“Explain,” commanded the general.
After a moment’s hesitation, Eon launched into a voluminous recital of the huge ship’s many faults and shortcomings. Belisarius, no seaman, was immediately lost in the technical details. The gist of it, he concluded, was that Eon thought the great vessel was clumsily designed and operated by even clumsier sailors. He had no idea if Eon was right. But he was deeply impressed by the young Ethiopian’s obvious expertise in nautical matters. That simple fact drove home to him, as nothing had before, the seriousness with which the Axumites took their navy. No Roman or Persian prince could have matched that performance.
As soon as Eon finished his recital of the ship’s woes, Ousanas commented:
“Axumites notorious braggarts about seamanship.”
Garmat cleared his throat. “Actually, I agree with the prince.”
“Arabs even worse,” added Ousanas.
“You don’t agree?” asked Belisarius. The dawazz shrugged.
“Have no idea. Hunter from savanna. Avoid sea like all sane persons. Boats unnatural creatures. But is well known Ethiopians and Arabs think they world’s best seamen.” A sly glance at the general. “Except Greeks.”
“I’m not Greek,” came the immediate response. “I’m Thracian. I tend to agree with you, actually. I can’t stand boats.”
“How are you feeling?” asked Garmat pleasantly.
“I’d rather not think about it,” said Belisarius stiffly. “Please continue.”
Garmat cleared his throat again. “Well, Eon is perhaps putting the matter too forcefully-”
“It’s the simple truth!”
“-but, on balance, I agree with him. The Indians are not, you know, famous for their abilities at sea.”
“No, I do not know.”
“Ah. Well, it is true. Ethiopians and Arabs ridicule them for it. North Indians, at least. Some of the southern nations of India are quite capable seamen, by all accounts, but we have little contact with them. Their trade is primarily with the distant East.” The adviser stroked his beard. “In its own impressive way, this great ship is evidence of my point. The design, as the prince says, is clumsy. And the workmanship is rather poor. Unusually so, for Indians.”
Belisarius examined the ship.
“It seems solidly made.”
“Oh, it is! That’s the point. It’s much too solid.” Here Garmat launched into his own technical discourse, the gist of which, so far as Belisarius could tell, was that the Indians substituted brute strength for craftsmanship. And again, he was struck by the naval expertise of high-ranked Axumites.
“A tub,” concluded Garmat.
“Slow as a snail,” added Eon, “and just as awkward.”
“Big as a monster,” chimed in Ousanas. “Run right over clever little Arab and Axumite boats.”
“Nonsense!” exclaimed the Prince.
“We find out soon,” commented Ousanas dryly. He pointed off the port bow.
The small party of Ethiopians and Romans followed his pointing finger. The southern coast of Arabia was a reddish gloom in the rays of the setting sun. But, against that dark background, a multitude of sails was visible.
“Oh, shit,” muttered Valentinian. The pentarch straightened up from his slouch against the rail a few feet distant. He nudged Anastasius next to him. The huge cataphract jerked awake from his doze.
“Get our gear,” commanded Valentinian. “And drag Menander out here.”
“The kid can’t hardly move,” protested Anastasius. “He says he doesn’t have any guts left.”
“Get him! If he complains, tell him he’s about to find out what being gutted really means.”
Startled, Anastasius followed Valentinian’s hard gaze.
“Oh, shit,” he muttered. “Is that what I think it is?”
“Arab pirates!” cried Ousanas. He grinned widely. “Not to worry! Very small boats. True, very many of them. Oh, very very very many. Each one loaded with very very many nasty vicious men bent on wickedness. But” — here he gestured grandly- “the great General Belisarius assures that size of army matters nothing.”
“Yeah, I’ve heard him say that before,” grumbled Valentinian. “Just before all hell broke loose.”
Anastasius was already entering the tent which the Romans had set up in the bow. Loud cries and shouts rang over the ship. The Indian crewmen had also seen the approaching fleet of galleys.
Valentinian marched to the port side and leaned over the rail, gripping it in his lean, sinewy hands. The dark-eyed cataphract glared toward the approaching pirate vessels. His scarred, pock-marked face twisted into a grimace. “Just once,” he growled bitterly, “ just once, I’d like to outnumber the enemy for a change. Fuck skill. Fuck cunning. Fuck strategy. Fuck tactics. Give me numbers, dammit!” His voice trailed off into muttering.
“What was that last?” asked Belisarius mildly. Valentinian was silent.
“Sounded like ’fuck philosophical generals,’ ” said Ousanas brightly.
Valentinian glowered at him. The dawazz spread his hands. “Maybe not. Ignorant worthless slave. Speak terrible Greek. Fierce cataphract maybe said ’fuck philandering genitals.’ Very ethical sentiment! Most inappropriate for occasion, but very moral. Very moral!”
Belisarius’ attention was distracted by a commotion. Venandakatra had made his appearance on the deck. He emerged from his cabin amidships, followed by a gaggle of Mahaveda priests.
The Byzantines and Ethiopians had seen almost nothing of him since they had embarked on the Indian vessel at Adulis. Venandakatra’s representatives had explained the Indian lord’s apparent rudeness as being due to seasickness.
Watching the spry, if waddling, manner in which Venandakatra scurried about, Belisarius had his doubts.
“Seasick!” snorted Eon.
Venandakatra was shouting orders in his shrill, high-pitched voice. Within seconds, dozens of Ye-tai warriors scrambled out of their own tents and began lining the rail. They were bearing bows, swords, and shields, and quickly began donning helmets and half-armor.
The Ye-tai were followed by a dozen warriors whom Belisarius recognized as Malwa kshatriyas. These emerged from the hatch located in the deck just forward of Venandakatra’s cabin. They were bearing no weapons beyond short swords, and wore only the lightest leather armor. But they were heavily burdened nonetheless. Divided into pairs, each pair was carrying a large trough made of some odd, lumpy wood which Belisarius had never seen before.
“That’s bamboo,” explained Garmat. “It’s hollow on the inside, like a pipe. They’ve split it down the middle and carved out the internal partitions.”
“This is what you were telling John of Rhodes about, isn’t it?”
Garmat nodded. “Yes. I have never seen the Indian weapons myself, but these are quite as described by those of our traders who have seen them in action. From a distance only, however. I think we are about to get a firsthand view.”
“Venandakatra’s not happy about that,” commented Eon.
Belisarius gazed at the Indian lord. Venandakatra was consulting with his cluster of priests. All of them were casting unfriendly glances toward the Romans and Axumites standing in the bow. After a moment, one of the priests detached himself from the group and headed toward them.
“I’ll handle this,” said Belisarius.
When the priest reached them, Belisarius didn’t even give him the chance to speak.
“No.”
The priest opened his mouth.
“Absolutely not.”
“You must go below!”
“Under no conditions will we do so.”
At that moment Anastasius lumbered out of the tent, with Menander close behind. Both cataphracts were fully armed and armored, except for their lances. They were also bearing Belisarius and Valentinian’s weapons and armor. Their arrival distracted the priest, who began gobbling further protests. His protests became positively shrill when he spotted the two sarwen charging out of their own tent, likewise laden with weapons. An abundance of weapons-each sarwen was carrying a cluster of javelins as well as swords, shields, and huge-bladed spears.