Chapter 1337: Chapter 1337
Pure white Arctic terns, flapping their black-edged white wings, chase after schools of fish in the strait. Black-footed albatrosses, on the other hand, spread their dark gray wings, soaring high above the coastal cliffs. This is north of the 48th parallel, future US-Canadian border, the northwest corner of Washington State, also the whaling grounds of the Maca people.
Old Hunter Whale Sea led a dozen small Maca boats, towing wooden rafts loaded with whale meat, around the steep promontory to the tribal camp twenty miles away. Meanwhile, two longships from the Kingdom were filled with freshly cut whale meat, accompanying the Maca fleet southeast to the shore.
Perhaps today’s hunt was ample, perhaps it was out of respect for the fleet’s formidable strength, or perhaps it was out of reverence for the peculiar Shaman Priests on the longships... when it came to the distribution of spoils of war, the Maca people honored their promise, displaying great generosity.
"Chief Divine! This one giant whale’s meat must weigh tens of thousands of pounds! Both ships are filled to the brim, and we haven’t even taken our share yet, we’ve already loaded twenty thousand pounds..."
Scholar Mikki surveyed the flagship, looking at the towering piles of whale meat, his face full of astonishment. Everyone participated in the whale meat distribution, estimating a total of twenty tons, with the fleet having taken more than half. Each longship loaded five to six tons of meat, two ships totaling eleven to twelve tons, over twenty thousand pounds! He had never seen this much meat in his lifetime!
The Mexican Plateau is densely populated, and all tribes severely lack meat. Commoners usually rely on pumpkins and beans as daily food, rarely having meat even during holidays. Only trained young Samurai could eat some expensive meat with the support of the entire family, ensuring their physical development. If this whale meat could somehow be transported back to the Kingdom, one wonders how many more strong Samurai could be trained! It’s a pity...
"This whale meat needs to be transported back to the camp promptly, immediately smoked and cured! Otherwise, it won’t take long for it all to spoil!..."
Scholar Mikki contemplated silently, calculating slightly, aware that this whaling harvest was enough for a thousand-member-sized tribe to eat for a whole month! Of course, the preservation of fresh meat is a critical issue; making smoked and cured meat is time-consuming and labor-intensive, and the Maca whaling team cannot stray too far from the camp, nor can they always have such abundant harvests...
In other words, such whaling activities mean the Maca hunters of the Whale Tribe can only conduct two or three times a month. After every hunt, a large number of whaling tools need repair. If they rely on whaling and fishing as their primary food sources, the tribe size would definitely not reach a thousand, likely around five hundred people...
"Chief Divine is witness! A tribe under a thousand members... even reaching their camp, there isn’t enough confidence to consume the whale meat from two longships and over a hundred Samurai sailors! Hence, it’s safe to go take a look..." Content orıginally comes from novèlfire.net
With this thought in mind, the two fleet leaders reached the Maca’s Whale Tribe after half a day’s rowing. It’s a tribal fishing village established on the eastern side of the promontory, within a small bay. On the hillside by the shore, a tall totem pole stood, carved with an abstract, grand Ancestral Whale, featuring a face resembling humans. Next to the totem pole, massive whale bones were piled, seemingly part of a special Sacrificial Rite.
"Ancestor Spirit’s blessing! Ancestral Whale’s blessing! This time we went to sea, successfully hunting a gray whale!... Haha! This is the largest hunt of the tribe in half a year, and the Ancestors’ most protected one! We’ve encountered trustworthy friends!..."
Old Hunter Whale Sea was excited, loudly announcing the hunting details to the welcoming tribespeople in the village. Seeing the returning fleet laden with catches, the villagers were jubilant, even singing in celebration.
"The Ancestor Spirit in the sea watches over us! It grants us the gifts of the sea. Oh Maca Maca, the name of the sea and whale! Oh Maca Maca!..."
"Chief Divine! Oh Maca Maca! These Maca people are all so tall! Truly born warriors!..."
Exploration Captain Zuwaro squinted his eyes, staring at the able-bodied men in the village, unable to resist licking his lips. These Maca people are genuine fishing and hunting tribes, residing in high-latitude cold regions, primarily eating fish meat and fish oil. Their height is around 1.8 meters, taller than the fleet’s Samurai by a whole head. Mikki’s prediction was accurate; this so-called Whale Tribe indeed only numbered around six hundred, just a couple hundred able-bodied men.
"Understanding of cooperation, born sailors and warriors... if they could be subdued and converted to Chief Divine..."
"Ancestor Witness! With the tribes sitting on large ships! Fresh whale meat spoils easily! You can give the share of whale meat to us for smoking and curing, just need to provide some meat to compensate for the tribe’s firewood and salt... if you trust us!..."
Old Hunter Whale Sea arranged the hunters and came once again before the two "Shamans." He cautiously suggested, representing the entire tribe.
The Maca people live by fishing, with the tribe not large, and their whaling tradition emphasizes tribal unity. Therefore, they haven’t divided into hereditary chieftains. The person who could lead the hunters in whaling would be elected as the Leader during the tribe meeting held every several years. Actually, Old Hunter Whale Sea’s other identity is the elected Chieftain of the tribe.