Page 239 - The Tigris Expedition

The Tigris Expedition
pier with one mooring line when the English harbour-master came
and now ordered us to a third place, just behind a three-masted
school-ship on the first pier. This was too much for the interplay
between Tigris and the police-boat, the space being restricted to the
angle between the two moles, and we ran with our stern full force
against the concrete wall while I was alone in the rear of the vessel
with my bamboo pole. I pushed off with all my strength until I
realised that the other end of my pole was going to be pressed back
through the rear cabin wall. Turning aside, I lost the battle and the
thick steering-log astern, the one projecting to either side to support
the rudder-oars, hit the concrete wall with a nasty crash, and all the
woodwork astern was forced out of position towards the starboard
side.
- -tv.
nowram!^ ol?r.disaster, some civilian immigration authorities
‘borrow’ n?n a,V1Slt anc^ as^cd in a most gentle manner if they could
freighter T ?VCn PassP°rts just for a few minutes. A Norwegian
and nnUri C Jr' W,as Urd°ading on the other side of the same pier,

drac&ed^^^^j aS ^r^aV» t^lere was no life in the docks, and we
displaced wnl!) cr~oars UP on the pier and began adjusting the
was circlin^°ln^W°r^ astenL As on the previous day a helicopter
that the SukanadVer ^ ^ and ^ The Wcould report
take a second v, ij* t0 S1^n °ur ^dmg permit. It would only
second when His Majesty came to his desk. In the meantime
we had to stay on board.
Dermk^^ /°Ur imen came on hoard and politely asked for

explain IS V1SU the hulL With an equally polite smile I tried to
what^hev fe, W3j n° hull> nothin8 ^ deck. Nothing but
afterwards hn 1 ready seen. At first they became serious and
constructed^ 1 began C° descr^c how the Tigris was
openly A Sumerian ma-gur. Two of them now
planks The othe ?ffar°Und> peePing under mattresses and deck
seemed*£&£ ™ ^ 3 SUSpcCt' N° a"SWCrS

newspaper clionin r5c^oat model built by our Titicaca Indians,

about our lack of a hull as they walked ashore. Nevertheless, an
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