The Caribbean in May is like a willful god of wilderness, showing its wild side at will. The wind howled. It blows across the sky; dark clouds pile up, pressing down on the sea; thunder explodes and falls between the ships; the waves rise like 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 Aragami bowed his head and admitted his mistake. The storm that filled the sky dissipated in an instant! In just a few moments, the bright sunshine fell from the blue sky, reflecting the waves on the calm sea and making the shells on the beach colorful.
"Ah, this damn god is so blind! It was dark just now, like an abyss under the earth, but now it is open and transparent, like a 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 clear sky when the clouds and fog disappeared. He opened his mouth in surprise. After a while, 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 has watched us and withstood her test! She generously gives us light, guides us, and witnesses the brilliance of divine revelation!"
More than ten steps away, Tomat, the chief 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, tears of excitement filling his eyes.
Not far behind Priest Tomat, a group of praying warriors and sailors were also kneeling. Huitu Puap was kneeling at the front, exhausted, half paralyzed on the beach, like a bag of grain that had been pecked by birds. 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 man 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 longship, the guide Kuba lay on the ground, kissing the solid homeland under his feet. As for the Mayan businessman Tikallo, 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 both lay powerlessly at the stern of the boat, reaching out to dip their hands into the honey in the honey pot, then sucking their fingers hard and staring blankly at the sun.
After a long time, everyone in the fleet vented their emotions in different ways. Only then did they calm down and count the fleet's losses.
"We have one, two, three, four... four boats left. There were originally more than sixty 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 and two hundred and twenty people?"
Eight days ago, when the expedition fleet set off from Port Ekab, it was still a large team of seven long boats and more than 420 people. The first seven days of sailing also went all the way eastward, and everything went smoothly. Until today, a sudden storm swept across, and in just half a day, it almost swallowed up the entire fleet!
Mayan businessman Ti Carlo stood nearby, together with Kuba, 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! The storm just now was always blowing from the west wind most of the time. As long as the fleet raises its sails and takes advantage of the wind to move eastward, it will not be lost in the sea. After all, in our fleet, To 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!"
"Yes. The Lord God bless them!"
Chihuaco, the old militiaman, pursed his lips and 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 Bowser next to him.
"Tell me, what kind of scale 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 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 extension 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 scattered around. The Tainos are extremely kind and docile tribes who never take the initiative to attack outsiders. They will be happy to do so. Help us, trade food with us, even help us repair our boats..."
Hearing this, Chihuaco raised his eyebrows and was a little suspicious. He came from the Mexica Plateau, went to the wilderness of the North, and also traveled to the Maya in the east. All the tribes in the world along the way have nothing to do with "kindness" or "docility". The old militiamen still retained a sense of wariness in their hearts about the Taino people that Kuba told about. But no matter what, they must go to the nearest Taíno village and replenish food as soon as possible.
"Inspect the ship, organize supplies, and dry wet food! Shantiao, 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 boat has 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 first and repair it. The damaged ships. The other team, who are more energetic, will take care of 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 chief priest Tomat decided to stay, comfort the crew members left on the island, repair the ship, and organize supplies. His inspiring role cannot be replaced by anyone. Huitu Puap brought armor and stomach weapons, led dozens of warriors, and followed a group of old militiamen to prepare for possible conflicts. And here, the Mayan businessman Tikalo finally got permission and no longer had to stay in the cabin. Tikalo will participate in the first exploration together with the guide Kuba, and also serve as a translator.
Hearing this, the Mayan merchant's pale face showed an excited smile, and he even reached out to wipe away his tears. The cabin is hot and stuffy, mixed with the unpleasant smell of salted fish. It is really no place for people to stay, it is simply a dark prison underground in Mayapan! In his entire life, he had never stayed in such a difficult place as a prisoner for so long!
"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 glow. The setting sun dyes the sea red, and the vast sea surface is filled with colorful lights. And the smoke of birds finally rose on the tidal flat.
Chihuaco, the old militiaman, ate hot tortillas and sat in front of the bonfire near the sea with Dark Snake and Didi. He looked at the gradually quiet sea, watching the dim lights and shadows flickering on and off, until darkness came from a distance and stopped outside the shining 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 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, pecking at the corn crumbs dropped by the three of them. 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 Haiyan's little head, causing the pet to stop crying. Then, he checked some of the wounds on the petrel's wings. He had bandaged them all, but it would take some time to heal. The old militiaman lowered his head and raised the corners of his mouth, looking at the bald piece of skin on Haiyan's body. The petrel also rolled its dark eyes, looking at the creature in front of it, sizing up its increasingly sparse head feathers.
"Hey! You fell from the sky, you stupid bird in a coma! I originally planned to pluck your hair out, roast it on the fire and eat it! But I just pulled off a bunch 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 thin Chihuaco was mumbling, his voice low, and he didn't know what he was talking about. The fat petrel shook its head, raised its voice, and cried twice more energetically.
"oh oh!"
"Hey! Are you still barking?"
Chihuaco stretched out his old hand, ready to strike. Haiyan turned around, staggered, and took two steps to run. When Dark Snake and Didi saw this, they both laughed from ear to ear. After a while, Chihuaco couldn't help it and smiled with the corners of his mouth raised. The three of them laughed for a while, and then 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, which is not too noisy... Oh! This is the first night of the fleet arriving in Cuba..."
The low whispers disappeared on the dark seaside. Not many people heard them, and no one took note of them. The sound gradually became quieter, turning into a gentle snoring, and then slowly became louder again, like a rhythmic drum beat.
Amidst the rhythmic snoring, a fat petrel spread its injured wings and fluttered in place a few times. But it can't fly at all, let alone return to its hometown. Haiyan tilted her head and was in a daze for a while, then squatted down and slept for a while. It wasn't until daybreak that it was suddenly awakened by the deafening snoring. It froze and staggered closer.
The morning light showed its glimmer, and the sea gradually woke up from the boundless depth. And in the slightly bright sky, there are some birds flying freely! The silly bird tilted its head and looked at the birds in the sky for a while, then lowered its head and looked at the beach at its feet and the sleeping people. Then, with its belly puffed out and as fat as a human being, it squatted down 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, looked at the rising sun on the beach, and looked at the few warriors at the outer police post. He was startled for a moment, and then murmured to himself.
"Huh? Oh! It's dawn, it's time to set off..."
"oh oh!"
"Damn! You stupid bird, you disturbed my dream of going home! I'm going to roast you!..."
"oh oh!"
The sound of birds faded away and disappeared 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-mile-long Snake Island is just below our feet~
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