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. There were two long ships, a dozen canoes, a hundred samurai sailors, and more than a hundred tribesmen stationed in Beigang.
Before officially leaving, exploration captain Zuvalo found an opportunity and carefully warned the two missionary priests, Tushan and Tuhe. These two priests were both from civilian backgrounds. To be more precise, they were civilian orphans raised by the kingdom. In the Kingdom of the Lake, there are many orphans raised like this. And their only belonging is to the kingdom's priests and the exploration fleet that obeys the divine revelation. In Zuvalo's heart, he trusted the two of them more than several other noble descendants.
"Lord 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!"
Exploration Captain Zuvalo pondered for a moment and nodded. It seems that Tushan is more suitable for managing the military affairs of the settlement. Then he looked at the other priest.
"Tuhe, what do you think?"
"Uh... 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 glanced at Mickey quickly 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!..."
The two longships sailed into the waves of the Northland as the crowd on the shore watched. Autumn is still bright in October, but the coldness of winter has already left its mark. The trees on the shore have fallen leaves and turned yellow, and the mountains have turned a solemn yellow-brown color. The fleet traveled three hundred miles and came to an obvious bay. Those who settled on the inner side 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 knows or understands. Therefore, when the Charis fishing boat approached and exchanged greetings, both parties looked at a loss. However, Mikey, the knowledgeable person, 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, roughly guessed the name of this tribe. Next, comes the skillful gift-giving process. He first gave a copper dagger and asked the fishermen to bring the fleet to the tribe. Then, he gave the tribal chief Xia He a copper ax, and the other party gave him a white reindeer skin in return. Yes, when we get here, we can occasionally catch traces of caribou. And this also means that the white Arctic is getting closer!
"Hey little hey! Ah yee ah hey!... The big river flows from the great lake far away. The great lake was dug by the huge ancestral whale... The ancestral whale's body turned into the surging Xia River; the ancestral whale's bones turned into a wide river. ; 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 there are countless fish..."
Summer is the time of harvest and celebration. The fleet stayed in Xiahe for two days, replenishing some smoked fish, venison and berries, and happened to encounter the fish festival of the Xialis people. This is a very important tribal ceremony and an important festival to celebrate. Almost all the tribe of seven to eight hundred people came out. 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 wearing only a pocket-cloth and his upper body was bare, dancing and singing powerfully by the river, his voice as loud as thunder. The strongest hunters and fishermen of the entire tribe were lined up by the river. Then, under the surprised gaze of the knowledgeable Mickey, 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!... 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. Young men from over a hundred tribes were swimming bravely in the river, fishing with their bare hands. The women, young and old of the tribe all stared at the naked men in the river with their eyes wide open.
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 kept their eyes wide open to find a suitable partner. And if several women like one at the same time, it's time for the man to choose.
"Well...this fishing and hunting tribe is very simple! There are no nobles or priests..."
Exploration captain Zuvalo touched his chin, looked at this large tribe, and thought about it carefully for a while. Afterwards, he watched with great interest as a tribal hunter with excellent aquatic skills hugged a big fish tightly with both hands and swam from 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, he immediately raised the big fish in his hand. Then, boiling cheers rang out from the crowd of spectators.
"xwalalq?! Svarak! Svarak! The warrior of fishing! 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 very high praise. The hunter held the big fish high in the air, triumphantly, and shouted his name to everyone.
"The ancestral spirits bless me! The best hunter in the tribe! The fish-man Xia Osprey!..."
In the tradition of the Xali people, the warriors who win the fishing competition are called "fishmen". This is a very high honorary title, and the benefits are immediate.
Soon, a dozen tribal girls with ponytails rushed towards the victorious hunter Xia Osprey. They surrounded Xia Osprey, shouting loudly to compare, and asked each other to choose a wife. The strong Xia Osprey looked around and chose a girl who was also strong and strong. This is also the tradition of the northern tribes, which regards physical strength as a common aesthetic value for men and women.
Soon, other young men in the river returned with the fish they caught. The women of the tribe also ran towards them. As for the young ones who caught the fish in the end, or those who only picked up some crabs and shrimps, they could only come back in disgrace, and no women even came to see them. If they want to change this miserable treatment, they can only practice their fishing skills 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!"
Zuvarro, the exploration captain, was very interested and watched the entire fish ceremony until dusk. The following content is not suitable for children and is 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 relaxed and celebrated, 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 Department, everyone also made gestures and inquired about the situation of the "Bay of Hundred Lakes". Upon hearing their inquiry, tribal chief Xia An was obviously a little excited. He talked a lot, but unfortunately few of them were really understood by the fleet... Finally, he drew a sketch on the dirt, and Mikey, the knowledgeable one, carefully recorded it.
"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, then turn east-south. If you can't find it, go to the shore and ask the tribe.
As the fleet continued northward, towering mountains appeared on the east coast. On the peaks of the mountains, there is white snow, which looks like clouds in the sky. In later generations, this area of the mountains had a very shocking name, called "The Sanctuary of the Greek Gods"... Oh no, it was "Olympic National Park". The most famous peak among them is "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 is interrupted here, forming a wide water surface going to the southeast, which can also be seen as an extension of a long strait. In the northwest direction, there are steep cliffs that have 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, the other goes to the southeast... If according to His Majesty's prophecy, it should be..."
The long boat stopped at the cape, and everyone stared at the steep turning coast, looked at the desolate gray-brown cape, and listened to the beautiful songs of the whales. In later generations, this cape and strait became a famous whale watching spot, and a must-have for countless whales. Well, it’s also a great place to catch big fish.
"Zuvarro!..."
Exploration captain Zuvalo 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 intently.
"Zuvarro, listen! Listen carefully! 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 cloak hunter Lotte over and asked him to listen carefully.
"Lotian, you have good ears, listen carefully..."
"Huh? This is it? This is it!..."
The cloaked hunter Lotte's ears were very sharp and trembled like a bat. Then, his expression gradually changed, becoming more solemn and even showing a little fear.
"Lotte, what did you hear?"
"Ancestral spirit! I heard the cry of a whale, and 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!"
Speaking of this, the cloaked hunter Lotte looked panicked and turned around 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…"
Mikey the Knowledgeable was speechless, looking at the caped hunter, who had always been bold and bold, 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!"
"Ancestral spirits, don't go! The voice has changed! It has changed!"
Seeing Zuvalo's movements, the cloaked hunter Lotte hurriedly shouted to stop. He listened with a heavy heart, all kinds of 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..."
Mickey the Knowledgeable thought for a while and pulled his hair hard. Then, he gave Letian a helpless look and said to Zuvalo.
"Zuvarro, wave the flag! The movement is in front of us, near the northeastern coast. Let's go and have a look!... Let's go! Lord God bless us!"
