Chapter 359: The end of 1485 AD, the death of Diogo
The blue sky is cloudless, and the clear and scorching sun shines brightly, casting sparkling waves on the surface of the South Atlantic Ocean. The ocean waves are vast, the sky is endless, and there is no human habitation for thousands of miles.
Three Caravel sailing ships from the Kingdom of Portugal sailed on the sea without ships, expanding to the end of the known world. Between the scorching sun and the light, they chased the trajectory of the wind, looking for the ethereal hope. The south of the African continent is
So vast and desolate, it seems there will never be any boundaries.
The exploration fleet set out from the mouth of the Congo River and headed south, crossing the south of the equator and passing through the plateau of Lower Guinea. At this time, they had sailed more than 4,000 miles and arrived in the desert of Namibia.
Groups of Namibian seals play freely on the coast, chasing delicious fish. The Benguela Current rises here, forming a rare and rich fishing ground in the "Blue Desert".
Abundant food attracts huge behemoths, and huge blue whales are floating not far away. They swim freely in the vast sea, sometimes jumping to hit the waves, sometimes spraying water mist, and then making shocking calls!
In this era, blue whales, the largest creatures in the world, have no natural enemies. Their songs can be heard from far away, leisurely telling the story of the loneliness of this sea for millions of years.
"Almighty Lord! I sincerely pray to Him, asking Him to protect us from being devoured by sea monsters!"
Bruno stood in awe on the bow of the ship, praying devoutly to God. Beside him were more than a dozen sailors praying together. Everyone looked in the direction of the whale song, and could vaguely see a figure as huge as a hill, like a figure in the deep sea in mythology.
Behemoth.
Great navigation is in the ascendant, and the ocean myths circulated in the ancient Roman era are still lingering in people's minds. In the traditional concepts of Europeans, the movement of waves will cause animals to merge and form terrifying hybrid behemoths. Therefore, the deeper and more remote the ocean, the more
It is a terrifying sea monster hiding inside, sleeping with the terror of destroying everything.
The roar of the giant beast temporarily stopped after praying. The sailors praised the Lord loudly and calmed down a little. Bruno rolled up his sleeves, climbed up the mast flexibly, stood on the lookout more than ten meters high, and looked for the edge of the southern continent.
.In his sight, the red sand dunes continued to rise and fall on the southern continent, extending to the horizon, which made people feel despair.
"Tenho saudades! Merciful Virgin! Please give me divine revelation...Does the end of the southern continent exist? Can I return to my hometown and see my wife again?"
Bruno held the cable and stood on the high lookout. This was a place closer to the Lord, so he prayed devoutly again. The flag of the Portuguese royal family fluttered above his head. After countless winds, rains and waves, it always remained
whole.
White seagulls flew across the sky, attracted by the sailboat they had never seen before. They circled up and down curiously, chirping loudly "Ou, Ou", and occasionally pecked the bones hanging on the mast. Yes, on a
The bones are the last trace left behind by Boatswain Diego after many months of tropical voyage.
Bruno finished his prayer, glanced at the bones lightly, and quickly climbed down the mast. Then, he walked to the door of the captain's cabin worriedly and knocked gently.
"Praise the Lord! Dear captain, noble knight Bruno greets you!"
After a long time, a faint voice came.
"Ahem... Praise the Lord... Please come in."
Bruno opened the cabin door softly and walked into the captain's cabin. He was greeted by an indescribable smell of blood.
Diogo's eyes were open, his face was haggard, and there was no trace of blood on his face. He was lying on the wooden bed, stretching out his withered arms, trying hard to get up, but he couldn't use the strength at all, so he could only look up with difficulty.
Bruno immediately closed the cabin door and walked quickly to the captain. He carefully helped the captain up and touched the increasingly thin body under the wide ship's robe, feeling that the captain was light and airy.
"It's like an ancient Egyptian papyrus with symbols of death written all over it."
Bruno lowered his eyes and sighed in his heart.
On the banks of the Congo River, the unpredictable Aedes mosquitoes brought terrible malaria and dengue fever. Although they were far away from the devil's land, the cruel tropical diseases had penetrated into the captain's bones and tortured the weak "Lion" day and night. Cold syndrome and
Fever attacks alternately, coughing up blood and vomiting; severe pain in muscles and bones, continuous bleeding from nose, teeth and skin...
It had only been more than two months since he contracted the disease, and Diogo had already exhausted all his vitality. No matter how strong his body, his devout faith, or his iron will, he could not resist the laws of nature. At this time, he was just a dying man.
Pilgrims, pursuing the holy destination, heard God’s call prematurely.
"How about it?"
Diogo opened his mouth with difficulty and asked three words.
Bruno shook his head silently.
"Dear Captain, the noble scholar Martin measured the latitude today. This is already south of the equator, 21-22 degrees. We sailed south from the Congo River for at least four thousand miles. And when I boarded the lookout, the southern continent
The desert is still endless, with no boundaries in sight..."
Diogo remained silent and slowly closed his eyes. After a while, he suddenly coughed violently, and unstoppable blood flowed from his mouth.
Seeing this scene, Bruno stood up in panic, not knowing what to do. He awkwardly took out a piece of cotton cloth and wiped the corners of the captain's mouth, but blood was everywhere. The smell of blood in the captain's cabin became stronger and stronger.
After a while, Diogo's coughing stopped. He gasped hard, and his lungs made a murmur like water. Then, Bruno discovered with horror that at some point, two lines of light red blood were coming from the captain's body.
It flowed out from the nose and dripped silently on the deck.
"captain!..."
Diogo closed his eyes and lay down on the bed with difficulty. The nosebleed slowly returned and seeped out from the corners of his mouth, unable to stop it at all.
The captain's cabin was filled with the smell of death. After a while, a weak voice sounded.
"Bru...ru...no..."
"Captain, I'm here!"
"Today, how many days is it?"
Bruno was stunned, carefully calculating in his mind. After a while, he answered uncertainly.
"Today is December 27th? Ah! Christmas has just passed, and tomorrow is the Martyrdom of the Holy Child."
"Well...the Holy Infant...martyrdom...day."
Diogo closed his eyes and responded in a low voice. The captain's room fell into silence again.
In this era, Christmas inherited the tradition of the ancient Roman Saturnus Festival and existed more as a celebration festival. Although it is religiously important, it is far less than Easter after Christ defeated death.
According to legend, December 28 is the day when King Herod massacred the babies of Bethlehem. The babies were martyred for Christ, so it is an unknown day.
Time passed in silence, and Diogo seemed to have fallen asleep. Bruno was about to get up and leave when he heard a faint whisper.
"olive oil."
"What?"
"olive oil."
"Captain! You..."
Bruno stood there blankly. He knew the meaning of this sentence, but it was difficult to accept it for a moment.
"Go... prepare... notify... call..."
Bruno's nose felt a little sore. He lowered his head silently and walked out of the captain's cabin. Outside the captain's room, the sun gradually set in the west, filling the sky with glow. The red sun sank and submerged into the deep sea; the waves rose, just like the dusk of the gods.
When the setting sun disappears and night rises from the horizon, endless darkness sweeps in, swallowing up all the light. A precious candle is quietly lit in the captain's cabin, illuminating the red-stained wooden bed.
With tears in his eyes, Bruno knelt beside the bed, holding a bottle of olive oil in his hand and a precious hand-written Bible beside him. Beside him were two noble captains with solemn expressions, Perro A.
Ness, Pero da Costa.
Diogo was lying calmly on the bed, his face showing an abnormal blush. He smiled gently, and even his words suddenly became fluent.
"God bless you! Noble knight Pero da Costa, after I leave, the fleet will be handed over to you!"
"God bless you! Dear Royal Knight, Captain Diogo Kang, please don't say this. The Holy Lord will send a miracle to heal His devout saints..."
The middle-aged nobleman Pero da Costa folded his hands and was about to pray for Diogo.
"The Lord is witness! Old Perot, after taking charge of the fleet, will you continue to go south?"
Diogo tried his best to tilt his head and stared at the middle-aged noble.
"Uh... Diogo, there are less than a hundred sailors in the fleet, food is also in short supply, and there are still many damages on the sailboat..."
Pero da Costa looked embarrassed. He lowered his head slightly, unwilling to look directly at the dying captain.
"really."
Diogo nodded slowly. He did not ask any more questions, but continued to give instructions.
"Witness the Lord! Noble knight Pero Arnes, please make a copy of our chart and give it to my old friend, Sir Dias, on the way back."
"The Lord is my witness! It will be as you wish."
Another young noble bowed his head in greeting.
"Little Perrault, this is my will, and the seal of my royal knight. Please take it to my eldest son."
Diogo stretched out his hand with difficulty, took out another cloth bag that had been prepared, and handed it to Pero Anais.
"I swear on the honor of my family! Your wish will be fulfilled."
The young noble took the cloth bag and solemnly swore an oath. Diogo nodded and looked at Bruno who was kneeling.
"Noble Knight Bruno, I leave the flagship to you."
"captain..."
"The Lord is witness! Take good care of the palace counselor Martin and escort him back to the kingdom safely. This is my last mission."
"Witness the Lord! Obey your command!"
Bruno knelt on the deck, crying silently in his eyes, with mixed feelings in his heart.
Diogo thought for a while and gave some instructions about navigation. Then he closed his eyes and stopped talking. Countless pictures flashed before his eyes, pulling him affectionately and falling into a peaceful dreamland.
Everyone gathered around and waited patiently.
The candles slowly became shorter, and time passed silently. The waves of the ocean rocked the squeaking sailboat, and it was like a baby's cradle. Diogo in the cradle opened his eyes, and for the first time a bright smile appeared on his face, as if he had returned to
Pure childhood.
"I heard the call of the Lord. His light was so warm, shining in front of my eyes. Listen, the voice was so clear..."
Seeing this scene, Old Perot quickly stretched out his fingers, dipped them in olive oil, and made a cross on Diogo's forehead. Then, he chanted Latin and said his last prayer.
After he finished reading, he looked sad and was about to cry out, but suddenly stopped because Diogo's eyes were still open.
Diogo blinked silently and showed a child-like naughty smile.
"Bruno, has it been midnight yet?"
"Ah, it's over!...Captain, today is the Martyrdom Day of the Holy Child."
Bruno responded quickly, but did not hear the captain's reply for a long time. He looked up and saw that Diogo had closed his eyes, tilted his head, and fell asleep like a child.
"Ah! Diogo, my old friend..."
The cry of pain finally came from the captain's cabin. Then, more cries came in, on this distant sea, in this lonely sea breeze.