Читать книгу The Journey: How an obscure Byzantine Saint became our Santa Claus - David Price Williams - Страница 59

CHAPTER FOUR

SERVICE IN CYPRUS

For the first two days we sailed close-hauled along the Lycian coast, past the cities of Antiphellos and Myra then across a wide bay as far as Cape Chelidonia where the lofty mountains looked as though they rose almost vertically out of the sea. The winds were kind to us, with none of the katabatic squalls which I’d heard could rip the rigging to pieces and even sink a vessel. From Chelidonia we began to cross the open sea towards the island of Cyprus. The land gradually receded further and further astern until it finally disappeared altogether and we were alone in a vast expanse of the ocean. I would have been scared witless had I been on my own, but the deck hands seemed to know exactly what was happening and a couple were amusing themselves near the stern playing dice, while another played simple tunes on a pipe he had drawn from his pocket.

That night the sky was clear and a myriad brilliant stars illuminated the heavens until towards dawn a thin moon rose wan and watery from the horizon. The captain explained to me how he navigated by the heavenly bodies, outlining pictures of the signs of the zodiac and a variety of other mythical animals by joining stars together. He pointed out Ursa Major and the North Star, what he called his shepherd star, which enabled

DAVID PRICE WILLIAMS