Each day the stress of it possibly being their last smothered the crew like a cold, wet blanket. Morale suffered a severe blow a day prior when the winds shifted to blow eastward, in their faces rather than remaining at their backs. The only means to continue heading west at that point was under the power of oars, and that meant work. Many on board took it as a bad omen, but not the captain.
Embarking on a voyage of potential discovery required the right sort of leader not only to endure, but also to embrace such circumstances. Explorers were a rare and exceptional breed, and Captain Leif Erikson was such a man.
“Back to your oars you lazy dullards. You act as though you’ve never seen a blade of grass before. If land is what we’ve found, then we shall never reach it unless you lot put your backs into it,” Captain Erikson shouted as he stepped over abandoned oars and around casks of dried fish. On his way past Hastelloy, the captain tapped him on the shoulder, “Come with me.”
Together the two men ducked under the ship’s central mast to approach the bow of the boat for an unobstructed view into the distance. The crew failed to realize the shift in wind was a telltale indicator of nearby land. The lack of surprise in Leif Erikson’s demeanor let Hastelloy know that the captain was also aware of this fact.
The captain, with hands clasped behind his back, stood at the head of his boat with an expression of total calm. His head slowly rotated to take in the horizon as a gentle breeze danced along the edges of his tunic and tossed about the long fringe hairs framing his bearded face.
“What do you think? Is it the same land you saw aboard Bjami’s boat?” the captain asked in a quiet voice.
“It’s impossible to say for sure,” Hastelloy answered with an appropriate amount of skepticism forced into his voice. “We were nearing port off the western coast of Greenland when the storm came. I swear to you, Captain, my eyes have never beheld the sea so angry, so high, so covered with foam. There was no opportunity to make landfall for shelter. Bjami’s only choice was to remain out in the mad sea, seething like a pot on a hot fire. All the while, the deluge of rain never ceased to fall from the sky, nor did the wind pause in its howling.
“For two days and two nights we clung to the railings while the wind and waters tossed the boat about,” Hastelloy went on. “When the sea’s anger finally did subside, it was there like a shadow off in the distance. We all knew it was land, but at that point we were low on supplies and without means to explore what we saw. For all I know, it could have been a tiny island.
“I will say this for what we now see. To disrupt wind patterns the way we’ve experienced over the last day and a half, this is not just some tiny island. It may be as vast an unknown realm as the ocean we currently sail. How should we proceed?” Hastelloy asked.
“Lidet er om den mans vrede, som ingen vurder,” Captain Erikson said under his breath to a confused expression from Hastelloy. “An old Danish proverb: If you cannot bite, never show your teeth.”
With Hastelloy still looking confused, Captain Erikson clarified his meaning. “If we didn’t intend to brave the unknown, then we should never have left port in the first place.”
The captain then raised his voice for the entire crew to hear loud and clear. “Gentlemen, that is most definitely land we see. I also spy large schools of salmon in the waters all around. We should do well here.”
The announcement drew an instant burst of acceleration from the rowers that caused Hastelloy and Captain Erikson both to stumble back a step. The crew apparently found the prospect of dry land and the potential riches it held quite motivating.
As the distant shore drew closer, Hastelloy allowed a sense of satisfaction to enter his mind-set. The civilized world had finally reached the new continents. For over two hundred years now, Viking settlements on the frozen isle ironically named Greenland sat within spitting distance of the undiscovered continents. Hastelloy had tried everything over the years to get them the rest of the way there. He spread rumors about rich lands just beyond the horizon. He guided dozens of ships off course, where they actually spotted the new lands yet nothing took hold. The hook was never properly set until this moment.
As far as settlement went, the landmass in front of them did not need discovering by any means. The latest scans made of the new territories from their command chamber hidden within the great Sphinx in Egypt estimated the native population to be over fifty million across both continents. By comparison, all of Europe and northern Africa contained fewer than forty million inhabitants at present.
Come to think of it, referring to the known world as civilized was quite a stretch considering how much warring went on among nations and competing religions. As distasteful as it was, all that conflict throughout the ages had driven a technological leap forward for the European powers compared to the rest of the planet. The Roman Empire may be in a fractured state at the moment, but it still served as a guiding light for culture, knowledge, and innovation for the “civilized” world.
It was quite remarkable to think that all those advancements occurred while half of this world’s capabilities remained untapped. Two entire continents with vast stretches of land, natural resources, and countless innovative minds remained disengaged from Hastelloy’s efforts to bring mankind far enough along technologically to finally send a message home to the Novi. It was the equivalent of a boxer trying to win a match with one arm tied behind his back, but that was about to change.
The rowing crew continued their vigorous efforts right up until they felt and heard the crunch of wet gravel scraping along the ship’s shallow hull as it ran aground. Captain Erikson was the first to grab hold of the boat’s railing to catapult himself over the side. Another dozen men retrieved circular shields mounted along the side of the boat before arming themselves with an ax or spear. They then followed their captain’s example and jumped down onto solid land. There were no visible threats of course, but facing the unknown tended to make men see dangers everywhere. A weapon in hand went a long way to calming that fear.
“Look at all that lumber,” one crewman marveled at the sight of a dense line of trees to the north. “I think there might be enough to build a bridge all the way back home if we don’t feel like rowing anymore.”
Hastelloy remained aboard the boat to assess the rest of what he saw. “Those open grasslands to the west and south run as far as I can see. There are also clusters of grapevines growing wild among the tall grass all over these plains. I doubt a more plentiful place exists in all the world, and you managed to find it, Captain. Congratulations.
“What’s more, there are no obvious signs of anyone already claiming these lands,” Captain Erikson observed as he turned to face his awestruck crew. “I doubt we’ll need your weapons, but you men already armed come with me to explore the area. The rest of you still on board the boat, unload the supplies and begin setting up logging operations. We’re going to be here for a while in order to see if this new land is as fruitful as it appears to be on the surface.
“Well what are you waiting for?” Captain Erikson shouted when not a single man moved a muscle. “Winter is coming soon, and I don’t plan on spending it here with the wind and snow freezing my stones off. This place will be our home for the winter, now let’s make it so!”
**********
“Well, your new lands were bountiful enough to keep us all alive through the winter and bring home profits in the spring,” Hastelloy commended, careful to emphasize Captain Erikson’s ownership of the new lands they had spent the last six months exploring. “You will be a nation unto your own with such vast tracts of self-sown wheat fields and vineyards to your name.”
Captain Erikson turned his attention away from trimming the sail to look at the ten casks of grapes and thirty felled trees extending ten feet beyond the boat’s length on both sides. They would fetch a fine price in the open markets, yet the captain wore a pained look upon his face. It was a look filled with skepticism and regret.
“Half a year’s work spent eking
out an existence in the wilderness to bring home barely enough valuables to pay for the boat and men,” Captain Erikson grumbled. “We all would have been richer men by now if we’d simply joined a few raiding parties back home.”
“I prefer exploring the world I don’t know rather than wreaking havoc upon the one I do,” Hastelloy responded in quick order to stamp out Captain Erikson’s cynicism.
“My own aversion to thieving, raping, and murdering as my livelihood aside,” Captain Erikson went on, “there are shallow reefs all over this sea just waiting to snare an unobservant captain and his boat. You know better than anyone how dangerous the storms in this area can be. Add to that the risk of poor construction of a ship’s hull, mast, or sail, and you have a perilous journey most will not make at any price.
“This discovery is exciting to be sure, but there is not enough profit in it to justify the risk,” the captain concluded with a finality in his words that Hastelloy brushed aside to plead his case.
“Consider this: you have already done all the hard work. We left behind eight log buildings that won’t need erecting a second time if we return soon enough. We spent half our time exploring the surroundings rather than harvesting the crops and lumber. The next journey will be infinitely more profitable for you,” Hastelloy urged and could see in the captain’s eyes that he was coming around to his way of thinking. Greed and the instinct for adventure were going to win out and allow the discovery of the new lands to flourish rather than vanish into the lost annals of history.
“I see smoke in the distance. Port side,” a spotter yelled from the front of the boat.
Captain Erikson immediately snapped his head away from the lively debate, which gave Hastelloy a private moment to contain a barbaric shout of frustration. Instead, Hastelloy let out a slow exhale through his nostrils and said a silent prayer that the announcement was a mistake. He looked up to see that there was indeed a thick column of dark smoke rising in the distance off the ship’s left side.
“Bring us about and set course for the source of that fire,” the captain ordered.
A half hour later, their ship pulled alongside a stranded crew of Icelandic fishermen standing waist deep in waters that hid a reef of jagged stones. Nearby, their grounded out boat lay consumed in a blazing inferno that sent smoke billowing hundreds of feet into the air in a last-ditch effort to grab the attention of another boat passing near.
“Oh thank the gods you were nearby to see our distress signal,” the leader of the stranded Icelanders said while being helped aboard the boat. “I have fished these waters all my life, but what lies beneath is constantly changing from one year to the next.”
“If a local cannot manage to navigate these waters safely every time, then what chance do the rest of us have,” Captain Erikson said to Hastelloy and raised a commanding finger to end all debate on their prior discussion. “It is too risky a journey. This endeavor is over, while we are still among the living.”
All Hastelloy could do was stand in silence as Captain Erikson proceeded to greet his new passengers. “Welcome aboard. I am Captain Leif Erikson.”
“Leif the Lucky,” a crewman chided, and the nickname stuck from that day forward, but knowledge and word of the new lands they found did not.
Chapter 2: Setting the Stage (1486 AD)
TO HASTELLOY IT felt like he had been rowing with the others for hours. The landing skiff had three sets of oars to a side, which required two men to operate each. That provided adequate power to get the tiny boat and its occupants ashore in a timely manner. When the boat was also loaded with supplies nearly to the point of sinking, the going got slow.
His back was turned to where they were heading, so he stole a quick glance over his shoulder to verify that the sandy shore was drawing near. Captain Corde stood tall at the bow of the boat doing little more than adding weight to the tiring effort of the rowers. He shot Hastelloy a stern look that said, turn around and get back to work.
Hastelloy did as implied and faced the rear, where the mother ship, La Esperanza, stood tall in the bay. The proud vessel was sixty feet long, fifteen across, featured three masts, and the main deck towered two stories over the ocean waves. It made the Viking longboat he sailed on before appear barely up to the task of crossing a small pond by comparison.
“Here comes another wave,” Hastelloy called out to his fellow rowers. “Ready . . . now.”
The twelve men heaved with all their might and completed three strokes in rapid succession that moved the landing craft along with the cresting wave to take advantage of the extra propulsion. It did the trick and sent the heavy boat into the soft sands of the shoreline with enough momentum to deposit the craft several feet up the beach.
Hastelloy looked around at the crewmen and saw relief on their faces that their physical exertions were at an end, but there was no excitement. This was nothing new for them. The first time they came ashore in the new lands discovered to the west, it was almost a wrestling match to see who could get off the landing boat first.
It was now a year later and the exuberance of the whole experience was long gone. They had made dozens of these landings and were destined to make several hundred more over the next few years before heading back to Portugal to report what they had found.
Captain Corde was the first man off the boat. The moment his boots hit sand he was shouting orders even though the crew knew the drill by now. “Unload the tents first, then set up the rain barrels to gather fresh water while we wait to locate a river or stream. Then unload the food.”
“Aye, Captain,” they all mumbled with their lack of enthusiasm quite evident.
“Once we establish camp, I will dispatch exploring parties in groups of two. We will be here for seven days. Any man not back by then gets left behind. Understood?”
“Yes, Captain,” the crew droned in reply before setting about their tasks.
Hastelloy was the last to move, but it was not from lack of enthusiasm. This may have been just a run-of-the-mill landing for the men, but for Hastelloy it was a key step in his mission to defeat the Alpha and their Mars colony and eventually get home to his people. He was here to set the stage for his future success in these undiscovered lands.
The ship’s boy noticed Hastelloy still sitting with his oar in hand. “I am exhausted after all that rowing, I can only imagine how worn out you must feel.”
“Juan, did you just call me old?” Hastelloy responded with a smile and false indignation in his voice at the playful jab from his navigational understudy.
“Let’s call it older,” Juan countered with heavy emphasis on the last two letters. Before Hastelloy could mouth his retort, the eleven-year-old reached for the pack resting at Hastelloy’s feet. “Allow me, Sir.”
“That’s quite all right,” Hastelloy said while delivering a stiff-arm block that prevented the boy from getting his hands anywhere near the pack. The move was far more abrupt and revealed too much about the value he placed in the bag’s contents, but he could not be too careful with his valuable cargo. “My baggage, my responsibility.”
With that, Hastelloy rose to his feet, slung the burlap bag over his shoulder, and hopped over the side of the landing craft. Juan attempted to hand down an armful of tent poles, but Hastelloy was having none of it. “After calling me old, you must be joking. You’re on your own, Boy. This old man has better things to do.”
“Such as . . .?” Captain Corde asked from over Hastelloy’s shoulder.
Hastelloy turned around slowly to meet the captain’s disapproving glower with a matter-of-fact smile. “Such as getting to work mapping and cataloging the wildlife in this area. Seven days doesn’t give me much time.”
Rather than waiting for a response, Hastelloy began walking toward the jungle line a hundred feet from the shore, but the captain held him back by grabbing his arm. “We explore in groups of two. Take the boy.”
“Not on your life,” Hastelloy declared before yanking his arm away from the captain and continuing on his
way. He called back without turning around, “The boy trips and stumbles over every branch and twig he finds. It drives away the animals and could give away my position to any natives who might be hostile to us.”
“Seven days,” the captain shouted to Hastelloy’s back as he stepped into the dense jungle. The man’s baritone voice seemed to echo around the dense foliage for a few seconds before giving way to silence.
“That’s right,” Hastelloy whispered to himself as he progressed deeper into the jungle on his own. “Give away your location to anyone within a five mile radius, Captain. That’s wise leadership.”
Hastelloy spent the next three days hiking deeper and deeper into the dense jungle. Over his hundreds of lifetimes, he had experienced countless environments. Some scorching hot, some deathly cold, while others were desolate and barren. The danger of this place rivaled them all because it was so alive.
The tree coverage was dense to the point that even at midday, not a single beam of direct sunlight was in sight. Everything was shrouded in deep shadows that hid venomous snakes, poisonous frogs, and lightning-quick jungle cats. The unobservant man would not last even an hour in this place, and that made it ideal for his purposes.
Up ahead Hastelloy could tell that the jungle was beginning to thin. His ears heard the faint sound of trickling water growing louder before he got his first glimpse of direct sunlight in days.
Hastelloy held his hand like a visor over his eyes while surveying the small clearing in front of him. There was a freshwater spring feeding a tiny pool so clear that he could see thirty feet down to the rocky bottom. A tall tree rose near the springwater’s source that stood twenty feet around. It seemed to stand on stilts with a maze of roots at its base, exposed by decades of erosion.
Origins: Discovery Page 2
