CHAPTER 7
Suddenly a gust of wind attacked the sail and the dhow heeled dangerously over to starboard sending any loose items on the deck crashing to the lee side. With his body straining to overcome the unexpected pressure on the tiller, Farhan called out,
“Khara! 60! Khara! Ya gizma 61! Captain quickly. Help me. The wind is too strong.”
Acknowledging Farhan’s plea, Makul grabbed the tiller and both men struggled to overcome the violent wind gust. They had just cleared the Indus estuary and were preparing for a night sail. As the gust passed and pressure on the tiller eased, Makul ordered,
“Get the day sail down Farhan, and hoist the night sail as quickly as you can. Call all the men to deck. Quickly now. Do it – or we’ll broach!”
Reacting to the captain’s orders, Farhan and the crew managed to lower the big day sail and raise the smaller night sail. This was also used for strong winds and bad weather.
Watching the sail being raised with a practiced eye Makul called out,
“Farhan . . . let out the luff some more. Let’s make full use of this sou’west wind. With any luck, this should stay with us across the sea to the land of the Nabataean’s. Ahh”, he sighed. “That Makul should be so fortunate.”
“Yes Captain,” acknowledged the first mate. I’ll see to it. What course should we hold?”
“Our course is sou’by west. Also check the wake – make sure it’s straight.”
“When will . . .” Another sudden gust caused the dhow to heel over and Farhan had to lean on the rudder against the winds force. Ignoring Farhan’s plight, Makul continued with,
“At the next noon sighting, we will determine our latitude then and make a change as necessary.”
Having cleared the Indus estuary and with sails set for the night, the crew – excluding those on watch – were preparing to sleep on the deck. It was a warm and balmy sub tropical night with no sign of bad weather on the horizon.
For several moments, Makul stood silent getting the ‘feel’ of the dhow and the way she was handling the weather conditions. With the smaller sail, she appeared to be easily accommodating the prevailing wind and sea conditions. Also, Farhan was not having trouble with the tiller, which meant that the sail was properly set.
“What about our passenger – the prisoner – below decks? When will you release him?”
But Makul did not hear. He was standing, hands on hips, gazing out at the unseen ocean and taking deep prolonged breaths. On his face, he wore an almost childish look of happiness.
“D’you smell that Farhan? D’you smell the sea and taste the wind? T’me, there isn’t a better satisfaction for a man than to be back at sea again. It’s talking t’me Farhan. Talking t’me and telling us that all is well and good. Don’t you hear it? That knave Poseidon will not take us to his bosom this voyage. Ahh . . . it does a man good.”
Oh, yes, yes isn’t it lovely. But he’s not wrestling with a bloody tiller against strong wind gusts. If I make one wrong move, we could all be in the bloody drink! And that knave Poseidon will clutch us to his bosom. Save me Allah from romantic fools. I can only think he had a very good fuck while in port. Probably that scrubby old tart Neena – the one with crabs. He’ll start to itch . . .
Makul interrupted his musings as he turned to face Farhan and replied,
“The prisoner. . . Yes. Yes, I had forgotten. Thanks for reminding me. The poor lad must be feeling miserable, particularly if he’s seasick. I’ll see to him now.”
“But captain, why is he here? What’s he done to merit such harsh treatment? He’s only a boy.” How are we supposed to treat with him?”
“All I know is that he offended Governor Gajbaahu – something to do with eloping with the governor’s sons’ betrothed bride. He’s lucky he still has his head on his shoulders. He’s being deported instead. But the lad has done no real crime, so we treat him with respect. His uncle has provided ample funds for his passage.”
“So, if needed, I can call upon him to help crew?”
“Absolutely. Yes, yes. But he’s just a lad - spare him your foul mouth and putrid mind.”
Chuckling to himself, Makul left Farhan with a look of deep resentment burning in his eyes and went below. At first, it was hard to make out the prisoner in the gloom below decks. Also, the dhow was pitching with the swells. Then a part of the gloom stirred and groaned the word
‘Emma’ over and over. Such was the miserable plight of Adlai ben Yusuf.
“C’mon lad, let’s get you free of these restraints.”
Adlai made no sound as Makul freed his bonds and massaged some life into sore limbs. With his eyes adjusting to the gloom Makul could see Adlai more clearly. Even freed of his restraints, Adlai looked a sorry sight. He didn’t move after he was freed. Just lay in a heap amongst the mess below decks.
At least he isn’t seasick. That’s a relief. A good glass of warm wine will restore his good humor. Well - it should.
“You are no longer a prisoner lad - in fact you’ll be my honored guest for the entire voyage to Berenike. And the crew has been issued with instructions to treat you well. Now, I’ll have the cook bring you some mulled wine and when you’re ready, come up on deck. Oh, I almost forgot, my name is Makul but the crew just calls me ‘captain’.”
Then with a fatherly messing of Adlai’s hair, Makul went back on deck - leaving Adlai alone with his thoughts.
Somi, dearest Somi. Where you now and what are you doing? You must be as distraught as am I. They think I’ll give up. Never. Never. Harah 62! Mamzers 63! Though I can’t hold you in my arms I‘ll always hold you in my heart. No point being angry with uncle Idra though, it’s Kirit who’s brought me to this sorry state. Leh lehizdayen, Kirit! 64 He only thinks of his own wellbeing. . . .
Adlai’s misery was interrupted as a short fattish person placed a jug of warm wine before him with the invitation to, “Drink up, young sir. I’ve prepared a special draught for you. I can guarantee it’ll take away all your bad humors.”
Being mostly thirsty, Adlai drank a full measure of the offering and quickly drained the pitcher. Immediately, a warm glow suffused him and he started to feel a little better. “Thank you . . . ?”
“My real name is unimportant, I’m simply known as‘Ibn himar’ which in our language means ‘son of a donkey’.
I’m the cook. At your service. Ha, ha, ha.” He burst into girlish giggles.
This brought a faint smile to Adlai’s face. His natural good humor hadn’t been buried.
“Well ‘son of a donkey’ your potion has indeed made me feel better. But I crave sleep – I’m exhausted.
Mercifully, Adlai fell into a deep sleep.
The unfamiliar rhythmic pitching of the deck that woke Adlai. He lay still for a long time adjusting to the alien surroundings. He was on his own now.
“Aha, you’re awake. Our captain asked me to awaken you so you can eat breakfast. It is just porridge but ‘Ibn Himar’ has a gift of making it taste very good. Here – here’s some to try. Oh, my name is Farhan and I’m the first mate.”
Adlai uncurled himself from the fetal position and saw a young man just a little older than himself standing above him, and he was naked - save for a loincloth to cover his private parts. Constant work had chiseled his muscled frame and with his open bronzed face and friendly dark eyes, he seemed to smile as he talked to you. He was very skinny but a better description would be ‘wiry.’ Surprisingly he was beardless and had no adornments save for a gold ring through the right ear. His prominent nose gave a semblance to Adlai’s own people.
Adlai sensed that the first mate was trying to be friendly, but he was not in a mood for friendship. The events of yesterday were still raw - all he felt now was emptiness. A sense of futility and despair.
To Farhan the lad looked pitiful and he suddenly felt sorry for the boy. He himself had run away to sea to escape an ugly love affair.
After finishing the porridge – which was indeed good – Adlai lay back and
surveyed his surroundings. He could see that a part of the hold was cleared for sleeping quarters, presumably to be used in bad weather.
Well, I can’t stay here forever. At some stage, I must go on deck and face the real world. I’ve only got two choices now, either stay here and give in to my despair or get up and see what’s happening on deck. I can’t give up living.
With considerable effort, Adlai roused himself and stood up. His limbs were stiff from lying in the one position for so long, so he did some exercises to loosen up. Painful.
Uncertainly, Adlai came up on deck into a vastly different world. The smell of sea air assaulted him. Taking several deep breaths, he let the salty air wash away some of his bitterness.
The wind seemed to be coming from the left side and over the steering end of the ship. He would learn later that this was called a ‘shy reach’. A work detail of about four crewmembers was busily going about their chores, while the rest of the crew lounged around in the warm sun.
“Well at last you’re up. I’m glad you had the courage to come up. Come sit with me, and let me find more about you. I’m impressed that one so young could rile the governor so much. And all for a woman, eh? Was she very beautiful? Oh, my poor young friend you have a lot to learn. Let Makul teach you the mysterious but joyful ways of women.”
Makul was sitting on a raised bench where he could supervise the sailing and care of the ship.
Adlai accepted the invitation and sat beside Makul. For a while neither spoke, and the welcome silence gave Adlai a chance to observe the crew going about their shipboard activities. With a constant and reliable wind, the dhow ploughed its way through a chalky green sea. Looking behind, Adlai noted that the wake was straight – a compliment to the skill of the helmsman.
“I’ve asked Farhan to join us when he’s free. It’s your . . . Aha, here he is.”
Farhan greeted Adlai with an infectious smile exposing gleaming white teeth. With a laugh in his voice, he needled Adlai with,
“Oh I see that ‘Ibn Himar’ has not poisoned our guest – yet. And I can’t wait to hear how you come to be our guest.”
“Later, Farhan later. Take Adlai around, show him the ship, and introduce him to the crew.” And then with a slight squeeze of Adlai’s shoulder he continued, “We’ll be together for some time so it’s important that you settle in”.
And so Adlai began familiarizing himself with the challenges in sailing a dhow. It was also the beginning of a deep friendship with the first mate.
It only took several days for Adlai to meld himself into a useful crewmember. He stood watches, ate with the crew and slept at his allotted times. He spent long hours with Farhan so much so that out of their friendship also grew mutual respect.
Gradually the pain diminished but not the memory. He was reminded of his uncle’s words,
. . . But I can assure you that in, say . . . two weeks time you’ll feel better. Time does heal. Of that, I can assure you.
And he was right. He delighted in the physical exercise in raising and lowering the sail, scrubbing the deck and seeing that loose items were properly secured. He became to appreciate the value of team-ship where each is depended on one another. Idle minds fester, so he was grateful for work that only left him with sore muscles and not an aching heart.
Adlai found he was good with people. Eventually the crew grew to respect him and when he voiced an opinion, he was listened to. He was experiencing his early talent for leadership.
One evening when they were sharing a jug of wine, and lounging comfortably on the deck, Adlai asked,
“I know very little about you Farhan. In fact really nothing. I’ve told you my sordid history but you haven’t told me anything about yourself. I’d like to hear - but tell me if I’m prying.”
To make himself more comfortable, Farhan shifted position slightly and said, after a pause,
“I killed a man – in self defense. I shouldn’t bore you with details.”
“No. No, go on. Sometimes it helps to share our burdens.”
There was silence for a while. Adlai knew that his friend was weighing up whether he should bare his soul. This reluctance Adlai understood.
“Look, I’m sorry. It’s rude . . .”
“No. As you say. Talking is a good way of easing distress. I’ve never told anyone before except my cousin Hamal, who is not too bright anyway.”
“You mean young Hamal? The boy who helps ‘Ibn Himar’ with the food preparation. He’s your cousin?”
“Yes. It’s a long story but he’s sort of adopted me as his big brother. Do you really want me to bore you with my story?”
“Only if you want. I don’t want to pry.”
“Adlai, I’ve never had a close friend before. Always been alone and reserved. I’d resigned myself to being solitary and then you joined the ship – admittedly in dramatic circumstances. But to my surprise . . .” Farhan adjusted his position by sitting up beside Adlai . . . “our friendship grew and has given me real pleasure. I’m honored to call you friend.”
“I feel the same. I was very close to my cousin in Palestine but it’s not like the friendship I share with you. Honestly Farhan, you’ve helped me overcome my grief and anger about the events that brought me here. I thank you – I really do.”
Silence. A companionable silence, shared.
“Truly I do want to hear about your past – if it’s not too hurtful.”
Farhan sat up more comfortably with crossed legs.
“I fell in love – hopelessly. Waa faqri! 65 Her name was Sa'idah. When I first saw her, I was love-struck. Waa faqri! – She was beautiful. We were at a wedding feast for another cousin and . . . and we just fell in love. Just like that. However, her father had other plans for her that did not include me.”
Raising his eyebrows, Adlai exclaimed -“Harah 66! Not you too? This has a familiar ring. Do you and I share the same misfortune?”
Adlai adjusted his position so that now they faced each other. Farhan’s eyes looked into the distance as he remembered,
“We made no secret of our love. We made no secret of our intentions. It was then, out of the blue, that her father suddenly announced that she was going to marry someone else. No forewarning. Such was his arrogance. I was distraught.”
Slowly Farhan continued. “Sa'idah managed to slip away. They had her confined in her room. Can you believe it? Imprisoned, trapped, and victimized by her own family - by her supposed love ones. But somehow, she escaped. It was too much, so we decided to flee. Where to? I hadn’t made any plans. All we wanted was to live our lives together.”
Farhan paused, so Adlai observed sympathetically,
“Almost the same scenario that I had to contend with. Almost.”
Adlai watched as Farhan struggled with memories of that awful time. Eventually he sighed and continued,
“Without warning, her brother Qutuz stormed into my home and tried to take Sa'idah back by force. Naturally, I defended her but in the ensuing fight Qutuz fell against a wall and sustained a severe blow to his head. We rushed him to the apothecary but . . . he didn’t regain conscience. He died.”
“Harah! He died? And I suppose you were blamed? What about your parents? Could they not say the fight was in self defense?”
“Umm . . . I only have my mother. My father died five summers before. I couldn’t involve my mother in my problems. As it was, young Hamal was staying with me and he’d helped defend Sa'idah. So we were both involved. It didn’t look good for either of us. The law and convention were with Sa'idah’s family. It was a shiter!”
Then he asked Adlai,
“By the way you came on board, all bound up; I gather you also fell afoul of authority. Except they made the decision for you.”
‘Yes. It all happened too quickly. We made love in the morning but by nightfall, I was captured and forced like a common criminal onto the dhow. I’m innocent – I’ve done nothing wrong.”
“Except love the wrong girl.” Observed Farhan. A pox on all a
mbitious fathers!”
“Yes, I agree,” smiled Adlai. “Perhaps our women were too beautiful so they become bargaining tools. Yes, a pox on ambitious fathers. But how did you, and Hamal, come to this ship?”
Farhan now a little more enthused about telling his story continued,
“I am a Nabataean. My forbearers have been sailors and ship builders since before time began. I lived in Arsinoe on the coast of the Levantine so it was easy to get passage. Hamal followed wherever I went, so he came with me. Makul has treated me like a son, which has made me very happy. Also I can keep an eye out for Hamal – he’s not too bright so people take advantage of him.”
“So here we are, two . . . hey, what about Sa'idah. Have you seen her since?”
“No. That was about three summers ago. I’ve accepted that we’ll not be together. She probably has another life by now. Perhaps even children. Perhaps she doesn’t even share a thought of me. You know, women can be very fickle. Are you getting over Somya?”
“Perhaps. Maybe. Oh, I don’t know. Sailing with you and Makul has been a big help. I really can’t go back. If I did, both my uncle and I would lose our heads.”
“The price we have to pay for a bit of pussy,” Farhan observed. And both youths broke down into fits of laughter.
For a little while, they just sat there, side by side, against the railing letting a companionable silence grow. Each immersed in their own thoughts.
I wonder how I’m going to feel about Somi in three summer’s time. Perhaps I’ll follow Farhan’s example and gradually accept the inevitable. She’s lost to me. I have to get on with my own life now.
Breaking into Adlai’s silence, Farhan asked,
“Can you tell me about your beliefs? I know you pray to only one god . . . Umm, Yahweh isn’t it?”
“I’d enjoy talking to you about that matter but it seems our jug is empty. Could . . .” In response, Farhan yelled “Hamal! Hamal! Come you lazy sod and bring us more wine. We must look after our guest.”
“It’s true; we only worship one god – Yahweh. But there was a time when we had a multitude of Gods. Then our prophet, Moses arranged for us Jews to be regarded as the ‘chosen’ people on the condition that we must only worship one god.”
“I have heard of Moses, he is also respected by my people. But . . . Aha, here is Hamal with our wine. You took your time boy. What will our guest think of our hospitality?”
“When is getting pissed called hospitality? You may be my cousin, but I’m not your slave. Get the next jug yourself.” And left the two older boys laughing at him.
After filling their drinking cups Adlai continued,
“I’ve come to regard our religion as a negative one. We glorify our past disasters and live a regime that denies the living many pleasurable things. I can’t believe that Yahweh is such a nit-picking god. And we can’t even agree whether there is a heaven or a hell in the afterlife – if there is an afterlife.”
“What is ‘Sabbath’ that I hear frequently?”
“Well it’s the last day of the week when Yahweh supposedly said to Moses that we must rest, not work nor travel, and worship him. There are strict rules for observance and punishments for disobedience. But our religion imposes a useful moral authority on us Jews. This is necessary as we can be a very wayward people.”
Adlai was about to ask Farhan what his beliefs were when Farhan changed the subject.
“You seem to enjoy sailing and working with the crew. You catch on fast.”
“It’s hard to explain. Except for my family, I’ve never been close to a group of people before. I like the feeling of being together - sharing the good times with the bad. I feel part of something important. What do you like about shipboard life?”
“Not having to face irate fathers.” This earned Farhan a friendly slap on the back and an appreciative laugh from Adlai.
“No,” continued Farhan. “It’s the challenge of surviving by your wits and the exhilaration of being terrified. Also I probably shouldn’t, but I’ve come to regard Makul as the father I never had.”
“Yes, he’s a good man - I agree. He showed me kindness when I was in a very dark place. I’ll always be grateful.”
Farhan took a sip of wine then asked, “How would you like to steer the boat?”
“What me! Take the tiller? I’m not ready, I don’t know enough about sailing a big ship like this. Why would you ask me to do this? I’m not ready. Not ready at all. You’d have to ask Makul - I’m sure he’d laugh his head off. Politely.”
“It was his suggestion. Look, you’re intelligent and all you need is training. And you didn’t answer my question. Would you like to steer?”
Cautiously, Adlai said, “Yes. If you think I’m capable. But you’d have to show me how and give me some practice. I don’t want to be the cause of us all drowning.”
“Ok, well let me explain . . . bugger! The jugs empty again. Hamal!”
Who scampered over to the boys and said – “You called master. I’ve been very disobedient. Perhaps you should beat me before you both get too pissed. Would now be a good time?”
“Just go and get more wine and I promise I’ll tell you a bed-time story before you go to sleep. Go on – get.”
“Ok, I’ll start again. You just have to know the basic principle of sailing.” Before Adlai could interrupt, Farhan continued,
“At any time the wind pressure on the sail should be balanced by the ballast and keel. The tiller just directs this balance in the direction you want to go. In other words if you have a sudden wind gust the boat will heel over but as the boat heels there is less pressure on the sail and the keel takes over and brings the boat upright. Understand?”
“No, but I’m listening. Umm . . . What happens if the wind is too strong for the keel to bring it back level?”
“Simple. We loosen the sail so that the pressure decreases. Ok? Ahh . . . here’s the lad with our medicine. You took your time!”
“Up yours!”
“Getting too big for himself. Now – Do you have any more questions?”
“Well, when can you give me a practice run? Tomorrow?”
“Yes tomorrow, after we enjoy a very necessary cleansing of our bodies.” This was said with an evil grin.
With graceful streamlined beauty, she swam effortlessly though the hazy depths with all her senses on continual alert. A product of 100 million years of evolution she had no fear of predators as her species were atop the food chain. But if she showed weakness, then others of her species might attack her. However, such instances were rare.
Her sense of smell could detect blood in incredibly minute quantities and her senses could pick up electronic emissions from any moving sea creature.
She was the most terrifyingly efficient killing machine that nature had devised.
Her serrated teeth were located in her gums and not imbedded in the jaw structure. She killed by clamping her jaws around a victim and violently shaking her head to use the serrated teeth as a saw. Up to 30,000 teeth would be replaced in her lifetime.
Her supposedly aimless meandering belied her ultimate purpose, to head for coastal regions where prey is plentiful.
She was a Great White shark and she was carrying young.
Whilst each crewmember took time to sponge themselves clean on a daily basis it was necessary to have a general bathe to remove all the dirt and grime which built up on their bodies. This was mandatory to avoid disease and unpleasant body odors.
It was an event anticipated with much enthusiasm by old hands.
Around mid-morning of the following day, Makul lowered the sail and the ship was left to drift along with the wind and current. And as soon as the dhow lost way the port watch crew, which excluded Farhan and Makul, stripped naked and like children, jumped over the side.
With childish glee, they thrashed and jostled each other until their bodies were thoroughly clean. To Adlai it was something he could not do. Nakedness was not favored by his people and Adlai became det
ermined to not suffer that indignation. Never.
But when it was time for the starboard watch to bathe, he was grabbed, stripped, and then thrown overboard. It was that quick.
At first, he panicked. He could swim but never, ever naked. But soon the sheer pleasure of swimming without clothes overwhelmed him. He splashed, swam, dived, and floated, reveling in this new luxury.
Other crewmembers jostled him and soon it became a contest to see who could splash the longest – and loudest.
Reluctant to go into the water he became reluctant to leave. Eventually, threats by Makul forced him to clamber back on board – much to the amusement of the crew.
It was almost a new Adlai, exhilarated from training on the helm and thoroughly cleansed by the ocean. He felt good.
Later that evening, Farhan and Adlai were having their usual jug of wine. As he sat relaxed and comfortable, Adlai mused about the day’s experiences.
What a day. First, I’ve been trusted to steer the ship and then taken for my first naked swim. Tremendous feeling – being naked in the water. Ahh . . . my people are too restricted. Our religion is too restrictive – we’re only allowed those pleasures that are deemed to please Yahweh. Crap! More to please narrow-minded fanatics.
Perhaps the Zealots are right. We need a new king with new ideas about how we govern ourselves and how we worship Yahweh.
Farhan broke into his thoughts with,
“Are you thinking about Somya? Does it still hurt?” With a sigh Adlai answered with,
“No. And yes. I was thinking about how you and Makul have opened my eyes and my mind to a larger world. I can’t explain it but I feel as if I’m preparing myself for a different life when I get back home. As for Somi – I know she is lost to me but I’ll always treasure loving her. She is a wonderful loving person. I just hope that lover-boy takes good care of her.
Into the ensuing silence, Adlai asked,
“Do you have religious beliefs? You’ve never said anything to me and I’ve not heard you mention any god that you or your people worship.”
“My friend, I’m but a simple man and don’t have an inclination to weighty religious matters. I have been taught that the Moon God, who is male, married the sun goddess and they had three daughters. These three goddesses were called Al-Lat, Al-Uzza, and Manat. However, my people worship the Moon God who is called ‘Allah’. That’s all I know – we worship Allah the Moon god.
“Are you sure? Why would the sun take the female form and the moon the male? Shouldn’t it be the other way round?”
“Well, that’s what I’ve been taught. We worship the male moon god instead of the female sun god. As I said I don’t know very much about religion – I find it all too confusing.”
“Well, I agree. It sounds a bit strange. But if the male god is called ‘Allah’ what do you call the sun goddess?”
“I’ve never been told. We just worship ‘Allah’ the moon god. As I said, I’m just a poor uncomplicated man. As long as I can eat, drink, and enjoy life, I try not to burden myself with such mysteries.”
“Farhan – I think you are a wise man.”
And then into the ensuing silence, Adlai asked,
“Has Makul ever talked about his religious beliefs? Being originally from Hindustan I assume he’s a Hindu. What a complex religion that is. Each region of Hindustan has their own interpretation on how to worship whatever God prevails in that particular area. It’s a religion not for outsiders, not unlike my own people’s beliefs. I like it not at all.”
“No. No, from what little he’s said he is a follower of the Buddha. I really don’t know what that means. As I said, I’m just a simple man. I don’t want to involve myself in complex questions. As long as I’m happy, fed, and comfortable that’s all I care about.” With a laugh, Adlai repeated,
“Farhan – I think you are a very wise man.”
One morning, several days after his ‘dunking’, Adlai woke up to find that the ships movement had changed and the easy - somewhat monotonous - ‘loping’ through the seas had altered to an uneven rolling movement. According to Makul’s noon sight of the previous day, they were approaching Cane on the Arabian coast. After Cane, they would then sail along the coast to Eudaemon Arabia 67 where they would turn northwards into the Arabian Gulf towards Berenike.
The crew was very quiet and an uneasy atmosphere pervaded. Gone was the happy enthusiasm with which the crew usually greeted each new day, and in its place was a silent apprehension. Even the sky looked ominous. Bright sunshine had been replaced by a covering of scurrying clouds. The steady wind had been replaced by uneven and unpredictable gusts coming in from the sou’sou east. Adlai noticed that Makul had tightened the sail to accommodate the changed wind direction.
Both Farhan and Makul were on deck, eyes searching the horizon to the south. And they looked concerned.
Even the crew also scanned the seas to the south. But there was nothing to be seen, only the changed wind and sea conditions warning of undetected and impending danger.
He joined Farhan at the rail and asked what the problem was.
“We don’t know. It seems there’s bad weather to the south somewhere and we’re feeling its affects in the sea and wind strength. It could be coming towards us or we could be just sailing through the outward fringe as it moves away. We’ll just have to wait and see.”
Seeing Adlai’s look of alarm he sought to mollify him and give some comfort.
“Makul’s a very good seaman and has been through some really bad storms. Two seasons ago, we sailed into the outer fringe of a ‘Devil Wind ’68. We faced strong winds and high seas but Makul’s experience and seamanship brought us through without incident. So, don’t worry.”
But Adlai noticed Makul was looking concerned with his eyes fixed on the horizon to the south.
Around mid-day, it was obvious that the weather conditions were worsening and whatever storm was to the south was headed their way. By now, the seas were coming from the sou’sou west and the wind strength had risen.
After conferring with Farhan, Makul assembled the crew and gave his assessment of the deteriorating weather.
“Lads, I believe we’re facing a severe storm and it’s headed our way.” Instantly there was a murmur of concern from all crewmembers. One called out,
“Cap'n, Is it a ‘Devil Wind’?”
“No, I ‘m sure it’s not. We’re well past the season for those big winds. No, I believe it’s something else. A smaller, localized storm but one that can be very powerful. It’ll come upon us quickly and just as quickly, move on. But we must be prepared.”
One of the older hands spoke forcibly. “Tell us what we have to do Cap’n?”
“All right, clear the decks of all loose objects. And make sure, make doubly sure, that the cargo is secured and won’t come loose. Double secure all items if you can.” Makul paused and looked out at a group of very anxious faces.
“Next, at some time we’ll have to take the sail down. Not now, we may as well use what wind we can. There’s a faint hope that the storm might bypass us. I don’t think so. When we do, it must come down quickly. So set up lifelines along the deck so that you can move about safely. I don’t want to lose anybody overboard. I’m sure you know what that would mean for anyone so unfortunate.”
Turning to Farhan, he asked so that all could hear,
“Is there anyone in the crew who could go up the mast and look seaward for me? Will you think upon it and let me know as soon as possible?” But then from the assembled crew came,
“Let me! Please Farhan, I could do that. I’ve climbed many trees when playing and heights don’t worry me.” This from Hamal.
“Are you sure?” Farhan said with reluctance but also relieved that he didn’t have to make the decision. And then the captain explained to Farhan,
“We’ll use the spare halyard 69 to haul Hamal up the mast. Arrange for two of the strongest men to do it.” He then paused and commanded,
“All right, off you go l
ads and see to your chores. Farhan, you’re in charge of the crew. We will probably have to make constant changes to the sail. Adlai and Hamal – to me please.”
With that, the crew dispersed leaving Makul, Adlai, and Hamal together.
“Adlai, stand with me at the helm. It may need both our strength to counter savage wind gusts. And also, you have to back me up if anything goes wrong.”
“But . . .” Adlai started to protest but Makul cut him short.
“You’ll be Ok. I wouldn’t ask if it wasn’t important. And I trust you.” To Hamal he said,
“Laddie, let’s get you up the mast to have a look sou’wards. Tell me what you see.”
Both Adlai and Makul watched with some amusement as Hamal was enthusiastically hauled up the mast. Makul, with a smile, turned to Adlai and said, “Youth. Would it not be wonderful to be young again?”
“I think you’ll find captain that young Hamal is just showing his appreciation to you and Farhan for caring about him. He’s looking for an opportunity to do something important as part of his contribution.”
“Hmm . . . this day will test us all as we endure the trials of the coming hours.” Calling out loud over the wind noise, Makul instructed Hamal to,
“Take a good look down south as far as you can see and then come down and tell me.” To Adlai he remarked, “I have a suspicion of what’s coming at us but it’ll be a great help for Hamal to confirm it”. As agilely as he went up the mast Hamal descended with equal ease.
“Nothing Cap'n. I couldn’t see anything strange. But the mast is moving around a lot so it’s hard to get a constant bearing. I could lash myself to the mast but there’s nothing to hold onto. It would be better for me to go up at regular intervals. Wouldn’t it?”
“Yes, that’ll do. I’ll call you when I need you to have another look. Ok? And by the way – I’m proud of you. Very proud. You’ve shown great courage. Now away with you.”
Adlai could almost see Hamal swelling up with pleasure at the captain’s compliment.
In a quiet voice to Adlai, “We’ll continue on this course, but at some stage we’ll have to run before the storm. I just hope we have enough sea room. I don’t want to end up on the coastal rocks.”
Now the day passed with mounting wind and deteriorating sea conditions. The waves were growing larger and more menacing. At an appropriate moment, Makul ordered the sail down, leaving the mast bare. To Adlai’s unspoken question, Makul explained,
“The wind is strong enough against the mast to give enough steerage way.” That’s all he said. And now with the sail down Adlai found it was true, there was less pressure on the tiller and in fact, the dhow sailed better.
Towards evening, Makul sent Hamal up the mast again and when he came down, he reported fearfully,
“Cap’n, I see a very black line across the horizon but running before it was a smaller line of grey clouds. They embraced the whole horizon.” And fearfully, “What does it mean? What is it?”
“As I suspected, it’s a severe local storm. We’re in for some trying times. Go lad – go and lash yourself with the crew. I don’t want to lose you overboard. You’ve done very well Hamal. I thank you. Now go lad.”
To Adlai he said,
“We must also lash ourselves to the tiller. There will be big waves. Bigger than now. I don’t want you swept overboard.”
By sundown, the sea was a terrifying sight. The waves were now almost as high as the mast. And atop each crest was a white breaking wave. Adlai shuddered to think what would happen if a whole wave actually broke on top of the ship. It would be all over. But their present sailing strategy was now too dangerous. Makul acknowledged this and,
“The waves are becoming too big and too steep. If we continue trying to sail across them, we’ll broach for sure. So this is what we’ll do. When a wave starts to lift us up, we’ll turn and run with it. Then as it passes we’ll resume sailing across it.” A simple procedure and it seemed to work.
So they all settled down to wait. They were cold, wet, miserable, and afraid. All around them, the ocean seemed to hurl itself furiously against the boat threatening to capsize them. But it was the wind noise that was most terrifying. It howled against the mast and at times grew to a frightening level.
Adding to their misery, every so often a large wave would break onto the bow and would race down the ship’s side drenching the crew. As most of the crew were Nabataeans, they prayed to ‘Allah’, the moon god. Adlai silently asked for deliverance from Yahweh and Makul offered entreaties to Buddha to keep them safe. They all just sat and waited . . . and waited.
When the sun went down it was a form of relief – at least they couldn’t see the waves as they hurled towards the boat. It was a small mercy. Adlai found he could steer by ‘feeling’ the boat. As the deck started to rise with an approaching wave he presented the stern and when the ship reached the crest and started to ‘fall away’ he returned to the diagonal course. After a while, it became second nature.
By now, Adlai and Makul were taking turns at the tiller in short sessions. It was too much work for one person. Several times a large wave would assault the ship threatening to swamp her but Adlai and Makul struggled with the tiller to keep the dhow upright.
It seemed a feeling of fatalism overtook Adlai. He knew he was as close to death as he’d ever been before, but there was nothing he could do about it. He now had no control over his destiny and simply gave into a sort of calm despair. Any moment the dhow could capsize and it would be all over. In a way, it was almost peaceful.
Sodden, cold, miserable, and terrified he alternated between standing his watch with Makul and huddling in an effort to keep warm. There was no way of knowing how the crew was responding but he suspected they felt the same as he. The sound of the wind had transcended mere noise and became a terrifying scream.
And then sometime in the middle of the night, a new sound emerged above the awful scream of the wind. It was a roaring not unlike the sound of continuous thunder. And it grew and grew in intensity as it approached. Adlai was on the tiller and looked to Makul with a silent question. Makul looked back with a face slack with fear.
Then the incredible roaring arrived, the waves disappeared - and the world went white!
Flying sea spume filled the sky. There was no horizon, no deck. Everywhere was white! And then to Adlai’s horror, such was the demonic strength of the wind; the dhow began to tip over.
Over and over, she went . . . further and further, until the mast top almost kissed the sea and the keel very nearly broke the surface.
Over more . . . and the lives of the crew and the ship itself were poised on the brink of oblivion.
For what seemed an eternity she stayed flat on her beams. Even above the terrible noise, Adlai vaguely heard screams coming from the crew. He could not hear his own screams.
And then, as it seemed all hope was lost, the wind imperceptivity began to lessen. With Adlai and Makul straining on the tiller the dhow came slowly . . . ever so slowly – upright. With each passing moment, the wind lessened. Vision began to clear and the waves returned. Gradually the wind began to diminish and, by some unknown instinct, Adlai and Makul realized that the worst was over.
They had survived and all Makul said was,
“That was close.”