Chapter VII - City Bastille   ... We sit high atop our horses, and a shoeless slave steps toward us. His apparent master is escorting him. The Negro is an emaciated figure and clad in loose, ragtag garments. His eyes walk the ground, navigated by a drooping head. Ankle chains swish with each stride he takes. Both of his wrists are bound facing forward, forcing folded hands as in prayer. While passing us, he glances up. My eyes behold a familiar dispirited image, while his silence speaks years of neglect and torment. The sound of his restrained walk ends, when the property of flesh reaches the infamous ...   ... “Adam, we’re flanked to the east by the jailer’s flat. The west wing houses the kitchen and cells for debtors, court witneses, and persons of social rank.” The sheriff knocks on the jailer’s residence, and I hear heavy footsteps pace toward us. A short stout man appears, chewing and wearing a towel atop his shirt. The makeshift bib is stained with missed bites, although the food escaping his mouth is far less than entering his belly. "Rufus, didn't mean to interrupt your meal." ...   Continue to chapter ...   TABLE OF CONTENTS         Prologue I.      Shiloh Plantation II.     Six Mile House III.    The Arrival IV.    Charleston Tour V.     Highwaymen VI.    Fires of Hell VII.   City Bastille VIII.  Coming of Age IX.    Presidential Ball X.     Voyage of Faith XI.    Day of Reckoning XII.   Fall Harvest XIII.  New Year Politics XIV.  Lurking Danger XV.   Steps to Eternity XVI.  Haunting Love