Chapter 128: Reconnaissance
The Laskampori Trading Market mainly serves to expand distribution channels for East African goods—for instance, grain. Although grain is a valuable commodity, it has a shelf life, and if it can't be sold in time, it risks expiring and spoiling.
There's also sisal fabric. The East African colony once produced a huge quantity of this material in one go, only to discover that the European market was extremely limited. European merchants generally prefer to buy completed rope or simply purchase sisal fiber for their own processing.
Meanwhile, the Laskampori Trading Market is also an experiment for East Africa's overland trade. In the future, they might even organize a caravan all the way from East Africa to Egypt for a trial run.
Egypt lies on the Mediterranean coast, and European ships can sail directly to Alexandria. Moreover, Egypt is a land bridge between Africa and Asia, so goods from Asia can also arrive in Egypt overland.
Two main land routes from East Africa to Egypt could be referenced. One is the eastern route, traveling north through Somalia or eastern Ethiopia, then through Sudan into Egypt. The other is the western route, going north from what in a previous era was South Sudan, then through Sudan to Egypt.
Though overland trade routes may be less efficient and costlier than sea routes, they offer East Africa more options.
As for East Africa's coastline, it currently appears easy to blockade, posing a potential danger that other nations could cut off maritime contact with the outside world.
…
On Lake Victoria, several small boats raced across the water. Propellers churned rapidly beneath the surface, driving the boats forward as their engines belched black smoke and rumbled across the lake.
The first shipment of engines had only just arrived when the newly formed inland navy of East Africa hurriedly installed them on their "toys."
After a few days of training, the sailors took the motorboats on their very first voyage—a reconnaissance mission to the west side of Lake Victoria. With weapons, rations, and fuel canisters, the inland navy set out.
Initially, the inland navy had 153 people and five boats. To safeguard against any unexpected event, they deployed all their vessels for this first operation.
All were fast boats equipped with engines and propellers. The inland navy's commander was named Werner Jory, an Austro-Hungarian from Trieste. He grew up around a seaport, and his father had once been a sailor.
Hence, Werner Jory knew his way around boats and had some basic maritime know-how. Most of the East African inland sailors were likewise proficient in water skills, and the bulk of them had previously lived on or near a coast.
For instance, those immigrants from the Austro-Hungarian Empire who became sailors were largely from Trieste. Since Trieste was the first stop for Austro-Hungarian emigrants headed to East Africa, many Trieste natives ended up there.
It was the same for immigrants from the Jiaozhou Bay area in the Far East. That was their port of departure, so they also exist in considerable numbers in East Africa.
Thus, most of East Africa's sailors come from these two coastal port cities. Of course, living by the sea doesn't necessarily mean being a swimmer; some inland settlers with strong water skills were also chosen, though they're fewer.
"Land ahead!" a sailor shouted, pointing.
Werner Jory looked forward and, sure enough, the landmass was gradually taking shape. "Bring the boats in close," he ordered.
Under the sailors' control, the small boats drew near the shoreline, which was on the western side of Lake Victoria.
"Leave thirty men behind to guard the boats; the rest will come ashore with me."
Soon, Werner Jory chose six people from each boat to remain behind. He told them, "Until we come back, none of you may leave here. If you don't see us by nightfall, return and report to the government!"
Subtracting those who stayed at the Mwanza headquarters plus the thirty who would remain with the boats, Werner Jory's available manpower amounted to a bit more than seventy.
Leaving thirty armed soldiers might seem like a lot, but to guard against the unexpected, he did exactly that. Thirty soldiers armed with firearms would be enough to take on a small tribe if necessary.
With everyone's tasks allocated, Werner Jory led the main force inland.
The spot where they landed belonged to the Buganda Kingdom, known locally as Bale, though Werner Jory and his men were unaware of that.
Upon stepping ashore, they found a swath of lakeside mudflats, and a few dozen meters beyond lay primeval forest. Lofty trees stretched along the shoreline to the south and north, extending out of sight.
Werner Jory said to his men, "Once we enter the forest, no one wander off. Stay close, and mark the path frequently, or we won't find our way back. Clear?"
"Yes, Captain!"
From inside his pocket, he took out a compass and, orienting himself westward, led the group into the forest.
In this primeval forest, the towering trees with thick trunks and dense foliage filtered out the sunlight, leaving the place dim and isolated. Werner Jory, however, was accustomed to such environments.
Mwanza is also bordered by similar forests on both sides. From prior experience, Werner Jory guessed this patch of forest wouldn't be very wide.
As expected, after traveling about two or three kilometers, the forest gave way to an open view.
At this point, spreading out might allow for easier reconnaissance, but in the interest of safety, Werner Jory chose caution.
They continued west, when all of a sudden, Werner Jory—ever vigilant—squatted to study the ground carefully.
"Look—this seems like a dirt trail," Werner Jory said.
"Although grass is growing on top, it's noticeably shorter and sparser than the surrounding growth." As he spoke, he pressed his hand around different spots on the ground.
Doing so repeatedly across a few locations, Werner Jory became more certain of his guess. "The soil on this apparent path is indeed firmer than the rest, so it must be a road."
"Captain, could it be an animal track?" someone asked skeptically.
"I've been in East Africa a while now, and I've seen animal trails—they're nowhere near as neat as this," Werner Jory refuted.
"Pay attention to the width. It's about one meter across, which suggests it was formed by tribespeople traveling, not animals. Judging by the abundant grass on it, maybe it's been abandoned. But if we follow it, there's a good chance we'll come upon a village or traces of former inhabitants," Werner Jory analyzed.
"There's no proof yet, so let's see for ourselves. Let's follow this path to find out if I'm right."
Thus, Werner Jory led his men forward. The path ran east-west; east was the direction they had come from, so they went west.
"Look, there's a tribal village!" they hadn't gone very far when Werner Jory exclaimed excitedly.
Indeed, in the distance, they spotted a settlement with cone-shaped roofs, grayish-black branches, and walls plastered with mud—clearly a primitive village.
"Ready your weapons—let's take a closer look," Werner Jory ordered.
The group prepared for combat and carefully approached the native village.
"Captain, it seems no one's here! I don't see any of the locals," someone observed.
"Hmm. This isn't like the villages we've seen before. Normally, you'd expect at least someone on guard," said Werner Jory, standing at the village entrance.
"It looks like an abandoned settlement. Let's go inside for a look."
Stepping in, they found moss starting to grow on the wooden structures, which had gone unattended.
Most of the small huts, only about a meter tall, had doors standing wide open. Werner Jory proceeded to the largest building in the village—presumably the chief's house.
He bent down and entered. Inside, living supplies were scattered about; many clay jars lay toppled on the floor. It did not look like an orderly evacuation.
On the wall was a totem, though Werner Jory couldn't tell what it was painted with. But he did notice several holes in it as if something sharp had jabbed through.
Likely it was the work of attackers. Among some tribes, totems are sacred and must not be defiled.
"Captain, we've found something!" a teammate called from outside.
"What is it?" Werner Jory asked, stepping out of the chief's house.
"Come see for yourself, sir."
The soldier led Werner Jory to one of the dwellings, where they found a heap of ashes from an old bonfire. Scattered around were white bones—clearly human—that had been tossed aside.
"Everyone, pull back," Werner Jory commanded.
Outside, he gathered his men. "It's obvious the inhabitants here were wiped out. Their totem was desecrated. Pots and jars were left behind—no tribe I know would abandon such items if they fled willingly. When we drove out natives before, they were so desperate to salvage anything they could, even the huts themselves. This place was obviously destroyed on purpose, and the attackers lingered here…"
Certain tribes in Africa do practice cannibalism. There's a well-known joke: a European tells a native chief that a world war once killed millions of people, to which the chief asks, "You killed that many—could you even finish eating them?"
Worldviews differ, leading to different conclusions. Among some extremely primitive African tribes, cannibalism may be as unremarkable to them as slaughtering cattle or sheep.
Though Werner Jory had only heard stories, the evidence in front of him suggested a tragedy took place here.
"All right, enough about that. Gather some dry grass and tinder," he instructed.
Soon, they returned carrying armfuls of flammable materials from outside the village. At Werner Jory's direction, they scattered these around all the huts.
"Set them alight!" At his order, the village was consumed by roaring flames, never to be seen again.
Once they had set the fire, Werner Jory and his men turned and departed, heading back the way they had come. No one knew when the flames behind them finally died out…
Thank you for the support, friends. If you want to read more chapters in advance, go to my Patreon.
Read 20 Chapters In Advance: patreon.com/Canserbero10