Love on the high sea.. By Clifton Seeney

​Love on the high sea
Part 1
The year is 1801 as the fleet of El Capitaine made its journey out of harms way to the
promise that El Capitaine made to all, a kingdom on the Isles. I met Lissa on a Moroccan
slave ship that our small sloop has been running from Moroccan pirates off the coast of
Florida. We, along with many of El Capitaine Miguel’s slower ships were captured and
put in chains by the Moroccan pirates to be sold as slaves in the markets at Charlestown.
This was not what I ever would think that would happen to me, we were doing so well up
to now. We had a fortune in gold in Italy and were on our way to set up this kingdom in
the Grand Cay Islands were no one would dare to touch us. We saw the Moroccan fleet,
far off bearing down on our fleet. I knew that the ship we were on was no match for the
Moroccan Pirates so we pulled down the black and gave up. The rest of El Capitaine
Miguel’s fleet got away yet we knew something that the Moroccans didn’t know, we had
the Hound and she was well in the rear of El Capitaine Miguel’s fleet. I was guessing
that the Hound would catch this fleet as soon as they turned north towards Charleston.
Till then we just had to put up with the condition that we were in they put us down in the
cargo hole of one of the Moroccan ships while the larger ships moved off as a van guard.
This was the largest Moroccan fleet I ever saw maybe ten or more ships loaded with
slaves from the Gold Coast of Africa. Their numbers meant that they were not afraid of
any British fleet that might come on them. The war in Europe took many of the British
ships away and the Americans had too few ships to do anything. I learned later that the
Americans hired these Moroccans to deliver new slaves to Charleston. Many slaves left
the southern states during the rebellion and joined the British Army or went way up north
to Canada. This meant that the plantations needed new stock and the free born Noir were
not good workers. Charleston had at this time the largest free and Mulatto population
even more then New Orleans. These freed people were not going to return to slavery and
cotton was now becoming King in the South.
Life on this slave ship was harsh and conditions were almost unbearable many of the
mates died that summer of 1801 many just gave up. Where was the Hound? How long
would it be before they caught up with this abomination of god? We had to eat what they
gave us and there was no meat or wine to wash this mess down for it was forbidden for
these sons of Jinni’s to give us meat or wine to make our trip comfortable. The
Europeans would be used as breeding stocks to mate with the African slaves as house
slaves; the Noir’s like me would be put to work in the fields although I knew that it
would not be long before the Hound picked up the trail.
I knew that the Captaine of the Hound was dogging these Moroccans by the way that the
ship kept changing directions. We were allowed to go top side when the weather
permitted and the men were very happy to get fresh air for the smell of one another was
driving even the best of friends to fighting. That is when I saw her, a unusual looking
Moroccan to say the lest, walking about on a pirate ship she must be the ships Captaine’s
wife or worse, for he was a god ugly man, fat and big bellied. She covered her face at all
times yet we could see she had golden hair like the Europeans. All the men dream of her
at night and many were lusting after her to the point of madness.
One day when we were top side I noticed her looking at me with much surprise. I thought
to myself how could she be looking at this dark vagabond with rags for clothing and bone
sticking out. I heard the Moroccan say that the captain was going to sell her for breeding
once we got to Charleston; they said that fair skin Moroccan woman were sold for a lot of
gold to the highest bidder. These were wicked times and wicked people were in control
of this world with the war in Europe men did things that were ungodly. They breeded
people like animals and worked others to death. There were the unspeakable places also
where families would send family members who were mentally sick or homosexual so
that they would be out of the way, they were no better then slaves also.
Where was the Hound? This was on all of our minds we talk about what we were going
to do to this son of Satan when we were freed.
One day on deck I was lucky enough to see her, she and the other Spanish woman were
there getting some much needed sun . Many of them knew what was in store for them
once they reached Charleston , the younger ones had no idea what is to happen to them.
They will all go off to a breeding farm and produce house slaves in return they will be set
free once their debts were paid. In many cases I learned that their debt was never paid it
kept going up .The women from the jails were sent to Army camps to cook and to wash
and any other things that the army camps commanders wanted them to do. There was a
question in my mind how did Madame Lissa fall into bad company, she wasn’t Spanish
or Moroccan . My guess she was kidnapped from one of the English tradesman’s in Said.
How would I find out and how can I help her and myself at the same time ?
​
Join us for part 2 in June