The sea breeze blows powerfully, and the moonlight is cold and dim. The clouds gather in the sky, leaving only a few starlights. A few petrels hover in the night sky, overlooking the boundless sea, surrounding three anchored sailboats, like some mysterious omen.
.
The flagship of the "San Cristobal" hoists the flag of the Kingdom of Portugal and is docked between the two ships. According to Captain Dias's instructions, for the sake of navigation safety, the expedition fleet usually does not sail at night. The night is quiet and deep,
Dozens of crew members on the ship were crowded in the smelly cabin, and most of them were already asleep. On the wet deck, only a few sailors on duty were left, as well as the navigator Pero de Arenkel.
Perot had a strong figure and a stern face. He stood under the long mast, holding a long iron compass and a wooden protractor in his hands. He raised his head, stared at the stars in the sky, and waited patiently.
He waited for a long time. It was not until the clouds cleared a little and the four shining stars of the Southern Cross were revealed that he acted quickly and climbed up the mast nimbly.
After a while, Perot stood firmly on the lookout. He wrapped the rope of the mast around his arm and carefully observed the bright stars γ and A of the Southern Cross. Then, he imagined making a line
, passes through the Southern Cross γ star and the A star, and then continues to extend southward until the length is approximately 4.5 times the distance between the two stars, leaving an imaginary point in the night sky. This point is the estimated position of the South Celestial Pole!
Then, Perot opened his eyes wide and raised his head motionless, not daring to move an inch. He took out the measuring compass and pointed one compass leg in the horizontal direction and the other leg towards the imaginary South Celestial Pole. Then he fixed
I took out the compass, took out the protractor, and measured it carefully for a while. The angle measured at this time was the southern latitude of the fleet.
"About 32 degrees south latitude..."
Perot secretly wrote down this number. Then he raised the protractor again and measured it several times. The numbers he obtained were all between 31 and 33 degrees south latitude. After confirming the number, he did not stay longer and just looked at the fleet.
The anchored east, the endless southern continent, slid down from the mast.
The night got deeper and the deck was quiet. The sailors on duty bowed their heads respectfully when they saw Captain Perot. Perot nodded slightly without saying anything.
In ocean voyages, the navigator is responsible for guiding the direction and determining the latitude, and his position is very important. These methods of measuring orientation are by no means something ordinary sailors can master. They must be literate, able to count, and receive professional navigation training. In Portugal
In the kingdom, people who can serve as captains of navigation are usually from the navigation academy, or are descendants of sailing nobles. Naturally, they are not the same type of people as ordinary sailors from the lower class.
After a while, Perot passed the inspection of the guards and came to the captain's cabin at the stern of the ship. He knocked lightly on the door a few times.
"Praise the Lord! Dear Captain, Captain Perot greets you!"
"Well. Come in!"
Perot lowered his head, carefully pushed open the wooden door, and walked into the captain's cabin.
Captain Dias was sleeping in his clothes and sat up from the bed. He held a dagger in his hand and a dagger hanging on his waist, and spoke calmly.
"How about it?"
"Dear Captain, I just measured the latitude and observed the weather. The fleet is located between 31-33 degrees south latitude, and the wind direction is southwest. There are clouds gathering in the night sky, and there may be wind and rain..."
"31-33 degrees south latitude..."
Hearing this, Diaz was silent and thought in his mind. After a while, he asked in a deep voice.
"How's the morale on the ship?"
"The morale of the sailors..."
Perot hesitated for a moment, then spoke frankly.
"It's not very good. Since setting off from Cape Cross, we have been at sea for two months, only occasionally going ashore to hunt seals and replenish fresh water. The southern continent to the east stretches endlessly, and has been a desolate desert for two months, even
There are no local indigenous people... The crew secretly spread rumors that the desert in the southern continent is endless, and I am afraid they will never find an end in their lifetime!"
"Um..."
Diaz nodded, silently clenched the dagger, and asked seemingly calmly.
"Are there any sailors in tandem? Is there anyone gathering secretly? Is there anything unusual about the quartermaster in charge of weapons?"
"...Ship...Captain..."
Sweat instantly broke out on Navigator Perot's head.
"I didn't see the sailors in tandem, and everything was normal with the quartermaster... On this voyage, we didn't go deep into the devil's land, and few people were cursed... There was also plenty of food and water on the ship, and the sailors just had some complaints.
..”
"Yes, Not Bad."
Dias nodded slightly, his expression softening slightly.
Before this voyage, he carefully questioned the crew members who participated in the previous exploration, and learned that the biggest cause of the rebellion was that people went deep into the devil's land, contracted the devil's curse, and fell ill and died in large numbers.
Therefore, on this voyage, he did not stay long in the evil Congo River Basin, but went straight south along the coast. The other square-sail supply ship was filled with light wine and dry cheese that did not perish easily.
Dry bread and salted fish. Now it seems that although the morale on the ship is not high, it can be maintained.
"Perrault, it's past midnight, today is Epiphany, right?"
"Yes, Captain. Today is January 6, the 1488th day since the birth of our Lord Jesus Christ. We celebrate the Lord's first appearance to the Gentiles after he was born as a human being..."
"Very good. On the day of Epiphany, our Lord recognized for the first time that he was the incarnation of God. Let the priest on board the ship preside over a grand and solemn prayer! Then, according to tradition, the fleet docked for a day's rest and distributed storage
Light wine and food, and a celebration party!”
"Ah! Praise you, my captain! Your generosity and kindness are like the glory of the Lord."
Captain Perot saluted respectfully. With this prayer and celebration, the morale of the crew should be restored.
"Well, God bless us! We will definitely be able to go to the east!"
"...God bless you!"
In the early morning of the next day, Captain Diaz summoned the crew and announced the good news to celebrate the Epiphany. The sailors cheered and then rushed to the nearby beach like wild horses that had escaped the reins.
"Bang! Bang!..."
Projectiles flew, flesh and blood flew everywhere, and the huge body collapsed. The elite sailors set up their matchlock guns and hunted the strong elephant seals mercilessly.
These elephant seals are almost all over the surrounding beaches, scattered everywhere. They are the overlords of the local coast. They have not been threatened by predators for tens of thousands of years, and they do not know how to avoid humans.
Then, with familiarity, the sailors dismembered the seal's body, skinned it for meat, and scraped out the grease. Piles of bonfires were immediately raised, and the aroma of barbecue immediately spread, and the previously clear sea surface was stained with blood red.
.
"Praise the Lord! He has given us meat and wine."
Dias sat on the dry rock, slowly and slowly, drinking light wine and tasting the roasted seal meat presented by Bruno.
"Hmm...it tastes very much like venison, with a strong smell of blood...yes, Bruno, you are interested!"
Bruno stood respectfully aside, bowing his head. The crew had just hunted a seal, and he roasted two pieces with his own hands, then hurriedly ran over and presented them to the respected royal knight, expedition leader Dias.
"It's just a fly in the ointment, no spices are added... If there was a little bit of pepper or a few slices of thyme, the taste would be awesome!..."
"Well..."
Hearing this, Bruno lowered his head with a look of embarrassment on his face. These spices were almost as valuable as gold in the kingdom, and he, an ordinary noble knight, could afford them there. The only time he tasted spices in his life was at the Devil's
Land, in the court of the king of Congo...
"Ha ha!"
Seeing Bruno's embarrassment, Dias laughed. He reached out and patted Bruno on the shoulder.
"Bruno, as long as our voyage goes smoothly and we can discover the eastern sea route and find Elder John's country, when we return to the kingdom, every captain will be heavily rewarded! Not only will you be able to increase your title by one level, but you will also receive up to 1,000 dukes.
Carter’s reward! When the time comes, you can just eat a portion of spices every day and there will be no problem at all!”
"1000 ducats!"
Upon hearing this number, Bruno held his breath for a moment, with strong greed and desire on his face.
You know, one ducat is equivalent to one kingdom gold coin, which is about 3-4 grams. And 1000 ducats is 3-4 kilograms of gold, plus the premium of minting! This large amount of money is enough for him
In the city of Lisbon, I bought a big house, and now I am qualified to participate in the banquets of the nobles...
"Dear Royal Knight, I will definitely listen to you on this voyage!..."
"Um."
Looking at Bruno's expression, Dias nodded with satisfaction. Then, he looked solemn and asked in a deep voice.
"Bruno, how is the situation on your ship now?"
"Dear Royal Knight, everything is safe on my ship. I only exhausted a few captured hard-working sailors on my way south. Without the curse of the devil, the morale of the official sailors is pretty good!"
"Ah, very good!"
Diaz's expression remained unchanged. In the great voyages, hard-working sailors were usually captured poor people, fishermen or indigenous people. They were not allowed to own weapons and were doing the hardest work. They were not considered human beings at all. Only formal sailors were in constant contact with them.
Only when a weapon can launch a rebellion can it be considered that it has reached the lowest standard of human beings...
"Let's go, the priest's prayer is about to begin!"
The two asked and answered questions and chatted for a while. Diaz stood up and walked towards the priest not far away, escorted by the guards.
The priest on board the ship tied two wooden sticks and erected a simple cross. Soon, a group of sailors gathered around the cross, and then, under the guidance of the priest, they clasped their hands and lowered their heads.
The priest spoke first and praised devoutly.
"Lord, please open my mouth!"
"My mouth will praise you!"
Everyone agreed in unison.
"On this day, our Lord Christ was born for us... Please come and worship!"
The priest announced loudly, and Diaz was the first to kneel down and worship the cross in front of him.
"Lord, glory be to you! As it was in the beginning, so it is today, and forever!..."
Then, hundreds of sailors knelt down and worshiped.
"Lord, to you be glory!...forever!..."
"From sunrise to sunset, let us sing to Christ... You existed before the ages, but you were born for us in time..."
The priest raised his head, looked at the sun in the clouds, and sang hymns and psalms. He had been trained by the church, his expression was solemn, and his singing voice was low and gentle. It was not until the last praise that he suddenly sang loudly.
"...Praise you, merciful Lord! May your name be exalted, may your kingdom come, may your will be done on earth as it is in heaven!... I ask you to illuminate you with the true light of your glory.
The hearts of believers, redeem our sins!...I pray to the Lord, may the Almighty Lord bless us, protect us from disasters, and lead us to a new route, Amen!..."
"I pray to the Lord. May the Almighty Lord bless us, protect us from disasters, and lead us to a new route. Amen!"
Everyone repeated in unison, with excited expressions and yearning on their faces. Bruno raised his eyes and peeked, and saw that Captain Dias was actually crying with piety on his face. He was startled, and he quickly lowered his head and quietly took a dip in his saliva.
, wet the corners of his eyes.
After the prayer, the solemn atmosphere relaxed. Diaz wiped away his tears, stood up, and looked around everyone. His eyes paused for a moment on Bruno's face, nodded imperceptibly, and then announced loudly.
"Praise the Lord! We have a day of rest today, no need to board the ship and set sail. Play the wooden flute, play the harmonica, distribute food and light wine...sing as much as you want tonight!"
"Praise the Lord! Praise the captain!"
The sailors cheered with joy, and everyone looked happy. Soon, the sweet harmonica sounded among the crowd, and the clear sound of the wooden flute floated along the coast. After only two or three glasses of water and wine, the sailors turned red and roared into singing.
Songs of hometown.
"The dawn sleeps, embracing the harbor and love,
The moonlight is gentle, caressing the dancing waves,
Like the sun leaving its borders,
It's like we left our distant hometown...
"
Bruno sang and danced, enjoying the indulgent time with Quartermaster Mattim. Only at this moment, singing with many sailors, could he feel truly relaxed and at ease.
Diaz was still sitting on the high place of the rock, with his legs crossed, looking at the singing and dancing sailors. There was a smile on his lips, and a touch of longing appeared on his face, which was then suppressed by his hard heart. Then, he
No longer looking, I just turned my head and looked at the southern sky, looking for the unknown hope. In the distant sky, thick clouds gathered, like a dark curtain pressing on the sky, lingering for a long time.
"That is..."
Diaz stood up suddenly. He stared at the southern sea and sky, deep in thought.
This chapter has been completed!