Free Lionheart's Scribe by Karleen Bradford Page A

arrows and missiles descended upon her. Undaunted she ran even closer. I could see the sailors preparing to board the enemy ship. They returned the fire with their own arrows and flaming missiles, but in spite of all the efforts of her crew, our galley did not seem able to get close enough to board.
    I was fairly dancing at the rail in my frenzy.
    Finally, the king’s patience seemed to run out.
    â€œRam her!” he ordered.
    One of the iron-prowed warships broke away and headed for the enemy vessel. Through the hail of fire she plowed, her oarsmen not faltering for a moment. I lost all sense of myself and cried out at the top of my voice along with all the rest who were shoutingand yelling. Our warship collided with the enemy ship. There was a horrible sound of wood splintering. For one brief moment all seemed silent, then the men on the doomed ship began to scream. Missiles from our first galley landed on her deck and in another instant she was aflame. I could see men hurling themselves into the sea from her rails, even as she began to sink.
    The king ordered our ship close in, and ropes were thrown to the survivors in the water. Most of them were pulled out. Some, however, floated unmoving, tossing lifelessly in the waves. I could still hear screams from the other ship. Bits of planking flamed in the sea around us.
    Then I saw a boy in the water just below where I stood. He was floundering and thrashing around, and it was clear he could not swim. No one else noticed him, but I don’t think he could have reached for a rope even if one had been thrown to him. I watched in horror as he sank beneath the waves. Then I saw a flash of sodden scarlet as he resurfaced briefly. He looked up at me, and in the instant that our eyes met he cried out.
    I didn’t have time to think. I braced myself on the railing and vaulted over. I may be clumsy on land, but thanks be to God I am a good swimmer!
    The cold of the sea shocked me as I plunged into it. The saltwater filled my nostrils and blinded me. For a moment I groped unseeingly for the boy, then my hand touched something solid. I grabbed it and hauled it close and found that I was holding onto the boy’s limp body by one arm. I slipped my arm underboth of his and brought his head above water. Then I shouted. I shouted more loudly than I have ever shouted before, because at that moment I realized fully what I had done and I was terrified. What if no one saw me? What if the boy began to struggle and pulled me down with him?
    I cannot find words to describe how relieved I was when one of the sailors on board our ship saw me. He threw a rope and I made a desperate grab for it. Just then the boy came back to full consciousness. He cried out again and began to struggle, but luckily I had a firm grip on the rope.
    â€œStop it!” I cried in Arabic, as it was obvious this was indeed a Muslim ship.
    He struggled even more fiercely.
    â€œStop it!” I screamed again. If I had had a free hand I would have hit him, I was so angry. Here I was, trying to save his life and he was putting us both in danger.
    At last he seemed to realize he was safe.
    â€œCan you hang onto the rope while they pull you aboard?” I gasped. I was sputtering and swallowing seawater at a great rate. I think I must have had as much of it inside me as he did.
    He nodded weakly. He coughed, but reached for the rope and clutched it tightly.
    At that moment I realized that the sea around me was full of snakes! I cannot begin to describe the horror that washed over me. Their long, slippery bodies lashed into me as they whipped desperately in the water. One even twined around my arm and I screamed. Just then another rope splashed into thewaves beside me and I made a frenzied lunge for it. I was battered against the side of the ship repeatedly as the sailors pulled me up, but I hardly even noticed, so glad was I to reach the safety of the deck again.
    It was only then, as I stood there dripping