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"Lord's blessing! Martim! My old brother, I can understand your fury at losing an eye, understand your hatred for the Natives' sneak attack! In truth, my heart that seeks justice and light is exactly the same as your righteous heart!..."
Seeing the one-eyed quartermaster, vicious as a pirate, Bruno sighed and patted his "old brother" on the shoulder. Then his expression turned grave, and he looked into the man's only eye as he spoke.
"But, Pense antes de falar! Before speaking, one must think! We are not brainless Castilians. We are rational Portuguese!..."
"Martim, I have had the same suspicions about Shushu these past few days, and for a time I even thought of killing him. But after careful thought, I can be certain that this guide who converted to the Lord is not an inside man for the Natives' great tribe!..."
"First, our guide was seized from the Bahamas by Columbus's fleet! Before that, he did not even know of the native Kingdom of Cipangu, much less have any connection to those savage barbarians. Look at that timid, cowardly, honest look of his—does he have even half a trace of a barbarian's fierceness and cunning?"
"Second, when the native attack came, his face was full of panic, frightened like a little chick, and he did not jump into the sea with that damned captive. Later, he was even stunned unconscious by the natives' cannon fire and nearly smashed himself to death. Third, he is dazed and stupid, knows nothing at all, and no one told him the fleet's position. Besides, the nighttime anchorage was changed at the last moment. Even if he wanted to report it, there would have been no time at all..."
After listing three reasons, Bruno already looked completely certain, and even boatswain Haroldo nodded