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.