The Exploration of the Lake Kingdom, An Unavoidable Naval Battle

At the edge of the great island, within the bay, the waves lay as calm as a lake, and birdsong rippled like the wind. Amid the picturesque scenery, two fleets were rapidly closing in. Their hearts brimmed with killing intent, and without the slightest hesitation, they rushed toward the battlefield of death.

The Galley sped forward, cleaving through the calm wind and waves, carrying a fierce cry. Chiwako stood at the bow, gripping a long spear, and shouted at the top of his lungs.

"Beat the drums!"

"Boom! Boom! Boom!"

The furious war drums rang out at once. The two sides had already come within sixty paces, entering the bow range of the kingdom's fleet.

"Loose!"

"Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!"

Most of the Purepecha Warriors were gathered on the flagship. They had long since made ready, and now they drew their Longbows in unison. With a single volley, dozens of Copper Arrows shot out like lightning.

"Pffft!"

Sharp arrows flew and sank deep into bodies. Seven or eight Seri warriors screamed, toppled from their small boats, and then fell into the water with a splash. They had no armor; so long as an arrow hit them, it meant grievous injury or death.

But such slight casualties did not shake the Seri's morale. Instead, they spurred them into frenzied howls. In the desolate and brutal Sonora Desert, death was the most common thing in the world. Aside from chiefs, headmen, and witch doctors, few in the tribes could live past thirty. On ordinary days, fighting over a single spring could leave dozens of able-bodied men dead or wounded, let alone when it was for the Seri's sacred ancestral land!

Very soon, sixty or seventy small boats swarmed forward all at once, already pressing to within forty paces. The tribal warriors aboard drew