Chapter 2: MIRACULOUS HERBAL CONCOCTION

All eyes turned to stare at Dollo like he was some weird creature dropped in a normal setting. He immediately stopped clapping and looked at his feet.

"See, I told you Sir Knight here was in trouble," Dollo said while looking at no one in particular. Inside the cookroom were ten sailors exclusive of the three who had saved Yosef from drowning were gathered.

"Thank you Dollo for calling for help, that was a close call," Yosef replied to Dollo.

"Once again, big thanks to the Chief Mate Musa here, Second mate James and Pato for braving the hellish storm on my behalf. Your valor and courage have saved this mortal warrior, and I will forever be in your debt. If ever you need help while in Cyprus. Don't hesitate to come to our Templar Temple. Tell Marshal Jacob that his good friend Yosef Gideon has referred you. We Knights Templars are not stingy to those who help us out." Yosef added back.

As he stood there talking to the sailors, water dripped out of his robe and tunic, unknowingly he was shivering, an effect of the coldness from the storm he had been exposed to. The water from his clothes collected into a small puddle on the wooden floorboards at his feet.

The cook Jasper looked at him with deep concern etched on his face before saying what was on his mind. "My, my, you will get a nasty cold standing there like that in those drenched clothes. Please immediately undress before the cold gets to your bones and liver."

Yosef looked around at all the male eyes looking at him and thought of him bearing his nakedness to all these men and it made him ashamed. Wasn't this a slap on his dignity, it was one thing being naked with his Knight Templar brothers as they swam and bathed in River Jordan in summer naked or bathed in the Templar washrooms. Those were sworn brothers and they were honored to protect his honor. None of them could mind the differences in sizes of their bodies: big, small, tall, or short. Physical appearances meant nothing compared to the spirit and devotion of the man, and neither could they go blabbering around in idle talk.

"Fear not, Knight Yosef, we are all fellow men here, just relax and remove those bloody cold clothes before you regret it," cook Jasper added while removing his grey apron and hanging it on a wall nail. This apron of Jasper was long stained with soot and different soup stains that it had lost its original light grey color to become something of dark-black grey.

Pato who was standing next to him, patted Yosef on the back gently with his arm and said gently yet audible to all within the room, "we are not like some Catholic priests who have carnal knowledge with alter boys or male parishioners."

"Ha ha ha ha!" They all laughed at this remark.

"If only there were altar girls, I could gladly offer to serve in the seminary or whatever church. Alas am not fated to meet such since the men of the cloth despise women." Second Mate Jacob also added his view.

"Shut up you morons!" Cook Jasper shouted in his loud voice like a father scolding his unruly children.

They all went quiet and the immoral smiles or laughter that wished to break forth out of their lips were tamed.

"I don't want to see any of you lazy sailors here in my cook-room or God have mercy on your wretched backs. Begone!" Cook Jasper continued shouting at them.

One by one, they stood up and moved out of the cookroom, leaving Yosef standing alone with the Cook Jasper.

"Ignore and forgive those immoral sailors, the only thing they know is how to sail, drink, whore, or engage in filthy talk." Jasper calmly talked to Yosef while helping him to remove his robe, tunic, and sodden sandals.

Yosef blushed and wished to protest against cook Jasper taking the liberty to remove his clothes, however, the man had this authoritative aura around him and he could not muster the courage to protest. More so against someone helping him out.

"Alright, that is better than you soaking up in these soaked clothes," cook Jasper said as he put aside Yosef's sodden clothes and sandals next to the hot stove.

"Here, have this apron, and put it on. It will warm you up, come and have a seat in this chair." Jasper took another apron down from the wall nail, and he threw it to Yosef, all the while dragging a heavy wooden chair across the floor towards him.

Yosef had no desire to put on this fairly dirty apron even though he did not want to be stark naked alone with cook Jasper. He just held on to it as the cook placed the chair next to him while gesturing for him to sit down in it.

"Oh, I did not know that you good Knight is amongst these fellows who love moving around nude flashing their members for all to see what kind of marvelous work the Almighty did while molding their flesh, or else I could have not given you my apron." This last remark from cook Jasper stung Yosef to the bone and he felt he had to defend himself.

"No no no, you got me all wrong Jasper." He defended himself while rushing to throw the apron over his head and past his painful right shoulder.

"Ouch!!" Yosef cried when he tried to lift his right arm and adjust the apron over his tall frame.

The earlier pain Yosef had experienced in his right shoulder hand while perilously hanging on to the wooden railing decided to wake him up to the reality that his troubles were far from over.

The sound he involuntarily made got the attention of Cook Jasper, "my my, that sounds painful."

Jasper drew close to Yosef to stand above him. With Yosef seated, Jasper's height of 6 feet and 3 inches loomed over him like a tower.

Jasper was stoutly built with thick arms and legs, the thighs were stretching his well-worn black pair of trousers that were meant to be loose-fitting but were now gripping his thighs tightly as if he had mugged them from a teenage sailor. The pair of trousers ended at the knee like it was with other sailor attires. From the exposed lower legs, Yosef could see that this cook had muscled lower legs with muscles straining outwards to form a prominent calf that should have belonged to a Spartan warrior and not a cook. The feet were bare, they were somewhat longer than his, possessing thick toes, and some of the toenails had long gone off.

The lantern hanging in the corner behind Yosef was casting its' light on this towering cook, combined with the firelight coming from the brightly burning stove. It could be seen that Jasper had an olive complexion with a rugged face, a few wrinkles marked his forehead and cheeks without any beard but with red stubble marks from recent shaving as well as those deep and penetrating brown eyes. Characteristic of a man who had seen the trials of life and sailed through them.

"Here, let me look at this shoulder of yours that is putting such a proud Knight as you in this kind of pain. Look at how you have screwed up your face."Jasper said in his strong yet hoarse voice as he loomed over Yosef.

Cook Jasper, placed a few of his fingers on the skin on top of Yosef's right shoulder and pressed downwards with some force to gauge the reaction.

"Ouch! That hurts a lot!" Yosef said.

"Is it painful moving your arm in a circular motion?" Jasper asked.

"I think so, just a few minutes ago, it was very painful raising the hand to slid over this apron." Was Yosef's response.

Jasper went ahead to observe the hand and shoulder properly in the warm lantern and stove light with a look of concern etched on his face. He then shook his head in concern before withdrawing his hand.

"I think I know what your problem is, for your information. I come from a long line of distinguished healers and it's just misfortune that placed me on this path of a sailor." Cook Jasper went ahead to say.

And then asked, "do you feel some numbness, spasms, and intense pain when you attempt to move your hand?"

"You are right on all the above, there's even some swelling, this is not the normal size". Yosef answered.

"I know what it is, seen this before, you have got a serious case of a dislocated shoulder, with bruised muscles from the ordeal you had outside in the storm."

"I do have the right solution for that, let me give you some strong medicinal tea to warm you inside and out so that the cold does not make you deathly sick or worse", Jasper said.

"That is much-appreciated Jasper, and thank you for your consideration for not proposing whiskey or rum." Yosef voiced his appreciation.

The cook Jasper picked a small kettle and poured inside one cup of fresh water from a barrel standing in the corner. This kettle was put on the brightly burning stove.

Jasper picked a mixture of dried leaves and herbs from several containers in the kitchen cabinet before adding them to the kettle.

Twenty minutes later. The water in the kettle was about to boil.

Already, the smell from this boiling concoction of herbs was making him feel light-headed with a slight relief from the pain in the hand, if he ignored it, it could not be as worse as it felt.

It released a sweet aroma. Yosef had never smelt something like this or known there was this type of sweet medicine. Unlike the medicine potions, he grew up being forced to take them by elders in the orphanage or later on by the Masters in the temple. It was all bitter like wormwood. He exclaimed in his heart, "wonders will never end".

When the water with the herbs boiled. Jasper poured Yosef a cup of the herbal concoction in a mug. The remainder of the water from the kettle, he poured into a thick washcloth.

"Take it while it is still hot, that's when the medicine is at its best," Jasper told him.

"From the look on your face, it looks like you want to ask me what medicinal herbs I have used. I assure you, you are not the first and probably won't be the last to think of asking me such a question. It's a trade secret concoction passed down from father to son for many generations." Jasper defended his reasons for not divulging the herbal concoction ingredients.

Despite the herbal tea concoction being scalding hot, Yosef forced himself to drink it quickly for several minutes before it cooled down. The taste was somehow sweet, with a mellow and refreshing flavor.

Within no time. All the cold and shivering were dispelled, the tension in his body left him, and the pain in his right-hand shoulder disappeared. He was left sweating from head to toe.

Yosef felt very relieved and refreshed like he had woken up from a good night's sleep. The medicinal herbal concoction had infused heat into his blood and all the coldness was flushed out.

Jasper saw the change and asked. "Knight Yosef, how are you feeling now?"

"Cook Jasper, this medicine is almost divine. I feel great now, all the pain has gone away." Yosef said enthusiastically.

"Here comes the last part. It will pain a bit but it will be worth it. In two days, your hand will be back to normal.

Jasper proceeded to get the thick washcloth that he had earlier soaked in the water of the herbal concoction.

He squeezed some water out, before proceeding to rub the washcloth firmly into his skin. From the shoulder of the dislocated hand to the fingers. Back and forth he rubbed with some force applied as if he was massaging the muscles beneath.

Yosef was feeling the wet and hot touch of the washcloth. Strangely enough despite the firmness of Jasper's touch rubbing in, no pain was felt.

This went on for several rounds until the water in the washcloth became lukewarm. This was the gentle part, it was followed by the rough parts.

Jasper grasped his right hand in his two hands and began twisting it. To put the joint back in order. Thank goodness the herbal concoction had made the nerves numb, otherwise, Yosef thought he could pass out from the extreme pain caused by all this twisting.

He had seen Templar brothers who were amputated after suffering grievous wounds in skirmishes with the Mamelukes warriors. The pain of the amputation could make them pass out.

"You need a good rest tonight and tomorrow, and then your hand will be back to normal in no time". Jasper told him as he put away the washcloth and wiped away the sweat that had accumulated on his forehead with the back of his hand.

"Go to your cabin and rest, there will be no supper for you tonight as food does not mix well with the tea you have taken. By the way, inform the sailors outside to now come in for their supper." Thus cook Jasper sent Yosef off.

By now the storm had abated, and it was safer to walk to his cabin for the night's rest.

Outside, he found sailor Pato and relayed the cook Jasper's communication for them to enter for their evening meal. Yosef walked slowly to his cabin, deep in thought about this medicine Jasper had administered to him, and the only way he could describe it was Miraculous Herbal concoction.