CHAPTER 2 – ON THE ROAD TO INDIA
India around 50 B.C.E. Red arrow points to the location of Samarkand.
07:23 (Central Asia Time)
Friday, March 29, 61 B.C.E.
Courtyard of the caravanserai belonging to Hiram and Yurkan
City of Samarkand, Sogdiana
It took long minutes before Hiram regretfully unglued himself from his wife Seda and from his children, Dinkha and Jakand, who had come out to say goodbye and wish him a good trip to India. With a last kiss to them, he then got on his horse and gave the signal to his fifteen associates/camel drivers/guards, plus the three ex-slave girls, to follow him. A total of 39 horses, ten of them mounting riders, and 23 camels filed out of the caravanserai, Hiram and Nauca at their head and with Timur and Gorudos guarding the tail end of the caravan. Igrid, mounted on her new horse and proudly carrying her weapons, trotted just ahead of the first camel, near the center of the caravan, while Talya and Amara rode on the two camels belonging to Nauca. The long procession, with the camels and the horses destined to be sold tied to individual spots down a long rope, went down the streets of Samarkand at a slow pace, heading for the westernmost gate of the city. On their way they were cheered on by the citizens of the city, most of whom owed their livelihood to the caravan trade, with the riders happily waving back at them. Once out of the city walls, Hiram made his caravan veer southwest, taking a well-used trail heading towards Bactra{2}, the first destination on their long journey. With most of the Winter’s snow and ice already melted, that trail was quite muddy but still practicable and would become more so in the coming days and weeks as the fierce Sun of Central Asia dried up the land.
At the head of the caravan, Nauca was trotting side-by-side with Hiram and took that occasion to ask him a few questions.
‘’So, this road is supposed to lead us to Bactra, Hiram? Are there connecting roads on it that we have to ignore?’’
‘’There are in fact quite a few other roads connected to this one, but it is the most-traveled one by far. We just need to follow it while skirting the foothills of the Pamir Mountains, then will cross the Oxus River near Termez and will then continue due South to Bactra. That portion of our trip should take us about a bit over three weeks. We could get there faster if we pushed our horses and camels but we are on a journey which normally takes five months at the best of times, so there really is no need to push our beasts needlessly.’’
‘’Understood! We discussed yesterday our travel strategy and my role in it. Do you still agree with me taking some advance ahead, both to detect possible ambushes by highway bandits and to hunt a bit?’’
‘’In this portion of our trip, which is a fairly safe one, I won’t mind if you gallop away ahead of the caravan. However, in certain, more dangerous spots, I will prefer that you stay close, to provide us maximum mutual protection.’’
‘’Like in which spots, Hiram?’’ asked Nauca soberly.
‘’Like in the Khyber Pass, which is situated on the road linking Kophen{3} and Purushapura{4}. That mountain pass has a well-earned reputation as a nest of highway bandits and cutthroats and more than one caravan was attacked and dismembered there. We will have to be especially vigilant while camping at night inside that pass.’’
‘’What about the soldiers of the local rulers? Can’t they provide at least some security for passing caravans and travelers?’’
Somehow, her genuine question made Hiram laugh briefly before he answered her.
‘’Many of these local rulers, while claiming the contrary, are actually in league with some of the bands of thieves infesting the Khyber Pass, who are by the way also the local inhabitants. Our best bet to stay safe during our passage there will be to join up with one or more other caravans, in order to deter bandits via our sheer numbers.’’
‘’And those bandits, are they good archers?’’
‘’A few of them are but the bows they use are less powerful than yours and you will thus be able to outrange them by a good margin. Just make sure that you have lots of spare arrows handy then.’’
That left Nauca with food for some thought then as she mentally reviewed some possible tactics to be used against such bands of thieves. Thankfully, her three previous caravan trips, one from Tanais to Samarkand and two made between Samarkand and China, had given her plenty of practical experience in that matter. And that was on top of her experiences from life in the steppes, when she was still a young girl living with her family.
Thankfully, that day’s travel proved to be quite uneventful and the caravan was able to set camp near a small stream before nightfall. Telling little Amara to go help Askhat, the old caravan’s cook, prepare supper, Nauca then asked Talya and Igrid to start putting up their tent while she led their beasts to the stream in order to let them drink. Selecting a spot amid an area filled with long grass and bushes, Nauca planted a long steel pike in the ground and then tied her horses and camels to it via long ropes, so that they could graze around without wandering away. With that done, she took a sentry position behind a small tree, careful not to be backlit by the campfire her associates had lit for their supper. Some half an hour later, Timur came to relieve her, so that she could go eat supper. Once she had eaten, she returned to her post, with Timur going to catch some sleep before taking his own guard shift past midnight, with Gorudos due to replace him in the early morning.
That night passed peacefully and the caravan was able to continue on its trip shortly after daybreak. While keeping the foothills of the Pamir on their left, the caravan followed the road for the next two weeks before arriving in sight of the Oxus River, the main tributary of the region. It was also an obstacle to cross before they could continue on towards Bactra, something that a caravan always had to plan carefully to minimize the risk of seeing some of its beasts and their valuable cargo being washed away by the current. Thankfully, another caravan that was traveling in the opposite direction and had just crossed the river was able to inform Hiram about a shallow fording point they had just used. Hiram was too happy to make a small gift then to the master of that caravan in exchange for that precious information. In turn, that information proved correct and his camels ended up with having no more than half a meter of water to cross, relieving a big worry for Hiram. With the Oxus River now behind them, the caravan continued on, approaching its first destination, Bactra, after a bit over three weeks of travel.
13:09 (Central Asia Time)
Town of Bactra, Kingdom of Tocharistan
North of the Hindu-Kush Mountains
As their caravan was approaching the northern gate of the town of Bactra, Nauca slowed down her horse in order to let Hiram get level with her and then asked him a question.
‘’Hiram, do you know what language they speak in this town? I was wondering if we will be able to get understood here.’’
‘’Well, while I never went to this place before, I did speak many times with merchants and caravan masters who went through it and I was told that most merchants and shopkeepers here will be able to speak Sogdian or Greek, or both. Sogdian is widely used as a common trading language in this part of the World, while Bactria was until a few years ago part of the Greek Seleucid Empire founded by the conqueror Alexander the Great some 250 years ago. In fact, our next stop after Bactra will be a place called Alexandra Caucaso{5}, one of the many places named after Alexander the Great.’’
Nauca, who had heard about the history of the conquests of Alexander the Great while living in Tanais, nodded her head slowly at that.
‘’That Alexander was indeed a great conqueror, from everything I heard about him. Do you know what we could find here that would be worth buying?’’
‘’One thing I know is that copper is mined in this region and that there are many places in the Hindu-Kush mountains were much precious gems and stones are produced. One of the main stones of value to be found in this region and beyond is lapis lazuli, which I believe you saw specimens of before.’’
‘’Yes, I have: a truly beautiful stone. If it is being mined in this region, then we should be able to buy some at a good price, since we will be avoiding many intermediaries in its trade.’’
That remark made Hiram smile at her with satisfaction.
‘’I see that you have started to learn the cardinal rules of trading, Nauca. Going to the source in order to avoid many layers of intermediaries, each of whom would be hiking the price in order to make a profit, is one of the more important rules. That is why I intend to stay a few days at our next stop, Alexandra Caucaso: it is close to many mines which produce such precious stones as aquamarine and turquoise, on top of lapis lazuli. There are also rumors that some nice emeralds and rubies were found in small quantities by local prospectors.’’
Nauca, who had made the buying of gems one of her main goals for this trip, felt immediate interest about Hiram’s information.
‘’Then, I shall keep an eye for gem merchants in this town.’’
‘’Don’t neglect those merchants who would be selling copper, Nauca: copper is very important for those who produce bronze items and can be found only in a few rare places.’’
‘’Point well taken, Hiram. Thanks!’’
Four city guards posted at the gate then made the caravan stop, time to collect the local toll demanded from passing caravans by the local ruler. In this case, that toll proved reasonable and Hiram paid it without fuss. He also took that occasion to ask to one of the guards where was the local caravanserai, with the guard answering him in fair Greek.
‘’Continue on the main street beyond the gate for about 200 paces. You will then encounter the caravanserai of Taksir on your left.’’
‘’Thank you, my good man.’’ Replied Hiram, at the same time he threw a silver coin to the guard, who quickly caught it in flight before smiling and bowing.
‘’And I wish you good luck during your trip, merchant.’’
Hiram then signaled his associates to follow him inside the town before trotting through the opened gate. The information from the guard soon proved to be accurate, with the typical walled compound of a caravanserai appearing after a bend. However, Hiram made his caravan stop before it could enter the compound and dismounted, then entered the caravanserai on foot: he had no wish to go to the trouble of marching in with his whole caravan, only to be told that the place was already full. As if trumpets had called him out, a fairly overweight bearded man nearly ran out of the main building inside the compound and went to Hiram, a big smile painted on his face.
‘’Aah, another intrepid caravan master seeking refuge in my modest caravanserai. Welcome! I am Taksir, owner of this establishment. How many riders and beasts do you need to lodge here, my friend?’’
In response, Hiram politely bowed to the caravanserai master.
‘’My name is Hiram, from Samarkand, and I came with a total of eighteen other riders, 39 horses and 23 camels. Do you have enough space available to accommodate us all?’’
‘’I certainly do, Hiram of Samarkand. I charge the usual fee for lodging: one drachma per person and one drachma per beast per day, including the feed for the beasts. However, you will have to pay separately for your meals, depending on what you choose to order and eat.’’
‘’That is indeed a fair price for a caravanserai, Taksir. Let me get my caravan inside your compound while you open stalls for my beasts.’’
As Hiram went back outside to tell his associates to ride in, Taksir loudly clapped his hands and shouted orders in a local language, making his stall attendants open the gates of 32 of the forty stalls contained in his barns. Taksir however showed some surprise on seeing Nauca, then Igrid, Talya and Amara pass in front of him.
‘’You have women and girls as part of your caravan, Hiram? That is rather uncommon.’’
‘’That is indeed uncommon but I can assure you that they didn’t come with me to entertain my associates. The first one past you was Nauca, a Sarmatian girl who is an associate of mine and who also is one of my caravan guards. She is about the best archer I ever met and is a first-class hunter as well. The three other girls are with her and help with various tasks when my caravan camps for the night in the open.’’
‘’Then, you should know that the inn of my caravanserai is a popular drinking spot for the local men of Bactra, some of whom have, uh, rather rough manners if you see what I mean. Your girls will have to be careful not to attract the wrong kind of attention.’’
Instead of being irritated by that information, Hiram chuckled briefly and patted Taksir’s shoulder.
‘’I believe that Nauca and her girls are well able to protect their asses from wandering hands, my dear Taksir. As you could see, they are all armed.’’
‘’You are right, by Mithra! The first one could certainly pass as one of the fabled Amazons from Greek legends.’’
‘’Taksir, Nauca IS an Amazon. She is a nomad girl warrior and hunter from the steppes north of the Pontus Euxinus and has already killed many men in combat while defending my caravan. And contrary to what the Greek legends say, those Amazons did most of the ass-kicking when fighting with Greeks, not the other way around.’’
Taksir opened his eyes wide and looked at Nauca with new respect.
‘’I will certainly remember this, my friend, and will tell my young sons to be careful about the way they will do advances to her and the other girls with her.’’
‘’And how old are your sons, Taksir?’’ asked Hiram, amused.
‘’The older one is nineteen, while the younger one is sixteen.’’
‘’A prime age indeed for chasing girls. I will ask Nauca to be understanding about them.’’
‘’That would be appreciated, my friend. My sons are very precious to me. After all, they will be the ones running my caravanserai once I will have retired…or died.’’
Hiram nodded soberly at that, which was an all-too common occurrence in life. Accompanied by Taksir, he then went to supervise the dispersal of his beasts among the stalls and the storing of their merchandise in Taksir’s secure storage building. Asking young Timur and Igrid to stand guard temporarily in front of the doors of the storage building, he then led his caravan members inside the inn, so that they could get their rooms. While the furniture in the rooms proved rather rudimentary, it was well within the standards expected from rooms in a caravanserai. Once everybody was properly lodged, the caravan members eagerly sat in the main hall of the inn to eat a late lunch, their last meal having been over seven hours ago. Despite the lack of previous warning, the kitchen of the inn was able to provide a good goat and vegetable stew, served with fresh bread, that easily satisfied the appetite of the travelers. Eating quickly, Nauca and Gorudos then went out to relieve Timur and Igrid, so that they could also eat.
Some fifty minutes after having replaced Timur, Hiram came to the door of the storage building with Timur and Igrid.
‘’Alright: Timur and Igrid will now continue to guard this door until nightfall. Then you two will take over for the night. Nauca, I am going to visit the town’s market to see if there is anything of interest to buy there. I would like you to come with me, both to allow you to look as well for interesting merchandises and to provide me with an armed escort. This town is new for me and I am not sure how safe it is in terms or pickpockets and robbers.’’
‘’I will certainly go with you, Hiram. Let me just go to my room to collect some gold and silver coins from my reserves.’’
‘’Go right ahead, Nauca.’’
Nauca ran to the inn and climbed the stairs to the upper floor, where she knocked on the door of her room.
‘’It’s me, girls: open up!’’
After a few seconds, she heard the noise of a safety bolt being pulled and the door opened, revealing an armed Talya behind it. Little Amara, her javelin resting on the floor next to her, sat on the mound of hay that acted as their collective bed. Leaving her long Kontos lance to lean against a wall, Nauca went to a part of the pile of hay and dug into it, uncovering the pair of saddlebags which contained her reserves of gold and silver, meant to be her money reserves for this caravan’s trip. Opening one of the bags, she grabbed one of the large leather purses it contained and firmly attached it to her belt, then covered the purse with part of her cape. Closing back her saddlebag and piling hay back on it, she then looked at Talya.
‘’I am going in town with Hiram in order to see if we can find something worth buying or trading. Make sure that you always keep this door locked and open it only for me, Hiram, Timur or Gorudos. Tomorrow, I will escort you, Igrid and Amara in town, so that you can do some shopping of your own with your travel pay.’’
‘’We will keep a good eye on your money, Nauca.’’ assured Talya, who was armed with a javelin and a dagger. Reassured, Nauca left her room but waited to hear the noise of the safety bolt being pushed back in position before going down to the main hall, where she joined up with Hiram. They then walked out together and crossed the courtyard of the caravanserai, soon emerging on the street running past its gate. Nauca gave a critical look at the small crowd of beggars and prostitutes that had gathered along the walls of the caravanserai at the news of a new caravan being in town. She was not worried about the prostitutes, some of whom were shockingly young, but the male beggars were another matter: some of them, particularly the younger men who were apparently healthy, could well turn into purse snatchers or robbers in an instant. Her eyes narrowed when she noticed that a bearded man in his late twenties had a knife that was poorly hidden by his clothes. She then pointed at him and spoke to him in Greek.
‘’You! I don’t trust armed beggars. Go beg somewhere else or I will have the caravanserai master chase you away.’’
An angry glare appeared at once in the eyes of the ‘beggar’ but, realizing that Nauca’s threat was serious, got up and walked away while throwing a last dark look at her. Hiram nodded his head in approval while watching the man leave.
‘’Good call, Nauca! I will have to warn our people about this man and his ilk. Well, let’s go to the market.’’
‘’Just give me a second, Hiram.’’ replied Nauca before opening the belt purse she kept visible at her side, which was much smaller than the one she was hiding under her cape. Grabbing a few silver coins from it, she then distributed them to the remaining beggars and also to the prostitutes, making the lot thank her profusely. Now feeling better, she then walked away with Hiram in the direction of the center of the town. Hiram couldn’t help smile to her as they walked together.
‘’Decidedly, you will always be the generous type, Nauca.’’
‘’I was once in distress, after my whole family was killed by bandits. Then, a kind man in Tanais helped me and supported me. His example convinced me that generosity is always worth practicing…except when haggling for a business deal, of course.’’
‘’Of course!’’ replied Hiram, amused.
As Hiram had expected, they found that the town’s main market occupied the center of Bactra and consisted in a collection of tents and temporary stalls, many of them mounted in the back of chariots. Ignoring the stalls selling food items and asking a few questions around, Hiram ended up being directed to an actual house built next to the market, where an ageing man sat on a chair set in front of the house’s door. Hiram then bowed politely to him and spoke in Greek.
‘’Are you Pharnaces the gem merchant?’’
‘’I am! You are looking to buy gems? I stock many types of the most beautiful stones to be found in Bactria and I get them directly from where they are mined.’’
That please at once Hiram: less intermediaries meant lower prices for him and also higher future profits.
‘’Me and my associate are definitely interested in buying gems, if the quality and the prices are to our taste.’’
‘’Then, follow me inside.’’ said the old man before getting up from his chair. In doing so, he revealed that he wore a long dagger at his belt but Nauca thought nothing of it: a gem trader had good reasons to be armed at all times. She and Hiram followed the man inside, with the latter bringing in his chair before closing and locking his door. He then led his visitors into a backroom lit by two narrow windows reinforced by iron bars. There, he unlocked and opened seven small bronze safety boxes chained to a table, exposing a collection of varied gems and semi-precious stones. Nauca, who had gradually become a knowledgeable amateur on gems during her travels, watching and learning from old Xiao, the caravan’s expert on gem trading, eyed with intense interest the content of the boxes, each of which contained a specific type of stone. She recognized lapis lazuli, aquamarines, turquoise, spinel, amethysts, emeralds and rubies, all apparently of at least good quality. While there were only a few emeralds and rubies in their respective boxes, the box containing lapis lazuli was much larger than the others and was also full.
‘’As you can see, my largest collection of stones is made up of lapis lazuli, which is by far the most important stone produced around Bactria. Lapis lazuli is a truly beautiful stone and also a very popular one, used for both making jewels and making decorative items, like cups and vases.’’
Both Hiram and Nauca then looked in turn at individual stones, haggling with the gem merchant about their price after each stone was weighed on a small precision weight scale Hiram had brought with him. While Hiram ended up buying a varied assortment of stones for a total of 210 drachmas, Nauca, who preferred to concentrate on light and small but valuable items, ended up spending the large sum of 660 drachmas, acquiring in exchange a good collection of mostly laps lazuli, plus a few choice spinels, amethysts, aquamarines and a pair of splendid emeralds and rubies. Gathering the stones she had just bought, Nauca put them inside a small leather purse suspended from her neck by a bronze chain and hanging just under her breasts, making it both hard to spot or grab. The satisfied gem merchant then escorted his customers to his door, bowing to them before they left.
‘’Thank you for visiting my humble shop, Hiram of Samarkand and Nauca. Do not hesitate to visit me again on your way back from India: I may have more beautiful stones to show you then.’’
‘’And we will certainly stop here by then, Pharnaces.’’ replied Hiram, who was sincere about that, having found the prices asked by the merchant quite reasonable, while the quality of his gems was undeniable. He and Nauca then left the house and walked away, looking for a shop where they could buy some copper, a crucial metal used in the manufacture of bronze, a popular alloy widely used all across the known World. After a few minutes, they were directed to another house where a merchant dealt in copper ingots. This time, it was Hiram who spent the most, buying enough copper ingots to force Nauca in helping him carry part of it. With both of them heavily loaded down with copper, the pair then returned to the caravanserai, where Hiram was able to drop his ingots with his other merchandise, letting out a sigh of relief once unburdened.
‘’Oof! This copper may bring me some good profits but it sure is heavy to carry around. Next time, I will bring a horse with me. In comparison, the gems you bought are like feathers.’’
‘’That is one big reason why I trade mostly in gems, spices and silk, Hiram: that leaves my two camels plenty of carrying capacity for provisions of grain, food and water for my trip.’’
‘’A sensible policy indeed, my good Nauca.’’ recognized Hiram.
The caravan ended up spending another day in Bactra, time to buy new provisions for their trip and to let its beasts rest a bit from their nearly month-long trip. Nauca, like Hiram, was most satisfied with that stop in Bactra, having made what she considered good deals and with her three ex-slave girls also happy, after being able to do some shopping with the help of the pay Nauca gave them. Then, it was time to hit the road again, heading towards Alexandra Caucaso and Kophen.