Chained Cargo (10 page)

Sarah had been listening intently to Quinn’s story. “But your brands are different now?”

“Yes I know. I got Captain Booth to disguise the prison marks on my backside. I let him brand me again over the original marks. That’s why I have the rose, the cross and the circles. The fleur-de-lys transformed nicely into the Tudor rose and TF became the centre of a cross made of two long intersecting rectangles. My number thirty-eight was over branded with four circles.”

“What are you going to do with Danielle now you’ve got her?”

“Wait and see. And keep your mouth shut about what I’ve just told you or you’ll be back in chain and tortured.”

6. Antigua to Jamaica

At dawn, the Scorpion set sail, passing between the mainland and Long Island, then she rounded the north coast and out towards the western Caribbean and Jamaica. She had lost five of her crew in Parnham and Swift had not managed to find any replacements. Sarah was put to work on deck with the rest of the men and Swift took particular care of her, showing her what to do.

Quinn was by the helm. “Well Fletch, let’s set full sail. We should make good progress with this wind. We’re a little short on crew, so we’ll keep out of any trouble. Set someone to keep watch for ships. Let’s hope we find more men in Port Royal.” Quinn then turned and whispered to Fletch. “You and I have more pressing matters with Danielle before we reach Jamaica. Let’s start with a flogging tonight.”

Late that afternoon a block and tackle was lowered from the mainmast first platform. An iron spreader bar was hung on its hook by its centre and left hanging six feet off the deck. A second spreader bar was left on the deck underneath it. Fletch went below for Danielle and brought her up.

Two sailors took her over to the bars, she resisted. “Non! Non! Pas encore!”

Two other sailors came over to help. They attached the leg iron to spread her legs and put her wrists in the upper bar. Then two of them pulled on the block and tackle to raise her on to her toes. Some marks of her previous lashings crisscrossed her body and were plain to see in the late afternoon light.

Fletch and Swift arrived, both stripped to the waist. They took up positions at the front and back of Danielle respectively, each held a prison whip like the one used two days before.

Quinn appeared from her cabin aft and addressed them all.

“Crew! I’ve organised some more entertainment for you this afternoon! The woman you fucked on deck is going to take a whipping!”

The crew cheered and came over to watch. Sarah went up to the quarter deck and stood next to Quinn. They had a good view.

“Okay Tom and Fletch, deliver forty lashes to her front and back at the same time! No pause! Set to!”

Swift brought the whip cracking onto Danielle’s back. She flinched but made no sound, almost resigned to what was to come.

“One!” Swift yelled and the crew cheered.

Fletch followed with a lash to her front.

“Two!” Swift yelled and the crew cheered again.

The lashes followed one after another and Danielle jumped and writhed in her irons. After the sixth lash she yelled out and her cries got louder at each stroke. Her eyes were transfixed on Fletch.

Quinn turned to Sarah. “Don’t you think the bitch was made to be whipped? Just look at her. She’s got the filthy body of a whore!”

Sarah was mesmerised at the sight. The count had now reached ten and Danielle was already soaked in sweat. She yelled loudly now as each lash bit.

“Eleven!” Swift yelled once more and the crew cheered again.

Quinn again turned to Sarah. “You seem to like watching her getting whipped?” Sarah was still transfixed and just nodded. Quinn grinned. “You and I have a lot in common.”

“Twenty!” Swift’s count continued and the crew cheered again.

Danielle’s body shone in the light from the fading sun. She jerked her body and head in different directions as the whip hit. Beads of sweat from her face and body flew off in all directions.

“Just ten to go!”

Danielle continued to take the whip until the end. Then she hung limp in her irons breathing heavily. More thick crimson welts crisscrossed her sweat soaked body.

Quinn yelled to the crew. “Enough for tonight! Take her down Fletch and put her below!” She turned to Sarah. “Come and I’ll fist you.”

Three days later Danielle
had been roped tightly by her wrists and ankles to the main mast root in her compartment
. Her front was pressed against the mast
and she hugged it tightly. A rope had also been wound several times around her waist. It was hot and humid below deck and she sweated in the heat. Fletch was also looping a rope around her knees and the mast.

She grumbled. “Why so much rope today? What are you going to do to me
z
is time? Another whipping
per’aps?
”

“The cap’n’s got something in store for you. Just you
z
keep quiet and wait.”

Fletch went up top leaving
Danielle
alone. She was held tight and could only move her head slightly from side to side against the mast.
Fletch
returned with
a
heavy metal object and
he
placed it to one side.
Danielle strained her head to look and caught the glimpse of
the glow of coals in a fire.

“
Mon Dieu
Fletch! What’s
z
at for?”

“Just wait bitch.”

Fletch had a cloth in his hand and he used it to move a number of irons around in the fire.

“Oh no! Not
z
at! You’re not going to brand me
!
”

Quinn’s footsteps clattered on the companionway down from the main deck. She entered the compartment where
Danielle
had been kept.

“Well
Danielle
it’s time for you to be marked and I’ve come to witness your branding
, just as you did mine
.
”

“Non non! Je vous en supplie! Ne me marquer pas!”

“
Fletch here will apply the irons and I shall enjoy watching it very much. You will be branded several times. Also we
’
re going to ring you
r breasts
. Better gag her Fletch
;
she’s going to scream her head off.
Let’s start with the French national prison and slave mark, the fleur
-
de
-
l
y
s.”

Danielle
was silenced with the gag and a look of sheer horror crossed her face.
Fletch took out a white hot iron from the coals and took it over to
her
. He placed it so that she could see it and he allowed it to cool to red and then blue-red. It was a good t
wo
inches high, the symbol of the French state.
The iron disappeared behind
Danielle
and Fletch pressed it hard on to the
left
side of her backside and held it firm. She screamed as it burnt into her
left
cheek. The iron sizzled as it
seared
deeper
into her flesh,
a thick cloud of smoke rose into the air. After a few seconds she passed out. A few seconds
later
Fletch withdrew it.

Quinn looked closely at the mark. “Excellent mark Fletch! That’s burnt really deep into this bitch’s fat arse! Wake her up
!
Do the same on the other side.”

Fletch threw a bucket of sea-water over her and she came to, groaning.

“Has that jogged your memory
Danielle
de
Moncey
?”

Fletch took out a
nother
white hot iron from the coals and brought it over to show
Danielle
. The letters TF glowed in the half light. The iron cooled to red and then blue-red.

“I want you to know what it’s like to be treated as a prisoner by the French.
But you know already.
This is what you get when you’ve been sentenced to
‘
travaux forc
é
es
’
.”

Fletch pressed
the hot iron
hard on to the
right
side of her backside and held it firm. The iron sizzled as it
seared
deeper
into her flesh,
a thick cloud of smoke rose into the air.
She screamed and then
passed out
again.

Fletch threw a
nother
bucket of sea-water over her
. Danielle
was
still
half conscious
when
Fletch returned with a white hot number
thirty
-eight.
H
e
applied it
, still red hot,
to the
mound at the base of her spine
. He held it firm for a good ten seconds and let it burn deep into her flesh. She screamed again through her gag and passed out once more.

Quinn inspected it. “That’s a fine mark too;
it’s cut
nearly a
quarter of an inch
deep all over. Well done. We’ll leave her for now and proceed to her front this afternoon. Whip her arse a few times when she wakes up to prolong the pain. I’m going to my cabin
,
I’ll call you later.
”

Fletch doused the brazier with sea water and took it back up to the main deck. He returned
down below
to find
Danielle
conscious, breathing heavily, her teeth clenched against
her gag and
the pain.
He removed the gag,
took another bucket of sea water and started splashing
it
over her backside.

“Thatz
to
cool your arse. The salt will help.”

“Why have you branded me Fletch
?
Why?”

“Cap’nz orders. You
z
know
by now
I think.”

“Christine Cartwright! I
z
ought she
’d
died on
Île
Saint-Joseph
?
”