Chapter 1: Boarding

2 July, 1686 Morning

It took Pirate Captain Shadrach Bass, better known as "Bloody Bass", two days to run down the 'Red Bonnet' a larger but slower Merchant brig, in the lee of some cliffs. His ship, the 'Angry Whore', a two-masted schooner, with an ornately carved figurehead of a beautiful naked woman at its bow was much lighter, faster and was an ongoing threat to all naval and merchant vessels in this area of the sea. The Angry whore's flag, a Jolly Roger, depicting a naked woman chained to the usual pirate's crossbones had become the terror throughout the Caribbean.

The English crew of the Red Bonnet had maneuvered badly and managed to run their ship aground on some reefs making things very easy for Bass. After giving orders to launch the longboats for boarding, in no time at all, he and his well armed crew of cutthroats took complete control of the floundering Red Bonnet and its complement of officers and sailors, killing all but its Captain and three other crewmen while losing but eight of their own during the ensuing battle.

Without hesitation, Bass himself had slit the throat of the Red Bonnet's Captain and allowed his men the pleasure of leisurely dispatching the remaining three. Bass then ordered his men to transfer the Red Bonnet's booty below decks of the Angry Whore, after which they hoisted sails, and one of the blood thirstiest buccaneer captains that ever sailed before the mast set course for the pirate safe harbor of Port Royal.

Port Royal, located along the shipping lanes going to and from Spain and Panama, provided a safe harbor for pirates. Originally claimed by the Spanish, England acquired it in 1655. On a bluff at the mouth of the harbor the English built Fort Charles, its stone parapets lined with cannons looking out over the sandy spit of land that formed the natural harbor. By 1659, two hundred houses, shops, and warehouses surrounded the fort. Since the English lacked sufficient troops to prevent either the Spanish or French from seizing it, the Jamaican governors turned to the pirates for defense of the city.

Buccaneers such as Bass found Port Royal appealing for several reasons. Its proximity to trade routes allowed them easy access to prey and the harbor was large enough to accommodate their ships and provided them a place to careen and repair their vessels. It was also ideally situated for launching raids on Spanish settlements.

The city of Port Royal had also gained a reputation as the Sodom of the New World where most residents were pirates, cutthroats, whores and some of the vilest persons in the whole world. Wine and women drained the men of their wealth to such a degree that some of them became reduced to beggary. Men had been known to spend 2 or 3,000 pieces of eight in one night, and it wasn't unusual that one or more men would give a woman as much as 500 pieces of eight just to see her naked if she wasn't a town whore.

As the Angry Whore sailed north the heat was intense and the small breeze off the port bow brought little relief. It would take three days to reach Port Royal which was "Perfect", thought the pirate captain to himself as he lifted the hatch then started down the hold stairs, "three day's should give me plenty o' time ta inventory all the fine booty the Red Bonnet wer so kind ta offer."

The hold was hot, damp and smelly. Full ballast barrels of water and rum, old ropes, broken sails and miscellaneous other items, such as boxes of salted fish, hardtack, and empty wine barrels lay all about. In the center of the hold stood one half of the Red Bonnet's booty, twelve large chests recently embarked from England, with the government crest on them. Four chests filled with the latest designed flintlock rifles, pistols, power, balls, cutlasses, knives and even a few dueling swords, while the other eight chests contained food supplies. All had been destined for His Majesty's military stationed in the Caribbean.

At the fore end of the hold, in a small room just below the ships prow, the other half of the Red Bonnet's precious cargo was waiting. The room was completely enclosed other than a single heavy door with a small peep-hole bored through it which offered its only ventilation.

Bass had expected to find the guns on the Red Bonnet, but he had not expected to find two beautiful young women as well. As soon as he saw them and heard them speak, he knew exactly who they were. Their story was well known among the sailors' that frequented the inns and taverns on St George's and a few other islands in the area.

The girls were sisters, Constance and Claire, aged nineteen and eighteen respectively. Both girls' were well known throughout European high society. Tragedy had struck when both of their parents had died and then after their uncle, with the help of his mother, the matriarch of the family, claimed everything of value from his dead brother's estate; the girls were left penniless and heavily in debt. The English Governor of St George's Island, fascinated by their elegance and beauty, had made an unusual offer; he would pay their debts on the condition that they both came to live on St George and that Constance consent to become his wife.

Because their financial situation was so precarious and afraid of falling into the hands of their lascivious uncle, out of desperation the girls finally agreed. Their uncle had not only managed to obtain all the girls dead parent's wealth he was also scheming to become legally appointed as their guardian. They suspected, and correctly so, that he intended to use his legal authority over them as a means to sexually abuse and use them at his will.

Having accepted the Governor's offer they had been aboard the Red Bonnet on their way to St George's Island when it was seized by Bass and his cutthroat crew of pirates.

Bass had visualized all sorts of interesting possibilities after discovering the two girls. The Governor was an old enemy and he had numerous scores to settle with him. So if the Governor wanted the girl's he could have them, but at a high price, in public auction. And meanwhile, they were in his hands...

Absentmindedly feeling the smoothness of the string of pearls he had found inside the girls clothes case between his fingers he continued down the stairs. He looked briefly through the peephole, sniffed the stale air, then slid the bolt and opened the door.

To his right, secure inside a small cage, was Claire, the younger of the two sisters. She was a beautiful brunette with long hair, green eyes and sun-tanned skin. She was crouching inside the cage with her arms folded around her knees and her light brown hair hanging loosely about her shoulders. Her dress, now torn and dirty, was still damp so it clung to her well formed body suggestively.

Bass stood in front of the cage looking at the fine piece of female flesh annoyed that she didn't return his gaze. Picking up a small piece of iron he hit the cage bars with it. The girl turned her head slowly. Her eyes were red-rimmed from crying and he saw unmitigated fear in them.

He threw his head back and laughed, displaying both silver and gold teeth and then he turned his attention to the elder sister, Constance.

Constance looked much less comfortable. Her wrists were tied above her head, held high by two lengths of rope fixed to a beam high above. Her ankles were tied to this same beam in such a manner that her legs were held spread wide apart and her feet were on the same elevation as her head. This awkward position allowed for her bottom alone to support her entire weight which was seated on a wooden box that had been placed under her.

Everything ached. Her wrists were sore and her arms, shoulders, ankles, calves and thighs all hurt. Worst of all, was her feeling of humiliation of having been trussed up in such a suggestive manner with both her dress and crinlins bundled high about her waist and partially stuffed under her rear end. One small consolation, and something she had loathed beforehand, but now was very grateful for, was that her future husband had insisted she wear a chastity belt during the voyage. And although anyone looking could still plainly see a great deal of bare thigh flesh, at least with the belt her most private area was covered.

"Ahoy, and good day to ye, me lady," said Bass addressing Constance, while removing the gag from her mouth, "And how be ye this fine day?"

Constance didn't answer.

"Nay in a speaking mood then are ye? Well then, allow me to introduce meself," He took out a knife and absentmindedly picked at his teeth with it, "I be called Bass, Captain of this ere fine ship, The Angry Whore, and the gent what rescued ye from that sinking tub of a ship ye were sailing on. Have ye nay even a thank ye for such a good deed?"

Constance opened her eyes and look at the man that had captured her. He was an ugly, tall, strong, heavy, nut-brown man, his tarry pigtail falling over the shoulder of his soiled blue coat, his hands ragged and scarred, with black, broken nails, and a cutlass scar across one cheek its color a dirty, livid white in stark contrast to his dark leather like skin. He also had the coldest black eyes she had ever seen.