The Life of Koru, Chapter 30
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The ship was called "Fanantenana" ("Hope"), a beautiful word that no koru could properly pronounce. It was a sailing ship designed to move slave soldiers across the Atlantic.
Captain Xaxa traveled with a small number of Black officers and used the slaves he transported as sailors. These sailors had to scrub the deck, load and unload the cargo, climb the ship's rigging to make repairs or adjustments, do watchkeeping during the night and train for the future war that awaited them through physical exercises and one-on-one combat.
In addition to slaves, Captain Xaxa liked to transport some of the best products of Brazil, coffee, rum, dried fruits, for his own use or for trading. It is for this reason that "Fanantenana" had to wait at the dockside for two days until the koru slaves moved in almost 200 tons of rum barrels and sacks of coffee on their industrious backs. With sweat glistening on his brow and muscles straining against the weight, Mulo was part of the work team, heaving ponderous barrels up the gangplank and onto the ship's holds. His feet felt clumsy stepping on the narrow planks and the enormous body of water that he saw in the distance, the famous Atlantic Ocean, inspired him danger and uncertainty.
When the job was finished and the crew was ready to set sail, Mulo stood on the deck looking to the shore of Brazil and the only thing he was thinking was: "Peon, will I'se see ye again?"
"Stand up for inspection, boys!"
Captain Xaxa appeared with a parrot on his shoulder, ready to inspect the slaves. The parrot was trained to say Captain Xaxa's favorite swear words:
"Fuckin' koru! Fuckin' koru! Fuckin' koru! Fuckin' koru!"
"My parrot is smarter than you, apes, so you will call him Sir Jacko, do you understand me?"
"Yessuh Captain suh!"
Captain Xaxa's words were no exaggeration. Sir Jacko belonged to a newly developed breed of parrots that showed a level of intelligence and articulate language that put any koru to shame. As the koru became dumber with each generation, other species of animals were helped by mankind to step forward on the Ladder of Evolution, starting with parrots, then chimps and dolphins. It was estimated that by 3500, the koru will no longer be the smartest ape, as chimps, orangutans and gorillas will surpass him...
As for Sir Jacko, he was brilliant. He showed his intelligence by doing quick mathematical calculations, whenever Captain Xaxa asked him.
"Sir Jacko, what is seven plus three?"
"Ten! Ten! Fuckin' koru! Fuckin' koru!"
It was quite easy for him. Not the same could be said about the koru.
"Koru, what is five minus four?" Captain Xaxa asked.
"Two, suh!" one slave answered.
"Five minus four is two, ape?"
"Umm... Nosuh... Sorry, suh!"
"One! One! Fuckin' koru! Fuckin' koru!" Sir Jacko vocalized.
Thus the superiority of Sir Jacko was demonstrated. Captain Xaxa prized him very much. Sir Jacko sat on his shoulder on numerous occasions, even during the council with other officers.
The koru slaves bowed humbly in front of Sir Jacko.
"Praise ye, suh Jacko! Praise ye, suh Jacko!"
"Fuckin' koru! Fuckin' koru!"
Another interesting member of Captain Xaxa's crew was his slave Carto.
Carto was covered from head to toe with an elaborate tattoo of the world map, featuring incredibly useful information about geographic coordinates, the sea currents, the rivers, the many ports, even the inland cities and the roads connecting them. They all merged into an incredible artwork showcasing the richness of Planet Earth, the intricate interconnectedness of the world's geography and civilizations. Every contour and detail seemed to tell a story of exploration, trade, and human endeavor. From the swirling currents of the oceans to the winding paths of the ancient trade routes, Carto's tattoo was a testament to both the beauty and the practicality of maps. It was as if the entire world had been etched onto his skin, inviting exploration and discovery with every glance.
When Captain Xaxa wanted to see a map really quickly, he didn't need to bring one from his cabin, he just asked Carto to bend over in front of him, so that he could read the tattoos on his hide.
It is quite obvious that decorating a slave with such high-quality tattoos did cost Captain Xaxa a lot, but he thought that it was worth it, given that Carto was his most trustworthy koru.
That day, Carto was asked to do a back bridge, with his belly upwards, because Captain Xaxa wanted to see the Atlantic Ocean tattooed on his chest.
"SUH, YESSUH, SUH CAPTAIN SUH!" Carto said, assuming the required position.
Captain Xaxa used a stick to point a trajectory to some other Black members of the crew.
"So you see, gentlemen, we are taking this short route across the Atlantic and we will be in Lagos in less than thirty days!"
On Carto's body, the distance between Rio and Lagos was basically the space between his two nipples. It was one of the main routes in slave trading and it was relatively safe from natural hazards.
"I really like the map on your slave's hide!" a high-ranking Black officer called Sanaa Toure said. "What will you do if he dies one day?"
"I will have him skinned and his hide converted into leather at a tannery. I want to keep it for further usage!"
"Yeah, but it won't have the ability to stretch by itself in front of you like it does now!"
"I can always have another slave tattooed! He is not that special!"
"I wonder how fucking him feels like. I am sure it's a nice form of ... traveling and exploring!"
The Black Lords laughed and decided to take Carto into the cabin for a sweet gang bang.
Mulo stood there feeling worthless. First he was humiliated by that bird, Sir Jacko, who knew all the answers he didn't and now he was thinking about how amazing Carto looked.
Such amazing tattoos were a sign of Carto's higher status as a slave and even though he was naked, it looked as if he were clothed in a rich fabric by that mesmerizing net of tattoos. There was something noble about carrying those drawings on your skin.
In comparison, Mulo's body was covered by crude whip stripes and a cheap farm-type brand that he got from the Hukunta.
He was such a cheap slave it made him feel ashamed. When he was on plantation he had never thought about these things, but now he was in the open world -- slaves had to care about their price!
"Why is ye so sad, `bossuh'?" Sleaze asked him.
"I'se just realize how shit I'se am..." Mulo whispered.
"Ahaha! Oh yeah, ye really are, `bossuh'!"
"My skin no values nuffin'! Even a dog would spit it!"
"True words!"
"And ye're just as bad!"
"Umm... nayum! I'se actually ..."
"No, no! Ye're just as cheap as me!"
"I'se have my thoughts! These are golden!"
"The fuck ye smokin'?"
"Believe me! There's nuffin' like my thoughts!"
They watched the ocean as it opened under the night sky and Mulo thought again: "Peon, will I'se see ye again?"
Prof. Kumbaba was recovering in hospital after his broken hip had been replaced with a piece of mechanized equipment. Despite all the medication that he received, his body still ached and he had a migraine. On top of that, he hated himself for the way he allowed Sir Ishmael escape.
When he was informed that someone wants to talk to him on the phone, he was sure he would receive more bad news.
It was quite the opposite.
"Professor, I have wonderful news from the Department of Gorilla Studies! Some of our gorilla specimens have climbed the Ladder of Evolution! They have scored very highly on the intelligence test. They are fully verbal and are able to integrate into human society!"
"Now that's good news!" Prof. Kumbaba exclaimed.
For years he had dreamed of helping gorillas evolve so they become functional members of society. He saw their potential as excellent plantation overseers. By nature, gorillas had very dominant personalities, while koru were submissive and subservient. The two species could coexist in an efficient work environment where the gorillas ordered the koru around and the koru had to obey or else get beaten and whipped. Prof. Kumbaba liked to call the gorillas "king apes" and the koru "slave apes". He left his scientific language unambiguous.