Chapter 2 Chapter Two

Ten minutes later a clipper left the sailboat and carried a man below the harbor, unarmed and without attendant, and the Verdeiro saw him and ran away hastily. This is the captain of the ship called Calista that just anchored in the port.He was of medium height, with a thick sailor cap on his head, showing a proud, broad forehead, and a pair of sharp eyes with a firm gaze.On his mouth were two flat, crafty mustaches, ending in tufts rather than pointy.Broad shoulders, strong waist, well-developed limbs.Black curly hair hangs over his shoulders. If he is said to be over 35 years old, it is only a few months old. His skin is dark and wind-blown, and his face is stern.The wrinkles on the forehead seem to have been plowed out, but there is no honesty and integrity that has taken root in it.This makes him look older than his actual age.

He was wearing neither a coat nor a vest, nor was it the short skirt that Greek men in the Palikal region usually wear.He wore an oriental leather gown with a hood and a brown hood decorated with ribbons.He was wearing a pair of dark green trousers with large pleats, and the trousers were tucked into leather boots, which looked like the attire of a sailor in the Berber region.In fact, Nicola Scota is a native Greek, and a native of Verdeiro. He grew up here and spent his youth. He learned to live on the sea among these reefs, chasing the waves. Sailing in this area against the sea wind, familiar with the depth and backflow of every bay, every reef and sandbar.Even without a compass and navigator, he can navigate the twists and turns smoothly.Therefore, it is not difficult for us to understand why his compatriots can't fool him, and he has always firmly grasped the correct course.In addition, he knew how untrustworthy the Verdeiros were. He had witnessed their vicious deeds countless times. Perhaps, he didn't dislike this kind of robbery, as long as he didn't suffer.

If Nicolas Scotta knew his folks, he was also known to them.After the death of his father, a victim of brutal Turkish rule, his mother threw herself into the first revolt against the tyranny of the Ottoman Empire, full of hatred.He himself left the Mane region at the age of 18 and wandered in the sea between the archipelagos. He not only became a skilled sailor, but also became a well-known gangster.In all these years, which ships did he work on, which pirate gangs did he serve, on which ship did he use a weapon for the first time, and whose blood was on his hands, whether it was the blood of the Greek enemies or with him? He bleeds patriot blood of the same blood, and no one knows it but himself.He was, however, seen at various ports in Coron Bay.Some of his fellow countrymen could tell of his piracy exploits, such as raiding and destroying merchant ships carrying valuable cargo.Because his name has always had a sense of mystery, which makes him a well-known figure in the province of Magne, and people will be in awe when they hear this name.

That is why the Verdeiro retreated as soon as he heard that it was he, and gave up the idea of ​​robbing the ship. After the Calista docked at the pier, all the people ran out to meet him and waited on both sides of the road.As soon as he landed, there was a sudden silence around him, as if he possessed great majesty and could calm everyone down.Everyone was waiting for him to speak. If he didn't speak, it was very possible that others would not dare to speak out. After Nicholas Scotta ordered the sailors on the speedboat to go back, he walked towards the deep corner of the port.After walking more than twenty paces, he stopped again, and said to the old sailor who was following him, who had been following him at all times, "Gozo, I need ten more strong sailors."

"Yes, Nicola Scotta!" Gozo replied. The captain of the Calista wants to pick out ten of the most capable and capable men out of a hundred. A fellow, ready to share his fate, to live and die together for the common good. "Take these ten men aboard the Calista in an hour," added the captain. "Yes, of course." Gozo replied. With a gesture that he did not want to be followed, Nikolai Scotta stepped onto the circular quay at the end of the embankment and disappeared down a narrow path. Old Gozo obeyed his wishes, returned to his companions, and was busy selecting the supplementary sailors on board.

At this time, Nicholas slowly walked up the steep slope above the town.It's very quiet here, occasionally there are a few vicious dogs barking, which is as scary to people walking at night as hearing the barking of jackals.These dogs have huge heads, great strong jaws, and bad tempers, and sticks are no use against them.A few silver seagulls circled in the air, flapped their broad wings, and flew back to the bird's nest on the shore. Soon, Nicholas passed through all the houses in the town of Vediro, walked on a narrow path around Kailava Castle, and walked around the ruins of a castle for a while.It was formerly founded by Ville Harduan when the Crusaders overran several parts of the Peloponnese.He walked carefully around the foundations of some old castles built on the cliffs, stood there for a while, and then turned back.

From the horizon of Cape Gallo, the crescent is about to sink into the Ionian waters.A few lonely stars shone through the gaps in the clouds, and everything around was shrouded in silence.Dimly visible two- and three-leaf sails float on the bay, sailing towards Kelong Bay or up to Kalamata Bay.He might not have been able to tell the ships apart if it hadn't been for the lights bobbing on the mainmast.At the foot of the mountain, there are seven or eight flashing lights on the shore, and the sparkling water reflects double the bright spots. It is difficult for anyone to tell whether it is the fishing fire going out to sea at night or the lighting in the folk houses.

Nicola Scota scanned the endless darkness with his night-vision eyes, and the sailor's eyes had strong penetrating power, able to see clearly where others could not see.But at this moment, the captain of the Calista has no interest in exploring everything around him, he is used to seeing various scenes.No, he was looking at himself in the dark, he was breathing the breath of his hometown, he stood motionless with his arms folded on his chest, lost in thought, the hood fell from his head, he held his head up, as firm as a rock. After about a quarter of an hour like this, Nicholas Scota stared motionlessly at the sea where the water meets the sky in the west, and then staggered a few steps towards the cliff. These steps were controlled by the subconscious, with a kind of Mysterious forces guide him forward, but his eyes try to avoid what he came here to find.

From the headland of Matabang to the end of the bay, this area is probably the loneliest and most desolate place. There are no oranges, lemons, roses, oleanders, argolid jasmines, figs, wild grass molds, mulberry trees, etc. Fruit trees, not even None of that simple greenery, such as that which makes certain fields in Greece rich and verdant.Only dark cypress and cedar, no green oak, sycamore, or pomegranate.There are rocks everywhere, and if there is a volcanic eruption in this area, all these rocks will collapse at once and sink into the sea.Magne is a barren and desolate land with harsh natural conditions and difficult life for residents.The few poor pine trees still look weird, with scarred and skinny trunks. They used to produce pine oil, but now they have been squeezed dry. What you often see is a kind of thin cactus and thorns, and the leaves are like plucked half-bald mountains. Thorns are rampant.The barren land is almost gravel, and there is no fertile place to grow even the cheapest shrubs, so the goats here are not picky.

After walking about twenty steps, Nicola Scotta stopped again and turned to the northwest. The Taijat mountain peak in the distance was outlined in the darker lighter sky, and a few scattered stars rose in the sky. The stars, like twinkling fireflies, stopped at the horizon. Nikolai Scotta stared motionless at a low log cabin on the edge of a cliff fifty paces away.It is simple and dilapidated, standing alone on top of the village, with only a narrow path leading up to it. There is a fence made of thorns around the wooden house, and a few bare trees are planted. It can be seen that the cabin has been abandoned for a long time. In other words, the thorns grow lush in some places, and some places are barren and form big holes. They are not a fence to protect the wooden house at all.The wandering wild dogs and the jackals who occasionally visit the desolate corners of the Magne region have ruined the place so badly that the grass is overgrown. Since the hands of humans no longer work, it will naturally return it to desolation.

Why is this house abandoned?Since its owner had been dead for many years, his widow, Andronica Skota, left her home to join the ranks of the heroic women's army, who were known for their exploits in the Greek independence movement.Also because his son has never returned since he left home. This is where Nicola Scota was born.Here he had spent his childhood, and his father, a good honest man who had been a sailor all his life, had lived in this log house after his retirement.But he doesn't have much contact with the Verdeiros, and their brutality makes him afraid. In addition, he has some education, a little culture, and is slightly richer than those in the port, so he lives in seclusion in this corner with his wife and children, and is unknown. , live a leisurely life.Until one day he felt that he couldn't bear it anymore, joined the ranks of resisting the rule of the Turks, and gave his life for it.At that time, even a place as desolate as Magne could not escape the eyes and ears of the Turks. The father is gone, there is no one to teach the son, and the mother can hardly control him.Nikolai Scotta left home and ventured out into the rivers and lakes, relying on his natural sailor instincts, and began to work for some pirate ships. It has been ten years since the son abandoned the family and his mother left here six years ago.According to people in her hometown, she came back occasionally, and at least someone had seen her, but she stayed for a short time and didn't deal with anyone. Nicolas Scotta had never been back before, and although he sailed through Mane once or twice, he never had the desire to see the humble hut on the edge of the cliff, nor did he want to know how the deserted hut had become. What has become.He never mentioned his mother or asked her if she had been home.In fact, in this blood-soaked war in Greece, it is impossible for him not to have heard the name of Andronika Scota.Maybe the name would make him feel guilty if his conscience wasn't completely wiped out. Today, Nicola Scotta is mooring at Verdeiro, not just to replenish ten sailors, he also has a wish - not just a wish - it should be said to be an urgent instinct, he himself Perhaps without knowing it very well, he felt instinctively the need to see his homeland one last time, to set foot on the ground he had touched for the first time in his life, to breathe once more the fenced-in, The first air he breathed when he was born.Yes, that's why he climbed the cliff path, and why he came to this walled place in the middle of the night. He stood there hesitating for a while, and his heart hadn't completely become ruthless. When the familiar past clearly appeared in front of his eyes, his heart was still shocked. Nikolai Scotta stood in front of the gate of the abandoned house, and it was dark and silent inside. "Go in! Yes, Nicola Scota, go in!" This was the first time Nikolai Scotta spoke, and it was only in a low voice, as if afraid of being overheard or of causing a repetition of certain situations. Just step over the fence, it's easy!The fence had broken long ago, and the beams and posts of the gate had been tilted all the way to the ground, without even needing to push the door. Nikolai Scotta stepped over the fence and stood in front of the house, with a few embroidered household items hanging from the rain-eroded eaves. Suddenly, a gray forest owl flew up from a clump of frankincense coptis that covered the threshold with a strange cry. Nikolai Scotta hesitated again, forcing himself to move his eyes resolutely to the last room, secretly angry at himself, feeling a little guilty.To say that he was a little moved, he was also a little annoyed at the same time, always feeling that the old house was protesting and cursing him. He wanted to walk around the house before entering it, like a thief scouting the terrain before entering to steal.He walked along the broken walls, around the moss-covered and weathered pointed roofs, groping for loose stones with his hands, as if to test whether the tomb-like house was still alive, whether its heart was still beating.The courtyard wall behind is even darker, and the moonlight cannot reach here. Nikolai Scotta circled slowly, the dead silence in the dark unsettling, as if there were ghosts or something in the room.He went back to the front of the house facing west, approached the door, pushed the door to see if it was locked inside, and if it was tight, he had to use some force. He felt the blood rush to his cheeks because he saw "red", which is what people often call "blood red".This old house that he wanted to see for the last time always frightened him, he seemed to see his parents appearing at the door, arms outstretched, accusing him, cursing him, this odious son, bad citizen, traitor to family and country . Just then, the door opened and a woman appeared at the door.She was dressed as a Mane—a black skirt trimmed with red, a dark bodice, a wide brown bonnet, and a shawl the color of the Greek flag. She looks stern, her big black eyes are wild and rough, and her skin is as dark as a fisherman's woman on the Mediterranean coast. Although she is over 60 years old, her tall body still looks straight. This is Andronica Scota.Now, the mother and son, whose soul and body have been separated for too long, stand face to face. Nikolai did not expect to meet his mother here, and was startled by her presence. Andronica flung her arms across the door, barred her son from entering, and yelled in a frightening voice: "Nikola Scota will never set foot in his father's house! Never!" The son succumbed to the injunction, and he backed away slowly.The mother standing in front of the door threw him out of the house like a traitor, and he wanted to take a step forward, a more determined gesture, a cursing gesture, to block him. Nikolai turned and left quickly. He stepped over the fence and strode towards the cliff path without looking back once, as if an invisible hand was pushing his shoulder. Andronika stood motionless on the threshold and watched him disappear into the night. Ten minutes later, Nicholas calmed down from his excitement and returned to his original appearance.He came to the port and boarded his ship.Ten strong men Gozo had chosen for him were waiting on board. Without a word, Nicholas stepped onto the deck of the Calista and immediately gave the order to set sail.The sailboat was ready soon, and as soon as the sails were hoisted, it would sail immediately. The wind was gradually picking up on the land, and it was just sailing out of the harbor. Five minutes later, the Calista sailed out of the channel quietly and smoothly. There was no sound on board, and the Verdeiros on the shore did not shout. The boat traveled less than a mile, and a ball of flames lit up the mountain peak on the top of the cliff. Andronica set fire to the house, mother's own hands.She was unwilling to keep the house where her son was born. The captain couldn't take his eyes off Mane's burning fire until the ship sailed three miles, and he kept watching the last spark go out. Andronika said to him: "Nikola Scota will never set foot in his father's house, never!"