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Home || Ministries & Organizations || Our History || Calendar || Contact Us || Donations Alexander Kosta Autobiography - Chapter 3 <-- Chapter 2 || -->Go to Chapter 4
He, at once, tells me, "Oh, you (βρέ), Alex! Look what money I spent, and at once our hands are full."
But, so I could get away from giving him any more (in case he spent all his), I sent 25 lires to my mother and told her not to answer me unless I wrote. The next day, the royal ship left port: American frigate, Ticonderoga, wooden ship but everything of the first class. It had 500 sailors, admiral with 3 stars; 7 stars more and he would be the admiral of the whole American navy. One day they gave banquet to all the English aristocracy of the town, where I went, too; that is, outside and watched the dances. While I was doing this, I see two sailors, one Greek and one Italian. At once I recognized their physiognomy and speak to the Greek, and to the Italian, "Buon giorno," and ask they ask me how I recognized them. And I told them, by their faces. Then they took my hand and we began talking. And I tell them, if it is possible to go as sailor on the American frigate. And the Italian says he will speak personally for me to the second captain. The next day, I go to the ship, and at once they ordered a doctor to examine me. They take me down to the room and examined me and found me one hundred percent well. They asked me if I ever went to see bad women, and I said "No." And in fact, I had not, because I used to see the horrors of those who had. So I was afraid and kept away. And the doctor says to me, "You are one of thousands, at that age." I was six feet tall; only the captain was six and one-half feet. Then they say to the captain, "We have a boy, 18 years old, six feet tall." He asked to see me, and, when I put on a sailor's dress, I went near the captain and at once I saluted. He saluted me, too, and says to the officers, "That is the best boy I saw in my life. I only demand that you drill him well and watch him well."
The officers tell him, "Do you know something else, admiral? He speaks five tongues! Italian, French, Spanish, and Turkish."
And to make sure I spoke all those languages, they brought me one Greek, one from Mitilene. He had six years in the American ships and ten years with Spanish ships, as captain of a boat; likewise was he that over a boat in American ships. Then they brought the Italian, who was from Corsica, Napoleon's fatherland, and we began talking all those languages. Then the admiral was very satisfied and says to us, "I thank you, boys." And thus began the journey. We left Cape Town and the next day and, after two weeks, we reached Zanzibar, a German possession. From there we we went to Madagascar, French possession. There, we took boat and got out. There on the wharf, when they saw American ship, there came many French captains to visit the ship and left us in the boat until they came back. In that place, the people are all naked and wear only a leaf. Both men and women are like iron, though. After all the officers had gone a long way, out of the forest there appeared six nymphs, negresses, but like unto goddesses. They came forward, and we had a conversation. After a while, we went in the ship and decided not to say anything about the negresses; and the same night we left for Aden, English place, station for all nationality ships, where they load and unload coal. The city there is large, and there are all nationalities of the world. Something happened to the machinery and we had to stay there for one week. After, when we were ready for journey, we went to the Red Sea, to reach the Persian river, Euphrates, where Moses hit the wand and the current stopped to let the Hebrew pass. The river goes to Jerusalem, so, when we reached the river that divides Persia from Turkey, we went to the left of Turkey. There was a Turkish ship, wooden scow, old, with cannon. When we anchored at the bay, at once we saluted the Turkish flag with 21 guns; at the same time the Turks saluted us with 21 guns. The same hour there came from the Turkish ship officers, and we take them in, we treat them with champagne, which they had not drunk in their lives, but they had an Englishman as interpreter, who was an officer on the Turkish ship. So finished that trouble. The next day our captain went to the Turkish ship and repays the visit, because that is according to international law. So, we stayed there about two weeks and everyday we went out for good times and drink. There, near the river, there is a city named Basra, on the Turkish side; on the other side is Persia. So all the boys would go out and have a good time. The same time my turn came. As you went out, you gave a man with a donkey fifty cents and he took you in the town, and they ran like the devil. When we reached the town, there we saw many stores, nearly all grocery stores and bad houses. With all my troubles, I say to the Turk, "Gaour barme pourta kai mou tsok," that is, "Again we go to one Greek store," and I say, "Pekia afendi," "Thank you." Then I took my band and I make the guardian and we started the drinking and the food and had a good time. The bosses of the places, as long as they saw the money, didn't say anything. If we broke everything, we would pay, they knew. The boss says, "Do you know what'll happen to us if the Turks come and find those men in that condition?" And I heard them speaking Greek and made the Americans spend more money, to help them out. The boss became afraid of the boisterousness and said that it was better to let their moneys go. After a little while, there came in a soldier and hears this. One was from Zacynthos and one was from Constantinople. At once, I lose no time, take the hand of the soldier and give him one dollar and began to talk to him in Turkish and I say to him, "Good morning, afendi." He says, "It is a holiday," and then he said, "Good day." Then, when the Greeks hear me do this and didn't know what to do to thank me. They take my name, they ask me how I get along on the ship. I tell them my name and they wondered and said, "God save you. You are a good man." As many of my home town I met were good men, and went back to the ship. After two days, as I was with three soldiers and we were cleaning the brass of the ship, we were on little canvas and near the ship. After an hour, there came the Persian consul with ten soldiers. He was sitting on a throne and had two servants on either side to fan him and to hold the nargileh for him. And when they neared, we were all looking at him; he was looking at the ship and wondered at the beauty of the American ship. At once I lose no time and say to him in Turkish, "Come here," and he comes and takes my hand. And, when he heard me speaking Turkish, he was very enthusiastic. And the sailors were angry because I spoke Turkish and gave me a knock and threw me over. The current was swift there.
The captain comes and asks where I was, and they say to him that they threw me in because I spoke Turkish. Then the boat comes and takes me to the
ship, all wet. They didn't either even let me take off my clothes, but in the interim, but until we finished with the affair, my clothes became dry
on me. The second mate came and says to me,
I answer to him that that person is the Consul of Persia. He was tall, seven feet, had whiskers as far down as his stomach and countless diamonds and
pearls. Then the captain says to me,
At the same time, they raise the Persian flag and began to salute. At once I say to the consul, "Gam ber bam ber salam," and he says to me, "Peke agloum." At the same time, I was always at his side. He was holding me by the hand. As we got out from the canvas, we were passing through the ranks of the crew, who had come to salute him. Then the music began and they played the Persian national hymn. Then I say to him, "Agam salam afis papapar." He looks upwards and sees the flag and says, "Allah, allah, ogloum." Until we reached to the cabin, he had his hat in his hand. When we sat down, the officers told me to be careful and to please him as much as I knew how, the consul. Then the officers opened two bottles of champagne. At present was all the crew, from admiral to the last sailor. They tell me to tell the consul we drink to his health and the Persian flag. Then we all took glasses and, before we began drinking, I say to the Persian, "Agam pir sarap efsin parapar salam camatam salam." And in that manner I pleased everybody. What does he do? at once he takes my two hands and kisses me on the forehead and he gets up and gives thanks to God in Turkish and says, "Allah, allah ogloum allah se lamet ourlala," and, as he was talking, he was crying. The officers were surprised and said, "My God, that boy is Jesus!" And thus finished the ceremony of the cabin.
Then they took him and showed him all the ship, and, when we reached in the machinery, he was surprised and always was saying, "Vah, vah, allah,
allah." "What is that?" "That is the fire that makes the ship go," I tell him. "Bir ataz, bir mil," that is, "One fire, one mile," "Ger mi ataz,
germir mil." At once we finished with that and at once he wanted to go to land. Then the captain tells me what the Persian told me: he was very
satisfied with the service and remains grateful and he will never forget it. Now he wants to go out with his boat. The officers tell me, "Tell
him to send his boat out, and we shall take him with the boat of the admiral." Then he tells me, "Peke ogloum." The same time, for him to see that
I knew Turkish, I tell him, "Bou satal, tizarta, satal coumatan bou ti sarta." "Peke ogloum. The same time, they prepared the admiral's boat and
they were ready to go. The captain says that I was to go out with the consul, until they reach Persia, and then, "all of you will come back at
once."
He also gave me the salute. They went away from the ship; twelve feet far from it, they raised the Persian flag and cannonaded. Then I tell him, "Varme, pir bam, pir salam." "Peke ogloum." Then I reached land. With us was the first captain; and, when we got out on the wharf, at once he takes my hand and kisses me cross-wise and he talks to God in Turkish, as he had done in the ship's room.
Then I kneel in front of him and kiss his hand and tell him in Turkish,
The next day, what does he do? He sends 25 goats to the ships, 2 calves, and one teme deer for the admiral. Then the admiral tells me,
The next day, the Greeks of Basra sent, in my name, 12 boxes of dates. The officers see and tell me, "Who sent those?"
Now you must know the miracle: after I had all the goats tied up, one night, moonlight like day, all of us were sleeping on the deck. I go and cut the ropes of the goats. At once they started to frolic right and left. The guard says, "All to arms! The Turks are on us!" And the goats were running here and there. Two of them fell in the sea. At once, they say, "My God! Overboard!" And they try to get the goats ... They could not catch them as we had already caught them all and tied them. Then they tell me, "You did it, John?" "Some boy did that for play." The next day I put the knife to slaughter the goats and began the old-country way. I had a switch and put it inside the foot skin and it swelled up. And they tell me, "You son-of-a-gun! You can swell them up." And thus I killed all of them and I kept the skins. I salted them and made nearly $40.00 when I sold them in Bombay, India.
When, then, we reached India, at Bombay, two sailors died, and we buried them in Bombay. Then we took out all the crew and the flags of the ships, for
the funeral. Of all of the boys, then placed me first, and I was holding the American flag.
At the same time, every three months there is promotion of the sailors, of all degrees. One day the captain ordered all the officers and tells them , "What about John Alexander?" Whatever position we give him, he is qualified to keep it." One day they invite me into the room and they ask me what position I want to receive, the captain, courtmaster. I tell them I want to be cook for the officers. "All right, my boy." The next day I began work, with $150.00 per month; but, before, I was getting $15.00. And thus I was saved, in all the three years' traveling. But at the same time we remained in Bombay three weeks. So, one day, I went out for a good time. I see two buggies, wagons that oxen pulled. They had on top two dead bodies. After those followed 20 men with drums and flutes. I ask one what they are, those things, and they answer me, "Two dead Hindus that they burn at the cemetery." I, curious, go with the dead, and, when we reached at the cemetery, then at once they take down the bodies and had them near the fire, to burn them, to burn them as we burn the lambs. Then they pray to God in Turkish, "Allah, allah, se salamet," and they threw them in the fire, until they became ashes. Then I ask one of them, and he says to me, "The ashes of the poor dead one, they take it to that cave." Then I lose no time and go to the cave to go in, but the doorkeeper would not let me. I tell him, "Why?" and he says, "You must take off your shoes to go in there." At once I take off my shoes and go in. What should I see? The devil with the horns! And I came out of it and ran. While I was going, I see 40 men, arm in arm, all blind, and two could see, in front of the others, and they were singing, "Allah misame kal ti tsoo, bibacao," that is, they were asking charity. Then I take out a half dollar and give it to them. Then, as he takes the 50 cents, I see all making with their heads down and say, in Turkish, "Salem agam." And then they kept on their road. When I saw all these things, the next day I went to the ship and began my work. But, during all the time I was on the ship, never did my name go in the blackboard. Always I was good. We stayed there about three weeks. After that we traveled along the coasts of India: Bombay, Calcutta, Madras, and many other ports. After we left India, we left for Manila, there where there are great storms with typhoons. When we reached at Manila, there is an island, very large. There they have the best tobacco, coconuts, bananas, nuts, chestnuts: whatever there is in all the world. And there are innumerable mines of gold in the mountains. After we were there three weeks, my turn came to go out. There were three of us, myself, the Italian, and John the Midliotian. In Manila, there are people from all over the world: mostly Chinese, Japanese, and Hindus; Spaniards. They speak Spanish.
God said, and we went out to the city, as the blind go, one near the other. So we went there where they play the hula-hula, there where the Tom, Dick, and
Harry go. When we went to sit down, there came one Spanish woman, servant, and said, "What will you have, sirs, to drink?"
When we had drunk one or two, and they saw we had money, they began to embrace us, to sing to us in Spanish. A Spanish policeman comes in the place and begins to reproach in Spanish. Almost all of us understood Spanish, especially my friend, John. At once he loses no time, he tells him in Spanish, "Look, senor.". At once he changed color and said to him, "Pardon, senor amigo, we are not Americans. Two of us are Greeks, and the other is Italian." Then the comedy began in Spanish. The Spaniards were interested that we should speak their language, and we passed fine.
The next day we went on the ship and stayed there until we left from there. From there we left for Hong Kong, China, English possession. There we did not get out,
because I saw things in bad condition. But, before we went to Hong Kong, one week's voyage, there we passed a great storm, in which the sea came in the ship from
one side to the other. And at once we took to and tied the cannons from right and left, in order that the sea might not take them from us. After a few days we reached
Hong Kong of China. Then, after a little while, we left for Japan, Nagasaki, great bay. There we found two more ships, two American, three English, one French, and
one Spanish, and five Russian. At that time, Russia had possessions in Japan. Half of the island of Nagasaki has Russian churches, Russian school, and from then the
Japanese began to intermingle with the Russians. I saw Japanese men and women, very beautiful. Here in America, there come all small Japanese, ugly. Out there, they
are very beautiful.
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