Toby Benoit

Debalo Toby Benoit

The violent and bloody period of the slave trade in America changed the lives of many Africans forever. This novel explores the atmosphere of violence during this time in our nation's history through the eyes of a young Massarwa bushman. The free and proud life of a warrior and hunter, to which Debalo was born, is gone. For a time he labors in the fields of southern Louisiana, but the cruelty of slavery has taken it's toll and Debalo decides he must escape. He gathers what is left of his strength and spirit and flees to a life in the wilderness. With thoughts of home keeping him sane throughout his escape, Debalo takes advantage of a chance encounter to gain passage home to Africa. However, with the market for slaves so profitable, even allies can be cruel. Once aboard a ship and sailing into the Gulf Of Mexico, Debalo finds that he is to labor aboard the ship as a privateer, assisting in the capture of Spanish shipping. After the successful looting of a merchant ship, the privateer captain orders his ship to the Port Of Tampa to be repaired after a heated battle in the Gulf. Debalo knows that his chance to escape the treachery of the pirate crew has come and with help gained from an unlikely source, takes advantage of the opportunity and seeks out refuge among a band of Seminole Indians. However, Debalo's troubles are not over, as the Florida frontier is braced for war. The United States has recently purchased Florida as a territory and with that political purchase slavery arrives in Florida. Debalo takes up the fight for freedom alongside the Seminole Indians and thousands of Free-Black men during the Second Seminole War.