Maji Matamu Chini Kabisa

Sehemu ya mwisho ya ngazi ni tofauti. Mwamba si mkavu tena. Unakuwa na giza zaidi na baridi zaidi chini ya miguu yake. Kuna harufu ya jiwe lililolowa. Chini kabisa kuna pango dogo lenye dari ya chini, na mwanga kutoka majini unasogea kwenye dari yake.

The last part of the staircase is different. The rock is not dry any more. It gets darker and colder under her feet. There is a smell of wet stone. At the bottom there is a low cave, and light from the water moves across its roof.

Na pale, kando kabisa ya bahari, maji matamu yanatoka mwambani. Polly anayaonja. Ni baridi na matamu. Hayapaswi kuwa pale. Na ndiyo sababu ya kila kitu kilicho juu yake.

And there, right next to the sea, fresh water is coming out of the rock. Polly tastes it. It is cold and sweet. It should not be there. And it is the reason for everything above her.

Hivi ndivyo inavyotokea. Ardhi iliyo juu ya genge ni mwamba wa chokaa. Mvua haitiririki juu ya chokaa. Inazama ndani yake. Maji yanapata nyufa ndogo na kusafiri kushuka ndani ya jiwe. Maji matamu ni mepesi kuliko maji ya bahari, kwa hiyo yanaweza kushuka hadi chini kabisa ya genge na kubaki matamu yanapofika.

This is how it works. The land on top of the cliff is limestone. Rain does not run off limestone. It sinks into it. The water finds small cracks and travels down inside the stone. Fresh water is lighter than sea water, so it can come all the way down to the bottom of the cliff and still be fresh when it arrives.

Sasa ngazi zinaeleweka. Si askari, wala si usiku mmoja. Huenda walikuwa watawa, wakichonga kushuka polepole kwa miaka mingi ili kufikia maji haya. Mji ulio juu ya genge unaweza kuwa na kuta ndefu na mandhari nzuri sana, na bado ukakosa kitu cha kunywa.

Now the staircase makes sense. Not soldiers, and not one night. It was probably monks, cutting down slowly for years to reach this water. A town on a cliff can have high walls and a great view and still have nothing to drink.