The camp was short of food and only had two meals a day, morning and evening. After having a not too early breakfast, it was a long wait. The fleet's hiding place is between Hidden Snake City and the second ancient city of La Venta, only more than fifty miles away from the densely populated Eastern Holy City. In fact, the nearest village of Totonak was only about ten miles away.
In such a dangerous position, as the captain of the exploration fleet, the old militiaman Chihuaco had to be cautious, careful and cautious. According to what he told the fleet, that is...
"Stupid idiots! Eat whatever you have, and don't think about fighting! ... You all crawl into the hole like a grass rat, and shrink your head like a turtle! ... Damn it! I will bring you out, and you must do your best. , take you back..."
Hearing the reprimands of the old militiamen, the kingdom warriors and sailors in the camp had no choice but to put down their sharpened weapons and lowered their heads helplessly. Four longships returned from Cuba carrying nearly two hundred people. But now there are only more than 160 people in the camp.
Only one-half of the warriors and sailors from Prepecha were left in the fleet. The other quarter of the warriors were Puton prisoners of war who were recruited from Chief Mozi in the Prairie City of the Short Spear Tribe. As for the last quarter of the sailors, their origins are mixed and they have all converted to the main god. Among them were Huastecs, Taínos, and even Totonacs…
Fortunately, most of the American tribes in this era only have tribes and beliefs, and no national cognition. The Totonac people from different tribes would fight each other without feeling any burden at all. The fleet has been here for so long. Apart from insufficient food and difficulty in supplying supplies, there is not much instability.
"Food...food..."
Thinking of this, the old militiaman let out a long sigh. With the force of the fleet, they can attack the Totonac villages and seize enough food. However, that would mean completely exposing their whereabouts and having to face thousands of tribal warriors and militiamen in Hidden Snake City. Deep down in the hearts of the old militiamen, they also rejected such killing and looting.
"Lord God! I have to take you... back as much as possible..."
The old militiaman Chihuaco murmured and carried a simple fishing rod to the lagoon adjacent to the camp. Sailors from many kingdoms were also scattered around the lake, fishing or catching fish.
Further out, Puton warriors carried hunting bows and searched in the surrounding jungle, shooting birds, grass rats and hares. They also have another duty, which is to intimidate and drive away Totonak hunters passing by, so as not to expose the kingdom warriors in the camp. Although it is strange for the Mayan barbarians to appear here, it is much better than the appearance of the Mexicans.
"...There are fewer and fewer fish in the lake..."
Chihuaco, an old militiaman, squatted by the lagoon and fished all afternoon. Under the dull gazes of Dark Snake and Didi, he only caught two palm-sized fish.
In fact, so many people stayed here for almost three months. The catch in the water and the prey in the forest have all been hunted. The only stable source of food is the Mayan galleys that secretly transport food from Hidden Snake City every six days. It was the merchant ship of Mayan merchant Tikallo. I don’t know how it managed to run faster than a long ship.
"Today is the fifth day... There should be a ship coming tomorrow, and I don't know how much food it can bring... Well... no matter what, let everyone have a good meal and be happy..."
Thinking of this, the old militiaman Chihuaco licked his dry lips and handed the grass basket containing the small fish to Dark Snake.
During the spring plowing season, food is in short supply in all departments. The Totonacs were at war again, transporting food westward. The food in the market outside the city is getting less and less. In fact, he didn't have much hope. It would be good to buy some pumpkin puree and kidney beans and have a full meal together.
The sun was setting in the west, and the lake was so clear that not even a single fish hair could be seen. Even the Taínos, who were good at fishing, had nothing to do in this situation. Chihuaco had no choice but to put away his fishing rod and take Didi, who was familiar with farming, to a flat land by the river. Some mounds of soil have been dug there and a large area of lush cassava has been planted. These are the fruits of two or three months of his busy work.
"Wow! That's great! This cassava can survive when inserted, and it has sprouted so many new shoots. It's such a good crop!"
Chihuaco, the old militiaman, looked around, touched the new cassava branches, and pulled out some weeds, with a smile on his old face. The fleet stayed here much longer than he expected. The first batch of cassava taken from Chief Shuihua of the Mayari tribe all sprouted and could no longer be stored.
He had no choice but to find fertile land along the river for these cassava plants, pile them up in mounds of soil, and plant them there. I didn’t expect that such a high-yielding crop could survive so well, and even weeds couldn’t grow on them.
"Okay, that's great! It's as good as the Lord God!"
The old militiaman muttered a few more words with satisfaction, wondering how long he would stay here. Judging from the growth momentum of this cassava field, it will probably take more than half a year for this batch of cassava to be harvested stably. If it really doesn't work, just plant the last batch of cassava harvested from the Forest Ridge before leaving Cuba... As long as the fields are cultivated and you have to be patient for another year, your blind majesty should be able to come over. Already?
After seeing the cassava fields, the old militiaman returned to the camp leisurely with a smile on his face. It was getting dark, and no more smoke could be seen. Then a bonfire was set up in the camp, a large clay pot was set up, fish soup with wild vegetables was cooked, and a mess of small animals and insects were roasted. The evening breeze blew, and there was a strange aroma wafting everywhere, making the old militiaman's stomach growl.
Everyone gathered together, drank several bowls of hot wild vegetable fish soup, and ate some soaked pumpkin puree, which made them feel better all over. As for the fish that was finally caught, Chihuaco only ate a small piece, and then let Tilan, Tidan, Dark Snake, and Didi eat all the fish.
The night was dark, the moonlight was bright, and dark clouds appeared in the sky. The wind on the beach blows from the east, full of salty water vapor. The strong wind blew on the bodies of several leaders of the fleet, making the messy hair even more messy.
"The peak of the rainy season is almost here! It's another rainy season... It's been a year and a half since we set sail from Crow City!"
】
Mecat, the divine priest, sat in front of the campfire and sighed. Then, he took his fingers in his mouth, felt them in the wind, and raised his brows.
"The wind is so strong, coming from the sea, I'm afraid there will be a storm! ... Early tomorrow morning, we have to let the warriors cut some wood and strengthen the camp..."
"The storm is coming...a day or two at most..."
Chihuaco, the old militiaman, squinted his eyes and looked at the dark clouds in the east. After being at sea for so long, the climate of the Caribbean is like a grumpy friend that everyone has become familiar with.
"There's strong wind and heavy rain... The food that will be delivered tomorrow must be stored well and covered with that waterproof rubber sheet..."
"We must find a way to save more food... We don't know how long we will stay here!..."
