pappabearbooks Chapter 101 Winter Maritime Trade
Chapter 101 Winter Maritime Trade
Chapter 101 Winter Maritime Trade (Part 1)
It was late December, the coldest season of the year had arrived, and Roger was about to embark on his second voyage south for trade.
Since the Noor ship could not use fore-and-aft sails and was inconvenient to sail against the wind in winter, this southward trade was carried out by the Seawolf, which was fully loaded with goods.
All the wool was left to the textile mills, and the raw materials were enough to produce until next year's shearing season. The remaining goods, including all the refined salt produced by the saltworks, a small amount of high-quality cloth, northern specialties provided by the six lords, and twenty-four barrels of ale made by the northern brewery, were all traded south.
Captain Toran and the old fisherman, who was temporarily appointed as the first mate, led five fishermen and sailors to take the helm and handle the sails.
The young horseman and his henchmen, young Louis and the weakling Gildonian accompanied the ship, along with ten soldiers under Roger's command. The ship, laden with cargo, and the twenty-two men formed the southward-bound team.
Winter is unlike summer and autumn; the sea is rough, the wind is strong, and the cold is biting. People can only squeeze into the small cabins along with goods such as salt that cannot get damp.
Due to the large number of people, the long distance, and the uncertain journey, the Roger Seawolf was loaded with a large amount of food and fresh water, which made the already heavily loaded ship even more crowded. The hardships and suffering they endured need not be described in detail.
Fortunately, the winter weather was harsh, and the English patrol ships hibernated in the harbor. Although the journey south took four days and three nights, there were no additional dangers along the way except for the wind and waves.
The only regret was that even the pirates had vanished without a trace, which disappointed the soldiers who were hoping to make a fortune overnight.
The Seawolf still spent the night on Copeland Island, off Belfast.
With a professional armed force by his side, Roger felt more emboldened. The next day at dawn, he ordered his troops to dock at the Copeland Island pier and visited the few islanders.
Roger found an islander who frequently went out of the island and paid him to pass a message to merchants in Belfast Port who were interested in smuggling, saying that he could provide cheap and high-quality salt and cloth.
Roger then left behind a few pounds of fine salt, half a pound of refined salt, and a yard of raw cloth as samples, and arranged a time when he might pass by again, hoping the islanders would present them to the merchant.
Of course, while giving the islanders a reward, Roger also made sure to keep them from being lazy and greedy by constantly checking on their wives and children.
Establishing secret connections with Belfast merchants was just a side hustle for Roger; whether it was useful or not was of little concern to him.
We arrived at the rocky island off the coast of Skellies in early January of the following year.
Upon seeing the rocky island, everyone on the Seawolf was excited, as the four-day, three-night voyage had been truly grueling.
Not to mention the entourage crammed into the cramped cabin, even young Louis, who shared a cabin with Roger and had a relatively luxurious space, was suffering greatly.
The Seawolf had very little space; the only room for exercise was a short distance on the deck. Coupled with the rough seas and the ship's constant rocking, poor young Louis, who had never sailed far before, had already vomited several times.
They drank two barrels of liquor in three days. If they hadn't gotten off the ship at Kopu Island, they probably would have been suffocated by the pent-up frustration.
"Sir, there's something amiss on the rocky island!" Because the dock on the isolated island was on the side facing away from the sea, it wasn't until the Sea Wolf was almost close to the island's dock that the tall Donald, carrying a wine bag, drunkenly issued the warning.
"Donald, you bastard, you dared to drink while on guard duty? You've gotten yourself into big trouble!"
Sergeant Marn saw three small longboats docked at the island's pier. He looked up and cursed at Donald, who was on lookout duty. It was too late to turn the ship around. Marn immediately ordered everyone to prepare for battle, and then ran to Roger, who had just climbed onto the stern tower: "Sir, there seems to be a problem at the pier. Please prepare for battle immediately."
At this moment, Sergeant Olaf, who had drawn his sword, also arrived at the stern tower. He carefully examined the ship at eyebrow level and then slowly lowered his sword. "Sir, Brothers Marne, you have never been here in winter and do not know the situation. Do not be too nervous; all those longships have lowered their sails."
Olaf observed for a while longer, then said, "They look like pirates who are hiding on the island for the winter."
A soldier behind him tensed up again, "Are those pirate ships?"
Olaf raised his hand and pressed down on the hilt of the sword the sergeant was about to draw. "Brother Connor, don't worry too much, these pirates won't cause any trouble."
Then he gave Roger and the others a brief explanation.
It turns out that these pirates were all "business partners" of Roger's wealthy uncle, and they usually sold most of the valuable goods they plundered to Lord Jeffrey.
Winter is the peak season for smuggling along the England-Ireland route, and also a time when piracy is rampant.
The owners of those longships had clearly pulled off a heist before winter and were now selling their goods and taking a break during the winter.
"...We spent a week here during the winter two years ago, but it's just a deserted island, and there's not much to do there. Unless you're a small, impoverished pirate group, even the big pirates wouldn't want to stay here."
"Ulf usually prefers to hibernate at the southern tip of Bit Island or the northern part of Arun Island."
"Here, pirates will definitely follow the rules set by their master, otherwise they will be cutting off their own livelihood."
Olaf added, "Don't worry, ordinary pirates wouldn't dare to mess with your uncle."
Listening to Olaf's explanation, Roger understood that collusion between officials, businessmen, and bandits was a universally applicable unspoken rule.
Sure enough, the elderly couple, who were half-deaf and half-blind, were already standing quietly waiting by the makeshift pier on the rocky island.
As the Seawolf approached the shore, Roger disembarked with only Olaf and two sergeants, while Marn and the rest of the crew remained on board, fully armed and on high alert.
"I didn't expect it to be Sir Roger," the old man said, clearly surprised by Roger's sudden visit, as ships from Arun Island usually didn't sail south at this time of year.
Roger raised his hand. "For the safety of your master, from now on, don't call me by my real name. Just call me Wolf."
Before the old man could answer, Roger stared at the group of men who were standing up one after another and continued to ask, "Who are those guys?"
Turning his head to look, the old man smiled and replied, "They are all friends of my master. They just finished a transaction and are resting here for a few days to avoid the storm."
Seeing that the men who looked like henchmen behind Roger had their swords in their hands, the old man said softly, "Don't worry, these guys won't dare to cause trouble here. Please don't use your swords for the sake of my master."
Roger then nodded to the people behind him and looked up at the other side.
The rocky island had only a few warehouses and huts, so the pirates set up seven or eight dilapidated tents on the open ground of the island.
A campfire burned in the open space in the center of the tent. Fifteen to twenty disheveled men lay along the edge of the open space, most of them wrapped in blankets or cloaks. An overturned wine barrel and scattered wooden cups indicated that they were all drunk.
Among them was a white woman with a cold expression and smooth skin. She glanced at Roger briefly before shrinking back into a pile of rags on the ground.