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Page 362
doubted it. The lines of the vessels he could see were all suspiciously like Saracen ships.
The next day brought the little boat again with somewhat more urgent requests that they come ashore and with gifts of fresh fruit and fresh meat from their eager, hopeful host. Joanna countered with questions as to the names of their people who were ashore. The emissary nearly wept with chagrin because he had not thought to inquire. Besides the names were so strange to his awkward tongue, he was sure the lady would never recognize them if he learned and repeated them. Would not the august ladies come ashore and he would send the strangers to see them? Surely they were tired of being pent up so long on this small uncomfortable ship. Surely they would be glad of soft, steady beds.
Joanna assured him they were most comfortable, well hardened sailors. Perhaps, she suggested, since he felt he could not wrap his most fluent and persuasive tongue around the foreign names, he would transmit a letter from her to the foreigners and bring their reply. That was a poser. The emissary's eyes shifted, but he was soon glibly assuring Joanna that nothing could be more easy. Alinor sent a man to fetch her writing desk at once and penned a careful note that merely announced their safe arrival and the mendacious fact that the King was close on their heels and would arrive any day.
Another week passed in this kind of fencing. Had they not been so very worried about their compatriots, they would have been amused at the ingeniousness of the excuses offered, the last being that all must wait on the coming of the Emperor who had been notified of their arrival and was on his way. Then they were left in peace, but no more gifts arrived either, and after nearly a month on board supplies were beginning to run low. What was worse, the weather grew steadily hotter, and the last rain that had fallen was on the night they had nearly been driven ashore. The

 
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