The king, who had brought about all this destruction, heard first of a fire to the south. This was followed by the arrival of the captain’s horse. Peasants finally brought the news of the fate of his soldiers. The populace whispered of curses and the site of the settlement was given a wide berth. The incident had left him financially damaged and militarily weak. When his rivals saw his weakness, they came to take what was left. The people took up arms against him and joined his enemies. He was hanged from his watchtower and the atrocities to the south were assigned quickly to tales around the hearth and became distorted with constant retelling. Pursuit of the miners, therefore, was never of interest to anyone as it turned out, and they were fortunately forgotten.
Contacting the miners was more difficult than anticipated as they had gone underground in every sense of the word. They lived in the tunnels they mined and had designed them with ventilation shafts and escape exits that were ingenious. Nothing of the small colonies could be seen at ground level. Once contact was made, it was realised the entire population now consisted of only eight families, a total of fifty-four people. Once Nuhro had explained the situation and a short period of grieving was allowed, it was decided to put into action the original plan of the elders if such a disaster had ever eventuated. ‘The safe land’ as it had become called, was a group of islands off the west coast of Ireland, a short sail but often rough and dangerous as the weather was unpredictable and prone to thick mists. Tools and equipment were gathered also food. The three ships left the north Cornish coast with quite a full load. They headed west rounding the southern tip of Ireland. The ocean was rough yet, following the western coast for half a day, they headed away from the mainland directly west. Nuhro looked at his chart: this island was not going to be easy to find. The ocean spray was bad enough but if they hit mist or fog he would have to turn back to the mainland. “It should be close now, we have come far enough from the mainland.” But they could see nothing. An hour passed and Sabri became worried, “We can no longer see the mainland, Father. The light will fade soon and it will be dangerous for us to try to return at night in these unchartered waters.”
“I admit I am lost, Sabri. We will persist for one more hour, at least the sea is becoming calmer.”
“I see land!” a settler on the bow yelled in relief and excitement. As if by magic it had appeared, one island, twenty kilometres in length with two small rocky peaks 300 metres high. As they drew closer a sandy cove could be seen; they sailed gratefully towards it.
Once ashore the sight that greeted them was not encouraging. The anchorage was not particularly sheltered, there was little in the way of arable land and only some stunted trees on the eastern sides of the hills. However, fresh water was supplied by a deep flowing stream. There were also caves that would serve as excellent shelters as they went deep into the heart of the island. The equipment was unloaded into one of the caves and they all settled down to cooking some pork over an open fire before falling, soundly asleep.
In the morning, a thick mist enveloped the island. The wind had died. “We cannot leave you here without a boat,” Nuhro decided. “It is obvious to me that you cannot survive on the resources of this island. You will need to make periodic visits to the mainland. I am going to give you one of our ships. I strongly suggest you build a signal beacon at the highest point as the mists and fogs are capable of fooling your senses.” The settlers were amazed by this generosity. They had lost so much through the cruelty of man that the smallest kindness was received as a huge blessing. When they realised that this was to be a parting that would isolate them from humanity completely, both groups found themselves looking at each other with a sense of respect, and profound regret. The oldest of the settlers, a man in his early thirties, in the absence of a duly appointed elder made a short speech. The language he used had changed from the original Egyptian. It was diluted with British words, “Tonight when the stars come out, they will smile on us again, and they will remind our people of the compassion you have bestowed on us from now until the end of time. We will survive and maybe one day we will be able to live among the rest of humanity in peace, but you are right, this is not the time.”
Nuhro swallowed his emotion. “This is my last voyage, age has caught up with me. I may never find out how you fare in this your place of sanctuary. It was I believe well chosen. Mankind is not ready for you, but you must survive with your souls unpolluted. I sense that protecting you is the greatest achievement of our lives, therefore we are grateful to you and we require no thanks.” There followed tears, hugs and kisses. The traders boarded two of the boats and rowed out to find a breeze to carry them away from this sorrowful place. By the time they found some wind, the island had faded like a dream; a dream that would return to them for many nights in the future.
CHAPTER SEVEN
654 BC
Dreams of youth should be achievements remembered with pride. Attributed to Sabri the Faithfull.
Sabri sat pouring a fragrant tea into his cup. The sweet seedcakes laid out before him and the light conversation of friends and relatives pulled him back from his reverie. “Salihah,” the sea breeze had said.
”You are still fit for your age Sabri, while others sip wine you can still gulp it down.” It was his eighty-sixth birthday. It was a party in his honour. “Tell the children one of your adventures and keep them occupied for us.” Sabri smiled. He had told them about all his voyages over and over. Not the ones to the western isles. None of his companions had ever spoken of those either and they were now all dead. They never even talked about returning, although it preyed on their minds. It was the fear of what they might find there on that lonely island that kept them at home, clinging to a hope. “Yes my birthday,” thought Sabri, “and with each year the sea wind from the west whispers Salihah and each night I stand on the dock, looking at the stars.” In later years he had become obsessed with the desire to return. He knew he was tempting fate if he returned as the hardships of the journey could kill him. The sight of Salihah’s death site or that of bleached bones on the shore of the island could break his heart beyond repair. “Why is it old men have soft hearts and easy tears?” he thought to himself.
The guests eventually left and Sabri walked down to the docks. The boat and crew he had hired were the best that money could buy. The crew were hard at work provisioning. “Get some sleep sir, we leave at dawn. I will come and wake you in time, don’t worry.” The captain was efficient and highly disciplined, Sabri was lucky to have him. “I will captain, I will soon.” But of course he didn’t. He spent some of his time that night writing his will and trying to explain why he must make this journey. In the end he gave up and ripped up his writing all except for the Will.
The captain looked at Sabri’s chart, then out to sea and back again at Sabri “Your chart is incorrect. There are no islands this far out from the western coast.”
“It may not be accurate. I warned you that it was difficult to find, but it was this far out. The morning mist is almost gone and we should find it once the sun is higher.” Two hours went by and the captain was beginning to doubt Sabri’s sanity. Then Sabri saw it. The sun’s rays reflected off the rocky hills flashing a welcome. It took another five hours to reach the sandy cove, they had been well off course; they could see no signs of life. Sabri told the sailors to stay on the boat and waded ashore. He had instructed the crew not to come unless he called them. They found a spot to the lee of the island to anchor and settled down for a long wait, but at least it was sheltered and the weather had settled.
Sabri was nervous. He did not want to frighten them if they were still here. If they weren’t here, did it follow that they had not survived? After all, they could simply have found a more suitable spot. They had a boat and many years had passed. In the sand, he saw some marks that might have been caused by feet, but he was unsure as they were old tracks. He went towards the cave where he had spent the night so many years ago. It was empty and his heart sank. He lit a torch and walked further in
to the depths of the cave, looking at the walls for human signs. He reached a wall of solid rock. On impulse, feeling foolish he called out, “It is I, Sabri a true friend of the people! I am the one who brought you here, I have returned.” He repeated it three times; then started to walk back to the entrance.
“You are not forgotten friend Sabri, please ask your companions to stay offshore.”
“Yes, yes!” Sabri ran as fast as he could to the boats. He signalled for the captain to bring a dingy ashore. “Captain, stay anchored one kilometre offshore, I will signal you when it is safe to come ashore and pick me up.”
“Why, is there danger? Do you need protection?”
“No, not for you or me, just comply with the order. I may be a few hours but I will be perfectly safe.”
The captain looked closely at Sabri, concerned for his safety. “You are the one paying the money, but please make sure you don’t get hurt; it would be very bad for my reputation when I get home.”
“I will signal you with a lantern if it is dark,” Sabri replies. “Have someone on watch at all times, please.”
He hurried back inside the cave. The stone wall had rolled aside and a man stood in the entrance a few years younger than Sabri. He motioned him to follow him deeper into the cave. Ten paces inside the entrance, he found himself in a huge space with stone benches cut in two tiers into the walls. Sitting on the benches with cushions and rugs, were 192 men, women and children, mainly children. In the middle of this arena were more chairs made of wood and leather. Lighting came through a shaft in the ceiling and reflected off highly polished bronze panels. Sabri sat down and the elder spoke. “On behalf of all the people, I welcome you our dear friend. We are very pleased to see you are alive and have enjoyed a long, well-deserved life. Is there a specific reason you have come here, after so many years?”
“I am old and felt the need to find out if you had survived. Your survival in a strange way became the justification for my own existence.”
“I am Ani, elder of the people. The stars have smiled on us Sabri, we prosper in this unlikely place. Ask any questions you like, but we beg that all you learn here is forgotten.”
“I would like to see how you live, like moles underground,” said Sabri, smiling. It was good to be back among the people again and especially good to see them smiling and relaxed.
“Come,” said Ani, “we are proud of what we have built here and this is the first time we have been able to show off our achievements.”
Sabri was shown the living quarters, each family had their own with water and plumbing provided. Shafts for ventilation and light had been built to the top of the hill where there was a large water storage tank also hewn from the stone. Water was abundant here and was gravity fed through the colony. Sewerage was washed to a holding pond on the beach, then released into the sea after it was seen to have broken down sufficiently. Ani took Sabri to the cove at the northern side of the island. “We cannibalised the ship you left us and turned it into two smaller but more efficient crafts. One is currently on the mainland.” As a sailor, Sabri was fascinated by the design and craftmanship. The boat was only twelve metres long, fairly narrow in the beam, very shallow drafted with a high prow and extendable hollow outriggers on either side. The mast was also extendable in order to fit a choice of sails woven of fine flax. “It is a fine-looking craft and it must fly in these brisk winds.”
“Yes my friend, faster than any boat in the known world, nobody can pursue us, and we can reach all the places that supply us with raw materials swiftly and easily.” Sabri looked at the boat and knew he was ready to ask the question he needed to ask.
“Ani, the site of the old settlement, is it safe to go there?”
Ani smiled. “Oh yes, the old king lost his throne and the stories grew about how he was cursed by our people. No one goes near the site, they are in fear of it. We return once a month, to work the old mines and pay our respects to the dead. The funeral pyre was covered with earth and a grove of oak trees was planted on top. Would you like to see it?”
“Oh yes! Would you be able take me there?”
“Certainly, dismiss your crew and send them home, we will give them some gold for their efforts. Tell them to return in six months and there will be more gold for them.”
This was arranged, the captain vowed to return to the island on a set day six months hence and was pleased to be leaving these waters. The captain and his crew were sworn to secrecy; however they had seen nothing of interest anyway. The boat’s company left in a happy mood as it had ended up to be an easy and profitable voyage after all. The crew had all liked the old man and wished him well. Sabri spent the evening feasting with the people and swapping stories. They played music and danced, he could not remember how long it had been since he had been this happy, although later in the evening he remembered; when the breeze said her name.
The morning was fresh and clear, it was early spring. They did not have to worry about tides, the boat although close to the shore only needed the water to be a little over ankle deep in order to be pushed out. The crew of three were able to swing the sail at an angle to catch the morning breeze. Ani and the rest of the colony stood on the beach, waving. Sabri knew he would probably never see them again but he did not feel sad. The boat lifted its prow as the sail filled. Sabri was both shocked and exhilarated by the speed of the vessel, the waves were small this was the ideal conditions for a boat such as this. Sabri saw the look of delight on the faces of the crew and realised he was grinning like a monkey himself. The boat skimmed the surface, it did not plough through the water like those of his past. The crew were holding onto the sail and helping to maintain balance by shifting their body weight. The outriggers barely touched the surface, making bait fish leap out of the way as the bow sliced the water. It felt more like flying than sailing. One hour towards the mainland they passed the sister ship heading home. It was laden with timber and pottery clay. The outriggers were extended and maintaining stability. These boats worked hard and there were plans to build a third. They sailed all night and reached the site late the next day. Ironically the crew regarded this as a very safe place and ran the boat up the beach and disembarked without trepidation. Sabri did not feel the same way. He stood on the shore and stared at the point on the beach where his life had to a large extent ended. The crew asked if he was all right, they could see he was in an emotional state. He said he would be all right and they should ignore him. The crew set up camp on the beach but, after the meal, Sabri went and slept on the boat. At sunrise Sabri went up the cliff and into the settlement. The buildings were still there, but the colony had removed some of the stone blocks for projects elsewhere. Bushes, brambles and trees had taken over. Sabri easily found the site that had once been a huge pyre; it was now a low hillock with a small grove of ten large oak trees on its rounded peak. The rest of the mound was cropped grass with buttercups and daisies adding to the colour. The three crew members stood their distance and allowed Sabri his privacy.
“It is so beautiful, I never imagined this,” he whispered, the tears forming in his eyes. Sabri walked into the oak grove, which was dark and tranquil inside was a large white square stone table with stone benches surrounding it. On the table, was a large pottery vase with wilted flowers. One of the crewmen came forward and placed fresh flowers in the vase. They then all sat down and Sabri joined them in a simple meal of mead, bread and fruit.
“We all take a turn at coming to this place, Sabri. It has many lessons to remind us of. We have contact with the others but it is very rare, sometimes a little trade in goods and information. They have not changed and are still suffering from greed and ignorance. We do not expect them to understand us and we are content to hide and live our lives this way, seeking knowledge, truth and happiness. Two of their women have fallen in love with our men and have adopted our ways successfully, this will probably continue from time to time into the future. We are forever on our guard and if they threaten us or try to control us, we disappear.
When we are mining and smelting metals it involves staying in one place for a month or two on the mainland. At these times brief friendships can even form, our languages are shared and melded together, but really that is all we have in common.”
“As your population grows where will you go?”
“The island has room enough, with careful engineering we will dig deeper, even below the sea itself if necessary.”
They had finished eating and it was obvious the crew was ready to leave. They were charged to go to a small, hidden agricultural site and work there for three days, then they were to hunt and load with fresh meat and vegetables before returning. Sabri was loathe to leave this place, Salihah was here, he could sense her. “I wish to stay a while, could you leave me some provisions and come back later?”
“I am afraid that’s not possible. It would be two or three weeks before anyone visits again. Ani would be angry with us if we did not return in five days with you as agreed.”
“I will wait three weeks, please, this will be my last chance to visit this place.” The three crewmen argued the case back and forth, but the look on Sabri’s face was the deciding vote. They left him a tent and ample provisions for a month and left reluctantly. Sabri pitched the tent in the oak grove and spent the night listening to the breeze and talking to the stars.
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