Chapter 893: The Legend of the Ancestral Whale, the Ice Banshee?
In early October, the Kingdom's fleet set sail again from the Kingdom's North Port on the south bank of the Columbia River. By this time, the entire fleet had been reduced to two long ships and a hundred people. And there were two ships stationed in North Port.
Long boats, a dozen canoes, a hundred samurai sailors, and more than a hundred tribesmen.
Before officially leaving, the exploration captain Zuvalo found an opportunity and carefully warned the two missionary priests, Tushan and Tuhe. These two priests were both civilians. To be more precise, they were civilian orphans raised by the kingdom.
In the Kingdom in the Lake, there are many orphans raised like this. And their only belonging is the kingdom's priesthood and the exploration fleet that obeys the divine revelation. In Zuvalo's heart, he still has more trust in the two of them.
More than several other noble descendants.
"God bless you, remember what I said! The situation in this area of the river mouth is very complicated, but there are also many opportunities... You have to grasp it with both hands, one hard and the other soft. Sometimes it is hard and sometimes it is soft. Some places are hard and some are soft.
The place is soft... Do you understand?"
"I understand, boss!"
"Ha! What did you understand?"
"The hard one is the weapon, the soft one is the leather armor."
The sturdy Tushan priest scratched his head and replied seriously.
"Witness the Lord God! We use strong weapons to face the challenges of hostile tribes, and use soft-skinned armor and stomach to protect those tribes who are willing to surrender!"
"Yes, Not Bad!"
The exploration captain Zuvalo pondered for a moment and nodded. It seemed that Tushan was more suitable for managing the military affairs of the settlement. Then he looked at another priest.
"Tuhe, what do you think?"
"Well... the soft one is the tongue, tell the tribesmen in the camp. They are our brothers, they are protected by us, and they must also believe in the Lord God... As for the hard one..."
The tall and thin Tu He chuckled and answered in a low voice.
"Marry with the women of the tribe...and get rid of any hunters who have thorns!...Boss, this is what you have taught us..."
"cough!…"
Exploration captain Zuvalo rubbed his eyebrows, looking a little unnatural. He quickly glanced at Mickey and said softly.
"Be careful! In this wild northern land, every believer of the Lord God is very precious... After I leave, you will be in charge of civil affairs and Tushan will be in charge of military affairs. They will all cooperate! The Lord God bless you!"
"Understood, boss! God bless you!..."
Watched by the crowd on the shore, the two longships sailed into the waves of the Northland. The autumn in October was still bright, but the cold winter had already left its traces. The trees on the shore had fallen leaves and turned yellow, and the mountains had turned into a solemn yellow-brown.
The fleet traveled three hundred miles and came to an obvious bay. The people who settled on the inside of the bay were the Chehalis.
The language of the Salish people belongs to the Salish language family (salishan), which is not widely distributed. Unfortunately, no one in the fleet can speak it or understand it. Therefore, when the fishing boats of the Salish people approached and exchanged greetings with each other,
, both sides looked at a loss. However, the knowledgeable Mickey still learned the name of their tribe through the other party's repeated gestures and introductions.
"Chalali? Chalali? Uh, pointing to the river, and then pointing to yourself... This river is also called Chalali River, Xia River?... Then you are the Xiahe tribe?..."
Mikey, the knowledgeable man, guessed roughly and roughly knew the name of this tribe. Next came the skillful gift-giving process. He first gave a copper dagger and asked the fishermen to bring the fleet to the tribe. Then, he
Xia He, the tribal chief, was given a copper axe, and the other party gave him a white reindeer skin in return. Yes, traces of North American reindeer have been occasionally captured here. And this also means that the white Arctic is coming.
Getting closer!
"Hey little hey! Ah yee ah hey!...The big river flows from the great lake far away, and the great lake was dug by the great ancestral whale...The body of the ancestral whale turned into the rushing summer river; the bones of the ancestral whale turned into a wide river channel
; The tears of the ancestor whales are the water of the Great Lake... And our ancestors came from the Great Lake... Where is the Great Lake? It has countless lakes in the east and north, and countless fish..."
Summer is the harvest season and a day of celebration. The fleet stayed in Xiahe for two days, replenishing some smoked fish, venison and berries, and happened to meet the Shalis people’s fish festival. This was a very special event.
It was an important tribal ceremony and an important festival to celebrate. Almost all the tribesmen of seven to eight hundred people were dispatched. The fleet was also invited to join the ceremony.
"The Xia River is rushing, and the souls of the ancestors protect the tribe. It is in this flowing water! The fish swim, and the great spirit brings food and the vitality of the tribe!..."
Chief Xia He was only wearing a pocket-cloth and his upper body was bare-chested. He danced and sang powerfully by the river, his voice as loud as thunder. The strongest hunters and fishermen of the entire tribe lined up in a row by the river. Then, under the knowledgeable man Mi
In Ji's surprised eyes, Chief Xia He shouted something, and hundreds of young and strong men rushed into the river!
"Come on! More fish are coming in this fertile autumn season, waiting for the warriors to catch them! ... Go! Strong boys, whoever catches the first fish of the festival will be the fishman of the tribe.
!…”
Chief Xia He smiled and stared at the churning river water. More than a hundred young men from the tribe were swimming bravely in the river, fishing with their bare hands. The women, young and old of the tribe all stared at the red blood in the river with their eyes wide open.
men.
The older woman laughed loudly and extended her fingers to compare, while the young girl's face was flushed and her eyes were fixed for a moment. Because the fish festival held twice a year in spring and autumn can also be regarded as their coming-of-age ceremony...
The men showed off their strong and agile bodies and their skills in fishing to support their families, while the women opened their eyes wide and looked for a suitable partner. And if several women fell in love with one at the same time, it was time for the men to choose.
"Well...this fishing and hunting tribe is very simple! There are no nobles or priests..."
This chapter is not over yet, please click on the next page to continue reading! The exploration captain Zuvalo touched his chin, looked at this large tribe, and thought about it carefully for a while. Then, he looked at a very water-based tribe with great interest.
A good tribal hunter hugged a big fish tightly with both hands and swam across the river with only the power of his two legs.
"Oh! Such good water skills! What a natural sailor!"
Zuvalo stared, watching this extremely agile hunter quickly approach the shore. When he landed on the shore, he immediately raised the big fish in his hand. Then, boiling cheers came from the crowd of onlookers.
sounded.
"xwalalq?! Svarak! Svarak! The fishing warrior! The murloc of the tribe!…"
The excited shouts fell in the ears of everyone in the fleet. Although they could not understand them, they were obviously a high praise. The hunter held the big fish high and shouted his name to everyone in triumph.
"The ancestors bless me! The best hunter in the tribe! The fish-man Xia Osprey!..."
In the tradition of the Xali people, the warrior who wins the fishing competition will be called a "fish man". This is a very high honorary title, and the benefits are immediate.
Soon, more than a dozen tribal girls with ponytails rushed towards the victorious hunter Xia Osprey. They surrounded Xia Osprey and shouted loudly to compare, asking each other to choose a wife. And the strong Xia Osprey
Osprey took a look around and selected a girl who was equally strong and strong. This was also the tradition of the Northland tribe, which regarded physical strength as a common aesthetic value for men and women.
Soon, other young men in the river also returned with the fish they caught. The women of the tribe also ran towards them. As for the young man who finally caught the fish, or only picked up some crabs and shrimps,
They could only come back in disgrace, and no woman even came to see them. And if they wanted to change this miserable treatment, they could only practice their fishing skills hard and become more familiar with the water before the next spring fish festival.
"The competition within the tribe... turns out to be mainly about fishing... It's really interesting!"
The exploration captain Zuvaro was very interested and watched the entire fish festival ceremony until dusk. However, the following content was not suitable for children and was not suitable for viewing.
"Zuaro, what do you think of these Charis people?"
"Witness the Lord God! These people are natural sailors...strong and agile, and they are familiar with the situation in the North...It's just..."
"Just what?"
"It's just that we don't understand their language. And judging from the way they relax and celebrate, there shouldn't be any hostile tribes around... If you want to spread your faith and recruit sailors, you still have to take your time!"
During the two days of repairs in the Xiahe tribe, everyone also made gestures and inquired about the situation of the "Bay of Hundred Lakes". Upon hearing their inquiries, the tribal chief Xia An was obviously a little excited. He talked a lot, but unfortunately he was really distracted by the boat.
The team understood very little... Finally, he drew a sketch on the dirt, while Mikey, the knowledgeable one, took careful notes.
"Hundred lakes...big lakes...big bays...former ancestral land...northeast...there is a river..."
"Where are you going? There are two roads...one is the river, go to the east, south, and then north...along the river to find...but there are many tribes...fighting..."
"The other is the sea, going all the way to the north, to the northernmost corner...turning to the southeast, and paddling all the way...to the big bay...all are lakes...many catches...many tribes..."
Zuvalo and Mickey pondered for a long time before they understood what Chief Xiahe meant. They discussed for a while and finally decided to take the safe and simple sea route: first go north across the cape, and then turn east-south. If they couldn't find it,
Arrive, then go to the shore and ask the tribe.
As the fleet continued to go north, a series of towering mountains appeared on the east coast. On the peaks of the mountains, there was white snow, which looked like clouds in the sky. In later generations, these mountains had a very shocking name.
, called the "Sanctuary of the Greek Gods"...oh no, it's the "Olympic National Park". The most famous peak among them is the "Olympia West Peak".
Under the attention of the "Mountain of the Gods", the fleet traveled north for five hundred miles before arriving at a sharp promontory. The continuous coast was interrupted here, forming a wide water surface going to the southeast, which can also be seen as a
The extension of the long strait. In the northwest direction, there are steep cliffs that reappeared after being interrupted for dozens of miles.
"Witness the Lord God! This place is already between 48 and 49 degrees north latitude, close to the edge of the Far North... The coasts on both sides, one goes to the northwest, and the other goes to the southeast... If you follow His Majesty's prophecy, it should be..."
The long boat stopped at the cape, and everyone stared at the steeply turning coast, looked at the desolate gray-brown cape, and listened to the beautiful songs of whales. In later generations, this cape and strait became a famous whale watching spot.
, and it is the only place where countless whales go back and forth. Well, it is also a good place to catch big fish.
“Zuvarro!…”
The exploration captain Zuvallo was still thinking about the prophecy, but was suddenly interrupted by Mickey. He raised his head and saw his friend's ears pricked up and he was listening attentively.
"Zuvarro, listen! Listen carefully! To the northeast? Is there any strange sound?"
"Well…"
Zuvalo rubbed his ears and listened for a while, with a look of confusion on his face.
"Mickey, I only heard whales calling. It seemed to be in the northeast, and it seemed to be in the north. Oh! It should be several whales!..."
"No! That's not right! The one in the north is a whale. Although the one in the northeast looks like a whale, it doesn't look like it's not a whale. It's so strange..."
Mickey the Knowledgeable frowned and scratched his hair in distress. He thought for a while, then called the cloaked hunter Lotte over and asked him to listen carefully.
"Lotian, you have good ears, listen carefully..."
"Uh? This is? This is!..."
The cloaked hunter Lotte's ears were very sharp, and he trembled like a bat. Then, his face gradually changed, becoming more solemn, and even showed a little fear.
"Lotte, what did you hear?"
"Ancestral spirit! I heard the cry of a whale, and there was also a strange cry that looked like a whale, but was not a whale! The cry was so rhythmic, and it kept looping... This... this must be the Ice Banshee!"
Having said this, the cloaked hunter Lotte looked panicked and was circling uneasily on the deck.
"Ah! Tribal myths, the song of whales in the far north!...The legendary ice banshee! The man-eating seaside monster!..."
"Well…"
Mickey the Knowledgeable was speechless, looking at the always bold and daring cloaked hunter, falling into fear of the myth. He shook his head and looked at Zuvalo.
"Zuvarro, did you really hear nothing?"
"Witness the Lord God! Only a dog's ears can hear the sound of a whale coming from such a distance, right?...Well, I'm not scolding you..."
Exploration captain Zuvalo smiled and shook his head. Then he touched his chin, glanced at the armored and spear-wielding warriors on the boat, thought for a while, and made a decision.
"Mickey, let's go over and take a look!"
"O ancestor spirit, don't go! The voice has changed! It has changed!"
Seeing Zuvalo's actions, the cloaked hunter Lotte hurriedly shouted to stop. With a heavy heart, he listened with his ears tilted, various tribal legends swirling in his mind, and his face kept turning pale.
"Listen! Scream! The whale is screaming!...The sound of the banshee is gone, only the sound of the whale is left...This is the hunting of the banshee!..."
"Huh?...The voice has indeed changed!...This seems to be..."
Mikey, the knowledgeable man, pondered for a while and pulled his hair hard. Then, he gave Lotte a helpless look and said to Zuvalo.
"Zuvarro, wave the flag! The movement is in front of us, near the northeastern coast. Let us go and have a look!... Let's go! Lord God bless us!"