Odyssey From Africa 14b

Chapter 14b (King Ptolemy the Second) With a travel bag to carry Their belongings and essentials And they rode by wheel-borne carriage On the road down to the harbour There they stepped aboard the vessel That would take them to the city To the royal Cannabarro North along the western coastline This took one whole day of sailing Thus it was already evening When their boat approached the harbour Of the kingdom’s foremost city At the Island’s northern tip they Saw the different vegetation Growing in the drier climate Of the west and central regions Stands of mighty baobab trees with Swollen trunks devoid of foliage Made the land seem strange and alien To the family from the mainland They were welcomed at the jetty Where a team of dogs at harness Pulled along their four-wheeled carriage On the road to Cannabarro At the margins of the roadway Here and there a torchlight flickered Trying to demark a boundary With the dark and vibrant forest Once they rode across a causeway Over an expanse of water Spanning proud from seven arches Inter-latticed wooden pylons Outlined in the silver moonlight And in glinting gold from torches Then they rolled into the outskirts Of the town of Cannabarro Here they glimpsed prestigious houses Dwellings of high-ranking people As their carriage shared the highway With a tide of human traffic Till they passed a guarded gateway In the dark of fleeting twilight Into royal palace gardens Ornamental trees and flowerbeds Faintly lit by moon and torchlight. Up ahead they saw the palace Saw the regal high roofed mansion Paneled with substantive timbers Smooth, ornate and brightly polished; Now they drew up to its entrance Where the waiting royal servants Helped them to descend the carriage They were led across the threshold To the guest wing of the palace Here they dined in royal style Then slept the night in ornate bedrooms Late next morning Han was summoned By a royal court official And was guided through the palace To a long and high roofed chamber At its center stood a table Covered with a bounteous luncheon And by sparkling blown glass vessels Filled with bright and fragrant beverage Han was wide-eyed with amazement Seeing glasswork for the first time Now an entourage approached them Ent’ring by the facing doorway ***** "Odyssey from Africa and The Adventures of Ipiki" Can be found on Amazon, in Paperback and Kindle versions *****