We were hustled on deck just after dawn; our captain was genuinely concerned about something. He pointed to another vessel on the horizon but coming in our direction. We watched it approach, and within an hour we realized it was likely a pirate craft rather than another cargo ship like our own. It was faster than ours, and considerably larger.
My wife and I stood anxiously against the railing, along with my mother, my sister and her husband. We were on our way to the mission my father founded two years earlier, in 1852, with supplies, tools and farm implements not available on the east coast of Africa. Our church had finally raised enough money to fund the mission, and we were to join my father and help educate the local population.
Mother had taken charge of the family and the fund-raising in father's absence. At the age of 44, she was considered level-headed and sincere, not given to frivolity or other nonsense; larger than most women, and even many of the men in our hometown. Mother stood very straight and commanded respect without raising her voice or changing her tone.
Once in range, the other vessel fired a warning shot. Our captain told us our options were very limited. Pull up and let them board, or allow them to sink our ship. The water held certain death; we would drown if not eaten first. The pirates may also kill us, but perhaps only rob us and leave us alive.
Mother insisted that, as Christians, we were obliged to seek the best in our fellow man. Therefore, we would trust in the conviction they would not harm us. I do not know whether she really believed that any more than the rest of us; we were all very frightened.
As the pirates boarded our ship, we were pushed to the middle of the deck. The five of us were the only light-skinned people on board. No one offered any resistance. We brought only a few muskets, and they were packed away below deck.
The leader of the pirates finally came on board; the crowd parted as he made his way to us. Our captain tried to intervene and claim responsibility for the ship, its crew and passengers. He was quickly knocked aside and kicked until unconscious.
The pirate captain stood before us, closely examining the women. He was not like anything we could have imagined; scrawny and filthy, greasy hair, ragged clothes and a few pieces of gold jewelry. He carried a large, ugly knife, which he pointed at my wife.
"You will take your clothes off, now." Although we feared the worst could happen to our women in this part of the world, we had not been confronted with that reality until now. I stepped between him and my wife, only to be twirled around to face her with the ugly knife at my right temple. I froze in position; a small trickle went down in front of my ear. I could not tell whether it was sweat or blood, until I saw the expressions on the faces of my family.
"He means nothing to me. I can cut him and throw him overboard, and then make you naked any way. But it is more fun to watch you do it to yourself than to have my men remove everything. So, what will it be?" he said as I felt the point of his knife with a little more pressure.
My wife was trembling so badly she could not move. So mother took a step forward, and said "She will comply with your wishes. We only ask that you not harm us."
The captain laughed, and told her, "You are much more valuable to me unharmed. And you misunderstood. She was only to be the first; all of you will place your clothing in a pile over there. Be careful removing everything because it is worth more if not damaged."
Mother looked him directly in the eyes, and said, "Then I will go first." She turned to my sister. "Elizabeth, please undo my laces in the back." She looked back at the captain and me, as my sister fumbled with the back of her dress. She never took her eyes off the pirate leader. Mother pulled her dress down and stepped out of it, then tossed it on the deck where he had indicated. My wife mentioned before the trip they would be dressing lighter than usual due to the extreme heat in Africa. So Mother had nothing left but the chemise and pantaloons. She lifted the chemise over her head, and stood defiantly topless in front of all of us. Barely hesitating, she pushed her pantaloons to the deck and tossed them on the pile. All that was left were her laced-up shoes.
"You," he pointed to my brother-in-law. "Get down there and take off their shoes, starting with the old woman's. Put all the jewelry in that basket on the deck."
Burgess knelt in front of my mother, trying hard not to notice her vagina at eye level. He quickly pulled them off and set them in the pile. He started to get up and move to my wife.
"No!" the pirate yelled. "I said everything. Put her jewelry in the basket like I told you." Burgess was having difficulty keeping his hands from shaking. He stood in front of Mother, his chest against hers, as he reached around to undo her locket. As he backed away and looked down at her tits, Burgess blushed; she didn't. He turned to place it in the basket. "Rings, too, damn it. And be quick about it," he was ordered. Mother held her hand out for Burgess to remove her wedding ring. It took a few minutes; I doubt it had ever been off since she married Father.
Then he went to my wife, lifted the front of her dress to remove her shoes, and on to my sister.
All the while Mother stood staring at the leader, naked as the day she was born. But now her legs were, well, quite chubby when compared to my wife's. She had a pooch to her stomach that only partially hid the dark hair surrounding her crotch, and very, very large tits! They hung low; the dark circles around her nipples were also large, perhaps two to three inches across, with hard nipples sticking out almost an inch from her tits. Her dark hair was pulled back in a single braid. But at the moment, it was not the hair on her head that held my attention.
She caught me looking at her crotch, but did not respond or object. Mother was nude in front of family and strangers, but appeared much calmer than the rest of us. Without turning around, Mother said, "Now, Elizabeth and Alison, you do exactly the same and do it quickly. Unlace each other, and place your clothing and jewelry with mine."
Alison was slightly behind my sister, so she reached out to undo the laces. She had tears streaming down, but Elizabeth was sobbing loudly. Once untied, Alison helped Elizabeth step out of her dress. My sister was still shocked and not responding well. Alison quickly lifted Elizabeth's chemise, pushing her arms above her head to get it off. My sister was, quite frankly, fat. Her huge tits flopped from her chemise back to her chest, and bounced then just jiggled. The pirates laughed and pointed. The bottoms settled nearly to her waste; the nipples stuck out like Mother's, but the dark circles were even larger.
Alison yanked Elizabeth's pantaloons down to her ankles, causing her stomach to plop and wiggle just like her tits did. Her gut overhung her vagina so it was not visible. The pirate leader ordered her to lift her gut to prove she was female. She still could not move, so Mother leaned over and lifted the gut high enough to view her pubic hair and her mound, then let go allowing it to wobble again.
That's when it occurred to me that Elizabeth was so big, so wide, that I could not see my wife standing behind her. It must have dawned on the captain at the same time. "You, skinny woman, step around and strip," he ordered.
