SUSANNA

3| THE VOYAGE

The Malacca prepared for its voyage to the Cape of Good Hope. At the dock in Batavia two crew members dragged the body of a woman across the deck, all the way down the steps, along the narrow corridor, and flung it into one of the compartments reserved for cargo destined for the Dutch settlement at the foot of Africa.

Susanna, convulsing with fever was trapped in the belly of her floating prison that bobbed on the waves of the ocean, unaware of the treacherous journey towards the foreign shore where her destiny of banishment awaited.

Unconscious, burning with fever and infection her floating prison restricted standing up straight or moving around. The confined space trapped the smell of death and disease that clung to the air.

***

Nommoa of the Goringhaiqua was on his return voyage, back to his beloved Cape of Good Hope. Hard as he tried he could not sleep. There was something on the ship that disturbed his spirit.

He sat up and rested his back against the door. He could hear his master, Commissioner Cunaeus, snoring above the noises of tthe ship and the sea.

He crossed his legs, closed his eyes and raised his hands in prayer. "Thank you Tsui for taking me home. From now on I will go to Hoerikwagga, sit in your presence and wait until I hear your voice. The Commander sent me across the big water to learn about their language and their ways, but you, Tsui sent me there to find the heart of me, Nommoa of the Goringhaiqua. I am sorry if I disappointed you with the Bible thing but it was tthe only way to get home. Please forgive my betrayal."

He settled back onto his mat, his thoughts flooded with one full winter ago; when he sailed in the belly of a wooden crocodile on the big water, exited at the thought of going to Batavia like Autshumao before him and Goree before Autshumao.

He hated Autshumao for not telling him about this Batavia of the Dutch. He wished the ship could run over waterthe way he ran among the dunes and the forests. He wished he could open his eyes and sit on top of Hoerikwaggo with the whole of ||Hui !Gaeb beneath him. He hated their clothes and their food and their bad manners. He wanted to go home. He wanted to return and take his position as Nommoa, warrior of the Goringhaiqua.

The oversized jacket and pants was folded into many pleats around his waist in order for it to fit. The clothes scratched his body and trapped his arms and legs. The first night he slept naked outside the door of his master's cabin. It caused much disgust and he was instructed never to do it again. Since that night he slept on the inside of the cabin, at the door.

The Bible that his master gave him had to go everywhere with him. Carrying his master's holy book was a betrayal of his Tsui but he had to do it if he wanted to go home. So he carried it around and told everyone about his master's God in the heavy book.

He smiled when he remembered how horrified his master was when he told him of the powers of Tsui-//Goab. He covered his ears and forbid him to ever mention Tsui again. But he, Nommoa of the Goringhaiqua knew there was no one more powerful than Tsui-//Goab who brought rain and thunder to his people who lived below the protection of Hoerikwaggo.

But something was not right in Batavia. Every day he prayed to Tsui to take him home, but Tsui was deaf to his prayers. Then, one night Tsui put a plan in his dream. He told his master that his God in the thick black book was mightier than Tsui and that he wanted to go home and tell his people about this new God who was mightier than Tsui. His master was very pleased.

'If you want to go home, promise that you will read from this Bible to your people. Tell the slaves that the white man's God was above all other gods.'