The water in the quay was still and shimmery with barely an eddy lapping against the wooden hulls of the barges moored securely to iron bollards that ran the length of the wharf. Some ten boats could dock, end to end, and this morning every berth was taken, such was the increase in river trading after the long months of plague. The river Rhône was not always as placid, for seasonal storms could stir it up into torrents of foaming white-capped waves without warning, making sailing a hazardous occupation. The bargees who transported merchandise from Marseille in the south to Lyon and beyond in the north were a hardy, singular breed, often braving treacherous waters to deliver and collect goods. Unfamiliar tongues that indicated faraway origins afforded a cosmopolitan, diverse air to the port
