Pueros

Wrecked

Chapter One - Storm

(Northern Mozambique Channel, summer 1850)

11 year-old James and his twin brother, John, were not finding the long voyage to India very enjoyable. The initial excitement of journeying at sea on a sailing ship for the first time had quickly been transformed into boredom, frequently accompanied by acute seasickness whenever the weather became rough.

Apart from the occasional arrival at a port to replenish supplies of fresh food and water, the scenery always comprised only waves as far as the eye could see. The extremely beautiful twin boys had also already explored every cranny of the ship itself, at least as far as those places they were permitted to go, as well as a few more.

Their competent governess, Elisa, charged with safely delivering James and John from their English public boarding school to their parents and new lives in India, had tried her best to keep them occupied through lessons and entertainment, such as reading and games. However, as days became weeks and the monotony continued, even she began to pray regularly for an end to the seemingly interminable voyage. Her prayers were to be met but in a most unfortunate manner.

Conditions on board ship were not helped by the claustrophobia of their accommodation, comprising two tiny cabins, one for Elisa and the other for the twin boys, with a small porthole apiece to spy on the outside world. Spending time on deck was generally much more pleasant than in these minuscule rooms, unless the weather was bad or, as it had now frequently become, too hot.

Elisa was concerned about the wellbeing of her young charges if they spent too long under the hot sun, as the ship shadowed the western Atlantic coast of Africa, heading ultimately for the Cape Colony before beginning to traverse the Indian Ocean. Both James and John possessed neatly trimmed straight blonde hair and very fair complexions to go with their sparkling blue eyes, and their skin reacted unpleasantly to strong sunlight, preferring to burn bright red and then peel rather than tan nicely. Accordingly, even on very hot days, the children had to keep covered up on deck, to the extent of wearing wide-brimmed hats that shielded their immensely pretty faces.

The twins' father was a senior official with the British East India Company and was resident in Bombay, to where the sailing ship was heading. Unfortunately for the boys, the vessel never arrived.

As the ship sailed up the east coast of Africa through what is now called the Mozambique Channel, which separates the continent from Madagascar, a mighty storm arose. The sky turned inauspiciously black, tremendously heavy rain fell and loud thunder and vibrant lightening roared around and illuminated the surrounds. Even more ominously, the waves in which the vessel had begun to founder became mountainous.

Everyone rightly started to fear for their lives, not least the twins and their devoted governess. Dutiful to the end, Elisa bound the boys' wrists together with rope so that, whatever fate now awaited them, they would face it together. Sadly, her wish was not ultimately to be met.

No sailing ship could have survived for long in this current storm but the wave that ended the life of this particular vessel and most of the passengers and crew would surely have finished off any boat. What made the end worse was that the people on board, who had all gathered on deck and most of whom were now praying for salvation to God, could see the massively tall curtain of water, which surely represented their doom, approach slowly from afar until it represented all of the easterly horizon.

The sailing ship finally began to ride the wave, becoming more and more vertical in the process until capsizing. For the young twins, all then became blackness.

For the twins, all at first appeared to remain blackness when they finally opened their lovely sensuous blue eyes virtually simultaneously hours afterwards. However, the boys, wrists still bound together, quickly discovered that this phenomenon was an optical illusion.

The blackness filling the twins' line of vision and preventing them from seeing the now calm and cloudless blue sky above, whilst the boys rested on a beach of golden sand with verdant jungle behind, was that of huge fierce African warriors, dressed only in loincloths and armed with spears, peering down at them.

Chapter Two - Beach

(Coast of the northern Mozambique Channel, summer 1850)

Rather indiscriminate and unnecessary hurtful prods from the sharp spears of some of the fierce black African warriors standing around them encouraged James and John to climb to their feet. The boys then discovered that they could only attain this feat unsteadily, which caused them to sway and almost collapse back onto the soft golden sand as they attempted to stand.

The sight of unconscious obviously twin boys of white skin, attired in strange clothing covering virtually all of their small slim bodies, had originally amazed the proud, tall and muscular black warriors. The men had never previously seen humans of this colour or in such garb.

The warriors were accustomed only to people who shared their own very dark coloration and only wore loincloths, apart from the lighter but still swarthy Arab trader who wore a flowing gown and visited their large stockaded village every year at about this time. However, the black men had quickly overcome their astonishment on realising that their young captives were, despite sporting exceptionally white skin and fair hair, extremely attractive.

This perception on the part of the black warriors produced two results. The first was immense satisfaction at being able to take their young pretty prizes back to their chieftain, who would consequently surely honour and reward them. The second was the substantial bulges appearing at the front of their hide loincloths, which indicated the swift development underneath of hidden excited large manly erections.

The black warriors also now had cause to laugh, and not just in joyous celebration of their undoubtedly very valuable finds. The men were additionally amused by the damp and bedraggled boys' initial unsteadiness, as they attempted to stand whilst one each of their wrists were still bound together.

Elisa, the devoted governess of James and John, had bound the boys' wrists together so that they would share whatever fate awaited them after their sailing ship had foundered in the awful storm. The subsequent destiny of the twins had actually been somehow to survive the wreck and be washed up relatively unharmed on this beach of golden sand with verdantly green dense jungle backdrop, apparently by miraculous chance. Unfortunately, the twin 11 year-olds were soon to have cause to consider their survival to be more like catastrophic mischance.

After finally regaining their feet and steadying themselves, James and John tried their best to brush damp sand off their wet and dishevelled attire. The boys' outer garments actually comprised matching dark blue satin jackets, which were short, extending down only as far as their slim waists, and trousers, which were tucked into their socks at their ankles, as befitted the fashion of the day for young English middle-class gentlemen. Their feet were also protected by black leather laced shoes.

The attire worn by James and John was originally pristinely laundered and neatly tailored to fit their sublimely lithe bodies perfectly. However, the recent comprehensive exposure of the clothing to seawater had caused the garments not only to look crumpled and ragged but also to shrink significantly, especially now that the hot sun in the cloudless sky had begun quickly to dry the suits. The former sparkling shine to the boys' shoes, created by Elisa's dutiful daily polishing, had also been ruined.

There was, however, one advantage to the shrinking of the attire worn by James and John for observers with a taste for pretty boys. The shrivelling of the twins' trousers enabled the delectable curvature of their bottoms to be fully appreciated because the covering to the rotund mounds comprising their buttocks had been stretched taut.

In fact, the black warriors who had found James and John washed ashore were now feasting their eyes on the delicious sight, as they all walked slowly round the boys to examine their young exotic prizes more fully. As a result of such close visual scrutiny, several of the obvious bulges present at the front of most of the men's loincloths became even more pronounced.

As the black warriors circled the frightened James and John, who feared for their lives, the men spoke amongst themselves in a language that sounded like gibberish to the boys, who attempted in return to communicate to the men in English. The twins begged not to be harmed but instead to be escorted to a white settlement. However, the African adults were too busy chatting to each other about the various highly attractive attributes of the 11 year-olds to be bothered to take any notice of what the youngsters were trying to say in their own unfathomable tongue.

As the saying goes, all good things must come to an end and so eventually did the black warriors' inspections of the unexpected beauteous bounty of their hunting trip. The severing by an African knife of the short rope that connected the wrists of James and John, followed by a few more prods into boyish flesh from the sharp ends of some spears announced this fact. These actions also suggested to the perceptive twins that they were next expected to walk with the men towards the jungle.

James and John had given up their attempts to communicate with the black warriors. The boys instead just hoped that the men, who thankfully appeared to be happy to keep them alive, would have the motivation eventually to guide them safely to white civilisation.

Unfortunately for James and John, the black warriors would soon prove not to be benevolent rescuers but rather mean captors.

Chapter Three – Jungle

(Northern Mozambique, summer 1850)

James and John had both long since lost their broad-rimmed hats, which had shielded the delicate white skin of their very pretty faces from the fierce overhead sun. The boys were therefore initially grateful for the substitute protection of the dense foliage above and around them after they were led into the jungle. However, their gratitude proved short-lived.

The black warriors led James and John along a narrow pathway, just wide enough for one person and to which the men appeared accustomed. However, fast-growing jungle foliage had invaded the trail in parts and this had to be hacked away by a menacing cleaver produced from a type of hide scabbard attached to his loincloth by the leading African.

Despite, the use of this tool to clear the path, some thin branches of foliage still proved intrusive and consequently the clothing of both James and John was regularly attacked by sharp wood, occasionally causing little tears to their now rapidly dried but also very tight satin garments. Some scratches were additionally inflicted on the boys' previously perfect underlying skin.

Nevertheless, such discomfiture soon became secondary as far as James and John were concerned. Being tormented by flies and other nasty insects, some of which were deposited onto the boys as a result of their frequent brushing with passing foliage, rapidly became the major nuisance, along with the almost overwhelming heat.

Those bits of James and John that were uncovered, which basically comprised their heads, hands and parts exposed because of the tears in their clothing, were now frequently bitten by the insects, creating some sores at the relevant spots. However, two superficially delicate English boys were to prove remarkably immune to common African diseases, including those carried by the tiny nuisance creatures, which often proved fatal to Europeans in an era before inoculations and other decent medicines. Such amazingly miraculous resistance to illness was to prove to be rather fortunate, given the copious other sufferings that the young beautiful white twins were to experience in the immediate years ahead.

The unwavering heat swiftly brought both James and John, who were, of course, completely unused to such jungle conditions, to the brink of exhaustion. The boys' desperate condition was exacerbated by their wearing of clothing much more suited for mild English summers than steamy African jungles and by their now intense thirsts. However, their black warrior escorts showed no compassion.

Any slowing on the part of James and John was met either by a harsh push in the back or more painful prod of a spear from the particular guarding black warrior walking just behind each of them. Any pleading to be allowed to rest or have a drink only earned a similar response.

James and John were eventually brought close to total collapse. Copious beads of sweat ran down their now red faces and permeated their torn clothing, whilst they had also begun to stagger like an adult drunkard rather than healthy English public schoolboys who had never tasted alcohol.

Fortunately, the appearance of a big stockaded village, full of round huts of mud and thatch, black people and domesticated animals, in a large clearing astride a broad river suddenly indicated that the destination, to which James and John were being led, had finally been reached.

Chapter Four – Village

(Northern Mozambique, summer 1850)

The sudden arrival of James and John into the village naturally stirred up enormous interest. Only one person currently in the settlement had ever seen white people previously.

As the warrior hunting party led their young prizes, who were now more dishevelled than ever, towards the largest mud hut in the village, which belonged to the tribal chieftain, they were surrounded by enthusiastic noisy crowds, slowing their progress. James and John could now see around them nothing but excited black faces belonging to all ages and both genders, with all the bodies below being bare apart from loincloths covering their privates.

James and John had never before seen bare-chested females. They momentarily considered the sight of the young girls and women to be interestingly pleasant, which was an attitude matched by a strange tingling sensation in their supposedly immature groins. However, this reaction was quickly subdued by realisation that much older feminine breasts, such as those sported by the great grandmothers present, were in the boys' opinion not only far less alluring but also positively repulsive.

The slow progress amidst the accompanying crowds to the tribal chieftain's large hut eventually concluded successfully, aided by the fact that the excited throng respectfully stopped at the edges of a wide circular open area, at the far circumference of which stood their leader's residence of mud and thatch. James and John were now only escorted by the small warrior hunting party who had found them, as they traversed the flat compressed soil of this broad space.

The fears of James and John relating to their future welfare then returned as their lovely sensuous blue eyes absorbed the surrounding scene. What immediately caught their attention was the presence at the near edge of the open area of two tall stakes firmly embedded in the ground, with an obviously petrified young naked and rather pretty black boy, about 12 years old, chained spreadeagled between them. Although the African villagers wore little, this was the first time that the twins had seen anyone completely unclothed. Even babies and tiny infants sported loincloths with front and rear hide flaps.

The naked boy, who was facing away from the chieftain's hut and therefore towards the advancing James and John, was also different from the rest in other ways. He had what appeared to be a heavy collar of black iron fitted tightly around his neck, which possessed several small semicircular rings embedded into the dark metallic surface.

Matching tight-fitting round black iron fetters were attached to the boy's wrists and ankles. The purpose of the small embedded rings was evident from the fact that chains linked some of them to the two stakes, thereby keeping the 12 year-old resolutely in vertical spreadeagled bondage.

What most fascinated James and John, however, was the sight of another very narrow black iron ring tightly circling the boy's completely smooth and immature but nicely proportioned genitals, which constriction caused his sexual organs to be more uplifted and therefore prominent. The twins were also intrigued by little dark marks on the 12 year-old's pleasant body.

On coming closer to the naked boy, James and John noticed that these dark marks, which were still clearly visible despite the blackness of the flesh on which they rested, were actually small depictions of a leaping cat. The twins were later to discover that the animal supposed to be a cheetah.

The relevant animal emblems were displayed on the middle of the naked black boy's chest and on his front upper legs, adjacent to his genitals. After passing the spreadeagled 12 year-old and glancing back, James and John additionally noticed not only the keyholes in the metal collar and fetters, which indicated that they were locked in place, but also the small symbol of the leaping cat exhibited at the centre of each of the child's curvaceous buttocks.

James and John could not immediately establish how these markings had been applied to the naked black boy's flesh. Their initial guess was that the emblems had either been painted on, perhaps with the aid of a stencil, or stamped on using a woodcut. Their young and currently innocently naïve sheltered English middle-class minds could not yet perceive that humans could brand others of their kind, just as if they were cattle.

After James and John had passed the naked black boy and returned their attention to what lay ahead rather than behind, several other sights began both to fascinate and frighten them. The first was four metal rings firmly embedded in the compressed soil, which appeared to represent another sinister bondage position. The second, not far further on, comprised a sharp narrow spike of black wood, apparently vertically jutting out to about waist-height from a pit, which was covered by what looked like reasonably strong basketwork trapdoors. The third was in the very centre of the circular open area and consisted of a short round rod of very shiny polished ebony, with curved top about two inches in diameter, which protruded approximately a foot from the ground.

What concerned and scared James and John most about the sinister spike and rod was that both appeared to have copious dried blood coating their otherwise smooth surfaces, with the sanguine deposits still evident despite the blackness of both pieces of wood. However, the boys' attention was now quickly drawn away from these strange features after they heard a loud roar, which triggered a raucous cacophony of other animal noises.

The fear already inherent within James and John then intensified, as they finally noticed the sources of some of the sounds. Adjacent on both sides to the chieftain's large hut were several small but strong roofed stockades, some accommodating ferocious-looking beasts.

In one of the stockades, visible through but prevented from escaping by the surrounding strong wooden lattices, was a huge cat, which both James and John cleverly judged correctly to be the model for the markings on the naked black boy. The cheetah, which had roared at the smell of the two white boys approaching, also wore a black iron collar.

In another stockade was what the startled James and John mistakenly initially thought was an enormous monkey. The beast was in fact a gorilla, which was uttering loud grunts at the sight of James and John.

Other occupied stockades contained a few large evil-looking and apparently permanently ravenous dogs of several kinds. Some of these hounds began to bark and even foam at the mouth on seeing the approaching James and John.

Meanwhile, tethered more quietly by a long rope to a post in front of the stockades, what the amazed James and John at first erroneously considered to be a strange exotically- coloured pony had stopped chewing some fodder also to look with interest at the white boys. A large protuberance then rapidly developed between the zebra's legs, pointing away from the animal's body at a 45° angle towards the ground.

James and John might have been immaturely and innocently naïve, especially about matters relating to sex. However, the boys instantly recognised an enormous animal penis when they saw one, although they were currently unable to understand why the strange black and white creature's erection had now suddenly developed. However, their ignorance about the issue was soon to end. They were also not to remain unaware for too much longer why the rest of the exclusively male beasts confined in the stockades, which all sported black iron collars and had been well-trained in the enjoyable performance of certain acts, were similarly aroused.

The animal cacophony did not last long, as the well-trained beasts concerned quickly astutely appreciated that what they wanted would not be made immediately available to them. The creatures had leaned instead that patience would eventually be rewarded.

The attention of James and John was now drawn towards the large hut now close in front of them, before which on a low wooden pedestal was a big basketwork chair with armrests. The back of the seat was painted with the dark insignia of the leaping cheetah, as was the upper front of the platform, close to where the enthroned chieftain would place his feet.

What now caused further increased trepidation within the souls of both James and John were the two human skulls adorning each side of the top of the chair's backrest, plus similar but more numerous sinister objects decorating the front of the thatched roof of the chieftain's hut. The boys immediately wondered if the tribe practised human sacrifice and whether they were destined to be the next victims.

The tribal chieftain had, of course, been aware of the white boys' capture and arrival because one of the warriors had hastened to give him forewarning. However, he always liked to make an unrushed formal ceremonial appearance before his people in such circumstances and he so had still not emerged from his hut by the time that the fearful James and John were brought immediately before his external throne.

An eerie quiet now descended on the open area, interrupted only by the sound of birds and grasshoppers nearby and by more distant howls from the surrounding jungle. The villagers had respectfully remained at the circular circumference and, despite their excitement, had become reverently silent whilst they anticipated the appearance of their chieftain. Only the warriors who had captured James and John were therefore alongside the fearful twins, as they awaited, in acute dread, news of their fate.

Chapter Five - Chieftain

(Northern Mozambique, summer 1850)

James and John did not query their situation, as they stood tremulously in front of the elevated basketwork chair. The boys were intelligent enough to appreciate that they were about to have an audience with someone important, presumably the leader of the people who had found them. However, the twins, now dressed in shrunken and dishevelled attire and still exhausted after their forced march through the jungle, were beginning to wilt during their wait, not least because they were again exposed to the unrelentingly fiercely hot rays of the overhead sun in the cloudless sky above.

The season would, of course, be winter in their English homeland. However, this part of Africa was south of the equator and so James and John were experiencing the summer sun in this section of the world.

Fortunately for James and John, the delay until something of significance next happened to them proved mercifully short. The tribal chieftain often kept people seeking audiences waiting because he liked to remind them of his own importance and their relevant insignificance. However, he was as keen to view the mysterious and apparently highly attractive white boys as they were to stop standing under the remorseless sun.

Consequently, the usual ceremonial parade for such occasions began to emerge from the large hut before James and John succumbed to the heat and fainted. A black boy, with similar iron adornments to his neck and limbs, and presumably genitals, and bodily markings to those displayed on the slightly younger child bound naked between the two wooden stakes, first exited the chieftain's residence of mud, thatch and human skulls. However, confirmation of whether the sexual organs of this 13 year-old were also ringed was difficult to determine because he was not nude.

This black boy sported a minuscule loincloth of dark hide, which was much smaller than those worn by the other villagers and consequently only just covered his genitals. Unlike the attire of the other inhabitants of this settlement, whom James and John had so far seen, the 13 year-old's sparse garment also possessed no underlying thong or rear flap.

The boy's sexual organs could therefore be readily viewed when he moved if an observer was at the right angle at the side or if the 13 year-old's motion was sufficiently energetic to cause his loincloth's front flap temporarily to rise upwards. The latter embarrassing phenomenon could, of course, also occur in windy weather.

The boy carried in his hands a pole on which was affixed a large wooden silhouette of the leaping cheetah, which James and John had now recognised, despite not knowing the animal's precise species, must be the emblem of either these people or their leader. The identity of the latter now became evident to the twins because the chieftain next emerged from the hut, several paces behind his young almost naked standard-bearer.

The tall chieftain was over 70 years old, although he looked remarkably fit for his age. The hair on his head was white, in stark contrast to the deep blackness of his skin, but fulsome, although most was covered by a round colourful cloth cap. There was a similar hirsute covering to his broad chest, which was also adorned by a golden medallion depicting the leaping cheetah, and potbelly. Multiple tight- fitting strings of little cylindrical beads of many hues decorated his muscular neck, upper arms, wrists and ankles.

Apart from the naked boy bound between the wooden stakes, the chieftain was the first villager seen by James and John not wearing a loincloth. He was instead dressed in a skirt of brown material, which extended down to his knees and which the twins were later to discover was the hide from a ferocious lion that he had personally hunted down and killed.

Whilst clearly giving much careful visual attention to James and John, which the white boys were reciprocating, the chieftain slowly advance forward, eventually to sit in pomp on his basketwork throne. The 13 year-old black boy had already implanted his standard into a ready-made hole in the ground behind the chair.

Meanwhile, several younger men and boys, similarly dressed and adorned to the chieftain, took up standing positions on both sides of the tribal leader. The resemblance between them all was clear to James and John, who therefore correctly assumed that the male group represented four masculine generations of the same family, from great grandsons upwards.

The 13 year-old black boy now emerged from behind the chieftain's basketwork throne. He then mounted the low pedestal, upon which the chair was situated, in order to stand next to his seated master.

The black boy had briefly turned his back to James and John in order to mount the pedestal. The twins were therefore momentarily able to confirm that the nicely rotund mounds of the 13 year-old's bottom also displayed the little emblem of the leaping cheetah in the centre of each pleasantly curvaceous buttock.

Other small strange markings were also present on the black boy's lower back, just above the beginnings of his bumcrack. The twins immediately correctly thought that, what they considered to be nothing more than peculiar squiggles, were of a different nature to the cheetah emblems.

Unlike the currently unknown, to James and John, way in which the cheetah emblems had been applied, the squiggles definitely appeared to have been painted or stamped onto the black boy's young flesh. The twins would soon discover that their assessment was correct. They would also find out that the curly marks were not just peculiar decoration but instead Arabic writing.

Interestingly to James and John, the almost naked black boy now spoke first and in what appeared to be a European language, which the twins alas still did not understand. The 13 year-old had asked "Você fala português?"

On receiving only puzzled silence from James and John, the black boy went on to enquire "Habla usted Español?" and then "Parlez vous Français?" The latter question finally drew a response from one of the twins, who had learned a little of the French language at boarding school.

James answered "Un petit peu, mais je suis Anglais!" "Then you speak English," the now smiling black boy replied, after proudly discovering that the twins could not converse at all in Portuguese and Spanish or much in French.

As James and John were later to discover, the young black had been the slave of a Portuguese ship's captain, who traded regularly with the Spanish, French and English. The boy discovered that he had a natural ability quickly to pick up, understand and use, albeit only verbally because he remained illiterate, at least some aspects of the relevant foreign languages. For this reason, the chieftain was using him to communicate with the twins.

Although the chieftain might never have seen white people previously, he knew of their existence both from the tales told by the 13 year-old former slave of a Portuguese ship's captain and the Arab trader who visited him annually to barter goods, whose arrival this year was due. Consequently, the tribal leader appreciated that the twins were likely to speak one of the languages known by the black boy.

The black boy had originated from western Africa and was, of course, now one of the chieftain's own slaves, as was indicated by the iron and brandmarks decorating his body and the minuscule nature of his only covering. The 13 year-old had a year previously escaped from the abusive Portuguese ship's captain by jumping overboard when the man's vessel had been sailing up the then calm waters of the northern Mozambique Channel, close to the coast, on a moonlit night.

The black boy was far from home but felt that he had to accept the rare opportunity to try to escape unnoticed. He was a strong swimmer and had believed that he could reach the coast, after which he would seek a better life somewhere.

Unfortunately, the young black had barely reached the shore alive. He had subsequently been, like James and John, discovered unconscious on the beach by warriors from the chieftain's tribe. Such men regularly foraged the golden sands whilst out hunting in the skirting jungle, as many valuable objects were regularly washed up, even evidently very pretty boys.

"My name Gambo and I the personal slaveboy of mighty chieftain here," the young black then announced in his broken but understandable accented English, "just as you two probably be soon!"

Chapter Six – Destiny

(Northern Mozambique, summer 1850)

James and John naturally did not welcome the implication in the young black's last comment. As a result of the remark, the clever twins had immediately finally appreciated the significance of the iron and markings decorating the boy's body, and his barely existent attire, for they obviously denoted his status as a slave.

James and John naturally did not want to be slaves, or suffer the immense humiliation of spending their days virtually naked and sporting iron rings to their necks, wrists, ankles and genitals and markings on their bare flesh. As a result of their upbringing in 19th century middle-class England, and despite their general pleasantness of character, the twins also sadly possessed the mistaken attitude of most of their kind towards other peoples. Foreigners, especially those of different colours and apparently cruder civilisations, were supposedly inferior. The white boys could therefore not help but especially abhor the idea of being enslaved by black Africans in such a third-world setting.

Consequently, James and John now begged the chieftain, through his young interpreter, to be somehow returned to so- called white civilisation. However, the tribal leader's first response to the efficiently translated pleas was to laugh. His second action was to issue an order to one of his grandsons.

The chieftain's grandson was about 30 years of age and was particularly tall and strongly muscular. In reaction to the order, he unhitched a leather crop that had been attached to the belt of his skirt and advanced towards the naked black boy who was still spreadeagled between the two wooden stakes.

James and John turned to see what the grandson was about to do, although, from the sinister implement the man was now holding, they already had an idea as to what might now happen. The twins were proved right when the leather crop was soon raining blows on the now screaming black boy's back.

The attention of the alarmed James and John was then diverted back to the young translator, who began again to address them. "Master says no more begging but instead you do as told," the black boy advised, "or you too be stripped and beaten!"

The jaws of James and John dropped in shocked consternation. However, they were not allowed to dwell on their appalling predicament for too long because the black boy next instructed, whilst the sound of leather striking young flesh and accompanying shrieks still reverberated from behind the twins, "Now, you both come with me. You to be prepared for ceremony of enslavement, while mighty chieftain rewards warriors for your capture!"

Chapter Seven - Repairs

(Northern Mozambique, summer 1850)

Whilst the sound of leather striking young flesh and accompanying shrieks still reverberated from behind James and John, the appalled and petrified twins allowed themselves to be led by Gambo to a small hut behind the much bigger version that was the chieftain's abode. In order to reach this destination, which was previously hidden from the white boys' view by the tribal leader's residence of mud, thatch and human skulls, they had to pass the tethered zebra and some of the small stockades occupied by a few of the man's other now rather quiet exotic pets.

Nevertheless, despite their superficial calm, the zebra and the caged male cheetah, gorilla and dogs, all of which James and John could not help but now notice displayed fulsome animal erections, visibly exhibited great interest in the twins. The beasts did so by clearly keenly watching the boys and sniffing their scents as they passed.

James and John felt very uncomfortable about the animals' apparent sexual interest in them. The twins were therefore at first rather grateful to reach the sanctuary of the small mud hut to which Gambo had led them, and which they entered through a hide flap covering the doorway.

The hut proved to be completely empty apart from the matting of dried reeds on the ground. The windowless interior was also rather dark because the only decent light came from a round hole in the middle of the thatched roof, which allowed smoke to escape on the rare occasions when a fire was needed to warm the occupants.

The fact that James and John were also now sheltered from the view of the obviously excited crowds of villagers and the hot overhead sun only added to their gratitude for reaching the sanctuary of the hut. However, the thankfulness of the twins proved short-lived when their young black escort now asked them to strip.

James and John were accustomed to public nudity only in front of their friends at boarding school, when they washed in the communal baths. The twins had otherwise been very shy of such display, having for years already declined the help when at home of their governess, Elisa, in the daily cleansing process. The boys therefore hesitated to comply with Gambo's latest request.

Gambo, however, was not disconcerted by such hesitation. Having lived amongst white people, the black boy appreciated their affront at the idea of being naked in front of others, which was an attitude that actually also applied to the African tribe for whom he currently acted as a slave.

Although the black Africans wore far less than whites, this practice was connected to personal comfort, given the normal hot climactic conditions and the fact that their dark skin could tolerate the effects of the overhead sun very well. They still considered complete public nudity to be extremely shameful, which was why even their youngest children wore loincloths and their slaves were permitted some cover for their genitalia.

Complete public nudity was generally reserved for slaves being punished, as the poor black boy, who was currently spreadeagled between two wooden posts and being comprehensively flogged, was presently experiencing. James and John had been unable to resist the temptation to glance back briefly at this young penitent, as they were led to the hut by Gambo.

The English preparatory public school at which James and John had been boarded had practised caning on naughty pupils but only on trouser-covered bottoms. Also, partly as a consequence of this painful deterrent, and partly as a result of their natural pleasant temperament, the twins had been sufficiently well-behaved to avoid such chastisement, which only intensified their horror at what was being perpetrated on the young black penitent.

James and John had seen that the back of the naked black boy now bore a number of bloody stripes, whilst the man who had inflicted the damage was now concentrating inflicting similar on the tearful shrieking young penitent's buttocks. After the twins had reached the hut, they could not help momentarily forgetting their own desperate predicament in order to ask Gambo why the 12 year-old was being so horribly flogged.

"He fail contest," Gambo answered, in his broken but nevertheless decent and understandable English and just before deciding that the latter word was inappropriate. "I mean challenge," the young black guide and translator subsequently said in correction.

"What challenge?" James, who was always a bit more forwardly talkative than John, next enquired. "Chieftain sometimes for fun allows slaves to try escape, giving them full day start," Gambo replied.

"He then chase them with his warriors, cheetah and dogs," Gambo continued, whilst at last enlightening James and John about the species of cat pertinent to the Chieftain's logo. The twins were later to lean that such spotted felines were perfectly capable of being tamed and trained to hunt, as well as indulge in other pleasures.

"Tribe own about thirty slaves," Gambo went on to explain, "men, women and children. You no see them now because they work outside village, looking after cattle and goats and crops, their feet manacled together." James and John immediately recognised in dread a description of what they might soon be doing.

"Beating is part penalty for failing escape challenge," Gambo added, whilst indicating that other punishments were also subjected. The fearful but curious James and John perceived this insinuation and rather naturally next asked about what else the poor black boy would suffer.

"I no tell, as you will soon yourself see," Gambo responded, fully knowing that the chieftain would want his new white acquisitions to observe the black boy's further punishments. The tribal leader would desire to cow the twins into utter subservience through subjection to such intimidating visual terror.

As Gambo clearly intended to provide no further elucidation in respect of the question, James asked another. "Has anyone ever won the challenge and actually escaped?" he enquired.

James was hopeful that, if he and his twin brother were indeed now enslaved themselves, they might be offered the challenge and thereby escape. The answer to the question would also enable him to judge whether flight in other circumstances might succeed.

"No!" was, however, Gambo's disappointing blunt one-word answer. Nevertheless, the curious boy could not resist asking another question, given that he was determined that he and his twin brother would somehow sometime escape the dreadful plight in which they now found themselves.

"What happens to anyone caught really trying to run away?" James enquired. "They die!" Gambo replied with further bluntness.

"How?" James next asked, curiosity having overcome his consternation at Gambo's curt response. Knowing that the chieftain would want him to answer truthfully in order to help brainwash the twins into complete subservience, the black boy answered by referring to the narrow wooden spike protruding vertically through reasonably strong basketwork trapdoors covering a pit outside.

"Spike stuck up bound slave's bottom," Gambo explained, "and then doors opened. He or she then slowly impaled until he or she die!"

The look of utter horror on the normally very pretty serene faces of James and John subsequently confirmed to Gambo that the twins had learnt the lesson that trying to escape would be unwise. He also realised that time was passing and he did not want the tribal chieftain to become angry with him for not quickly preparing the twins for their imminent ceremony.

Gambo therefore instructed James and John not to ask any more questions but instead to undress as previously requested. In order to ensure compliance, whilst now aided by the punishment stories he had told to the twins, he added "Or I have to tell mighty chieftain that you not co-operate. He then have you both forcibly stripped and beaten!"

Rather understandably, this threat encouraged James and John finally to comply with Gambo's request, albeit very reluctantly and with resultant slowness. The twins first unbuttoned their dark blue and now dishevelled, shrunken, ripped and sweat-sodden satin jackets, followed by the underlying shirt, which would normally be pristinely pressed and white but was currently crumpled, torn and dirty.

James and John next slowly untied the laces on their soiled shoes, before removing the black leather footwear. Their socks were next shed.

The now barefoot and bare-chested James and John subsequently reluctantly turned their attention to the buttons on their dark blue satin trousers, which were as unkempt as the matching jackets had been. After unfastening the top one, the twins slowly did the same to those keeping their flies closed.

Having eventually accomplished this unbuttoning, James and John reluctantly moved their hands to the sides of their trousers. However, their intent then to push downwards to remove not only that garment but also simultaneously their underpants from their loins was momentarily halted by shame at what they were about to do in front of Gambo.

Noticing the hesitation of James and John, Gambo tried to overcome the twins' obvious embarrassment by saying "No be shy, as you not have anything I no see before." The 13 year- old also attempted to prove his point by unashamedly lifting up the minuscule front flap of his loincloth to expose his own nicely proportioned smooth black genitalia to the view of the younger white boys.

Gambo was actually fibbing when he had suggested that James and John did not have anything that he had not observed previously. The young black had by now seen many sets of male genitalia, not least when he serviced their sexual needs, but all had been dark ebony in hue, apart from the brownish adult one possessed by the Portuguese ship's captain, whom he had attended in both bath and bed. However, he had never before seen those pertaining to young white boys.

Gambo was secretly looking forward to the sight, and not just for comparative reasons. Having been forcibly subjected to so much homosexual sex, including performing relevant acts with other pretty black boys as adults watched, he had not only become accustomed to such deeds but also been transformed into someone who actually enjoyed practising pederasty.

Meanwhile, on the part of James and John, their initial acute hesitant embarrassment at stripping completely in front of Gambo had quickly changed to being ashamed of their cowardly delay because the black boy's words of reassurance and the sight of his own bravely revealed genitals. Taking a deep breath to aid their fortitude, the twins therefore summoned sufficient courage to lower their trousers and underpants simultaneously to the ground, before stepping out of the shed garments. However, their new-found nerve did not extend to allowing the young slave to look at their own exposed smooth white sexual organs for too long because the very pleasant 11 year-old attributes concerned were soon shyly hidden behind their hands.

Nevertheless, Gambo still had time to observe that the twins' own nicely proportioned genitals matched each other perfectly, like virtually every other aspect of their bodies, which, despite the dirt, sweat, little cuts and insect bites present, were undoubtedly inherently gorgeous. The black boy had managed to see that the slender flaccid penises of James and John were both uncut, possessing an agreeable covering of foreskin, and dangled delightfully above pleasantly rotund scrotums.

The sight encouraged Gambo's own cock to begin to harden, which was an embarrassing reaction that he attempted to hide by dropping his loincloth flap and to lose by thinking about other matters. Unfortunately, he was not immediately entirely successful.

Gambo had to conduct his next chores whilst his loincloth flap was no longer vertical but instead protruded outwards because the unruly cock underneath declined to soften until a few minutes had elapsed, by which time he had gathered up the twins' discarded clothing. Fortunately, the embarrassing penile phenomenon had disappeared by the time the black boy subsequently temporarily left the hut.

"Wait here," Gambo had requested of James and John, "I be back soon!" His entreaty was, of course, completely unnecessary because the twins had no intention of leaving the hut in their present completely unclothed state.

"I take clothes for repair and wash," Gambo added, just before disappearing through the hide flap that covered the hut doorway. The spirits of James and John immediately rose on hearing the black boy's declaration of intent.

James and John hoped that perhaps Gambo's mission meant that they would be allowed to wear their normal clothes after all and not instead be fitted with the iron rings and minuscule loincloth sported by the black boy. The twins also began to think that the threat of imminent enslavement might not actually exist and had only emerged because of a translation error.

Perhaps, James and John conjectured, this African tribe was after all going to look after them well and return them safely to white civilisation, perhaps motivated by the prospect of a reward. The twins' hopes were reinforced when Gambo returned as promised to the hut, this time carrying a wooden pail, full of water from the village well, and some cloths for the white boys to wash themselves. However, still being extremely parched, they first took several thirsty gulps of the cool refreshing liquid.

Gambo also brought a pottery jar, which contained a herbal ointment to help repair the cuts and bites apparent on the naked forms of James and John. The black was looking forward to applying personally the salve to the twins' white skin, which was a pleasure that he would insist on despite any protest.

Reinvigorated by thoughts of potential salvation, in the event James and John did not protest too much after Gambo had insisted that he personally rubbed the ointment gently onto the damaged parts of the twins' flesh. By this time, having washed, they had also lost their shyness at exposing their cute genitals to the interested eyes of the black boy, giving up shielding them from view with their hands.

The spirits of James and John rose even more when Gambo later collected their clothing, which had been subjected to decent sewing repairs, washed in the nearby river and dried under the hot sun with remarkable speed. As the twins subsequently rapidly and joyously redressed at the black boy's invitation, they began to think of food. Perhaps, they contemplated, the tribal chieftain might now kindly provide them with some sustenance to allay their ravenous hunger.

Unfortunately, the optimistic hopes of James and John were quickly to be extinguished, and not just in respect of food.

Chapter Eight - Caravan

(Northern Mozambique, summer 1850)

As James and John were redressing, the attention of the black villagers outside was distracted by the overdue arrival into their stockaded settlement of a long caravan. At the front of the convoy was a single covered ox-drawn wagon, driven by an Arab, who was dressed in a rather dirty and tatty robe.

The Arab's wagon was initially followed by a train of camels and mules, which were tethered together, laden with goods and luggage and escorted by several black men, attired only in loincloths. The rear of the caravan then consisted of a line of a similarly protected young Africans of both sexes, who were, however, completely naked, as well as linked together like the animals, albeit by chains connecting iron collars rather than by rope.

The hands of these young black Africans, who had been abducted in raids or captured in war by rival tribes and subsequently sold to the Arab trader, were also manacled behind their backs. Those of them that survived the long arduous journey ahead were destined for the infamous slave markets of Zanzibar, which supplied Arabia, Egypt and the rest of the Ottoman Empire with many of their black servants.

The Arab trader was enthusiastically welcomed by the villagers and their chieftain. They would barter a few of their own young slaves to him in return for some of the goods that he had brought.

The tribal leader had not yet decided which of the two white twins, whom he had just joyously acquired, would be similarly bartered and which he would keep.

Chapter Nine - Reintroduction

(Northern Mozambique, summer 1850)

Gambo eventually reintroduced James and John, now cleansed and redressed in their original laundered and mended clothing and freshly polished shoes, with ointment still working at repairing their bodily cuts and bites, again to the enthroned chieftain. The twins now met the bearded Arab trader for the first time because he had been afforded a place of honour, comprising a basketwork seat adjacent to that of the tribal leader.

As Gambo had returned James and John to the setting in front of the chieftain's hut, with the open area again surrounded by excited villagers, the twins had noticed that the flogging of the naked black 12 year-old had now stopped. However, the poor boy was still chained spreadeagled between the two wooden posts and was quietly sobbing.

The ravaged rear of the black boy's body was covered by a meshwork of sanguine stripes, extending from his neck to his ankles. Some droplets of blood were still running down and dripping from his badly damaged form to join the little red puddle already existent below him.

Whilst the Arab leered at James and John, with his clear interest in them evident by a lecherous licking of his lips by his own rather obnoxious manly tongue, Gambo again took up position next to the chieftain in order to translate his master's instructions to the twins. What the young black next commanded the two white boys to do completely shattered their resurgent belief that their welfare would after all be safeguarded.

"Strip again!" Gambo had once more ordered.

Chapter Ten - Striptease

(Northern Mozambique, summer 1850)

The devastatingly disappointed twins naturally protested about the order, as well as again begged the chieftain to be returned safely to white civilisation. James even suggested that the tribal leader would probably be well rewarded for looking after the boys' welfare.

The chieftain's reaction was, however, similar to when James and John had previously uttered similar entreaties. The tribal leader at first laughed at the twins' translated words before then issuing an order, albeit not on this occasion to a grandson.

The chieftain instead commanded Gambo to elucidate to James and John that they were now tribal property, to be used as the leader saw fit. The young black was also to explain that his master had no intention of ever returning the twins to their own people but instead wished to enslave them. The customary relevant village ceremonial would be performed without further ado and, if the white boys did not co- operate, they would be severely punished. He did not have to add that an example of the dreadful nature of the penance had already been demonstrated.

On hearing the chieftain's translated words, the appalled James and John immediately realised that the order to strip was the first highly disturbing aspect of the planned ceremonial. Given the various adornments on the bodies of Gambo and the flagellated slaveboy, the twins could also guess what would form at least part of later ritual.

The first instincts of James and John were now to look around in order to see if there was any chance to flee the scene. However, they were virtually surrounded by crowds of black villagers, with some of the tribal warriors still brandishing spears and equipped with other deadly weaponry, such as knives. The twins quickly appreciated that they had no chance of escape.

The twins therefore simultaneously concluded that, as they did not want to be flogged, they had no other choice than to submit to the ceremonial. James' confirmed his summation to his brother by whispering "I don't think we've any alternative option, John, so we'll have to co-operate." His sibling displayed his agreement by nodding his head.

As a consequence of their reluctant but sensible conclusion and after hearing another, this time more forceful and threatening command from Gambo to "Strip or be stripped and then beaten," James and John again advanced their now tremulous fingers towards the buttons on their jackets. The twins subsequently shed their clothing in the same order that they had followed earlier but with even greater shy slowness, to which few of the more lecherous observers objected, being instead rather libidinously entertained by the gradual striptease.

James and John also decided not to discard their underpants at the same time as their trousers. As a result, the twins eventually found themselves standing before the crowded assemblage attired only in their white cotton undergarments, which resembled shorts with flies.

The clinging tightness of this underwear had been considerably embarrassingly exacerbated by the recent shrinking of the cotton after exposure to seawater. The highly attractive currently covered curves of the twins' bottoms were accordingly nicely highlighted, as was the bulge at the front, which accurately outlined the shape of their hidden genitalia.

Given the very public setting, James and John again hesitated to remove the final covering to their private parts. Consequently, the chieftain decided to help them overcome their obvious shyness by demonstrating another possible punishment for lack of co-operation. The tribal leader initiated the show by issuing another order to his senior grandson.

This 30 year-old black man subsequently returned to the boy whom he had earlier flogged, with his crop again in his hand, but, on this occasion, he took up position in front of the 12 year-old. The chieftain's grandson then reactivated the child's shrieking by aiming several hard blows from his leather implement onto his young victim's nicely dangling scrotum.

The relevant message was clear to James and John, whose pretty faces immediately turned bright red as they quickly lowered their underpants to the ground and then stepped out of the discarded attire, which they threw on top of the nearby pile of already shed garments. The surrounding villagers loudly cheered their appreciation of their resulting first-ever sight of beautiful young naked white boys, who were desperately trying to hide their most private parts with their hands, whilst blushing intensely and standing dejectedly in front of the chieftain in utter degradation and shame.

The villagers, of course, also appreciated something else of which James and John were not aware. They knew that the twins and their clothes had been washed and repaired as much as possible, and the boys subsequently allowed to redress, only so that the 11 year-olds could later publicly strip in a symbolic act.

The symbolism related to the concept that James and John, readied as pristinely as circumstances allowed, were shamefully submissively depriving themselves forever of the clothing of their own white race at the behest of the black chieftain, to whose will they were thereby demonstrating complete subjugation.

Chapter Eleven – Scrutiny

(Northern Mozambique, summer 1850)

The ability of James and John to hide their genitalia manually was quickly ended when Gambo next commanded "Put hands on head!" Further hesitation on the part of the twins followed until the sound of another whoosh, as a crop again flew through the air to strike young sexual organs of a black hue, and accompanying agonised shriek from behind, as the leather hit target, quickly terminated such resistance to the order.

Consequently, James and John were soon shamefully standing before the crowded assembly of black villagers and their solitary Arab guest in complete nudity and with their lovely genitalia fully exposed to view. There was now a renewed silence, interrupted only by the distant sounds of birds and grasshoppers, and the occasional ominous roar from the surrounding dense jungle, as the first-time scrutinisers of young delectable white bodies feasted their eyes on the boys' forms.

What these scrutinisers saw were two virtually matching white boys of remarkable physical perfection, which was temporarily marred only by a few little cuts and bites. Unlike many 11 year-olds, neither James nor John possessed bodies or limbs that were awkwardly skinny or plump. Their young forms were instead of essentially faultless proportion, and not spoilt by any tan-lines whatsoever because of their previous avoidance of exposure to strong sunlight. Consequently, their healthy and attractive creamy- pink complexions were uniform all over.

Three particular features pertaining to James and John were of special interest to those of the scrutinisers whose hidden cocks had hardened at the sight of the pair of young delicious white nudes, including the chieftain and his Arab guest. First were the boys' sublime but currently blushing faces, bejewelled by dazzling blue eyes and crowned by neatly trimmed straight but silky blonde hair. Second were their smooth hairless genitalia, which were perfectly sized in relation to the rest of their bodies, with slender flaccid uncut penises resting atop delightfully rotund scrotums. Third were their nicely curvaceous and literally outstanding bottoms, whose creamy lustre positively invited attention.

As previously in the privacy of the small hut, Gambo proved that he was not immune to the attractive sight of the naked James and John. The flap of his minuscule sole cover had again risen outwards and upwards in reaction to the development of his own erection underneath. At such embarrassing times, the black boy wished that his tiny attire had the integral thong possessed by the similar but more comprehensive garments of the villagers, which, unlike his, could restrain such penile phenomena from becoming too obvious and also sported flaps to the rear.

As a consequence of Gambo's excitement, most of his erect genitals were viewable from the side. However, as all eyes feasted on James and John, the aroused young black was spared the embarrassment of being noticed and causing vociferous hilarity amongst the crowd.

Partly in an effort to return from embarrassing arousal to more respectable penile flaccidity, Gambo attempted to concentrate on the instructions being passed to him by the adjacent chieftain rather than on the sight of the exceptionally beautiful James and John. Accordingly, after a decent pause to enable his master and the Arab guest to scrutinise the naked fronts of the twins, the black boy commanded the young whites "Still with hands on head, turn to your right so that mighty chieftain can check side profile!"

James and John were now so thoroughly humiliated that they just wanted to end their current shameful experience as quickly as possible. The twins were therefore finally prepared to be efficiently compliant in respect of all orders, knowing that hesitation not only might be dangerous for their physical welfare, as well as for the flagellated black boy behind them, but also would only prolong their ordeal.

Consequently, James and John turned as instructed to allow the chieftain and his Arab guest to scrutinise their left profiles. After further decent pauses to permit adult eyes to feast on the fresh perspectives of gorgeous naked white boy flesh, the twins made two further clockwise turns to enable their rears and their right sides to be ogled too.

The most debasing aspect of this visual scrutiny happened when James and John were presenting their nude rears for examination. After agreeing the move with the chieftain, the eager Arab stood up from his chair and approached the twins, whilst displaying a rather noticeable bulge at the front of his rather dirty and tatty off-white ankle-length robe.

The Arab subsequently demonstrated his ability to speak the local tribal dialect when he commanded James and John, through the interpreter, Gambo, to spread their legs wide apart and bend over so that their hands clutched their shins. After the effectively traumatised twins had compliantly obeyed, they consecutively felt the man prise their bumcheeks apart so that he could check their pink sphincters. On each occasion, he subsequently relayed a few words directly to the chieftain, who laughed and commented briefly in response and apparent approval.

Gambo kindly appraised James and John of the reason behind this exercise, after which the Arab had resumed his seat. "Trader says you both still virgin," the young black advised the rather innocent twins, who did not really know what this statement meant, as they currently naively did not appreciate that their rear orifices could be invaded for sexual purposes. However, neither white boy felt inclined to seek clarification to resolve their confusion.

After James and John had finally been returned to standing before the chieftain, still with their hands obediently on their head, the tribal leader and his Arab guest began an earnest conversation. The chat was clearly about the twins because throughout the men regularly looked and pointed at the two white boys.

On this occasion, no explanation about what was going on came from Gambo, who was nevertheless clearly listening to the conversation with interest. James and John therefore remained ignorant about what was being said about them, but only temporarily for their lives now quickly took another turn for the worse.

Chapter Twelve – Toss

(Northern Mozambique, summer 1850)

The Arab eventually produced a large gold coin from a hidden pocket in his robe. He rarely used money to buy goods, including the human type, from black Africans, who preferred to barter. However, he still carried some cash for emergency purposes.

The twins subsequently saw the Arab flick the gold high into the air before catching the coin in the palm of the same hand and quickly inverting it on top of the other. The man then looked to see what was now the upper side of the money. He then pointed and laughed at John.

The individual fates of James and John, who were so identical to each other that neither the chieftain nor his guest preferred one to the other, had been settled with the recent toss of the coin.

Chapter Thirteen – Oiling

(Northern Mozambique, summer 1850)

James and John remained bemused for now about the fateful significance of the toss of the coin, especially after their bright minds became diverted by something else being perpetrated on their now naked bodies. Gambo had stepped off the pedestal on which the chieftain's basketwork throne was situated and had collected another pottery jar, this time from his master's hut.

Gambo returned to the twins and now instructed them to place their hands towards their sides, whilst leaving a gap between their arms and bodies. The young black subsequently dipped his fingers in the jar to smear them with some of the sweet-smelling transparent oil contained inside. He then began to rub the substance first onto James, providing a covering for all of the boy's white skin, including his face.

"Will prevent sun burning flesh and deter flies," Gambo announced in explanation, as he proceeded with his, for him, not unpleasant task. However, having earlier finally succeeded in returning his unruly cock to flaccidity, the black boy also somehow now managed to prevent a recurrence of penile growth, despite the renewed intimate acquaintance of both his eyes and fingers to the delectable forms of the white twins. He achieved this remarkable feat by thinking about unpleasant matters whilst he worked, helped considerably by the sight of the poor 12 year-old still spreadeagled between the two wooden posts nearby.

Being intelligent, the chieftain and his people recognised that the delicate white skin of James and John could not tolerate exposure to the hot overhead sun for too long before beginning to burn. Flies and other insects were also a danger for the maintained delectable purity of the twins' pale flesh, although in the village open space such nasty creatures were strangely rare compared with inside the surrounding dense forest. However, the remarkably effective herbal oil was being applied not out of compassionate consideration. Valuable property was instead being safeguarded.

James' naked body reacted, for him, unusually to Gambo's careful and gentle manual application of the herbal oil. Such response was initially most intense when the young black smeared copious amounts of the clear viscous liquid onto the lustrous curves of the white boy's bottom, including a dollop inserted onto and into his tight, recently confirmed as virginal, sphincter.

James' own slender cock began to grow hard, which the young penis had rarely done previously. The white boy and his twin brother, who were also like others of their age and race in their era in being less physically mature than their 20th and 21st century counterparts, had not yet discovered the joys of masturbation or indeed any other sexual activity.

The cocks of James and John had occasionally hardened before, mainly when they had been in the communal baths with their fellow preparatory school pupils. However, the twins had not yet connected their still rather innocent excitement at often on such occasions taking the opportunity to frolic daringly in the nude with their friends with the penile phenomenon. Naturally, such naivety would end soon, although not because of their slow progress towards adulthood.

James' unruly cock eventually became fully horizontally erect when Gambo, having kept the best task for last, concluded his chore by carefully and gently oiling the boy's white genitals. The feel of the relevant young black hand comprehensively smearing his penis and scrotum with the cool liquid also caused the twin's member to quiver visibly, whilst his groin experienced peculiarly pleasurable sensations.

James' unexpected enjoyment at what should have been the highly demeaning public manhandling of his most private parts also caused him temporarily to forget the fact that many fascinated black people of both genders and all ages, plus an Arab, were watching in great interest. Additionally, the extremely aroused young white boy could not, of course, understand the laughing insult about him now expressed by the swarthy trader to the tribal chieftain.

"This white boy is a ready-made whore," the Arab had suggested to the chieftain in the local tribal dialect, "judging by that excited cock of his. I hope that his twin brother proves to be similarly sluttish!" Both men laughed at the remarks.

The chieftain and his guest later laughed again after John's genitals did indeed react in response to Gambo's expert manipulations in a similar manner to those of his already oiled twin brother, thereby realising the Arab's hopes.

Chapter Fourteen – Enslavement

(Northern Mozambique, summer 1850)

The oil applied to the now literally dazzling naked white bodies of James and John, which positively gleamed in the bright light, dried very quickly in the extremely hot weather. However, the result was a shiny sheen that would protect their forms efficiently from the sun and insects for about a day unless washed or wiped off earlier.

On both occasions that Gambo had finished his work in respect of each individual twin, so that the peculiar tingling in their groins ceased, both unusually highly aroused white boys had at last become aware from audible chortling of the general amusement around them. They immediately astutely recognised the cause of such obviously ribald public fun, namely the sight of their erections. However, the resultant deep sense of shame quickly returned their unruly penises back to deeply abashed flaccidity.

Gambo next departed the scene only to return rapidly with two black iron collars, of the size used on younger slaves. The twins immediately realised for whom the adornments were intended and they were speedily proved right when the young black fastened them to the lithe necks of James and John, locking them in place with keys that he then handed respectively to the chieftain and Arab.

James and John were naturally perturbed by all this latest development. However, although the twins had shamefully appreciated the degrading meaningfulness of the fitting in terms of their enslavement, they had not yet recognised the significance of the splitting of the keys between the chieftain and Arab.

James and John found the applied debasing iron collars to be cool and heavy. However, the twins also thankfully noted that the demeaning adornments were sufficiently loose to permit a little growth and hopefully to prevent injurious chafing to their delicate white flesh.

Gambo next temporarily disappeared again, only this time to return swiftly with heavy iron manacles. James and John soon confirmed that these shackles were for their wrists and ankles, after the young black had locked them in place on their limbs.

Gambo subsequently chained the hands of James and John together behind their backs. The young black also manacled the twins' feet so that their legs could move no more than about two feet apart, thereby seriously hindering the ability of the white boys to walk fast.

James and John remained passively compliant throughout this seriously demeaning process despite the fact that their natural inclination was to resist the bondage being imposed on them, which by considerably restricting their movements surely ruined any realistic chances of future escape. They were simply too afraid of the potential consequences of making any attempt to defy the fitting of the heavy shackles.

After satisfying himself with the quality of his work, Gambo finally resumed his elevated place next to his master. This action actually surprised James and John.

James and John, who had momentarily forgotten their shameful state of personal public nudity because of their current mental concentration on the other sad train of events overwhelming them, which caused them momentarily to forget their immensely shameful nakedness, had anticipated other actions by Gambo. In particular, the twins thought that their genitals would now be tightly ringed and their bare bodies marked with the emblem of the tribal chieftain.

After all, the only other pair of young slaves that James and John had seen, namely Gambo and the flagellated young black boy currently located behind them, sported such adornments. The twins had therefore fully expected to be immediately subjected to the same decoration. However, it now soon transpired that Gambo first had to command them to perform acts of particularly opprobrious degradation.

"You both in turn kneel immediately in front of throne of mighty chieftain," Gambo next ordered of the now humiliatingly manacled James and John, "and kiss sacred tribal emblem at his feet as ritual indicating your acceptance of enslavement and total subjugation to his will!" The twins could not help but glance at the insignia of the leaping cheetah concerned, which was embossed into the wooden pedestal on which the man's basketwork seat rested.

James and John then glanced at each other and they instantly recognised the early opinion of the other, as their thoughts had as usual harmonised without words being necessary between them. The twins had already been subjected to so much dishonour that they now at first believed that they could submit to no more.

James and John therefore initially considered the latest demeaning command from Gambo to be one too many until they noticed that the chieftain's relative, still holding his wicked and now bloodied crop, was now standing menacingly behind them. This perception had arisen because the man had briefly rubbed his leather implement threateningly up and down each of the twin's bare bottoms.

The black Africans were fully aware that Gambo's latest command represented a defining moment in not only the enslavement ceremonial but also the lives of James and John. Obediently symbolically kneeling degradingly to kiss the embossed emblem at the chieftain's sandal-covered feet would surely indicate that any spark of defiance towards their fate, which the twins might still have left, had been squashed. The brief threatening feel of the leather crop on the lovely bare bottoms of the white boys was intended to ensure that the required outcome was achieved.

James and John were also aware of the symbolism of the act of homage. However, the twins additionally appreciated the significance of the crop that had briefly rubbed their bare bottoms.

James and John now quickly again realised that they had no choice but to obey Gambo's demeaning command because, if they resisted, the chieftain's relative would surely only beat them until they finally complied. The twins realistically recognised that, no matter how hard they tried to be brave, there would be a limit to the pain that they could endure when being flogged. They would therefore undoubtedly ultimately succumb to completion of the debasing ritual.

James and John concluded that early resistance would therefore only be attributable to a foolish desire to display some belated pride rather than common sense and that they would anyway soon be made to swallow such emotion when faced with a flogging. Consequently, the twins independently decided that they might as well surrender to performance of the disgraceful deed whilst their bottoms were unhurt and unmarked rather than the opposite. As usual, just a quiet glance at each other verified that their thoughts were in harmony.

James subsequently stepped forward reluctantly to perform the debasing ritual first, with his manacles rattling as he moved and to the additional loud sound of cheering from many of the surrounding villagers. The similarly shackled and still nude John next followed his twin brother's example to similar audible accompaniment.

Gambo then advised the freshly blushing James and John that their symbolic acts confirmed them as tribal slaves. The black boy also informed the appalled twins that they would be expected to perform the humiliating homage before the chieftain and any male member of his family before whom they were brought, at both the beginning and end of each such meeting, or be punished. If necessary, the white boys were to kiss the feet of these tribal worthies in the absence of any emblem in front of them.

James and John were also never to speak until allowed by being spoken to. The twins were additionally required in such circumstances to refer reverently to any male tribal member as `Master'.

Having finally symbolically degradingly confirmed their acceptance of enslavement and total subjugation to the will of the tribal chieftain, and heard these latest appalling instructions, James and John again next expected to be decorated by Gambo with cockrings and body markings to conclude the acutely shaming ceremonial. However, the black boy did not leave his position adjacent to the tribal leader.

The ignorance of James and John, in respect of the reason for the apparent delay in adding such further embellishments to the twins' delightful young forms, was, however, soon to be ended distressingly.

Chapter Fifteen – Separation

(Northern Mozambique, summer 1850)

Gambo next, exceedingly disturbingly, announced to the horrified twins, from his elevated position adjacent to the chieftain, "However, need for regular homage only apply to one of you, as you two now be separated." Pointing to James, the young black announced "You stay here with mighty chieftain as personal slave like me."

Similarly indicating to John, Gambo subsequently declared "You sold to Arab, who take you north, to Zanzibar slave markets for resale to merchants from Ottoman Empire!" Only now did the shocked twins realise that tribal warriors had been summoned from behind to their sides because a pair of the very strong men now grabbed each of them by the arms. The adults subsequently began to drag the fiercely struggling and vociferously protesting but diminutive white boys in different directions to separate fates.

John, despite his best efforts to resist, which were sadly proving fruitless, was being forcibly dragged to be chained to the rear of the line of naked young black captives, who were being taken in the Arab's caravan to Zanzibar. Meanwhile, James was being pulled towards his own immediate fate, namely replacing the flagellated black boy spreadeagled between the two wooden posts.

Only James was now to be marked with the tribal insignia whilst spreadeagled naked between the two sinister wooden posts, over the little puddle of the previous occupant's shed blood. Only this twin would now have, as a new slave, his genitals immediately tightly ringed with iron and his body branded.

John, if he survived the long journey north, the danger of which, and his replication for the chieftain in James' form, made him, despite his white rarity, relatively cheap for the Arab trader to acquire through barter, was instead destined for another life altogether. However, his ultimate fate, given the hatred of many Muslims towards European Christians ever since the Crusades of centuries before, did not really offer any better prospects.

James and John could not help but scream and cry profusely, as they were dragged apart to face their separate, not least geographically, destinies. The twins had always been virtually inseparable, being intimate best friends as much as brothers.

Amidst shedding copious tears, the twins begged loudly not to be separated. The commonly more outspoken James even vociferously promised the tribal chieftain "We'll do anything. Please, please, just let us remain together!"

By the time that the grinning chieftain answered James, John had already disappeared from sight. The remaining 11 year- old twin had also replaced the young grievously flagellated black in being chained naked and spreadeagled between the two heinous wooden posts.

The nature of some of the bodily markings of both the previous occupant of this dreadful penitence position and Gambo then finally became appallingly apparent to James when a crude iron brazier was positioned just in front of him and lit. The two implements subsequently placed in the charcoal bore at the ends little metal replicas of the leaping cheetah emblem.

James subsequently looked at the now more distant chieftain, whom he then saw was holding a tiny flanged open iron ring in his hands. The boy immediately perceptively appreciated where this particular undoubtedly very tight-fitting adornment was imminently to be attached. However, his instant desire again to plead for compassion was suppressed when the tribal leader responded to the white 11 year-old's earlier entreaty, with Gambo as usual translating.

Gambo announced, on behalf of his master, in his usual broken English, "You forced do anything anyway for mighty chieftain, whatever happen to now lost twin!" The black boy also stepped off the pedestal on which the tribal leader's basketwork throne rested and collected from his master's hut a pair of little serrated peg-like metal clamps, linked by thin light chain, before advancing towards James.

As Gambo subsequently excruciatingly crushed each of James' rosy nipples between the very tight jaws of the pegs, he also verbally chastised the agonised white boy, whilst referring to the 11 year-old's earlier vociferous pleading on being separated from John. "You and brother," reprimanded the young black, "broke rules for slaves. You both spoke without permission and without addressing mighty chieftain as `Master'!"

"As mighty chieftain not want your body yet spoilt by marks of beating," Gambo went on to add in explanation, "he decide you suffer these clamps instead before you branded. Arab guest also kindly now going to punish your brother in same way!"

Chapter Sixteen - Cockring

(Northern Mozambique, summer 1850)

James had never previously known such agony, or personally shedding so many tears. However, the naked 11 year-old was unsure whether the greatest causal suffering was induced by the clamps excruciatingly squeezing his nipples or by his loss, probably forever, of his beloved identical twin, John. The boys had rarely been separated and were as much intimate best friends as brothers.

James' acute distress was also intensified by three other factors. First was his, for him, unprecedented public nudity, worsened by being disgracefully naked in front of people whom, having naively absorbed common contemporary European attitudes, he considered inferior to his own English race. Second was his recent forcibly compliant immensely shameful subjection to being one of the slaves of this black tribe. Third was the clearly imminent conclusion to this process, namely the tight humiliating ringing of his genitals and the undoubtedly very painful branding of his body.

James was also unable to decide the cause of the current visible quaking of his nude spreadeagled form within the tight confines permitted by the manacles firmly attaching his lithe limbs to the wooden posts. The boy was unsure whether such quivering was due to the excruciation on his bare chest or the mental anguish created by shock and sorrow at what had already happened or fear about what was about to occur.

The charcoal in the crude brazier in front of James was already emitting a lot of smoke, suggesting that the wooden- handled irons, which would shortly brand him, were heating up nicely in the now probably red-hot interior. The boy's only consolation at the sight was that a light breeze blew the black fumes away from him.

James eventually began to experience a gradual lessening of the pain inflicting his once rosy but now white nipples, as they became more accustomed to being squeezed and expelled of blood by the little clamps. As the agony declined, the boy also became aware of the return of a strange sensation in his groin and he looked down to try to identify the cause, although he already believed that he knew what one visible symptom of the peculiar phenomenon would humiliatingly be.

James' belief was not to be disappointed. On glancing downwards, the boy noticed that his slender cock was again debasingly fulsomely erect, pointing horizontally towards his new slavemaster, namely the still enthroned tribal chieftain.

James' sensuous blue eyes, which were slowly clearing of tears in line with the gradual decline of the agony on his chest, subsequently finally managed also to see that many of those looking at him were smirking. Some were additionally pointing at him and commenting to others, presumably in relation to his penile hardness. However, on this occasion, such observation of public interest in the young white's genital embarrassment did not induce an instant ashamed return to flaccidity. To the further acute abashment of the deeply degraded boy, his unruly cock impudently declined to soften but instead boldly became even more defiantly rigid.

James' contemplation of possible reasons for his previously rather innocent penis' unprecedented bad behaviour was, however, interrupted when Gambo now again approached, this time with the thin flanged cockring of black iron in his hands, which had just been given to him by the chieftain. With little formal ado, the young slave then knelt before the vertically spreadeagled white boy's completely smooth genitalia, which he subsequently carefully encircled with the metal and snapped the open ends shut.

The cockring was cleverly designed to ensure that a reversal of this fitting was impossible. The only way the adornment, expertly judged for size, could now be removed was by cutting or trying to squeeze the genitals through the small aperture, which was so restricted that the process would undoubtedly be very awkward and painful and would probably damage, perhaps seriously, James' balls.

James' body immediately shuddered even more visibly on receipt of his latest adornment, although in shame rather than pain. The tight ringing of his genitals by the cockring had not hurt anything other than his pride. However, the feel of the cool metal now tightly encircling and constricting his sexual organs had been another sensual sign of his disgrace.

James' genitals were now made to stand out more in both the physical and visual sense. This phenomenon was aided by the enforced greater concentration of blood-flow to the sexual organs and the sight of black metal ringing contrasting white flesh.

Further cheering arose from the watching crowds as James suffered this latest humiliation, which his unruly penis, now aided by the concentrated blood, embarrassingly celebrated by beginning to rise upwards from the horizontal. A little clear fluid simultaneously appeared at the boy's red cockhead, which was beginning to be revealed by his slightly retreating foreskin.

Chapter Seventeen - Bestiality

(Northern Mozambique, summer 1850)

James' abashment at this further debasing development was, however, short-lived because his thoughts were quickly diverted towards other matters when, having been satisfied with his ringing of the white boy's genitals, Gambo next went to inspect the branding irons. The young black used the wooden handles to withdraw each implement in turn, and was soon able to confirm to the chieftain that the metal ends, in the shape of the leaping cheetah, were red-hot.

The chieftain, in turn, gestured to the same senior grandson who had earlier flogged the black boy previously positioned between the wooden posts. James had so far not sought to discover to where this comprehensively flagellated young victim had next been despatched, as the young white had been too absorbed with his own distressing preoccupations.

Nevertheless, whilst looking in dread at the branding irons temporarily withdrawn for inspection from the charcoal by Gambo, James had now finally noticed the nature of the next punishment to which the black boy was being subjected. The awful scene was on the same line of sight as that of the brazier, albeit at a greater distance.

James saw in horror that the black boy had been thrown into a stockade inhabited by one of the chieftain's hounds. The young white, of course, did not yet know that this large dog had been the particular animal that had first cornered the attempted escapee when he had been hunted and the beast was now receiving its due reward.

The black boy had compliantly but undoubtedly reluctantly lowered himself onto his hands and knees, with his legs wide apart. The eager well-trained hound had mounted him and was currently penetrating him with his own very large and keenly fully erect canine reproductive shaft.

The rear of the young black's body already displayed a mishmash of bloody stripes resulting from his earlier fulsome flogging. Given that the large hound also possessed ferociously sharp long claws and a long broad canine phallus, which was eagerly active in thrusting forwards and backwards as the dog energetically sodomised his victim, the boy's resumed agony must have been intense. Further ripping of his damaged flesh was additionally inevitable, both to his back from the animal's talons and to the entrance and walls of his rectum from the invading penile intruder.

Despite James' own unhappy predicament, the young white became momentarily intrigued by the scene in the stockade. The rather immature and innocent 11 year-old middle-class English schoolboy had previously led a rather sheltered life and had never before witnessed a sexual act of any kind, although he was sufficiently astute to appreciate that he was now doing so.

James, like his twin brother, John, had not yet been appraised of the facts of life and so was currently unaware as to how humans reproduced. The topic had not even been privately discussed between them and their friends whilst attending boarding school, such was the boys' relative immaturity and the prevailing rather suppressed English Victorian middle-class attitudes to sex.

In fact, although the current exhibition of bestial sodomy was to confuse James for a long time about the orifice that should be impregnated for reproductive purposes, both twins were soon to be deprived of much of their sexual naivety.

Chapter Eighteen - Attachments

(Northern Mozambique, summer 1850)

Meanwhile, not far away but hidden from the view of James, the similarly naked John had literally been attached to the Arab trader's caravan, which was resting in a different open space within the tribal village. The white boy's hands were still manacled together behind his back, whilst his ankles also remained shacked to each other. However, his heavy iron collar was additionally now attached by about 2 yards of chain to a 17 year-old black youth, who had previously formed the rear of the long line of captives destined, if they survived, for the distant slave markets on the island of Zanzibar.

John, like the others in his situation, had been encouraged to adopt a sitting position on the hard compacted soil that formed the ground underneath, facing the back of the captive in front. Meanwhile, other parts of the Arab trader's caravan, in the form of the well-laden ox-drawn wagon, camels and mules, rested around them, protected by the merchant's retinue of loincloth-clad black African guards.

Only a few nosy villagers had yet gathered to inspect the scene because most of the settlement's inhabitants currently preferred to watch what was being perpetrated nearby on James. However, this situation would eventually change, with John becoming the main focus of interest.

Whilst sitting naked in this humiliating setting, John was naturally rather shocked when one of the Arab trader's guards, acting on the orders of his employer, approached the young white, knelt next to him and then inflicted on this boy's nipples what had already been perpetrated on his twin. This second set of small peg-like clamps also immediately induced the same sort of acute agony that James had experienced.

John was already quietly sobbing because of his distressing circumstances, especially his separation from James. However, this latest painful calamity to befall him produced increased tears and agonised moaning until the excruciation engendered by the clamps finally began to dull, with the boy's grief intensified because, unlike his twin brother, he had been given no explanation as to why he was being punished.

Despite the gradual dulling of the pain on John's chest, his deep distress was eventually suddenly re-intensified when he heard a loud scream emanating from nearby. Despite the almost feral nature of the agonised shriek, the horrified boy immediately recognised the source.

James had screamed.

Chapter Nineteen - Branding

(Northern Mozambique, summer 1850)

James had watched in horror as the chieftain's senior grandson approached him, whilst the black man held one of the red-hot branding irons. The boy had then not been able to control his bladder, which caused his still incongruously hard cock to erupt with a voluminous flow of golden urine.

Given that James' cock was now almost vertically erect, the initial strong flow of urine shot upwards before finally descending to the ground in a wide arc, which eventually became less pronounced and then ultimately non-existent after the boy's bladder had finally emptied. Meanwhile, the young white's fearful reaction to the black man's approach naturally temporarily terminated the latter's advance. However, whilst carefully avoiding treading his sandals in the freshly created little puddle on the ground, the now happily smirking chieftain's senior grandson was soon able to resume his progression to present the little glowing silhouette of the leaping cheetah to his intended branding victim's petrified blue eyes.

As the red-hot end of the branding iron was now only inches away, James could feel the heat bathing his once more tearful face. "Please don't do this," the young white could not help but then beg, despite the proscription against speaking without permission and the black man's undoubted inability to interpret the words of his entreaty. The boy added a continuous desperate energetic negative shaking of his head in order to try also to convey a silent plea of 'No', whilst suddenly politely remembering to affix the title of "Master" to his earlier verbal petition.

Gambo then appeared at the black man's side and again admonished James for speaking without permission. "However," the black boy added in his broken English, "mighty chieftain content you just suffer this as punishment because of greater pain to come!"

What the word 'this' in Gambo's admonishment represented rapidly became evident to James when the young black next removed the clamps from the white boy's nipples. The consequent sudden rush of blood back into the previously squashed tits immediately caused as much agony as when the cruel implement had first been applied, although fortunately this experience was only momentary. Nevertheless, the 11 year-old's sweet rosy lips emitted a loud pained but shortened gasp.

The gasp was speedily quietened when James next noticed that the black man had begun to aim his branding iron at the centre of the young white's chest, midway between his hurting nipples. However, the boy's sudden quiescence was soon shattered when the glowing end was then pressed against the target creamy-pink flesh.

James' sweet rosy lips now emitted a much more vociferous and prolonged scream, whilst his sensuous blue eyes widened in horror and excruciation and his nostrils detected the odour of his own burning flesh. Fortunately, the boy's senses then overloaded and he fainted.

Chapter Twenty - Runaway

(New York, winter 1850)

Simultaneously, albeit in a different time zone and hemisphere, and therefore season, an 11 year-old boy named Jack was walking along the crowded wharves of New York's harbour. The child wore scruffy tattered clothes with no socks and dirty shoes with so many holes that it was a miracle that they had not yet disintegrated to leave him barefoot.

Given the freezing winter weather, this footwear miracle was most fortunate. Jack's feet were already very cold, a situation exacerbated by the holes in his shoes, but without the remaining leather covering he would otherwise undoubtedly have contracted frostbite.

Jack's face and hands were also very cold and filthy, which was not surprising because he had been living rough on the streets for several days, ever since he had run away from his abusive alcoholic father. The widower had turned to drink after his wife had died unsuccessfully trying to present him with his second child and his fortunes had consequently subsequently deteriorated precipitously.

From being a relatively prosperous New York shop-owner, who lived comfortably above his business with a happy wife and son, excess drink had led him and his child to virtual destitution. Jack had also regularly become the focus of the man's rage at his change in fortunes until the boy, who had been withdrawn from school to beg on the streets instead, could take no more and ran away.

Jack had once loved a caring father but he could do nothing but despise the drunken abusive man his parent had now become. The boy also realised that he could do nothing to help him, as the adult was genuinely beyond redemption. He lived only for his next drink, paid for by his son's begging, for which the 11 year-old would be badly beaten if he did not produce enough for the required bottle of cheap whiskey.

Jack had eventually concluded that enough was enough and that he should fend for himself. He had often dreamt of becoming a ship's captain so that he could adventurously see the world. He had therefore decided that he should attempt to secure a position on the bottom rung of an occupational ladder that might ultimately lead to such a post.

Jack was consequently scouring the Port of New York for a ship with a vacancy for a cabinboy.

Chapter Twenty One - Markings

(Northern Mozambique, summer 1850)

A pail of cold water from the nearby river, thrown over the briefly unconscious James by Gambo, quickly brought the white boy back into the realms of the awake. The tribal chieftain was intent on allowing his new English slave to experience the full anguish of his body's adornment with five brandmarks.

James naturally would have preferred to remain in his faint, especially as the excruciation being experienced by his chest was now far greater than when clamps had been attached to his nipples. The cause was, of course, the little black emblem of a leaping cheetah now permanently burnt into the boy's white flesh. This logo would soon be followed by similar motifs on both of his upper legs, adjacent to his still amazingly aroused genitals, and in the middle of each of his buttocks.

In fact, after replacing the used branding iron back in the charcoal brazier to re-heat, the chieftain's senior grandson was already returning with the red-hot second tool. This cruel implement soon induced another vociferous and prolonged scream to be uttered from James' rosy lips, as the black man next branded the boy's front upper left thigh with speedy efficiency and accuracy.

James did not faint on this occasion. Consequently, the boy had to endure the complete uninterrupted agony of his latest branding, whilst hearing renewed cheering from the watching crowds and as blood oozed out of his mouth and down his chin after he had bit his tongue. However, another pail of water was needed after a matching emblem was soon afterwards accurately burnt onto his front upper right thigh.

As well as the leaping cheetah adorning the centre of his chest, James' genitals, nicely dangling between his compulsorily splayed legs, were now flanked by similar insignia. Amidst these freshly burnt motifs, the boy's erection still miraculously pointed outwards.

Despite James' comprehensive tears, resulting from the acute agony of the three brandmarks now decorating his naked body, the intensely suffering boy was now able to notice the black man return again with a re-heated iron. However, on this occasion, the adult disappeared to the young white's rear.

Two clues subsequently provided James with the evidence that the first of his smooth curvaceous buttocks to be branded was about to experience the searing heat of the iron. First was the renewed clear excitement of the watching crowds. Second was the feel of intense warmth hovering just above the flesh of his cute bottom.

Proof was then provided that James' assumption was correct when the middle of the boy's left buttock was agonisingly adorned with the tribal chieftain's emblem. However, the 11 year-old was later mercifully permitted to remain unconscious after he fainted again in response to the imposition of the next and final matching bodily marking.

Chapter Twenty Two - Humiliations

(Northern Mozambique, summer 1850)

African nights, even at the height of summer, can be very cold. John was therefore grateful that the Arab trader had organised several fires to warm the young fettered humans whom he intended to sell in the slave markets of Zanzibar.

The Arab trader, of course, did not seek to warm his young captives overnight out of compassion. He regarded them merely as merchandise. However, profit incentive made him want to protect his human investments.

For the same motive on the part of the Arab trader, immediately after dawn of this African morning, John and the other captives fettered together were afforded some water and food. The latter was in the form of a kind of cold gruel that was very basic, cheap and tasteless but nevertheless filling and therefore welcome. However, as this fare was provided in pottery bowls placed on the ground before them, they were compelled to consume the sustenance like animals without the aid of their hands, which remained manacled behind them. The white boy's wrists, like those of the young black merchandise, were now linked by further chain to his heavy iron collar to prevent him manoeuvring his upper limbs round his shackled feet to the front of his body.

Drinking and eating in such a manner was naturally humiliating, especially for John, who was currently unaccustomed to this indignity. However, avid thirst and hunger proved a fervid motivator and easily overcame pride. The relevant pottery bowls were soon not only emptied but also completely licked dry and clean.

Other desperate needs of the fettered bodies of the sorry young captives were also catered for, as they were allowed to toilet communally into one of the village's long wide cesspits. Afterwards, one of their black guards issued their hands, still fettered behind their backs, with large damp rubbery leaves so that they could attempt to wipe their bottoms clean.

John's actions in urinating and defecating in such a gross and public manner were, however, by now only one more of the many humiliations already suffered by the boy, who was so traumatised by his experiences that he approached the next in an almost zombie-like way. His tormented mind even took little notice of the fact that completely naked and pretty black girls comprised almost half of his fellow captives.

John had recently seen topless females for the first time, in the form of the villagers of that gender. Observing completely naked feminine bodies soon afterwards should have similarly intrigued him, especially in the area of his groin. However, the boy's mental processes were currently simply too engrossed with his own sad predicament to pay much attention to the nude girls in his vicinity.

Chapter Twenty Three - Consciousness

(Northern Mozambique, summer 1850)

At about the same time that John had awoken to the dawn chorus from the birds and other creatures in the forest surrounding the African village, the same cacophony of noise had roused James for the first time since last fainting on the previous day. However, the latter twin regained consciousness in much more painful circumstances.

Despite the application of efficient herbal salves to James' brandmarks whilst the boy had been unconscious, the five freshly burnt areas of his skin were still excruciatingly sore. The young white was therefore forced to remain resting on his sides to prevent lying on any of his new bodily markings.

James awoke to find himself in the same small hut to which Gambo had taken him and John on the previous afternoon, recall of which event instantly brought fresh anguish to his mind after remembering that he might never again see his beloved twin. The still naked boy, aware from the dawn chorus and rapidly brightening daylight that another morning was beginning, was also amazed that he could have slept so long and soundly despite the traumas of the previous day.

James was never to learn that his lengthy recuperative sleep had been partly induced by a herbal sleeping potion gently force-fed to him whilst he had been unconscious. Such consideration had, of course, not been granted to reduce the boy's distress in any way but had instead been provided to aid his rapid physical restoration so that he could be introduced as quickly as possible to the full rigours of personal servitude for the tribal chieftain.

Complete physical recovery would still take days, during which James would remain alone in the hut, apart from the occasions on which Gambo visited. The black boy had been charged with overseeing the new young white slave's recuperation.

Not wanting to incur the tribal chieftain's displeasure, Gambo naturally went about his duties with efficiency. Relevant chores included providing James with water and food, the latter being the same gruel provided to John. The boy also had to consume the fare similarly, as his hands had again been manacled behind his back, as well as now linked to the rear of his heavy iron collar. His feet were additionally shackled, although the fetters allowed him to walk in short steps.

Gambo also provided James with a chamberpot, which the young black would dutifully take out, empty and clean whenever necessary. He also regularly washed the white boy and applied fresh dollops of salve to his new brandmarks.

Gambo additionally applied herbal ointment to the skin under James' iron collar, wrist and ankle fetters and cockring, which the encircling metal had begun to chafe and make sore and even raw. The biggest discomfort induced in this way on the white boy's delectable body was actually around his tightly ringed genitals, which began to cause him the greatest distress, as the pain from his brandmarks gradually faded.

Fortunately, after several days, Gambo's ointment eventually proved effective in not only curing the James' soreness but also invisibly hardening the flesh to enable the skin to become painlessly but not shamelessly accustomed to the iron slave regalia.

Chapter Twenty Four – Departure

(Northern Mozambique, summer 1850)

Several days were also required for the Arab trader to rest and conclude his business in the black African village before venturing northwards to visit other tribes and then ultimately, once he had bartered all of his goods, head for Zanzibar. James was therefore almost ready to serve the chieftain when John departed the settlement in the mercantile caravan.

James was, however, still ensconced in the small windowless hut when the Arab trader's caravan did depart. The still naked John, freshly oiled by the merchant himself to prevent sunburn and the unwanted attention of flies and other insects affecting his most valuable acquisition, formed the rear of the convoy heading north.

As John departed to meet his own as yet unknown ultimate fate, James was oblivious by virtue of his confinement to the fact that slowly increasing distance was now beginning to separate him from his beloved twin brother.

This increasing distance would eventually become vast.

Chapter Twenty Five – Cleansing

(New York, winter 1850)

Jack had been forced to sleep rough for several more nights in the environs of the port of New York, having been so far unable to secure work as a cabinboy. Consequently, his dishevelled state worsened. However, he was able to sate hunger because there were sufficient supplies of spilt imported fruit and raw vegetables littering the wharves to feed him adequately if not luxuriously.

Jack eventually began to wonder whether his scruffy appearance was discouraging the hiring of his services and so he finally cleaned his hands and face. The boy realised that there was little that he could do about his attire, especially in the wintry weather, which discouraged the shedding of clothing for washing when there were no replacements, but he could at least wipe the grime from those parts of his skin that were uncovered.

The cleansing of Jack's face in an icy water butt unveiled the fact that, beneath the surface grime, the underlying boy was exceedingly pretty. However, this revelation was almost to prove the 11 year-old's instant undoing.

Chapter Twenty Six – Recruitment

(New York, USA, winter 1850)

Jack advanced up the gangplank from the quayside to board a sailing ship that was in its own way as dishevelled and dirty as he was. The 11 year-old had originally concentrated on attempting to secure a job as a cabinboy on better looking vessels but, after being informed, truthfully or not, that there were no such vacancies on any of them, he had become desperate.

Despite Jack's uneasiness at the state of the ship and the rather aged and ugly and apparently equally filthy crew, he therefore embarked upon the vessel to seek work. The boy was greeted at the top of the gangplank by a crooked old man, who grabbed hold of him and asked in an American accent "What do you want, brat?"

Jack's nostrils were immediately nauseated by the man's stench, which permeated from both his breath and clothes. Nevertheless, the 11 year-old somehow managed politely to answer, in a manner that indicated that he had once enjoyed good schooling, "I'm seeking work, Sir, and wish to enquire whether you have a vacancy for a cabinboy."

"More like you've come to steal from us," the man grumpily retorted, "and so need a good flogging." "No, no, Sir," a suddenly frightened Jack nervously replied, "I'm genuinely looking for work!"

"I don't believe you, you thieving brat," the man responded, whilst raising one hand in the air in readiness to hit Jack for impudence, whilst still firmly grasping the boy with the other with remarkable strength given his apparent age. However, the adult was then thwarted in his imminent intent by a shouted command from behind of "Stop!"

Both Jack and the man looked to see who had shouted the order. They saw another rather dirty and dishevelled old man standing at a doorway that apparently led below decks. This adult wore a tatty peaked cap.

"But Captain," the man holding Jack protested, "I've just caught this brat trying to steal from us. He therefore deserves a good beating!"

"I wasn't trying to steal anything," Jack protested in turn, "but was instead just seeking a job as a cabinboy." "He's lying," the man holding him retorted, "so let me beat him and throw him overboard!"

Jack was, however, saved from this threat but not because of any compassion for him on the part of the ship's captain. The latter had noticed the boy's recently cleaned face and immediately appreciated the inherent beauty, despite normally preferring blue-eyed blondes.

Jack possessed straight dark, almost black, hair and eyes of a similar shade. However, these features seemed to fit his gorgeous face perfectly. The captain also judged that, underneath the tatty clothing and surface grime, there would be a lovely body to match.

"I do have a vacancy for a cabinboy," the ship's captain therefore advised Jack, "and it's yours if you want it!" However, the boy did not immediately accept the proffered post, as he was seeking international adventure as much as work and therefore did not want to be lumbered with a job on just a coastal vessel.

"Where are you sailing for next?" Jack consequently asked. "North Africa," the captain truthfully answered.

"Then I accept your job!" Jack excitedly replied, not realising that by allowing himself to be recruited meant committing himself to international adventures of a kind about which he had never dreamed, even in his worst nightmares.

Chapter Twenty Seven – Squiggles

(Northern Mozambique, Africa, summer 1850)

James, whose brandmarks now only hurt his pride, was therefore more intrigued than abashed when Gambo now proposed to mark his white flesh with the same type of peculiar narrow squiggles that decorated the black boy's own rear. These strange small symbols were centred just above his bumcrack, which was fully exposed to view because his minuscule loincloth only possessed a front flap.

James was naturally pleased that the little markings were not to be branded onto his white flesh. His earlier guess, from viewing the squiggles borne by Gambo, that the symbols appeared to be of different substance and therefore application to the little cheetah emblems had happily proved correct.

For the purpose of application, Gambo had produced what resembled a few small wooden printing blocks on which the little squiggles had been carved. The black boy also brought a miniature tray packed with compacted goats' hair soaked in a natural black dye, indicating that the squiggles were to be stamped onto James' white flesh.

James' continuing distress at his present situation, including the recent grievous separation from his beloved twin, John, was now temporarily forgotten whilst Gambo went about his task of carefully stamping the squiggles onto the English boy's creamy-pink skin. Despite the prevailing heat, even inside the shade of the hut, the white 11 year-old instinctively shivered and exhibited some goosepimples when the first of the cool black dye initially touched his flesh.

Nevertheless, the naturally intrigued James still managed to ask of Gambo "Why are you doing this, and why are these squiggles being stamped on and not branded?" The white boy was, of course, not complaining about the latter circumstance. He was instead simply curious.

"First," Gambo answered in his broken English, which was actually improving because of his now regular contact with James, "these not squiggles but Arabic lettering. This tribe has no writing and so no need for alphabet or reading. However, mighty chieftain wanted to mark his most precious property with warning for others to leave alone and so trader gifted him this. Although villagers can't read, all understand meaning."

James briefly contemplated the inference in Gambo's answer that he, like the similarly marked young black, was now considered to be amongst the chieftain's most precious property. He also wondered whether such status might confer an easier life ahead than the one he had feared, which basically consisted of menial but heavy toil. However, the white boy's bright mind then turned to pondering the exact meaning of the stamped warning.

Meanwhile, Gambo was carefully stamping onto James' bare rear more of the Arab lettering, which, of course, was read from right to left by anyone literate in the language. As had frequently happened previously, the close proximity of the immaculate curves of the white boy's lustrous bottom, now neatly decorated by the little healed cheetah emblems in the centre of each smooth buttock, caused the front flap of the young black's loincloth to balloon outwards.

In the privacy of the small hut, which was now furnished with some reed bedding for the sole occupant, Gambo had long given up attempting to hide his cock's excitement from James, which was now a regular feature during his ministrations for the beautiful white boy. As the latter had also begun routinely to exhibit similar embarrassing penile unruliness in response to the frequent gentle manhandling of his manacled naked body by young black fingers, both slaves tried their best simply to ignore the phenomena.

Gambo, being two years older than James and therefore more mature, especially in terms of sexual development, although his genitals remained hairless, was aware of the reason for his cock's excitement. The young black realised that he fancied the white boy tremendously, and personal experience had given him the knowledge as to how he would like to consummate such passion. However, he also recognised that present circumstances would prevent him from doing so because the repercussions of being caught would be extremely severe.

Gambo had therefore instead reluctantly decided to be patient and to await the times when the chieftain desired to be entertained by watching his two young personal slaves of contrasting bodily hues performing certain acts on each other in front of him. The black boy was sure that such occasions would arise given precedents, although none previously had involved a participant with white skin.

James, being much more innocent and immature, was, however, unaccustomed to penile hardness and the accompanying peculiar tingling in his groin, which he privately had to confess guiltily was also somehow thrilling. The normally very clever but still naïve child could not work out the cause of such increasingly frequent embarrassment and shameful simultaneous strange stimulus. However, he was slowly finally beginning to link the phenomena to Gambo's ministrations and the sight that he had seen a few days previously of a hound performing a certain act on a 12 year- old black boy.

On that occasion the huge phallus of the hound and, despite what was being perpetrated on him, the much smaller cock of the black boy had both been erect. At the time, James' young mind wondered why and he had finally concluded that the, for him, unprecedented action he was observing involved the mysterious and previously taboo subject of sex.

Consequently, further aided by Gambo's current revelations, James' mind and body were now starting to learn some of the causes of penile hardness and consequently the realities of certain aspects of sex, which would be a process that would soon accelerate considerably.

Chapter Twenty Eight – Stumbles

(Northern Mozambique, Africa, summer 1850)

John's main preoccupation was therefore to avoid falling over. The white boy was, of course, totally unused to being forcibly marched whilst naked and unshod, with a heavy iron collar round his neck, manacles retraining his hands behind his back and shackles on his ankles, which prevented him from stepping more than about two feet at a time. In contrast, most of the black captives in front of him were by now more accustomed to such an uncomfortable predicament.

Consequently, whenever John tired and slowed in comparison to the similarly naked and fettered black youth in front, to whose iron collar his own was linked, the uniting chain would become taut and forcefully and most disconcertingly yank the younger white boy forward. The results of a fall in such circumstances might have been very painful and damaging, given that the line of interconnected manacled young humans would probably have been incapable of stopping for at least several paces. Meanwhile, tender creamy-pink flesh would have been dragged along the hard ground, undoubtedly causing bruising and grazing, which might then be compounded by a beating for his incompetence from the canes and whips carried by the Arab trader's guards to discourage malingering.

John was therefore most grateful that, when his wandering mind had occasionally inadvertently allowed him to tire and he was consequently caused to stumble precariously forwards, he had somehow so far managed rapidly to regain his balance and so avoid a potentially calamitous fall. However, the white boy was also astute enough to appreciate that, unless he swiftly gained enough energy and expertise to improve his mental alertness and marching ability and so avoid such dangers, he was unlikely to remain so lucky for long.

Chapter Twenty Nine – Arabic

(Northern Mozambique, Africa, summer 1850)

"What is the meaning of the words?" James next asked, in rather natural conclusion to his questioning about this latest embellishment to his naked body. "Warning!" was Gambo's initial one-word answer.

"I know that," James informed, "because you've already told me but about what does the Arabic warn?" Gambo compliantly replied "Words roughly translate as `Exclusive property of chieftain'. Unwritten threat is anyone who ignores the fact will suffer!"

"The Arabic therefore means," James excitedly sought to clarify, "that I'm the chieftain's exclusive property and shouldn't be interfered with by anyone else." The white boy's hopes of a better than anticipated future were beginning to increase.

"Partly," Gambo responded with initial but only momentary mystery, which was subsequently instantly dissipated when he added "because `exclusive property' refers more to your bottom, which is why Arabic displayed just above! Unmarked bums of other male slaves are available at any time for entertainment of tribal warriors."

If James had not witnessed the flagellated black boy being sodomised by a hound, he might have remained mystified by Gambo's latest answer to one of his questions. However, the white boy's bright mind now correctly connected the two.

The startled James finally recognised in shock where the probably big black cock of the tribal chieftain would eventually seek to venture. Nevertheless, the previously sexually innocent white boy's own much smaller penis, which had hardened again because of Gambo's delicate attentions to his rear, somehow did not shrivel in fright but instead visibly quivered in incongruous and demeaning excited anticipation.

Despite currently kneeling behind James' rear, Gambo noticed the white boy's penile reaction to his answer. The young black was also perceptive enough to understand the cause, for he had also once experienced a peculiar mixture of both acute abhorrence and strange shameful excitement at the prospect of being deflowered and losing his virginity and sexual innocence.

Chapter Thirty – Cabinboy

(New York, USA, winter 1850)

Jack's first duty on board ship was conducted in the privacy of the captain's cabin. Some of the elderly sailors had happily set up a small wooden tub full of clean but cold water on the floorboards for the boy but the anticipative smiles on their faces had then been wiped away when their boss then ordered them to leave.

The captain had selfishly reserved the right to inspect Jack's naked body for himself, after ordering the boy to divest himself of his grubby attire and wash himself in the tub. The shy 11 year-old was naturally initially reluctant to remove his clothing in front of the man. However, his unspoken objections were diffused when the adult gave the appearance of taking no interest in the disrobing and instead busied himself with the ship's logs.

Jack, who was fully aware of, and ashamed about, his dishevelled state, therefore took the opportunity of the man's apparent nonchalance and literally took the plunge by quickly stripping and diving into the tub, despite the coldness of the liquid inside. The captain was not the type of person to go to the unnecessary expense of warming water for the bath of even the prettiest cabinboy he had ever employed, which the new young incumbent of the post now proved to be.

Jack began to shiver and develop his own goosepimples in reaction to the cold water but nevertheless picked up the bar of crude soap and scrubbing-brush made available to him and began comprehensively but quickly to bathe himself. The boy's speed was dictated by his wish not to spend too much time naked in the captain's cabin or in the chilling liquid environment of the tub, which was so small that he had to sit with his knees close to his gorgeous face.

Jack soon completed his bathing, without giving any thought to why only him amongst the crew appeared to be required to have a clean body and attire. Evidence of the latter was provided by the little bundle of laundered clothes gifted by the captain, which was now waiting on the floor for the new young owner.

"The clothes belonged to an earlier similarly aged and sized cabinboy," the captain had advised Jack when the man had given the 11 year-old the attire, "but he quickly outgrew the stuff!" The recipient of the decent clean second-hand garments immediately incorrectly assumed that the explanation referred to the fact that the previous owner had become too big for the items.

In fact, the captain was deviously referring to the fact that this earlier cabinboy had outgrown his clothes not in terms of size but in social appropriateness.

Chapter Thirty One – Appreciation

(New York, USA, winter 1850)

Jack completed washing himself, including his hair. The boy subsequently collected the old and torn but clean towel resting adjacent to the bundle of second-hand but decent clothing that had been provided for him and was currently on the floor next to the small bathtub in which he was sitting.

Simultaneous to gathering this towel carefully around him in order to avoid exposing his private parts to the scrutiny of the nearby captain of the sailing ship, Jack stood up in the small bathtub. The boy then stepped out of the soapy water and began with equal modesty to dry himself.

The captain, who was sitting at a table, apparently diplomatically engrossed with the ship's logs whilst Jack bathed, now looked up at the boy. Whilst straining to exhibit as much seeming nonchalance as he had originally afforded to the 11 year-old's stripping and bathing, the man subsequently instructed his new young crew member "Don't redress after you've dried yourself, as I need to inspect your body before you do so."

In response to the clear expression of unhappy embarrassment that suddenly appeared on Jack's now blushing face in reaction to this, to the shy child, disturbing instruction, the captain explained "I have to make sure that you're healthy enough to be a cabinboy. The job's tough and you need to be in good condition to do it!"

"Also," the captain continued, "you'll quickly have to lose the obvious inhibitions about nakedness, which your face is currently suggesting that you have. We're all men on board, who share the same cramped bathing and toilet facilities, and so you'll have to become accustomed to occasional nudity, including your own in front of others!"

"If you're not prepared to accept these conditions," the captain added threateningly, "I suggest that you're not fit to be a cabinboy. I think that I should therefore return your old clothes to you and ask you to leave my ship to go find another trade."

With these words, the captain, despite being very attracted to Jack, was not actually furtively preparing the boy for a future sexual role, at least on board his ship. He was instead only attempting to encourage him to reveal his naked body for scrutiny by advising him about some of the practical realities concerning true normal life on board his vessel.

The captain was doing so despite the fact that he had actually no intention of allowing any situation to arise where any of the rest of the crew could see Jack naked. He believed that the boy's undoubtedly lovely nude form would probably be too tempting for his generally ageing but nevertheless still libidinous men, starved of decent sex whilst at sea, to ignore without trying to satiate their lusts.

Whilst temporarily terminating his towelling, Jack briefly contemplated the captain's words before answering "But I want to be your cabinboy, Sir." He subsequently reluctantly added "I'll therefore, of course, do everything you ask."

The captain grinned in response. He was happy not only at acquiring Jack's obedience through his threat but also with the prospect of soon intimately viewing the boy's freshly washed young naked body.

As the captain exhibited his grin, Jack immediately felt uneasy. The boy correctly thought that he detected, in the man's expression, more than just his happiness at the child's reluctant acceptance of some aspects of the lifestyle aboard ship.

Jack was too young and innocent to appreciate what lechery was but, if he had known, he would certainly have associated such underlying lasciviousness with the captain's own current facial expression. Nevertheless, the boy was actually safe from molestation at the man's hands and cock.

Jack, with straight dark, almost black, hair and eyes of a similar shade, was simply too potentially valuable to the captain for him, or indeed any of his crew, to molest. The man knew that he would at present instead simply have to confine himself to platonic appreciation of the boy's beauty after the child had eventually finished drying himself.

This visual delight now came quickly. Despite Jack's shy inhibitions and concerns about the nature of the captain's grin, he finally plucked up enough courage, after briefly delaying by pretending to still be towelling his already dry body, to advise that he was ready to be examined.

"Good," the captain responded. He subsequently stood up from his chair and advanced towards Jack. However, on his arrival at the boy's side, however, the child was still clinging to the towel, which remained wrapped round him, albeit not for long.

In reaction to this display of residual shyness, the captain simply roughly pulled the towel away and threw it to the floor, thereby fully revealing the underlying young beauty. However, in startled instinctive reaction, Jack instantly covered his genitals protectively with his hands.

The captain, though, had anticipated such a reaction. With equal rapidity, he knocked Jack's hands back to the boy's sides.

"How can I possibly examine you properly if you're covering things?" the captain simultaneously asked. He subsequently firmly commanded, whilst his lustful eyes began to feast on the glorious young form in front of him, "Now, keep your arms at your sides and stay still!"

The captain then happily confirmed, amidst his careful and prolonged visual appreciation of Jack's naked form, that, with the surface grime now washed away, the boy was indeed immensely beautiful.

Chapter Thirty Two – Preparation

(Northern Mozambique, summer 1850)

In the southern hemisphere, summer reigned in contrast to the winter in New York. However, this made little difference to the weather in northern Mozambique for, other than for the occasional heavy tropical rainfall experienced, climatic conditions tended to be always sunny and very hot throughout the year.

Gambo now concluded his stamping of the demeaning Arabic lettering on James' back, just above the 11 year-old's delectably curvaceous buttocks, each of which was now decorated by the branded tribal emblem of the leaping cheetah. The 13 year-old black boy subsequently covered his younger white charge's naked body with the special glistening oil that efficiently protected his exposed flesh from both the strong outside sunlight and the interest of flying insects.

Gambo then fitted James with a minuscule loincloth, similar to his own. The skimpy garment was of the same dark hide, was much smaller than those worn by the other ordinary villagers who were not slaves and, unlike theirs, also did not possess an underlying thong or rear flap.

Consequently, James found that, as with Gambo's, the sparse garment embarrassingly only just hid his genitals. He therefore appreciated in shame that, as with the black boy, his sexual organs could readily be observed when he moved if an observer was at the right angle at the side.

James also realised that the same shameful sight could be seen if his motion was sufficiently energetic to cause the front flap to rise temporarily upwards. The latter embarrassing phenomenon could, of course, additionally occur in windy weather.

Gambo detected James' unease in wearing the minuscule loincloth, which would be the only clothing that he would be permitted in future and was in marked contrast to his previous comprehensive covering, namely the attire of a young English gentleman. However, the latter was no longer the white boy's status for he was now just the slave of a black African chieftain.

As a result of detecting James' unease, 13 year-old Gambo had attempted to relax his younger white charge by suggesting in his broken but understandable English "No worry. You soon get used to little cover. Anyway, cooler in heat!"

"I suppose that you're right about the loincloth being cooler to wear in this climate," James had replied, "than my normal shirt and britches. However, I don't think that I'll ever become accustomed to being virtually naked in public!"

Gambo did not respond to James' comment, as he felt that he could not in actuality properly assess the white boy's future attitudes to his radical change in status and the associated permanent loss of most clothing. The young black slave's own background of longstanding servility had truly made him accustomed to the debasement of only being permitted the skimpiest of attire.

James' own past was completely different, being one of relative privilege and wealth and, within the limits of an English Victorian childhood, much spent at boarding school, freedom. The white boy might therefore indeed, as he had suggested, never become accustomed to such degradation as being regularly exhibited virtually naked in public. However, what the young black slave did know was that his younger charge would have to accept and endure such humiliations compliantly or suffer severely or even die.

Now being afraid for James' future welfare, if the white boy did not immediately accept his fate and adapt compliantly to his new role, Gambo next advised him in his broken English "Well, if no get used to state of dress, just be brave and endure shame. Also always be good obedient slave or suffering will be terrible."

As Gambo issued these wise words of advice, he simultaneously carefully visually checked James' overall appearance. The black boy again decided that he very much liked what he saw, which caused the already noticeable bulge at the front of his own minuscule loincloth to increase in size.

Meanwhile, James briefly contemplated Gambo's sage counsel before sensibly replying "Don't worry. I'll try my best to be brave and endure what I have to, including being an obedient slave."

The advice was difficult for James to accept. However, he nevertheless believed that compliance was correct, with his submissive attitude aided by having previously been an observer of the suffering of the other young black slave, who had been whipped and then sodomised by a hound.

James also readied himself to demonstrate immediately his compliance with the advice. By the time that Gambo concluded his preparation by removing the chain connecting the wrist manacles of his younger charge, although not that linking the ankles, the perceptive white boy had realised what was about to happen.

James recognised that he was now about to make his first public appearance as the black African chieftain's new white slaveboy.

Chapter Thirty Three - Examination

(New York, USA, winter 1850)

The sailing ship captain's own cock, safely hidden within his scruffy trousers, was already hard and throbbing when he began to examine Jack's gorgeous naked body, which he so much wanted to molest. However, the man had always been more interested in money than sex and so managed to curb his sore temptation.

The captain instead contented himself with enjoying the immense delight of carefully visually and manually scrutinising Jack's freshly washed nude form. He began by running his excited hands through the boy's silky straight black hair and down the sides of the child's face and neck before checking the strength of his lithe young arms.

The captain's hands subsequently gently rode over Jack's chest, lingering momentarily at each rosy nipple, before venturing further downward towards his belly. The boy then felt a fingernail carefully poke his cute navel.

The blushing and deeply embarrassed Jack did wonder in his innocence whether such comprehensive humiliating manhandling, from a man who was clearly enjoying his task because his strange grin had been maintained, was really necessary. However, as the slow intimate process remorselessly continued, he felt disinclined to query the situation with the captain because he so much wanted the job of cabinboy.

Jack therefore just suffered his shame in silence, whilst wishing that his embarrassment would soon end, with the captain confirming that he was healthy enough to be his new cabinboy. However, his humiliation now only worsened even more.

The captain actually apologised to Jack when he began next to fondle the boy's completely smooth and hairless genitals, which were very nicely proportioned for his age. "I'm sorry that I have to do this," the man lied, whilst secretly becoming even more excited at holding the young sexual organs, "but I have to check that you're not suffering from any infection here or from a hernia."

To maintain this pretence, the captain initially gently pulled back the foreskin on Jack's uncircumcised penis, apparently in order to check the healthiness of the revealed cockhead but in reality just because the man enjoyed doing so. Whilst also later gently grasping the boy's nicely dangling smooth scrotum in his palm, he simultaneously requested "Now, please cough."

The now fiercely blushing Jack had never heard of hernias and considered the captain's latest instruction to be very strange. Nevertheless, the boy complied with the unusual request.

Only after the captain eventually let go of Jack's genitals, with his reluctance to do so reflected in a reduction of the grin on his face, did the boy finally notice that his own cock had embarrassingly grown. Although he had occasionally encountered such a phenomenon previously, generally associated with a pleasant tingling sensation in his groin, he had not known the cause, being very naïve about sex.

Jack's current sexual innocence also extended to the fact that he had not yet learnt to play with his cock to make his enjoyment even greater. Masturbation was a term that he had never yet heard, let alone practised.

The fact that the strange phenomenon of a hardening cock had reoccurred now, after the captain had fondled him, caused a sharp intensification in Jack's embarrassment at his current debasing situation. This exacerbation of the boy's already acute shame also resulted in a further deepening of the redness displayed by his normally gorgeous face.

The captain was conversely delighted to observe Jack's display of sexual liveliness, as such an attribute should add to his future value. However, the man naturally did not convey his thoughts to the vehemently blushing boy but instead continued to act with as much superficial false nonchalance as he could muster, given the intense personal pleasure that he was presently secretly experiencing.

Reluctantly departing from Jack's lovely genitals, the captain's hands next ventured to check his lithe legs and feet before instructing the thoroughly abashed boy to turn around. The 11 year-old again reluctantly complied and was soon rewarded by manly fingers gently roaming over all his bare back before lingering on his curvaceous bottom.

Jack now noticed that his own cock, which had just returned to shamed flaccidity after finally being denied the captain's manual fondling, began to grow again, as the man's hands instead carefully felt and sometimes gently kneaded his buttocks. The boy was subsequently contemplating this further deep embarrassment when he was commanded to "Bend over, with your legs wide apart, as I also need to check your anus for infection."

Jack then felt that his humiliation must be complete when, after once more reluctantly complying, he felt the captain's fingers gently test the lips of his anal entrance. Nevertheless, the boy's cock, now at full shaming erection, visibly quivered at the touch on his pink sphincter.

The captain noticed this penile reaction. Jack's genitals were, after all, again now nicely presented for his scrutiny because the organs were dangling between the boy's splayed legs, just below the delightful bent-over bottom that the man was inspecting.

The captain was, of course, once more pleased with this further display of Jack's libidinous liveliness. The man astutely appreciated the boy's current sexual innocence but also recognised, from such evidence, that his young body was on the brink of pubescence and greater sensual maturity.

The captain now happily privately thought of an appropriate metaphor. He believed that Jack was like a precious ripening fruit, one that would soon blossom and be ready for plucking and sale in the appropriate market for consumption.

The captain, from his copious years of commercial seafaring, knew about many of the world's great markets, trading in all sorts of merchandise. Included amongst this comprehensive knowledge was an emporium where a certain type of precious ripe fruit could be sold very lucratively indeed.

The captain was, of course, currently not principally checking Jack for possible anal infection. The man was instead assuring himself about a very important and valuable attribute that he wanted the boy to have, which, if intact, he would need to protect from his libidinous crew during the imminent voyage across the Atlantic Ocean to North Africa.

The captain was now most happy to note that the sought attribute was indeed still intact, for Jack retained his highly precious anal virginity.

Chapter Thirty Four - Mortification

(Northern Mozambique, summer 1850)

Gambo finally escorted James out of the small windowless hut of mud and thatch, which had been allocated to the white boy and was situated behind the chieftain's much bigger and grander version. The latter was sinisterly decorated at the front by an array of human skulls.

Gambo escorted James past the stockades adjacent to one side of the chieftain's hut. Another brief cacophony of bellowing simultaneously arose from the now suddenly sexually aroused animals inside, which had smelt the delicious aroma of a lovely white boy.

Being well-trained in beastiality, in which the animals invariably acted as the dominant males with young humans as their passive partners, the creatures had momentarily wondered whether they were being brought a treat. However, they quickly realised their mistake, as the prospective largesse was instead led into the semi-circular open area of compacted soil beyond, and so they soon quietened once more.

This semi-circular open area in front of the chieftain's hut was already surrounded by most of the villagers, respectfully keeping as usual to the perimeter. The men, women and children concerned cheered on observing James appear before them, albeit clearly not affectionately.

The villagers were instead cheering because they were extremely pleased and amused to see the strange sight of a boy with, to them, unprecedented and therefore very precious white skin displaying the garb and bodily adornments, including the brandmarks, of a tribal slave. They felt honoured that they now had such a possession, even if at first he would undoubtedly be the utility of their chieftain. However, such pride did not prevent them from currently greeting him with mocking disdain for, after all, his status had clearly sunk severely from what he had once been.

James felt the mockery in the villagers' cheering. This in turn again made the white boy acutely aware of the shame of his skimpy attire, of the black iron slave rings attached to his neck, wrists, ankles and, most humiliatingly, his genitals and of his brandmarks, which were clearly visible on his pale skin. His sense of deep mortification was exacerbated by having to walk with a rather slow shuffling motion because of the chains still linking the manacles on his feet.

The fact that the villagers had already seen James completely naked, without the puny benefit of the skimpy cover provided by his minuscule loincloth, was of little use in allaying his intense mortified feeling. Despite the prevalent intense heat radiating down from the merciless overhead sun, this sense of abject shame instead now caused goosepimples to form on the boy's young glistening body. This physical sign of mental unease was also quickly exacerbated by some of the other sights within the semi-circular open area.

There were the two stakes between which James had been chained spreadeagled for his branding. There were also the four metal rings firmly embedded in the compressed soil, which appeared to represent another sinister bondage position.

The sharp narrow bloodied spike of black wood, vertically jutting out to about waist-height from a pit, which was covered by strong basketwork trapdoors, was additionally still present. So too, in the very centre of the semi-circular open area, was the short round rod of very shiny polished ebony, with curved top about two inches in diameter, which protruded approximately a foot from the ground.

Gambo led James before the chieftain's currently unoccupied basketwork throne, which was on its low wooden pedestal. The back of the seat was painted with the dark insignia of the leaping cheetah, as was the upper front of the platform, close to where the enthroned tribal leader would soon place his feet.

As James began to stand before the throne, he again felt horrified at the sight of the two human skulls adorning each side of the top of the chair's backrest. However, such distaste was short-lived because his mind suddenly refocused instead on the increased volume in the derisive cheering around him, particularly from behind.

The reason for this increased volume was, of course, the fact that James, who had turned around to face the chieftain's throne, had now fully displayed his bare branded bottom to the majority of the accumulated crowd of villagers behind him. They had previously only seen the white boy approach from his loincloth-covered front and the sight now of his pale naked buttocks, marked with the tribal emblem, clearly delighted many of the gleeful spectators.

James recognised the immensely demeaning reason for the increased cheering but, of course, could do nothing to alleviate his humiliation. The very intelligent boy also fully appreciated that worse shame was to come, despite the fact that Gambo had not briefed or instructed him about the clearly imminent ceremony.

James assumed that Gambo had considered such briefing and instruction to be unnecessary because the new white slaveboy would receive the relevant information during the impending rituals. The 11 year-old's presumption was to be proved correct.

James' sense of acute degradation, at being virtually naked in public, with the intensely humiliating bodily adornments and markings denoting his new slave status visible to all and being simultaneously subject to loud mockery, was exacerbated when Gambo now left him. The black boy departed to enter the nearby hut of the chieftain.

James' exacerbated feeling of degradation resulting from Gambo abandoning him actually had little to do with the young black slave himself. The white boy instead just felt even more shamed because he had been left alone before the chieftain's throne without any guards.

James' chances of escape from his present circumstances were, of course, less than minimal. The boy was lost in a vast, strange and inhospitable country, virtually naked, with his ankles chained together, and surrounded by unfriendly people intent on keeping him as their property. Nevertheless, standing alone before the chieftain's throne without anyone to guard him appeared to him to be highly symbolic of the recent radical diminution in his status and his apparently timid acceptance of the situation.

The very reality that he just stood there compliantly in his new slave regalia, with no guards at his shoulders and clearly ready to perform obediently whatever ritual was imminently required of him instead of attempting to escape, seemed to symbolise to James that he had truly accepted his debasement. The current intensifying of the boy's sense of mortification stemmed from the fact that there were so many witnesses to his abject subservience.

James' mind, however, suddenly switched from recognition of the apparent degrading symbolism of the moment when he instead again quickly refocused on other matters. On this occasion, the boy's mental functions now changed to concentrate on the appearance from the nearby hut of the tribal chieftain and his seemingly usual ceremonial entourage.

As James had witnessed previously, when in the company of his beloved but now lost twin, John, Gambo led the ceremonial procession, carrying the pole on which was affixed the large wooden silhouette of the leaping cheetah. The tall chieftain followed, attired in his brown loin-skin skirt, which extended to his knees, and colourful round cloth cap.

James could not now momentarily prevent himself from admiring the chieftain's physique. The body of the tribal leader, apart his potbelly, looked impressively fit for someone over 70 years of age.

James again noticed that the hair on the chieftain's head was white, in stark contrast to the deep blackness of his skin, but fulsome. The similar hirsute covering on the man's broad chest was still adorned by a golden medallion depicting the leaping cheetah, whilst multiple tight-fitting strings of little cylindrical beads of many hues continued to decorate his muscular neck, upper arms, wrists and ankles.

The same group of similarly dressed and adorned younger men and boys as before followed the chieftain in the ceremonial procession and, when he eventually sat on his throne in front of James, they took up standing positions on both sides of their tribal leader. The striking family resemblance between them all again struck the watching white boy.

By now Gambo had again planted his standard into the ready-made hole in the ground behind the chieftain's basketwork throne and, as James had witnessed previously, stepped forward to mount the low pedestal, upon which the chair was mounted, in order to stand next to the seated tribal leader. However, on this occasion, the young black slave did not next address the white boy in his broken English.

Gambo instead glanced down at the emblem of the leaping cheetah embossed into the pedestal near his feet and James immediately appreciated what the gesture was meant to instruct. Nevertheless, the white boy initially hesitated to comply with the unsaid command.

James' hesitation was, however, brief, as Gambo's next glance was clearly at the two sturdy wooden stakes, currently located behind the white boy. Nevertheless, the latter instantly appreciated upon what the young black slave's eyes had focused and why and therefore fully understood the meaning of this fresh gesture.

The new young white English slave of black African masters therefore immediately finally obeyed the original unsaid instruction. James stepped forward to the platform and subsequently sank to his knees. He then bent forward to kiss the embossed emblem of the flying cheetah in symbolic subservient homage to the chieftain and his tribe.

In the process, Jack uplifted with almost equal mortification and significance his branded bare bottom to the full scrutiny of all those watching from behind.

Chapter Thirty Five - Temptation

(New York, USA, winter 1850)

"You look very smart, cabinboy," the contrastingly scruffy sailing ship captain complimented Jack, as he now inspected the freshly washed and dressed boy. By this time, the man had fully realised the difficulty of the personal task ahead in attempting to prevent the child's molestation by a sex-starved crew whilst at sea and on the long voyage to North Africa.

The captain wanted Jack on arrival in North Africa to still be what he clearly currently was, namely a rather innocent and naïve virgin. The man had just checked the latter particularly lucrative attribute when recently intimately inspecting the boy's naked body, ostensibly to ensure the child's fitness to be the youngest member of his crew but actually to verify his likely value for another function in life entirely.

The captain appreciated that all he could realistically do in the circumstances to prevent any prospective unfortunate loss in Jack's value at his crew's wanton hands and cocks was to keep the boy as close as possible to him. At the same time, he would have to watch his men like hawks and regularly remind them of the consequences of disobeying orders to leave the child alone. The latter would include a severe whipping and the loss of a certain special bonus payment on conclusion of their imminent voyage to North Africa.

The captain also realised that he somehow had to keep his own hands and cock off Jack, despite the regular temptations that would also undoubtedly affect him on the imminent voyage.

Chapter Thirty Six – Consideration

(Northern Mozambique, summer 1850)

As James performed his humiliating homage, he fully realised the significance of the moment. The white boy's public obeisance was to symbolise to all, not least himself, that he was now truly a submissive tribal slave, who had accepted his situation. His act of degrading deference was as much indicative of his new servile status as his demeaning sparse attire and bodily adornments and markings.

After James eventually regained his feet, Gambo, having assumed a position on the platform to one side of the chieftain's basketwork throne, gestured the white boy towards a similar station on the other. The new slave was clearly initially to perform the same function as the young black, namely being an attendant minion for the tribal leader.

The perceptive James also correctly guessed that part of the reason for him being allocated such a, for a tribal slave, prominent function was to enable the chieftain constantly to show off his precious new trophy, namely the recently acquired very pretty young boy with unusual white skin. Having lost some of his sexual naivety, he additionally now recognised in shame where the necessarily relatively intimate role would probably ultimately lead.

James' consideration of this disturbing future was further stimulated when his mind now again thought back to the poor black boy who had been sodomised by the huge hound in the nearby stockade. As he remembered this shocking scene, he could also not resist briefly glancing at the groin of the now adjacent chieftain.

The chieftain's skirt, of course, currently covered his groin. Nevertheless, James could additionally not now resist momentarily giving some consideration to what must lay under this covering.

James' worried mind visualised a presently quiescent black manly cock that was probably looking forward soon to deflowering, when in full rampant form, a certain nearby white slaveboy.

Chapter Thirty Seven – Perspiration

(Northern Mozambique, summer 1850)

The mind of James' twin, John, was worried too. However, this white boy's immediate concern related to the fact that he believed that his current almost overwhelming physical exhaustion meant that he would soon be unable to walk anymore.

John was, in fact, presently staggering more than walking, as he attempted to keep up with the line of similarly naked young black captives, of both genders, who were destined, like him, for the slave markets of Zanzibar. The heavily perspiring white boy also appreciated that his anticipated imminent collapse through utter exhaustion would probably bring him personal disaster.

John would probably not just be subsequently dragged for at least several paces by the momentum of the line of human merchandise, to which he was linked by chain and of which he comprised the rear, thereby probably inflicting bruising and grazing on his naked form. He believed that he was also likely to be beaten by the Arab merchant's black African guards for being such a clumsy weakling. The white boy had somehow, and in his opinion miraculously, managed to avoid such a disaster so far but he believed that his luck was about to end.

Fortunately for John, though, the caravan, of which he formed the very end, unexpectedly came to a sudden halt, just when he believed that he would not be able to stagger for more than another few paces. The boy was naturally very pleased about this development but, not knowing the reason, he also worried that the respite might only be brief, with the convoy soon beginning to move again, which would undoubtedly prove disastrous for him.

John's worries were in fact only partly correct. The caravan did indeed quickly begin to move again. However, the naked white boy now no longer formed the rear.

The Arab merchant had as usual been driving his covered ox-drawn wagon at the front of his long caravan. Consequently, he could not actually see the naked white boy who was at the rear of the convoy. However, his senior guard had regularly kept him informed about the progress of his most valuable recent acquisition.

The Arab merchant knew full well that the white boy, who was clearly unaccustomed to the climate and to toiling under the unrelentingly hot overhead sun, would be unable to match in this environment the stamina of the black captives, who were much more acclimatised to such experiences. The trader also had no intention of causing harm to his most precious property.

The Arab merchant's attitude naturally had nothing to do with any compassion for John, who to him was a mere commodity to be sold for the highest possible price. However, the man did appreciate this particular trading item's potential considerable market value.

Black slaves were commonplace in the markets in which the Arab merchant traded and their prices reflected this reality. However, white ones, especially young pretty children, were exceedingly rare and therefore highly valuable, but only if delivered to the auction block in reasonably good condition.

The Arab merchant's monetary interests were therefore best served if he did not allow John to come to any real harm. Consequently, after his senior guard had reported that the clearly distressed white boy was on the point of collapse, the trader ordered his caravan to halt.

The Arab merchant had only ordered John to be attached to the line of the black captives in the first place to help break his spirit. The trader was fully aware that the white boy detested being separated from his twin and would initially have done anything in his power to ensure a reunion, including attempting to escape in order to return to the black African settlement.

The Arab merchant therefore concluded that he should ensure that not only was such escape physically impossible but also his own white boy's mental spirit was broken, with his mind solely refocused on personal survival. The trader additionally believed that his aims could be further aided if John considered that his continued wellbeing was entirely dependent on the man's compassion and felt beholden for such mercy.

John's initial treatment alongside the black captives was part of these physical and psychological processes. The white boy later being mercifully rescued from his desperate dire situation to sit instead in the relative comfort of the back of the Arab merchant's covered wagon was a continuance.

The Arab merchant, dressed in the rather dirty and tatty robe that he wore when travelling, had personally dismounted from his wagon to walk to the rear of his caravan. As he proceeded, he passed his train of camels and mules, which were tethered together, laden with goods and luggage and protected by his black guards, attired only in loincloths.

The Arab merchant eventually arrived in front of the still heavily perspiring John, whom he ordered released and transferred to his wagon. The boy was subsequently not reluctant to go to this portable refuge but his utter exhaustion meant that two of the black guards virtually had to carry him there.

John, as he next sat in the back of the now once more moving wagon, recovering from his exhaustion, could not believe his good fortune. Having been on the brink of disaster, the boy was now thankfully not only excused from marching but also was resting and shaded from the overhead sun, albeit with his wrists and ankles still manacled together. He had also been granted water.

John, whose perspiration was now lessening but would not entirely disappear because of the prevailing heat, realised that the Arab merchant had clearly somehow become aware of his predicament and rescued him. The boy was naturally very grateful and was also now content not to do anything that might jeopardise the trader's compassion.

In adopting this passive attitude, John was, of course, falling into the psychological trap laid by the astute Arab merchant. The boy was now proceeding compliantly towards his revised destiny.

In doing so, John nevertheless still naturally had regular sentimental thoughts about his beloved twin. However, just as the Arab merchant had planned, the boy now never harboured any aspirations to attempt to escape from his current plight to be reunited with James.

John instead just sat gratefully and quietly in the back of the covered wagon, as he travelled towards whatever fate now had in store for him.

Chapter Thirty Eight - Profanation

(Northern Mozambique, summer 1850)

At the same time but now quite a distance away, James was feeling both very uncomfortable and bored. The boy's physical unease resulted from having to stand as still as possible in his humiliatingly sparse attire and bodily adornments under the very hot overhead sun. His mental tedium stemmed from having to be witness to many audiences granted by the chieftain to fellow tribesmen.

These audiences were regular occurrences, held to enable tribesmen to petition their chieftain over many issues, ranging from marriages to disputes. Such matters might have been boring to James in their own right. However, the boy's tedium was exacerbated by not yet knowing the language in which the topics were discussed.

James also eventually became almost as exhausted as John had been almost simultaneously but conversely from lack of motion rather than an excess of such activity. The boy's mind additionally began to drift and he started to feel a bit dizzy.

James began to feel that he might faint. However, the boy was suddenly unexpectedly stimulated into not only full alertness but also movement and loud squealing.

James suddenly jumped from his place on the platform adjacent to the enthroned chieftain, whilst uttering a surprised yelp. The boy's action shocked everyone, not least himself, and brought the current tribal audience to a halt.

The reason for such an instinctive display of, given the circumstances of the tribal audiences, irreverent indiscipline was actually currently evident on James' bare bottom, to where the boy's hands now belatedly protectively strayed. The reddish mark of a recent harsh pinch was visible on his left buttock.

Meanwhile, the expression on the 10 year-old face of one of the chieftain's young grandsons, who had furtively taken up a position immediately behind James, was looking distinctly mischievous. His amusement was detected by the shocked white boy, who had turned round in front of the platform on which the chieftain was enthroned in order to attempt to identify the culprit who had pinched his bottom. However, the young victim suddenly realised in trepidation that it would not be the perpetrator of the offence who would now suffer.

All eyes were currently focused on James, who perceptively appreciated from the clearly shocked, insulted and angered expressions of the surrounding villagers, including their chieftain, that they considered that their new white slaveboy had just profaned the tribal gathering by his action. He also somehow knew that they would not be interested in any excuses, regardless of how worthy.

Nevertheless, James attempted to excuse himself and apologise. In trying to do so, the boy addressed Gambo, who was the only other person around who could speak English.

"I'm very sorry," James announced, whilst still resting his hands on the sore buttock concerned, "but someone pinched my bum." Gambo, who was again suddenly concerned for the white boy's welfare, immediately translated this explanation for the chieftain.

James now hoped to observe an alteration in the current clearly still shocked, insulted and angered expression on the chieftain's face, perhaps to one of amusement, which might denote forgiveness. Unfortunately, no such change materialised.

The chieftain instead maintained a furious expression, as he spoke to Gambo. The black boy subsequently translated the tribal leader's response for James, with a look of great reluctance, regret and sympathy on his own face.

"Chieftain reply that there can be no excuses for your badness," Gambo declared in his broken English, "and you must suffer for your wickedness. Punishment will take place now without delay."

"Chieftain say that, as your bottom supposed caused your badness," Gambo worryingly added, "so your bottom now suffer beating!"