Frederick and Geraldine

Mary had nine cannons to defend against the pirates.

The passengers lived in large cabins having low ceilings.

This carrack was steered by Sam, the best between pilots.

Three decks and the crew's quarters made it look as a building.

Their quarters and the captain's house were on the upper deck.

With a long boat and a shallop, this carrack was safe.

The kitchen was near the cabins; the food they could check.

The food didn't push people against the restraints to chafe.

This vessel had hatches to be used between the floors.

On the lower deck, near the cargo, it was the gun room.

They stored the guns that were hidden behind the locked doors.

Their scent was blurred by the salt and by the ladies' perfume.

The waves and the missing light made this deck cold and damp

For flour, biscuits, dried meats and vegetables, water and beer.

The seamen entered in that place using a small lamp.

One by one, Sam and Slim were moving the rudder to steer.

The capstan used to heave up the anchor placed at the bow.

The binnacle stood directly in front of the wheel.

Through the compass, to have a night vision it could allow.

The magnetic deviation they could see and feel.

The sailors used the hourglass to measure their duty time

An astrolabe helped them see the position of the stars.

Their chipboard measured the speed during the stormy clime.

The Cross staff was skillful to see those ships of the wars.

''Give me the quadrant to see the dawn star's altitude! ''

Freddy told Sam, ''Why did you choose to buy a carrack? ''

''Provisions for long sails, but I can't say with certitude.

It's stable in heavy seas and helpful during attacks.''

'Did you hear about der Eyck? '' Continued Frederick.

''His instrument for longitudes and latitudes is new, ''

Said Arturo, a Spanish passenger, '' it's not a trick.''

''I'll buy the Plantius' version as a gift for my crew.''

Chiara, Arturo's wife, approached them together with

Lucca and Francesca, the other Italian pair

Saying, ''Is Quare's invention real? I think it is a myth.''

'' His barometer measures the pressure of the air.''

Chiara wore a red big gown, with lace trimming the low,

A green velvet mantel, which was lined with some ermine,

Square neckline and sleeves, which were gathered at the elbow.

She spoke well Italian, Spanish, and German.

Italians wanted to disembark at Syracuse.

Bella and Miguel traveled to Barcelona home.

To find a new home, Naimah and his son had an excuse.

Out of their Turkey's limit, through the storms, they would roam.

Tia, Athan, Megan, and Karsten would disembark

At Selanik, an Ottoman province, where Ahmed

The Third was reigning while his war was a fire in the dark.

They were Greeks being born during the reign of Mehmed.

Marco and Rosa, Cruz and Pedra, Pedro and Carla

Were Portuguese pairs coming home from America.

They had bought from the Pueblo Indians some ollas.

They gave one to the Russian pair, Ivan, and Erica.

Ivan said, ''Tell me something about these Indians.''

Carla said, ''Their belief means dualism; they eat corn.

Some of them became Catholic due to the Spanish civilians.

They think they emerged from the underwater space to be born.''

Carla wore a black cap, having a veil, and a green gown

Patterned with acorns and flowers, and her sleeves were caught

With jeweled clasps on the lace at the elbow; her eyes were brown.

''The water is fresh in the ollas; I like their color a lot.''

She asked Ivan’’ Now, where do you go? ’’ ‘’We left the war.’’

''Ahmed and Peter the First! '' replied Cruz, '' tell me something,

How could you reach Constantinople after coming from a far ''

Zone? ''''I do trade with them, but this war destroyed everything.''

''Did you lose everything you had? '' Marco asked Ivan.

''To make business in Turkey, I sold all my Russian goods.''

Erica tried this conversation to enliven,

''In Portugal, we'll search for a job in cities and hoods.''

Marco wore a banyan with a patterned lining; his cuffs

Were embroidered in gold; his justacorps and stockings

Over his breeches were red like Rosa's shoes and muffs.

All of them wore periwigs and talked a lot while walking.

(Geraldine, Maya, and Pedra were talking in the kitchen while drinking some Jasmine Yin Zhen tea.)

''Between Bosphorus and Dardanelles, the waters are calm, ''

Geraldine Said, ''I love the life and the sea while being on this ship.''

Maya said, '' Let me see the meaning of the lines in your palm! ''

''I worked a lot; I can't feel my hands when something I grip.''

Maya insisted, '' Let me rub your hands with Gilead' balm! ''

''I can't stand the hustle and the bustle of some big cities.

Will you predict my future after reading my palm?

''You'll be surrounded by death coming from the waves' ditties.''

''What is this balm? '' '' It's an extract from the bakha shrubs.''

''Where did you find this shrub? '' ''This extract is brought from Chios,

Where this tree grows near the sea; I use it to make balm and drugs.

It's good for the stomach and prevents the skin infections.

I used it also to make bread tsoureki.'' ''It's sweet, '' Pedra said,

''You must know that this tree excited the cupidity of many invaders-

The groves of Jericho.'' Maya touched her, ''Are you afraid? ''

''It's a place where to fight Titus, Joshua, and the crusaders

Emerged, '' Pedra took a long look at her, ''Do you have children? ''

''I have two boys who live in the southern part of the Ottoman Empire.

My husband died.'' ''Why did you come here? '' ''I'm a poor woman.

Now, it’s a war; I want to work here, not to walk through the fire.’’

(Maya left the kitchen. On the deck, Marco, Rosa, and Cruz stopped for a few minutes their walk to admire the Marmara Sea while approaching Çanakkale.)

''Anybody who wants to pass through the Dardanelles

Must pay a tax. So, we must sit at the anchor in waiting

For an opening of this small Port of Çanakkale, ''

Said Cruz. '' About buying fuel, the seamen are still debating, ''

Said Marco.'' This city is placed on two continents.''

'' The shape of the strait is akin to that of a river.''

'' Its history started with Troy. The tidal currents

Make this time of wait at anchorage a deceiver.''

''The Dardanelles is the most dangerous waterway, ''

Said Rosa, '' Maya and Naimah are talking fiercely.''

Cruz said, ''They've seemed not to know each other until today.''

''What happened, Maya? '' ''He can't stop speaking viciously.''

''It's a fuel crisis, because of the lack of supply, ''

Said Athan, ''many mines exploit lead, copper, and iron.''

''They are smelted with charcoal, which only some people may buy, ''

Said Karsten, '' some people have the powers of the lions.''

'' There're heavy demands for the forests to build castles,

Cathedrals, houses, ships, mills, and machinery, '' said Cruz.

''The fuel for glass and brewing industries is on hassles, ''

Said Pedro, '' this drill of the coal deposits has an excuse.

I've heard the steam engine has a low efficiency.''

Tia said, ''overland, the costs of the transport are very high.

The English iron industries still lose their proficiency.''

Megan said, '' this revolution adds up to one big lie.''

''I've heard that, in Selanik, the Jews control the commerce, ''

Said Marco.''Greeks, Turks, Armenians, or Jews, '' said Athan,

''They can equally thrive the economy of Selanik,

Whether they read the Bible, the Torah or the Quran.''

Tia wore a fine golden silk brocade jacket having

A metallic gold floral lattice design and shape,

A petticoat of ribbed silk embroidered with silk yarn forming

Loops; its front fastened with clasps tightened in back with cotton tape.

Karsten's navy blue, collar, cuffs, and shirt were embroidered

With cream silk 'point Beauvais' garlands of pearls and flowers.

Athan's vest of silk moiré and coat were pumpkin colored.

'Twas embroidered with silver thread and silver sequins.

Tia and Athan were in need of loans for short terms

While intending to bridge the time gap between the pay

Of the taxes and the take of the sums from the owners of some firms.

They traveled to find those wealthy Muslims that loaned money.

''People can't pay heavy taxes and accrue deficits.''

''They must pay these sums even their finances are low.''

''All these payments are done for the Empire's benefits.''

''In this condition, Selanik is a place left to go.''

‘'To prevent people from leaving, the Empire minimized

Their losses while enacting a kaskamot that obligated them

To pay and to leave behind them a guarantor.'' ''It's civilized! ''

''If the women and the orphans can't pay, the Muslims don't condemn

Them, '' ''There're allowances for the persons donating or loaning sums

And for the philanthropic acts like the payment for the abject poor.''

''They take from any owner or any visitor that comes,

From birth, from death and from the sacrifice passing their temple door.''

''Gabella is a tax levied on the purchase of a basic test

Kosher for foodstuffs like wine, meat, and cheese.''

''The rich men pay instead of the poor people to prevent their arrest.''

''There're some taxes for those goods that are brought over the seas.''

''Here, the new public buildings are built using an eclectic style

To project the European face of this Empire.

''Our monasteries are the centers of learning for a while.''

''The head of the Orthodox Christians is like a Vizier.''

(Tia, Athan, Megan, and Karsten disembarked at Selanik while Frederick and some sail men went to buy fuel.)