And the sight of Carthago, with its mighty harbour, complete with special port facilities for merchant ships and the navy, was an awesome sight. Even by Rome’s standards, the fast growing Colonia Julia Carthago, built on the strategically located African promontory, was impressive. They had docked in the late afternoon after a trouble-free crossing from Sicilia. But the last two days without sight of land had been nerve wracking for Lara, even when the seas were placid. She had wondered how they knew they were going in the right direction. Vali had explained how they used the position of the sun and the stars to navigate. It seemed such a fragile method. How did they tell one star from the others? There were millions of them, scattered like dust across the inky sky. The night before, Vali had made her lie out on the open deck and watch the stars. He pointed out the constellations he knew from his childhood, and the ones this ship used to guide its path.
