African Entrepreneurship Record

Chapter 133: Chapter 126 Ras Canpoli Trading Market

Hans Buck exhaled the last puff of smoke, casually tossing the cigarette butt into the sand nearby. A dry wind blew, quickly extinguishing it.

Feeling a bit of dryness in his throat, Hans Buck opened his canteen and took a small sip of water to moisten his throat.

After about four to five minutes, everyone started to get up, pack their gear, and mount the saddles on the camels, continuing the monotonous patrol journey.

The single-humped camels of the East African colony are mainly found in the Middle East and North Africa. Single-humped camels are best adapted to desert environments, especially tropical deserts, and can go months without drinking (mainly obtaining water from plants). They can survive a week without food or water.

In contrast, double-humped camels mostly inhabit the Far East and Central Asia, suited for deserts, gobis, and grasslands, and are more cold-resistant compared to single-humped ones.

Both have their strengths and weaknesses in terms of functionality and purpose; double-humped camels are suitable for carrying heavy loads and have good endurance, whereas single-humped camels are better for riding and have faster running speeds.

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”Captain, look ahead, is that someone moving?” Heinz said to Hans Buck.

Not long after they set off, Heinz noticed a moving black line in the sea of sand.

Hans Buck squinted in the direction Heinz mentioned, focusing his gaze, and indeed saw a black line on the distant desert slowly moving towards the Kenyan border.

Hans Buck picked up the binoculars under him, lifted them to his eyes, and the distant scene instantly enlarged. Upon careful observation, it was indeed a group of Arab-dressed people crossing the border.

”Brothers, prepare for battle, get the guns ready.” Hans Buck commanded.

The atmosphere in the whole team instantly became tense, and everyone took down their rifles from their backs, unwrapped them, and held them in front.

Hans Buck drove his camel, leading the troop at a jog towards the direction the Arabs were heading, chasing after them.

”Stop! What are you doing?” Hans Buck halted in front of the Arabs and asked.

In Somali, there are both Arabs and Black people. If they were Black, Hans Buck wouldn’t be so polite, usually firing warning shots first to intimidate.

But Arabs were different. Arabs primarily engage in commercial activities in Africa, and East Africa itself does business with Arabs, so the attitude towards Arabs was relatively friendly.

Even with the Sultanate of Zanzibar, when a ”small friction” occurred between the sides, Ernst didn’t insist on exterminating them, merely allowing the Sultanate to continue inhabiting Zanzibar Island, its core. This act was already generous enough.

Hearing Hans Buck’s inquiry, the Arabs looked puzzled, after all, there was a language barrier.

Heinz stepped forward and repeated Hans Buck’s words in Arabic.

Only then did the Arabs understand. Heinz had previously worked in Dar es Salaam, so he could speak some Arabic and Swahili.

”Friends, we are an Arab caravan heading south for trade. We wonder which power you belong to,” the leader of the Arab caravan said to Hans Buck.

Unlike the indigenous people in the African interior, Arabs have seen the world, especially these traveling Arab merchants who naturally recognized the real weapons in Hans Buck’s group, so they were relatively respectful.

”We are the patrol team of the Heixinggen East African Royal Territory, ordered to patrol here and prevent border crossings,” Hans Buck said.

”The Heixinggen East African Royal Territory? Is it the country bordering the Sultanate of Zanzibar to the south?” the Arab merchant asked.

”You could say that. Now, can you tell me where you are going and for what purpose?” Hans Buck asked.

After confirming the identity of the other party, the Arab merchant became even more respectful. In recent years, Arab countries had declined significantly, and even the Ottoman Empire was struggling to protect itself, with the Indian Ocean almost becoming a bathtub for European countries.

The Arab merchant replied, ”My name is Ikaramu, and I am the head of this caravan. We are traveling from the city of Hama (Mogadishu) to the south to trade with those tribes, mainly acquiring some medicinal herbs and other specialties.”

”I see!” Hans Buck was relieved, and he said to Ikaramu, ”You no longer need to head south!”

”The south is now the land of the Heixinggen East African Royal Territory. Whether the tribes there still exist is unknown, so you’d better return early, maybe you can still salvage some losses.”

”Sir, why do you say that!” Ikaramu inquired to Hans Buck.

”Now, the entire south is under our control. All external forces, including natives, merchants, and tribes, are prohibited from entering. This is an order from the East African colonial government. You can take the message back and tell others not to come here anymore,” Hans Buck said.

On hearing this, Ikaramu became a bit anxious. Missing out on one business opportunity today, he could still bear it, as they hadn’t traveled for long. But if there were no business in the future, how would he make a living!

Feeling anxious, but still trying to appear friendly, Ikaramu said, ”Sir, we are just trying to make a modest living. We all rely on this trade route to support our families! If your side cuts off the trade route, how can we survive!”

Who cares about your survival, just as Hans Buck was about to forcibly drive these people away, Heinz approached Hans Buck and whispered a few words.