Bill is a red-haired sailor on the ship that transports Amari and other African slaves to the English colonies. Unlike his colleagues, Bill doesn’t seem interested in raping the female captives and often busies himself doing other work on the ship when his colleagues torment the slaves. However, he understands the necessity of looking like he condones the other sailors’ behavior, so like the other sailors, he takes a Black woman to his bunk every night—but instead of raping her, he teaches her English. Because of Bill’s efforts, Amari learns enough English to know what’s going on by the time the ship arrives in the colonies.