Voyage With Jason: Part 3

By KEN CATRAN, Illustrator NICK STATHOPOULOS

'You are the worst apprentice in all Greece! These are nothing but firewood!'

He grabbed one of the pegs I had been cutting and threw it overside into the dark waters of Corinth harbour. A seagull swooped, then rose up shrieking, sounding insulted.The other workers watched, snickering. When Thegus abused me, he left them alone. He was foreman and I hated him. He was always pushing up against me, stinking of sweat and bad beer. Sometimes he even stopped my evening meal of lentils and onions. With his black shadow over me, I forgot my dreams.

'Fifty more pegs cut before sunset,' he snarled. 'Use this wood.'

Wooden ships are held together with wooden pegs. Better than metal and less expensive. But looking at the wood he gave me - fifteen summers and half-trained - even I knew something was wrong. The wood pale, fresh-cut, still oozing sap. No good to hold the ribs of a ship.

Publisher: Lothian

Price: $17.95

Age group: 11 years plus