Chapter 3: Harem Slave

“Oh, I’m sorry for laughing my dear”, says A’isha, regaining her composure. “But tell me your name.”

“I’m R..R..Ruth”, stammers Ruth, suddenly feeling very embarrassed.

“I forget you are not aware of our customs. It is true there are men in Salé who would treat their slave girls in that way, and worse, but Hassan is very content with his current concubines. If you wish to bed my brother you must first try to catch his attention and then work very hard to seduce him. Jasmina and Miri won’t make that easy for you.”

There is an almost visible sigh of relief from the around the room. It seems that we only need to keep a low profile and we won’t get molested.

“I’m Caroline. Who are Jasmina and Miri?”

“You will meet them tomorrow, Caroline. They are my brother’s two concubines.”

We ask many questions over the next hour and A’isha answers them as best she can. We learn that Samed and Mustafa are the household’s two eunuchs and, apart from Hassan, are the only men allowed inside the harem. While they are our rulers within the harem they are also our protectors. A’isha makes a point of telling us we must do as they tell us or they will punish us.

Our conversation continues and we learn that Hassan is A’isha’s twin brother and is 25 years old. Their father had instructed on his deathbed that Hassan take over the family trading business, rather than his uncle Rashid. The business owns three ships and trades in spices, fine cloths and other quality trade goods. Like his father, Hassan has refused to become involved in the slave trade, a decision which Rashid opposes. It is Rashid who purchased us with Hassan’s money, hoping to force his nephew’s hand.

A few hours later we hear several loud voices from the courtyard outside. Something is going on. A’isha quickly stands up and signals that our meal and discussions are over for tonight.

“I think my brother has returned and has been informed of your arrival. I had better go to him at once before he and my uncle come to blows. I regret you must sleep in here tonight as your quarters are not ready yet. Please make yourself comfortable on the cushions. Mustafa will show you where there are blankets should you need them. You already know where the wash basins are located. You may use the pools if you wish, but do not go wandering around the corridors or leave this part of the harem. I’ll see you in the morning and we’ll have breakfast together. Goodnight.”

A’isha leaves with Samed and we each make a bed out of cushions. Mustafa helps us prepare our sleeping space and repeats A’isha’s instructions not to leave these rooms. Within an hour we are all fast asleep, although I and several others have forsaken the cushions for the floor. After sleeping on the Humphrey for over a fortnight I’m not used to the softness of the cushions.

I have always been an early riser and today is no different. I sit on the floor and look up at the sky through the high windows. It is still dark but dawn cannot be far away. The oil lamps around the room cast enough light for me to see. Everyone else is still asleep and I decide I may as well take a swim in the pools. I quietly go into the room with the pools and slip off my clothes. I float in the smallest pool near the small waterfall which keeps the pools flushed with clean water. I hear someone coming and see that Rebecca is up and about. Although all the women onboard the Humphrey were supposed to be at least eighteen years old, I seriously doubt that Rebecca is more than sixteen. But like many things, neither Dickey nor Wickliffe asked for confirmation of our age. When Rebecca comes across my discarded clothing she looks around and sees me.

“Isn’t this dreamy after that horrible hold on the Humphrey“, she bubbles. “And A’isha is so nice. I’m going to go exploring.”

“No, wait, Rebecca,” I cry. “A’isha said we were not to leave these rooms. You might get lost or caught, or both.”

While I’m normally partial to a bit of exploring myself, I have taken heed of the warning both we were given last night. While we are in much better surroundings than we could possibly have imagined yesterday morning, we are far from being free to do as we like. Rebecca doesn’t listen and sneaks through a door into the corridor before I can catch her. I don’t stop to dress myself and I run to catch Rebecca and bring her back here. After a minute of frantic searching I find her in a small empty room off the corridor. Before I can say anything we hear footsteps coming along the corridor. We quickly duck behind some curtains hanging down the wall. The footsteps stop outside the door and we can hear someone enter the room. Fortunately whoever it is doesn’t stop for long and soon leaves.

We wait a minute and quietly move towards the door. I listen carefully and there’s no sound in the corridor. We gently open the door and quickly step into the corridor and break into a run for the pools. Unfortunately we bounce straight off a very fierce looking Samed.

Samed grabs Rebecca’s and my hair in each hand and frog marches us back to the pools.

“You were told to stay in here. I will not have any disobedience in the harem, so you must be punished,” he growls.

These are the first words he’s spoken to us and both Rebecca and I are more than a little afraid. Rebecca is near to tears. The noise has woken several of the others who come to investigate. Catherine and Dorothy are about to run to our side but Samed commands them to stay where they are. Wisely they do as they’re told. Samed pulls out a thin cane from under his robe and clearly intends to use it on us.

“The punishment for disobedience in the harem is six strokes of the cane. However, since you have still to complete your formal entry into the harem, your punishment will be reduced to only one stroke each.”

Tears are now flowing down Rebecca’s face but she bravely stands up straight to hear her punishment.

“Please don’t punish Rebecca”, I plead. “She’s our youngest and doesn’t fully understand our situation. She’ll promise to behave in future.”

Rebecca quickly takes the hint and nods several times. Samed looks at us both and thinks for a moment.

“Under the rules of the harem you may offer to take another’s punishment. If you agree to take Rebecca’s punishment for her, then she will not suffer this time.”

I agree and he signals to Catherine and Dorothy to take Rebecca aside.

Having pronounced my sentence, Samed doesn’t keep me waiting. He orders me to lie on my back with my feet together and raised in the air. Thwack … thwack … punishment delivered. Before he leaves, Samed orders the others to leave me to suffer alone. But that doesn’t stop several of them from making silent gestures of support. I’ve endured much much worse and I reassure them that I’ll be fine. That is, once the soles of my feet stop stinging like hell.

Molly brings me some breakfast, bravely defying Samed’s order to leave me alone. Nevertheless I stay in the pool while the others eat. The warm water helps ease the pain. After breakfast A’isha starts the process of taking our names and bringing us formally into the harem. Each woman is selected in what at first I think is a random order but I soon realise that the colour of our hair determines the order. Fairest first. When called, she is taken into a side room where A’isha is waiting. After 10 minutes or so the next woman is called. Once taken into the room the woman doesn’t return so we have no idea what happens in the room or afterwards. My hair is black as night, so I’m likely to be the last, which suits me fine since I’m not looking forward to trying to walk.

Around lunchtime a halt is called for a while. There are still a dozen of us left by the pools. A’isha doesn’t return, but Samed brings in food for us. He walks over to me and gently lifts me from the pool, hands me a towel, and places me on a cushion by a table.

“I trust you have learned your lesson and I will never need to cane you again”, he says in a surprisingly kind voice. I nod quickly and sincerely hope that that will be true.

It is mid afternoon and I’m the last one by the pools. I’ve put on my clothes for the first time since daybreak. I’ve tried walking around and I can now manage a slow walk unaided, although my feet still sting. At last I’m called through to the side room where I find A’isha sitting at a desk busy writing notes. Two older women are standing to one side and Mustafa is waiting by a curtained archway. That must be the exit through which the other women have left this room.

“We will make this as quick as possible and then you can join the rest of your friends,” says A’isha. “I shall ask you a few questions and then Abal and Jamilah will give you a physical examination. After that I will explain the rules of this house and tell you what is to become of you. You may ask questions at any time if you wish. Firstly, your name and age?”

“Jacqueline Lachatte. I’m 27.”

“Who are your parents and where do they live?”

“My parents are dead.”

“Where is your home? Were you employed before you boarded the Humphrey?”

I was working as a secretary for a French police inspector in Paris until his unfortunate death.” Not exactly true, but close enough.

“What skills do you have? If you were a secretary then I presume you can read and write.”