Wind Rises in North America 1625

Chapter 6 Strange
"These natives are indeed not simple. ...But this is the last bit of support they have left."

Adrian Gavira Corrado, the first mate of the "San Louis", held up a monocular telescope and carefully observed the wooden fort. After a long time, a scornful smile appeared at the corner of his mouth, and then he put away the telescope.

"Yes, although we didn't see them armed with weapons like muskets, we could vaguely see that they were almost all armed with sharp wooden spears. Oh, maybe those wooden spears could also be used as throwing javelins, thrown from their wooden camp when we launched an attack." Said the boatswain Harvey. "Did you see, they've dug a trench some distance away from the camp? When we reach the camp, we'll have to stop and struggle to cross the trench. I believe that when we pause, it will be the best time for them to launch a counterattack."

“If only we had a cannon,” Corrado murmured. “Then we could just fire one cannon and scare them away, just like those Indians in Mexico, letting us chase and kill them.”

"Hmm, a cannon?" Harvey laughed when he heard that. "Mr. First Mate, if we want to get a cannon ashore, it will probably take at least two days. Moreover, we need to make the corresponding lifting and towing tools. This is an absolute waste of time for us!"

"If we attack by force, there will probably be some casualties."

"Yes, that's right. Since these natives can build wooden forts and watchtowers, they must have come into contact with civilized people and may have learned some skills in fighting and killing."

"How do you think we should attack?"

"There's a stream to the north of the fort, making it difficult to deploy an attack formation. We can attack from the other sides."

"Attack from three sides simultaneously?"

"Yes, Mr. First Mate." Harvey licked his lips and said fiercely, "There are at most forty or fifty natives in this wooden village. Excluding the elderly, weak, and women, there are no more than thirty strong men capable of fighting. We have fifty people here. If we attack from three sides, the natives in the village will be distracted and unable to respond. If we break through one wall, the people inside will be trapped and will become fish on our dinner plate!"

"Well, in that case, let's get started!" Corrado nodded and raised a matchlock. "Harvey, you take fifteen men and attack from the east. Aleps, you also take fifteen men and launch a surprise attack from the west. The rest of you, follow me as I launch a frontal breakthrough from the south. ... Okay, guys, let's get moving and break down that wooden fort ahead. Everything inside will be ours. If we end this battle soon, we can build a bonfire and have a delicious lunch!"

As soon as the words fell, the Spanish sailors who had gathered together split into three groups, shouting and yelling, and rushed towards several directions of the wooden stronghold in a chaotic manner.

These damn natives would hide in the wooden village and dare not come out, but set up many traps and mechanisms in the forest, injuring five companions in total, which is very annoying.

After breaking into the wooden stronghold, we must torture them severely and then hang them one by one on the trees.
-
Captain Juan Gomez Goyer of the "San Luis" walked out of the cabin, took a long breath, and then climbed up the wooden ladder to the deck.

Among the five wounded, two sailors who were hit on the back by the raft are in a slightly better condition and should be able to recover after a day or two of rest. However, the situation of the other three wounded is not optimistic. One injured his foot, one injured his thigh, and the other had his head smashed. It is estimated that they will have to go through a very dangerous period of wound infection.

With the blessing of a merciful God, they may be able to survive and slowly recover their health.

If God doesn't have time to take care of them, then...

Alas, I really didn't expect it. I originally thought that the natives on the shore were very easy to deal with. As long as the sailors landed smoothly, all that was left was to shoot a few rounds with their muskets and then rush into the native camp to capture all the natives.

Then, they could drive the natives to cut down a few tall, straight trees, replace the damaged masts on the ship, and repair the damaged bottom cabin and side.

After resting on this unknown island for five or six days, when all the sailors have recovered some of their energy and spirit, they can continue to sail south along the coastline and finally return to the port of Acapulco.

Captain Goyle even thought about taking all the captured young and strong natives onto the ship when he left, and then selling them to mine owners who were in urgent need of slave labor after arriving in Mexico, so as to increase some extra income.

However, they did not expect that after the two groups of more than 50 sailors landed, before they even met the natives, five of them fell into traps and mechanisms set by the natives in the dense forest, and were sent back to the ship one by one with serious injuries.

Despite the unexpected situation, Captain Goyle remained optimistic about the final outcome. He believed that as long as the sailors approached the natives' wooden fort and fired a volley of muskets, they would be able to crush the natives' resistance, successfully enter the fort, and then subdue those damned natives.

He was now somewhat worried that after their companions were injured, the sailors might, out of anger, take revenge and go too far, killing all the natives, thus wasting extra income. Hey, should we send someone ashore to warn those lawless sailors?
Oh, by the way, the two lifeboats didn’t come back, so we have temporarily lost contact with the sailors on the shore.

"Moreno!...Moreno" Captain Goyle looked up and shouted to the lookout on the mast.

"Captain?" The lookout poked his head out from the tall mast.

"What's going on on the shore?"

"Oh, let me take a look..." The lookout retracted his head, held up a monocular telescope, and observed the shore carefully.

"...Sir on the boat, there is no movement on the shore except our two lifeboats and a guard." The lookout said loudly while observing, "I think our people should have entered the jungle and are heading towards the native camp. ... Too bad, I can't see anything more here, the woods are too dense. ... Wait, I think I saw something. Oh, what is that? God, it's two natives, they are sneaking out of the woods with weapons. ... Oh, their targets are our two lifeboats and the guard! God, that guy seems to be napping on the boat, not on guard at all. ...Sir on the boat, we need to warn the people on the shore!"

"What? Oh, damn it! Redondo, Redondo, find a musket and fire a warning shot at the guys on the shore!"

Captain Goyle became nervous upon hearing this. He ordered the sailors beside him to find muskets and fire, reminding the sailors on the shore to be careful of sneak attacks, while he lay close to the side of the ship and looked towards the shore.

At a distance of four or five hundred meters, the situation on the shore could not be seen clearly, but within the sight, there were two vague figures, which were slowly moving towards the two docked lifeboats with the help of trees and rocks on the shore.

"...Oh, God! Those two natives have restrained our man." The lookout on the mast screamed, "Oh my God, the natives knocked him down. ... They have control of the two lifeboats. Oh, oh..., they are rowing the boats away. Captain, they have rowed the boats away. Even if the first mate and his men occupy the native camp, they will not be able to return to our St. Louis for the time being!"

"Shut up, idiot!" Captain Goyle shouted angrily at the lookout on the mast.

"Bang bang bang..."

At this moment, the dull sound of musketry seemed to be heard faintly on the shore, but it was not very clear amid the sound of the waves.

"Wait!" Captain Goyle stopped a sailor from firing a gun into the air, his eyes fixed on the lush green woods on the shore.

"Redondo, do you hear the gunshots coming from the shore?"

"Captain, I... I... didn't pay attention." The sailor put away his musket, pointed the muzzle upwards, and then, like Captain Goyle, lay on the side of the ship and looked towards the shore.

In sight, apart from the sea, there was a lush forest in the distance. Occasionally, a few birds flew over the water, then quickly soared into the air. A cold breeze blew, and the sea surface sparkled, reflecting the autumn sunshine.

"Bang bang bang..."

"Captain, I heard it," the sailor pointed toward the shore, a hint of joy on his face. "The first mate and his men are attacking the native camp right now. ... That's the sound of their muskets firing. Oh, they might have already rushed into the native camp and are shooting those who dare to resist. Haha... They're conquering this land!"

"Really?" Captain Goyle's eyes were always fixed on the two lifeboats on the shore that were hijacked by the natives and gradually disappeared into the depths of the bay. However, he had a vague bad feeling in his heart.

"Damn it, we should have bombarded those two natives!"

(End of this chapter)