Taghri's Prize

by Peter Grant

  “Go see Elhac in the auction warehouse. He’s arranging food and water for our ships, so it’ll be easy enough to get some extra for you. Tell the freed slaves who load it that they’ll be traveling with you. Once they’re aboard, keep them here. We’ll arrange to tow you off the quay, turn you around, and pull you into the bay.”

  “Aye, sir. What about the crews of the galleys?”

  “They’ll come aboard our ships once we’re all out of the harbor. We can’t tow the galleys – they’re too heavy, they’d slow us down too much – so we’ll take off their crews, then burn them.”

  “Yes, sir. How long till we leave?”

  “As soon as we’re loaded. I’d say another half an hour before we start towing ships out.”

  “How many slaves decided not to come with you, sir?”

  “About forty. I don’t know what they’re going to do.”

  “Can I go talk to them, sir? I may be able to persuade some of them to change their minds.”

  “Yes, but be very quick! I need you back here. Warn them that if they stay, they’ll probably be killed out of hand by the authorities, who won’t be in a forgiving mood. If they still hesitate, don’t waste time on them. It’s their choice, and they’ve got to make it.”

  The two patrol galleys made fast to a baghlah and the boum, towed them out into the harbor, turned them around, and pulled them through the entrance channel into the bay. As soon as they were clear, they recovered the towing lines and turned back to the harbor. The two ships dropped anchor, hoisted lanterns to their mastheads so the others could find them, and waited.

  Taghri was one of the last to board, having checked and double-checked that no-one had been left behind. As he stepped onto the deck, he called to the officer in charge, “All right, we’re done. Where are the galleys?”

  “Just coming back, sir.” He pointed to the first as it swept out of the entrance channel and came towards them.

  “Good. Let’s get out of here!” He glanced back through the open doors of the auction warehouse, and grinned. Flames were licking up the stacks of goods inside. It wouldn’t last long.

  The two small bedans rowed past them into the entrance channel as the galleys turned the baghlahs around. Within an hour, the four larger merchant vessels were anchored in a small group in the middle of the bay. The galleys anchored nearby, and the bedans made several trips to collect their crews and transfer them to the sailing vessels. As the last rowers stepped off, naphtha jars were lit and thrown onto the galleys’ decks, setting them on fire. They burned to the waterline, then vanished as the sea closed over them.

  The bedans were secured to towlines behind Taghri’s baghlahs, then the flotilla hoisted sail by the last light of the moon and headed out of the bay, taking full advantage of the early morning offshore breeze. By the time the sun appeared over the horizon, they were out of sight.

  Behind them, the ruins of Quwain’s once-prosperous harbor and merchant district smoldered sullenly, as the townspeople began to emerge from their hiding-places and take stock.

  11

  Soon after dawn, the lookout in the bows shouted, “Land! Land ahead!”

  Elhac ran forward and peered at the silhouette of the hills on the horizon. “Those are the hills behind Lakibi all right. We’ll be anchored in the bay by this afternoon.”

  The lookout grinned. “So now we get to spend some of our loot, eh, captain?”

  “We certainly do!”

  Elhac ran back to the stern, picked up the green flag laid ready on the deck, and waved it at the three ships in his wake. Faintly, wafting over the water, he heard their crews cheering.

  Taghri poked his head through the hatch leading to the captain’s cabin below decks. “So we’re there?” he asked, smiling, his hair still dishevelled from the pillow.

  “Almost, sir. We’ll have to anchor until we’ve been inspected and cleared by their patrol service. They’re a lot stricter about that than those useless bastards at Quwain. After that, we can apply to the Harbormaster for berths. We’ll probably have to wait until tomorrow morning to dock.”

  “I see. Where should we dock? I’m told the harbor here is immense.”

  “It is, sir. I’m thinking we should try for the east basin. There are spice merchants in that area, and since that’s our most valuable cargo, it’ll be convenient to do business with them.”

  “You know more about the maritime trade than I do, so I’ll take your advice. What about the rest of the loot?”

  “Once word spreads about what we’ve got aboard, those interested will seek us out, sir. I doubt there are many ships that come in with more valuable cargoes than ours, even here.”

  “So much the better for us, then.”

  The four ships had rendezvoused at Salwa, taking a day to compile lists of all the loot they’d taken. All the coin had been transferred to Taghri’s baghlah, so that he and Elhac could count it and convert the various currencies to a common value. He’d invited each ship’s crew to elect a representative to sail with him, to observe the counting and satisfy themselves that they weren’t being cheated out of anything. That had reassured the slaves freed at Quwain.

  The ships had headed for Lakibi, three days’ sailing across the open sea. The huge trading port would offer a ready market for their loot, with few if any questions asked. They could convert everything into coin there, and return to Alconteral with nothing to link them to the raid on Quwain except the complaints of the Talima authorities. Their visit to Lakibi would help to refute them, of course, by providing evidence to confirm Taghri’s cover story of a trading expedition in his recently-bought ships.

  “When should we distribute the men’s share of the loot?” Elhac asked.

  “Not until we’ve sold everything. Don’t forget, there are a lot of expenses to cover. I’ll have to deduct all of them from the total before we know how much will be paid out.”

  Taghri didn’t have to add that his own share would be far larger than anybody else’s. According to time-hallowed, long-established custom, the commander of a venture like this received a sixth of the net income – ironically, the same proportion as the state received in taxes – and the sponsors a third. He was both part-sponsor, to the tune of two-fifths of the operating capital, and commander, so he was about to become a wealthy man.

  The advantages of coming to a really big trading port showed as soon as they moored to the quay. The patrol galley and Harbormaster had spread the news about their very valuable cargoes. Merchants and their factors were waiting on the dockside, all eager to do business – and because so much business was done in a place like this, they had the resources to pay for what they wanted. Offers and counter-offers rose in a cacophony, and tempers grew heated until Taghri had to threaten to put off the ship anyone who couldn’t control himself. After that, things settled down.

  It took three days to conclude the trading. Taghri ended up keeping half of the cargo of weapons and armor they’d taken aboard the baghlah in Quwain, deducting their cost from his share of the proceeds. He took the precaution of having a local scribe write out a convincing-looking bill of sale for them, so that if anyone ever questioned where they’d come from, he could ‘prove’ they were ‘legally purchased’. All the rest of their goods sold for high prices.

  Taghri took the opportunity to expand his personal guard, hiring several men whose good work had caught his eye during the raid. They joined the others in standing watch in shifts in the luxurious suite he’d taken at a nearby inn serving the merchants’ and traders’ communities, protecting rapidly filling chests of gold and silver coins. As one joked, “We don’t need to bolt these to the floor, sir. They’re so damned heavy by now that a whole gang of thieves couldn’t lift them!”

  When the trading was over and the last payment had been received, Elhac and Kamil joined him at the inn for a celebratory supper. The innkeeper provided a sumptuous repast in a private room, where they were waited on hand and foot by attentive staff. They indulged thems
elves in the most expensive meal any of them had ever eaten, then sent the waiters away while they talked.

  “What’s the total, sir?” Elhac asked eagerly, unable to restrain his impatience any longer.

  Taghri grinned. “It comes to… are you ready to hear this?”

  “Yes, yes! For pity’s sake, tell me, sir!”

  Kamil laughed. “Impatient, isn’t he, sir?”

  “Yes, he is. After paying or making allowance for all the bills, the net profit comes to just over nine thousand, two hundred gold diracs. The one-third share to be divided among the soldiers and sailors is a little over three thousand diracs.”

  “Three thousand!” Kamil breathed, eyes bulging. “That’s a fortune!”

  “Yes, it is. I calculate that every trooper and sailor who started with us will get eight diracs. Corporals, sergeants, petty officers and officers will get more, of course, according to their rank.”

  The other two exchanged glances. “And our shares, sir?” Elhac asked eagerly.

  “You get a hundred as leader of our seamen, and I’m adding another fifty because you commanded all our ships, not just one of them. We certainly couldn’t have carried out the raid on Quwain without you. Kamil, you’ll get a skipper’s share from that raid. That gives you fifty diracs.”

  The two captains sat in stunned silence for a moment, contemplating their sudden wealth. At last Elhac husked, “It was a great day when you freed us, sir, in more ways than one! This will set me back on my feet again, and no mistake. I can put down a deposit on a ship of my own.”

  Kamil nodded. “I’ve also got my share coming of the ship we took. That’s all ours, right, sir?”

  “Yes, as agreed. I presume you’re going to sell her here?”

  “I don’t know, sir. The crew is divided. Some want to sell her, and share out the money. Others want to sail her for our own profit, taking cargoes where we can get them.”

  Taghri frowned, and shook his head dubiously. “Don’t forget, the authorities at Quwain will report her stolen. If she’s recognized by someone looking for her, you run the risk of arrest for piracy. It might be a lot safer to get rid of her.”

  “Aye, sir. I think we should sell her here, and buy a replacement that we can prove was bought legally, with a bill of sale and all.”

  “You can tell your crew that’s what I advise. There’s another option, too. I own two baghlahs, two boums and two bedans that I bought from the Governor of Alconteral. I’m going to go into the cargo trade with them. Elhac, if you really want your own ship, I understand, although I’ll be sorry to see you go. On the other hand, if you’re willing to stay with me, I’ll offer you the post of Fleet Captain of all my ships. That’s a big job, and I want someone I trust doing it.”

  Elhac’s eyes brightened, but he hesitated. “Have you ever been in the shipping trade before, sir? There’s a lot to learn.”

  “You’ve shown me that over the past couple of months. I bought the ships at bargain prices, so that’s a good start: I haven’t had to pay market value for them. You have the knowledge and experience to look after them, and hire good officers and crews. Our factor in Alconteral – Fihr, Hadi’s son – has impressed me with his knowledge of trade. With both of you to handle the details, I think we can do well together. My lack of experience won’t matter so much, and you’ll both help me learn the business.”

  “Aye, sir. Another advantage is that we’ve got a solid core of seamen and officers. I think at least half will stay with you, rather than go back to wherever they call home.”

  “I’d be interested in that, too, sir, if you’ll have me,” Kamil said respectfully. “I reckon we’ll probably sell the ship we took at Quwain, so I’ll be looking for a job. You’ll need captains for your ships. If you’ll allow your skippers the usual private trading rights, I can handle a baghlah for you.”

  Elhac observed, “He’s done well with the one we took, sir. I’ve watched how he handled her. He knows his job. If he brings some of his officers and crew with him, we can use them, too.”

  Taghri nodded. “If you approve, that’s good enough for me. Will you take on as my Fleet Captain?”

  Elhac nodded firmly. “Yes, sir, thank you.”

  “Thank you. You can start by helping me decide what to buy here to trade back in Alconteral. Let me have a list of what’s cheap here, and in demand for higher prices there. While you’re at it, hire Kamil and those of his people who want to join us. Keep them together on one ship if that’s what they’d prefer.”

  “Aye, sir. When do you plan to sail for Alconteral?”

  “Not for another few days at least, perhaps a week. I’ll pay everyone tomorrow morning. They’ll want some time off to celebrate before we go back.”

  Kamil grinned. “With that much money to spend, it’s going to be quite a party, sir.”

  “That’s what worries me. I don’t want our people to return to Alconteral with nothing but the memory of a monumental hangover to show for all this. I think I should pay them only part of their money – perhaps half, or even a quarter – and keep the rest until we get back. What do you think?”

  Elhac shrugged. “It’s a good thought, sir, but it’s their money, not yours. You can’t stop a man from learning some lessons the hard way. You can offer them the chance to leave part of their earnings with you until we reach Alconteral, but the choice should be up to them, sir.”

  Taghri sighed. “I suppose you’re right. They’ll have to make their own mistakes. After we pay them, I want both of you to come with me to a shipyard on the far side of the harbor. There’s a vessel I want you to see.”

  “Are you thinking of buying another baghlah, sir?” Kamil asked.

  “Not exactly.”

  More than half the seamen and soldiers took up Taghri’s offer to leave some of their money on deposit with him. Two or three gold diracs would be enough to buy them all the celebrating they could stomach over the next few days. Others asked permission to trade on their own behalf, drawing all their money to purchase goods they could take back to Alconteral and sell for their own profit. Taghri agreed to allow that, as long as there was space aboard the ships. However, he warned them, he’d be loading cargoes of his own, so they had better not buy bulky goods.

  As the pay parade was dismissed, most of his men let out a raucous cheer, and headed on the run for the taverns and inns around the port. Eager landlords, barkeepers, minstrels, pedlars, whores and gamblers awaited their arrival, as did local stores and markets. Trading ports were renowned for their ability to separate a sailor from his money, offering the maximum possible pleasure in exchange. Today and tonight would see celebrations the men would never forget – even though some might wish to, when they woke the next day with throbbing heads, bleary eyes, and fur on their tongues.

  Elhac and Kamil joined Taghri in a hired sprung cart, with a canopy overhead to shelter them from the sun. The driver took them around the harbor to a shipyard on its far side, and promised to wait for them. He watered his horse, then parked the cart in the shade and settled down to eat his lunch.

  “What are we here to see, sir?” Elhac asked as they walked towards a quay.

  “It’s a ship one of the merchants mentioned while talking about the problem of piracy.” He gestured to a vessel moored alongside. “They call this design a chebec. They’re new in this part of the world, but apparently there are a lot more of them in the Western Sea. She’s longer and narrower than a baghlah, with three masts. The raised poop covering the after third of her length has cabins underneath for the master, officers and passengers, above the after hold.”

  “She looks fast, sir,” Kamil noted approvingly, running his eyes over her. “She won’t carry as much cargo, though. Her holds will be smaller than a baghlah’s.”

  “You’re right. What caught my attention is that she isn’t sewn together, like most sailing ships. Her timbers are nailed and pegged to her ribs. That makes her hull strong enough to handle the recoil of cannon.”

&n
bsp; “Cannon, sir?” Both captains spoke together, eyes widening in surprise.

  “Yes.” He pointed as they came up to her, and could look down onto her deck. “Her bulwarks are pierced to fire cannon to either side, as well as bow and stern chasers. They’re light guns, of course – this one carries nine-pounders – but there are more of them than a galley can mount on its bow. She has four cannon per side, plus one in the bow and another in the stern. She also has swivel guns mounted on the bulwarks fore and aft, to repel boarders.”

  “She’s pierced for sweeps, too, sir,” Kamil noted, pointing at smaller holes in the bulwarks between the gunports. “You can row her if the wind dies down, although not very fast, I’d say.”

  Elhac frowned. “I don’t understand, sir. She must need at least as many sailors as a baghlah – more, if they’re to man the guns as well as sail her – but she’ll earn less money, because she’s carrying less cargo. How can she operate at a profit?”

  “Two ways, or so I’m told. One is to carry smaller volumes of high-value cargo, like spices or camphor, or urgent messages that pay well for a fast passage. Chebecs are fast enough to evade most pirates, and if they can’t outrun them, they can defend themselves with their guns. That means they can charge premium rates in risky areas. Their other purpose is to escort slower vessels. If she’s handled well, a pirate won’t be able to get past her guns to attack the ships she’s protecting.”

  “That makes sense, sir,” Elhac assented, his face clearing. “How did you hear about her?”

  “Two merchants were talking about her. It seems she was built for a trader who went bankrupt a few months ago. He’s paid more than half her cost already, but can’t afford the final instalment. No-one else wants to buy her, because they think, as you did, that she can’t carry as much cargo, so she won’t be profitable. The shipyard needs to sell her, because they need the space she’s taking up, but they can’t just abandon her – they’re still legally responsible for her. I may be able to buy her for a good price, if you think she’s worth it to us.”