Old Mikel tossed Hafiz a belaying pin. “An that’s guaiac wood. Hard an’heavy. Same one we’yus for dead-eyes an’sheaves.” Hafiz inspected the piece with care, only to be interrupted by a slap on his head.
“Looser!” Charlie said, making a grimace.
“You got shore again?” Hafiz asked.
“Wexford chicks, here we come!” Said Brian, passing by and obscenely grabbing his crotch.
“Only the fest get it, Hafs. Only the fest!” The red-haired sailor jumped on his partner and, after an exchange of playful fist blows, the two climbed down the rope net to the boats.
“Better no mix with dos idiots. Or yu’ll become an’idiot yur-self . Ni’way, thanks for taking my dog-watch, Chal.”
Hafiz gave back the pin. “Thanks for teaching me, Master carpenter.” Mikel, who was not used to being called master, could not contain a grin that showed his only two teeth.
For the past months, Hafiz had not only worked hard to learn everything about the ship and the world of the navy, but also did his best to blend and be accepted by his fellows. Blending was difficult, as he had to deal continuously with the ‘beany’ patch like all the southerners. Being from the south would be always a barrier, but with hard work he managed to be liked by most and, to his surprise, even Mr. Wisps stopped bullying him after a while. Still, the boatswain had not given him a day off, and he had seen nothing but the ship since joining the navy.
On his way to the bow, he couldn’t stop admiring, with a bit of envy, the views of Wexford, with its buildings filling the entire outline of the bay. The Elena, after a few trips through the Sunny Islands, had anchored in the capital of Northislay for repairs and to accommodate another ten inch mortar, an improvement that would take them months. The cold of the north, something Hafiz had never experienced before, was a dreadful feeling he had learned to despise and spending the harsh winter in that port unfolded as a very depressing future.
Watching over two new recruits who were cleaning the deck were Wisps and Todd, sharing some tobacco side by side. “Mr. Wisp. When will I have a shore leave?” Asked Hafiz.
Wisps stopped his smoke rings to reply. “When ye love the Navy enough, beany boy.”
“Don’t call him beany. I told you many times.” Interrupted Todd.
Wisps answered with a dismissive wave of his pipe.
Although Charlie was the one who was supposed to teach him, Todd ended up being the one who put him under his wing, something that Hafiz was delighted about, since Todd was an excellent sailor who knew everything.
The plump sailor belonged to the same call-up year as Wisps. Together, they had been in the navy for over thirty years, always assigned to the same ships. Wisps, like most sailors with a bit of skill and aspirations, had risen through the ranks with experience, and Todd, who could have done the same, remained a mate.
“I skin white. Why you call beany?” One of the new recruits had ventured to ask, perhaps emboldened by the familiarity with which Todd spoke to the boatswain.
“Because there’re beans of many colors.” shouted Wisps, biting the pipe and letting smoke escape between the teeth. “Ye’re a white bean, but a bean, after all!”
“All day. I wipe, wipe.” complained the southerner. A little fella with long, braided hair typical of the northernmost island of the dragons. “Wipe, sleep, eat, wipe.”
The other recruit, a tall, burly Parni who seemed scared by the minute, froze in terror at the sight of Wisps. “You don’t like to wipe?” Wisps said in a tone that made even Hafiz’s hair stand on end. “I will give you another job more suitable, your highness.”
Wisps walked away, dragging the small sailor from the shirt, and the parni followed like a lapdog. The scene, freshly familiar to Hafiz, made him smile as he sat next to his mentor.
From among the ships anchored around them, they could see the boats of the officers and sailors on leave.Todd offered him a rolled smoke, but the young man declined it. “I wish I can see the city. I listen is a nice place.”
“‘You ‘heard’ it is a nice place.” Corrected Todd. “The first time you go is great. Second is ok. Third is just ‘meh’. One day you don’t realize it and all you want is to go to the tavern and spend your pay on women, alcohol, or dice. Or all three.”
“That’s why you are not going?”
“Aye. I want to have some money left when I retire.” Todd chuckled and took a puff of tobacco. “Next time, Wisps will let you go down.”
“I don’t understand why he still thinks I will run away. I will not.”
“He knows. I know. There are more chances we get punished because that two idiots don’t come back tomorrow than you deserting. But if he gives you special treatment, the rest of the freshmen will hate you.” Todd said, pointing with the tip of his pipe around the deck.
“Aye,” Hafiz whispered, with a helpless blow.
“Son, you have been working hard since the first day. Keep it that way. Mates and officers can see, and they respect that. But if you take a cutsie, that respect is over.”
“I understand.”
Todd tapped his shoulder. “Good boy. Have you received an answer to your letter?” Hafiz shook his head. “Do you want me to write another one for you?”
“Nay. Eloy told me the Saint Mary is sailing the west colonies. They won’t receive or send post for a long time. Also, I want to write the next one by myself.”
“Sure. You are a good learner. Now you speak pretty well, I’m sure you will write properly in no time. I will help… I will… What’s going on there?” Todd’s attention suddenly shifted to the starboard, where a group of sailors had gathered around the rope ladder.
“A fancy half-blood has boarded with two beanies black as the night.” Answered a passing sailor to Todd’s question.
“All that noise for southerners?”
“The half-blood maybe a sou’bean” replied the mate, looking at Hafiz askance. “But the other two are Reddish. Or Sunny. Tell you. Black as coal. Ni’way, the fuzz is because of all the strange equipment they bring on board. weird, it is.”
Todd stood, hitting his pipe on the handrail. “Let’s have a look.”
The two black men were indeed dark. Hafiz had never seen such skin, not even the darkest of the parnis match that color. But unlike his peers, he paid little attention to that detail. What really impressed him was the complexion of the two foreigners. Tall as mountains and muscular in a way, only Thomas the blacksmith came close to match. The one with jet-black curly hair had a defined complexion, while the other, with a shaved head, hid his wonders under an enormous belly. If it was not from those two differences, with identical faces, same sailor clothing and equally big golden earrings, no one could tell them apart at all.
The man, so-called half-blood, a derogatory term for people born from parents of different races, was as tall as his two companions. Slender and well dressed, he had a gray curly hair and a big mustache, and if not because of his slightly brownish skin, no one would tell he was half southerner.
The high-class man scratched his big pointy nose and looked around with an air of superiority. “How is my friend Richard doing?” He asked officer Curly, who was standing next to him.
“Capitan… Bainon is busy. He will greet you in the great cabin later.” Curly’s response did not hide certain annoyance for the familiarity with which the stranger had referred to the captain. The newcomer tossed his coat and hat over Curly as if the lieutenant was a simple steward, raising some giggles and, of course, reddening with rage the officer, who passed the clothes to Timmy boy.
“Gentlemen! My name is Maurice Andre Genet Del-Davy. I know it is a really long name, so I’d like you to call me Mon’Sir Genet.”
Mr. Genet unbuttoned his tailcoat and pulled up his sleeves as he sat on the handrail with legs crossed. A deed that surprised Hafiz, as he needed a good balance to not fall into the water.
“I am fully convinced that every single one of you has noticed my lovely skin tone.” Mr. Genet said, lightning a strange elongated pipe. ”That’s a gift from my beloved mother, who was born in Ujan. My two associates here are Kilio and Romano. They are freemen and Navy mates. I hope they are given the proper greeting at all times. Neither of us like the terms ‘mules’ ‘revesans’, or ‘beanies’. We don’t appreciate it, so keep it for yourselves.“
Mr. Genet stopped his speech to smoke, taking his time to analyze the reactions of his audience. Few of the sailors left the crowd, though most remained, buzzing around the strange gear the two red islanders were moving.
“Said that,“ he continued. “I’m the dive chief in charge of training the new Elena’s dive mate. You may ask, what’s that? Well, a dive mate is someone who does underwater work. Using that strange suit over there, one can spend hours under the sea.” The murmur among the sailors increased and the surrounding group became smaller. “Sir. Why does a person need to stay underwater for hours?” asked one of the men, raising his hand as if they were at a school.
“To perform many jobs that you cannot do properly. Like repairing or cleaning the hull, for instance. Or recovering something of great importance.” Mr. Genet looked around. “Anyone interested?”
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Nobody took a step forward. On the contrary, most of the men lost interest and returned to their tasks on the bridge. Along with Hafiz and Todd, few remained, something that seemed to amuse Mr. Genet. “I didn’t say that during the training you will get two extra silvers a week and when you finish, you will have petty officer wages.”
In less than a minute, the number of men around Mr. Genet was even greater than when he arrived, pushing each other to be in a better position. When he invited them to raise their hands, if they were interested, more than half did. Todd nudged Hafiz with his elbow, but the young man didn’t move.
“Whom of you cannot swim?” He asked. “Who doesn’t know how to read?” Slowly and after a few more questions, the amount of volunteers declined, leaving just ten of them.
The dive chief raised a pocket watch so all the sailors could see. “This is a Villiers du Eve, gents, You all know the value of one of this,” he said, immediately tossing the small watch into the bay waters, an action that drew a few sighs of surprise and a hiss from Todd. “Whoever that can bring back my watch gets the position.”
One candidate jumped into the freezing waters without thinking twice. Mr. Genet’s hand stopped the rest of doing the same. “Gents, gents! I didn’t finish. That man is out. I wish no impatient people among my men.”
Everyone leaned over to watch how the jumper was doing. The aforementioned did not last long, and as expected, he returned to the surface with nothing. The waters of the bay were cloudy, and the bottom was muddy and as deep as five to ten fathoms. That watch, if it wasn’t buried in a foot of mud, was almost impossible to find during the short time anyone could have to search. Hafiz knew it well. He spent years harpoon fishing through the reefs with his dad.
“The test starts as soon as you head submerges. And as soon as it comes out, the test is over. If it does and you have no watch, you are out. No second plunges.”
Some candidates immediately jumped into the water while others took their time to warm up or just to undress uncomfortable pieces of clothing. None of the first-timers drew even a shred of Mr. Genet's attention, who preferred to clean his nails with a toothpick instead of looking.
The last two were different. The dive chief watched attentively as Fernando, a gunner with an enviable body, descended through the ropes and breathed calmly before the dive.
Hafiz knew that was the best way to last longer underwater. Rushing and excitement increased your heartbeat and therefore your blood flow, leading to an earlier need for air.
Disappointingly, Fernando did not last a single minute, getting a click tongue from the diver chief.
The last one, Adam, one of the best swimmers on the ship, jumped from the bridge with extraordinary elegance, spending over three minutes underwater. But even he came back empty-handed. The able-seaman reached the surface almost without air, leaving everyone with a feeling of disenchantment that made more of them go back to work.
“I guess I will have to wait for off duty to find a candidate.” Genet said, trying to expose his disappointment.
Everyone was disbanded when Todd raised his voice. “This mate is a good swimmer. He can try.” The old man put his hands over Hafiz’s shoulders. He tried to escape, but Todd was strong like a bear, and his grip held him in position.
“What’s your name, ‘good swimmer’?”
“I’m Hafiz, sir. But I prefer not to try. I know I won’t find the watch.”
“What made you say that?” asked the chief.
“Sir, that is at least a five fathom murky dive. Your watch must be deep into the mud. If I have a suit to stay for hours like you said, then maybe I could find it.”
The dive chief let out a laugh. “With my suit, of course. But I want you to try it without it.”
Todd tapped his shoulder. “Son, just try. What do you lose by trying?”
Hafiz thought about it for a moment and agreed. He descended the ropes reluctantly, and when he reached the water surface, he still didn’t understand why he agreed to do such a waste of time.
Like the gunner, he took his time to breathe and relax. To fill his lungs with plenty of air before the dive. As he predicted, the water had no visibility at all, not being able to even see his hand touching the slimy bottom.
He spent a long time searching vainly. He stayed even longer than Adam, but unlike him, he would not wait until the last minute to get out. He knew from experience that it took time to ascend and you couldn’t start doing it when you already felt the need for air. Thereby, Hafiz surfaced without a struggle, calm as he had entered.
“Did you find it?” Shouted one man.
“No, I didn’t,” answered him. With sounds of disappointment, the small number of men that still remained, banished.
When he climbed back, the only person waiting was Todd. “You did well. Maybe he chooses you.” Hafiz doubted it. Genet had left without a word. If he was interested, he’d wait to tell him. Todd put a towel over his protegee’s shoulders. “When you surfaced, the fancy lord smirked. I saw!”
The two hadn’t even taken two steps toward their work area when Curly’s cough surprised them from behind. “Mr. Kabir. You are required in the captain's cabin. Dry and groom yourself.”
“See? I knew it! You got the position!” Todd was so happy that he didn’t realize how hard he slapped the boy on the back, who dropped the towel from the blow.
Minutes later, Hafiz was in front of a musketeer, who knocked on the great cabin door. “Let him in,” said the stern voice of the captain from within. The young man stood in front of the table, his jacket buttoned and his hat in hand. The captain and Mr. Genet were sitting close together, talking amicably and sharing a smelly drink.
“You cannot say that Maurice!” said the captain, to which his tone of disapproval contrasted with a mischievous smile.
“I tell you Richard. You will see the truth in Sir Hedger’s face when I tell the story during dinner.”
“Oh, no!“ The captain leaned back in his chair, hands over his head. It was strange to see Lord Bainon, a grave and straightlaced man, so relaxed and uninhibited. “This is the man you choose?” He asked, recovering his usual composure.
“Yes, he is.” Answered the dive chief with confidence.
“Will you train only one, Maurice? Will that be enough?”
“I don’t like to teach groups. But no worries, when I finish with him, he will teach others.”
“Very well then. Mr. Kabir it is. I heard only good words about him: Hard worker. Good choice.” The captain glanced at Hafiz and he swelled with pride. “Mr. Kabir, during the next months you will train with my friend the Count of Ville-Cotte. His word will be as it comes from myself, understand?”
“Aye, aye Cap’n.”
“When he doesn’t require your service, you will still perform your duties, as usual. I think I’d leave all the details to you, shouldn't I?”
The Count agreed, raising his silver cup. “We leave you with your troubles, Richard. I will see you later at dinner?”
“Absolutely. They are all excited to hear your stories and drink your delicious wine.”
Hafiz gave a formal salute and followed the dive chief, who strode to the deck. ‘I’m starving. Are you hungry?”
Mr. Genet didn’t wait for an answer. His movements, now abrupt and steady, made him look like a different man. The snobbish nobleman who behaved with graceful and sophisticated motions upon arrival was now acting like a sailor from the docks.
“Kilio! Did you bring our goodies on board?” Mr. Genet shouted to one of his workers.
“Yes Boss. Do you want the usual?”
“Bring the usual and have a rest with us. Come sit Mon’lad. “
They sat on a quiet area of the deck and Kilio brought a tray with all kinds of cheeses and cold meats, most of them new to Hafiz. The four had a peaceful dinner, full of anecdotes and jokes. Mr. Genet, even though he was a nobleman, treated everyone as an equal and even laughed at the jokes that Romano used to make at his expense.
The conversation unfolded in such a way that many of the questions the shy new diver had were answered without having to ask. So, Hafiz discovered that indeed, Romano and Kilio were two brothers from the south of the Red Island and that the watch that Genet had thrown into the sea was a cheap fake, not worth a penny.
“Difficult to believe I’m a Count, right?” the chief said as an answer to one of Romano’s comments. “Usually they wouldn’t let half-bloods like me be one of them, but I’m a lucky lad. Funny story involving a Princess, a guitar and a chicken bone!”
Romano, who surely knew the story, chuckled and walked away, not before filling his mouth with ham.
“Enycais… that’s a tale to be told with a better wine than this.“ Genet said, suddenly standing up and stretching with the satisfaction of someone with a full belly. “Follow us! Now you will do the last test. We want to see what you got. This is no simple job! From now on, not only hard work awaits you but also studies in physics, biology and mathematics. It is not an easy position, no! You’ll have to earn it. Are you ready?”
Hafiz was about to say yes when the sight of the suit in front of him took his breath away. The strange dress, which seemed to be of one whole piece, was made of a thick fabric, like that of sacks, and reinforced by strange black patches of rubber on the collar, arms and knees.
While Kilio helped him put on the cumbersome suit, he explained that the fabric was called twill and it was a waterproof fiver. He also told that the thick rubber collar was clamped to the corselet, a metal piece over his shoulders, sealing his whole head from water when the round helmed was attached and when the different pieces where all together, he’d receive a constant flow of air from the surface using a hose connected to it.
Genet kneeled in front of him. “We want to see that you can handle yourself with this equipment on the surface. You will stand up and do a few steps. From seat to seat, that’s all. Underwater, it doesn’t feel this heavy, but there will be worse things than the suit down there. I suppose you have been in many fights already, right?”
“No sir. Never been.” Answered him. “The Elena is a bomb vessel, sir. Specialized for gunfire support. Usually the -”
“Is all right,” interrupted Mr. Genet. “Listen, have you ever been so in danger that you thought you were going to die? Yes? Do you remember that feeling on your stomach, the fear? Well, underwater you’ll feel that way. Alone and imprisoned in that small helmet. Cold and helpless. At some point or another, fear always takes over all of us down there. There is no way to avoid it, but you can learn to fight it. That’s the most important lesson: Always be calm and in control. So,“ Genet put a golden small chain around Hafiz neck, “I always give this pendant to all my students every time they put on that suit. It was a gift from my wife Carol before her demise. It has always given me luck and somehow courage, and it will give you the same on each dive as well. When you finish, return it to me.”
Mr. Genet left space for the two Reddish men to continue their work. Kilio tied the weighted shoes while Romano bolted the bronze collar-piece over his shoulders.
When the two brothers pulled down the helmet, a feeling of claustrophobia emerged. A crowd, silent, expectant, and bigger than ever, had all eyes fixed on him and his strange armor. His eyes searched for Todd, but as the helmet lowered, his sight reduced to a tiny vision port in front of his face and two equally small ones on each side.
The inside of the metallic sphere was hot and strangely quiet. Hafiz found in his breathing, the only sound within that small space, a way to remain calm and focused.
The entire suit, with the addition of hanging weights on chest and back, was extremely heavy, something the new diver noticed with flesh and bone as soon as he got up. A grueling outfit that made each step a laborious work and put his balance up to an almost impossible challenge.
Shouts of encouragement helped him lumber to the chair, exhausted but exultant. The crowd erupted in cheers, and Romano patted his arm.
Mr. Genet’s nod of encouragement infused him with a feeling of pride like he had never felt before. At that moment, he knew that this was the path he was destined to follow. Where he wanted to be, what he wanted to become. The cold, dreary winter months in Wexford, he thought, were going to be the best of his life.