The savour of sweet wines and bitter beers
My stoic companion led the way
He taught with silence letting me fall in his wake
I stumbled behind, gradually gaining in confidence, as experience taught me
We crossed many lands, arid deserts, steaming rain forests
Butterfly strewn meadows and even an erupting volcano
I froze, boiled, sweated and cursed
Our packs lightened in deserted areas
And we refilled them wherever we found life
Or could pick fruits, sometimes even hunt
The creatures made a change from killing men
I learned what I could eat and what would poison me
What tasted good and what gave me the runs
I learned which peoples sought to fight us
And who would give us shelter
Who pretended to fight for our cause
And where strange friends were met in the arms of battle