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.

Few writer's today can capture the drama and adventure of the Florida frontier the way that Toby Benoit can. This novel, a first in a trilogy, introduces us to a story brimming with colorful characters, fierce battles and compelling historical lore. CALOOSAHATCHEE At the close of the Civil War, a great many soldiers returned home to find all they once knew in tragic upheaval. That gave rise to a migration of young men looking for a new start. Carter Holder was one of those men and he began a journey to locate an uncle he'd never met in hopes of gaining employment on his cattle ranch in southern Florida. Several months of travel through Florida's tropical wilderness had allowed Carter to begin healing from the mental anguish inflicted by the horror of battle. Little did he know a fight was brewing, between bis uncle and a pair of Yankee farmers supported by a conspiring tax agent, which would once again place him in harms way. He already had survived a war, now he must survive...CALOOSAHATCHEE