The Last Voyage of the Emir

by David Riley

  As the crew moved to follow orders, the prisoners and soldiers watched warily, sensitive to any change in the motion of the ship or any new groan or creak or pop that could signal a breach of the hull. Since the rain had let up, many of them went up on deck, straining in the predawn darkness for any sight or sound of land. Julius and Gaius were among them.

  Shortly, the crewmen found Rayiz with their count. “142 men below!” “131 on deck including you and the Captain, sir!”

  “Did you check the doctor’s quarters?” Rayiz prompted.

  He turned sheepishly, without a word, as he hurried to Luke’s quarters. He was back in a moment with the report. “Just three, sir!”

  Rayiz added these numbers quickly. “That makes 276 on board. Do you agree?” he asked the men to double check. All three men agreed.

  Slowly, almost imperceptibly, the sky changed from inky black to regular blackness and then to various shades of slowly lighter gray. They remained aware of the heavy clouds overhead, but as light increased on the eastern horizon abaft, there was a wave of elation bordering on euphoria as they saw actual sunlight at the tail end of the storm.

  As many of them were turned to the east basking in the sight of the rays of sunlight breaking through the cloud cover, the eyes of the crew and Captain Sahaq were strained forward, willing themselves to sharper vision and hoping against hope to see a welcoming shore rather than rocky cliffs with no place to land a ship.

  Erastus, the good-natured sailor that had climbed up and loosened the yardarm, was the first to cry out. “Land ahead! There in front and a little starboard! I can see the surf breaking!”

  All rushed to his side, leaning forward and straining to see. There was a general cry of agreement, and Captain Sahaq and Rayiz pushed their way through the crew to Erastus’ side. Slowly, inexorably, the breaking waves were more visible with each passing minute. As they continued their watch, they began to make out the rocks on which the waves were beating, but soon they could see the welcome sight of what appeared to be a bay with a beach area.

  “There!” Captain Sahaq shouted. “That’s our goal! Let’s prepare everyone and get ready to cut the anchors loose on my command! Rayiz, have some of the men hoist the small foresail to give us some momentum and direction. This is our chance to finally reach safety!”

  There was a shout of excitement from the crew and Rayiz delegated several of the men to various tasks. Some prepared the foresail to be hoisted on the small mast at the prow. Others made their way to the stern ready to cut lose the anchors. Two men were sent to the rudder lines to loosen them so the ship would not fight against the direction of the waves flowing ashore. Rayiz called Julius over and told him to ready those in the hold. Running the ship aground could be very rough, and they needed to brace against the crash to come. Then Rayiz himself went below to order the men bailing out the bilgewater to stop their labors since it was no longer needed.

  Within a few minutes, all was prepared and they could see more clearly what was ahead. Captain Sahaq, not wanting to chance waiting a minute longer in the rough surf, gave the order.

  “Now! Hoist the foresail, cut the anchors, and loosen the rudders! Prepare to run aground! Everyone, brace yourselves!”

  The orders were relayed to the various groups assigned to each task and the replies came one by one.

  “Foresail hoisted, Captain”

  “Rudders loosened.”

  And then, the final task before their rush ashore. “Anchor lines cut!” and with a sudden lurch, The Emir was making its last rush for land.

  All were holding tight, a thrill of exhilaration mixed with a tinge of terror, as they focused all of their attention on the beach ahead. The rain was falling, but not a torrent anymore, just a steady soaking rain that was almost pleasant in contrast to what it was for the past two weeks. The wind was blowing steadily and strongly from behind, and the foresail billowed quickly, snapping as it fully bowed out as if reaching for the shore.

  Their excitement rose by the second and they were audibly cheering on the ship as it bounded with the waves toward shore. All of the worries were dropping away as they drew closer, closer to the beach.

  But suddenly the ship stopped in its tracks, ramming into a sandbar about seventy-five yards from shore.

  Chapter Twenty-Eight

  In the hold, the prisoners and guards were bracing themselves. They had all heard the plan and were getting regular updates shouted from the main deck as the preparations were underway. When the anchors were cut loose, the surge of excitement in the hold matched the sudden surge forward of the ship. They expected to run up on the sandy beach and knew it could be a little rough, but they were ready to be on solid ground.

  But the sudden stop when The Emir grounded on the sandbar caught everyone off guard. There was a tremendous upheaval of everything around them, and the ship seemed to almost stand on its head for a moment before slamming back to the water, the stern suddenly lower in the crashing waves as it rolled slightly starboard. The figurehead of the young maiden holding her child partially separated from the front of the ship and leaned crazily out over the sandbar as the foresail fell into the sea below. The front of the ship now had a narrow gap exposing the hold. The frapping cables supporting the hull were no match for the force of the crash into the sandbar. All three of the heavy ropes snapped, whipping through the air as they fell into the water. The force of the collision was enough to separate the planking of the hull allowing the seawater to flood the lowest level unabated.

  The men in the hold rolled around violently, ending in a heap along the starboard bulkhead. Surprisingly, none were injured seriously but they would definitely be sore and stiff the next day. They clambered to their feet with some difficulty as the deck canted in a crazy slant. They were immediately aware of the opening of the forward bulkhead allowing the muted light of growing day into the previously dark hold. All were squinting as they adjusted to the relative brightness. Those furthest aft began to cry out as the water finally rose above the hatchway to the lowest hold and began to rise steadily.

  At the same time, those on the main deck were tossed around and several of the crew were thrown over the railing. Rayiz quickly regained his feet and rushed to the edge to check on them. He counted eight men in the water as well as four others hanging precariously from the railing. He watched them drop into the sea one by one and was relieved to see that all were moving with purpose and appeared alert and uninjured. They were standing on the sandbar in shoulder-deep water.

  Rayiz waved to catch their attention. “Are you ok?” They waved reassuringly, looks of amazement on their faces. “Head to shore! We will all follow as soon as we are able!”

  The men turned and after taking a deep breath plunged ahead toward shore, being pushed along by the advancing waves.

  Rayiz watched only long enough to be sure they were making progress and then turned to the others sprawled on the listing deck. Incredibly, all seemed to be conscious and no serious injuries were evident, although several had terrified looks on their faces. Rayiz hurried to Captain Sahaq and helped him to his feet.

  “Get someone below to check the hull. I fear we may have breached and we may not have much time to abandon the ship!” the captain ordered.

  “Aye, captain!” Rayiz turned to climb the slanted deck to the hatch.

  Julius and Gaius likewise found each other and surveyed their men. The soldiers were all regaining their feet.

  “Gaius, we need to go check on the prisoners and those guarding them.” He turned to the hatch as Gaius followed.

  Back in the hold, Cassius and Porcius found themselves next to Demetrius, still securely tied.

  “Hey!” he shouted to them. “Cut me loose! I don’t want to drown here!”

  They looked at each other and shrugged. Porcius took out his dagger as he sliced through the ropes around Demetrius’ ankles and wrists. Once he was free of his bonds, Demetrius looked around quickly.

  “Where is that devil, Paul?”
he asked them. “Now I intend to finish him!”

  The two soldiers looked at each other. “You know, we can’t let our prisoners escape!” Cassius said with a raised eyebrow. “I think we need to do the right thing as Roman soldiers and finish them off!”

  Porcius had a slight smirk at this. “I agree! It is only our duty!”

  Both drew their swords as they turned toward the jumble of prisoners still surveying their surroundings.

  Just then, Julius and Gaius climbed down into the hold. The daylight from the forward bulkhead breach was enough to illuminate the scene, and they immediately saw the two soldiers with their swords drawn advancing toward the prisoners.

  Paul had climbed to his feet and was braced against the starboard bulkhead. He turned to see Demetrius advancing toward him followed closely by Cassius and Porcius, the glint of their swords reflecting the filtered daylight.

  Gaius, acting on instinct, drew his own sword and leapt in their direction. “Halt! You two, what are you doing? Lower your swords!” he shouted.

  They turned, startled, and stopped in their tracks. Demetrius continue to advance toward Paul, but his fellow prisoners saw him and blocked his way as Julius approached and grabbed his arms.

  “Centurion!” Porcius said. “These are prisoners of Rome. We can’t allow them to escape to shore and out of our custody! Our orders dictate that we execute them! We are just doing our duties as soldiers of the Empire!”

  The other soldiers in the hold watched closely, unsure whether they should draw their swords or not.

  “I am your centurion and I am ordering you to put away your swords!” Julius shouted. “These prisoners are not to be harmed!”

  Reluctantly, Cassius and Porcius sheathed their swords. They turned slightly to hide their scowls, but both complied and saluted. “Yes sir!”

  “Listen everyone!” Julius shouted. “The ship has run aground on a sandbar, but we are still many yards from shore. Everyone that can swim needs to make their way to shore. The rest of you, I suggest you hang on to pieces of wood from the ship and float to shore that way!”

  There was a moment of stunned silence while those in the hold absorbed this information and then there was a rush of activity as they made their way to the ladder.

  Gaius was glaring at Porcius and Cassius, making sure they did not attempt to do anything sneaky, but they turned to rush to the exit. After watching them climb, along with Demetrius, he turned to be sure Paul was ok.

  Julius was already at the teacher’s side. “Can you swim?” he was asking, as Gaius approached.

  “Yes, I’ll be fine! Thank you for checking!” Paul replied.

  “I am concerned for your safety, not from the sea but from these men who have tried to attack!”

  “Julius, you go ahead with him!” Gaius interjected. “You need to be ashore anyway, watching as the others arrive. I can’t swim but I’ll find something to float on after I make sure the men are off the ship safely!”

  Julius frowned at this, wanting to disagree, but his logic was sound. He nodded in response. “You make a good point. I hate to leave you, but of the two of us, I am better suited to get ashore quicker. Please be careful, my friend!”

  “I’ll see you ashore!” he called as they turned to go. He hoped he sounded more confident than he felt.

  —————

  When Demetrius climbed up from the hold, he scanned the forward deck. He could not see Temeros anywhere and assumed he had already headed to shore. He was eager to find the boy and talk to him, almost as eager as he was to find Paul and exact his revenge!

  He forced his way through the crowd as he found a spot along the railing. He hated water but he could swim. He jumped over the side and started making his way to land, pushing some of the slower people out of his way in the process.

  —————

  Luke, Temeros, and Aristarchus picked themselves up shakily after the ship crashed. There were no other patients in Luke’s quarters at that time. Temeros quickly checked on Aristarchus’ dressing as Luke checked to make sure his supplies were still secured in bags ready for moving to the shore.

  “I’m fine, I’m fine!” Aristarchus protested as Temeros tightened the dressing on his arm. He winced briefly and waved him off, flexing and extending his arm as he clenched his teeth against the pain. “Don’t worry about me! I think we have arrived. We need to get ready to get off this ship!”

  The three men hurried to the bow, moving carefully on the sloped deck. Luke quickly surveyed the men to be sure there were no major injuries. He was pleased to see that Paul’s vision so far was correct. No one appeared injured on the deck. They went forward and were surprised at the damage, with the figurehead sagging off the prow exposing a rift in the hull.

  Several of the men were jumping over the side into the water. They were jumping from the starboard side since it was lower, closer to the surface of the water. From their vantage point, Luke, Temeros, and Aristarchus could see a large number of people in the water already, some almost to shore.

  The rain was still falling steadily but much lighter than it was the day before. It felt like a reprieve to those on board, but it still made the deck slippery. And even though the storm was abating, the waves continued to roll in steadily and with much force. Now, the ship was immobile on the sandbar and absorbing each blow with lurching and rolling accompanied by loud crashes and groans. There were already many planks floating in the water, and some of the men were holding on to them as they made their way to land.

  “I need to check on Paul!” Luke said.

  The three turned toward the hatch below, but it was clogged with men erupting from the hold one after the other. Luke saw Julius climbing up and was about to ask him about Paul when he saw his teacher and friend pop up from the hatch.

  “Paul!” he called out. “Are you ok? Any problems with the crash?”

  Paul smiled, pleased to see them there. “I am fine, just as God promised!”

  Julius held Paul’s arm. “I’ll see him to the shore. Gaius is waiting to clear the lower level, but you should also get to land as quickly as you can!”

  Luke and his friends agreed as they watched them turn toward the starboard railing. “I need to gather my parchments and supplies. I already have them in a bag. You go on and I’ll meet you ashore!” Luke said.

  Temeros and Aristarchus protested. “No, you’ll need help with the bags. Let us help!”

  Luke hesitated but it was true that he had more than he could take on his own. “Ok but let’s hurry. The ship is breaking apart with every wave!” They rushed away to Luke’s quarters.

  Within minutes, Luke and his companions returned from his quarters, each one holding a bag. Luke made sure he was the one to hold the clay jar holding his writings, sealed against the water. He wanted to be sure it was not broken or ruined as they made their way to shore.

  As they approached the prow of the ship, there were very few men still remaining. Captain Sahaq and Rayiz were making one last survey of the deck and saw no one else other than Luke and his friends. The hatch to the lower level was now empty, with no one else climbing up.

  “Ok! That’s it! We are the last on board. All of us need to get off the ship now! It won’t survive much longer!” the captain shouted.

  As if on cue, a large wave crashed against the stern causing the ship to lurch suddenly. The main mast had survived two weeks of severe wind, hail, lightning, and pounding waves, but now in its weakened state, it gave up. The mast snapped about a third of the way above the deck, and the top portion crashed downward causing a large crack to appear in the deck around the hatch and blocking access to the lower level.

  The five remaining men quickly jumped over the side into the chilly water.

  But they were not the last on the ship. Gaius was still below.

  Chapter Twenty-Nine

  Julius and Paul had made it to shore without incident. Several had already arrived and were crawling out of the water onto the beach, catchin
g their breath. The rain was becoming lighter and there were actual sunbeams filtering through the clouds.

  Julius called one of his trusted soldiers and ordered that he watch Paul to be sure no one harassed him. Then he began organizing the prisoners and soldiers that were arriving, being sure each was accounted for. He saw Porcius and Cassius and made a note to keep track of their whereabouts.

  He assigned another of his men to make a tally of those arriving on the beach. He had heard Rayiz’ report that the head count on the ship was 276 and was eager to be sure all had survived. By this time, though, his confidence in Paul’s angelic vision had grown and he was expecting no loss of life.

  Erastus was one of the early arrivals as well and was tracking his fellow crewmen and helping people out of the water. Several were clinging to wooden planks or other flotsam, and they needed help getting to solid ground.

  Slowly the numbers grew and the beach filled with people. As they reached the sandy beach, most were suddenly dizzy. Their bodies had grown accustomed to constant movement of the ship, heaving up and down in the rough seas. Now that the ground was still, their brains struggled to adjust, leaving them vertiginous and nauseated. Those who rose to their feet were staggering and quickly settled back to the ground.

  The crowd watched the ship being battered by heavy waves. Suddenly there was a gasp as those on the beach saw a large wave toss the ship and then the main mast succumbed to crash to the deck. They were glad to see the last few people jumping into the water at that point and hoped no one else remained on board.

  As they watched the ship, they could see it appeared to be breaking apart at the stern under the pounding waves. Those with sharper eyes saw the figurehead finally fall to the water below.

  Captain Sahaq and Rayiz dragged themselves onto the beach and quickly stood to survey the crowd. Without being ordered, Rayiz hurried off to check on the crew as the captain settled back to the sand gazing out sadly at his broken ship.