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.They were there to protect the ship’s very secret and valuable cargo.“Not bad for a farmer,” Yavtar agreed with a laugh.Not that anyone thought of him as a farmer, especially now that he owned the largest number of ships in Akkad.His vessels carried cargoes on both the Tigris and Euphrates.As Yavtar approached his fortieth season, he traveled less and less on the great Tigris, the river that, only a few years ago, had carried him into battle with Lord Eskkar and brought him so much wealth.Now he preferred to spend more of his days on the large farmstead south of Akkad, purchased with his victor’s profits and surrounded by his two wives and a growing brood of energetic children.Nevertheless, Yavtar still felt the urge to experience water flowing beneath his feet, so he often accompanied more valuable cargoes, if for no other reason than to keep a watchful eye on his hired shipmasters.This trip, despite the worth of its goods, had other, more urgent reasons for bringing Yavtar downriver.“Is this vessel from Akkad?”The dockmaster’s abrupt words brought Yavtar back to the present, and he lifted his eyes to the wharf.The officious man with the yellow sash had advanced onto the dock, his bored guards still in attendance, and now stood frowning down into the boat.Looking up, Yavtar perceived the man’s stomach in all its glory, bulging against his tunic from too much food and too little labor.“I’m Yavtar, owner of this boat and –”“Do you come from Akkad?” The way the dockmaster uttered the name of the city turned a simple question into an insult.“Yes, by the order of King Eskkar.We carry –”“The only king I know is King Eridu of Sumeria,” the man said, not bothering to hide the disrespect.“You will discharge your cargo as soon as possible.Only you and your sailing master will be permitted to leave the dock or enter the city.If any of your crew steps onto shore,” he jerked his head toward the riverbank, “they’ll end up as slaves.”The border disputes between Akkad and Sumer had intensified over the last few months, and now affected routine trade.Yavtar glanced toward the city walls and saw a handful of soldiers standing just outside the gate.He counted ten men and their commander.“And before any cargo is landed, King Eridu has decreed a fee of three silver coins to be paid.”Yavtar frowned at the outrageous price.On his last trip to Sumer, little more than a year ago, the dockmaster had charged only a single silver, and that was more of a personal bribe than anything official.“And what do I receive in return for this large sum?”“You are permitted to use the dock until dusk tomorrow.By then, you must be on your way, or you will be charged another three silvers,” the man said, smiling broadly at Yavtar’s discomfort.“If you can’t afford to pay, take your ship and your goods back to your barbarian king.”Behind Yavtar, the crew and the Akkadian soldiers who guarded the cargo began to mutter at the slur.The last thing he wanted was trouble.“Then it is my pleasure to make payment,” Yavtar said.He climbed onto the wharf, reached into his pouch, and withdrew four silver coins.“And perhaps you could dispatch a messenger to fetch Merchant Gemama.Meanwhile, I would be most grateful if you could order your work crew to carry the cargo off the dock.I’m certain Merchant Gemama is waiting most anxiously for his goods.” Yavtar dropped the silver coins in the dockmaster’s open palm.The extra one would find its way into the man’s private pouch.“And since I am my own sailing master, I will need one of my guards to accompany me in Sumer.”After a quick scrutiny to verify their quality, the coins disappeared.“Very well, one servant may accompany you into Sumer.I’ll send a slave to Gemama.” The dockmaster turned away and negotiated his way through the crowd until he reached the awning and chair that awaited him on the riverbank.As the man settled into his seat, he gave orders to the overseer of the work gang.At the slavemaster’s command, they shuffled wearily toward the Akkadian craft.Yavtar jumped back into the boat, where his four crewmen waited.“Hand up the cargo to the slaves, and make sure they don’t spill anything.Don’t let any of them into the boat, or the dockmaster will accuse us of trying to steal them.” He stepped closer to his crew.“You heard what he said about staying on the dock.You might as well stay on board, unless you want to spend the rest of your lives in Sumer.”The transfer of goods began.The bulk of the cargo was specialty foods – peas, sesame seeds, exotic dates, spices, and sacks of the finest wheat for bread-making, all products in short supply in Sumer at this time of year.Once satisfied that his crew could manage the unloading, Yavtar turned to the leader of the soldiers.“My crewmen will keep the king’s goods under their eyes until Gemama arrives with his gold.You make sure nothing happens to that pouch.”The vessel’s real cargo, a double-bound leather pouch with a thick strap, now hung from Daro’s shoulder.He nodded, and fingered the sword at his side.“We’ll keep it safe, Yavtar.”“And tell your men not to stare at the guards on the shore.We’re not here to pick a quarrel with the Sumerians.”The crew continued unloading, passing the bags, sacks, and bundles to the slaves on the dock.Yavtar watched the proceedings with care, counting each and every item from habit.The master crewman did the same.The work-gang slaves had to be watched carefully, of course.A dropped sack, a slit cut surreptitiously into the side of a sack, and goods would disappear in a blink.Besides, Merchant Gemama would recount and re-examine each item before he took possession, and the numbers would need to agree before payment would be arranged.The specialty goods would fetch a very good price, but then would come the real haggling over the ship’s true cargo.The leather pouch guarded by Daro and the Akkadian soldiers contained lapis lazuli, the finest to be found anywhere in the land.The precious stones had traveled a long and dangerous journey from the distant and almost unknown eastern lands to Akkad.The profit from that sack alone would more than triple the gains made by the rest of the cargo.The bulk of the Southern Star’s cargo soon rested on the dock.Master Gemama arrived only moments later, attended by his own porters and three armed guards.His bald head shone in the sun, and he carried almost as much weight around his stomach as the dockmaster.“Ah, Yavtar, good to see you, old friend,” he shouted as he climbed down into the boat.“It’s been a long time since you’ve landed here.A safe journey, I hope?”“Smooth and fast, just the way I like it.” Yavtar smiled at the Sumerian merchant, who also wore a yellow sash over his linen tunic, marking him as a king’s man.They had known each other for more than twenty years, trading, arguing, and bargaining the whole time.Yavtar trusted the man, as much as anyone could ever trust a Sumerian.The haggling over, the regular cargo went quickly, and Yavtar negotiated a bit more than he expected, no doubt Gemama’s way of giving thanks for the speedy delivery.After the gold exchanged hands, Gemama lowered his voice.“And you have something special for me?”“Come and see [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]