In the morning, Pantu was down on the beach very early. Soon he saw a boat leave the ship and come toward the shore. When a big wave came rolling up, the men in the boat rowed very hard. The wave brought them high up on the beach, then, as it began to run back again, the men jumped out into the water, seized the boat, and kept it from being washed back into the bay again. They fastened it so that no wave could wash it away; then they began to load the hides.
Docas and Oshda brought the hides and tallow down to the beach in the ox-carts.
Docas and Oshda brought the hides and tallow down to the beach in the ox-carts.
All the sailors had on thick woollen caps. Pantu wondered why they wore that kind of cap, until he saw how they carried the hides.
A man came up on the dry sand where Docas and Oshda had piled the hides. He took up a hide and put it on his head. He waded out through the water, put the hide into the boat, and came back for another.
Soon all the men in the boat, except the two that held it from being tipped over, were running back and forth, carrying hides. The men had to be very careful not to get the hides wet, for they would spoil if they became damp. The sharp stones cut the men’s feet, but shoes could not be worn because the salt water would soon spoil them.
After the boat was loaded, the man who steered stood up in the stern. Two of the men got into the boat and took their oars ready to row. Two other men stood by the side of the boat to push it out when the time came. They waited until a big wave floated the boat; then the man who was steering said, “Now!”
The men outside seized hold of the boat, and ran out with it until the water was above their waists. Then they tumbled over into the boat and lay in the bottom, dripping wet.
The men at the oars pulled as hard as they could, but it was of no use. A bigger wave came and swept the boat up high on the beach.