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Part Two
SNAKES AND THINGS THAT GO BUMP
When they arrived at the
Euphrates River the next day, both camels
stubbornly refused stepping in the water.
Baanah looked to Shimei and smiled.
Shimei nodded knowingly, and waved his hand. The men arranged
for a raft to transport them, no boat was available.
Shimei and Baanah looked
across the water to the opposite coastline.
“Not too far” Baanah said.
“Think your camel will step onto a floating raft?”
Shimei asked.
“No way. I
expect that we’ll ride and they’ll swim.
I can swim, can you?”
“Yes, but the water looks cold.
I’d rather ride on
the raft.”
The boys giggled when the vessel floated into view with
Belthasar and Gasper
sitting down. They
waved, and the men waved back. The captain docked the raft and the
men came onshore.
Shimei looked at the camels.
Baanah laughed out loud when they brayed.
Their eyes wide, they both planted their forelegs stubbornly
on solid ground. Gasper
tugged and coached his animal to move onto it.
The camel lay down on the ground.
Belthasar jumped onto the raft and tried pulling his camel
onto it. The rope snapped, his
camel watched unmoving. Was
that a look of satisfaction on his face?
He laid down.
Baanah and Shimei laughed at
the stubborn animals.
The men’s disapproving faces glowered at the boy’s fun.
“OK, it’s time for
you boys to get on the raft.” Belthasar said, lugging bags as he
stepped onto it. “Come on, boys, show the animals that there’s
nothing to it.”
Shimei stepped aboard
and rode the waves that rocked the raft.
Gaining sea legs quickly, he managed to remain standing. “I
am glad there’s no wind to speak of, otherwise this would be a wild
ride!” he said.
Gasper joined them with the remaining bags. “Let me see that
end, Belthasar.” He
brought the end that remained hitched to the camel.
He tied the two together into a snug knot.
“This should do” he said, and handed it back to Belthasar.
Baanah waited until the surface stopped rocking, and stepped
aboard, finding his sea legs right away.
He plopped down next to Shimei.
“This is going to be fun!” he said, smiling.
“Good job!
Thanks, Gasper!”
Belthasar said, holding the rope appreciatively.
He tugged the rope and his camel looked at him, totally
indifferent to his master’s invitation to join them.
Belthasar said, “If you don’t ride, you’ll be swimming, boy.
Comeon.” His
camel looked away, sending his own message.
Gasper tried speaking to his camel, who held his forelegs
stiff, not moving one inch. His eyes said, “Are you kidding me?”
The boys dared not laugh out loud, but their snickers escaped
through clamped mouths.
“All aboard?”
the captain asked.
Gasper said, “All who’s going on the raft.
The camels will just have to swim alongside.”
Both men pulled their ropes and spoke to their beasts.
“Follow us now…come on…one step into the water.”
The captain used his staff to push off the bank, and the raft
moved out onto the open water.
Both camel ropes became taught.
His staff poked the river bottom
and moved the raft forward
more. Neither camel
budged. Using his paddle, the captain splashed the surface of the
water hard. “This
usually works in prodding the beasts”
he told the riders.
His staff pushed the bottom hard again getting the raft to
move forward. This
enticed the camels to gingerly climb into the water.
Baanah looked at Shimei who was holding is breath.
Shimei saw Baanah’s pursed lips and giggled. They all
breathed a sigh of relief as the camels stopped resisting.
Smooth riding now, the boys watched the one shoreline recede,
as the opposing one approached.
When the water approached the camel’s necks, they both
panicked and flailed their hooves at the surface.
Their splashing soaked all onboard. The camels eyes grew so
wide, Shimei thought their eyeballs would drop out of their sockets.
Baanah braced himself and said, ”This won’t be easy.”
“They won’t drown, will they?” Shimei yelled, fear creeping
up his spine.
“No, they’ll swim as soon as they get used to no ground being
under their hooves. We’re taking the most shallow course across at
this point.” the captain said.
With that the camels became silent.
Shimei said, “They’re not walking anymore, they’re swimming!”
“They were just scared.
If we’d have had a large boat, I think they would have
climbed aboard.” Baanah said.
The captain paddled harder now;
his staff too short to hit bottom.
“The beasties will be fine, as long as nothing provokes
them.”
Baanah and Shimei sat down watching their hooved transport
trust the raft’s leading. “They look so peaceful, don’t they?”
Shimei said.
“Yeah, I wouldn’t mind swimming alongside them.” Baanah said
wistfully.
“THUD!” Something smashed into one of the camels.
The camel screamed and swerved into the raft.
The other camel, suspicious and fearful, panicked, and drove
into the raft. The raft
capsized, dumping all on board into the river.
Shimei grabbed his travel bag, and reached for the raft.
Baanah surfaced after a second and yelled, “Yikes the water’s
cold!”
The camels regained their composure and returned swimming,
the men in their tow.
The captain yelled, “Everyone okay?
Just remain calm.
Hold onto the raft and we’ll make it to the shore soon.
Throw your bags onto the raft.
If you can, throw yourselves onto it, too.” he advised.
Balthasar watched Shimei throw his bag onto the raft, and
asked, “You alright, son? Hang onto the raft.” he said, and swam
towards his own fast-sinking bag.
“Yeah, Dad, boy this water IS cold!”
Gasper embraced Baanah.
“Your Mom would kill me if I don’t return you home safely!”
Holding his camel’s rope with one hand, he made Baanah grab
onto the raft. “Don’t
let go, Baanah, I’m going to dive to reclaim our bags” he said,
tossing his turban onto the raft.
Baana’s eyes popped as he put his hand onto the raft.
“Don’t, Papa!” With that Gasper disappeared below the
surface.
They watched the tow rope leading to his camel sink further.
Deeper. The rope
grew taught. Everyone
held their breaths. The
rope began to sag.
Breathing resumed in the watchful crowd.
Finally Gasper broke the water’s surface and sucked in a huge
gulp of air.
“Yeah, Papa!”
Baana yelled with a sigh of relief.
“Did you get it?” Belthasar said?
“Did you have more bags?” Shimei asked.
“Yes, and yes. I
go to retrieve another now” Gasper said.
He handed Baanah their camel’s rope, and disappeared from
their sight.
Bubbles appeared on the water’s surface.
The captain slowed their forward progress.
More bubbles surfaced.
Gasper surfaced sputtering and raised his hand.
Drawing in a huge breath, he smiled and raised his hand
showing another bag.
Everyone’s held breaths exploded into relieved sighs.
“Good job, Papa!” Baanah yelled.
He threw his arms around his Grandfather.
Gasper tossed the bag onto the raft.
“I told you to keep one hand on the raft, Baanah!”
“Yes sir.” Baana said, saluting.
Everyone laughed at Gasper’s stern warning.
Baanah was not the one in harm’s way.
Gasper said, “I saw a large fish swimming around, that’s what
smashed into the camel.”
“That would have scared me, too!”
Belthasar said, peering into the water.
The captain said, “It’s not the fish that’s to be frightened
of, folks. Stay clear
of snakes, if you see them.”
“Snakes! Yikes!”
Shimei yelped.
He faced forward, his back to the raft, and grabbed the edge of the
raft with his upturned hands behind his shoulders. Kicking his legs
high in the air, he aimed them backwards to land on top of the raft.
This launched his body onto the raft in one motion.
“Well done, son!”
Belthasar said, proud.
He was holding his turban secure on top of his head.
His other hand gripped the camel’s rope who was towing
Belthasar in its wake.
“Come on, Baanah.
Try it.” Shimei yelled in a smiling dare.
“Yeah, OK. This
water is too cold, anyway.
Don’t much like snakes, either.”
With that, a snake wriggled past Baanah towards the camel.
He back flipped so fast that he was secure on the top of the
raft before it dawned to Gasper what he just saw.
Then he smiled and nodded to his grandson, with a, “Well
done! You boys look like seasoned fishermen!”
The camel saw the snake.
With another scream, he jerked Gasper forward faster than he
could swim. Gasper held onto the rope and was towed ahead.
Belthasar’s camel’s eyes peered all around, searching for
danger. He didn’t see
anything, but he caught the scare and swam faster, towing Belthasar
behind, following Gasper and his camel.
Shimei and Baanah
watched atop the raft, jaws dropped.
“Papa!”
“Dad!”
The river captain had seen this before.
He nodded his head and waved at the boys.
“They’ll reach the shore first.
Anyone want to go swimming again?” he said.
Then he chuckled when seeing them both shake their heads no.
“Never had anyone get snake bit.
But the camels don’t play that game.”
Shimei just looked at him and shook his head.
“Me, neither. You could have warned us.”
“And what good would that have done?”
the captain asked.
“Well, at least we’ll get on dry land soon.”
Baanah said.
“Yeah, that’s the spirit!” the captain said, nodding.
The beach looked like a thunderstorm had just passed, with
people sunning themselves trying to dry out.
The camels were lying down,
happy to be on dry land. Gasper said to the group, “We made it
safely, by the grace of God.”
He removed his turban, swinging it by his side.
“Will we ever be completely dry again?”
“Next time, I think the camels will risk getting on the
raft.” Shimei said with
a giggle.
“No more water for us.” Belthasar said.
“We have desert plains ahead of us now. Then mountains. We’ll
be eager to find enough water to drink.”
“Yes, that’s true.” Gasper said, nodding his head.
“We will dry out, and then some.
Well boys, at least you’ve had some excitement today!”
Baanah smiled at Shimei and said, “I won’t find riding the
camel too boring—as long as we get some exploring time when we
stop.”
“Boys, it is good that you enjoy each other’s company and can
have fun at day’s end.” Gasper said.
“But be careful, because we are foreigners from now on.”
Belthasar interjected.
“We still have more than a month to go.
Gasper and I will pray that we make our journey in safety.”
“Amen, brother” Gasper said.
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