CHAPTER TWELVE
The Princess made port just after daybreak, and the crew didn’t take it easy coming in.
Lane stood on the bow with Tiger and Stephan. They were all ready to do their part, and the plan was really pretty simple.
Tiger and Lane were going ashore. They were one team. They would stay there in Tunis and try to gain access to the Fabien.
If they could do it, they would hire on. It would be by far the easiest method. And, from the Fabien, they could then spy on their enemies.
Lane looked at Stephan, and he considered his objections, those he’d spoken the night before to Captain Matthew.
The Captain was of the opinion that Stephan should not go ashore. He had said that those on the Fabien would certainly notice their former slave walking around the city.
Lane couldn’t argue with that logic, but he’d come to know enough about Stephan to see something.
First of all, Stephan was a good person. He could be counted on to do his duty. There was no doubt in Lane’s mind, but Stephan would certainly give his life for the needs of others.
There was also the fact that Stephan already knew the crew of the Fabien. He could hide or, by some other means, avoid being seen.
But, those thoughts seemed like emotional nonsense to Lane. They did now, as he watched the harbor for signs of the Fabien.
He could smell the salt water now, but it wasn’t just that. The smell was mixed with other odors. There were people, a lot of them. And, there was also a heavy odor from the fish markets.
Tiger had just mention the fish markets, and that was the reason Lane recognized the odor.
People were coming to buy and sell what they’d caught, or what had been brought in form the sea.
And, it was funny to think how much stronger the fish odor was here by land. Lane just spent several weeks in the water, or on the Princess.
He had lost sight of any smells beyond those local to the ship, or the crew.
“The harbor’s clear.” Those words came from Tiger, as he scanned the harbor for the Fabien, too.
Lane and Stephan were supposed to watch the harbor, too. So, Lane put his mind back on that task.
“I’d like to join you guys.” Stephan expressed himself again.
Lane didn’t even surprise himself by saying it. “The Captain’s right. You need to stay here.”
Stephan’s look, or the expression on his face, and the focus of his eyes, carried an accusation.
But, Lane cut him off. “You could be seen. And the Princess is going to need another hand. Tiger’s coming with me, and the Captain needs sailors.”
Tiger joined into their conversation now. “The Captain’s going to be shorthanded.” There was honesty in his words.
Stephan smiled, for Tiger’s words changed any negative thought from his mind. He offered his right hand to the others. “Good luck.”
Lane changed the tone of those words. “I will not rely on luck; rather, let the Lord do just as he thinks best here.”
“Amen.” Tiger responded without hesitation.
And, still smiling, Stephan walked them to the launch.
Lane wasn’t prepared for the Tiger’s next question. “Do you know how to swim?”
It frightened him to think about the water, and to consider what might be under the surface. But, Lane was also interested to learn why Tiger asked this question, so he replied. “I never tried it.”
“It’s time to learn.” Tiger informed him.
And they both got onto the launch.
The Princess wasn’t far from the shore. It would have been possible to throw a rock and reach land. That’s what Lane was thinking, but he heard Tiger speaking.
“We’re going to swim from here.” Tiger said.
The two at the oars overheard both the question and the answer Lane was given. They were smiling now.
“The best time to learn is right now.” Tiger explained. “You’ll need it later.”
Lane didn’t argue, but he wished he had. The water was extremely cold. And, he went right to sinking. He didn’t have the first idea of what to do.
Tiger grabbed hold of Lane and began to speak gently to him. “The water is your friend. Don’t be afraid. Just relax!”
The two men in the launch weren’t moving off yet, rather, they stayed near enough to assist. But, the whole business was funny to them.
Lane listened to Tiger, and he began to relax. He said a quick prayer.
Lord. I need your help, please.”
“That’s the right spirit.” Tiger coaxed.
Though his clothing was heavy, Lane soon got used to the idea of being in the water. He reasoned that, if the Lord wanted him to die, he was going to die. And he trusted that such was not the case.
Tiger had been dragging Lane, but now he broke the silence again.
“Are you ready to learn?”
Lane confirmed it. “I think so.”
Tiger’s lesson began now for real. “I’m going to teach you the best way first. It’s called the breast stroke.”
Lane didn’t speak at all, but he was listening. The bit about relaxing was an effort, yet his body was starting to calm down. Very soon, he was making the hand and leg motions. It was just like Tiger said.
Lane’s arms and legs were already tired.
Tiger swam alongside Lane. He was showing his friend the movements, and he spoke. “We’re not that far from land. You’re a young man, and this is child’s play.”
Lane listened to Tiger’s voice, and the words of encouragement. He forgot about his arms being tired. He was surprised by what he heard next.
“We’re close enough to touch the bottom.” Tiger explained it.
Lane questioned him. “Are you sure?”
“Try it!!!!” Tiger challenged Lane.
Lane stretched his legs towards the bottom, and he was able to stand.
“Thank you, Lord!”
“I like the way you do that.” Tiger told his friend, and he was also standing in the water.
“Do what?” Lane lost track of the conversation.
Tiger went to the point. “You give thanks to the, Lord. You talk to the Lord.”
Lane smiled. “That’s the way I live, it’s a gift.”
Now, it was Tiger’s turn to ask the questions, “What’s a gift?”
The two men walked up onto the beach. There was sand, but there were also a lot of rocks. They’d gone clear of the docks.
“Life is a gift from the Lord.” Lane explained.
Tiger nodded. “I agree with that.”
Lane continued. “Having a thankful heart is also a gift from Heaven.”
Tiger looked at Lane. “I’m not sure I follow you. But, we should get somewhere to dry off. Maybe a fire”
Lane fell into step with Tiger, as they chose a random step to follow. He kept talking, The Lord gave me life, and He sustains me in everything I do. Watch this!!!! He’s going to find us fire.”
“He’s going to find us fire?” Tiger challenged.
Lane stopped long enough to refasten his sandals, a move that caused Tiger to wait, and he confirmed what he’d said. “If we need a fire, the Lord will provide one. He’ll do it.”
The path they walked on obviously led toward the first market, and the docks. It was the sure route to encounter people.
Lane was thinking about his first trip to the fish markets of Joppa. He recalled how the red haired security man had told him to never come back to the docks. And, it seemed logical to him that there’d be security here, too.
He asked Tiger about it. “You think we’ll find some kind of dock security?”
Tiger nodded affirmation. “I’ve been in a few larger ports. They’re not always standing out where you can see them, but, we’ll find some here.”
Suddenly, there was an explosion somewhere up ahead of them. Voices were shouting for help.
Tiger didn’t wait to hear Lane’s response, but he simply said, “Let’s go!”
Lane watched Tiger’s body move into a run, and he joined him to find out what caused the shouting, the explosion, and the excitement.
They came around a corner, a place where tree branches could block the view. And, they stopped.
Perhaps, twenty people were already on the scene. A quick look around revealed the fire to be taking somebody’s warehouse apart. The explosion must have been from the inside, and people were doing what they could to help and to put out the fire.
Lane didn’t even speak to Tiger. He went into automatic, and he joined in the lines forming to bring water to those standing nearer to the flames.
He could smell the odd mixture of olive oils and wine. These were a part of whatever burned inside the building. And, Lane thought these were more likely a part of the problem.
People drink too much, and the oil was meant to burn.
Tiger must have been thinking along the same line, for Lane watched him forcing his way into the forward action. There were other men moving the oil from the building too.
A serious effort was made to keep people from being hurt, and those oils were still dangerous.
“Help me, Lord!” Lane said this quick prayer; then, he lost track of time.
It was also difficult to keep sight of Tiger, or the other man’s activities. Lane would see the man, but then he would go back into the crowd and be lost.
By the time the fire died, there wasn’t much left of the warehouse. Lane couldn’t smell the fish markets anymore. And, there was a lot of smoke damage.
A grey haired man approached. “I want to thank you, young man.” He was talking to Lane.
“The name’s Lane, Sir.” I’m sorry we couldn’t do more.” Lane assumed the guy was the owner of the warehouse and, because Tiger was now within earshot, he had included Tiger in his response to the grey haired man.
As Tiger stopped near, the grey haired man also figured the two men were together, and he made a point to shake hands with both. “Where are you men staying?”
Tiger spoke up. “We just made port. We’re looking for work.”
A smile spread across the grey haired man’s face. And, he made his proposal. “Folks call me Benny. I run the warehouse that just burned. Fact, I run a good many things in this port.”
Tiger continued talking on behalf of both himself and Lane. “Are you offering us a job?”
Benny confirmed it. “You men just spent a good deal of the afternoon working for me.” He looked back at the damaged warehouse. His eyes took in who knew what kind of memories.
Lane thought about his words earlier to Tiger, he had said that the Lord would provide them with any needed fire.
Benny continued talking. “I can offer you work. To start with, I’ll need somebody to help me watch the store tonight.”
It was Lane’s turn to answer for both him and Tiger. “We’ll do it.”
Tiger looked as though he would like to say something, but he must have changed his mind.
Benny wasn’t finished. “It may be I could use your help with the rebuilding, too.”
Tiger’s heart was in it now, for he spoke up. “We’ll do that, too. Fact is, we could use the work.”
“Do you have weapons?” Benny looked over the two men. It wasn’t that he was doubting his offer, but it was more like he had finally noticed they both looked as though they had just swam ashore.
Lane was still in the mood for representing both himself and Tiger. “We don’t need weapons, Sir.”
“You don’t?” Benny didn’t seem to understand.
Lane shook his head. “No, Sir. The Lord will look out for us.”
Benny squinted. It was as though he were now evaluating the men by a new set of standards. “You say the Lord will look out for you. Which Lord are you speaking about? Where are you from?”
Lane explained it. “I’m talking about the Lord in Heaven. He created the Heavens, and he created the world we live in. I am what you would probably call a Hebrew. My home is near Joppa.”
Tiger jumped in. “We are Christians.”
Now, Benny took on the manner of a man with some kind of a question. He put part of it into words. “Maybe you could explain something to me. I’ve heard a little about being a Christian. I bought a book written by a man named, John.”
Lane was interested, for he had heard about the letters written by the Apostle John. It was possible that Benny had a copy of one of those letters.
Tiger was listening, too. It would be a good place to work, here near the docks. The job would allow them a place to wander around for when the Fabien put in for supplies. It might even get them onto the Fabien’s main deck, if there was a need for deliveries.
Benny answered Lane’s unasked question. “This book is about a man from the old days. He lived north of Jerusalem, and he used to travel with the one you call Lord, this Jesus.”
“Do you have the book?” Lane was beside himself. What if he could read such a document?
Benny was smiling now, for the day was presenting him with new thoughts and possibilities. “I’ll bring it around tomorrow, but let’s get you situated tonight.”
They went to work then setting up a place to watch over Benny’s burnt out warehouse. The real mission, of course, was to guard the merchandise.
At a certain point, Benny would come around with some warm food. He must have got it from some other vendor, for he wasn’t gone for a long time.
Lane and Tiger decided to share the chore of staying awake and, right now, it was Lane’s turn. The funny thing was that nobody would really come near, not for hours.
Lane could hear the very same sounds in the night here that he was so fond of back home.
There were so many frogs in the world. He couldn’t see a single one, but Lane was sure of the sound one was making. He decided to name him ZIBA.
It wasn’t really that ZIBA looked like a frog, nor did he sound anything like one of those cold blooded animals. The issue had more to do with family.
ZIBA was back home tending the animals, but he represented happiness, warmth, and the love Lane knew from his very earliest memories.
That frog out there, the one Lane now thought of as ZIBA, didn’t seem to be moving. He was close, and his voice was now familiar.
The idea of ZIBA being as close as that frog was comforting. So, that frog would be ZIBA for as long as Lane could keep his mind on it.