The Journey to Ancient Greece - Chapter 5

. . . Continued from Chapter 4       

The Port of Kira is just south of Delphi and handles the merchant and supply ships that sail into the Gulf of Corinth from the Mediterranean Sea west of Greece. Most of this traffic arrives from the western Peloponnesus, Sicily, and many of the other small islands dotting the area.
          Argo stood near the edge of the loading docks watching the ships being unloaded and the fishermen coming in from a day on the water. It would be getting dark soon and he knew that there were some merchant ships that departed at dusk and sailed through the night towards distant lands. Many of these same ships would stop near Patra to unload some of their cargo and pick up new items. If he could somehow sneak onto one of these ships that were loaded with olives, wine, and camels then maybe he could get a free ride down the gulf.
          Argo noticed a smaller ship down near the end of the dock with two sailors loading large clay pots and crates of chickens. As one sailor would walk onboard carrying an item the other sailor would be walking off to pick up something else. Argo walked behind some stacks of rolled up rugs so he wouldn’t be seen by the sailors. He was thinking how he could time their walking on and off the boat so that he could sneak on when they weren’t looking when suddenly fortune struck. The two sailors stopped to talk to each other for a moment before leaving the dock and walking over to one of the taverns near the harbor.
          Argo took his chance. He calmly began walking towards the boat keeping one eye on the tavern that the sailors had entered and one eye on the unguarded plank leading onto the ship. When he reached the dock Argo took one more look around to make sure no one was watching him before quickly stepping onboard. Now he needed to find a place to hide. Unfortunately, he turned a corner around a stack of chicken crates and ran into a third sailor that he hadn’t seen before.
          “Hey! What are you doing here?!” yelled the angry sailor.
          Argo noticed a scar that ran along the side of the sailor’s face from his left temple down to his mouth where the man was missing a couple teeth. Argo took a step back out of shock, but tried to gather his nerve to speak.
          “I am looking for passage to Patra, sir. I don’t have any money but I’m willing to work. I’ll mop the floors or clean these crates or—“
          “Get off this boat!” yelled the sailor. 
          He jumped towards Argo with his big hands outstretched but Argo was a step quicker and made a dash for the dock. As Argo leapt off the boat onto the dock he ran into the other two sailors returning from the tavern. He knocked one of the sailors onto the boardwalk causing him to drop his bottle of wine. It smashed on the ground and the purple liquid splattered everywhere. Argo was back on his feet in a flash
and quickly sprinted back into the busy marketplace.
          He zigzagged around a couple corners before stopping to check and make sure no one was following him. That’s when he heard a familiar voice call his name.
         “Argo! There he is!”
         Argo turned around to see Zammie and Kyla running up towards him.
        “Zammie! Kyla! What are you doing here?”
        “We talked to the Oracle,” said Zammie, “and I think she wanted us to stay together.”
        “We want to help you find your sister,” said Kyla.
        “That’s nice of you both,” said Argo, “but it will be dangerous.”
        “We can handle it, Argo,” said Zammie. “Besides that, we have nowhere else to go.”
        Argo looked in the eyes of both cousins. His mind rapidly processed the plusses and minuses of having two more people tagging along with him, but he liked these two kids and decided their presence could come in handy.
        “Okay, but we have a problem right now.”
        “What problem?” asked Zammie.
        Argo looked towards the harbor. “These aren’t passenger boats. They’re merchant ships. If we are going to leave tonight then we will have to sneak aboard one of them.”
        “Zammie has money,” said Kyla. “Maybe we can pay for a ride?”
        “No,” said Argo. “If these men find out that children like us have money they will take it and throw us into the street. No, we will need to sneak aboard. I want to reach Patra by morning. Every day that passes will cause my mother to worry that much more for us.”
         “How do we sneak aboard without being spotted?” asked Zammie.
         Argo turned to study the loading boats for a moment.
         “I have an idea,” said Kyla.
         Zammie noticed some large baskets being loaded onto one of the boats. “Hold on, Kyla. I think I just figured it out.”
        “But I have an idea, too,” said Kyla.
        “Okay,” said Zammie, “if my plan doesn’t work then we’ll try yours, deal?”
         Kyla could tell when she was being brushed off. “Fine. Whatever,” she said.

         Two sailors were loading stacks of thick wicker baskets onto one of the larger boats in the harbor. The baskets contained different supplies ranging from clothing to dishes to various types of fruits and vegetables. As the two sailors were carrying in a basket from the front of the stack, Argo and Zammie were helping Kyla sneak into a basket filled with linens at the back of the stack.
         “Make sure you get onboard too!” said Kyla.
         “Shh,” said Zammie. “Get under the sheets.”
         They quickly covered Kyla and put the lid on the basket. When they saw the two sailors returning from the boat to pick up another basket, Argo and Zammie turned towards a nearby fruit stand and pretended to be shopping for apples and asparagus. They glanced over their shoulder to see the two sailors lugging another basket onboard.

         “I see you kids sneaking on that boat,” snapped a high-pitched nasally voice from behind them.
          The two boys turned to see the owner of the fruit stand looking at them. She was an old woman with long white hair and a tanned, wrinkle-covered face.
          “What?” asked a frightened Argo.
          “I saw you hide that girl. And I bet you’re gonna try to get onboard next, aren’t ya?”
          Neither boy could speak.
          “You shouldn’t be doing that, you know.”
          “You don’t understand,” said Argo, “We need to be on that boat—“
          “Why shouldn’t I tell those sailors on you boys?” asked the lady.
          Zammie put a small stack of coins on the table. “Here. And I’ll give you another stack when we return if you can keep our secret.”
          This made the woman pause for a moment. She picked up the coins and looked at them closely. Then she looked back at the two boys. “I’ll be waiting for your return,” she said and sat back down behind her fruit stand.
          Argo exhaled and turned in time to see the sailors taking another basket onboard. The remaining stack was getting very small now.
          “We need to go, Zammie.”
          “Thank you,” Zammie said the old lady as Argo dragged him towards the rear of the basket stack.
          Argo opened the next basket and saw it was filled with women’s clothes. He looked at Zammie. “You get in this one.”
          Zammie jumped inside and Argo covered him with various sorts of linens and himations.
          “Are you okay, Kyla?” asked Argo.
          “Yes, but I’m scared,” came Kyla’s muffled voice from the basket she was in.
          “Don’t worry. Just wait for me to get you out after dark.” Argo opened the next basket and quickly hopped into a pile of leather goods.
          Before long the two sailors were returning to pick up the last of the baskets. Kyla’s basket was picked up first. She covered her mouth with her hand as the two men carried her onto the boat. She could see their sun-beaten faces and smell their bad body odor through the slits in the wicker. They carried her to the back of the boat and stacked her on top of another basket. She saw them leave, but there were other sailors on the deck walking around, tying ropes, stacking crates, barking out orders, and preparing to set sail. 
          How can we possibly escape this boat without being seen? she wondered. A few moments later the two sailors returned with another basket. One of the sailor’s winced as they stacked it next to Kyla.
          “That one’s heavy,” said the first sailor. “What’s in here?”
          Kyla saw the sailor lift the lid on the basket, reach inside for a second, and then put the lid back on.
          “You can’t handle a basket of clothes, Demitri? You’re getting weak in your old age,” said the second sailor.
          Both sailors began to walk away again.
         “Very funny. I can carry a basket of clothes, but that one just felt heavy, that’s all,” said Demitri.
         A moment later Kyla heard a voice coming from the basket in front of her.
         “Kyla?” It was Zammie.
         “Yes,” said Kyla.
         “You still okay?”
         “Yes, I’m okay.”
         A moment later the sailors were returning with another basket and they stacked this one on top of Zammie and walked off again. 
         Kyla heard Argo’s voice coming from this new basket. “Try to relax, you two. Once it gets dark I’ll be able to let you out.”
         “Okay,” said Kyla.
         “Okay,” said Zammie.

        The three children kept silent in their baskets for the next two hours as the ship was finished being loaded and then set sail into the Gulf of Corinth. The waves were gentle and the breeze was warm, but the sun was setting quickly. There was a beehive of activity on the deck with men rowing and calling out commands as they were pulling away from the Port of Kira. Once they were out to sea things began to quiet down. Some of the men fell asleep. Some were drinking wine and telling stories. None of them were paying any attention to the extra cargo that had stowed away aboard their ship.

To be continued in Chapter 6 . . .

TIME TRIP ADVENTURE 4

KILLING FOR COUNTRY  

Available at Amazon.com!

TIME TRIP ADVENTURE 1

THE JOURNEY TO ANCIENT GREECE 

Available at Amazon.com!

TIME TRIP ADVENTURE 2

A RIDE ON THE UNDERGROUND RAILROAD

Available at Amazon.com!

TIME TRIP ADVENTURE 3

WITNESS TO THE FIRST THANKSGIVING 

Available at Amazon.com!