12. Bad news
The sea journey has already done a lot to lift Laura's spirits. Sally and I have decided to put on our dancing costumes tonight and give a performance for our friends and crew. Abdul thinks it is a great idea, and Samed and Jamilah don't object. Jamilah helps Sally and I chose our costumes from the large selection in one of the crates in the hold. She guides us towards very traditional outfits which don't reveal too much flesh. The last thing we need is to arouse all these men and spend the rest of the night fighting off unwanted attention. Of course, Samed will be there to protect us, but I can't afford to lose any of my crew to injury.
Laura asks if she can join in our dance and we agree she can do the dances she has practised. Her repertoire is not very large at the moment, but she is very graceful and with more practise could become an exceptional dancer.
As the evening moves towards night we clear an area on the deck and three of the crew pick up their instruments. They are not as skilled as the musicians at Wadi Halaf, but they are good enough for tonight. The crew of the Zumorrod are selected for their sailing skills, not their musical ability. We manage half a dozen different dances of different styles. Laura joins in four of the dances and even does a solo dance at the end of our performance. I'm sure she'll be a very good dancer in no time at all.
As we get closer to the Cape Verde Islands we need to work out what to do when we get there. Samed was born on one of the islands and knows many of the islands quite well. I ask Samed, Sally, Laura, Abdul and Jamilah to join me in the main hold so we can work out a plan.
Samed firstly describes the islands to us. There are ten inhabited islands, all volcanic, spread over 1,500 square miles of ocean. The islands are a Portuguese colony and small Portuguese garrisons are stationed on two of the islands. The main towns are Praia on the island of Santiago, Mindelo on Sāo Vicente, and Sāo Filipe on Fogo. Samed recommends Mindelo as our first port of call as it is not only the closest to us, but its deep harbour attracts more shipping than Praia or Sāo Filipe.
If the girls have not been captured by pirates then Samed believes they are likely to be at Mindelo or Praia. If they are prisoners of pirates, then Fogo or one of the smaller islands are likely to be where they're held. Assuming, that is, they haven't been taken to the African mainland and sold as slaves. If that fate has befallen them then we have little chance of ever finding them. But we must try.
A shout from the lookout confirms my navigation has been accurate and we are approaching the island of Sāo Vicente. We should reach Mindelo by late afternoon. Samed speaks both the local creole and Portuguese. Apparently many of the islands' traders speak some Arabic, so we should be able to get around any language difficulties. We split into two groups when we dock. Abdul and Sally make enquiries with the local Portuguese officials while Samed, Jamilah, Laura and I make contact with the local traders and merchants.
I have some concerns about Laura leaving the ship, but Samed says he is charged with the protection of Sally and Laura, and he and Abdul can guard them better if they are both with us. Samed's statement reminds me that Sally and Laura are still Hassan's slaves and, although not free, are entitled to his protection. As an unmarried free woman, I don't automatically receive his protection. Such is the price of freedom.
Samed advises against carrying too many weapons. Although the islands are home to slave traders and the occasional pirate, they are generally peaceful and soldiers of the Portuguese garrison would arrest anyone who looked as though they were going to cause trouble. So the weapons we carry are small and well concealed.
Mindelo is a lot smaller than I thought it would be and there is only a small market, most of which is closed for the rest of the day. After a fruitless hour of searching we find an inn and stop for a drink. We've had no word from Abdul and Sally, so it seems likely they've been as unsuccessful as we have. We are due to meet back at the Zumorrod in an hour's time.
We are sitting in the inn, not knowing what to do next, when music starts up in the far corner of the inn. We realise an area has been cleared for a stage. There is to be a performance of some sort and we move nearer to watch. A short while later, two girls come dancing onto the stage and my mouth drops open in astonishment. There before us are Ruth and Julia, giving a very sensual dance for the thirty or so men and women crowded around the stage. Their performance is well appreciated and when it finishes they are showered with coins from a grateful audience.
They leave the stage through a back door and as quick as a flash I follow them. Only to be stopped the second I pass through the door by a knife pointing at my throat. Foolish, careless girl. I gulp and try to see who has pulled the knife on me. With a sigh I realise it is Minerva who is obviously acting as minder for Ruth and Julia, to make sure none of the audience come looking for extra entertainment from the girls. She fortunately recognises me in time, and we are soon all embracing each other.
Ruth and Julia quickly change into street clothes and the four of us join Samed, Jamilah and Laura. But where is Beatrice? I am hoping they'd say she is nearby, but unfortunately they only have bad news to give us. I suggest we all return to the Zumorrod and catch up with Abdul and Sally so we can all hear the details of Minerva, Ruth and Julia's story at the same time.
It is approaching midnight when we finish talking. As we had suspected McTavish had been ambushed by his angry mistresses and had quickly sold the Petrel in a vain attempt to buy his way out of the wrath of his former lovers. The sale of the ship left the four girls stranded and without any money. A local Portuguese businessman, José Pardal, offered to help by providing rooms in his house on the island of Fogo.
After a week or so the girls realised something was wrong, and suspected Pardal was a slave dealer. They became convinced he was arranging for them to be sold as slaves to some private buyer. Under the cover of darkness the girls climbed out of his compound and made their way to the harbour. But their escape hadn't gone unnoticed and in the chase that followed Beatrice was recaptured. Minerva wanted to stop and rescue Beatrice, but there were too many armed men around. So Minerva, Julia and Ruth stole a small boat and sailed north, eventually ending up in Mindelo. For the last month they have been making ends meet by dancing in the local inn where their act has become popular.
But they have been powerless to help Beatrice. They tried going to the Portuguese authorities but as soon as they mentioned José Pardal, and where Beatrice was being held, the authorities lost interest. The man obviously has powerful connections and is above the law. I've come across a pirate by the name of Eduardo Pardal in my travels, and I hope this Pardal isn't related to that nasty piece of scum.
We waste no time setting sail for Fogo the next morning. Within an hour we can see the top of what must be a massive volcano on the horizon. Samed confirms it is the island of Fogo which simply consists of a 10,000 ft. tall volcano rising out of the sea. A few scattered towns and villages cling to the shoreline. Unfortunately Minerva, Ruth and Julia don't know the name of the village where Pardal's compound is located, but from their description of the harbour where they stole the boat, Samed is sure it is Sāo Filipe. There are few other places on the island where boats can safely reach the shoreline, so we are fairly confident we are on the right track.
Although we first sighted Fogo early this morning it is nearly lunchtime by the time we reach Sāo Filipe. By now the volcano towers above us and is quite intimidating. Samed assures us the volcano hasn't erupted for many years and we would have plenty of time to get away should it show any inclination to erupt now. I hope he's right.
As we draw near to the harbour, Minerva points out a large two storey house on the outskirts of the town. It has a white wall surrounding it and she is certain it is Pardal's compound. The rest of the town is made up of white European style buildings, all of which must have been built about the same time. It is smaller than Mindelo, which means our arrival will probably be known to everyone in town within half and hour. We must move quickly. I would have preferred to moor in a nearby bay but the jagged volcanic rocks make it impossible to land anywhere other than Sāo Filipe harbour.
There's a ship anchored just outside the harbour and from the stench I quickly realise it's a slave ship. The slave ship is riding high in the water, suggesting it's empty and heading east to pick up a new cargo of African slaves for America. My heart sinks when I realise that Beatrice may be on board.
The Zumorrod is manoeuvrable enough to navigate the small harbour, so we can avoid any contact with the slave ship. There are several small fishing boats in the harbour, but nothing larger than the Zumorrod. Our hastily organised plan is for Abdul and Samed to go up to the Pardal compound and pose as interested buyers for white slave girls. The rest of us are to stay on board until they return, or we receive word from Abdul.
Three hours later they return, both looking grim. At first I think they are going to tell us Beatrice is no longer here. We all gather in the main hold to hear their news which, as I feared, is not good. Pardal isn't only a slave dealer but a drug dealer as well. Poor Beatrice is still in the compound but each meal she eats contains a drug, and she's steadily become addicted to it. Jamilah says she's come across this dirty practise before, which is a crime punishable by death on the mainland. Only in out-of-the-way places like here can Pardal and his like work their evil deeds. Their purpose is simple. Among the many nobles and lords of European countries are a few who wish to own a pretty white slave girl for their perverted pleasure. But either the laws of their country prohibit such practise, or it is socially unacceptable to own a slave. So Pardal makes a girl so dependent on a drug that she will willingly do anything to ensure she receives her next fix. The girl will take on the appearance of a lover, ward or consort, while in reality is the man's, or woman's, slave. Her addiction to the drug is so strong there is no humiliation or deed that she would refuse if demanded by her master or mistress.
Pardal makes his money by selling the drug, which is often one that is difficult to obtain and its supply is controlled by a few men. If the girl's owner no longer purchases the drug from Pardal, then the slave will die a slow and agonising death. A merciful owner would end the girl's life quickly.
We all vent our anger at what we have heard. Ruth says that she, Julia and Minerva must have been drugged before they made their escape, as after a day or so of freedom they all started uncontrollable shaking. It was nearly two days before they were able to continue their journey. Jamilah confirmed they had suffered from withdrawal symptoms of a drug and were lucky they were somewhere safe when it happened.
After giving us the bad news, Jamilah offers a ray of hope. Most drugs she knows of must be taken for at least three months before the addiction becomes irreversible. If we can get Beatrice free then Jamilah thinks she can gradually break Beatrice's addiction by reducing the dose of the drug each day.