Running With the Moon by Jonny Bealby

Author:Jonny Bealby [Bealby, Jonny]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Adventure, Biography, Essays, Non-Fiction, Personal Memoirs, Travel, Travelogues
ISBN: 9781407098616
Google: gzKubP_yz1oC
Amazon: B003GDFQXO
Publisher: Random House
Published: 2010-04-09T23:00:00+00:00

15 The Angolan Princess

Cabinda Town, Angola

THE ANGOLAN PRINCESS was a shabby old tub. A grandiloquent name indeed for a vessel in a bad state of repair with more rust than paint. She was flat-bottomed, about thirty feet long, carrying amidships a single funnel high enough to reach just above the forward cabin and out of which black smoke continually belched. She reeked of age and decay, but also carried a certain charm and, after all, what did it matter what she looked like so long as she delivered me safely to Soyo.

The day was grey. A thin fog hung over the sea, muffling all colour and sound. The gentle breeze blowing off the ocean carried with it a hint of impending rain. I stood with the Chef du Port and Fernando at the end of an L-shaped jetty, looking down at the boat.

‘How long will it take?’ I asked.

‘Oh, about four hours,’ answered the Chef. ‘It is not far, but this boat is not fast.’ He chuckled to himself. ‘Not fast but reliable, it has been doing this journey for more than thirty years.’ That I could believe.

To our right, two old navy frigates, second-hand favours from a defunct Soviet backer, their hulls and guns looking tired and out of date, bobbed up and down in the grey water. At the end of the jetty next to them stood a crane. Its one long arm circled round and lowered its heavy chain to hang over the bike. We found a thick net, wheeled the bike onto it and secured the four corners to the hook. Making sure nothing was trapped I watched with trepidation as my best friend was lifted up into the air, swung round over the ocean and lowered safely onto the back end of the boat.

Fernando took a letter out of his back pocket. In it he stated that I was a harmless tourist and should therefore be given all the help and protection anyone reading the letter could give me. I was thankful to him for making the effort but quite how much good it would be I wasn’t sure. I fancied the soldiers would look at it and say ‘Fernando who?’ Still, it was better than nothing.

I shook his hand, thanked him for everything and climbed down into the boat. Dock workers loaded up the stern with hessian sacks of mealie flour and salt which the other five passengers used for seats. I lit a cigarette and waited for the off. It didn’t come. I’d had no breakfast that morning and I began to feel very hungry. Along with about thirty others on the jetty above us, Fernando sat doing nothing but watching us watching them and waiting for the cast-off. He had done so much for me already I really didn’t want to ask another favour but in the end my stomach overcame my conscience.

‘Fernando,’ I asked, ‘is there anywhere near here you can get me some bread?’

‘I don’t think so but I will try.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.