Largo's cargo

"Time is of the essence. Hurry up, fellow!", Largo strained his larynx.

"Don't speak to me of time, Signore", the porter replied with a thin smile, looking up. He had a scraggy look about him, and a stubble to go with it.

The gusts from the sea carried away the porter's words before Largo's ears could catch them.

The descent turned rickety but Largo pushed against the squall, holding a small wooden box close to his chest. Cargo lugged a huge chest the shape of an adult coffin, covered in a black tarp that glistened, it's edges fluttering in the wet winds.

Cargo was the porter's name. This curious happenstance might have amused Largo, or maybe even spooked him once he realized that it rhymed with his own. Or perhaps the observation that a creature of such spindly proportions could muster enough sinew to carry the entire boat on his shoulders.

Largo didn't bother to ask - he had stranger things on his mind.

He was off to a voyage.

It was about seven months ago that Largo landed on the island in a giant, black steamship after a six-week journey - one that had been plagued by a series of tempests along it's path. Il Delfino had come close to being run aground more than once before finally striking luck.

Largo had been starving for three days before Captain Baleno finally decided on the detour. Along with Trueno, the first-mate, he had desperately scoured the charts and the night-sky for clues. They eventually took the bold gamble on the southwesterly route, for they had practically lost their bearings a couple of storms ago.

Lorenzo, the lookout on the prow had turned into a delirious apparition, flapping his arms against the setting sun as he spotted the first shearwater, a full day before the coast would come into view. The rest of the tottering crew followed, breaking out into besotted revelry after pouring into a thumping pack of wild-eyed crazies on the deck.

The fabled El Puente Nublado promised refuge, respite and repair.

On landfall, Largo found lodging in a tiny wooden shack with six other men. After his first supper in days that evening (a hearty portion of caracol del diablo; the local sailor's stew of squid, scallops and sardines), he was racked by a severe belly-ache that night. The entire next day, he writhed alone on his narrow bed; his gnawing pain arrived in waves, suffused with the smells and sounds of the isle - the stentorian clamor of fishermongers selling the previous day's catch, the drone of the bustling marina nearby, the palms on the edges swaying in the balmy ocean air.

After a few days, he slowly began regaining his strength.

On Sunday, Captain Baleno called for an all-hands gathering in the garden outside his living quarters - a decrepit old villa on the northern tip of the island. Largo was led to the house by two of his fellow sailors and countrymen, Ludovico and Guiseppe.

The younger one, Ludovico - a quiet, slender fellow with dark curly hair and piercing, coal-black eyes - spoke like a true signore; his manner too spoke of good breeding. On the other hand, one could barely tell Guiseppe from any of his bearded, barrel-chested, pot-bellied, foul-mouthed ilk. The two seemed to get along remarkably well for all their differences - although few knew that they shared their hometown. Guiseppe had recruited Ludovico from a street-side cafe in Salerno, a day before his ship set sail.

As the three men approached the crowd, they could see Baleno's wizened hands patting an imaginary beast in the air with uncharacteristic tenderness. The captain spoke with a thick, booming voice that seemed to arise from within a younger constitution. It bespoke of a fierce authority over the men even as his fragile appearance did anything but.

"I couldn't possibly please everyone, my good men. But I pledge you my best judgement in this matter and my hope is that most of you will find the result satisfactory in the end".

"Words well spoken, Captain, but they offer little comfort. Our families must have given us up for dead by now. Our patience wears thin with every passing day.", someone retorted aloud.

"We've said it before - let those in a hurry arrange for a smaller vessel and leave for home. We are here to stay, at least for a while yet", another voice spoke.

"Yes, there's enough amongst us with nothing to go back to and everything to leave behind, Captain. We are willing to help them build a strong boat within a month's time, if you so ordain, but we won't budge from these shores", said another.

(to be continued)