the Barbary ship had them outsized, outgunned and out manned.

Violet feared for his wife and the children, he feared for his entire crew. The cold feeling of dread that washed over him caused him to shake internally from a chill that rushed through his body. From the moment he recognized what was approaching, his heart had fallen to his feet.

There was no defense against these aggressors, they did not wait to engage, there was no bargaining with them. They did not even speak the same language ofttimes. They flew in for the kill, swiftly and efficiently, such as a bird of prey that snatches it's quarry mid flight.

Violet handed the glass back to Pete and asked him to check the sails, to enable them to catch as much of the force of wind as possible. Sam and Pete both hastened to comply.

Violet was racing into the storm as fast as his ship could fly. He could feel the tiny stinging raindrops on his face, the sea began heaving below them. Violet prayed to God as he watched the other ship gaining on them, he saw the boys huddled below on the main deck in a tight knot, Timothy and Johnny had turned white as sheets.

"Davey! Get all of ye below and get your mistress from my cabin!" Vi yelled over the wind that had come upon them, just as the Wench approached the cloud darkened sky. "Gather the children, all of you are to go to the galley, and remain there until I tell you otherwise!" He watched the boys scramble below decks, knowing the galley was center ship and they would feel the effects from the tossing sea less. They would all be safer there if cannon fire came from the slave trader's ship.

Vi kept looking to his right, as the large ship kept creeping closer. "Bart come down from there, we shall have lightning soon. Be ready to man the guns when she comes within range."