Chapter 172 Clark Ship

On the 21st day after going to sea, Zhang Hengneng could feel that they were getting closer to their target. A few days ago, there was another exchange of fire between a ship of pirates and the Spear of the Goddess, but this time the whaling ship equipped with weapons also becomes trickier.

There was mutual damage between the two sides, and the final battle ended with the pirate ship's secondary mast being hit, and the Spear of the Goddess was once again out of danger.

Later, the Jackdaw encountered the pirate ship that was returning to the port for repairs. Billy happened to know the boatswain on it, and the other party gave them the information on hand.

There are about 50 sailors on the Spear of the Goddess, 17 cannons, 9 of which are dismantled from the pirate ship they slaughtered before. Armed and powerful, but the speed of the whaling ship is not fast, because it is full of whale oil and spermaceti, the maximum speed is only about 5 knots.

Calculating the time, if it goes well, maybe the two sides will meet in about half a day.

However, the weather has also changed at this moment. Everyone has seen the huge dark cloud circling overhead. The sail captain Merck on the ship is already dispatching manpower to climb up the mast and fold the sails when the wind speed increases. Yes, and others were praying to Thetis, goddess of the sea.

Zhang Heng was studying the nautical chart in the captain's room. He did not forget to promise the black gladiators, and marked all the uninhabited islands he encountered along the way. He also crossed some of the ones that didn't have a concealed environment. Besides, those that were too close to the normal route were obviously not good choices.

In the end, there were only two or three options left, and Zhang Heng planned to take some time to take a look on the return trip.

As soon as he closed the chart, the ship shook.

As early as when he first came to this world, he couldn't help being staggered when he encountered this situation, but now as long as the wind and waves are not too big, his normal actions will not be affected. He needs to constantly adjust his center of gravity according to the ups and downs of the hull, so that even if he returns to land, he can quickly return to normal when the center of gravity is out of balance.

Zhang Heng opened the door and walked to the side of the gangway. Raindrops flew obliquely from the entrance and slapped on his face, mixed with the unique smell of the sea breeze. Billy was talking to the watchman on the deck.

"Is everything normal?" Zhang Heng asked.

"I was going down to find you. We have no problems, but there seems to be something wrong with our right front." Billy said, and handed the copper telescope in his hand to Zhang Heng.

The latter put the telescope in front of his right eye, and saw the little black spot undulating in the wind and rain.

"The Spear of the Goddess?"

"I don't know. I've been observing it for a while, and it seems to have stopped there, but we'll know soon. At the current speed, we'll be close to it in half an hour."

"Be careful, and try to avoid its side when chasing. With the lessons learned from the Pelican, it is not ruled out that the opponent will repeat the same tricks and deliberately pretend that there is no one there, waiting for us to take the bait." Zhang Heng added, it stands to reason that both sides They shouldn't meet so soon, but it's not ruled out that there will be some accidents in the middle. In addition, besides the Spear of the Goddess, there are also various other dangers in this sea area.

"Wait a minute, I'll take a team up to do some investigation." Annie on the side also said.

Zhang Heng nodded, and then waited. The Jackdaw entered the state of combat readiness, with all the crew in place and the gunners standing guard in front of the artillery. Because the wind was not in their favor, it took almost forty minutes for the Jackdaw to catch up to the distant ship.

But before that, Zhang Heng had seen the whole picture of the ship in advance through the telescope.

Different from the current ships in the Caribbean Sea, the appearance of this ship is a bit strange. It has a round stern and four thick masts, but the sails on it are already in tatters. The tall forecastle and poop make it Viewed from the side, it is U-shaped, and the hull is full of conch and green seaweed, which looks uneven.

With just one glance at Zhang Heng, he was sure that this ship was definitely not the Spear of the Goddess they were looking for now.

"This is... a Clark ship?" Billy's words were also somewhat uncertain. After all, this kind of Spanish sailing ship had basically disappeared as early as the beginning of the seventeenth century, but it was once very popular in the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries. The design allows it to load more cargo and adapt to ocean-going trade. More masts can also give more power to the ship. When Magellan traveled around the world, four of the five ships were Clark ships.

However, due to the high cost and difficult operation, especially when the wind is headed, the over-high forecastle and poop make it very easy to attract wind. In the Elizabethan era, Clark sailing gradually began to withdraw from the stage of history, and is now more concise in design and more operable. Good galleon replaced.

Up to now, even an old sailor like Billy has never seen this old-fashioned ship type again.

"This guy looks like it has been around for a while." Mr. Helmsman said with emotion. He saw the words engraved on the stern of the ship, which should be the name of the ship, but because of the time, the place has rotted and the words are blurred unclear.

Zhang Heng stopped Annie, who was about to put down the boat, and said, "There should be no one up there, so I'll go there with you."

Billy and four other sailors boarded the boat together, and they brought five oil lamps. Now the sea was stormy and the boat was floating around. Obviously the distance was not too far, but the seven of them still spent a lot of money. It took all the strength to get close to it, and the cables on the ship's side were rotten and unable to bear the force. Fortunately, Billy had expected it and brought a claw hook with him.

After the claw hook was fixed, Annie climbed up first, followed by another sailor and Zhang Heng, and Billy was in charge of the rear.

After landing, the red-haired girl raised the oil lamp in her hand, took a look around, and then said, "There is no problem with the deck."

Zhang Heng also turned over from the side of the ship at this time. If it was just speculation before, now he is sure that this ship does not belong to this era. Although the ship is also loaded with artillery, the models are very old. Compared with the more than 30 cannons on the Jackdaw, they are like toys, and they have no power to protect themselves in the nearby waters.

"Let's search in groups of two, and pay attention to safety." After Billy boarded the boat, Zhang Heng divided the work and divided the areas that everyone was responsible for.

The six dispersed as promised, and Zhang Heng also walked to the captain's room.