by Paul Howard
By evening the Shipwright came up top to report. In spite of his age he was a very stout seaman and handled himself well on the wet, heaving deck.
“The baling crews and pumps are still removing the water,” he said, “The caulking is holding and the hull is water-tight! The loose cask has been secured but one man’s foot was crushed in the effort.”
“Who is it?” I asked.
“It is 68 Primus,” he replied, “Sarah is attending to him.”
“What about the water?” I asked.
“If we have no more like before we can handle it,” he answered, “But the water below probably adds a little to ballast if we can keep her upright!”
“What about the three men we lost?” I said.
“I am not sure,” he replied, “But I think the number is actually four!”
As the third night of the storm descended upon us, I became aware that I was losing feeling in my limbs and my mind was faltering. As I observed my comrades, I realized that they, too, were suffering the same effects of fatigue. I ordered Primus below and tried to organize rest periods among our company as best as we could. It was becoming difficult to concentrate. By the middle of the night a rotation was worked out and Primus relieved me for my three-hour rest period.
If it had been difficult to rest when the storm first hit us, it was easy to collapse when I reached my cabin. The jostling and bumping of nearly seventy hours made the body feel like a bag of jelly and bones. Eating was impossible and one had to force the water down. As soon as I hit the bunk a dreadful cold stinging set into my joints but I was too tired to care and passed out at once.
Three hours later I was wakened by the face of Calpurnia floating over me. She gently pushed a goblet of hot wine into my hands and made me drink all of it. As the fog cleared from my mind she quickly helped me to change into dry clothes. Finally I rose to my feet on the tossing deck. It took several seconds to find my balance but I was much recovered by the rest. Strangely, it only made the joints hurt even more as sensation returned to them.
After making sure she had taken rest herself I moved back up top. Primus greeted me with a report that we were still being driven hard on a westerly course. Antonia was holding her own. My former bench-mate had once again proved his fine seamanship without my input. The swells had greatly gone down but the wind and rain held on hard into the next day. The baling crews were having success in their efforts and the pumps were beginning to keep up.
I cannot say if we were going slow or fast, but the wind and sea kept pushing us due west. By late afternoon the rain began to thin and so did the wind, to such an extent we could now make sail and take full advantage of it. Once this was done, Antonia began to reassume her authority. As night was falling I made an inspection below and took some time for the men at last.
Most were simply run out from pure exhaustion. Some had minor injuries and bruises. 68 Primus had severely crushed his foot but there did not seem to be any broken bones. Sarah had finally taken to rest herself at Calpurnia’s insistence. “You have no idea how stubborn she can be,” she said, “All I heard for two days when I told her to rest was ‘Later, there is much to do!’ ”
As I spoke to our people I was struck by the morale they exhibited even in their awful fatigue. I also learned the identities of the four men we had lost in the savage wave. One of them was our young Hortator, 10 Primus. Nobody knew why he was up top when the wave hit. As I moved back on deck I could still see that boyish face with the garland of Victory drooping over one eye. It was hard to think of him. Neptune had certainly taken a toll in his wrath. When I reached the bridge the winds had died down considerably and a patch of stars could be seen near the horizon.
We had made it. As I thought about the storm we had gone through I realized what a sturdy ship this Septimus galley was. No other ship on the seas could have taken such a pounding and survived. Even though we had not assessed the damage yet, she was seaworthy and sailing well. I ordered Primus below and told him not to show himself out of his cabin until the sun was well into the sky. He had earned a long rest. He did not argue and went below.
After reducing the men aloft and bringing up reliefs, I took the helm myself and sailed her back under clear skies. The sunrise was clear for the first time in four days. The sea calmed at last and Antonia had resumed her former grace upon it. I had no idea how far off-course we were. “One thing at a time…” I thought to myself. I soon retired to my bunk and the same thing happened as before. I hit the pillow and passed out fully dressed.
28
VENUS
When I awoke some hours later I found myself tucked into my bunk in dry clothing. Without waking me, I had been dried off and tucked in. I sat up feeling refreshed and was greeted by a tray of fruit, cheese and fresh bread upon my table. A steward had been assigned to my comforts. He rose and offered me a cup of hot tea. When I suggested that he could make better use of his services he informed me that he was under specific orders and would be skinned alive by Primus if he did otherwise.
I accepted his help with as much grace as I could muster and allowed myself the luxury of a peaceful meal along with the creature comforts of being assisted by a personal dresser. Even though I had known such pampering in my father’s home, it felt strange now. As I put on my boots the steward moved to the door and made a signal. When I stood up to leave the cabin, he opened the door and the conch blew.
As I stepped on-deck I was greeted by almost the entire company assembled with glowing faces and widened eyes. This puzzled me. I looked to the bridge and saw Primus standing there with a similar look upon his face. “Captain on deck!” he roared and the entire crew snapped to attention, lining my path to the bridge on both sides.
As I passed each rank they bowed deeply. All were fully attired in their finest. I woke expecting to be mildly chided for sleeping through midday sighting and was greeted instead with tribute.
As I passed, 36 Secundus broke ranks and fell to one knee before me, kissing my hand. Others followed suit. “Surely it was I who was in his debt”, I thought to myself. A man I almost had condemned had saved my life only hours before. It is not easy to feel worshipped but even harder to let it go to one’s head. I found myself wishing they had made no show of affection at all. I felt silly and humbled inside. As I climbed onto the bridge the chant began again. “52! 52! 52!!”, until it roared over the now peaceful sea. It reminded me of the first day, when I took command. I still could not imagine what it was all about.
Calpurnia took my arm and escorted me up the steps, where all of my officers awaited me. I did my best to make a proper appearance in spite of my confusion. When I reached the helm an explosion of applause erupted from the entire company. I held up my hand, half in acknowledgment and half in embarrassment. I gestured for them to quiet down.
“Primus, what is all of this?” I asked.
“Sir,” he replied, “It is my honor to give the report of our midday sightings.” He handed me the rolled log and continued. “Inspections of the hull and superstructure have been completed with no structural damage detected. Four men were lost in the storm. The pumps are draining the last of the water and all below is secure. The ship and crew are in maximum readiness and awaiting your orders!”
“Thank you, Primus,” I replied and leaned in close to his ear, “What is all this about?”
He grinned and whispered, “You better have a look at the log!”
I did as he suggested and unrolled the chart. I looked at it and could scarcely believe what was recorded upon it. In spite of the storm we were only a few miles off our original course. But even stranger was our position. We were only two days from Gibraltar! I looked at him in amazement and gasped. “Are you sure of this? Have you rechecked the sighting?”
“There is no question, Captain,” the shipwright said, “The log is correct!”
Not only had the storm pushed us along our course, it had somehow taken almost a week off of our journey. I could only imagine that we had r
eached amazing speeds in the violent storm. Neptune had rolled the dice and they came up Venus in the most uncanny way.
The officers began patting my back and congratulating me on my seamanship. Nothing could have been farther from the truth. Fortune alone was in command of the ship and no credit could be given for our location to anything but that.
I now realized that the myth about me being the finest seaman of all time had taken hold of our company and I wished to dispel the notion at once. I tried, but it only came out like humility.
“Fate alone, and your labor, is the reason why we are here,” I said, “I cannot account for this miracle except to say that you all performed splendidly as a crew. There will be even greater challenges ahead. If we maintain the same high level of determination, with the help of the gods, we will surely prevail. I salute you all!”
I called for the crew to return to duty at once. No further celebrations were to be observed. A service for our lost people was to be scheduled for the following morning. On my way down I called upon 36 Secundus.
“I would have words with you!” I ordered. “After the evening meal.”
“Yes, my lord.” he replied and bowed.
Our inventors had also emerged from their water-tight cocoon. How they managed to breathe in there for several days I cannot guess.
“Powder stores and weapons secure, Captain.” said the Greek.
The Persian gave him a wry glance that suggested otherwise. I did not pursue it further. I am sure they had their own crises during the violence of the storm but they had overcome it somehow and it made no difference now what they were. I probably did not want to know, anyway.
The notion that we were two days out from Gibraltar was a great shock to me and there was little time to prepare ourselves for what was sure to come upon us. I could not figure whether it was a blessing or a curse to be thrust into it unprepared. On the other hand, war is never a matter of convenience and we had to steel ourselves as coldly as possible for what was ahead. The drills and final preparations would have to go on schedule and we had to make ready for battle without delay. There was much to do.
The first order of business was 36 Secundus. He reported as to my quarters and I set myself at the table to create the proper stage for our talk. I had already learned from Calpurnia that he had done his best to make his apologies to her and that his actions were more wine than anything else. He had shown serious contrition and faced up to the responsibility for his infraction. I opened a report and studied it when he knocked upon my door. I ordered him to enter and let him stand there for a few moments while I read the report.
After I felt he had stewed long enough I set down the report and stared hard into his face.
“Secundus,” I began, “Two days ago you saved my life in the storm. For that, I thank you! But that does not carry any weight as far as the command of this vessel is concerned. We have not spoken about the incident that occurred before. Do you have anything to say?”
“No, sir,” he replied, “Only that I deeply regret my actions and will never do it again. Never!” he repeated with emphasis and I believed him.
“I have been reviewing your performance during our recent actions, including the storm,” I said, “With the exception we spoke of, it seems that your performance throughout has been exemplary. You always seem to be in the right place at the right time. And your leadership amidships during the storm played no small part in our success. We have no commander of midshipman up to now. I am promoting you to that position, effective immediately. You understand that this will place you as third in command?”
“Yes, sir!” he replied.
“Very well,” I said dryly, “Have you anything else to say?” He straightened up to attention.
“You can count on me, sir!”
“If there was any doubt of that,” I retorted, “You would not be promoted!” I rose from my seat and offered him my hand. “Congratulations!” I said. He shook my hand, thanked me and returned to attention.
“Dismissed!” I said and sat back down to my reports. He saluted and withdrew. I had already informed Primus and the other officers of my decision. I was not sure they all approved but nobody questioned it. In spite of his momentary weakness he had proved himself one of the best men we had. A good commander takes advantage of every asset he can.
After planning the schedule for the following day I retired to my cabin, where I found Calpurnia already deep asleep. Moving in quietly next to her, I closed my eyes and let the soft sound of the sea work its magic on my mind. Soon I was fast asleep.
In my dreams I found myself back at the temple but now it was very different. There was no sign of death or the smell of earth. The great black bird circled overhead, but in a bright blue sky. Although I could not see it, the soft sound of sea filled the air like a gentle music.
I looked to my right and saw the great tree that the Fisherman had hung from upside-down. Only now he sat below, leaning against it and doing something with his hands. He looked up at me and smiled, gesturing for me to come closer. I approached him until we were alone under the tree. The air was sweet with the smell of honeysuckle, and a soft warmth could be felt. It was quite pleasant. I looked at his hands but could not see what he was doing with them. He bade me to sit beside him. I sat down on the grass and could feel it’s’ coolness between my toes.
“So, you have come back,” he said softly, “Why have you returned?”
“I do not know,” I replied, “I do not even know where this place is.”
“It is nowhere,” he said, “A place for waiting, I guess.”
“Wait?” I asked. “What are you waiting for?” He looked up at me and smiled again.
“You, perhaps.” was all he said. I looked at his hands again but still could not see what they were doing.
“She waits for you too.” he added.
“Who?” I asked. He looked up at the black bird.
“Her, of course.” he answered.
“She is always waiting for you.”
I looked up at her circling and suddenly remembered that it was a dream when I saw her. I occurred to me that this, too, had to be a dream. “It is all a dream!” I exclaimed out loud. He looked at me with a sense of amusement.
“Most of it is,” he said, “But not all. You are not a dream.”
“Then, why am I here?” I said standing up.
“Why ask me?” he grinned. “It is your dream, not mine!”
“Then why are you here?” I asked, “Why do you keep returning?”
“Because you want me to,” he replied, “Do you know why?” I shook my head and he continued. “You are telling yourself something. Do you remember the first time we met? I told you everything I had to say then. Do you remember?”
I did remember. He placed his hand on my shoulder back in Rome and said something.
“God is counting on you, for you are his hands.” I muttered.
“That is right,” he replied, “You are his hands. The Hand of God!”
He held up what he was working on. It looked like a small golden triangle, dangling loosely from something he was holding. It was pure gold. He smiled and struck it with the finger of his other hand. It produced a very pure ringing sound, like a bell.
“It can be heard for half a mile over the open sea,” he said. “On a calm day…”
I looked over my shoulder toward the sky but the bird was gone. When I turned back to him, he too, had disappeared but the bell still rang and seemed to become more and more distant. I heard his voice once more.
“Your course is set, Hand of God!”
The sound of the sea grew and I became aware of the feel of my bunk below me. I awakened to find that I was alone in my cabin. How strange it was. I had been dreaming about that Fisherman for weeks. He kept haunting my dreams with his cryptic talks. I could not figure why but it began to prey upon my mind a little.
The day had come up clear and beautiful. The sea was as calm as I had seen it in months
. In other times, I would have been impatient to take out a boat and enjoy it. Now I was on the greatest boat of all. If it was not for my duties I would be up on that bridge having the time of my life.
But there was no time for such things. The ship had to be made ready for the battle ahead of us and the assignment roster for the upcoming action had to be put together and coordinated. This took the better part of the day. Well into the afternoon my business took me below decks where the new rowing assignments and selection of a Hortator to replace 10 Primus took almost two hours to complete. Our new man was 99 Secundus. He had a strong set of arms and was very popular with the men. Hortator’s have to be trusted by the men. Selecting one for battle at such short notice made a popular choice a matter of necessity.
A meeting with the officers and crew to explain the battle plan was going to be our first order of business once we reached Gibraltar, but this would not be possible until a meeting with the Greek to go over final preparations with the weapons. Primus was also to attend, which gave Secundus his first time at the com.
Throughout the course of the day a noticeable change was coming over the crew. The men were beginning to think about what was ahead of them and that is not good for a ship’s morale. It makes men slow. I suggested to the officers that we keep them as busy as possible and try to make the most of every opportunity for humor. They did their best to do so but the atmosphere was becoming tense all the same.
Human nature was taking over and there was no avoiding it.
Two arguments broke out among the men over the course of the day but nothing serious came of them. Primus put it down to nerves and gave the men as much slack as discipline would allow. I had come to trust his decisions as they had always proved to be wise in these matters.
