Chapter 39: Spitsbergen Islands (Part Three)
Translator: Kim_Guo Editor: Tehrn
Some Euro-American countries had caught whales just for blubber before and threw away the rest of the body after they had got what they wanted. It wasn’t until the ocean-going ships had been enlarged that they started using the meat, fins, bones, sinews, etc.
It was mainly the North European countries, like Norway and Denmark, and island countries like Japan that consumed Whale meat. Whale fins and bones were usually used for undergarments. In movie Pirate of the Caribbean, the undergarment was so tight that the heroine fainted. The technique wasn’t advanced until the middle of 18th century. Strapped whale bones, wood or metal chips were inserted into the middle of the front, and then fins, having been bent ahead according to the curves of human figures, were inserted into the body of the undergarment. In the upper trim of the undergarment was also inserted a bent fin. The fin in the back was straight to make the back look straight by pressing the scapula. The seams were delicate too. It had been said that the year when the undergarment had been made could be told through the number of fins and how the seams had been made.
If that was accounted as recycling, what really made modern whaling rampant would lie in the specialty of blubber. It was a kind of quality mechanical oil, mostly used for rocket engines and metal industry. It was also excellent lubricating oil, rolling oil, and boundary activating agent. Although whales had been so rare, the latter two use were still in use.
The use of whales in modern society was basically to the fullest. Actually, the exploitation of every creature was at its peak, and whales had become rare as a result of overexploitation. Facing piles of whale bodies, Huang Xuan felt depressed as well as excited.
Svalbard Islands had been the center of whaling in the North Pole. The Netherlands, England, France, Spain, and Portuguese had all been involved with it. After having been being caught for over one century, bowhead whales were about to become extinct. The Japanese had shifted their whaling activities to the South Pole.
Here came the problem: in Spitsbergen, bowhead whales were caught the most, but in the time Huang Xuan lived in, the total of the bowhead whales known by all the scientists was even less than the number of the whales existing in Green Bay at the moment. How could he sell the whale meat? That was a question that troubled Huang Xuan a lot.
The governor didn’t know what Huang Xuan was thinking about, but clearly, he was interested in Huang Xuan’s proposal. The parts having been thrown away were much more than the ones that had been used. He smiled at the two men beside him and then said, “How should I address you? Messenger of Mr. Ollila, or the Mister from Nokia Corporation?”
“You can call me Huang Xuan. My father is Dutch.” “Sorry, Dad,” Huang Xuan said inside. Then he continued, “If you like, you can also call me Phillip or Unilever.”
On hearing his weird name, Walue pouted his lips and then responded, “Mr. Phillip, how would you like to trade for our whales?”
The sailors were still working hard, but the officials of the East India Company had all gathered around. Most of them had no status in Europe and had been born of a low class. They had never seen a yellow man before, let alone one speaking Dutch fluently.
Huang Xuan drew his hands back to the sleeves. When he took them out again, there was wheat in them. He held them out and asked, “Mr. Governor, what price do you think this wheat is worth?”
Without even looking at the wheat, Walue smiled. “It depends on at what price you decide to buy the whales.”
Here came the laughter of the crowd. It had to be said that the Europeans in this time were vulgar and repulsive.
Huang Xuan drew his hands back and ignored the sneer which he had encountered so many times. His annoying older female cousins always enjoyed sneering at others, but once the sneer was ignored, they would feel uncomfortable.
The Dutchman with a big nose seemed to be uncomfortable already. He said, holding his head up, “Mr. Phillips whose father is Dutch, this archipelago belongs to the Dutch, so you should ask your father to come and talk.”
Huang Xuan was about to respond when someone said in non-standard Dutch, “Really?”
It was a European with glossy hair, clothes stuck into his pants, whose dress was distinct from the men of the East India Company.
Walue closed one of his eyes and looked at the “giant orange” behind him who shook his head.
The European took a step forward and stood in front of the crowd. “Since when this archipelago belongs to the Dutch?”
This time he had spoken Spanish.
In the 16th century, Spain had been a superpower, because of the oppression of which, the Netherlands had launched a revolt. Therefore, even though most Dutch couldn’t speak Spanish, when they heard it, they knew what it was, just as most Chinese who didn’t speak English, but when they heard someone speak English, they would know it was the American guy or would curse “sh*t”.
To the Dutch, the Spanish were extremely evil. At the beginning of the 17th century, the Dutch, who hadn’t established their world hegemony yet, had just started their chartering “career”. Naturally, the Spanish resented it to see its sidekick becoming the “big brother”. Hence, when the Dutch found out that the one who had cut in was a Spanish guy, their faces flamed with anger.
Huang Xuan took one step back, hoping to stay away from the conflict. According to Rolin, Svalbard had been found and named by the Dutch. In this sense, naturally, it belonged to the Dutch.
However, the Spanish man seemed more interested in Huang Xuan than in the conflict. He straightened his hat, turned and said to Huang Xuan, “Mr. Phillip, please forgive my recklessness. I apologize for having overheard your conversation.”
Huang Xuan shrugged and replied, “That’s OK.” “Overheard? If you say so. Europeans are all hypocrites.”
“Do you mind me looking at your wheat?”
“Of course not.” Huang Xuan put half the wheat in his hands.
“The grains are plump. In Europe, 1000 pounds of them can be sold for 50 silver coins.” The Spanish man gave the grains back to Huang Xuan with a smile. “I am Juan. Can I join in this business?”
“Of course.” Huang Xuan was happy about it. He looked at Juan and said, “Do you want to do the business in reales?” The real, meaning “royal”, was the Spanish silver coins, which were still hard currency presently.
“Florins will also do.” Juan looked at Walue with a smile.
In front of notes, Walue had forgotten the hatred between the two countries. He pushed the “giant orange” away and said, “Mr. Phillip, have you brought wheat?”
“Six boats. And rice too, sir.”
Rolin had interpreted Huang Xuan’s words faithfully, which utterly triggered the enthusiasm of the big noses.
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