by Ben Kane
Regret, and an unfamiliar feeling, that of humility, filled Hanno. I should have done my duty, he thought. Gone to that meeting with Father. The idea of listening to dirtbags like Hostus and his cronies was now most appealing. Hanno stared bleakly at the western horizon, knowing that he would never see his home, or his family, again. Suddenly, his sorrow became overwhelming. Hanno’s eyes filled with tears, and he was grateful that Suniaton was asleep. Their friendship ran deep, but he had no wish to be seen crying like a child. He did not despise Suni for his extreme reaction during the storm, though. Thinking that a calm mien might help his friend was all that had prevented him from acting similarly.
A short time later, Suniaton awoke. Hanno, who was still feeling fragile, was surprised and irritated to see that his spirits had risen somewhat.
‘I’m hungry,’ Suniaton declared, glancing around with greedy eyes.
‘Well, there’s nothing to eat. Or drink,’ Hanno replied sourly. ‘Get used to it.’
Hanno’s foul mood was obvious and Suniaton had the wisdom not to reply. Instead he busied himself by bailing out the handsbreadth of water in the bottom of the boat. His housekeeping complete, he lifted the oars and placed them in their rowlocks. Squinting at the horizon and then the sun, he began rowing due south. After a moment, he started whistling a ditty that was currently popular in Carthage.
Hanno scowled. The tune reminded him of the good times they had spent carousing in the rough taverns near the city’s twin ports. The pleasurable hours he had spent with plump Egyptian whores in the room above the bar. ‘Isis’, as she called herself, had been his favourite. He pictured her kohl-rimmed eyes, her carmine lips framing encouraging words, and his groin throbbed. It was too much to bear. ‘Shut up,’ he snapped.
Hurt, Suniaton obeyed.
Hanno was spoiling for a fight now. ‘What are you doing?’ he demanded, pointing at the oars.
‘Rowing,’ Suniaton replied sharply. ‘What does it look like?’
‘What’s the point?’ Hanno cried. ‘We could be fifty miles out to sea.’
‘Or five.’
Hanno blinked, and then chose to ignore his friend’s sensible answer. He was so angry he could hardly think. ‘Why choose south? Why not north, or east?’
Suniaton gave him a withering glance. ‘Numidia is the nearest coastline, in case you hadn’t realised.’
Hanno flushed and fell silent. Of course he knew that the southern shore of the Mediterranean was closer than Sicily or Italy. In the circumstances, Suniaton’s plan was a good one. Nonetheless, Hanno felt unwilling to back down, so he sat and stared sulkily at the distant horizon.
Stubbornly, Suniaton continued to paddle southwards.
Time passed, and the sun climbed high in the sky.
After a while, Hanno found his voice. ‘Let me take a turn,’ he muttered.
‘Eh?’ Suniaton barked.
‘You’ve been rowing for ages,’ said Hanno. ‘It’s only fair that you have a break.’
‘“What’s the point?”’ Suniaton angrily repeated his friend’s words.
Hanno swallowed his pride. ‘Look,’ he said. ‘I’m sorry, all right? Heading south is as good a plan as any.’
Suniaton’s nod was grudging. ‘Fair enough.’
They changed position, and Hanno took control of the oars. A more comfortable atmosphere fell, and Suniaton’s good humour returned. ‘At least we’re still alive, and still together,’ he said. ‘How much worse would it have been if one of us had been washed overboard? There’d be no one to throw insults at!’
Hanno grimaced in agreement. He lifted his gaze to the burning disc that was the sun. It had to be nearly midday. It was baking hot now, and his tongue was stuck to the roof of his dry mouth. What I’d give for a cup of water, he thought longingly. His spirits reached a new low, and a moment later, he shipped the oars, unable to work up the enthusiasm to continue rowing.
‘My turn,’ said Suniaton dutifully.
Hanno saw the resignation he was feeling reflected in his friend’s eyes. ‘Let’s just rest for a while,’ he murmured. ‘It looks set to remain calm. What does it matter where we make landfall?’
‘True enough.’ Despite the lie, Suniaton managed to smile. He didn’t vocalise what they were both thinking: if, by some miracle, they did manage to reach the Numidian coastline, would they find water before succumbing to their thirst?
Some time later, they both took another turn at the oars, applying themselves to the task with a vigour born of desperation. Their exertions produced no discernible result: all around, the horizon was empty. They were totally alone. Lost. Abandoned by the gods. At length, exhausted by thirst and the extreme heat, the friends gave up and lay down in the bottom of the boat to rest. Sleep soon followed.
Hanno dreamed that he was on one side of a door while his father was on the other, hammering on the timbers with a balled fist and demanding he open it at once. Hanno was desperate to obey, but could find no handle or keyhole on the door’s featureless surface. Malchus’ blows grew heavier and heavier, until finally Hanno became aware that he was dreaming. Waking to a pounding headache and a feeling of distinct disorientation, he opened his eyes. Above, the limitless expanse of the blue sky. Beside him, Suniaton’s slumbering form. To Hanno’s amazement, the thumping in his head was replaced by a regular, and familiar, cadence: that of men singing. There was another voice too, shouting indistinct commands. It was a sailor, calling the tune for the oarsmen, thought Hanno disbelievingly. A ship!
All weariness fell away, and he sat bolt upright. Turning his head, Hanno searched for the source of the noise. Then he spotted it: a low, predatory shape not three hundred paces distant, its decks lined with men. It had a single mast with a square sail supported by a complex set of rigging, and two banks of oars. The red-coloured stern was curved like a scorpion’s tail, and there was a small forecastle at the prow. Amidst his exultation, Hanno felt the first tickle of unease. This didn’t look like a merchant vessel; it was clearly no fishing smack either. However, it was not large enough to be a Carthaginian, or even a Roman, warship. These days, Carthage had very few biremes or triremes, relying instead on the bigger, more powerful quinqueremes and, to a lesser extent, quadriremes. Rome possessed some smaller ships, but he could see none of their standards. Yet the craft had a distinctly military air.
He nudged Suniaton. ‘Wake up!’
His friend groaned. ‘What is it?’
‘A ship.’
Suniaton shot into a sitting position. ‘Where?’ he demanded.
Hanno pointed. The bireme was beating a northward course, which would bring it to within a hundred paces of their little boat. It was in a hurry to be using both its sail and the power of its oars, and it seemed no one had seen them. Hanno’s stomach lurched. If he didn’t act, it might pass them by.
He stood up. ‘Here! Over here,’ he began shouting in Carthaginian. Suniaton joined in, waving his arms like a man possessed. Hanno repeated his cry in Greek. For a few heart-stopping moments, nothing happened. Finally, a man’s head turned. With the sea almost flat calm, it was impossible not to see them. Guttural shouts rang out, and the chanting voices halted abruptly. The oars on the port side, which was facing them, slowed and stopped, reducing the bireme’s speed at once. Another set of bellowed commands, and the sail was reefed, allowing the ship to bear away from the wind. The nearest banks of oars began to back water, turning the bireme towards them. Soon they could see the base of the bronze ram that was attached to the bow. Carved in the shape of a creature’s head, it was only possible to make out the top of the skull and the eyes. Now pointing straight at them, the vessel gave off a most threatening air.
The two friends looked at each other, suddenly unsure.
‘Who are they?’ whispered Suniaton.
Hanno shook his head. ‘I don’t know.’
‘Maybe we should have kept quiet,’ said Suniaton. He began muttering a prayer.
Hanno’s certainty weakened, but it was f
ar too late now.
The sailor who led the oarsmen’s chant began a slower rhythm than before. In unison, the oars on both sides lifted and swept gracefully through the air before arcing down to split the sea’s surface with a loud, splashing sound. Encouraged by the shouts of their overseer, the oarsmen sang and heaved together, dragging their oars, carved lengths of polished spruce, through the water.
Before long, the bireme had drawn alongside. Its superstructure was decorated red like the stern, but around each oar hole a swirling blue design had been painted. It was still bright and fresh, showing the work had been done recently. Hanno’s heart sank as he studied the grinning men – a mixture of nationalities from Greek and Libyan to Iberian – lining the rails and forecastle. Most were clad in little more than a loincloth, but all were armed to the teeth. He could see catapults on the deck as well. He and Suniaton had only their daggers.
‘They’re fucking pirates,’ Suniaton muttered. ‘We’re dead meat. Slaves, if we’re lucky.’
‘Would you rather die of thirst? Or exposure?’ Hanno retorted, furious at himself for not seeing the bireme for what it was. For not keeping silent.
‘Maybe,’ Suniaton snapped back. ‘We’ll never know now, though.’
They were hailed by a thin figure near the prow. With black hair and a paler complexion than most of his dark-skinned comrades, he could have been Egyptian. Nonetheless, he spoke in Greek, the dominant language of the sea. ‘Well met. Where are you bound?’
His companions snorted with laughter.
Hanno decided to be bold. ‘Carthage,’ he declared loudly. ‘But, as you can see, we have no sail. Can we take passage with you?’
‘What are you doing so far out to sea in just a rowing boat?’ the Egyptian asked.
There were more hoots of amusement from the crew.
‘We were carried away by a storm,’ Hanno replied. ‘The gods were smiling, however, and we survived.’
‘You were lucky indeed,’ agreed the other. ‘Yet I wouldn’t give much for your chances if you stay out here. By my reckoning, it is at least sixty miles to the nearest landfall.’
Suniaton gestured towards the south. ‘Numidia?’
The Egyptian threw back his head and laughed. It was an unpleasant, mocking sound. ‘Have you no sense of direction, fool? I talk of Sicily!’
Hanno and Suniaton gaped at one another. The storm had carried them much further than they could have imagined. They had been mistakenly rowing out into the Mediterranean. ‘We have even more reason to thank you,’ said Hanno boldly. ‘As our fathers will, when you return us safely to Carthage.’
The Egyptian’s lips pulled up, revealing a sharp set of teeth. ‘Come aboard. We can talk more comfortably in the shade,’ he said, indicating the awning in the forecastle.
The friends exchanged a loaded glance. This hospitality was at odds with what their eyes were telling them. Every man in sight looked capable of slitting their throats without even blinking. ‘Thank you,’ said Hanno with a broad smile. He rowed around to the back of the bireme. There they found a jolly boat about the same size as theirs tied to an iron ring. A knotted rope had already been lowered to their level from above. A pair of grinning sailors waited to haul them up.
‘Trust in Melqart,’ Hanno said quietly, tying their boat fast.
‘We didn’t drown, which means he has a purpose for us,’ Suniaton replied, desperate for something to believe in. Yet his fear was palpable.
Struggling not to lose his own self-control, Hanno studied the planks before him. This close, he could see the black tar that covered the hull below the waterline. Telling himself that Suniaton was right, Hanno took hold of the rope. How else could they have survived that storm? It must have been Melqart. Helped by the sailors, he ascended, using his feet to grip on the warm wood.
‘Welcome,’ said the Egyptian as Hanno reached the deck. He raised a hand, palm outwards, in the Carthaginian manner.
Pleased by this, Hanno did the same.
Suniaton arrived a moment later, and the Egyptian greeted him similarly. Leather water bags were then proffered, and the two drank greedily, slaking their fierce thirst. Hanno began to wonder if his gut instinct had been wrong.
‘You’re from Carthage?’ The question was innocent enough.
‘Yes,’ replied Hanno.
‘Do you sail there?’ asked Suniaton.
‘Not often,’ the Egyptian replied.
His men sniggered, and Hanno noticed many were lustfully eyeing the gold charms that hung from their necks. ‘Can you take us there?’ he asked boldly. ‘Our families are wealthy, and will reward you well for our safe return.’
The Egyptian rubbed his chin. ‘Will they indeed?’
‘Of course,’ Suniaton asserted.
A prolonged silence fell, and Hanno grew more uneasy.
At last the Egyptian spoke. ‘What do you think, boys?’ he asked, scanning the assembled men. ‘Shall we sail to Carthage and collect a handsome prize for our efforts?’
‘No bloody way,’ snarled a voice. ‘Just kill them and have done.’
‘Reward? We’d all be crucified, more like,’ shouted another.
Suniaton gasped, and Hanno felt sick to the pit of his stomach. Crucifixion was one of the punishments reserved for lawbreakers of the worst kind. Pirates, in other words.
Raising his eyebrows mockingly, the Egyptian lifted a hand, and his companions relaxed. ‘Unfortunately, people like us aren’t welcome in Carthage,’ he explained.
‘It doesn’t have to be Carthage itself,’ Hanno said nonchalantly. Beside him, Suniaton nodded in nervous agreement. ‘Any town on the Numidian coast will do.’
Raucous laughter met his request, and now Hanno struggled not to despair. He glanced at Suniaton, but he had no inspiration to offer.
‘Supposing we agreed to that,’ said the grinning Egyptian, ‘how would we get paid?’
‘I would meet you afterwards with the money, at a place of your choosing,’ Hanno replied, flushing. The pirate captain was playing with him.
‘And you’d swear that on your mother’s life, I suppose?’ the Egyptian sneered. ‘If you had one.’
Hanno swallowed his anger. ‘I did, and I would.’
Catching him off guard, the Egyptian swung forward and delivered a solid punch to his solar plexus. The air shot from Hanno’s lungs, and he folded over in complete agony. ‘Enough of this shit,’ the Egyptian announced abruptly. ‘Take their weapons. Tie them up.’
‘No!’ Hanno mumbled. He tried to stand upright, but strong hands grabbed his arms from behind, pinioning them to his sides. He felt his dagger being removed, and a moment later the gold charm around his neck was torn away. Weaponless and without the talisman he had worn since infancy, Hanno felt utterly naked. Alongside, the same was happening to Suniaton, who screamed as his earrings were ripped out. Greedy hands pulled and tugged at their valuables as the pirates fought for a share of the spoils. Hanno glared at the Egyptian. ‘What are you going to do with us?’
‘You’re both young and strong. Should fetch a good price on the slave block.’
‘Please,’ begged Suniaton, but the pirate captain had already turned away.
Hanno hawked and spat after him, and received a heavy blow across the head for his pains. They then had their arms tied tightly behind their backs and were bundled unceremoniously below decks, into the cramped space where the slaves sat on two tiers of benches. Slumped over their oars, and with barely enough room to sit erect, they sat twenty-five to each row, fifty on each side of the bireme. At the base of the steps, on a central walkway, stood a lone slave, the man whose chant had woken Hanno. Near the stern, a narrow iron cage contained a dozen or so prisoners. Hanno and Suniaton glanced at each other. They weren’t alone.
It was hot outside, but here the presence of more than a hundred sweating men increased the temperature to that of an oven. Countless pairs of deadened eyes stared at the newcomers, but not a single slave spoke. The reason soon became app
arent. Bare feet slapped off the timbers as a short barrel of a man approached. The friends stood head and shoulders over him, but the crop-haired newcomer’s muscles were enormous, reminding Hanno of Greek wrestlers he’d seen. His only garment was a leather skirt, but he exuded authority, not least because of the knotted whip dangling from his right fist. His scarred features were roughly hewn, as if from granite, his lips a mere slit in the stone.
Still winded, Hanno couldn’t stop himself from meeting the overseer’s cold, calculating eyes.
‘Fresh meat, eh?’ His voice was nasal and irritating.
‘Two more for the slave market, Varsaco,’ answered one of the men holding Hanno.
‘Consider yourself lucky. Most prisoners end up on the benches, but we have a full complement at the moment.’ Varsaco gestured at the long-haired wretches all around them. ‘So you get to stay in our select accommodation.’ He jerked a thumb at the cage and laughed.
Hanno felt a thrill of dread. Their fate would be no better than that of the oarsmen. They would be totally at the mercy of whoever bought them.
Suniaton’s eyes were pools of terror. ‘We could end up anywhere,’ he whispered.
His friend was right, thought Hanno. The Carthaginians’ weakened navy no longer had the power to keep the western Mediterranean free of pirates, and thus far the Romans had not bothered to police the high seas. The bireme could roam wherever it wanted. There were few ports indeed where the security inspection was more than cursory. Sicily, Numidia or Iberia were possibilities. As was Italy. Every decent-sized town had a slave market. Hanno felt as if he was drowning in an ocean of despair.
The Egyptian’s voice carried from the deck above. ‘Varsaco!’
The overseer answered straightaway. ‘Captain?’
‘Resume former course and speed.’
‘Yes, sir.’
Hanno and Suniaton were ignored as Varsaco bellowed orders at the oarsmen on the starboard side. Leaning into the task, the slaves used their oars to back water until the overseer gestured at them to stop. At once the figure on the walkway began singing a chant that set the oarsmen into a steady rhythm.