make out what the fellow said, but the sour look on the officer's face argued that the other man did know of Philodemos and Lysistratos. A snap in his voice, the officer said, 'Any rogue may hear a name or two, and put them in his own mouth when he finds them handy. I am not convinced you are what you claim to be. Your cargo, and be quick about it.' 'Quick as you please,' Menedemos answered. 'We carry ink and papyrus and crimson dye and fine perfumes and . . .' He grinned slyly. 'Five peahens and a peacock.' As he'd hoped, that rocked the Eutykhes' officer back on his heels. 'A peacock?' he growled. 'I don't believe you. If you had a peacock on board, I'd see it. And if you're lying to me, you'll be sorry.' 'Sostratos!' Menedemos called. His cousin waved. 'Show the gentleman the peacock, if you please.' 'Right.' Sostratos hurried up to the foredeck. He undid the latches on the peacock's cage and opened the door. The bird, which would have bolted out screeching at any other time, stayed where it was and kept quiet. Menedemos flicked a glance to the officer aboard Ptolemaios' five. The man stood on the deck with his arms folded across his chest. He wasn't about to believe anything Menedemos said, not till he saw it with his own eyes. There had been times when Menedemos faulted Sostratos for dithering when he should have been doing. This wasn't one of those times. When the peacock refused to come out of its cage, Sostratos picked up the cage and dumped the bird out onto the foredeck. It squawked then, squawked and ran down into the waist of the Aphrodite. 'A peacock,' Menedemos said smugly. 'Tied up at anchor, we'd charge you a khalkos or two to see it, but here on the sea I give you the sight for nothing.' He was, perhaps, lucky: the Eutykhes' officer paid no attention to his patter. The fellow stared down at the bird and its magnificent tail. Marines and other officers hurried over to have a look, too. So many men rushing to starboard might have capsized the Aphrodite, but they gave the far bigger war galley only a slight list. 'A peacock,' Menedemos repeated softly. 'A peacock,' the officer agreed. Because the Aphrodite's sailors weren't watching the bird so closely as they might have been, it pecked a rower in the leg. He sprang up from his bench, howling curses. The men on the Eutykhes howled laughter. 'May we cage it up again now?' Menedemos asked. 'It's pretty, no doubt about it, but it's a cursed nuisance.' 'Go ahead.' The Eutykhes' officer absently dipped his head in assent. His eyes remained fixed on the bird. He had to gather himself before finding a question of his own: 'You'll be putting in at Kos today?' 'That's right,' Menedemos answered. 'We're bound for Italy, and we'll want to take some silk with us if we can get a decent price.' 'Good trading, then,' the officer said. He turned away from Menedemos and shouted orders to his own crew. The five's mainsail and foresail descended from their yards. The keleustes clanged on something louder and less melodious than the bronze Diokles used. The oars began to work. Eyeing the Eutykhes, Menedemos judged the crew had been together for a while. Their rowing was very smooth. The war galley resumed its southbound course, picking up speed quickly despite its massive bulk.
Вы читаете Over the Wine Dark Sea
