Page 109 - The Tigris Expedition

Problems Continue
The Tigris Expedition he becoming afraid? No more
I studied Yuri’s expression. Was
By leaving the mouth of the outer channel I felt as if I Wcre Qn referring to . We had only the word
than I was. I knew what he was to the water
more about to break a scientific taboo. Vessels like Tigris were not f the Marsh Arabs to rely upon when it came
supposed to go any further. We were trespassing beyond the limits sistance of berdi cut in August. On Ra II water absorption began
of what competent scholars had set for the range of a Mesopota­ to reduce the carrying capacity of our thirty-foot papyrus ship as
mian vessel of berdi reeds. Not until the Sumerians invented soon as we were past the Canary Islands. We had to dump all spare
wooden boats did they have access to the open gulf, according to woodwork and extra food and water into the sea off the coast of
what we had all been taught. Textbooks and teachers repeated what Africa even before we started across the Atlantic, for fear of sinking
some long forgotten authority had assumed to be true: that people due to overloading. Yuri’s sombre expression was enough to
in Mesopotamia, like those in Egypt, began river navigation in
remind me of the moments of horror we had experienced together
ships built from bundles of reeds, but had no means to leave the on low-riding reed-bundles at sea. Moments when we sat waist
outlets until they abandoned the early reed-ships and invented the deep in the salt Atlantic and sometimes had the waves washing over
first plank-built craft. heads. Ra II was not so bad as Ra I. We were waterlogged and
We were about to violate a well-established time barrier. Zero our
hour for marine history and cultural contact by sea were both tied to had barnacles growing on deck, but at least we reached America
without the loss of a single reed. Ra I had been the tough one. As
the change from compact bundle-craft to the hollow hull. So the wave-beaten bamboo cabin had severed the bundle lashings the
important was this transition that we were led to take it for granted
that if there was an open stretch of water between them cultures and whole ship split lengthwise along the middle and we could see the
bottomless ocean between our feet. Moments of horror mixed with
civilisations arose independently before that time.
I knew as we hoisted sail beyond the Shatt-al-Arab that to moments of triumph and joy. Days and nights with our hearts in
scientists in many fields this would seem as a vote of no confidence beneath n^a ^ We ^ death °Penin§ and closing *s J^s
in long-accepted teachings in anthropology. Perhaps it was. But it beneath us and we never knew what disaster the next second might
was fair play. To those who really believed in the old doctrine we produce. kh a sudden impulse of support. Let
should now be about to prove that they were right, and I wrong. ‘Yuri, you are right, lsaia without.’ ,.
But with all respect for my own colleagues among the scholars, us carry ashore everything we can do ^ ^ ^ making up a list.
none of them had ever seen a berdi ship nor were they able to quote And at once Norman and Gherman’s aqualungs.
anyone who had. Nor was I. Of course, we did not need a compresso tQ dive deeper than
And I did feel a bit uneasy myself after seeing the complete Nor any spare tanks for diving. No on_ uundles or to loosen a
do without
waterlogging of our two test bundles in the river Tigris. Less was necessary to inspect the bottom of i sbip before did
short-lined anchor if stuck in some roc s.
encouraging still: our own ship had begun to absorb. I was not
exactly surprised when in Fao Yuri had pulled me aside for a quiet
talk. The Russian reed-ship veteran had for once an expression as 1 itrss—
he were about to summon me for a grave operation. He pointed to
our slightly sunken waterline. Had I seen it? rat sraws- » we
onvthine
knew would follow under a silent raft-ship.
acid or
I had. And I tended to agree with Norman that some ^ His protests were of no avail. We had no nee to artificial
pulp-producing chemical from the paper-mill could have e that required compressed air. In fact, we could ^
water penetrate the skin of the outer bundles. When the hght as well, so ashore went Gherman’s incredi y e Y ,
reeds had swollen as much as the tight spiral rope permitte , water lamps and batteries, together with the compressor and a iarg
would probably block water from passing further in- pile of Mexican souvenirs and such personal belonging
Yuri looked at me without comment. Then he said calm would never need on a raft voyage. All this was naile up m ca
‘Carlo and I agree that we should unload everything n0^roW jt and shipped back to his home. The others among us a to &o
lutely needed. Better to leave it with people in Fao than to t r through a similar stripping, although we allowed a certain toleranc
overboard in the gulf.’
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