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Home || Ministries & Organizations || Our History || Calendar || Contact Us || Donations Alexander Kosta Autobiography - Chapter 4 <-- Chapter 3 || -->Go to Chapter 5
One day, there came a Catholic priest to preach, but I had always had my mind on our God. They called all the sailors to go to the service. He said many
things and enough. The last thing he said was, "God bless you, my boys, Amen." All behaved like crazy, but I stayed immovable through all the service, and
when he, the priest, was crossing himself, I did the same, The Catholics make the sign of the cross with all their palm, but I make it with three fingers.
The priest was always looking at me, how serious I was, and he told the captain,
They tell me to go back to the room, the priest wants to see me. He comes and asks me, "What nationality" I am. I answer, "Greek, Orthodox," and he takes my hand and tells me, "God bless you, my boy." I kiss his hand, and he tells me, "Good-by, my boy."
After one week we had Easter, a la French. After the American Easter passed, I knew that after 13 days the Russians would have Good Friday. All their ships
had the flags at half-mast. Then I understood that the Russians would have Easter as we did in the fatherland. The Russian ship was the largest of all the
nations' ships that were in Nagasaki. Sunday morning, I ask leave from the captain to go to the Russian ship, for Easter, I and the other Greek. At once, what
does the captain say to me? He says,
When we reached the ship, I was the first to go in. At once I saluted, I made the sign, I took off my hat, and took the captain's hand and say to him in Russian, "Strato prato, Christos voskis," and I kiss him on the right. He did the same. But the Russians, after the ceremony, kiss one another, men and women. As I was kissing the sailors, by incident, I kiss one Greek from Kerch, Russia, and they called him John the Russian. We had been sailors together with Maroula's ship, in which we went to Batum. He recognized me, because it was from him I learned Russian. "Hey, Alex," he says to me, "did you ever think that you and I would meet in this world?" He didn't know what to say to them about me. At the time we were about to go. Then, I ask for the priest of the ship. The Russian sailor brings him near and I take his hand and I say to him, "Bospoti comilo." I take his hand and kiss it and say to him, "Christos voskis prata." Then I kiss him on the cheek. Likewise did my friend. And thus the Easter ended. They took me to our ship.
The next day, the Russian and American officers met, outside, and the Russians officers say to the Americans, "How is it that you have two Russian sailors?"
Then the captain finds out and invites me to his cabin and asks me how we fared in the Russian ship. "Very well," I answer him.
"Well, anyway, my boy, I don't know what to say to you. At that age as you are, 20 years old, to speak so many languages, Russian, Turkish, Spanish, Italian, French, English, and Greek. Bravo, I wish you to become a good man in this world."
So that finished. After a few days there came an order for us to go to Korea, but, then, the Japanese had Korea and were taking advantage of it,
even to today, and they didn't allow any ship to anchor. Then the captain of our ship says,
When we reached there, we found two Japanese ships and both with cannon. We were always ready for war, and if they didn't let us by, we'd fight them. The Japanese ships had been ordered not to do any damage whatsoever, because the American ships were coming only as tourist ships. As we neared, we fired 21 guns and raised the Japanese flag. They did the same thing, flew the American flag and fired 21 guns. Then our boat went out with our captain in it to salute them, but we were afraid, and, inside the boat, had secret weapons and fire. They came in turn, and we finished with the visit. We were always on foot, ready, with smoke, to leave at any moment if need be. Then I saw Koreans, who came to our ship to sell things. But I saw them very different from Japanese. They wore clothes just like Epiroteans: pantaloons, fezzes, vests, and sandals. Korea is a fertile place of China, and the Japanese took it over for its riches. It has gold, silver, coal, wheat, and other things. After we left from there, we made at once for Yokohama. Near it is also Tokyo.
After we reached Yokohama, we anchored and began our good times. Then I had time to go out to enjoy myself. As I went out, what should I see:
buggies pulled by Japanese. Then I take a Japanese and tell him,
All the Japanese who have buggies all speak good English. Then I ask him if there was any Greek consulate. He didn't know, but there was an Italian one and a French one. But as I spoke good Italian, I tell him to take me to the Italian. After one hour, we reached there, and I made myself understood with the consul. He says to me that there was a certain Greek in such and such a place who has a bar. I lose no time and go to find him. He was a Corfuan Jew, from the time the English were in Corfu. And so, when I saw him, he was glad to see one of his countrymen, after so many years. He treated us, and we did the same to him. Then I tell the Japanese to take me to the ... He, seeing me took me to a far place where the rich go. We reached there, and, when we went in, they wanted one dollar. I gave it, to see what would happen. After a while, they put us in a private room. At once they began singing the song of Nagasaki. And at once came out six girls, all nude, dancers. But they wanted five dollars, and since that place was for the rich, we went away, to go to some restuarant to eat. He took me to some good place, but they would not let the charioteers go into the restuarant because they were barefoot. Then I call the boss and ask him why, and he said, "You will have a private room." And so we went in and ate, wine aplenty, dishes like in Athens. I take out to pay and it was $2.00. I give him $2.00 for the food and $1.00 for tip. He, seeing the $1.00 tip, said for me to come again any time I wanted. Then I see a Japanese goddess, and she made me the sign to accompany her. But the chariot-puller said to me with his eye, "Keep away," because they had told him I was Greek, and he had begun to like me very much. Then we left for the city, and I told him to take me to a hotel, and he took me to his house. I give him money to buy things, and we ate all like family. Then he said to them in their language that I am Greek and not American. Then they asked me if I did not happen to be from Gamas's fatherland, from Manos. He went to Japan as a small child and married a Japanese and acquired many children. The largest he sent to England and France. He became a great man of Japan and received a place in the Russo-Japanese War, in which the Russians were defeated. He was Manoan's son. They liked me very much and gave me a room all to myself, to sleep. But I had a bad thought: I saw all the girls when we ate together and I sympathized without any evit thoughts. When I went in to my room and lay down to sleep, I see after one hour, the largest girl of the charioteer, and she comes in and accompanies me, making me keep silent. In the morning, after she left, they made me breakfast, and I told them how much was it. Before I left, I gave her $5.00 and I kissed all of them and told them good-by. They went as far as the road with us, and we left. And he took me where the ship was anchored. I give him $5.00 to him. He deserved it. Poor thing. The next day the whole family came and asked for me, by name, the Greek. At once the guard informs me, and we take them in and show them the ship, all of it. His daughter gives me a silk handkerchief of Japan, and expensive. On the ship, every day, we had everything of Japan for buying, but the handkerchief was better than anything they had. When we left from Yokohama for Honolulu, then I gave the handkerchief to the captain as a gift. He didn't know what to do for me for it. He orders the sailor and makes for me a suit, sailor's suit, and I had it until I reached back home. After two days, we left for Honolulu and reached there, threw the anchor, and began our good times. Then our time came to go out. When we reached the city, we saw that they had everything as they have in Manila, but there, there are tame horses. You can get one for all day, to go anywhere you want to go and, when you don't need it anymore, you let it loose, and it goes by itself where it came. There were about 20 of us sailors. The first thing, we went to see the hula-hula. There, where the Indians of Honolulu dance without any clothes, we had plenty of food and drinks. All of the sailors became drunk. I and my friend, the Mitiliotan, had our senses, though. Then we took our horses and went out for good times. We took the road for out to town. If you were there to see and laugh day and night: the Americans gave rein to their horses, but we two remained back and were going at a trot. After a while, the captain passes with the admiral. As I saw them, I tell my friend, "When that buggy comes near, you must salute, as I shall do." Then we stop our horses and, at once, we salute our superiors. At once they saluted us too. Then they went on ahead, and we remained back. Then what do the captain and the admiral see? They were obliged to stop the buggy to take up the sailor who had fallen from his horse, so drunk was the man, and the horse was dragging him from his foot. Then we turned our horses and stopped the animal and put the sailor on our saddle. The next day, when we came to the ship, what should you see: the officers who had been with us, everybody was in sight. Then the captain said, "What a difference there is between man and man! Only two sailors saluted, the rest were gone to the dickens."
Then the captain said, "I want all the sailors who were out on that certain day to come before me."
So they were always jealous of us and were trying to do us harm. So, one night, after we had left Honolulu for San Francisco, what happened to me,
but I escaped from this trouble, too:
As we reached Vallejo, they took all of us out and put us on a large ship, which was the Navy school. Our ship overhauled, and we remained in Vallejo two months.
After that, we were ready for the journey for New York. Until we reached there it took us six months, because we went by way of Cape Horn. At the time we were
in Vallejo, I took two days leave and went to San Francisco, at Sacramento and Market Streets. There I met a countryman of mine, Athan Anagnostopoulos, who had an
uncle who had a bar. I took out $5.00 for treating all the sailors, and he thanked me. He said to me,
I gave him $50.00, and he sent it to my mother. I told him to write to her that after seven months I'd be back home. And I did this. After we left for New York, we stopped only at Buenos Aires and loaded coal. But we were 500 miles from land. As we were rounding the Cape, we saw icebergs. Then we took line for New York. Those icebergs were coming from the South Pole, that is near to Australia. When we reached New York, they paid all of us whatever each one had to receive. I and my friend went for home, Europe. He had been away there for twenty years. Then we took a French ship, bound for Marseilles, but before we sailed, we put our money in French banks and changed it to French lires. I put $2500.00, and he put whatever he had. I retained $500.00 for clothes. So we went to a hotel until we should be ready for home. Then I went to a French tailor for clothes. We gave him a deposit. We took his card, and put mine in where I had my bank book, and then we began to have a good time. In Marseilles, there were many Greek ships, the most of them from my home town. I, until we reached Piraeus, always wore my American clothes. Then many of my friends found out that I had been to France and came to the cafe to see me, and I related to them my woes. And we went to the ship to eat. After, we ate well and drank and began our songs. Then we left for our rooms. I had on my overcoat and in my pocket the envelope with the tailor's card but not the papers, and they tell me not to worry, my money was there, and nobody could take my money but I.
The next day, I go to the cafe and tell them everything. There was a home-town second mate with home I had sailored, and he says to the others that,
if I wanted, they'd take out my passport for my home. Then I tell to the cafe man, "Give him to smoke a nargileh and one black coffee, and I pay."
Then I go to the tailor's. As I neared there, my heart wouldn't let me go in, but the woman comes to the door and says,
At once I go in, and she gives the address of the hackman who had found the money. Then I take the buggy and go there. When he sees me, he says, "Bon soir, monsieur Alexandre. Take your money." I ask him what he wants from me, and he says give me whatever you want. Then I give him 100 francs. He tells me, "Merci beaucoup, monsieur," and he makes all his family kiss me, as I was wearing the American clothes, they asked me if I was American. But I told them, no. Then he put my story in the French papers, the next day, and I left for the tailor's and related to her everything and waited for my clothes so I could go home. And, behold, I started for the fatherland. Then all my countrymen found out that everything was as I had said. They lost no time but gave me a fellow countryman, a neighbor of mine, whose name was George Grivas. He was suffering from tuberculosis, and I was obliged to take him with me. We sailed for Piraeus on the same boat, and on the boat was a bishop from Sparta, and he was with us until we reached Sparta. In the place where my room was, across was the bishop's room, coming from Paris where he had had an operation for his eyes. I always wore my sailor's dress, and in the evening, when we were ready to retire, the bishop began to say the ceremony: "Saint, God, the father of all of us. Glorify the master of us and bow down to Him on your knees and worship His feet. Holy God, almighty, undying, have mercy on us," and was making the sign of the cross. I lose no time and begin in a tenor voice: "Tes bresvies tis theotokou, soter sosonemas." At once he looked to see from whence the voice came. He came to my room and saw me with the American clothes and began to cross himself and said, "God, help me, save me." I lose no time but take his right hand and kiss it and tell him, "Blessed are you, Father," and he lifted his head and prayed to God for me. Then I told him all my story, and do you think he would let me go away from his side? Day and night, he had me with him, until we reached Piraeus, and there we parted. I clasped his hand and kissed it and told him, "Your blessing, holy Father," and he tells me, "I pray to the almighty God to protect you from every evil."
I take the next boat for Galaxidi, and we reached there. Whereupon, lo and behold, there came from Desfina, across from Galaxidi, drummers, one boat full
of them, and other trumpeters. I was reminded of the good times of my youth and I send my baggage with my brother-in-law and Grivas and I take all the
musicians, the whole troupe of them, the boys with whom I used to play when I was young, and I went from one side of the town to the other. At last I went
near my home and danced the tsamico. There came out all the women and told my mother, "Welcome your holy creature."
Then my mother runs and embraces me, and from her gladness she cried and fainted in my arms. Then I left everything and went to our house and began to make out I was a poor man. But one mother feels for her child, and she comforted me, saying, "Courage, my child. All the money you ever sent me from all parts of the world, I have all of it and I don't want you to worry." Then I began to wear my old clothes and used to go down to the agora with them on. Whenever I met any neighbor, he would not speak to me; instead he would mock me. All would tell me, "Not even a rat rattles in his pocket." Then it was at the festival time of St. Basil, a time when young and old gambled. I go outside of the coffeehouse and take out of my pocket 3 lires. At first I was unlucky. The last lira fills the paper, and I win 50 drachmas, all copper money. And then I tie all the money in a handkerchief. I was a little weak, for I had drunk a little. I took the money and took it home and, as I threw the coppers on the bed, time I lose none, I take off my money belt, in which I had 2000 lires. My sisters see the money and say, "My eyes are dimmed with money." The spread filled with the money. <-- Chapter 3 || -->Go to Chapter 5 |