The transaction was completed on the same day. After the deal was concluded, the Coasters again commissioned Sergio to help hire two Portuguese schooners to transport the people and goods purchased by the Coasters.

Loaded with more than 800 women and children, 20 camels, and some East African cattle, ivory, rhinoceros horn and other specialties, three cargo ships set sail on March 26, 1639, escorted by the high-speed cruiser "Chaoyong", left the island of Mozambique, and headed south to return to Port Orienteo via Fort River.

After the return of this part of the fleet, the remaining battleships "Free Trade" and the armed transport ship "Exocet Galicia", after a few days of rest, also left Mozambique and turned north, making business visits to the ports of Zanzibar and Mombasa, which were then under Portuguese control.

To be honest, these two places are in chaos at the moment. Many of the local residents, the Swahili (Arabs mixed with blacks), combined with some dangerous elements from Oman, went out to rebel against the Portuguese colonial rule. The weak Portuguese colonial army was too weak to effectively control the situation along the East African coast, especially north of Cape Delgado. Even a discerning person can see that if the Portuguese do not take strong measures, perhaps they will not be able to rule the region for long.

After more than a month in Zanzibar and Mombasa, the two ships of the Exploration Fleet set sail on 10 May, left the port of Mombasa, and headed north across the equator into the northern Indian Ocean. At this time, the southwest monsoon prevails in the northern Indian Ocean, and the entire ocean circulation is also clockwise, therefore. Heading northeast along the Somali coast into the Gulf of Aden is both windward and smooth.

It took only ten days. That is, on the morning of May 20, 1639. The exploration fleet of the Republic of the East Coast arrived in the Djibouti area near Tajoura Bay. At this time, it was early summer in the Djibouti area, and the temperature reached more than 35 degrees, and the commander of the exploration fleet, Lieutenant Guo Zili, ordered Second Lieutenant Jiwen to row to the shore with a group of sailors in two small boats.

At this point, they stopped at the point of Tarjoura Bay, outside Lake Gbert. Looking from the boat to the shore, you can see a desolate yellow sand landscape, with no plants or rivers, and barren and arid colors are the main colors here. Only the rising mountains in the distance have some green accents, and perhaps only a few springs in the mountains provide a source of life for this arid land.

"It's so desolate, there's no sign of life at all." Second Lieutenant Given, dressed in a navy summer short-sleeved lieutenant's suit, wiped the sweat oozing from his forehead. He frowned and said, "Also, it's really hot here, and I feel like I'm about to get burned." In other words, are there really human beings living in this land? ”

Ensign Juan looked around after him, and then replied, "Maybe I can answer your question." Yes, there are humans living here, I'm sure! Look, you're right in front, what's that? ”

Given's turn to look, only to see two topless black Aboriginal people poking their heads behind a boulder. Behind them, there was a flock of dirty sheep.

Two natives were seen holding iron spears in their hands. The sailor behind Givens subconsciously took the rifle off his shoulder.

"No, don't be that nervous." Givens pressed the sailor behind him and said, "Maybe they don't mean it. We will continue to build a base here in the future, and I think that the construction team that came here to build the port will not want to have a malicious neighbor. Alright, Juan, let's go up and try to make contact with him. You two, put your guns away and bring some goods, yes, just those knives. ”

Two ensigns and eight sailors walked towards the two indigenous herdsmen. These natives seem to have come into contact with some outsiders, perhaps Arabs or Ottomans, but in any case they are not very hostile to strangers, and although they are vaguely defensive, it is evident that they are still willing to communicate with outsiders.

"Hello, Djiboutians." Swift cautiously approached the two natives and said in as soft a voice as soft as possible, "Well, maybe you don't understand what I'm saying, but I want to know where there is a water source near here. ”

After speaking, Jiwen untied the cortical water bladder on his waist, shook the water inside, and then pointed to the surrounding desert and distant mountains.

Perhaps the two Djiboutian natives were really smart, or that other outsiders had asked him about the same thing before, but in any case he easily understood what Jivon meant, and then pointed to the majestic mountains behind him, and said a lot of things in his mouth. As he spoke, he also made a gesture of water flow with his hand, accompanied by a certain amount of onomatopoeia.

"Well, you're really smart." Givens smiled, then boldly patted the native's bare shoulder, and said, "Well, now to show my gratitude, I invite you to drink a drink of our own, Harry, come here, and bring this new friend some man's drink, the river song." ”

Harry. McKinley replied as he took out a bottle of Daqu in a dark glass bottle from the cabin of the dinghy, uncorked it, stepped forward quickly, and handed it to a native in front of him.

Harry. McKinley is the same Irish immigrant who escaped from Fort Good Hope a few months ago. At that time, his brother fled north in the icy winter rain with a fever on his back, seeking help from the people on the east coast. After all, he should not have died, and they actually ran into the East Coast supply convoy not long after they set off. The brothers were well cared for in the supply convoy, and then Harry survived with his good physical fitness and the Lord's favor, and now he has turned to the East Coast.

When the expedition fleet was replenished at Fort River, some of the sailors on board were sick and temporarily stayed there to recuperate. McKinley was recruited on the battleship USS Free Trade as a trainee sailor. Harry had learned a little bit of seamanship in Ireland and England, so his career as a trainee sailor was well known and recognized by the boatswain. It can be said that now he has no other problems except that he is not too slippery in Chinese, and as long as he passes the Chinese culture test in the future, then he can immediately become a regular sailor, receiving a monthly salary of six yuan and a sea allowance of three yuan.

Two natives, you look at me, I look at you, and finally one of them picked up the bottle and took a sip, and then the expression on his face was so wonderful and wonderful.

Given, Juan and the others laughed. Seeing the group of strangers laughing, the two natives also grinned, and even the dirty goats behind them bleated a few times.

"It seems that the initial recognition of these natives has been won." On the battleship moored on the sea, Guo Zili withdrew the telescope in his hand, and then ordered the boatswain: "Boatswain, immediately send the senior sailor to the front in a small boat to measure the depth of the water, and we will continue to pass through the waterway between the two headlands in the afternoon or tomorrow." I'd like to take a good look at the scenery of Lake Gebt. ”

The boatswain saluted as he was told, and then soon went down to dispatch men.

The harsh sunlight continued to scorch the earth, and even the deck of the ship was faintly hot. The sailors whipped buckets of water from the sea and began to clean the deck. After two hours, Ensign Given, who had been communicating with the natives, finally returned to the battleship "Free Trade", along with them ten goats, which they had exchanged from the two Djiboutians with ten skinning knives to improve the lives of the crew.

"Sir, the Djiboutians told me that if we go north from here, there are many mountain streams in the middle of the mountains, which can replenish us with plenty of fresh water. Perhaps, this is the only place we have to replenish fresh water, and the rest of the place is completely barren, not even a single grass grows. Second Lieutenant Jiwen, who was sweating profusely, reported to Guo Zili.

Guo Zili nodded, noncommittal. In his heart, this place was too close to the open sea to be a naval port. Only the Lake Gebt, surrounded by two sharply raised headlands, was the ideal place for the naval fleet to be anchored. For as long as the people on the east coast built forts on those two headlands, they could easily block the narrow channel into the lake and ensure the safety of the fleet moored in the lake. And, more crucially, according to later sources, Lake Assal, across a small piece of land from Lake Gbot, was rich in potash, which was a remarkable asset. If the port was built in the lake, it would also allow the people on the east coast to have better control over it.

"I'll think about it." Guo Zili said, "At present, the sailors are measuring the depth of the water and marking the channel at the waterway ahead, and maybe we will be able to enter the inner lake tomorrow." If possible, I'd like to build the naval port inside the lake, because it's safer. ”

Givens nodded and didn't speak again.

In the evening, the sailors who had gone to survey the channel finally returned. They had marked a waterway around the waterway with inflatable skins that were wide enough to mean that the exploration fleet could sail into the inner lake.

Early in the morning of 21 May, the two ships of the exploration fleet sailed into the calm and calm Lake Gebert and sent men ashore to land in the mountains southeast of the lake. The sailors who landed succeeded in discovering some streams, mountain springs, and other things in the mountains, and also found traces of a seasonal river.

This is encouraging news, because it means that the basic necessities of human survival can be provided here, and the navy can set up a supply port here with a small number of men. Perhaps the only bad news is that the lake near the mountains is not deep enough, requiring the East Coasters to build a longer jetty to moor ships with a deeper draft.

On the same day, the sailors of the East Coast laid a stone monument on the shore to announce the arrival of the East Coasters. After an overnight anchor in Lake Gebt, the Exploration Fleet set sail again to meet the rising sun on May 22, heading towards the port of Suez, the final point of the operation. (To be continued......)