Chapter 9 Chapter Nine Evening of June 5th

While building the master room, Joam.Galar was also in charge of arranging for the construction of servants' rooms, kitchens, and storerooms for storing all kinds of food. First of all, it is necessary to store a large amount of cassava roots with a height of 1.8 to 3 meters. Residents in tropical regions mostly use cassava as a staple food.The root tuber resembles a long black turnip, which, like the potato, is a bushy plant.This kind of root in Africa is non-toxic, but the same kind of root growing in South America contains a kind of poisonous juice, which must be squeezed out before eating.People can grind the root into powder and eat it in different ways.It can even be made into cassava flour soup according to the favorite method of local aborigines.

Cassava will be the food of the whole crew on the big raft.On the great raft, therefore, there is a storeroom dedicated to the storage of this useful food. As for the storage of meat, please don't forget that there is a herd of goats in the sheep pen at the front of the big raft.Moreover, there are many high-quality local specialty Prisantos hams stored on the big raft.In addition, everyone will pin their hopes on the two young boys and the Indian's shotgun, because they are good hunters.In the forests or islands on the banks of the Amazon River, prey will never escape from them, and they will not let their prey go.

In addition, the Amazon River also provides different patterns for the monthly diet. There are prawns, Tangba ancient fish, which is the best fish in the entire basin, and the taste is even more delicious than salmon. This kind of fish has red scales and is not as big as sturgeon. It is very popular in Brazil after pickling. In addition to the red-striped pirana fish, also called manta rays, there are thousands of turtles in the river, which are the main food of the indigenous people.The produce of all these great rivers will be served in turn for the enjoyment of all. Therefore, as long as possible, hunting and fishing will become regular daily homework for the personnel on the big raft.

As for drinks, the rafts stocked with plenty of local wines: the upper and lower Amazon specialty quesos (also known as martha shila), which is distilled from boiled sweet cassava roots. Slightly sour, but delicious beverages include the national drink bequez produced in Brazil, Chiga produced in Peru, and Mazzato produced in the Ucayali River area. It is boiled bananas , pressed, and fermented; there is also an almond flour called Galana, which is made from two types of almonds, Polynia and Soberia.Rub this chocolate-like powder into water to make almond milk, a fine drink. And that's not all drinks.In the local area, there is also a deep purple wine extracted from the sap of the Asai palm tree. Brazilians like the aroma of this wine very much.Therefore, a considerable amount of frasque was also stored on the big raft. 】This kind of wine.Of course, by the time they arrived in Pala, the wine would have been bottled up.

In addition, the special wine storage room on the big raft also brought honor to Benito as head wine master.Hundreds of bottles of Kezeles and Setobal are stored here.Porto wine can't help but bring to mind the names that were dear to the first conquerors of South America.In addition, our young butler also has a lot of Dum.Let Na [Note: Every Dam.Jeanne equals about fifteen to twenty-five liters. 】High-quality tafia wine.This is a sweet soju that tastes stronger than the national drink Beiqu soju. The tobacco stored on the big raft was not at all the low-quality tobacco that the natives of the Amazon basin smoked on a daily basis.They are bought direct from Villabelada in Ampalatriz, the region that produces some of the best tobacco in all of Central America.

The above is the main house built at the back end of the big raft and its auxiliary houses, such as kitchen, pantry, storage room and so on.The whole house was occupied by the Galars and their personal servants. As for the Indians and Negroes, their living conditions on the raft were the same as at Iquitos Manor.On the left and right wings of the deck in the middle of the big raft, there are wooden sheds where they live.They are to be able to paddle under the command of the pilot at all times. Of course, in order to accommodate so many people, it is necessary to build quite a lot of houses on the big raft.In this way, the big raft looks like a floating village.In fact, there are more houses and denser inhabitants on the big rafts than in the small villages on the upper Amazon.

Joam.What Galar built for the Indians was a real collective hut of the kind they lived in every day.It was a crude hut with partition walls and a roof made of leaves supported by a few light sticks.In this small shack, air can circulate freely, gently blowing the hammock inside the house.The living conditions of these aborigines (including three or four aboriginal families with wives and children) on the big raft will be the same as they are on land. The blacks also have the huts they are used to living in on the big raft, but they are different from the huts that the Indians live in: the huts of the blacks are sealed on all sides, and only one side has a door that can lead into the hut.The Indians are accustomed to living freely under nature, and they cannot bear this kind of small hut like a prison cell.But black people are very willing to live in such huts.

Finally, it's time to introduce the front of the big raft.A real warehouse was built here to store Joam.The goods that Galar intended to carry to Beren, and the produce of his forest. Under Benito's command, a large number of goods were neatly stored in this warehouse, just like the cargo hold of a merchant ship where goods are carefully stored. First of all, the most valuable item in this batch is seven thousand arob [Note: Spanish and Portuguese units of weight.Each Spanish arob is about twenty-five catties, and one Portuguese arob is about thirty-two catties. 】Rubber.At that time, each catty of rubber was worth three to four francs.In addition, fifty quintals were loaded on the big raft [Note: One quintal is equal to one hundred kilograms. 】 Spinach.The plant is an important export commodity throughout the Amazon basin.However, due to the fact that the local aborigines did not pay much attention to protecting the stems of pineapple during harvesting, this plant has been declining on both sides of the river.Among other things, the consignment included the tonga bean, a broad bean whose name in Brazil is kumarus, which is used to extract oil, and the rub tree, from which people extract a healing agent. precious balms; packets of plants from which dyes can be extracted, chests of gums of different varieties, and a certain quantity of precious wood.This shipment is very popular and profitable in the provinces of Para.

Perhaps readers will be a little surprised, there are only 80 paddling Indians and blacks on the big raft, is this number too small?Should more men be brought in to defend against possible raids by tribes on either side of the Amazon? This is not necessary.In fact, these native Indians in Central America are not terrible.Times have changed, and there is no longer a need for serious preparations to guard against native attacks.This is because the Indians on both sides of the river are relatively moderate tribes.Under the influence of civilization, the most combative tribes have dwindled along the Amazon and its tributaries.Only the runaway slaves and prison escapees from Brazil, England, Holland or France were scary.Of course, since the number of these fugitives was very small, and only a few people wandered together in the forest and grassland, the people on the big raft could completely cope with their attack.

In addition, in the Amazon region, there are countless posting stations, as well as many cities, villages and missionary stations.The area that the river crosses is no longer an uninhabited area, which has become increasingly colonized.The possibility, therefore, of the great raft being attacked was so remote that no great consideration should be given to the danger. In order to give you a complete description of the raft, two or three buildings of different nature must be introduced here.They add a lot of charm to the big raft. Usually, the helmsman's position is at the stern, but on large rafts, the bridge is built at the bow.This is because a large raft does not need to use a rudder during navigation.Although there were eighty men rowing the boat, for such a long raft, the effect of the oars on the course of the raft was negligible.Only with the help of poles on both sides or long poles with hooks, which are inserted into the bottom of the river bed, can the course of the large raft be kept, and it can be brought back to the channel when the raft deviates.When the people on the raft want to go ashore for a rest, it is through the poles and long poles that the raft can be brought to the shore.In order to facilitate the connection with the shore, on the large raft, there are also three or four small boats and two canoes equipped with sails and cables.In this way, the task of the navigator is nothing more than to distinguish the channel, check the current, avoid the eddy, or find a suitable cove for anchoring.Therefore, the navigator's position must be set at the front of the raft.

If the navigator is the guide on the course of this giant raft, isn't this title appropriate for him?Then, there is also a spiritual guide for the people on board, and he is Father Passana, who is in charge of the Iquitos Mission. Like Joam.A religious family like the Galar family would not give up such an opportunity to invite their respected old priest to accompany them. Father Passana was seventy years old at the time, and he was a kind man with great religious zeal.In these neighbourhoods, there are some missionaries who do not set an example of virtue for the people.Father Pasana, on the other hand, is the perfect example of those great missionaries who contributed to the spread of civilization in the most savage part of the world. Fr. Passana, who has lived in Iquitos for fifty years, is the head of the mission in the region, is loved by all and deserves his deeds.The Galar family respected him very much.Back then, it was he who presided over the wedding of the daughter of Magalaes, the owner of the old manor in Yaquita, and the young clerk who was taken in by Joam in the manor.It was he who saw the birth of Benito and Mina, baptized them and took up the responsibility of educating them.He also hopes that one day he can bless the children at their wedding. Now, Father Pasana is old and no longer suitable for busy work.It's time for him to retire.A younger missionary took his place at Iquitos.So he was now going back to Pala, where there was a monastery for aged priests, where he intended to spend his final years. The Galar family is like his relatives, and can go down the river with them. Could there be a better chance than this?The priest happily accepted the invitation of the Galar family.And when he arrives in Belem, he will preside over the wedding of Mina and Manoel. Joam.Galar built another house for the old priest.God only knows how much thought Yaquita and Mina have put into making the house so comfortable!This is much more refined than his original humble residence. Of course, in addition to this, a small church needs to be built for Father Passana.The chapel was built in the middle of the big raft, and a small bell tower was built on it. Of course, the chapel is too small to accommodate all the people on the big raft at the same time.However, it is richly decorated, if you say, Joam.Galar's house on the raft was the same as his on the manor, so Father Passana would have no regrets about leaving his dilapidated church in Iquitos. The above is the whole picture of this giant raft that will go down the river. Now, the big raft is parked on the beach, waiting for the rising Amazon River water to float it.According to calculations and observations, the rising water period is coming. Everything is ready, just waiting for the day of June 5th. The navigator who arrived on June 4 was about fifty years old, and he knew his job well.Although he liked to drink a few sips sometimes, but Joam.Gallard still thinks highly of him.Joam employed him every time to deliver timber to Beren, and he never made a mistake. One thing I should add is that our navigator's eyesight only improved after a few shots of the strong taffia, made from sugar cane juice.Therefore, if you don't bring a few Dum.He would never set sail with a wine like Jeanne's. In the past few days, the rising water has been very obvious.Every moment, the water level is rising.Forty-eight hours before the highest water level was reached, the water was large enough to cover the estate's sandy beach.However, this does not yet float the big raft. Although the river is still rising steadily, and the estimate of the maximum water level cannot be wrong, there is still some concern.This is because if, for some unexplained reason, the waters of the Amazon did not rise to the waterline of the raft, then such a colossal project would have to be started all over again.Since the water level drops shortly after a flood, it will have to wait a few more months for the same opportunity to reappear. So, on the evening of June 5th, all the future passengers of the big raft gathered on a flat ground more than 30 meters above the beach, anxiously waiting for the opportunity to come. It is not difficult to understand their eagerness. On the flat ground stood Yaquita, Mina, and Manoel.Valdes, Padre Pasana, Benito, Lina, Fragoso, Siebel, and several Indian and black servants of the manor. Fragoso stood restlessly. He paced back and forth, descending onto the sand and jumping onto the platform.Now and then he made marks, and when the water reached them he cried out with joy. It will float!It will float!he cried, the great raft will surely bring us to Belem!When it rains cats and dogs that day, the Amazon will rise and the raft will float! Joam.Galar was on the great raft with the navigator and numerous oarsmen.When it came time to depart, it was up to Joam to take all necessary measures.People use strong cables to fix the big raft to the shore.In this way, even if the big raft is floated by the river, it will not be washed away by the current. A tribe of about one hundred and fifty to two hundred Indians near the Iquitos estate came, along with all the inhabitants of the village.They all intend to witness this interesting scene with their own eyes. Although people were excited, everyone watched in silence. At nearly five o'clock in the evening, the water level was about 0.3 meters higher than yesterday, and the entire beach was submerged by the river. The planks of the great raft began to creak.However, the river had to rise a few centimeters before the raft could float off the bottom. Over the next hour, the crunching sound grew louder.All the planks on the great raft rattled, as if some force were pushing the raft away from the sandy bed of the river. Nearly half past six, the crowd burst into cheers and the raft finally floated!The current pushed it toward the middle of the river, but the raft was drawn back by the ropes, and lay still on the bank.At this time, Father Pasana is blessing it just like blessing an ocean liner because the fate of the big raft is in the hands of God!