Five days later, Eric and his party entered the narrow waterway the Greeks called the Hellespont, the closest point to the shores of Anatolia.
Eric and the others saw a small coastal town where lanterns swayed in the night wind, which sighed through the desolate shrubs and rocks.
A massive bonfire burned in what looked like a central square. The wind threatened to extinguish it, at times blowing the flames low. Around the fire, twenty-some people laughed, talked, and ate from a platter.
The town's good citizens had long since fled into the wilderness or been sold into slavery. These men were plunderers.
They had a good day, secured their loot, and were enjoying themselves, never suspecting anyone else was there.
The Pisans sailed into the wind, turning and frantically adjusting their sails against its hiss. The hull was slick with spray, and the crew was on edge. Although the wind kept shifting, the Pisan Navigator skillfully brought the ship to dock.
