Day One Thousand One Hundred Twenty Six #DiaryoftheEndoftheWorld

All quiet today on the plain. No sign of conflict by sight or sound. By the end of the day it had been so quiet we had relaxed our vigil, especially when we sighted what we took to be the halfway point of our journey – the well to which Sy had led us – the one whose water was too low to access.

To our relief its water table had risen and we easily refilled our water skins.

Elijah volunteered for the first watch but I had no sooner turned in when he raised the alarm.

Alarm turned to joy when we recognized our intruder was our friend Reuben whom we first knew as a guard in the prison near Jerusalem.

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Day Nine Hundred Ninety Nine #DiaryoftheEndoftheWorld

Elijah and I led the next group out during the first watch, thankful to have the moon up for the more difficult part of our journey. I remember wondering as it sank below the horizon how the Purser would fare with his charges, as I was sure that at the time of their departure the moon was well below the horizon.

Mawuli welcomed us and directed the group to their designated abodes. The whole process was much better organized this time around.

Come the hour of the Purser’s projected arrival we were disappointed. It came and then passed us by.

I can only assume that they have put it off until tonight.

Elijah is unruffled and talks of visiting Reuben.

Day Four Hundred Seventy #DiaryoftheEndoftheWorld

When I was on my first watch of the night we passed the midpoint in the mouth of the gulf. About twenty minutes into this shift, I spotted a small craft pounding the waves coming for our port side. As I raised the alarm, I sighted another on the approach to our starboard.

The Captain called all hands to quarters to repel boarders with fire hoses.

Elijah joined me, his staff in hand. As we looked on, the first craft was lifted by a maverick wave and dashed to pieces on the downstroke. We did not see what happened to the other, but we believe something similar occurred.

Morning found us on the other coastline.  Now for our consignee’s village.

Day Three Hundred Sixty #DiaryoftheEndoftheWorld

A tragedy transpired over night. We only know the aftermath at present. Who knows if anyone aboard knows the whole story. For certain, no one knows the reason for it except the victim, if indeed he is a victim. Whichever is the case, he is beyond our reach.

In the first watch of the new day, the guard who kept to their cabin, left it, ran to the rail and leapt over it. There were three witnesses to his action – the officer of the deck and a hand from the engine room up on a break.

And Elijah. He saw the guard’s action. And confirms that the other witnesses were present to see it too.

Elijah thinks he lost hope.