Chapter 682: The second kingdom exploration, the first night in Cuba
The Caribbean Sea in May is like a willful god of wilderness, showing its wild side at will. The wind howls and blows across the sky; dark clouds pile up, pressing down on the sea; thunder explodes and falls between the ships; the waves rise, as if Mountains! This storm that fills the sky is the free dance of the wild god, who never cares about the life and death of mortals.
However, when the supreme god showed his majesty, stretched out his invisible palm, and took away the lethargy that covered the sky, the god of waste bowed his head and admitted his mistake. The storm in the sky dissipated in an instant! In just a few moments, the bright sunshine disappeared from the blue sky. The sky falls, reflecting the waves on the calm sea, and also makes the shells on the beach colorful.
"Ah, this damn god is so blind! It was dark just now, like an abyss under the ground, but now it is open and transparent, like the kingdom of God... Ha! This is treating the fleet as a toy, You are playing around on the sea, you are really blind!..."
Chihuaco, an old militiaman, opened his eyes wide and looked at the clouds and fog dispersing, revealing a clear sky. He opened his mouth in surprise. After a moment, he looked up at the sky and cursed angrily, venting the fear that had accumulated for a long time in the terrible storm.
"You blind man! You bastard! You are struggling here and there! All my anger and energy have been lost by you! You are really blind!..."
"Ah! Praise the Lord God, she is watching us and has withstood her test! She graciously gives us light, guides us, and witnesses the brilliance of divine revelation!"
More than ten steps away, Tomat, the main priest, knelt on the ground and kissed the sun amulet in his hand. After a few breaths, he raised his head, closed his eyes, and prayed to the sun in the sky, with tears filling his eyes with excitement.
Not far behind Priest Tomat, a group of praying warriors and sailors were also kneeling. Huitu Puap was kneeling at the front, exhausted, half-legged on the beach, as if he had been pecked by a bird. After a while, he lowered his head, closed his eyes, and prayed silently and devoutly.
"The Lord God protected me and allowed me to survive the evil storm! The three gods protected me and allowed me to break free from the condor's last resentment!... The old prophet saved me and gave me a way to resolve the curse and escape from the abyss of doomed death. Escape! Ah! I, Huitu Puap, am really a good person blessed by the gods!"
"...Phew, praise your Lord God! Please spare me and let me go home safely..."
Seeing the people praying, the old militiaman Chihuaco sighed, stopped cursing, and prayed too. Around the longboat, the guide Cuba lay on the ground, kissing the solid homeland under his feet. And the Mayan merchant Tikalo , his face was pale, his eyes were closed, and he kept thinking about the memory of his first trip to sea. As for Dark Snake and Didi, they lay weakly on the stern of the boat, reaching out to dip their hands in the honey in the honey pot, and then sucked their fingers hard, staring blankly. Look at the sun.
After a long time, everyone in the fleet vented their emotions in different ways. Then they calmed down and counted the fleet's losses.
"We have one, two, three, four...four boats left. There were originally more than 60 people on each boat, but now there are one-tenth less. In total, there are still about 220 people in the fleet. !”
After hearing the counting results of Priest Mecat, the old militiaman Chihuaco took a deep breath and felt his head hurt.
"There are four boats left with 220 people?"
Eight days ago, when the expedition fleet set out from Port Ekab, it was still a large team of seven long boats and more than 420 people. The voyage in the first seven days also sailed all the way eastward, and everything went smoothly. Until today, something unexpected happened
A storm swept through, and in just half a day, it almost swallowed up the entire fleet!
Mayan businessman Ti Carlo stood nearby, together with Cuba, always waiting for Chihuaco's inquiry. He touched his divine slender bald head, pondered for a moment, and then spoke sincerely to comfort him.
"Dear Captain Chihuaco! In the storm just now, most of the time, the wind was blowing from the west. As long as the fleet raised its sails and took advantage of the wind to move eastward, it would not be lost in the sea. After all, in our fleet,
In the east, there is not only the neighboring large island of scales, but also the Cuban Snake Island, which extends for more than two thousand miles! The three lost long ships will definitely be stopped by the Cuban Snake Island and land on the beach somewhere... The Lord God Blessed the Ship
Team!"
"Well. God bless them!"
Chihuaco, the old militiaman, pursed his lips, nodded with a sullen face. He thought for a while, then looked at Mecat and asked in a low voice.
"How much food is left on the ship?...Shhh! Keep your voice down, don't let the crew hear it yet."
"Captain, the waves in the storm are very big. Some of the supplies on the ship have been lost and soaked by the tide... Well, the food we can eat right now can only last four or five days."
Priest Mecat lowered his voice and answered carefully. Hearing this, Chihuaco frowned, thought for a moment, and then looked at Tikalo and Kuba next to him.
"Tell me, what kind of scaly island is to the east of this desert island? Are there any tribes and villages on the island? Can we trade some food?"
"Yes, Scale Island! Bowser said that this desert island runs in the north-south direction, and we should be in the southeastern part of the island chain. Scale Island is not far to the east, the nearest twenty or thirty miles, and the farthest is not far away.
It will be more than a hundred miles. And from Scale Island to the north, traveling up to two hundred miles, you will definitely reach Cuba Snake Island."
Mayan businessman Tikalo relayed the guide's words seriously.
"Actually, the Scale Island is transformed from the scales of Quetzalcoatl, and there is a tail feather of Quetzalcoatl connected to the east and west. The chain of islands under our feet is the west tail feather sunk in the water. And to the east of the Scale Island,
There is also an island chain of east tail feathers. The island chain formed by the two tail feathers, plus a large island formed by scales, just supports the tail of Quetzalcoatl, connecting the two western ends of the Cuban Snake Island... In other words
In short, the island chain under our feet is an extended part of Cuba’s Snake Island!”
"As for the Big Island of Scales, Kuba said that there are some Taino villages with thousands of tribesmen living here and there. The Tainos are extremely kind and docile tribes who never take the initiative to attack outsiders. They would be happy to do so.
Help us, trade with us for food, even help us repair our boats..."
Hearing this, Chihuaco raised his brows and felt a little suspicious. He came from the Mexica Plateau, had been to the wilderness of the North, and also traveled to the Maya in the East. All the tribes in the world along the way were "friendly" to each other.
It has nothing to do with being "docile". The old militiamen still retain a sense of caution about the Taino people that Kuba told about. But no matter what, they must go to the nearest Taino village and replenish food as soon as possible.
"Inspect the ship, organize supplies, and dry wet food! Shanniao, how is the condition of the ship? Is the damage serious?"
"Captain, of the four long boats that washed up on the beach, two are intact. One is slightly damaged, and the other has a hole! However, our boats have wooden planks for repair."
"God bless you! Okay, first select a dozen people to make fire and cook, so that everyone can have a full meal tonight! Then, all the crew members are divided into two teams. The one team that has no strength will stay on the island for repairs.
The damaged ships. Another team with more energy will pick up the two intact long ships!"
Chihuaco thought for a moment, discussed with Priest Tomat, and quickly made a decision.
"Tomorrow morning, the second team will set off with me. We are going to the large scale island in the east and visit the Taino village! As for the first team, we will follow the arrangements of the priest Tomat... Praise the Lord God! Bless the ship
Team!"
The main god priest Tomat decided to stay, comfort the crew members who stayed on the island, repair the ships, and organize supplies. His inspiring role cannot be replaced by anyone. Huitu Puap brought armor and stomach weapons and led dozens of warriors
, followed a team of old militiamen to prepare for possible conflicts. Once here, the Mayan businessman Tikallo finally got permission and no longer had to stay in the cabin. Tikallo will participate in the first exploration together with the guide Cuba.
Do translation.
Hearing this, an excited smile appeared on the pale face of the Mayan businessman, and he even reached out to wipe his tears. The cabin was hot and stuffy, mixed with the unpleasant smell of salted fish. It was really not a place for people to stay. It was simply Mayan.
Pan's underground prison! He has never stayed in such a difficult place for so long as a prisoner in his life!
"Praise the Lord God! Bless the fleet!"
After receiving the order, everyone dispersed and got busy until dusk.
At dusk, the sky is filled with rays of light. The setting sun dyes the sea red, and the vast sea surface is filled with colorful lights. And the smoke of birds finally rises on the tidal flat.
Chihuaco, an old militiaman, ate hot tortillas, took Dark Snake and Didi, and sat in front of a bonfire near the sea. He looked at the gradually quieting sea, watching the dim lights and shadows flickering on and off until the darkness disappeared.
Walking from a distance, we stopped outside the glowing circle of the bonfire.
"Desolate island in Cuba, the evening after the storm... We were on the beach, baking pancakes and eating them. It was so delicious..."
The old militiaman suddenly felt a strange sense of peace in his heart. He opened his mouth and wanted to read a few lines of poetry in front of the two teenagers, but he was not literate and just said some ordinary sentences. A petrel squatted beside him
Next to it, it was pecking at the corn crumbs dropped by the three people. Occasionally, it would raise its head, look at the dark sky, and make two clear and loud calls.
"oh oh!"
The old militiaman stretched out his hand and patted the petrel's little head, which stopped the cry. Then, he checked some wounds on the petrel's wings. He had bandaged them all, but it would take some time to heal. The old man
The militiaman lowered his head, raised the corners of his mouth, and looked at the bald piece of skin on the petrel's body. The petrel also rolled its dark eyes, looking at the creature in front of it, and sizing up its increasingly sparse head feathers.
"Hey! You fell from the sky and fell into a coma, stupid stupid bird! I originally planned to pluck out your hair and roast it on the fire to eat! But I just pulled off a handful of hair, and you woke up..."
"I'm not soft-hearted, I just thought that you reminded me after all, and I don't have any meat, so I let you live. If you call me again, I will recognize you, but this barbecue bonfire will not recognize you!..."
The skinny Chihuaco was mumbling, his voice low, and he didn't know what he was talking about. The fat Haiyan shook his head, raised his voice, and let out two more cries full of energy.
"oh oh!"
"Hey! Are you still shouting?"
Chihuako stretched out his old hand, ready to fight. Haiyan turned around, staggered, and ran out two steps. When Dark Snake and Didi saw this, they both laughed from ear to ear. After a while, Chihuako
Ke couldn't help it, and smiled with the corners of his mouth raised. The three laughed for a while, and Haiyan came forward again. Chihuaco shook his head, touched Haiyan's head, looked at the dark sea, and muttered quietly.
"Beside the bonfire, there is no light in the sea... Three people are laughing, and there are silly birds chirping. It's not noisy... Oh! This is the first night when the fleet arrives in Cuba..."
The low mumbling sound disappeared on the dark seaside. Not many people heard it, and no one took note of it. The sound gradually became smaller, turned into a gentle snoring, and then slowly became louder again, like a rhythmic sound.
Drums.
Amidst the rhythmic snoring, a fat petrel spread out its injured wings and fluttered on the spot a few times. But it couldn't fly at all, let alone return to its hometown. The petrel tilted its head, stupidly dazed.
, squatted down and slept for a while. It was not until the sky gradually became brighter that it was suddenly awakened by the deafening snoring. It froze and staggered towards it.
The morning light showed its light, and the sea gradually woke up from the boundless depth. And in the dim sky, there were some birds flying freely! The silly bird tilted its head, looked at the birds in the sky for a while, and then lowered its head.
, looking at the tidal flat under its feet and the sleeping people. Then, with its belly puffed out and as fat as a human being, it squatted at the source of the snoring, raised its voice, and let out two energetic cries.
"oh oh!..."
"Ah? Ah! Storm, is the storm coming?"
The old militiaman was startled and suddenly woke up. He raised his head and looked at the rising sun on the beach. He also looked at the few warriors at the outer police post. He was startled for a moment and then murmured to himself.
"Ah? Oh! It's dawn, it's time to set off..."
"oh oh!"
"Damn it! You idiot, you disturbed my dream of going home! I'm going to roast you!..."
"oh oh!"
The sound of the birds fades away and disappears into the western sea. My hometown is already five thousand miles away, and I don’t know when I will return. And the two thousand miles long Snake Island is just below my feet~