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!"

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