Читать книгу The Journey: How an obscure Byzantine Saint became our Santa Claus - David Price Williams - Страница 60

him to set a correct course to the west coast of Cyprus. The following afternoon, we could see land ahead in the far distance and the captain confirmed that it was the northwest corner of the island, near an old Phoenician port which had once been a major trading colony centuries ago.

“They were a clever people, the Phoenicians,” he said. “They had trading ports all over the Great Sea. But they were odd. They had strange gods and weird beliefs. They disappeared centuries ago after losing their North African capital Carthage to the Romans.”

As more of the island became visible, he told me that we would soon be able to see the mountains behind the port of Paphos.

“We’ll have to put in there briefly for water. We’re running a bit low. And we need some other supplies we won’t be able to get once we reach Egypt.”

The headlands of the island grew bigger as we approached, green and welcoming in the spring sunshine, until we could finally see the breakwater of the city of Paphos ahead and slightly to the port side. The captain shouted instructions and the little ship veered towards the land and to Paphos itself. It was comforting to know that the captain knew his business, as we cruised around the breakwater and into the secluded waters of the harbour. He ordered the sail to be dropped and then allowed the ship to coast towards the quayside. At the critical

THE JOURNEY