Chapter 15
Old Seamen Join the PlotThe two old seamen shed some of their somber persona once they pushed off from the dock at Tripoli. No one would describe them as happy or even content; but the sound of waves lapping up on the hull of their boat soothed each man in a way that the same waves up on the dock could not have done.
They were not men of words, personality traits that served many sailors well for long sea voyages. A talkative man on deck was usually considered a nuisance. It was like being seated next to a stranger on a plane who insisted on talking rather than letting you read your book. The sailor, like the stranger, was too close for comfort and nothing short of violence could shut him up.
So these men did their work and otherwise kept to themselves.
They had known each o
