the night passed into dream.
Pendril pushed her up on board and followed. As soon as his foot hit the deck, he shouted, "Down sail! This wind will blow us straight onto the cliffs, Daniel. We can hoist when we have cleared the point, not before. Rowmaster, ready? Stand by the steering oar. Row, starboard side.... Row all."
The Kedesha began to move through the sea, at first as heavily as a pregnant woman, then gliding like an oiled dancer. Pendril watched the cliffs and caves pass. Soon Irauna would see the figurehead and realize that two of the four parts of her prophecy had already come to pass. As to the rest, that he must leave to the goddess. He had his own work to do, and since he was only a human, it would be more difficult and more liable to failure. But he could only do his best.
Two days later, heavily loaded with amphorae of water and barrels of flour, dried fruit, salt meat, and pickled fish, the Kedesha swam away from the jetty of Carteia and headed into the bay, bound for the Tin Islands. As they passed the towering northern cliff of the Rock, Pendril murmured a prayer to Astarte to help him possess that gray-green corner by the blue water. A cloud began to" form over the crest as soon as he had finished, and he muttered to the new man at the steering oar, "An omen, Tregan." Tregan and another called One-Eye were men he had hired in Carteia to replace two Carthaginians he had dismissed for drunkenness and insubordination.
The great pillars fell astern, and at last the rise of the land hid all but the cloud over the Rock. Soon that too sank below the hills. They were on the ocean. Night fell.
Soon after dawn the man at the steering oar called down, "Cape Astarte abeam, Pendril." Pendril was already wide awake and now rolled quickly up the ladder to the poop and called, "All sailors aft, and Rowmaster, you too."
They shuffled aft, rubbing sleepy eyes. The slaves awoke and stretched on their benches. Tamar came up with Daniel, her hair streaming to the breeze. Pendril looked east and saw the stone building that was the temple of Astarte on the point. The cape was low and sandy, a hill covered with trees set behind it. The waters always ran steep and disturbed off this point, and strange fish often came to the surface here. It was a place inhabited by the gods, and Pendril muttered another prayer and threw a piece of bread onto the water.
"You have called us all here to say prayers?" a sailor cried, laughing.
"No," Pendril said. "It is more than that." He saw that Tregan was at the poop ladder, the lower part of his body hidden. One-Eye was here, rummaging in an old crate beside the steersman. All was ready.
Pendril stepped behind the steersman, took the knife out of his belt, and tossed it overboard.
"Hold!" the steersman said.
"Mind your oar!" Pendril snapped. "Hear me, all! We are not going to the Tin Islands. We go to the Hesperides.... Do not move! Tregan is at your back, an arrow fitted to a bow. One-Eye, take all knives and spikes and throw them overboard."
"You are stealing the ship?" Tamar burst out.
A sailor said, "It is all the same to me where I go as long as I am paid. But where are these Hesperides? I have never heard of them."
Daniel said, "The Hesperides are islands in the western ocean where the heavens swallow the sea. Though they may not exist."
"They exist," Pendril said. "And we go there."
"How far?" a sailor asked. "No one has ever gone more than three days west of the pillars, and then only because they were blown out by an easterly. And they had a hard time getting back."
"Enough!" Pendril shouted. "We shall go as far as is necessary. One of we three Carteians will always be awake and on watch here at the poop. Anyone who tries to thwart us will go over the side. Now, steerman, steer two points to port. Put the sun dead astern. There! Clear the poop!" The sailors slowly went forward. "Let the rowers rest while the wind holds," Pendril told the rowmaster, "and give them an
Pendril pushed her up on board and followed. As soon as his foot hit the deck, he shouted, "Down sail! This wind will blow us straight onto the cliffs, Daniel. We can hoist when we have cleared the point, not before. Rowmaster, ready? Stand by the steering oar. Row, starboard side.... Row all."
The Kedesha began to move through the sea, at first as heavily as a pregnant woman, then gliding like an oiled dancer. Pendril watched the cliffs and caves pass. Soon Irauna would see the figurehead and realize that two of the four parts of her prophecy had already come to pass. As to the rest, that he must leave to the goddess. He had his own work to do, and since he was only a human, it would be more difficult and more liable to failure. But he could only do his best.
Two days later, heavily loaded with amphorae of water and barrels of flour, dried fruit, salt meat, and pickled fish, the Kedesha swam away from the jetty of Carteia and headed into the bay, bound for the Tin Islands. As they passed the towering northern cliff of the Rock, Pendril murmured a prayer to Astarte to help him possess that gray-green corner by the blue water. A cloud began to" form over the crest as soon as he had finished, and he muttered to the new man at the steering oar, "An omen, Tregan." Tregan and another called One-Eye were men he had hired in Carteia to replace two Carthaginians he had dismissed for drunkenness and insubordination.
The great pillars fell astern, and at last the rise of the land hid all but the cloud over the Rock. Soon that too sank below the hills. They were on the ocean. Night fell.
Soon after dawn the man at the steering oar called down, "Cape Astarte abeam, Pendril." Pendril was already wide awake and now rolled quickly up the ladder to the poop and called, "All sailors aft, and Rowmaster, you too."
They shuffled aft, rubbing sleepy eyes. The slaves awoke and stretched on their benches. Tamar came up with Daniel, her hair streaming to the breeze. Pendril looked east and saw the stone building that was the temple of Astarte on the point. The cape was low and sandy, a hill covered with trees set behind it. The waters always ran steep and disturbed off this point, and strange fish often came to the surface here. It was a place inhabited by the gods, and Pendril muttered another prayer and threw a piece of bread onto the water.
"You have called us all here to say prayers?" a sailor cried, laughing.
"No," Pendril said. "It is more than that." He saw that Tregan was at the poop ladder, the lower part of his body hidden. One-Eye was here, rummaging in an old crate beside the steersman. All was ready.
Pendril stepped behind the steersman, took the knife out of his belt, and tossed it overboard.
"Hold!" the steersman said.
"Mind your oar!" Pendril snapped. "Hear me, all! We are not going to the Tin Islands. We go to the Hesperides.... Do not move! Tregan is at your back, an arrow fitted to a bow. One-Eye, take all knives and spikes and throw them overboard."
"You are stealing the ship?" Tamar burst out.
A sailor said, "It is all the same to me where I go as long as I am paid. But where are these Hesperides? I have never heard of them."
Daniel said, "The Hesperides are islands in the western ocean where the heavens swallow the sea. Though they may not exist."
"They exist," Pendril said. "And we go there."
"How far?" a sailor asked. "No one has ever gone more than three days west of the pillars, and then only because they were blown out by an easterly. And they had a hard time getting back."
"Enough!" Pendril shouted. "We shall go as far as is necessary. One of we three Carteians will always be awake and on watch here at the poop. Anyone who tries to thwart us will go over the side. Now, steerman, steer two points to port. Put the sun dead astern. There! Clear the poop!" The sailors slowly went forward. "Let the rowers rest while the wind holds," Pendril told the rowmaster, "and give them an
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