The coast off of the North African Ottoman provinces of Algiers, Tunis, Tripoli, and Morocco in 1803 was as dangerous a place as anywhere on earth. It was known as the Barbary Coast and was a very lucrative business for Pirates. Capturing merchant ships and enslaving or ransoming their crews provided the rulers of these nations with wealth and naval power.
Although the majority of pirates in history have been men, there were a handful of women who were active in the Golden Age of Piracy. Some women had been pirate captains and some commanded entire pirate fleets. There was only one that operated a ship with a crew entirely made up of women, a ship that was very different from all others.
A woman named Abigail was the vicious and sadistic captain of the schooner Fastidious. She was the daughter of an American captain of a whaling ship and was raised in the seaport village of Sag Harbor, New York. Her mother was physically abusive and her father was always out to sea. Before her twelfth birthday, she ran away from home to work on a merchant brigantine, known as a brig. She cut her hair, dressed in boys' clothes, and took a job as a cabin boy. She was known as Abe.
She did well in her job. Always ambitious, and on her own time she observed everything and learned how to run a ship. She was on her way to earning a position as a midshipman. One problem though; she was a female. By the time she was fourteen, her body was changing. It was difficult to hide her sprouting breasts. At fifteen she was menstruating. Puberty was in high gear and she was starting to become attracted to some of the men on the ship.
Her emotions were held in check though. She knew it was for her own safety. If the crew ever found out that their Cabin Boy was a budding woman and she would have, at the very least, been thrown off the ship. At worst, they would have used her for their manly urges.
Those urges were never spoken of in 1803. Abigail, now an eighteen-year-old woman was having a case of raging hormones. While onboard the ship she would see the men. Some would be naked; she became fascinated with their penises. Due to the lack of women on the ship, she witnessed many of the crew masturbating and occasionally some of the men would pleasure one another. She would find a place to hide and touch herself. She discovered how to satisfy her own needs.
Abigail was working in the mess, preparing the evening meal. The sky was clear and the seas were exceptionally calm. The ship took a hard turn to port and she could hear the commotion from up above. She felt the ship shudder and was knocked off her feet. Then there was an eerie calm as the ship seemed to be dead in the water. She left the galley to go topside to see what was happening. Just as she came into daylight, she saw it.
A large black Skull and Crossbones flag of a pirate raider was flying high in the sky right next to her vessel. A ragtag bunch of thieves was boarding the merchant ship and rounding up the crew. There was nowhere to run. As her crewmates were gathered on the deck, they were made to give up any possessions and weapons on board. They were also told to strip off their clothes, known as slops.
When the pirates ordered Abigail to remove her clothes she refused. One of the pirates hit her. Another pulled a sword out and threatened to behead her if she didn’t obey. She had no choice. In front of her captain, crew, and the band of marauders, she removed her slops. Everyone on deck fell silent. The cabin boy that they knew as Abe had soft skin, beautiful breasts, and a small patch of hair where a man’s phallus should be.
The pirates’ eyes lit up when they realized the prize they captured. The Sailing Master, the man in charge of the boarding bandits ordered the young damsel to be removed from the brig and shackled in the Captain’s quarters. He thought his Captain would enjoy this prize after he and his band of thieves finished pilfering the ship’s cargo.
Abigail waited for hours in the bowels of the pirate ship, scared, cold, and naked. Being alone gave her too much time to think. What was he going to do? Would he keep her as his own? She started to have fantasies. Although she was a virgin, being on a ship for so long with men, she knew what they were capable of.