Hellenes, as a sign of its protection, and the wilted sea. His ship, “Horse of the Sea”, went to the raid and dismissed the sail, the wind was fair, and drove the ship driven by an experienced pilot, to the north, to the new, unexplored distance, leaving the beloved city astern. The voyage took place in good weather, but Nearh did not immediately get used to the shuttering, at first it was swaying well when the ship dived down, and then climbed the wave upwards, the sailors improperly joked at it, an inexperienced navigator. Soon the helper took him into training, and continued the instructions of Androtim, taught how to keep the ship in different directions of the waves, so that the sea would not hit the side of the ship, how to navigate the ship through the stars at night. Here the young man was simpler, the constellations, their names, his wife forced him to learn when he was studying in the Cave of Idea. The helmsman, he is the captain, bore a name very suitable to him – Navkratios, it was a strong, forty year old man with a small beard, which he wore, just not to shave. The servant of the Nearhs bore a good swim, and he and the sailors were addicted to catching tuna, in which he showed himself to be a master, prepared the bait, and deftly hooked the fish on the hook with a net. The fish was cooked when the ship pestered into the small coves of the Cycladic islands, past which they walked. At sea, there were other ships that went past them, some to Athens, some to Eritrea, and some to Megaras or Byzantines. Soon Skyros appeared, where there is also Mount Olympus, this is the place where the legendary Achilles was hiding and where she found the death of the hero Theseus, and from this island to Euboea stages, some of the initiated believed that this was the island of Scherias, the island of Blessed. Half of the way was covered, and now Navcratios was heading along the coast of Euboea, just in those places where the fleet of Xerxes was plowing the waters of the Aegean Sea. Sometimes the helmsman called Nearh to the helm, he would have breathed, and the young man happily took control of the ship, he liked how every movement of the ship was given, the waves pushed against the side, the rolls from waves to waves, and the salt spray that sometimes but ve was equally sad about mother and father, and about Kallifen, whom he left shortly after the wedding. Day went by, and they went around the coast of Euboea, passed by Halkidiki, and approached the mouth of Strymon. The river was divided into many branches, and an experienced pilot, who boarded the “Horse of the Sea”, skillfully chose the right channel, which led them to the city. The water of the river was very clean, although it was overgrown with a cane, and the current was weak, so it was not hard for sailors to climb up the river bed at oars. The crew of the ship saw the already famous Golden Mountains of Pangeon, which gave fabulous wealth to the Macedonian king Philip. Twenty stages separated them from Amphipolis, and the ship overcame them in an hour. They arrived safely, so Nearh watched the unloading of goods into Androtim’s proxenos warehouses, the sailors worked efficiently, used tackles in the work, hooking nets with the goods, and dropping the harbor to the ground, so the proxenos servants didn’t have to grunt, and the documents were drawn up, and the transaction was completed, and a part of the money remained with the young man, and part of the income of Navcratius had to bring a Cretan father, and in Sast they bought goods in Amphipolis, it was shert, skin, the famous Macedonian honey. In the meantime, Nearh wrote two letters to his father and wife.
“Callifene from Nearch hi.
Beloved wife, I got to Amphipolis well, on the way I saw a lot of interesting things, delivered the goods, and bought what was ordered for my father. You, as a Cretan girl, you know, the magic of the sea. Sorry you are not with me, and it would be even better. Narch.”
“Androtyma from Nearchus. Father, reached Amphipolis in good order, nito did not die, the ship was intact, the goods were handed over to the proxen at an agreed price, and took the goods from him according to the list and agreed price, and send twenty minutes of silver with “Navcratia”.
Letters in which he wrote only what happened to him during the voyage, but not what was in his heart, the young man sealed it with his ring and gave it to the captain, and gave him also ten drachmas for the writings to the captain.
It took several hours, and soon the ship was ready to sail to Crete, back to the beloved city of Lato, through the winds and expanses of the sea.
Proksen was called Athenaeus, and he took Nearh to his home to spend the night, and the young man and his servant, Frig, who was loaded with packs, set off. Gates passed, the proxen interchanged with the guards, and the travelers moved further along the street surrounded by a deaf fence of estates on all sides. He conducted the host and the guest to the garden, where everything was covered for dinner, Nearh, walking through the house, but did not notice anything special, an ordinary house, from several rooms, with a tiled roof, made of clay and covered with clay, with a small garden for servants, and a pair of outbuildings, everything is like everywhere in Hellas.
– Pass, Nearh, I will introduce you to my wife, Aglaya, and to the daughters Antus and Diante and Chrysante.
“Take me hostess at home,” Nearh said, bowing, “Your names fully correspond to your beauty,” the young man bowed his head once more, the little girls giggled rather and hid behind each other, Aglaya smiled modestly.
– Come in, sit down, young man. Shared a meal with us, invited him to Athena, Nearh, first we eat on the dining-bed, gave presents to the children and the wife of the proxen, these were ointments and rubbing from Crete, they were very much appreciated, and wooden dolls of very good work in beautiful dresses prepared it caring Kallifena, and once more, Nearh remembered her with warmth. Homework was very happy with the gifts, and the girls lost all interest in the guest, and fled to the nursery, to consider the presents. The owner of the house with visible pleasure watched this action, and after waiting for his wife to leave, and the servant began to pour wine into cups and laid out the treat, he said:
– It is unlikely that Aristodim came up with gifts, which means that you are very lucky with Your wife, Nearh, – he said holding a silver cup in his hand, – if you had not been a wife, forgive my bluntness, you would only take one of your daughters, daughters of the youngest eight, just someone would have liked it when they grew up, “he added laughing,” but it’s not for nothing that they married you, “he looked around the guest again,” well, sorry, he saw that Nearh was all right, and his lips were tight “In line, you can eat better, here’s a beautiful eel, and our wine is not bad,” he added. Liu as a sign of worship, and the Cretan did, too. Nearh ate fish with gusto, on the ground there is still much easier, and the wine was not bad.
– Tomorrow you will go to Pella with a caravan, and bought a horse for you and a mule for a servant.
“Thank you, I will give the money now,” replied Host Nearch.
– Not necessary, your father has already paid for everything before. He and you paid for the house in Amphipolis, if you want, look at the house nearby, bought it, because you will be at the court of the prince, but your house is necessary for the person of your position.
– Thank you, I agree. Tomorrow I’ll come. And bought the servants? – he said laughing
– This is your wife, clever-prudence thought about everything. And about the manor, and about the servants, about everything. There is even a well in the house, it is a rarity here.
Néarh just sat with his head down, and a faint grin touched his lips, which one he is still unreasonable compared to his wife.
“Okay, Proxen, I will try to do everything as it should for my family,” answered the young man, and Athens clapped his shoulder approvingly, touching the bracelet,
– What have you got? – Proxen was surprised,
– Who are you? At sixteen?
Nearh
