Chapter eight hundred and sixty-five contacts with the indigenous people of Gabon
After introducing captain Mirabeau Plenkovic, Jerome Patterson introduced the remaining 30-odd team members to Grandi. Grandi also saluted and shook hands with them in turn.
.
After the two sides had a preliminary understanding, Jerome Patterson told Mirabeau Plenkovitch with a serious expression: "Major Mirabeau Plenkovitch, you and your men are next.
I have been studying with Mr. Grandi for a while. If you don’t understand anything, just ask Mr. Grandi!
have you understood?"
Mirabeau Plenkovic nodded and assured Jerome Patterson: "Your Excellency, Governor, please rest assured! We will definitely study hard and not cause any trouble to Mr. Grandi!"
Jerome Bonaparte nodded, and then turned his attention to Captain Grandi, "Mr. Grandi, these people will obey your orders from now on!"
If any of them are unwilling to obey your orders, please tell me!
I will take care of them!"
"Yeah!" Captain Grandy responded, "I will do the same without you having to tell me."
…
In the next period of time, Captain Grandi and his team members gave lessons to Mirabeau Plenkovic and others, telling them the precautions for entering the interior of the Congo region, as well as the common practices of some tribes in the Congo region.
words to prevent them from violating the taboos of some tribes in the Congo region and causing conflicts.
Of course, these tribes are all tribes that Captain Grandi has discovered, and there are many unidentified tribes in the Congo.
Mirabeau Plenkovic and others carefully studied the knowledge imparted by Captain Grandi, and each of them made very rapid progress.
What Grandi originally planned to take about four weeks to master, Mirabeau Plenkovic mastered it all in just over three weeks.
At the end of October, Captain Grandi found Jerome Patterson and said to him: "Major Mirabeau and others have mastered all the knowledge to go deep into the interior of the Congo region, and we can set off!"
After hearing this, Jerome Patterson showed a look of surprise on his face and said to Captain Grandi: "So fast!"
Captain Grandy said frankly to Jerome Patterson: "To be honest, I didn't expect it to be so soon!"
"Well!" Jerome Patterson nodded and asked Captain Grandi again: "When are you going to set off?"
"I'm going to leave tomorrow!" Captain Grandi said to Jerome Patterson, "We have been delayed for almost a month or so, and we can't continue to grind here!"
"Okay! All of you come to the Governor's Mansion tonight! I will see you off!"
"Thank you so much!"
That night, Jerome Patterson hosted a banquet at the Governor's Palace for Captain Grandi and his team, as well as Mirabeau Plenkovitch and others.
During the banquet, everyone laughed and toasted to the upcoming departure.
By the time the banquet ended, it was already around 11 o'clock in the evening.
Captain Grandy and his team were all staggering and slumped in their chairs due to drinking too much.
Upon seeing this, Jerome Patterson quickly ordered the servants of the Governor's Palace to send Captain Grandi and others back to their respective rooms, and then he ordered Rastignac to call Mirabeau Plenkovitch.
At this time, Mirabeau Plenkovic stood in front of Jerome Patterson with a slightly drunk expression on his face and said: "Your Excellency, what do you want from me?"
"When you follow Grandi into the inland area, you must pay close attention to Grandi's movements!" Jerome Patterson warned Mira Poplenkovic.
"Don't you trust them?" Mirabeau Plenkovic asked Jerome Patterson.
Jerome Patterson shook his head and denied: "It's not that I don't believe them, but I think you have to be careful when doing anything! Otherwise, problems will easily occur!
This is good for both of us!"
"I know! I will secretly monitor their every move! If they really dare to take actions against France, they will be stopped without mercy!" Mirabeau Plenkovic responded decisively to Gerard.
Tom Patterson said.
"Well!" Jerome Patterson patted Mirabeau Plenkovic on the shoulder and said, "Letting you serve as their captain is indeed a wise choice!"
"You're flattered!" Mirabeau Plenkovitch humbly responded to Jerome Bonaparte.
"Okay! It's getting late!" Jerome Patterson yawned and said, "You should go back and rest early!"
…
The next day, when the bright sun rose slowly from the eastern sea level in the morning, Captain Grandy, who was lying on the bed, opened his eyes.
At this time, Captain Grandy felt dizzy, as if someone had hit him hard on the head with a fist.
In this dizzy and swollen condition, Captain Grandy closed his eyes and gently pressed his temples with his hands. Suddenly, a comfortable and numb feeling came to his head.
After pressing for a while, Captain Grandy's head finally felt a little more comfortable.
At this moment, a knock on the door came from outside the room, and Grandy quickly asked who was outside the door.
"Mr. Grandi, Your Excellency the Governor asked me to tell you that it's time to have breakfast!" Rastignac's voice reached Captain Grandi's ears.
Captain Grandi responded quickly, "I understand! Tell the Governor and ask him to wait for a while! I will be there soon!"
"Okay!" Rastignac said, and left Captain Grandi's door.
Five minutes later.
Captain Grandi, neatly dressed, walked out of the room and moved towards the dining room of the Government House.
When Captain Grandy opened the restaurant door, he found that everyone was already sitting at the dining table waiting for him.
Captain Grandy quickly apologized to everyone present: "I'm so sorry! I'm late!"
"Not late! Not late!" Jerome Patterson's voice came from the main seat. He pointed to the vacant seat next to him and said to Captain Grandi: "Sit down, Mr. Grandi!"
"
Captain Grandy sat next to Jerome Patterson.
Breakfast officially began, and the servants placed two pieces of soft bread and a portion of porridge in front of everyone.
"Today's breakfast is a bit crude, I hope you can forgive me!" Jerome Patterson said to Captain Grandi.
Grandi shook his head and said to Jerome Patterson, "Being able to eat porridge and bread for breakfast is already very good!"
After that, Captain Grandy and others began to eat.
After breakfast, Grandi and others headed to the dock, where they would take a speedboat from here to the mouth of the "Congo River" [1] and then enter.
Jérôme Patterson and Rastignac personally saw them off.
[PS: During this period, people did not explore the Congo River in as much detail as later generations. Many people mistakenly regarded other rivers as the Congo River.
In fact, there is only one river that can really penetrate into the hinterland of Central Africa, and that is where the DRC and Congo-Brazzaville divide their national borders. Historically, when France and Belgium divided their spheres of influence in the Congo, they did so based on this river. It is also the only river in the DRC.
’s outlet to the sea.
And the "Congo River" that Captain Grandy believes can enter the hinterland is actually the Ornwe River!]
At 9 o'clock in the morning, the steam clipper set sail, and Grandi and others standing on the deck waved to Jérôme.
Jerome Patterson and others also waved and watched them leave.
Looking at the steam clipper getting further away, Jerome Patterson asked Rastignac beside him: "Rastignac, do you think they can bring us good news?"
"Your Majesty the Governor, I believe they will be able to bring good news for us!" Rastignac responded firmly to Jerome Patterson.
"Yeah! I hope too!"
…
At 9:40 in the morning, the steam clipper arrived near the Ornway River.
The crew quickly turned the rudder, and the steam clipper also slowed down slowly and cautiously entered the Ornway River.
After entering the Ornway River, Captain Grandi once again emphasized their purpose this time and asked everyone present to be in high spirits.
Everyone present was full of energy, with stern expressions on their faces.
After the steam clipper traveled on the Ornway River for nearly two hours, Captain Grandy, who was standing on the bow of the ship holding a telescope, saw a tribe not far from the river bank. He quickly ordered the ship to pull over.
The steam clipper slowly stopped at the shore, and Grandy and others jumped onto the shore.
Standing on the shore, Captain Grandi asked Mirabeau Plenkovitch: "How are the things prepared?"
Mirabeau Plenkovic pointed to the baggage in the hands of the team members and said to Grandi, "Everything is ready!"
"That's good!" Captain Grandy nodded, and then said: "Then let's keep moving forward!"
Grandi and others continued to move forward, and soon arrived near the tribe surrounded by fences.
After seeing Captain Grandi and others, the "scout sentries" in the tribe immediately started shouting at the tribe, saying words they couldn't understand.
"Quick! Take advantage of this moment to reload ammunition!" Grandi slightly urged everyone present to start loading.
Grandi's scientific expedition team tore open the paper wrapping the gunpowder with their teeth, and then poured the gunpowder into the muzzle of the gun.
Mirabeau Plenkovic and others directly opened the breech, stuffed the paper fixed-loading ammunition directly into the breech gun, and then closed it again.
After the whole process, Mirabeau Plenkovic's loading speed was much faster than that of Grandi's scientific expedition team.
Grandi glanced sideways at Mirabeau Plenkovitch and others, with a little surprise on his face.
After Grandi's scientific expedition team was all loaded, a group of tribal soldiers armed with spears rushed out of the fence and gradually approached Captain Grandi.
