The commander also rejoiced, watching as Dana runs around the lush grass barefoot, gathering wild berries for him, weaving wreaths of wild flowers. Or, throwing off his clothes, dives into the waves of the sea, and then lies on the white sand, basking in the sun.

But one day the commander returned home accompanied by Lieutenant Crowe and Mrs. Liliana. All three were cheerful, talked loudly, discussing the events of the past day.

The girl met them in the doorway with a deep curtsy and ran into the kitchen to cook dinner. At the table was noisy. But the slave suddenly noticed that Chris does not pay attention to her. Interest in Liliana, on the contrary, was so great and obvious that Dana went to the kitchen and sat in a corner, doing the cleaning of silverware.

There was laughter from the room where guests were feasting. Suddenly everything was quiet. Slave quietly looked out of his refuge and was dumbfounded. Her favorite owner, sitting Liliana in his lap, hugging her waist and whispering something in his ear. The woman smiled discreetly, and then grabbed the commander's neck and kissed him on the lips.

Blood pounded in the temples of the black woman. Throwing herself to the drawer, she pulled out a large table knife for cutting meat and, viciously rotating with wide-open eyes, went out to the guests. The lieutenant looked puzzled at the girl and even got up, clutching the hilt of his sword.

Squeezing a knife in her fist, the slave threw herself at North with a wild cry, swinging her weapon. Liliana jumped off Chris's knees and jumped aside. Crowe, exposing the blade, stood between North and Dana.

- Lost her mind? - Chris shouted, having to grab the girl's hand and unscrew the knife, - What are you thinking?

Without saying a word, the girl grabbed another knife from the table and again rushed to the attack. Having dodged the lieutenant, she swung and was ready to hit Chris in the chest, but he was again faster and parried the blow. Crowe, who was standing behind the girl, ironed her movements with an iron grip and threw the slave on the floor. Liliana arrived. Quickly taking off her long belt, she tied Dana's hands and covered her mouth with a napkin.

- Lieutenant! - She cried, - Call the patrol. Let them send her to the fortress.

The guards arrived at the house in a couple of minutes. After hearing the story of Liliana, they roughly grabbed the slave by the collar and took her with them.

- Why did you do that? - Chris asked Liliana - Who asked you to call the guards?

“She could have stabbed you,” the woman answered, straightening her dress, “Now they will lock her up in a cell, and in a couple of days they will let her go.” Prison, like nothing else, best cools the ardor of jealous girls.

“In a couple of days, she will be quartered or impaled,” exclaimed North nervously, “You know who does these things!”

- Who? - from the table got the lieutenant.

“Count Eugene Billwater,” the commander shouted. “An ardent hater of black slaves.” And his son Terence is the same. They do this business for the day. Even I can not stop him!

The dispute continued until late at night, and in the morning a messenger arrived to North with a secret letter, revealing that Chris read that he should immediately come to the pier where the flagship captain was waiting for him to go to sea to protect the waters. Suspecting something was wrong, North ordered Crowe to follow the trial and try to find out about his decision.

Having stayed at sea until the evening, he called a sloop from the shore and left the ship. At the pier the commander was already waiting for Judge Beni and the lieutenant. They reported that, contrary to objections and persuasion, the vicar of Her Majesty did not cancel his decision. The execution should take place at ten in the morning. Already constructed scaffold.

“This monster sentenced the poor girl to death by sitting on a stake,” said Beni sadly. “Be brave, my friend.”I know how you feel about this slave, but the law is stronger than love.

“Besides,” Crowe intervened, “The case of cohabitation with a black slave has been filed against you.” The deputy will inflate such a bubble out of it that the execution will seem like an innocent joke.

“But,” the judge took Chris's hand, “you were allowed to meet.” Commandant of the fortress warned.

***

There was a knock at the door. Chris slowly got up and went to open. On the threshold stood, wrapped in his cloak, Lieutenant Crowe. He looked depressed. Passing into the house, he, without asking permission, sat in the chair.

- What is due to such an early visit? - Without a shadow of ridicule asked the commander.

“I’m worried about the fate of that girl,” the young man replied after a long silence. “If you look, I’m also to blame for the fact that she will be executed tomorrow.”

“Go to bed, Lieutenant,” Chris sighed. “I made the mess myself, and I decide.”

- You will be arrested without looking at the merits! Said Crowe.

“We'll see,” said North with a wave of his hand, “Do you want Madeira?”

“To hell with Madeira,” the lieutenant snapped back, “To hell with everything!” To hell with you! Tomorrow I will bring a company of soldiers to the square and discourage Dana. And there - be that be!

- A wise decision! - Chris grinned, - I don’t feel sorry for my head, do you want to finish off your soldiers too?

- Do you have another solution? - the adjutant looked at his commander.

North took out a decanter with Madera and two large wine glasses from the buffet and set it on a low table. Spilling the wine into glasses, he carefully looked at the guy.

“That's what, Crowe,” Chris said, draining his glass. “I can't order, but you're right.” The girl needs to be saved. Go!

The city was asleep when two horsemen raced down its quiet streets to the central square, where in the morning they had to execute the unfortunate dark-skinned slave just because she dared to love. How much blood was shed at this place, how many tears were wept! Sentenced to death, until the last second hoped for the mercy of the Gods and those mortals on whom it depended, to live or die. But no one has yet managed to get out of here alive. Her Majesty's Governor, Earl Billuoter, with the stubbornness of a badger and the stubbornness of a donkey, passed dozens of sentences without bothering to get to the core of the matter. People hanged, they cut their heads. But the execution of slaves, especially dark-skinned slaves, was particularly brutal.

It was rumored in the city that the house of the count himself looked like a real hard labor for such slaves. Every month this flayer went to the market and looked for another victim there, paying a lot of money, so that later he could enjoy the torment of the poor girl. His assistants, supervisors, trying to present the next meal to the count's table, often invented faults themselves. But the main inquisitor was still Eugene Billuoter.

His son Terry is not far from his father. Growing up, he chose a beautiful woman and locked up with her in a small house for a couple of days. All this time from the windows were heard heart-rending screams and heart-rending moans of the girls whom Terence tortured, inventing new tortures and mockeries.

Then the slave, mutilated to unrecognizability, sometimes still alive, was dragged out of the house and taken to the city dump, where it was dumped into a drainage canal filled with sewage collected from the entire sewage system. Even if the girl was still breathing, she no longer had a chance to stay alive. Hordes of insects attacked the bloody and broken body and finished off the poor thing.

Commander North has more than once raised a question on the council of the city government about the graph’s misbehavior, but cowardly and vain officials have not even tried to stop this mockery. And again, from the windows of the palace of the governor, moans were heard and the whistling of whips rang out.

Two officers were hurrying to this place now, kicking their hooves and scattering stray dogs and cats. Turning into a narrow alley to shorten the way, they suddenly stopped. A woman dressed in a black dress and a black hat with a long train barred their way.

- Where we go? - in a playful voice asked Liliana, - Night walk?

“We have no time, Lily,” Chris said nervously, “What are you doing here?”

“I was visiting a female bomber,” a woman drove up ... Read more →