The two new recruits, Joffroy and his friend, Sébastien, sat on the bench next to the captain, Albinet, his arm resting on the river boat’s tiller. That day there was only the slightest wind, so it was not worth unfurling and hoisting the sail, but soon after casting off, the Seine’s notoriously strong current swept them away from the quay to the middle of the river. Within minutes, the prow scythed into the murky water sending out a bow wave from either side of the vessel.
Albinet looked at the men, let out a guffaw, and asked,
“Why so glum? Can there be a better life than this, under the heavens? Beats any job on land in a dirty old town, if you ask me, so sit back and enjoy it. There’s nothing for you to do until tomorrow when we pick up cargo at Saint Germain – cloth, woven stuff, I
