I am A. John Katsikosta, from Galaxidion.

I made up my mind to write the story of my life from my fourteenth year, when I first came into to the world (to make my own living).

I had for my teacher my uncle George Papakiriazopoulon, who was teacher of the public school of Galaxidion for 25 years; I was tutored by him until I learned a little (he says: until I learned five letters); and came out into this world as a good man.

I was from a small family; that is, from a poor one; but, by being near my godfather, I learned to read and become a good man until today.

I want to relate to you the first happenings that caused my troubles. Before I began traveling on the sea there happened to me two things, small affairs, one when I was on the deck of the ship when they had it on the docks; that is, when they were fixing it to fall into the sea. Then I was taking 15 drachmas a month; I was carrying water to the builders. At that time Galaxidion had 15,000 inhabitants and 500 ships; it was the first marine place of Greece in the number of ships.

There, where I was working in the making of the ship, one day, a Sunday, there came to the ship the daughter of the mayor with the wife of the captain. I was from my childhood humorous; they began to praise me and tell me many funny things; but I began to dance up and down; at the same time they fixed the evil eye on me! When night came, I tried to eat but I could eat nothing. When dizziness seized me and a trembling, and I began to foam at the mouth. The poor man who was with me didn't know what to do; he put me on his shoulder half-dead and took me to my home. When my mother saw me in that condition, she said at once, "Oh, they evil-eyed him! The witches!"

At once, she sent my sister and said to her, "Go and bring Palatina at once, before we lose Alexander!"

When Palatina came and saw me, she ordered some cotton and a thin handerchief. She put the handerchief on my face, I was being unconscious, and put the cotton on the top of it and then began to say the exorcisms. When she finished saying her exorcisms, she put a match to the cotton and, as it took fire, she jumped in the air like a bird. I jumped up. What I should see but my mother, my sister, and Palatina crying black tears. I get up and say, "Her I am!" They say, "Ah, my child, thank your uncle who brought you here, and you were saved, or else you had been a lost boy!"

The next day I went to my work. When my uncle saw me, he asked me what the matter had been. I told him. He said, "Those big-eyed women evil-eyed you, and that is why I took you home for them to save you."

I thanked him and told him that I would always be at his services.

The next day my uncle went to the captain's wife and told what happened. The two of them went to my mother, and she saw them she said. "Ah, my Christians, what did I do to you that you almost took my child away from me? I have only that one in this world, who became a good child, who tries to support his family, because my other son, his brother, died when he grew into manhood, while his other brother became a bad man, and even I don't know where he went (what became of him).

"I have right here 100 drachmas to give to Palatina for her trouble, for having saved my child from death!". And that was my first battle.

And now I want to tell you another episode that occured in my life, at the time they launched the ship.

Then, I was going to school and I was in the second grade (high school). One day, I went to the same ship, where my father was guard. The same night my father told me to help clean the sail and then go home, so we could go to church the next morning, it being Sunday. One man took one end, another took another end. I, not knowing that there was a hole for the mast, was sweeping the sail when I fell through the hole. I did not know where I was going. As I saw I was gone, then I managed to cry, "Blessed Mary!" As if by a miracle, somebody put a column before me and I grabbed it, pulling myself onto the second deck of the ship. And I only scratched my foot. My father kept looking for me and when he found me asked me how I had gotten hurt. I told him what happened and how the Virgin answered my prayer. He took some tobacco, washed my foot, and tied it with tobacco; then told me to run home: "And don't tell your mother anything of what happened to you."

As I was going to the house, and my mother saw me in that danger, at once she began to say,

"Ah, you moron (meaning her husband)! The first child you brought almost to death, the second you made a wicked man, and you (addressing her boy) he almost killed. Where is your father?"

"In the ship."

She lost no time, took a gun and went opposite the ship and tells my father,

"John, come out. I want to see you."

"What do you want from me, Chrisafo?"

"I brought you your food."

And at once she seizes the gun and says to him,

"Hey, you moron (μωρέ), even Alexander you brought to me ruined! Come out! Let me see you!"

And right away she began to shoot. My father, from terror, jumped into the sea and swam. She began shooting towards him: two more bullets and she had no more.

But my father never dared to approach the house for weeks. After, when I became well, then my father came, and everything quieted down. But my mother, unlettered and poor, always was the first at church and always advised me to fast in order to take Communion. And, always, until today, I have God as help.

I was with the ship of Captain Maroula, with which we disembarked from the Galaxidion for Batum (in Georgia, Caucasus Mts.), near Russia and Turkey; it is 500 miles far from Constantinople. When we near to reaching there, there came much mist and a storm and cold. We had a bulldog who kept barking night and day and never was quiet. It went right and left and kept on smelling everyone. One day, at midnight, before we reached land, the dog almost went mad. It would not stop barking; we could not stop him in any manner. Then we had an idea (that something must be going on) because they said that here they loot the ships and sink them. Then we took caution and waited to see what would happen. The captain sent one man up to the topmast. He was looking right and left and saw a small boat that was nearing the ship. Just then the dog almost went mad, and we followed him wherever he went. When the ship sailed slowly, slowly, they (in that other boat) sailed up to the ship, to the bow. There was a big rope hanging from the ship to the sea. They took hold of the rope and were coming into the ship! Then the dog became so wild that he, too, pulled the rope from the ship side. At the same time, the man on the topmast comes down and tells the captain, "I saw one boat at the bow and I don't know what it is." Then the captain loses no time: he discharges the gun with false bullets. Then they heard a loud voice, Greek, and, thanks to the dog, they disappeared.

The next morning, we reached the place of other ships and cast anchor, and, at once, all the sailors of us went to the masts to gather up the sails of the ship. And it happened that I was near the topmast, tying the sail. I left one ribbon untied, and the second mate told me, being small, to tie it up; whereupon, tying it, I lost hold and fell into the center of the sail. They said one thing and another, but I was unconscious. The second mate, who was responsible to my mother, came and saw me, crying,

"Ah, what will I say to his mother, when I promised her to give him into her hands both safe and sound!" And he wept black tears.

Although I heard all, I was not in a position to say anything. As if by a miracle, a laughter seized me, and he said at once,

"There is nothing wrong with him." Whereupon, they took me down into my room, and the second mate said, "Put some other sailor at his post until he gets well."

But for 24 hours I was unconscious and, each time I was that way, they saw me make the sign of the cross. And the captain said, "Poor thing; and to think that he is supporting the family! What shall we say to this mother?"

The next day the captain brought me a tea and said,

"How are you feeling?"

"I am well."

Then the poor man said, "Thank God that you escaped, my child."

The next day I began my work cooking and taking care of the rooms. One morning I went to the kitchen to make fire and make tea and food for the captain. The dog was sleeping in the kitchen. I told him, "Get up, you." But he growled and grabbed at my foot. Then I, becoming angry because he would not get up, kicked at him with my foot; whereupon, he jumped and bit me on the leg and then on the hand.

They came to me when I hollered and washed my injuries and put horse beans on them and kept them on there until I became well. The next day, I talked to the dog gently and asked him why he bit me; and he came to me and licked me.

After he loaded corn and bear skins, we left for Trieste. I listening to my mother's advices, went to church in Trieste. I fasted one week and I went to church to take Communion. In Trieste, they have a very beautiful Greek church; likewise in Rumania, Galatsi.

When we left Trieste, we went to Galaxidion, where I remained about one month, because it was necessary for me to stay on account of my two sisters, Panorga and Evangelina. I dowered them and married them off.

After a few days I embarked on the ship on the ship of Angelo Stavrou and remained with him 14 months and made plenty of money, enough to support mother, father, and marry off two sisters.

My last voyage on a Greek ship I made on that of Moscus, from Galaxidion. We went to Santorino and cargoed porcelain for Fiume, then of Austria. We took out the porcelain and cargoed thick wood for France, for Bordeaux. We reached there and began unloading the lumber, an American schooner came near us.

I began learning English from the cook of the schooner. I used to give him wine and brandy once in a while, and he used to give me, coffee, or sugar and many times he gave me meat, to cook for the crew. The captain used to send me to market to buy the food.

One day the French were having a carnival, and there was something on the lake at which people were looking. I went, too, to see what it was. There was a little girl there, from a good family, with her nurse. The nurse lost the little girl, who must have been around seven years old. There were also other girls there, and one of them shoved the little girl, "Look out, let me see," whereupon the little child fell in and was, the little one, in danger. I, losing no time, I throw the basket away and remember the swimming of my fatherland when I saw no one go to save her. She sank. Then, losing no time, I dived like an eagle, brought her out in my arms and brought her to land. Then the nurse comes and takes my hand and says "Merci beaucoup." At the same time, the officers, French, came and asked me what was my name. I told them of the ship Laver, and Greek.

After all these things, I took my basket and kept my walk. I took lamb heads for soup; I used to give them each one half a head.

What should you see the next day in the papers! "Le Grecque, le bon garcon, du Laver." The next day the parents and the little girl and the servant came to the ship. The captain sees a gentleman with his family: at once he invites them to his cabin to see what they want, but, before they came to the cabin, the little girl saw me on the deck and she says to her parents, "There is monsieur Kosta!" And they came to the kitchen and took my hand, all, even the little girl, and they thank me for what I did and wish me bon voyage.

When they went down to the captain's cabin, they left their card; and the captain told me, "Bravo, Alexander, you did your duty like a good patriot. The gentleman left his card, and you are to go to see him. He has a clothing store. He is rich."

When I went to the store, I showed him the card. He takes me by the hand and gave me a suit of clothes, everything, a whole outfit; and he makes me like a sport. He also gives me a banquet. When we finished, I bade them goodbye and I went to the ship and looked after my cooking. But the captain and the sailors were jealous of me, and they tell me, "Old man Katsicoiani, again you got something." (εμβαλλώθηκες)

When we left France, we went to England, Cardiff; then I became a regular Englishman, and couldn't ever get in another Greek ship. As we were nearing Cardiff, I told the captain, "Give those clothes of mine that I don't need to my mother when you go home; now I am going to sail to sail for Cape Town, Africa. 30 lires are coming to me. Give me 10 and the rest give to my mother." And, lo and behold, I went to Cardiff and went to a countryman, a Sava, who kept a sailors' boarding house, and asked him if there was any English ship that needs sailors. He tells me there is a small ship that sails from England to Portugal: " I think there is a man who knows." "Where is he now?" "He'll be here in a minute."

End of Part 1 --> Go to Part 2