"boom!!..."
A deafening roar suddenly exploded, and the Caravel sailboat was shaking violently! The majestic waves swept across the deck and pushed the entire sailboat into the water, leaving only three protruding masts. The two sailors who were cutting the rope were not securely fixed, and they were instantly swept away by the waves before they even had time to hum.
Bruno felt light all over, his whole body was submerged in the water, and he floated up from the deck again. He closed his eyes, held his breath, and held on to the cable so tightly that his nails dug into his flesh. The turbulent waves rolled up several times but failed to sweep him away. After more than ten seconds, the peak of the huge wave regretfully left, letting out a terrible sigh.
"Buzz...bang!"
The huge waves are cascading and endless. The Caravel sailboat was like a toy in the hands of a giant. It was first pressed into the water, and then lifted up by the waves. Finally, the bow suddenly rose out of the water, and then crashed down again, making a tooth-breaking buzz.
"...Click!"
The waves were rolling and the wind was surging, and the sailboat's stern mast was overstressed and suddenly broke! Later, the broken tail mast and the sail were swept away by the wake of the huge wave. A sailor who was tying the mast cable let out a half-desperate cry, but was swept away by the monstrous waves and disappeared in an instant.
Under the majestic power of nature, mortals are just ants struggling in vain, desperately waiting for the ruthless judgment of fate!
After the huge wave passed, Bruno hit the deck hard, trembling all over and unable to straighten up. His hair was disheveled, his whole body was in a mess, and even his captain's hat had been swept away. After a while, he reluctantly raised his head and looked around. Just because of an unexpected huge wave, three sailors were missing on the ship, and even the stern mast disappeared. And this is the beginning of the storm!
"O Lord!...kill...the murderous waves!"
Bruno trembled and groaned in pain, despairing of his next fate. Dim black clouds blocked the view, and the rapid rainstorm formed a curtain of water, making it difficult to see even the flagship within a few hundred meters. After a while, amid the roaring thunder, he regained some consciousness and shouted with all his strength.
"Put down the sails! Quick!..."
Quartermaster Mattim gritted his teeth and rushed out from the rear deck where he was hiding. He stepped on the water on the deck and came to the main mast in two steps. The big wave had just passed, and it would take time for the next big wave to form, so the ship's hull remained flat for the time being.
"Hey!..."
Mattim held the dagger tightly, slashed hard several times, and finally cut off the cable holding the sail!
"boom!"
The huge sail was filled with water and fell straight down, close to Mattim's head, and hit the wet deck with a "bang" sound. Several sailors came at the same time, furled the sails of the main mast and tied them tightly to the ship. If the mainsail is lost, there is no spare on board. Soon, the sail of the foremast was also lowered by Haroldo.
When all the sails were lowered, the caravel became slightly more stable, no longer affected by the wind, but just rising and falling with the waves.
"call!"
Bruno took a long breath. He knelt on the deck and raised his head. There were only layers of black clouds in front of him, and there was no light at all.
"O merciful Lord! Please protect your devout people and give me the light to illuminate my soul!..."
After praying for a moment, the storm around him remained unchanged, as if the doomsday judgment would never end. Not far away, there was another terrible sound of waves.
"Buzz...boom!..."
Bruno looked up and saw another terrifying huge wave rising in front of him, rising to a height of more than ten meters in a moment. The sailors on the ship looked horrified and frantically tied themselves to the cables, then fell to the ground and hugged the ship's plank.
"Ah!...Lord, please..."
"Boom...boom!..."
The wind roared day and night, and the rain continued all day long. The turbulent waves carried the Portuguese exploration fleet, shaking violently, while sailing uncontrollably southward. Bolts of lightning fell from time to time, illuminating the rising waves and outlining the scene of doomsday. And every time a huge wave comes and submerges the small sailing ship, it means a test of life and death!
The terrible storm lasted for nearly five days before it fell behind the fleet. Then, the storm temporarily slowed down, and everyone saved their lives. The clouds relaxed slightly, revealing a bit of skylight.
Bunoru came out of the deck cabin where he was hiding and looked at the storm that was still raging more than ten miles away, with almost no color on his face. During these five days, the ship bumped day and night, up and down, left and right, and from time to time was submerged by big waves and pushed into the sea. Even an old sea dog like him was vomiting so much that he had no appetite at all.
All the crew members feel like they are suffering on the edge of hell every moment! Even if I hide in the cabin, I can't feel at ease at all, let alone sleep peacefully. Because, in such a terrible storm, once the ship capsizes, everyone will die!
"Quick! Scoop out all the water in the cabin!"
Bunoru didn't have time to sigh and shouted the order immediately. The sailors mustered up their remaining strength, like whitened corpses, struggling to carry wooden buckets and scoop water from the cabin.
Yesterday afternoon, the lower side of the ship on the right side was violently hit by something unknown, and then a large hole was opened. The souls of everyone on the boat were all gone. The carpenter Ivo held a piece of wood and jumped on it. He struggled to block the breach, but seawater still poured into the boat. Afterwards, everyone hurriedly worked anxiously all night before finally patching up the damage.
"Fortunately, my boat comes from Captain Diogo. It is made of solid fir and is not too old..."
Bunoru felt happy. He boarded the deck, stood up, and tried hard to find other ships under the dim sky. The waves in the past few days have been surging in one direction. As long as the sail is lowered, the ship will not drift too far.
Everyone looked at the dull sea and searched in vain for half a day, but found nothing. It wasn't until noon, when the sky light filtered through the clouds and the field of vision became slightly wider, that a Caravel sailboat suddenly appeared in front of Bunoru's eyes. Next to the Caravel, there was a dilapidated square-sail supply ship.
"It's the flagship of the fleet, the 'San Cristobal'!...The supply ship is also there!"
Bunoru looked carefully and saw that the flagship was parked a few miles away and seemed to be in pretty good condition. All three masts remained intact, and even the mainsail was not completely lowered, but was kept close to the deck and kept at a very low height.
"This is..."
He was stunned, and then looked at the rising and falling flagship for a while, and then he discovered the key point. It turns out that folding the main sail in half and lowering it to a certain height can allow the ship to lift as much as possible in rough waves without being completely engulfed.
"Captain Dias' sailing skills are indeed... admirable..."
After a while, Bunoru sighed softly. Captain Dias was born into a noble family and must have the most precious maritime inheritance. He has also been at sea for many years and has rich experience that cannot be compared to him, the illegitimate son of a nobleman. And these precious inheritance and experiences can determine your life or death at a critical moment!
"Boss, flagship, come on... get closer!"
Harold looked at it for a moment, then hurried to Bunoru's side. His voice was hoarse, and his whole body had lost weight, making him look more capable.
"Eh?...The flagship has a semaphore!"
Hearing this, Bruno widened his eyes and looked at the approaching flagship.
"Raise the sails and continue south!!"
"Raise the sails and continue south!!"
"Foda-se! Crazy, crazy! Dias is a devil!"
After seeing the flag clearly, Bruno was instantly furious. He beat the deck angrily and roared.
"Continue going south?! We just passed through a storm area, and if we go further south, it's still a storm!"
However, the flagship only gave them orders and did not give them a choice. Soon, the flagship stopped approaching, turned its bow again, and then raised the sail.
"Foda-se!"
Bruno lamented in despair. He turned to look north, where the storm he had passed through continued. He looked south again, where lightning flashed from the new storm. Caught between two storms, what choice does the fleet have? The new captain stretched out his hand helplessly, felt the still strong northwest wind, and had no choice but to give the order again.
"Raise the sails and keep heading south! ...Don't tie it too fast, be ready to lower the sails at any time! ...Lord, O devil, whoever you are, please protect me...as long as I survive , I will definitely give you a sacrifice!..."
Of course, only Bruno himself can hear these last two sentences.
One day later, the three Portuguese expedition ships filled their sails and, under strong winds, once again rushed into the southern storm. This time, the terrible storm lasted for seven days, and huge waves like mountains appeared one after another. When the fleet rushed out of the storm again, everyone was exhausted and collapsed on the deck like dying salted fish. Compared with half a month ago, at least a quarter of the sailors on each ship have disappeared!
"Foda-se!... Thirteen days, a hellish voyage that lasted for a full thirteen days!"
Bruno was sore all over and lay down on the deck, looking at the long-lost clear sky. The sun fell from the pure blue sky, illuminating his vampire-like pale face, as if it was a gift from God...or perhaps, a gift from the devil...
"Foda-se! Tenho saudades! I miss my long-lost hometown!... If there is another storm, we will all go to hell!..."
The new captain remained motionless, staring blankly at the unfamiliar sky. Next to him, lay the newly promoted boatswain Haroldo, quartermaster Mattim, and carpenter Ivo. As officers on the ship, the four of them had exhausted all their energy, not to mention the ordinary sailors.
Fortunately, Bruno's prediction did not take effect. The fleet has passed through the most threatening storm area. The storm subsided and the next few days were sunny. At this time, the wind direction turned due west, whistling non-stop day and night, but it was the prevailing westerly belt.
The fleet had been drifting in the storm for too long. Diaz's face was pale and his expression was grim. He stood on the deck, looking at the vast sea around him. Although his expression remained unchanged, his heart was full of confusion.
"This is where?"
Dias pondered for a long time. In this unknown sea, he was still unable to see any reference objects to make accurate judgments. But no matter what, the first priority now is to dock as soon as possible and repair the severely damaged fleet.
After a few breaths, he stretched out his hand, felt the mighty west wind, and gave a stern order.
"Hoist the sails and turn eastward!"
The captain's will was not to be defied. Because those who dared to disobey turned into corpses in the sea. However, after experiencing such a terrible storm, undercurrents surged in everyone's hearts and became an unspeakable consensus. After finally surviving the storm, the feeling of surviving the disaster made me feel weak all over, and my homesickness accumulated like a tide, waiting for the day when it would burst out.
On January 29, 1488, the Portuguese exploration fleet continued eastward. Taking advantage of the strong westerly wind, it sailed overnight for three days and traveled at least 800 miles. However, the African continent that is supposed to appear in the east has not yet appeared. Captain Perrault measured the latitude, which was approximately between 37 and 39 degrees north latitude.
Dias was confused at first, then thought about it, and an incredible thought suddenly came to his mind! He suppressed the suspicion in his heart and ordered again.
"Turn the sail so that the angle between the sail and the west wind is 45 degrees, and the angle between the sail and the hull is 45 degrees! Turn the bow to the north!"
The broken Portuguese fleet immediately turned around and sailed north at half speed with the help of the west wind. But two days later, on the afternoon of February 3, the long coastline appeared again. However, this time, the coastline of the southern continent points horizontally!
"God bless you! This, this land, turns out to be in the east-west direction!"
Dias stood at the bow of the boat, looking at the coastline extending from east to west, and paused for a few breaths. Then, boundless ecstasy surged into his heart, making him tremble all over.
At this moment, he clearly understood that he had finally bypassed the southernmost part of the African continent, and the route to India and Siris was right in front of him!
"O merciful Lord! Thank you for your gift! You sent angels to preach peace to the devout believers, and with your peace, you preserved our lives!... Praise you, eternal Savior! Thank you, Bless me for discovering the route to the East!!”
Dias cried with joy, knelt down on the deck and prayed loudly.
He raised his head and looked at the clear blue sky, feeling enveloped in divine light. At this moment, he was extremely convinced that the Lord had blessed him and the Portuguese. The will given by the Pope, the royal decree issued by the king, and the unfulfilled wish of the old friend are destined to be realized in his hands! And he will soon be remembered by the world of God, and even be canonized after his death, and will be engraved in history forever!
"Praise the Lord, grant me grace! Exactly two thousand years after the Phoenicians first circumnavigated Africa, I will once again lead the fleet to the eastern land flowing with milk and honey, full of gems and spices! And! The new trade routes will be in my hands, and also in the hands of the Kingdom of Portugal!~~"
Diaz's shouts spread like crazy in the mighty sea breeze. On the flagship "San Cristobal", the surviving crew members looked at each other with some hidden thoughts in their eye contact.
Not far away on the coast, a low Khoisan man was grazing a few lean cattle on the offshore grassland. He heard the cry in the wind, climbed up the hill with doubts, and looked at the sailboats on the sea to the south. The oldest nation in Africa finally met the youngest nation in Europe at this moment.
At this moment, the Khoisan herders have no idea what is about to happen to this land that has been theirs for generations. He just looked at it in surprise for a moment, then smiled and sang in a low voice.
"Mother of the Moon! Thank you for bringing me good luck! I saw a strange big ship with flowers blooming with crosses... Where did this wizard come from, sitting on a plank of ghosts and gods, where does he want to go?" ..”
At the southernmost tip of Africa, on the brilliant sunny coast, desolate songs sounded melodiously, echoing the Portuguese shouts on the opposite side. This is like a friendly greeting, telling the beautiful beginning of the story, and the subsequent death, blood and tears are all hidden behind the sea and sky~
