"Blessed by the Lord God, let's set sail!"
The morning light is beautiful and the sea is sparkling. Two intact long boats rowed toward the east under the rising sun. The old militiaman Chihuaco took the sailing priest Mecat, judged the wind direction, and raised the bow and stern sails of the ship.
The wind-receiving area of a horizontal sail is relatively small, and the angle at which it can receive the wind is also small, but it is the simplest to manufacture and apply. At present, the alliance's navigation technology is still at a relatively low level. For example, complex jibs, longitudinal sails and even spinnakers will probably take a long time to explore.
The two long boats took advantage of the wind, and the sailors on board rowed hard. In just two hours, after traveling fifty or sixty miles, a large green island suddenly came into view. Around the big island, you can vaguely see some small canoes, as well as the nearest seaside village on the island.
"Captain Chihuaco, this is the Big Island of Scales! Those small boats are all Taino fishermen. Their fishing skills have always been very good. And that village is the settlement of the Taino people." Kuba said , we can visit directly and they will be happy to welcome us!”
Speaking of "welcome", Mayan businessman Tikalo hesitated. This journey from the plateau, the "welcome" from various ministries along the way is frightening. Chihuaco turned his head and took a deep look at Cuba. He only saw the joy of seeing the village on the face of the Cuban guide.
As the fleet approaches, the villages on the shore become clear. The Taíno villages can be seen at a glance, without fences and walls to protect them. They can perhaps be described as settlements. Most of the settlement is a cluster of low small thatched huts, with a few large thatched huts with round spires in the middle. In the center of the entire settlement, there was no iconic temple or altar. On the contrary, around the large huts, there are some wood carvings, pottery carvings, and stone carvings with unclear patterns painted on them.
On the outside of the settlement, there is a circular square surrounded by stones, whose purpose is unknown. Further out, there are small fields near the river, scattered widely. There seemed to be many strange mounds of soil in the fields. On the tidal flat near the seaside, there are several small weirs and dams, and something seems to be moving in the weirs and dams.
Looking from a distance, one to two hundred Taíno villagers were busy in various parts of the village, and the atmosphere was very peaceful. A few fishermen who were fishing were paddling canoes and were the first to spot traces of the longboat. They waved and shouted at the fleet, then separated into two more and went to the village to inform. Within a moment, the village was filled with people moving around.
"Blessed by the Lord God! Put on your armor, set up your bronze spear, and raise your long bow! Get ready for battle!"
Seeing the changes in the Taino village, Huitu Puap looked serious. With a murderous look in his eyes, he ordered in a deep voice, getting ready for battle.
The four canoes seemed to be unaware, rowing closer and closer, entering the range of the bow and arrow, until they reached the edge of the long boat. The Taíno fishermen on the boat put down their oars and stood up, revealing their tall figures and upper body without clothes. The leading Taíno fisherman looked at the longship warriors and sailors who had set up their weapons and raised their longbows, showed a bright and simple smile, and shouted loudly.
"Yaya Yaya! piragua'? Guaricoque'? Anatanama! Uicu'? Wacosi?"
"Huh? What is he talking about?"
Chihuaco, the old militiaman, rubbed his head and looked at Tikalo and Bowser. Kuba looked at the fishermen, stayed for a while, and translated word for word.
"The great spirit of divinity! A long ship? Coming to our land? Flowers and butterflies! Fruit wine? Cassava juice?"
"What? What does this mean?"
Chihuaco looked confused, but Kuba spoke directly, saying a few words in Guanahani to the surprised and surprised Taíno fishermen. Then, he relayed it with a complicated expression.
"Great spirit, blessing all people! Long ship, you have come to our village, are you coming to our village? The beautiful flowers will welcome the flying butterflies! Come on, you want to drink the new brew Fruit wine, or freshly pressed cassava juice?”
"..."
After hearing Kuba's translation, the old militiamen Chihuaco and Huitu Puap looked at each other, and their expressions changed somewhat. The Taíno people seemed to be very friendly, but I don’t know if that was true or not. Huitu Puap thought for a while and then made a gesture to ask the warriors to lower their weapons. Chihuaco touched his chin and said gently.
"Tell him that we are friends from the land of Maya! We want to go to the village, talk to the village chief, and trade some water. Please ask the villagers not to be nervous and alert, we have no malicious intentions..."
Kuba exchanged some more words with the Taíno fishermen. The fishermen were visibly confused. He scratched his head and rowed the boat, leading the two long boats to the coast where the crowd gathered. It wasn't until he reached the edge of the coast that Chihuaco, the old militiaman, was surprised to find that the one or two hundred villagers gathered on the beach were not alert at all!
The Taíno villagers did not hold wooden or stone spears, stone axes or hunting bows in their hands. Apart from flint knives, they didn't have any weapons on them! The dozen or so villagers standing at the front were holding several large straw baskets, which contained long cassava pancakes, fresh palm fruits and guava, and clay pots filled with water!
"Friends in the longboat! The flowers welcome butterflies, and the trees welcome birds. We welcome you to our village!"
An elderly Taíno village chief, wearing a short feathered crown, raised his hands in the air and came forward happily. There was a simple and sincere smile on his face. In his hand, there was also no spear, only a spear rolled into long strips of tobacco leaves, the "Cohiba Spear".
"Come, friend! Light last year's tobacco leaves, let us share the divine tobacco, Cohiba, and communicate with the gods! The great spirit of the divine, the immortal ancestors, are watching the meeting of the two tribes. In the mother In the blessing of God Atabea, let us drink water together, wait for the moon, and continue the tribe!"
"Ah? This...this welcome is really different from the previous one!..."
Chihuaco, an old militiaman, stepped onto the shore and looked at the eager welcome of the Taino people. His smile was dull at first, but soon became sincere.
The tall Taino village chief opened his arms and gave him a strong hug. Then, the elder village chief couldn't wait, lit a long piece of cohiba, held it in his mouth, took a deep breath, and suddenly felt refreshed. Then he lit another "tobacco spear" and stuffed it into Chihuaco's mouth, laughing and shouting.
"Cohiba! Blessings from the Mother Goddess and Ancestors! Tobacco from the Guanahani people! Welcome friends!"
"Hiss! This smell?...Ahem!"
The old militiaman Chihuaco's eyes widened, he took a deep breath of the rich divine smoke, and then couldn't help coughing. The surrounding Taíno villagers laughed kindly, and the village chief gave another demonstration of blowing smoke.
Amidst the laughter and divine smoke, the old militiaman took a few more puffs, and his whole body gradually relaxed. His thoughts became active and his spirit became a little hazy. A smile couldn't help appearing on his face, and an inexplicable thought flashed through his mind.
"We sincerely welcome friends and share sacred smoke and food. It turns out that the Taino people are really a kind tribe! ... But what will happen to such a kind tribe if they encounter the white-skinned evil demon predicted by His Majesty? "
