About the Book
Historical Adventure Reveals the Story of the Queen of Sheba’s Son
Without Tamrin, a strong man of few words, the Queen of Sheba could not have journeyed to visit King Solomon. Without Tamrin, Sheba’s child, the next emperor of Ethiopia would have lacked a father figure. Without the intimate friendship and support of Sheba, Tamrin would not have become a man of great wealth and prestige.
As chief merchant and trader for the Ethiopian kingdom of Aksum, Tamrin knew the trade routes, sailing his fleet of dhows as a skilled mariner. Travel by camel through Egypt or the Desert of Nothingness meant passing through territory controlled by bandits. Travel by dhow on the Arabian Sea involved facing pirates, violent storms, or scorching doldrums. Tamrin faced these perils after rigorously training his crew, arming them with the latest Damascus steel weapons, the deadly new Scorpio crossbows with poisoned Hindush darts, and Ethiopian longbows. He governed his fleet by loyalty and trust, and those who failed him did not survive. His fleet of fast dhows proudly flew the Axum flag of Ethiopia, the rampant lion.
Protector of Sheba the Queen, Tamrin became surrogate father for young Prince Menelik. Sheba entrusted the future emperor into Tamrin’s care for a yearlong trading voyage. The prince joined Tamrin’s crew as a cabin boy after swearing an oath not to reveal his royal identity. But ship secrets are hard to keep!
About the Author
Born in Chicago, Harold M. Bergsma spent his early years in Ethiopia and India, where his father was a medical missionary. He studied linguistics and was a university professor and administrator for 30 years. The author has lived and worked in Africa and India. His first wife was born in India and his second is Chinese. “I am in many ways like Tamrin, of many origins, and many cultural backgrounds. Home is truly where the heart is.” This is his 10th book.