Beyond the Sand Dune

by Asen Djinah

  ‘According to my calculations, the goods will cost less than half the price we are currently paying when buying from Gerrha,’ he had explained to Asif.

  If he were successful in this venture, the profits made would be significantly higher and they would be able to sell at a lower price than their competitors. Excited by the positive information he had gleaned from the sailors, Hayder was determined to go ahead with his plan. His next step was to charter a vessel that would be willing to undertake the long journey.

  During his most recent stay at the inn, Hayder had come across a young Ethiopian skipper named Binian whom he found easy to talk to. Binian had a constant grin on his face and his gleaming white teeth stood out in sharp contrast against his pink gums and dark skin. Hayder found him quite open and took an instant liking to the young, tanned sailor.

  ‘I only sail between my home town of Djibouti in Ethiopia and the port of Barbarikon, very rarely stopping at Gerrha on the way. We are lucky to have met. I don’t usually stop here,’ Binian explained.

  ‘Merchants usually charter my vessel on a fixed daily rate to carry their goods between these two ports. I don’t have much experience of sailing beyond this region,’ he admitted right from the start.

  Hayder also learned that he had recently upgraded his small dhow for a larger one, incurring a hefty debt in the process. Even though Hayder was initially disappointed that Binian did not have any experience of sailing on extended journeys, he could not help thinking that he was the man he would like to partner with in his new venture. He appeared to be an honest and trustworthy person. Taking out his maps, Hayder explained his project to Binian.

  ‘I plan to sail all the way to the Port of Bengal and am looking for a suitable partner,’ he told Binian.

  ‘I usually sail close to the Arabian coast and after crossing the Persian Gulf I stay near the Persian coast for the rest of the way to Barbarikon. I do not have experience of long sea voyages. Whenever there is a change in weather, I usually find a sheltered cove and wait for the conditions to improve. I am only familiar with the sea between Djibouti and Barbarikon,’ Binian pointed out once again, sounding a little reluctant.

  Hayder reassured the young sailor that from Barbarikon onward, the journey would also be close to the coast around the Indian subcontinent.

  ‘I am not looking to charter your dhow for a fixed daily fee like the other merchants. I am looking for a business partner and will pay you a share of the profit,’ he added to entice the young skipper.

  Binian remained silent as he considered the proposal. He knew that there was a lot of money to be made in business; every single merchant he had worked for was rich.

  ‘Going in business with Hayder will certainly clear my debt more quickly, after which I will be able to make a substantial living,’ Binian pondered.

  The young sailor was finally won over as he too liked the young merchant and admired him for his ambitious project.

  ‘You have persuaded me. I hope our new venture will be profitable to us both,’ he said with his broadest smile as he stood up and held out his arms to Hayder.

  Excited by their new partnership, the two young men embraced each other. They spent the rest of the week finalising the details of their voyage and agreed to meet in a month’s time in Djibouti.

  ‘Meanwhile I will hire a more experienced first mate and replace any member of my crew who is not willing to sail on such a long trip,’ Binian said as he took leave of Hayder.

  At exactly the same time as Jalal Al-Din left Amel’s father on his way to Asif’s house to see his son, Hayder departed on camelback. In the company of Ali the guide, he made his way towards the south of the country into al-Yaman, known as Arabia Felix to the Romans. On reaching the south coast, he planned to catch a dhow across the Red Sea to Djibouti. Unwittingly, he would miss his father’s visit and finding out about the outcome of his visit to the singing girl’s father.

  ‘We will start the voyage from Djibouti rather than Gerrha, since I am looking to purchase a consignment of ivory. I have learned that this commodity is in great demand in the Far Eastern lands,’ Hayder had said to Binian when they had been planning the trip.

  He was also looking to acquire a small amount of gold nuggets if the price was lower than in Gerrha.

  After two weeks of travelling, Hayder finally reached Djibouti, where Binian had been waiting impatiently.

  ‘I have completed all the arrangements we discussed,’ Binian said as he welcomed his new partner with his usual broad smile.

  The two men embraced each other and without losing any time, Binian took Hayder to meet the various contacts he had arranged. Their first call was at a warehouse filled with elephants’ tusks up to the ceiling. With Binian acting as translator, Hayder negotiated a price for the ivory and was pleased to agree on a rate significantly lower than what he would have paid in Gerrha.

  ‘It was the right decision to buy the ivory here. The price in Gerrha is much higher,’ he whispered in Binian’s ear.

  Looking at the mountain of tusks in front of him, he was momentarily tempted to fill the entire hold of the dhow with ivory. But since it was his first journey, he had agreed with Asif to diversify the goods to minimise the risk.

  ‘It will be too much of a gamble to put all my drinking water in one goatskin,’ he reminded himself to resist the temptation.

  After Hayder had selected the best tusks, the seller’s men put these aside in a pile after marking them with Hayder’s name. Hayder agreed to send his men the following day to collect the precious consignment.

  By the time the two partners visited the main gold dealer, who was an acquaintance of Binian’s father, it was already late afternoon. Gold was a unique commodity in the sense that not only it was a tangible asset to keep, but could also be used as a universal monetary currency.

  ‘As you know Binian, in most ports the only currency traders will accept readily is gold coins or gold nuggets, so I intended to exchange all the money I have into gold,’ he told Binian.

  He had checked the latest price of gold in Kuffrat before leaving and he was once again pleased that he would be buying at a considerable discount. Djibouti was one of the main trade centres where gold, precious stones and other raw materials from the African continent transited before making their way northwards towards the Byzantine and Sassanid empires. He bought enough gold coins and nuggets to fill his leather bag.

  ‘I have a lockable metal chest in my cabin where we can keep the coins and other valuables,’ Binian told him.

  ‘We have made good progress on the first day. We will continue tomorrow. Let us go and have dinner now,’ he then suggested.

  The crew of twelve sailors, who would man the double-masted vessel, had already been assembled. In the late evening, Hayder and Binian found them sprawled all over the deck. They had worked tirelessly all day to load up barrels of dried salted meat, flour and drinking water into the hold. During the journey they would spend most of their time on deck, sleeping under the stars, wrapped in their blankets. Only when the weather turned bad would they go down into the hold to sleep and seek shelter from the rain. Having been built for short trips, the dhow had only one cabin for the captain with a small kitchen next to it, to make room for a hold of maximum capacity. Behind the cabin at the stern, the young captain had arranged for a tent to be rigged. It would serve as a sleeping area for the first mate, whilst Binian would share his cabin with Hayder.

  ‘The first mate and the two of us will be keeping our distance from the rest of the crew to avoid too much familiarity. On long voyages nerves can easily get rattled and tempers frayed. The slightest incident can quickly lead to conflicts among the men. Maintaining an air of authority, the first mate and I will find it easier to diffuse such tense situations,’ Binian quietly explained to Hayder.

  The following morning, after the ship’s cook had served breakfast, Hayder and Binian led a team of sailors to the warehouse where they had purchased the ivory. Hayder had arranged wit
h the merchant for Binian’s men to use his cart and donkey. The two of them supervised as the men made several trips to carry the heavy tusks to the boat, where the rest of the crew lowered them into the hold. When the task was finally completed, Binian and Hayder made further visits to the remaining traders that Binian had arranged to meet. By the end of the day, Hayder had acquired all the items on his list. He had purchased a small amount of precious stones with an equal mix of ruby, sapphire and emerald as he wanted to see if there would be a demand for these.

  ‘I have heard that there is a growing market for frankincense and myrrh in the eastern countries,’ Binian suggested.

  So Hayder also bought a small quantity of these items. Although he knew that they were mostly in demand in the West, he thought it a good idea to gauge the demand for these products in the Far East. Their final purchase was to be dried dates.

  ‘Crystallized sugar is readily available in the south of India, but being an expensive luxury item, most people cannot afford it. Dried dates are a much cheaper alternative and very popular in cakes,’ Hayder explained to Binian, having gleaned this information from his previous talks with various seamen.

  However, Hayder found the dates to be slightly more expensive than in Gerrha.

  ‘I think we should buy the dates here. It is not worth making a detour to Gerrha for the sake of a slightly lower price and add another week to our already long voyage,’ Binian said, to which Hayder readily agreed.

  He made a point of selecting dates that were thoroughly dried and properly packed, so that they would not perish during the voyage. Satisfied with their acquisitions, Hayder and Binian returned to the boat in the afternoon. They agreed to set sail as soon as all the goods were loaded on board.

  Chapter 11

  Two days later, the two partners were ready to start their much anticipated journey. As they stood on deck and watched the dhow pull away from the harbour, Hayder felt a sense of trepidation. He had found it difficult to sleep the previous night, so much was his apprehension. He realised he was undertaking a massive task, but the rewards could be substantial. He closed his eyes and made a silent prayer.

  ‘God Almighty, please allow us all to return home safely to our families unharmed. Bless our venture with your grace so that it is a success.’

  Binian, standing by his side, was experiencing similar feelings since it was the first time that he was undertaking such a long sea voyage. The responsibility of his crew’s welfare lay heavily upon his shoulders.

  ‘Oh Lord bring us home safely and remove all obstacles from our journey,’ Binian prayed.

  Being a Christian, he went on to recite the Lord’s Prayer softly under his breath before making the sign of the cross.

  The dhow glided over the water as they slowly pulled away from the coast in the early morning light. Binian left Hayder’s side and went to give orders to his men to deploy the sails. When the vessel reached the open sea, he set the course and soon the boat was cutting through the waves at a speed of six knots. After making some fine adjustments, he left the rudder to the second mate and called his first mate. They went inside the cabin to discuss the details of the journey. The excitement Hayder had initially felt soon died down and the monotony of the journey took over. He was already beginning to feel bored and restless, with not much to do on deck. He too went inside the cabin where Binian and his first mate were bent over a large map.

  ‘We have gone over every detail for the voyage, Hayder. Now let us pray that the weather does not create any problems,’ Binian said as he put his precious map away.

  Hayder opened his case of personal belongings. He took out two thin strips of cotton cloth, which he wrapped tightly around each wrist about an inch above the joint. After he secured the ends, he pulled out two one-inch pieces of polished wooden dowel from the case and inserted these under each of the wristbands on the inside of his wrist.

  ‘What is this?’ Binian asked, puzzled by the contraption on Hayder’s wrists.

  ‘I have been told this is what seamen from China use to avoid getting seasick. The dowel exerts a pressure on the arteries in the wrist and prevents nausea and vomiting,’ he explained to Binian.

  Little did he realise that centuries later, this would be regarded as acupuncture and lead to the development of the sea-band, which would be commonly used to ward off seasickness, as well as preventing nausea during pregnancy.

  The monotonous journey continued as the dhow glided on the calm sea along the Arabian coast.

  ‘Our next stop is Barbarikon on the Persian coast and is about sixteen hundred nautical miles away,’ Binian announced.

  ‘At an average speed of six knots, and taking into account the whimsical nature of the winds, I have calculated that it should take us about two weeks to reach the port,’ he told Hayder to cheer him up.

  Still Hayder could not shake off his feeling of boredom and restlessness. Without any experience at sea, he was in no position to help out and keep himself busy. With nothing to do, he found the days empty and the time dragging. As each day slowly drifted into the next, he lost track of time.

  ‘I am used to spending days on end travelling in the desert without experiencing this sense of weariness. Travelling by sea is so different,’ he told Binian.

  In the desert he was free to go anywhere he liked, whereas on board the dhow he felt trapped.

  Whenever Binian was not busy, he would come to chat with his partner. Luckily, since it was the beginning of summer, they had not encountered any bad weather so far.

  ‘The Chinese contraption seems to be working since I have not seen you being seasick since we set off,’ Binian remarked.

  ‘Let us hope it works for the entire voyage.’ Hayder replied, ‘We haven’t had any bad weather yet.’

  Hayder spent most of his time in the cabin sheltering from the midday sun, coming out to sit on deck in the evening to watch the crew at work. When at long last they left the Arabian coast to cross the Persian Gulf, everyone became gripped with a sense of anticipation, for they would soon be arriving at their first stop after nearly two weeks at sea. The next day, when the Persian coast came in sight, Hayder’s sombre mood instantly dissipated.

  ‘You don’t know how much I have been counting down the days. I am desperate to have a break and set foot ashore,’ he said to his friend in a cheerful voice.

  ‘Don’t get too excited, my friend, we will not be staying more than a day. We are stopping only to replenish our supplies and drinking water,’ Binian warned him.

  Chapter 12

  The moment the dhow docked at the port of Barbarikon, Hayder jumped off to set foot on land. His first steps on firm ground left him with the most satisfying sensation. He had to make a conscious effort not to stamp his foot on the ground every time he took a step.

  ‘I am going for a walk along the docks and look around. I will be back later,’ he called out to his friend.

  Leaving Binian and his crew to their tasks, he strolled along the harbour with a spring in his step. As he walked along the waterfront, he was amazed to see so many different types of people and hear them talk in strange languages. Barbarikon was a much busier port than Gerrha and had a wider range of goods available to buy. Although he had no intention of making any purchases, Hayder walked around checking the prices of various commodities as any good trader would. Afterwards he stopped at a food stall and ordered the local food, which he found rather spicy. As he ate he took pleasure listening to the other customers, even though he did not have any idea what they were talking about. After these few hours spent on dry land, Hayder felt invigorated.

  By the time he returned to the boat, the crew had finished loading the fresh supplies and potable water and Binian gave them the afternoon off. To walk on solid ground after days at sea was an incredible feeling, even if it was only for a half a day.

  ‘Just like you, even experienced seamen need to feel the firm ground under their feet every now and then. It seems to release their tension. I will go for
a walk too and will see you this evening,’ Binian told Hayder.

  When they set sail the following morning, the men took to their task with renewed enthusiasm, feeling bolstered by the short stop. Hayder was comforted by the fact that the next port, Barygaza, was only two-day’s sailing away. With much anticipation, the two days flew by quickly and by the evening of the second day they reached the port. The only reason for stopping was for Hayder to check the prices of spices. Again, he had no intention of doing any trade in Barygaza.

  ‘It’s at Muziris, our next stop, where I really want to trade. Muziris is known as the port of spices and the prices will be more competitive,’ he told Binian.

  After spending the night on board, Binian and Hayder set foot ashore in the morning to visit the traders, leaving the dhow in charge of the first mate. The rest of the crew had been given the morning off.

  ‘Make sure you are back by midday. I want to set sail while the wind is still favourable,’ Binian told them.

  The port of Barygaza was crowded with traders going from shop to shop comparing prices. Callers at the entrance of the shops were touting for business, inviting the traders to come in and inspect their goods. Once again, Hayder was amazed at the different languages being spoken. Like any major trading post, most of the merchants had interpreters working for them and Hayder did not experience any problems communicating.

  ‘The prices are quite reasonable, but I still expect to get better offers in Muziris,’ he said to his partner.

  After he had noted down the prices of various spices in his notebook, Hayder and Binian stopped at a food stall to have lunch before making their way to the boat. Dutifully the crew had returned by midday and shortly after they left Barygaza.