Later, our stomachs full with the simple fare of sailors, Hamid celebrated with Danys and Garrid by opening a bottle of wine. Danys expressed surprise, since Hamid had supposedly sold him all his Leotine wine at the beginning of our adventure. Indeed he had. This was relatively poor Melotian wine, which Hamid had purchased in the Cob market while Garrid oversaw the loading of cargo on Grey Swan. In spite of the wine’s marginal quality, it brought a certain solemnity to the drinkers. Beer or ale is the ordinary beverage of sailors. For them, wine marked a ceremony of survival. They knew well that finding the islands in the middle of the ocean represented the best luck any of them had experienced.

“A toast,” said Garrid. “To a good ship that weathered the storm.”

“A good ship,” agreed Danys and Hamid.

“To an intelligent parrot,” said Hamid, “who brought us to safe harbor.”

“Intelligent parrot,” chimed Danys and Garrid.

“To a safe harbor in the heart of the sea,” said Danys.

“Safe harbor.” They all drank the third toast. Danys repeated part of his toast, mostly to himself, though I could hear him.

“The heart of the sea.”

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