"This may be the online connection I am talking about. My dear cousin, natural history is just my hobby, and my career is still with the East India Company... Two years ago, the company already had an expedition fleet to search for Australia.
But so far, nothing has been found. No matter in the Indian Ocean or the Pacific Ocean, except for islands full of jungles and primitive savages, there is no sign of the existence of Australians."
"Maybe we should try our luck in the Atlantic Ocean. After all, they know so much about us in Europe and the Holy Church. Maybe Australia is not too far away from us,"
"It's also a possibility. They claim to be Australians. It's strange to say. According to the most educated Chinese I've ever consulted: the Chinese word 'Ao' means 'big island'. 'zhou' is
It means a huge continent. When the two words are added together, does it mean that they come from a large island as big as a 'continent'?"
"Cousin, you are so good at making connections!"
"Haha, you should have thought that they would not use this word to refer to themselves for no reason." Basten said, "I guess it is the big island (Madagascar) three hundred leagues northeast of the Cape of Storms (Cape of Good Hope).
) may be the homeland of the Australians. That big island is larger than France. The Portuguese visited there a hundred years ago, but they only moved in a small area. There are many unexplored areas that may be the homeland of the Australians.
.”
"Why not the island south of Kalimantan that was explored by our compatriot Dirk Hartog twenty years ago? Although the entire island has not been explored, judging from the known shipping tracks, it is very large."
"This is also possible. But according to his report, the place is very desolate, just a desert."
"Maybe it looks completely different inland."
"Yeah, if it's possible, I really hope that one day I can organize an expedition team to go to these places to conduct an island-wide search."
"Great adventure! You must let me participate in it, dear cousin!"
"You are very welcome, but first of all, an island-wide expedition of this scale requires a lot of money to support. I personally cannot afford it without the support of the company. At the moment, we should consider dealing with those Chinese who are affecting the business."
"Will Australians think that the Chinese people to our north are compatriots and help them?"
"My personal judgment is not. As mentioned just now, although Australians and Chinese have a lot in common, the spiritual and cultural differences between them are already very big. Moreover, they themselves are in conflict with the Chinese people on the mainland.
When the Chinese are fighting, why do they care about the affairs of the Chinese on this island? You don’t have to worry about the Australians coming to disturb what we are doing.”
"That's good!" Armand raised his head and drank all the kvass in the glass. "Please have another glass. This cold drink is so comfortable to drink."
Basten immediately asked the servant to bring new ones. Armand was a little strange and asked: "Cousin, where is Anna? I haven't seen her until now."
"I whipped her severely and locked her in a room. I asked the servants to give her only a glass of water and a piece of bread every day."
"Has she made you angry again?" said Armand.
"She ran out to go to sea with the Australians and arrived at Labuan Island." Mr. Basten looked furious. "She is always like this, sneaking out with outsiders, going out to sea in the bay, and swimming around. No matter how many times I whip her,
She won’t even have a long memory! This is God’s punishment for me! As God testifies, next time she dares to do this again, I will beat her with a slave’s cowhide whip until she can’t get up!”
"Don't be angry, dear cousin." Armand said as if he was thinking about something, "I think she must be fourteen or fifteen years old."
"Yes." Basten was still angry, "God, since she became a girl, she has simply become a different person."
"Since she is already fifteen years old, don't you consider arranging a marriage for her? In the Netherlands, girls of this age can get married."
"Who should I marry her to on the island of Kalimantan?" Basten spread his hands, "There are not even many Europeans here. Even if I don't dislike the British, merchants and captains all have families.
Marrying a soldier? It’s hard to say whether he will survive until he is discharged."
"But when you complete this contract and return to China, how old will Anna be? Do you think anyone will be willing to marry a girl in her twenties? Besides, even if your wife is willing to admit her, she will have to spend a huge amount of money to marry her.
I’m afraid I won’t be happy with the dowry.”
Basten didn't say anything, obviously my cousin's words hit the mark."
Armand took the opportunity to say: "I don't think you have to marry her to a European. Mixed-race girls like her are not popular in Europe. I'm afraid you have to pay a large dowry to marry her."
If she marries an unreliable person from a broken household, it would be better to marry her off locally."
"You mean, marry a local?" Basten was already shaking his head.
"I know you look down on the local indigenous people, but there are many Chinese businessmen here. You know that most of them are smart and capable, and they have accumulated a lot of property. By marrying Anna to them, you will not only give her a reliable partner, but also
You can get a rich dowry..."
Before Armand finished speaking, Basten shook his head: "But they are all pagans. Marrying a pagan, how... is this allowed..."
"Cousin, did you and her mother have a wedding in front of God? Did you baptize her after she was born?"
This question immediately overwhelmed Basten.
"Let's face the reality. Cousin, I know you love this child very much. After all, she is the daughter you raised. But she has grown up, and you will not be able to take her back to China in the short term. If this continues
Sooner or later, she will be kidnapped or trafficked as a slave by some bad guys. What will you have left by then? Marry her to a good family, at least let her have a reliable husband. I think you must be local
I know a lot of Chinese businessmen.”
Van Basten had to admit that his cousin's words made sense. He had originally considered Anna's marriage, but after much consideration, he always felt that there was no suitable partner. When his cousin said this, he felt enlightened.
"You are right. This arrangement seems better for her. It's just her soul..."
"I think the Chinese won't care what she believes in. The Chinese are not very keen on religion. Your Anna only needs to offer sacrifices to her husband's ancestors. Regarding this matter, I personally think it is not idol worship. After all,
Even Catholics think it’s not.”
At this point, Armand seemed to have remembered something and smiled: "Actually, besides local Chinese businessmen, you have a good choice."
"What?"
“How are the Australians?”
Basten had an expression of disbelief on his face.
"I heard that many of them are single men. If you bring it up, I think there is a high probability that they will agree. In this way, you can also establish a special relationship with Australians. The company will not say
What, after all, Anna is not legally your daughter."
"Okay. I'll consider your suggestion."
In a bedroom on the second floor where they were chatting, the doors and windows were closed, and the curtains were drooped. On a wooden bed, Anna was lying on the mat, bored.
After returning from Labuan Island, she has been locked in the house, with only a piece of bread and a glass of water every day. The books and paintings in the room were also cleared away, leaving only a Dutch Bible.
This was not the first time for her to be beaten. Every time she came back from an adventure like this, she would inevitably get a beating. She was not afraid of this, but she was locked up and was not allowed to go out, read or listen in the living room.
The anecdotes told by sailors and merchants from far away were the things she couldn't stand.
Anna has liked the atmosphere of the store since she was a child. All kinds of men with the smell of seawater come and go, chatting with her father and talking about their experiences. She is always fascinated. Sometimes she will interrupt and ask questions.
A few words. Men are also happy to answer questions from an innocent and cute girl.
After learning to read, she was keen on reading her father's collection of books: in addition to various prayers, most of them were reports on various overseas voyages, business and exploration. In the eyes of others, these descriptions were boring, but she gained a great deal.
The fun is like traveling around the world...
It was these experiences in her childhood that gave her a longing for the sea and adventure when she grew up. She often wandered around the docks and seaside, chatting with sailors and merchants, and looked at the strange goods coming from far away with great interest.
.However, her father was very disapproving of her "adventure", and later strictly prohibited it. However, this was really difficult to curb her yearning for sailing adventure. Although she was still young, Anna still seized every opportunity to sneak out and practice her adventure.
ideal.
She is no less interested in Australians than her father. The Australians have brought too many changes to the East Indies. The market is full of Australian goods. The company's ships transport goods for the Australians and purchase goods for the Australians. Australian money orders are in
Businessmen circulate in their hands. Many people have made fortunes because of the Australians, and some have gone bankrupt because of them. When people discuss recent business and current situation, they always mention "what about the Australians" or "what will happen to the Australians?"
Dry".
Originally, she had planned to take advantage of the opportunity of the Australians to visit and stay in the business building to ask them about Australia. She also wanted to ask if the Australian descriptions of the "Lingao" city they occupied were true. By the way,
We also want to visit their big black ship and the speedboat that puffs out black smoke.
However, after she came back, she was locked up and could only watch helplessly as the Australians sailed away after finishing their work. This chapter has been completed!