12. The grave

Port of Veracruz, 12 of July of the year 1681 of our Lord
My respected Mrs Celia,
I am Benedicto, the nefew, of your friend Mariano the warrior. I found your leters in between his things and my friend that signs below put them in Cristian for me. I belive that you will want to know what hapened to him. He arrived to our town some years ago. He had a bad leg and he luked very old. He was very well recived by his family. The first thing he did was ask for his fathers. We took him to their grave in the family grave. He stood looking at their graves for much time. He did not crai. He talked to them. He said I am bak father mother. I never thot I was going to see you again. I pray the Lord has you in His Glory. He worked in our fields for some years. He marryed and had children. They were litle when he died. He told us about his travels. It was very interesting. We were many nights listening his stories with very atention. He never told us about you. We did not knew about you until I found your leters. He died with the consolations of the religion and we pray our Lord has him in His Glory.
This leter was writen for me by my friend the merchant Jose Maria Pintado y Gancenia and the escribano Jose Manuel Miranda y Martinez. He knows English very good and he is a very good friend.
I say goodbye your sure servant, I pray God keeps you.
Benedicto de las Mercedes Garcia y Bernal
Escribano Jose Maria Pintado y Gancenia
Jose Manuel Miranda y Martinez, Merchant

11. Jamaica

Thou can seest how my narrative comes close to our meeting, therefore to an end. Our correspondence has become sparse as thou rightly sayest. It is a veritable miracle, a show of the unbound dictates on our lives by the Almighty. How are letters have reached one another is as unlikely an event as the rise and fall of my fortunes, the reasons behind His will in this particular development still obscure to my limited understanding of His Unquestionable Authority.
I have left the sovereignty of King Goodman, most properly named so. Travelers from a neighbouring realm brought me lights of a situation suspected by me from quite a number of years herefore. They declared themselves subjects of His Majesty the King of Spain. Their speech was sprinkled with utterances that brought forth a distant familiarity, veiled by the mist of years. Upon my request they disclosed their speech as Nawatel, a tongue I recalled as being of widespread use among the various parts of the land were I was raised as a child. Such news brought an irresistible stirring in my spirit and, once again, I took my leave from a generous protector unto what I foresaw as the last leg of my unexpectedly and formerly inconceivable lengthy perambulation. Setting forth with the carriage of those who have become my latest traveling companions, we have reached the port of Veracruz, most conveniently placed at the head of a trade route reaching the Spanish homeland on the other end. Which will be the hands that, through the Will of the Lord of all nations, will carry this letter to thine, will most likely remain as hidden as His Means for enforcing His Will.

Resuming my narrative, my fortunes were again on the rise upon reaching the household of my new Master. As soon as he could spare the time he called me to his presence in a well-kept garden were he pressed my memory for further details on the stages of my travels and the nature of my exploits. He didn't disguise his intention of unveiling a supposed deceit of mine by a close examination of my words, their accordance a test of my truthfulness. Surmounting his suspicion, my recollections strengthened in quality. I was assigned light menial chores in the house servant's quarters, a significant improvement from those of the field hands. My complexion being different from that of the African slaves, they looked upon me as someone out of the usual order if things, and treated me as a quaint carrier of ancient wisdoms from this land. The initial fire in my new Master's curiosity ebbed low without extinguishing. I was still regularly called upon his presence and that of his guests to repeat some part of my narrative and satisfy their curiosity on various matter. The society of his visitors was another means for a continuing polishing of my use of the English tongue.
Here is it that I may put my quill to rest, for it was under this roof that thou granted me a place under the abundant foliage of thine kindness. The steady flow of verse I eagerly received from thine library gave me the means to be worthy of thine correspondence.

My greatest reward has been to be of service in thine desire to keep a first hand account of what we're only loose anecdotes in the house of my, I dare say, last Master to be.

4. Swordsman again

Thine generosity towards this humble servant shows itself to be of the most noble nature. I will not digress at this point in my narrative on matters pertaining a later development, but thou extending your forbearance to a foreign Faith, giving to the Company of the Believers an opportunity to prove their worth despite being steadfast in the religion of thine fathers is a mark of thine born distinction among thine kind.
Concerning thine eloquent expounding on the Lordship of the Son of the Spirit, may the peace be with him, rest assured that when The Holy Koran is perused, with no need for elaborate interpretation, His Station is Exalted to a degree that is not surpassed by any of God's Prophets. It is on our discredit how many of our soldiers have been driven by their baser nature and an unpolished understanding of the Teachings of the Seal of the Prophets, to show a disdain to the People of the Book against His Teachings.
The books thou hast been so gracious to keep bestowing upon me as an addition to the library I have been building with thine help in these torrid climes are the strongest balm that assuages the sadness of the news thou givest me. Yet I know thou hast a homeland to long for and a bright future to embark upon, Miss Celia, soon to be Mrs Edward Black. Thou canst count on my steadfast friendship and my eager interest in sharing every detail of my travails and adventures, all as a most devoted and humble friend. That our letters will be longer interspersed is only a minor inconvenient if they will still count with thine appreciation from the distance of Mr Black's estate.

As I remember mine last telling thou, the Shayk had become attached to my chanting, so I received and sought instruction in the Mahometan lores. As I put the stanzas into improving melodies, the standing of my liege grew worse to the point we were given the news of a coming embarkement thiter the land of his forebears and of his younger years. We were to travel in a small fleet headed to the Mogul Empire, a domain of unrivalled splendour, sharing the Atxenese religious persuasion. The Sultana was concerned with the Portuguese conquests around her realm, the reason behind the alliances made with the Dutch by her and other rulers in those lands. As welcome as their help was, a shrewd statesman like her did not fail to foresee the ulterior motives of her allies, to replace the Portuguese as the paramount European presence, with even more forts along the coveted spice routes, all to the detriment of her standing. Thus this embassy seeking the protection of the aforementioned Empire.

Boarding as his disciple, once at sea, the swaying of the ship's deck brought in me stirrings of my warring years, not so far away gone. It took some careful persuasion to prove myself in practice as an apt swordsman and agile with the ropes too. My standing as one of Nuradin's bodyguard complemented my prior duties, and my soft body regained some of its early force. They called me the warring-scholar, since I still donned my old clothes, with trimmings that kept growing to lessen the I hindrance. We travelled in a large convoy of medium vessels, well provided with light artillery. Out fleet was assured to come across the Portuguese, and upon those news I could feel inside me the fire of combat among ropes and boards, a testimony on how far my allegiance had shifted. I learned that if under attack this convoy was meant to disperse, so as to conceal the Shayk's ship's, a risky strategy to my understanding. So it was that finally my reawakened eagerness found its satisfaction when we sighted a small fleet heading towards us. Guns got loaded and we held our swords tightly as our small detachment of three ships was followed by a similar one from the enemy. We held the worst part from the artillery exchange by the time we were close enough to board one of their ships. As much as you praise my choice of words so generously Miss Celia, I find it hard to describe the swirling chaos as men fight for the control of two ships. As I was engaged in combat on the enemy's deck, my eyes glanced at ours and I jumped back to cover the entrance to my master's quarters, endangered by a group of rascals. My newly gained weight seemed to have disappeared as my sword swung out my way among them. During those few fast manoeuvres, our attackers saw their spirits begin to waver. They faces were wrought with angry desperation, for if escaping a swift death, it may be looked back as an improvement over the slow one when chained as slaves to the oar of a larger vessel. I later learned they had been keen on the slave trade, but usually too proud to let themselves be taken alive for like treatment. As we finished taking over and manning their ship, we set both afts to the closest of our companion vessels, still exchanging shots with their attackers, masking the significant losses we had suffered during the fight with wild shrieks of war. Our hearts raced as we prayed for our enemies to fall under our ruse and flee, which, thanks to the All-seeing, they did. Upon gathering the whole fleet we counted only one ship in our losses and went on our way to the first leg of the journey to the land of my liege. I had had my fill of battle for a while and was content to mend my wounds. I was also grateful that our next meeting at sea was with a friendly merchant-ship, which shared news about the island of Sheereelanca, our first port of call in our route. Our embassy of goodwill carried a detachment of Atxenese warriors destined for the embattled Kingdom of Candee in that island, who were in the same state of alliance. The news we got was that the Candenese were on the verge of breaking up the said alliance, following their joint success against their common enemy, the Portuguese. The Shayk and his retinue were to follow ahead to his native land, while the embassy would stay in their dealings.
To my still growing sense of wonder, the island of Sheereelanca offered another array of fascinating novelty. Our port of call could hardly receive that name. I was told the major naval facilities were in the hands of the aforementioned European powers. Our fleet anchored on deeper waters, our landing proceeding in smaller local vessel. Hence we tred inland towards the realm proper.
The Court of Candee paled against the Atxenese in magnificence, without losing the dignity of a kingly Court. The surroundings were lush and the extravagant character of the island's natural life extended to the court itself. Birds of astounding beauty, bound animals of great power, and a banquet that brought surprise after surprise. Most of the dishes were palatable to our company, though some were of a disagreeable kind. I had been through hunger, having learned through hardship to value any kind of nourishment, which made me amenable to a greater variety than my fellow delegates, a welcome trait when my interest was caught by the lavish hospitality of our guests. The embassy and many of the Candaneese were proficient in a language of trade which I had not acquired during my stays, but this being just a short stop in our journey, I refrained from applying myself to its mastery. These people followed a different persuasion, of an idolatrous kind. They beheld carved images in great esteem and presented them with gifts and incense as if they were alive and reigning over them. They were familiar with the True Faith but had shown little interest in delving deeper into its verities, despite displaying an elaborate school of learning with their native script and profuse writings regarding their idols.

10. Barbados

We had been a few times sailing along the Antilles and other islands, and slave traders as we were, the conditions of the African slave trade were grim enough to cause an impression to our seasoned eyes and bring to these low callous men the vengeance of those who had been their helpless victims, who sometimes showed a pity they had never hoped under their cruel yoke. Harsh as our trade demanded us the be, we would give enough care to the souls in our booty so they could reach port in a state appropriate for the slave market or adequate to the station of he who would ransom himself. We would sail back to African shores, though far from their homeland, release the African believers into service as soldiers to a local Emir for a price bargained in a softer way than that for in all the non-believers, black and white, in Algiers. I had so far refrained from relating to you how terrible the whole business of the African slave trade is, to which our own slave trade pales into comparison. Men and women are disposed of as chattel, whilst a slave in Algiers not only may correspond with his own, but by his own merits may raise high in the service of his Lord, even regaining his former standing as a free man.

The generosity of the English Captain brought me to shore as a slave with some use in a plantation, albeit at an insignificant price. I had came back to an old condition, only in a body much worn out than in the first occasion. I was assigned to the sugar mill where I toiled under fearful dangers, threatened to be ground along the canes like I heard had happened more than once, fortunately not during my stay.
During the first years of my bondage, through the society of my fellow slaves, I joined in the use of their singular cant, forged from their various speeches onto a hardly recognizable bed of the English speech. It had become necessary the performance of duties of a higher rank by one of our own, with command of the parlance developed by the slaves and an easy handling of the mores of this singular community. I had developed a bond of friendship with one young strong slave who, by the fate bestowed upon me by our Almighty Lord, was raised to be our foreman. He spared the whip, using it only in a measure enough to keep order and made available a sufficient supply of water and corn at our hand. He was also lenient on my performance of the daily prayers. Some slaves knew about or even had been Believers, but it was now part of a distant and forgotten past, my devotions being just as quaint as my looks. Under his hand the mill where we were kept, became a remarkably source of riches to the master. So it was that our Master brought another neighbouring plantation owner to visit this singular part of his domain. They discussed the proceedings with the foreman, but both young masters struggled against his weak command of their speech. The difficulties of our generous head turned into alarm as the patience of our Master grew thinner. I collected enough presence of mind to approach the troubled assemblage with utter meekness, fumbling nervously in my hands the coarse straw hat which tempered the cruel reign of a sweltering sun on these fields. To their astonishment I offered my services to aid their communication. After assessing this most unlikely development, coming from a slave unlike the usual fare, they acceded to my mediation. As they turned into an easier state of mind, their initial purpose became satisfied by learning about the practices of the mill. The visitor declared himself grateful to his friend for sharing the practices favoring his fortunes. The visit to the mill came to an end as they walked away. From a distance we saw them pause under the shade were their steeds were kept. That pause lengthened, coming to an end with my Master waving for my approach. I sped thither, greatly hindered by the remnants of my grave injury. They had mounted and from that height he informed me I had changed hands, becoming property this young Master. I bowed my head and humbly requested to kiss his spur in gratitude for this undeserved generosity. They exchanged smiles as I performed my genuflection and he bid me to take my leave in the wake of my new Master stride. I had no property worthy of being carried aside of my tattered clothes.
On the plantation house he borrowed a creaking cart and a nag to pull it. Once heading to his property he bid me recount my acquisition of the command of the English parlance, which I must point out was far from the polish thine generous enlightenment has bestowed upon me. I explained how it was advisable for me to bring forth the whole length of my variable fortunes. Under his bidding I did so, barely bringing my narrative to a close when in the close vicinity of his abode. He remarked how my complexion made it more likely for me to hail from this lands than from farther away ones. His curiosity was piqued, going back and forth from disbelief to great interest. The house foreman led me to my new quarters, a welcome improvement from my previous ones. When reconciling sleep, I pondered on how the wheel of fortune carried me from heights to somber depths, repeating those coming and goings in a manner to which I was becoming accustomed.

9. Privateer

Yes Mrs Black, thou art right in thine judgement. I was a Pirate, in the view of thine people. Thou raisest many questions, and I will address them each one, to the best of my ability.

I first settled my wife and son in quarters leased unto those who led the cannons of the Sultan over the seas. After my first incursions I gained distinction within my fellow sailors for two reasons: first, my skill on the ropes and sword; second, my persistent backing of the innocent according to the merciful teachings of the Holy Book. I got into more than a quarrel for that reason, but on most occasions events transpired with only me being called in play the scholar-warrior once again. One sailor once asked me from which part of the Spanish main, as he called, did I hail. Upon expounded the misty understanding of my bearings in that regard, he was left as baffled as me.  On a following occasion, when manning a small fleet of corsair, we overran a Spanish one. Once the fighting was over I was directed towards a dying man who had fought alongside the Spaniards. My comrades had noticed his likeness to me. Upon seeing me he uttered his last words begging for mercy. I would have granted it, had he not let out his last breath from the severity of his wounds. The most remarkable part of this short meeting was that his words were in Nawatl, the tongue of trade in my homeland. I was overtaken my mixed feelings of astonishment and joy at the closeness of the land of my forebears.

Our most common booty was slaves for the Algiers market. Therefore it seemed odd that I would try to persuade our captives to convert sincerely, and by that utterance become only free servants in a Algiers household and not merchandise. It wasn't at all easy, since a slave could claim freedom after a ransom was paid for him by his family or companions. A converted servant, on the other hand, faced death for apostasy if he relapsed to his former beliefs, being then in a sense more permanently bounded to his master than as a slave. It was a stark choice for many, but I did my best to help them make it with the utmost eloquence and using their soundest judgement, giving a complete and sincere understanding of their predicament. Not only faithful were gained, it was not all too rare that their sailors would turn against their kin and join our forces. I can only hope these considerations may lighten thine judgement on this turn in my career.

I shall not omit one prisoner we took, one who has been present before in my narrative: Jan de Graeff. He was as surprised as me and it was not a minor undertaking to let him be my part of the booty. He assured I was to receive a sizable ransom on his name from his Masters. I told him the debt of gratitude I owned him accounted for any ransom, but for the time being he had no choice but to remain a prisoner. I took him and the rest of my booty to Algiers, where I delivered him to a French merchant. I had quickly become acquainted with the many peoples settling the northern reaches of the White Sea. Here it was that those with the means ransomed themselves. Hence I took those staunch in their faith to Cairo. We usually would sell them in the Algiers market, but this time I took them to Cairo, where I learned of the Shayk's passing. I managed to find his friend who had taken unto him a debt of gratitude owed to the former owner of Therese and informed him that he was going to be delivered of it by me. I presented myself in the regalia of a successful man of the seas and offered the slave merchant a small assortment of slaves, as befits a man of his word.

In the novelty of heading a household of my own, I saw it grow. Servants and slaves required larger quarters, all of which was skilfully managed by Therese. She also gave me a second healthy son there, my fortunes praised by my mates for such a fruitful wife. Yousuf grew strong and well nurtured. I encouraged Therese to train him in her native tongue despite her inclination towards her new allegiances. From her first bonding to me she had served my wish of learning yet another speech, her own English tongue. I later learned I had been fortunate to receive this training from an English subject of refined upbringing, in sharp contrast to the coarse cant I was to use with other acquaintances I will recount of soon. As my standing as a warrior grew I was enlightened on the importance of an additional wife to aid Therese. To renegade this, which was considered a duty, would gain me the name of a miser and bring disrepute to my household. As thou seest, it was not too different from the usage in any plantation, with the benefit of a position blessed by the congregation for a woman in such a position. She may claim the title of a lady and not be relegated to an obscure place, far from the society of her betters. Following these mores, I contracted the services of a matchmaker, an esteemed occupation in those lands. A daughter from a seasoned soldier was declared the best choice for the purpose and she joined Therese in heading a growing family. I will point out to thee the preponderance held by my first wife in the hierarchy within my family, carried on to the offspring born of her over those of my second wife. This was the only addition to my family deemed necessary, withstanding further improvement in my rank.

I will tax thine forbearance towards this humble servant and put forward the following assertion. The sea has always been a dangerous place, and the English cannot claim a role in making it safer, other than for their own people. There have been famous corsairs for the English crown who have plundered the Spanish possessions, some of them with ferocious savagery. We held an uneasy peace treaty with the English in favour of their shipping, with occasional breakups. We were not such a formidable foe to Christian powers, since at times our own bases received devastating blows from their fleets. In the port of Algiers there were Christian clerics who worked for the release of the captives, having funds of their orders for that purpose, as I found out in interviews with them. We also released some of our own people who were held captives, chained to the oars of Christian galleys we would take as prizes. To what may be thine great surprise, I will relate thee about the English and Dutch corsairs in Sale, a distinguished base for those in my line of service to the Sultan. These held letters of corsair from their Great Lord, not from the English king, and all had converted to Islam. From all of the Corsairs in the western sea they were the most ferocious, disregarding any truce among their masters, finally setting up Sale, an independent fortification of their own in the western Morroccan coast. During my years of activity there, their strength was dwindling, but their fame still lingered. Another line of activity, that I stayed away from, was the sacking of coastal towns in the Christian kingdoms. I found out soon enough how unworthy of a man of arms it was, and my standing as a warrior was strong enough for my services to be required in many other sea-faring expeditions. Finally, let me say that at this time I am a renegade of all my fighting, seeking the forgiveness of all those I caused grief, and also thine, my generous friend and correspondent. Had I achieved what in the eyes of men is a great fortune, I would have retired to a life of leisure in Algiers, but by that time I was weaving plans to take my family a across this western sea and find another place of settlement among those I had began to call again my people.

By the unresisting will of our Creator, I was captured in an unfortunate engagement. Our Captain recklessly refused to respect the English truce and with their own flag raised we attacked a vessel, which proved to be much stronger than he assayed. That was to be my last battle, which left my left leg severely injured for a time. The All-Merciful spared my life and set prone by my injury and bleeding. My fame as a defender of the downtrodden had reached our victor's Captain and he ordered my bleeding to be stopped so my spirit could hang by a thin thread to my body. When I came back from the verge of death, I learned he had commuted the grin sentence for a pirate meted to my fellows-in-arms. I was to be sold as a slave to a plantations in our next stop, Barbados, where I was to drag a chain and work on the strength I could muster, with the limp you saw in my gait.

8. Cairo

I proceed with my narrative, grateful that it excites your interest in such a degree. A Cairo caravan is not so much respected by the raiders as a Hazramuti, on the contrary, it is seen as a prize for the taking. So it was that we were engaged in several desperate battles on the way, not so much for military reasons as for our haste in leaving the plague behind us. Our Emir was a resourceful leader, who could strike or negotiate as fitted best our interest. It became harder to be accepted in the oasis, the distrust on returning pilgrims becoming greater as this invisible foe gained on us. Our caravan remained unfazed until Akaba, when foulness struck. The authority of the Emir crumbled as the member parties dispersed in terror. I was welcomed into a small party of soldiers who had been contracted by the caravan and their families, looking sight of everyone else. The All-Merciful spared me long enough to fight off the last mangy desert raiders on our way to the fertile fields of Egypt, the homeland of my comrades. I followed the path of two of them, Nawar and Abdel, to the head city of that land, Cairo, sailing upstream the great river Nile. They sought their families with the plague as our ghastly traveling companion. At that time I was unaware that cities were to be avoided in such times. Upon reaching the outskirts of Cairo by the river Nawar and I were crippled by fever and a gripping pain. We have never discussed this disagreeable subject during our acquaintance, so I do not know if your native land has ever been under any kind of pestilence. Inquisitive as I always was during my travels, only now I realize I never inquired about this question. I find it hard to imagine, given the mild climate you have painted of it. My valour whilst fighting arm to arm with my travel companions had made the difference between the life or death of them and in occasions of the whole party. My actions were not left unrewarded, for our strength abandoned us, Abdel took us into the humble abode of his family. There we were cared after, afflicted by that most terrible ordeal. Despite their efforts at keeping us safe, we were found by the Governor's men and the house was quarantined. Far worse than any imprisonment, I laid helpless among the sick and dead bodies of those who betook unto them our frail bodies under such dire circumstances. As I awakened from this hell on earth I was overtaken by remorse at being the bearer of death for this selfless family and applied myself at keeping alive those who could be saved. In the end the mistress, all but one of the children and tragically Nawar himself were taken away from us. One by one the others avoided the cold grip of death. In that ravaged land sails were raised and decks filled with the toll of the plague for burial in distant pits.

By the Will of The Most Gracious I regained my health and in few weeks could walk by my own into the magnificent city of Cairo. Not as wondrous as the cities in Gujarat, it could still boast richness in the goods and crafts that went by its streets and markets. The incessant bustle made it hard to keep my bearings in it. My first destination was the city port, since there it was that I expected my sword and skill to be of the greatest use. I easily made friends by the pier, and after much a conversation I learned that I would do best by travelling to the port of Alexandria. In Cairo I was lodging at the home of Abdel, an establishment of repute. His father and Master of that household, Haaji Muhammad, had been an officer engaged in governance of  from palace. Abdel was his youngest son, who found a way to rise in rank by his sword rather than by the influence of his father. The Hajji had lost his oldest son to this last plague. The family of Nawar, who had nurtured his son back to health, was rewarded with his protection for as long as he was to be on this earth. Upon learning of my scholarly training I was retained for my secretarial services, a  reminiscence from bygone days. Following the steps of the Shayk, he grew fond of me as I laced his communications with religious verses, and engaged him, and later occasionally a guest, in conversation. The Hajji requested, in a manner suited to his station, for my stay under his roof to be extended. He had learned and appreciated my inclination towards deepening my understanding of the land's mores and past. He pointed out on how more and better opportunities for this goal where to be found fo in a head city, where the Sultan's governor resided, rather than from a minor port-city. He knew about my interest in the Usmani Empire and easily convinced me to stay and gain acquaintance of the comings and goings with the distant Sultan. So it was that I resided in that crossroads of nations for a few years, learning through it about the distant reaches of the Empire it belonged to. Ever since my pilgrimage, and up tit he end of the next leg of my journey, those around me called me a Turkoman instead of Atxanese, the former people being more familiar in these realms than the former. I had never before heard about the Turkoman and upon inquiry I was directed to pilgrims from their vicinity and learned that their fame as warriors came from their prowess as mounted archers. I was also informed about their exploits under the banners of a remarkable conqueror of uncountable kingdoms and razer of cities, the Kan.

Among the destinies of my wanderings in the city, the slave market was a most fascinating place, with its remarkable assortment of peoples from every corner of the world. There it was that an English slave caught my eye. She was an unfortunate maiden from a house that had seen better days. Her hair was straight and flaxen and she had a frail slim body. Whilst traveling in a small fleet towards an advantageous match to a plantation owner from the colony of Barbados, the whole company had been bested and caught in the high seas. All of her traveling companions with a family of some standing had ransomed themselves, the lot of this poor wretch having been tossed along with those of lower birth, most of them already sold. So was it that I found her, with no hope of deliverance. The slave merchant who owned her, with the skill of his trade, spotted my strong interest in her and would not yield from a price beyond my reach. I humbly besought the aid of my noble host and he was pleased to favour me. He first wished to pay for her in my name. I told him that despite my deep respect to everything pertaining that distinguished household, I would nor consent to a present of that monetary value, his hospitality being the greatest one I was to ever receive from his generous hand. To him the price was a triffle considering his means, unlike mine. His favour on my behalf then came in the guise of his summoning a number of gentlemen who were indebted for his good offices while in his former capacity. One of these men of some rank traded friendship with the merchant for a price within my reach, albeit a high one that left my purse lean for some time. I commited myself with the merchant to bring him, at a by then unknown day, payment in lieu of the gratitude that may be owed by his new friend. My bride proved to be devoted to such an extent that she needed not to be persuaded and pronounced the article of faith at the first opportunity. She could have done it whilst a slave to the great  improvement of her bond, so when I weighed her dealings in full I came to realize what a remarkable wife had been bestowed on me by the The Most Great. All this made our wedding and the following banquet, generously provided by my host, a gay affair.

Weighing my fortunes at that time, it dawned on me how the founding of a lineage of my own and declining the tutelage from high places I had enjoyed, first under the Shayk, now from the Hajji, was to be a welcome progress in my standing. By then it had become clear how envy had turned Abdel's family against me. The Hajji, upon becoming aware of these feelings towards this stranger amidst his household, found himself in a conundrum, to which my coming decision was a mixed relief. News of my wife bearing my first offspring came to me on the morn of the very day I took my leave, in what may have seemed a hasty move, but to me was a well-thought one, on which there was no turning back. As I had first gotten notice upon my arrival to Cairo, Iskandar was to be the first leg of this travel. A letter of recommendation from the Hajji gained me a warm welcome at the establishment of an important trader. Whilst I undertook to regain my maritime skills by manning ships on short travel routes, it was under this roof that my firstborn saw the light, a source of an until then unknown form of pride. I named him Yousuf, an equivalent to the English Joseph as I was to learn later from the perusing of the Holy Writings of the people of the Book. It wasn't long until, under the auspices of my host, a contract was made with an Usmani fleet and I embarked to the western province of Algiers, hither to man forays as a privateer serving the Sultan in His struggles against his crowned foes. The closeness to Christian realms prefaced the shocking conjunction in my mind of the realm of Al-Andaluz with that of my former liege, the King of Spain. Such a turn of events was most unsettling. Firstly, during my travels I did not stop to think how far away I had travelled from my homeland. There we knew the King reigned from across the sea, and it certainly was not the one we had first crossed. I then came to realize I had travelled around a globe. Upon learning of my musings, a new acquaintance in the vessel carrying me, a sailor like so many other in my line of work, confirmed what for me was a wondrous finding but for navigators like him was common knowledge. Again I was surprised at not having made any inquiry on that subject during the many and long maritime legs of my journey. Secondly, turning against my former liege galled me somewhat too. My convictions remained steadfast, but the thought that disturbed me most was the possibility of returning to my native land. Could it be that the King's men would facilitate or hinder such an unexpected turn of events? Would I meet the end of a traitor, or at best bound for a last time, with no chance of return? Such were my musings as I saw Iskandar, the greatest port in that Usmani sea, the White Sea, fade into distance.

7. Pilgrimage

I thank thee from the most deep recess of my heart for thine heartfelt words of sympathy on my loss, so far away it seems now, yet sharing it with thee brings it back with tender feelings. Regarding this new lands, they were quite different from the rich Gujarat. These people, the Hazramuti, were known as one of the fierce fighting tribes among the Arabs. I could sense on one hand the dismay in some of the relatives of the bride for the harsh conditions in which she was expected to go on leading her life as mistress of her household and her own adroitness in taking this fate in step, and on the other hand how the groom´s family looked upon their new in-laws as weak and perverted people who had deviated from the right path. Fortunately each side had enough forebearance with each other, so the wedding went by with only expressions of good feelings between them. Letters from Shayk Nuradin arrived. He explained therein that his relatives were planning to go on the pilgrimage, one of the Pillars of The Faith, so my presence there was a most pious act, since the land route they were going to take was full of savage raiding tribesmen. He freed me in writing of his service and requested the Hazramuti leaders for me to enter the service of the Amir of the Pilgrimage, engaged in the long preparations for this spiritual travel. The soldierly training was surprisingly harsh, I had no more ropes, but the back of a camel as my means of conveyance during battle. My fellow soldiers were amused by my inexperience and it was a long time till my new fighting skills were worthy of my sea-faring exploits. By the time the pilgrimage caravan was ready to start, I could not only swing my sword but jump with agility from the back of my camel unto a neighbouring rock or the loose sands and be ready for the fight. I was told the reputation of the Hazramuti; or any of the Yemeni, as the people of that region were known; was such that the raiding tribes would only rarely dare attack one of its caravans; quite on the contrary, many an aspiring raider would claim having fought along them. It seemed to me a most barbarous act to attack fellow believers on their way to the Holy Cities, yet to some of my fellow soldiers there was not much of a difference between a rightful Emir and a leader of these raiders. There was little fighting for us in this land route, the most profitable part of it being the society of some of the Hazramuti. To all appearances they recognized I was not softened by the luxuries of Gujarat and were glad to count me among their retainers. I learned that the Holy Cities were in the hands of an Empire that they called the Usmani Empire or simply the Sultan. It caught my attention, but I refrained from showing to much enthusiasm in that way, since I knew they were the sworn enemies invading this land. and this travel was possible only because of a long-time respected pilgrimage truce. Now I will try to describe to you some of the wonders of the pilgrimage. We arrive with a sea of believers from every corner of the world onto the two cities. I beheld the Al-Ca-Ba with thousands of men and women circumambulating it, this large square building. We shave our heads and don white robes. Thine renewed interest leads to share some details, like the sacrificing of a goat, which I hope are not disagreeable to thine delicate sensitivity. It was during this time that I sincered myself to the Emir of our caravan, sharing with him my intentions to join the ranks of the Sultan. At first he was angry, since I was passing over to the enemy. I told him I would first keep on travelling, far away enough so that I would not be required to lift my sword against my former friends. My plan was to enrol in the retinue of a Cairo caravan, still as a free soldier, hence find my way in the seas, where I was to be of the greatest value in the defence of our Holy Faith. He parted with good wishes finally, my eloquence having gained his favour. Being able to prove my Hazramuti credentials made it very easy to find employment in a large Cairo caravan. That was when plague broke out, right after we had the left the Holy Land. This time we were facing an enemy we couldn't fight with military might, we could only helplessly flee, as fast as our train allowed us.