A Fall Through Time (Stacey and Shane Mcleod, #1) (17 page)

“Thank ye, Ahab, Omer has spoken with my wife and daughters about the dress regulations in the Muslin countries. I assure ye we will take precautions not to offend.”

The captain gave rapid orders to his crew and then turned to Eric, “I would be greatly honored for ye and ye family to lodge in my home while we be in Egypt. My wife and daughters have a great curiosity about English women.”

Eric looked to Stacey and she nodded her head, “We will be honored to accept ye hospitality and we hope one day to return the favor.”

Egypt and North Africa

S
oon after they docked two carriages arrived, one for the women and the other for the men. Eric and his sons were a little apprehensive and so were his daughters, but their mother did not seem to be phased by the situation whatsoever. Within half an hour, the two carriages arrived at a walled and gated villa. As the gate opened, the visitors were engulfed by a beautiful garden. Omer greeted them in his most eloquent English.

“Greeting Sire and ye Ladyship; please enter our most humble home and meet my sister Feeshla, my nieces Marsha and Kalia.”

The woman and her daughters came forward and bowed. Feeshla said something in the language of Egypt and smiled. Omer smiled, bowed and translated, “My sister says welcome to our home and please come in and have tea. She feels sure ye are fatigued from ye long journey.”

“You are most kind Madame, tea would be very nice. May I introduce to you my daughters Jessica, Jacquelyn and Cassandra, my sons Shane and Brandon and my husband Eric?” The girls dropped a curtsey and Eric and the boys bowed in respect. Feeshla said something to Omer and he invited the men folk to a large room with overstuffed cushions to sit on around a very low table to partake of tea and sweets. Stacey and the girls were taken to a room off the big room for tea and sweets. The lattice wall kept the women out of sight, but at the same time, they were able to see and hear the male conversation. Ahab arrived, a male servant served the men, and at the same time, a young woman served the women.

Ahab and Omer were explaining about the Egyptian language being one of the oldest languages. “Our language is Afro-Asiatic closely related to Berber and Semitic. Here in Egypt we have spoken this language from, three-thousand-two-hundred B.C. up to the present day. We are a country of many peoples so perhaps it will change someday.”

While the earl and his family were dining, their portmanteaus were delivered to the home of Captain Ahab. Omer and three of his cousins came with carriage to escort the earl and his family as they toured Egypt. Decorum was kept as the family toured the city of Alexandria. The Egyptians spelled it Esrendereyya, and when spoken it had a pleasant sound. Ahab’s wife and daughters went touring with them to show the most interesting places such as Pompey’s Pillar located on Alexandria’s ancient Acropolis. Next, they shopped at the Bazaar for clothing more indicative to the weather. The girls loved the thin gauzy silk the Egyptian women wore and covered their heads. The men bought male garments made of cotton. It was amazing how much more comfortable the cotton garments were than the wool and velvets of Europe.

The next day they toured places where Caesar, Mark Anthony and Cleopatra made history.  They saw Obelisks of many of the pharaohs and temples. The Serapeum was one of the most famous of all the Alexandrian temples, as well as the Temple of Poseidon the sea god.

Some days, Stacey and the girls stayed with Feeshla and her daughters. It was cool and refreshing in the villa. The women were talking and laughing from trying to speak one another’s language. The four girls were doing better at conversing because the girls spoke Latin. On the days, they didn’t go touring Eric and his sons worked with Ahab and Omer. On Sunday before traveling south to see the Great Pyramids of Giza, they all went to explore the ruins of the Lighthouse of Pharos. A Temple of Hephaestus also stood on Pharos. Stacey was amazed and pleased to be able to see the Lighthouse of Pharos almost intact. By the time she was born, the Lighthouse had already disappeared under the sea from an earthquake. Much of the ancient world that still stood now would be long gone by the twenty-first century. There was so much of the future she wished she could share with her children, but she knew the Middle Ages was not a safe time for people to be too knowledgeable.

Ahab was busy getting the African Queen’s cargo stored and ready to sail in two weeks time. Omer and his cousins sailed their Falucca with the earl and his family south. Omer rented horses for the men and a carriage for the ladies to visit the Pyramids of Giza and the Sphinx. Down the river, they visited the ruins of Memphis, Thebes, Saggara the city of Luxor and Cairo. In Cairo, they visited the Coptic Christian Community.  Farther down the Nile, the children were impressed when they encountered Hippopotamuses and Crocodiles. It didn’t take more than one warning for them to keep their hands out of the water. The trip down the Nile had invigorated everyone, but it was good to return to Alexandria and the comfort of Ahab’s villa.

Feeshla and the girls happily greeted them. They served Bakiava with toasted pistachio, Barazikse

covered with sesame seeds as well as dates and dried fruits of many kinds. The foods were delicious and every night was like a celebration. They were served Pita bread, Tabouli, Tahini and Cuscus. Stacey received many recipes so she could try to replicate them back in Yorkshire.

The time had arrived to start their journey west. The African Queen was packed and ready to depart. Feeshla and the girls took a carriage to the harbor to say goodbye to their new friends. Eric and Stacey thanked Ahab and his family for their wonderful hospitality. Between Ahab and Omer, they had a huge extended family. Their first stop after leaving Alexandria was Jebel Akhdar. They were in port only a few hours then on to Benghazi. Dressed in their Egyptian garments they took a carriage ride through the city.

A few days later, Ahab moored the African Queen off the coast of Tripoli for Eric and his family to wander through a deserted Roman city by the name of Leptis Magna. Stacey had heard of this Roman ruins, but had never been there. She remembered her grandfather telling a story about World War II and being in North Africa with General George S. Patton who commanded the WTF and Operation Torch in North Africa. He told his Officers when he saw Leptis Magna; he felt he had lived there in another life. Remembering this made Stacey start wondering about past lives and if it were possible.

Soon the children were running and laughing at the many statues and the outside toilets of the Romans. They had all been cooped up on the ship for some days now, so they were ready to stretch their legs. In the late afternoon, Ahab anchored the African Queen in the harbor of Tripoli. He smiled at the expressions of wonder on the faces of his passengers when they saw the glorious port and white buildings of the medieval city of Tripoli. Standing behind Stacey, Ahab said, “Tis a most beautiful city, tis it not, ye ladyship?”

Without turning she said, “Yes, Captain Ahab, it most certainly is. Will we be able to tour the city?”

“Yes, I believe I can make arrangements for ye family to see the Palace, the Bazaar and of course the Promenade will be safe for strolling. But I think it best not to venture into the old city.”

Eric was listening and said, “We be at ye command Ahab. We will only travel where ye say it be safe.

I would not put my wife and children in harms way.”

The African Queen sat in port for five days. One night they were invited to the home of friends of Ahab and Omer’s. Once again, the sexes were separated. By now the custom was accepted and seemed natural. Shane and Brandon teased their sisters that perhaps they would continue the custom when they returned home. Of course, that brought on a race around the deck with the twins after their brothers

with fishing poles in hand. There antics brought on much laughter from the crew.

The next port was Tunis, but only for three days. Stacey told her family the story of Hannibal of Carthage and how he and the Cartagena people fought against the Romans but eventually they were defeated and now the city is named Tunis. Shane listened to the story, but as soon as his mother finished, he turned to his father and said, “Let us go touring Father, I remember ye telling us this story and how this Hannibal took his elephants across the Alps to attack the Romans.”

The girls were tired from the oppressive heat and did not want too bother to cover themselves or go riding in a carriage. They could hardly wait to return to the open sea where it was cooler. When Eric and his sons returned to the ship they were so excited about what they had seen and the food they had eaten. The English passengers were all on deck the next morning, when Captain Ahab steered the great ship from the port and out into the open sea. The girls stood uncovered to let the wind blow through their hair. Cassandra said, “I do believe I shall welcome being back in the cold winds of Yorkshire. Should I ever complain please remind me of North Africa.”

In Algiers, the African Queen made port in El Jazair. As always, the Earl and his family toured the city with Omer as their guide. Their next port was Oran, however, the family stayed aboard the ship. The last port in Algiers was Gazaouet where Captain Ahab took on more supplies, cargo, special orders for France, Belgium and Germany. The next port of entry was Tetouan in the country of Morocco. They were only in port a few days there. The next port was Tangier; this would be their last port in North Africa. Ahab and Omer had good friends there and the earl and his family were included in the invitation. The Moroccan people were very hospitable and the food was delicious. The women of the family escorted Stacey and the girls to the bazaar for Moroccan jewelry and beautiful silk material.

A few days later, they were at sea once again. The air had turned cooler and the earl and family were on deck as they sailed through the Pillars of Hercules and left the Mediterranean Sea behind. Eric and his sons were standing together when they noticed their Mother and sisters were crying. They stood and quietly waited because they too felt a sadness leaving this beautiful sea and the people behind that they had met. Time for reminiscing was cut short as the Atlantic Ocean started rolling, churning and the sky was turning a dusty red.

Eric was concerned and said, “Sweetheart, I think it best ye take the girls below.”

“You and the boys come below too,” Stacey said.

“Yes, we will, but first I must ask Ahab if our help be needed.”

“No, Eric, you and our sons know nothing of ships. Come below.” Stacey could not believe they had come so far and now to take a chance of losing her husband or sons.

“Go below my love, we will join ye shortly,” Eric said, but he could see the stubborn look she was giving him as she turned and followed her daughters below deck.

Stacey was walking back and forth when Eric and the boys finally came below. She grabbed each one at a time to hug and kiss them. “Do not ever do that to me again. We are too close to home to scare me like that,” Stacey said with tears in her eyes.

“Mother, do not worry; Captain Ahab told us how to read a storm. It be like a poem. ‘Red sky at night, sailors delight. Red sky in morning, sailors take warning.’ See, we be quite safe as the sky is red tonight,” Brandon said, full of seamen’s lore.

The countess was anxious to get her family home. They had sailed through the Mediterranean Sea, the Adriatic Sea and the Aegean Sea with no mishaps and now she hoped they would make it safely home.

The sailing journey, with Captain Ahab had been a magnificent experience for her children, her husband and herself. Now she was ready to settle down to their quiet life at Dun-Raven. The countess had memories of another life and she knew there were no guarantees of a peaceful life at this time in history. A fanciful part of her wished they could sail west to the United States and miraculously sail through the time warp with her husband and her children into the safe harbor of the modern world where she had grown up. Stacey smiled to herself knowing the impossibility of such a dream.

As the countess and her family sailed nearer to their home, the children started talking and remembering the wonderful things and people, they had seen and met on their voyage. Eric, as well as the children still had many questions about the wonderful and sometimes strange worlds and people they had encountered. The children noticed that their mother never seemed surprised by customs or the magnificence of these countries. The children were amazed at their mother’s knowledge of the world. They often wondered where she came from and how she knew so much about the world. When they asked her questions, Stacey could often feel their pride and respect for her, as she would explain her answers to them. She always took her time to evaluate and answer as much as she thought, safe to do.

Home

E
veryone was on deck the day Captain Ahab sailed into Liverpool harbor. As much as they had enjoyed the journey, it was wonderful to be back in England again. In no, time at all the earl sent a messenger to Dun-Raven to summon transportation to transport goods to the castle. The countess had returned with gifts of maps and spices for the school, recipes with herbs, spices and dried fruits from the East for the castle, olives and oils from Greece and Italy, beautiful glass plates and containers from Venice and cotton and silk fabrics from Egypt.

It did not take long for everyone to fall back into their routines. The trip was over but still very much in the minds of he children, who wanted to discuss it repeatedly. One afternoon in the late summer Cassie and Brandon came running in with a parchment in hand. Out of breath they both spoke at the same time, “Mother, the fair is coming to Leeds, may we attend? We have been nowhere since our return from our journey.”

Stacey smiled at her children and said, “Mayhap, I will speak with your father.”

The children were accustomed to their tall lithe father and their elegant beautiful mother.  Stacey was now forty-one, but was still straight and healthy. The children were in their teens, all except Cassandra, the youngest.  Their father was fifty-three, however, there was no doubt in the children’s minds that their mother and father were still very much in love with each other. Knowing this gave them a secure feeling. Marriage for love was a rarity in their day.