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.

6. Hazramut

Thou askest me for the particulars of the family I was building then, with what I perceive as a surprise and even a displeasure at my lack of details for such an important matter. May I please try to enlighten thee on the mores of those lands, so different from the charming ways I have learned from the readings thou hast led me to, and most of all from thine society. That a marriage is arranged is taken for granted, whether it is done by the family or in my case by our masters. A wife lives a life of seclusion in the household inner quarters. Her standing improved significantly from our marriage. She was excused for some time from chores that did not include me, and then with the attendance of one or two servant-girls. She gave birth to a girl, which was considered a disgrace, yet I did not chide her for that. At the risk of being self-indulgent, I judge I was a good husband. Your judgement in this regard, like in any other matter as I go on with my narrative, is of the greatest significance. Following my remarks on arranged marriages, it comes fittingly into my story that a close relative of my master, a charming young lady of distinction, was betrothed to a distant relative of the family, which I learned hailed from yet another distant land, the land of Hazramut. The marriage date was coming close and preparations were well under way when we became involved in it. This was to be again a perilous voyage, in pirate-infested waters, so the bride, her family, her dowry, and their many attendants, were to travel in a sizeable, well-manned fleet, again with me among the soldiers. My master Nuradin sadly parted of my company, he said he was too old and infirm for yet another crossing of the waves, and he would rather entrust to my services the caring of his valued relatives. My wife asked me to intercede for her and the baby to travel. She told me she would not have peace knowing I was in danger so far away, and most of all the risk of loosing her standing was worst than death in her eyes. This surprised me, but I found it easy to get her a passage in my ship, despite her caring for an infant severely limited her ability to attend to the lady of the ship, the bride. As you may foresee, this was not to be a travel without fighting, in this case a severe one, shortly before reaching our destination, the fiercest part falling on my ship. The pirates fell with great force upon our fleet, fighting on all of our ships. At one stage of the melee in my ship, I had to retreat underdeck, to defend the life that I had been entrusted with. I have already recounted to thee the chaotic flow of events when men warr, conceive if thou wouldst how hellish it is in those close quarters, along the desperate shrieks of the women. Hope came by when some of our men, after defeating the pirates on a close-by ship, appeared behind our foes, but the fighting had left a grim toll: Misala lay with a deathly gash on her side. I could hear her death words, she was proud of me, of me having fulfilled my duty adroitly. She said she would not have lived with the dishonour of surviving with her lady running a worse fate, and so it was that she gave her last breath. I cried in despair as one of the women took my daughter from the hardening arm of who by then was my former wife and my fellow fighters took me away. As I attended the burial at sea for her and our other casualties, I could feel a raging fire stirring in my chest. I commited myself then not to engage myself again in such a way as this, to have my arm ready in the Holy Cause with no other burden than the loyalty to a rightful liege among the believers. We reached the port of Al-Sheer with no other event to alter the deep frown on my brow, my mourning being respected in silence. In that port I learned the elders in the groom's tribe, called the Asheen, called me to their council. They failed to express grief for my loss, but they praised my fighting and loyalty to their family. They invited me to stay with them after the wedding feast, joining their ranks. I inquired about their foes and was distressed to learn they were fellow Mahometans. They told me they were going to correspond with the Shayk Nuradin to release me from his loyalty, despite my recounting of his parting words, and to get his blessing on their cause, a just one in the defense of their homeland against an invader.

5. Gujarat

Thine call will go unheeded as I insist on addressing thee as Mrs Black, a bare Celia will not do. Thou knowest me as an old limping man, with barely enough strength to keep himself alive in a plantation, unfit for warring and wholly dependent on the goodwill of a Master. We both look back on this young man, lean again from training in the ropes, proud on his fighting skills, celebrated by his betters for his loyal use of them. It gladdens my heart to know how all thine relations have been spared from the horrors of war, so I beg thee to count thine humble correspondent as a repentant warrior, seeking from the All-Merciful the blessings of worldly peace.

Blind was I then to the ravages Kandee had suffered in their long war when we got there, merry as we all were from being well received as allies in their ranks. The Shayk thought it prudent for me to pass as another one of the fighting force instead of a member of his retinue, that I had become by then. When the banquet that had been offered in our honor,  we were standing in the King's Great Hall for the formal affairs of our visit. Great was my surprise when my eyes crossed with those of old De Graef. Both our semblances were transfixed from surprise to suspicion and a sly smile. After the reception by the King's courtiers of our letters from the Sultana, we started attending to our traveling arrangements. De Graef paid us a visit in our quarters and addressed me in friendly terms and surprisingly in Spanish, a language I had abandoned for long, now the Shayk teaching me his native Gujarati and a little more Arabic too. He related me his disappointment on how my circumstances had prevented me from paying off my debt of gratitude to him. I felt no qualms in telling him the little I had learned from the dealings in the Atxenese court, but I informed him my loyalty lay with Nuradin now, until he seemed fit to free me from it. Knowing that Gujarat was our destination he set me at ease by telling me we were still allies, Gujarat being part of the Great Mogul Empire; to which any other Kingdom on the face of earth pales to insignificance; the Dutch being in friendly terms as allies and commercial partners. He told me he would request from the Shayk his permission for me to carry a private letter to an associate in Gujarat. This would not undo wholly my obligations to him, but he trusted in fate that unbounding me had not been in vain. I enquired about those left behind by me in Bungsu's fortress. He told me they had staged an attempt to escape, where most had been killed. He couldn't account for those whose bodies weren't found. These glum news were slightly enlightened by the result of his negotiations. De Graef helped us find passage in one of the Mogul's trading fleets. We left our Atxenese friends to fight along the Candeenese and set sail, a small company of servants and scholars, in one of the many galleons of this powerful merchant fleet. I will not tire thee with further details of warlike exploits in this leg of my journey, suffice it to say a Portuguese fleet harassed and engaged us twice along this war-torn coast, the locals rebellious to the Great Mogul's power. So it was that, unscathed, the Shayk and I reached the province of Gujarat, the Jewel of the West. The Shayk's family lived in the port of Surat, a major commercial city of the Empire. They set up a lavish welcome to our party, raining on him the finest crafts I have ever seen. The riches of this Most Splendid Empire defies the understanding of a simple traveller. Embroidered silks and blazing jewels dazzled our eyes on every turn of the head. My Master warned me against falling away from the righteous path amidst this luxury and he admonished me to take on a lawful wife and remain in a peculiar condition, bound to him as a scholarly-retainer. I thanked him profusely and engaged myself to this new life. Among his kin I was known as the Atxenese, the name of that realm being of repute along the shores of this sea. During my stay in former domains my countenance did not distinguish me from the natives, my unfamiliarity with their mores being ascribed to my homeland being an unspecified island, a common happenance in that variegated land.
Returning to the Shayk's arrangements for my settling down, I was given a good woman, Misala, a lady-in-waiting to one of his relatives. We married in a simple ceremony, directed by the Shayk himself. I accompanied the Shayk in his travels around the region, visiting other sages. I learned Gujarat had been under his own Sultan before becoming part of the Empire. It seemed clear how the prosperity of the land and commerce had made them soft and ready for the taking of an ambitious foe. The Portuguese and the Dutch had set many factories along this very coast, one of them the recipient of my letter, taking many mercenaries under their banners and making a loyal and strong retinue a rare thing of value for a family like my Master's.