Chapter 1977 Sierra Island (Ⅰ)
Sierra Island is a rare large island in this sea area, and it belongs to a relatively special transit point in the "Triangle Trade" route.
On this island covering an area of more than 25,000 square miles, there are hundreds of black-skinned indigenous tribes, large and small, who often fight with each other. source of supply.
In fact, a large part of the black slaves in the Alfheim area in the south of the New World, such as Poppy, the little black slave of Joan’s old classmate Thomas’s family in Port Leiden, and Django, the black slave of Colonel Vassar’s family, were From a place similar to Sierra Island-the tropical and subtropical archipelago between the Tropic of Cancer and the South, it can be described as a "paradise" for the slave trade.
The island of Sierra is rich in vegetation, and there are large tracts of banana trees, coconut trees, bread trees and palm trees, all of which are relatively common crops in subtropical regions. The fruits are not bad for satisfying hunger, but they are not worth selling.
"If the merchant ships passing by Serra Island intend to do business on the island, they are either here to buy the indigenous black slaves, or they come here in the name of the 'Sea Ranch' on Serra Island."
"On the beaches of Sierra Island, you can often see a magical beast called a 'water horse' by the locals. This creature looks like a strong horse, but it has scales, gills and fins that resemble fish. , can run fast on land or in the sea, and can also dive into the deep sea like a whale. After domestication, it can be used as an amphibious mount, which is very valuable."
"Water horses are far smarter and alerter than ordinary wild animals, and they are violent and aggressive. It is not easy to catch them, and it is even more difficult to domesticate wild water horses."
"Most people who engage in this business do not directly capture water horses, but use a special method to indirectly obtain offspring of water horses."
Perhaps because of the presence of the two ladies, Captain Odysseus did not elaborate on how the merchants obtained the offspring of the water horse, and quickly changed the subject.
"There are human settlements on Serra Island. These uncivilized indigenous people have sparse hair and dark skin. They only wear simple dresses woven from leaves all year round. They gather bananas and bread tree fruits on the island for food, and they are also skilled in fishing. In addition, there is no specialty worth mentioning, almost all of them are illiterate savages, but fortunately they can understand the common language, and they can barely speak a few words, and simple communication is not a problem."
"Mr. Captain, are there any monsters that threaten human existence on Sierra Island?" Holden asked.
Captain Odysseus lit his pipe and answered thoughtfully:
"It is said that besides water horses, sea monsters occasionally come ashore on the beach of Sierra Island, turning into steeds, luring people who don't know the inside story to ride on their backs, and then suddenly turn around and rush into the sea, taking the horses on their backs. The rider drowned alive."
"This sea monster is called 'Kelpi' by the locals, which translates to 'water horse' in common language. It sounds easy to be confused with a water horse, but they are actually two completely different creatures."
"I haven't seen Kirpi with my own eyes, but I just heard that this evil sea monster has a quirk. After killing people, it turns back to its original shape, cuts open the victim's belly and devours the internal organs, but does not eat the heart and liver. These two organs are not suitable for my appetite, maybe there are other reasons, so I don’t know.”
Slowly exhaling a puff of smoke, Captain Odysseus then introduced the anecdote about Thera Island.
"The savages on Sera Island worship a mysterious giant ape living in the forest in the east of the island, and they respectfully call it 'King Kong', which means 'Guardian God' in the local dialect."
"This dark golden giant ape is said to be as tall as the mast of a ship. Although it has a bad temper, it is not evil in nature. It mainly eats bananas and breadfruit, and also eats the big fish offered by the wild people on the island in return. , this giant ape will occasionally perform the duties of a 'guardian', protecting the island's residents from pirates or water monsters. Of course, it depends on its mood. After all, a beast is a beast, and it cannot always be like a human being. That makes sense."
Joan was listening intently when a siren sounded outside the window. The "Coral" had arrived at Sierra Island and was slowly mooring into the anchorage.
After the ship stopped, the sailors set up the gangplank, and Captain Odysseus led everyone to the pier. In addition to Joan, Hylar, and Zion, there were also three hard-core followers of the captain: sailor Gulliver and Ruth. Binson, Sinbad the Fat Cook.
A group of eight people walked up to the pier, and Joan saw a dozen or so dark-skinned natives wearing only grass skirts from a distance, leaning against the tree trunk and sitting under a tall and straight baobab tree to enjoy the shade, smoking a hookah in turns, very happy. Cozy look.
One of them saw someone approaching on the pier, quickly put his finger in his mouth, and whistled. The men under the tree got up lazily, each carrying a stick, and surrounded Joan and the others.
"What do these savages want?" Joan asked the fat cook next to him in a low voice.
"They are the aborigines of the island, a group of lazy bastards who depend on the sky for their food!" Sinbad replied contemptuously, "These people stay near the pier from morning to night, they don't know any serious farm work, and they climb trees when they are hungry. Picking fruits to eat, anyway, the island is rich in products and the climate is warm all year round, so they can’t starve to death, and when they see outsiders come ashore, they will gather around and extort benefits in the name of recommending themselves as guides.”
"If we just say that we don't need a guide, what will happen to these niggers?" Hyrule leaned over and asked.
"They will stalk and hang on, and only give up when they get benefits. If the outsiders insist on not giving them, they will even turn around and rob. Most people will recognize it with their noses. After all, they can't offend local snakes." Sinbad whispered answer.
"Master, Miss, we are on Sierra Island, we must be careful when we speak, we can't call them 'savages' or 'niggers' in front of the natives, it will make them feel humiliated and lead to violent conflicts. "The experienced captain Odysseus told the young man beside him.
At this time, the group of natives in grass skirts had already approached Joan and the others. As Sinbad predicted, they grinned and showed their white teeth, and spoke a half-baked common language, supplemented by exaggerated gestures, expressing their willingness to travel far away. The distinguished guests who come carry their luggage and act as guides.
"Don't give them your luggage, otherwise these bastards will run away and get into the woods, and they won't be able to get back." Robinson warned Joan, Hailar and Zion in a low voice.
Captain Odysseus stepped forward to negotiate with the indigenous leader—a middle-aged man named "Baluba" with a shark tattoo on his chest—and said that he was very familiar with Sierra Island and knew the island without a guide. According to the rules on the island, he is willing to give out 5 pounds of jaggery to reward Baruba and his brothers in exchange for the right to move freely on the island and collect fresh water.