For the first month, each of the two teams had one day a week on the galley. The next month, two, and after that, three. But even then, there was no shortage of patrons for the now almost daily cruises and of course, under this regime, the girls’ bodies developed even further. They did not become muscle hunks of course; even male galley-slaves do not normally achieve huge muscles from the labour, incredibly arduous though it may be. But they did develop a little, especially shoulder, arms, belly and thighs.
What did happen though, that was very marked, was that they became ever better defined. There was not now even an ounce of fat between any of the two crews, their muscles were sleek and sharp and while the girls were still, very, very feminine, they were also highly athletic in appearance.
By now Anne was nearing her time, as were her daughters and a number of the other girls.
They began to worry that the supreme effort they were required to put out at the oars would damage their baby. Dahab just grinned at their fretting and assured them it wouldn't.
As Constance approached her time, she and Anne began to wonder when they would be excused from galley duty - and for that matter, the more violent of the other exercises they performed every day back at the barracoon. They weren't. When Constance asked, she was informed, very curtly, not to be so stupid and ordered to get back to work.
When her pains started, she was astonished - and then horrified to find herself (and the rest of her crew) hurriedly chained and walked down to the dock. Her only exemption was that they removed the dildo from her place on the narrow bench. Otherwise, she had to take her place and pull on the oar the same as the others.
Anne looked worriedly up along the oar at her daughter. Of course, all three of them were now well swollen, their bellies poking right out in front of them as they had walked down to the whart, still naked and then up the gangplank to the ship.
And now Anne, and the others for that matter, realised what the baskets between their legs were for. Constance's basket was now lined with straw and she stared up at the boy Ali who had brought the straw, in real consternation. "You can't mean for me to have my baby while I'm pulling the oar?" she cried, partly in fear for the baby but also in shame that she would be actually giving birth while others watched - and still presumably hauling the oar back and forth.
He just smiled and patted her shoulder, then left her.
Selim had had no difficulty in finding paying guests, all of whom were very willing pay double price for the privilege of watching the English milady foal her whelp.
A midwife had been brought on board to watch Constance's condition and she now monitored her contractions. These were much aided by the superb condition of the girl's muscles and now also by their contractions as she strained to pull back on the oar sweep.
The baby was born quickly and without fuss. As she gave an almighty heave against the handle, out popped its head and then the rest of its little body. But even that was not reason to cease the rowing. The baby rested in the straw while the midwife cleaned the baby and attended to the umbilical cord. So fit was she that there had been almost no pain at all and as Anne watched, staring along the oar as her granddaughter was born, she suddenly realised these people knew a lot more about medicine than her own, so-called 'civilised' people did.
Nevertheless, it was still barbaric, she thought - and so obscene! And then she thought again: how could one explain what people did to each other because of differences of religion ...!
They were here; enslaved because they were Christian. It was against the law for a Moslem to enslave one of his own kind.
The paying tourists crowded around her position, all staring down at her as she gave birth to her daughter - while still rowing, her beautiful muscles cording and rippling as the tiny head emerged from between her legs and then the little body followed.
Without releasing her from her position, the midwife now strapped the new-born babe to Constance's chest so that it could suckle at her breast while she rowed! She couldn't believe it.
Was this normal, she wondered? It must be for they seemed to know exactly what to do with the beautiful little thing.
And it was beautiful. Perfect in every respect, Constance was relieved in that regard for in western eyes, the very idea of mating a man to his sister was utterly monstrous and the results of any such union were sure to be grotesque. This tiny baby was anything but that. It was a little girl and she was flawless ...
Selim kept the girls at it for another hour and then they returned to the dock and were chained together for the so humiliating naked progress through the city to the barracks, but this time with Constance's little girl still strapped to her chest, suckling when awake and sleeping peacefully when not.
Anne watched all this with wonder in her eyes. Oh she was distressed still that her daughter had been put through such an obscene ritual, but her keen mind also began to appreciate that these Arabs or Turks or whatever they were, knew a great deal about the physical nature of human beings. Much more than her people did. It was clear now that all the hard work, the development of their bodies and the superb fitness, had aided Constance in the delivery of her child and that tiny baby was clearly no monster.
Excerpt From
ARISTOCRATS ENSLAVED
Mark Andrews