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.