This story, set in Cape Cod a few years after the Salem Witch Trials, involves the unemployed young seafarer Sam Bellamy and Maria Brown, his true love. On the docks of Eastham searching for work, Sam spots a young woman flailing in the ocean. After coming to her rescue, he learns that all she wants is to learn how to swim and asks him to teach her. As he gives her lessons, he finds a kindred spirit in Maria-they are both courageous and principled and soon fall in love. But Maria's parents have big plans for her as she is to save their family farm by marrying a much older widower and settling down to a life of female subservience. Although Sam asks for Maria's hand in marriage, her parents drive him away and he vows to return a rich man and marry their daughter anyway. Before he leaves, they consummate their love on a deserted beach.
The book then separates into the tale of Sam and the tale of Maria. The only position that Sam could get was that of a privateer-essentially a pirate who did not attack British ships. But he and his fellow sailors gave up the pretense of following these customs and sought the most lucrative cargoes through full-blown piracy. He was soon given captaincy of the ship Wydah and the name Black Sam Bellamy. Life as a pirate was not as bad as being an ordinary sailor-the crew was well fed, there was diversity and egalitarianism, and rules were followed. He never forgot his sweetheart though, and he wrote Maria a letter, asking if she still wanted him. A letter returns to him that tells him to stay away.
Maria spurns the widower Hallett and takes refuge in her mastery of the craft of weaving. She discovers that she is pregnant, and her mother forces her to marry Hallett and convince him that the baby is his. Unfortunately, the baby is stillborn and Maria is cursed as a witch for killing her baby. She runs away to a shack in the forest of a neighboring town where she is aided by a native American woman. She never receives a letter from Sam.
Based on historical records and local folklore, the story of Sam and Maria is a fascinating adventure of a love that has survived through the ages. An enjoyable and enlightening read.
Reviewed by Donna Ballard
Publication date - March 26, 2024
No comments:
Post a Comment