Friday, June 18, 2010

Chapter 24

We were overcome by the brightness of the sunshine, and squinted. "I take you to freedom," he told us, knowing full well that he had sold us for warriors. The truth was that the Milesium brothers had paid him handsomely for stealing his master's slaves. His selection was those he'd observed as having health in the navel and bones. The fig man was one of those persons whose bruised body regenerates itself under torture while others fall to the wayside, so he was the first one to be chosen. To guarantee a successful deal, our black sooty rags were replaced with warm brown tunics which hid boney legs and knees and concealed neglect and starvation. Then he fastened us to a chain which he dragged over his stout shoulders all the way to the Mediterranean Sea where a fleet of sixty sail waited in the harbor. The delivery was made to Heber, one of the Milesian brothers. The owner of the fleet was Melesius of Galicia whose fame was his defeat of the enemies of the king of Scythia. But when he heard that the ungrateful king plotted to capture and exile him, he retaliated by slitting his throat. The escape was difficult, but his powerful influence and wealth enabled the purchase of the fleet. Now he waited by the sea to take his three sons, Heber, Heremon, and Amergin to Ireland. They planned to conquer and supplant their kingdom on that island and the extra slaves to be used as warriors were a necessary ingredient. As soon as Heber paid the taskmaster, he loaded his slaves and warriors onto the vessels. The tide washed out to sea and a westerly wind caught under white sails and pushed the vessels fast into the Mediterranean. The brothers were aggressive sailors and blew open the mast to press hard into the unpredictable winds of the North Sea. They held firm Warning: US and International Copyright Restrictions Apply.
their course between the isles of the British coast to Ireland where the sight of sixty sails intimidated the native welsh and Gaelic tribes. Ireland.

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