By the Horn of the South

By Sue Davies

Based on a true story, this historical adventure is set on a Greek merchant vessel, The Delphis, as it sails down the coast of West Africa in search of treasure.

It is about 500 BCE. There is a volatile mix of navigators, healers and soothsayers on board. The seas are huge and the hunt for gold, relentless. The skies are overcast and navigation by the night sky impossible. They get lost in lakes and lagoons, fall ill with mysterious fevers and some die. They ride out a tidal wave and hunt for gorillas.

When they return home they must answer for their actions to one of the most dangerous men of the known world. He hauls them up before an enquiry. Was any treasure found? Who was responsible for the failure of the voyage? Most importantly of all, why is their leader not amongst them? The man seems to have completely disappeared.

This multi-voiced, historical adventure is fast paced and gripping. It explores what was it like to travel the world when it was thought to end at the Straits of Gibraltar and Helios, the sun, disappeared sizzling into the sea each night only to rise, fresh faced again, every morning.