King of German Mercenaries

In September, after leaving Grenada, Amerigo's fleet sailed northward along the Windward Islands, westward at Barbuda, and soon reached the Bahamas recorded by Columbus.

Then the voyage was relatively smooth, because there was the Gulf Stream on the east coast of North America, pushing the fleet all the way north. By the end of November, the fleet had reached Long Island, New York. Amerigo then continued to command the fleet to the northeast, and soon discovered Nantucket and Martha's Vineyard.

It went so well because Marin gave New York's latitude - 40 degrees 43 minutes north latitude, and the longitude also gave an approximate value.

The exact longitude is not given because Marin does not follow the calculation method that Greenwich is 0 degrees, but the approximate distance is also given.

While New York is by the sea, Marin also drew an outline of Long Island, New York. Therefore, Amerigo easily arrived in Long Island, New York. Then, continue northeast, and soon arrive at Martha's Vineyard and Nantucket.

After arriving at the two small islands, Amerigo did not land rashly. Because Marin once mentioned that the Indians in the Northern Wilderness Continent (North American Continent) are fiercer. Before, he had seen the fierce side of the Indians in Grenada. For example, if the Arawak were defeated, their men would be killed by the invading Caribs, or even eaten as food.

Therefore, Amerigo was also worried that there were cannibal Indians on the two small islands. If you enter the jungle rashly, it is easy to be killed by the opponent.

Therefore, Amerigo first took the fleet and went to the freshwater estuary on the other side of the land to replenish fresh water. Then, come back and start a circle around the two islands. While turning the circle, Amerigo began to use the telescope to observe the two small islands.

A few days later, Amerigo finally determined that Nantucket Island was far from land and no Indians lived. Because the Indians used canoes and could only board some islands close to the land.

Because Martha's Vineyard is closer to land, there are traces of Indian activity on the island. However, Amerigo discovered that there was only one bay on the north side of Martha's Vineyard with a row of thatched cottages. However, there was no one in the thatched hut.

Therefore, Amerigo concluded that it was a seasonal habitation for Indian fishermen. Probably, during the prosperous fishing season in spring and summer, fishermen will land on the island as a harbor and base for fishing. And now it's the end of November, it's already winter, and those fishermen are probably back on land for the winter.

After making a judgment, Amerigo carefully took 30 sailors with strong combat power, put on armor, and boarded Martha's Vineyard.

After more than a day of searching, no other Indian villages were found. Of course, they only searched the area north of the island. After all, they didn't bring horses.

Then, Amerigo took someone to search on Nantucket Island, but found no trace of human activity. Moreover, on the north side of Nantucket Island, there is a very good harbor, suitable as a harbor. This port, because it is semi-closed, is a very good haven.

Moreover, Amerigo believes that this island has no Indian interference and is more suitable as a frontier base for colonization. And Martha's Vineyard, because it is too close to the mainland, Indians can easily kill the island even by canoe.

Not only that, but Nantucket Island is also big enough, and there are many animal and plant resources on the island, which are completely enough to support the lives of many people. When the fleet was cruising around the island, Amerigo also found that in the waters around the island, various fish frequently jumped out of the sea. Obviously, the fishery resources here are very rich.

In addition, the island has fresh water resources. When visiting the island, Amerigo discovered that the western half of the island is rich in fresh water resources, and the terrain is flat, which is very suitable for reclamation as a farm. The terrain in the eastern area is a bit rougher, but it is not a problem to use it as a pasture.

certainly,

Before the reclamation, towering trees grew all over the island, and many were oak trees suitable for shipbuilding. Others are fir and pine trees. In short, there is absolutely no shortage of wood to build colonies on the island.

Likewise, on Martha's Vineyard, there are countless trees that can be cut down. In short, in terms of wood, the two islands are extremely rich in wood resources. Moreover, these trees are extremely tall. Obviously, most of their trees are hundreds of years old...

Amerigo made a detailed survey on the small islands of Nantucket and Martha's Vineyard, much more carefully than in Grenada.

After all, Grenada is a tropical island. Although Marin has repeatedly assured that there are no poisonous insects on Grenada, Amerigo is not very convinced. Because Marin himself has never been there. And Amerigo, as a navigator, knew that there are many venomous snakes and poisonous insects on tropical islands. Therefore, he did not dare to venture deep into the depths of Grenada.

But on the North American Twin Islands, things are different. This is a temperate region. Moreover, because of the winter, even poisonous snakes and venomous insects are hibernating. Therefore, Amerigo dared to explore everywhere.

After exploring the twin islands of North America for about 10 days, Amerigo came to the conclusion that Nantucket was a more suitable first stop for colonizing the Northern Wilderness (North America).

Even a shipbuilding base could be built on Nantucket Island. Because, Nantucket Island is not small, and Bitsel Island is much larger. With so much wood on the island, it seems that after enough air-drying, many boats can be made.

As a navigator, Amerigo was sensitive to the oak used in shipbuilding. On Nantucket Island, he saw hundreds of huge old oak trees that were more than 30 meters high, very suitable for the keel of ships. And other pine, fir, can also be used to make masts, decks and other parts.

However, although these oak materials are very rich, the wood that can be used for shipbuilding needs to be cut down and dried for a year or two before it is suitable for building ships. Therefore, in a short period of time, it is impossible to build ships on the island.

However, Amerigo knew that Marin was determined to colonize the Northern Wilderness Continent. So, he didn't worry about the time issue. Because, in the future, Marin will definitely establish a permanent settlement on the island, and there is time to wait for the oak that has been cut down to dry.

Moreover, Amerigo now believed in Marin's judgment. From the tree resources on the two small islands, he can infer that there will be many, many old oaks suitable for shipbuilding on the Northern Wilderness Continent.

Just like on Nantucket Island, he found hundreds of old oaks that were hundreds of years old. Such oak trees, in Europe, belong to the strategic resources of kings and great nobles. If they are sold, the prices are very high.

Therefore, in terms of oak resources alone, it is not a loss to colonize the Northern Wilderness Continent. Amerigo now agrees with Marin's plan to build a shipyard here.

After all, it is too troublesome to transport those extra-large timbers with a length of more than 30 meters to Europe. It is better to set up a shipyard on the spot and build ships locally. After the ship is built, it can be used directly back to Europe.

Before leaving, Amerigo recorded the coordinates of the two islands in detail for future reference. Then, he set sail, and according to the secret outline map given by Marin, he began to sail northeast, preparing to return to Europe...