Nathan Hale's Hazardous Tales #10: Blades of Freedom
I CHAPTER 1 RENÉ ROBERT CAVALIER DE LA SALLE WAS BORN IN NORMANDY FRANCE IN 1643 THIS MOSQUITO WAS BORN SOMEWHERE NEARBY EARLIER THIS WEEK LA SALLE AND A MOSQUITO HIS FATHER WAS A HABERDASHER THIS IS SO STUPID WHAT'S A MERCHANT WHO SELLS SEWING ITEMS LIKE THREAD AND NEEDLES THAT WHAT DID ITS FATHER DO BUZZED AROUND AND SUCKED BLOOD MY FATHER DIDNT SUCK BLOOD OH LORD THE MOSQUITO'S TALKING I AM AEDES AEGYPTI AND ONLY THE FEMALES OF MY SPECIES SUCK BLOOD ACLE OH A PUZZERSUCKER EH STUPID MARQUIS STUPID OKAY THEN BARBÉ STUPID AM A FEMALE I AM ONE OF THE DEADLIEST ANIMALS IN THE WORLD SWAT IT AGAIN BILLY EEP AND I HAVE A GREAT DEAL TO DO WITH THIS STORY NO SHE'S RIGHT AEDES AEGYPTI TELL ON 8
MY SPECIES IS FROM SUB SAHARAN AFRICA WE NEED TWO THINGS TO THRIVE FRESH BLOOD AND STILL WATER I DONT WANT TO HEAR ANY MORE ABOUT TREE HOLES SOME SEASONS WERE DRIER THAN OTHERS WE CAME FROM DEEP IN THE RAINFOREST WHERE WE BRED IN MOIST TREE HOLES EWWW OUR TREE HOLES DIDNT ALWAYS STAY MOIST WE SEARCHED FAR AND WIDE FOR A NEW PLACE TO BREED WE TASTED MANY MAMMALS SUCKING THEIR DELICIOUS BLOOD OOH AND THERES A NICE BUZZ TO IT WHAT IS THAT ABOUT THREE THOUSAND YEARS AGO WE FOUND A DELICIOUS NEW MAMMAL THAT ALWAYS KEPT WATER AROUND HAVE YOU TASTED THIS HOW IS IT HAVE YOU TASTED THIS NUTTY WITH A HINT OF BERRIES MMM YELLOW FEVER WHAT A TREAT OOH TASTES SMART BUT NO BUZZ OF YELLOW FEVER WE HAD FOUND OUR NEW HOME-- HUMANS AND IN THEIR POTS IN THEIR POOLS IN THE WELLS THEY DUG WE WOULD BREEEEED FEVER YELLOW JUST ADD YOUR OWN I'M STARTING TO WISH WE HAD GONE WITH BARBY MARBWA 9
IN SUMMER OF 1667 LA SALLE SAILED TO THE AMERICAS HE ARRIVED IN MONTREAL I'M GOING TO LEARN TO SPEAK THE LANGUAGE OF THE IROQUOIS WITH THE HELP OF THE JESUITS I WILL EXPLORE THIS NEW LAND THE JESUIT PRIESTS CALLED BLACK ROBES TRAVELED UP AND DOWN THE RIVERS TRYING TO SPREAD CATHOLICISM AMONG THE NATIVE COMMUNITIES AEDES AEGYPTI CAME TO THE NEW WORLD WITH THE TRANSATLANTIC SLAVE TRADE DEEP IN THESE HOLDS IN OAKEN BARRELS OF WARM WATER OUR EGGS WERE CARRIED ACROSS THE SEA WHEN THESE HORRIBLE SHIPS BROUGHT ENSLAVED HUMANS FROM AFRICA THEY BROUGHT US TOO WE MIGHT SUCK BLOOD BUT WE DONT PUT EACH OTHER IN CHAINS IN 1647 WE LANDED IN BARBADOS THERE WERENT MOSQUITOES IN THE NEW WORLD BEFORE THIS WE ARE SPECIAL FROM THERE WE SPREAD THROUGH THE YUCATAN PENINSULA AND THE CARIBBEAN WE WERE LIKE YOUR JESUIT PRIESTS- ONLY WE SPREAD YELLOW FEVER OF COURSE THERE WERE JUST NOT AEDES AEGYPTI YOU CAN SPOT US BY THE PRETTY WHITE STRIPES ON OUR LEGS AND THE FIDDLE SHAPE ON OUR BACKS 10
IN 1669 LA SALLE BEGAN EXPLORING THE RIVERS HIS BAND OF EXPLORERS MADE IT ALL THE WAY TO MODERN DAY LOUISVILLE KENTUCKY HIS GUIDES DESERTED HIM THERE HE TRAVELED BY CANOE TO THE GREAT LAKES ISNT THIS AN EXCITING ADVENTURE READY FOR ANOTHER DAY OF EXPLORING EVERYONE LEFT BUT A SHAWNEE GUIDE NAMED NIKA BLESS YOU NIKA HELLO AND CURSE THE REST OF THOSE FOOLS LEAVING ME OUT HERE TO DIE GUYS I GUESS WE GO BACK NOW BUT HE TURNED BACK TO MONTREAL THE COLD STOPS US TOO WERE TROPICAL WE CANT SURVIVE THE WINTERS IF LA SALLE HAD GONE A LITTLE FARTHER HE WOULD HAVE MADE A MAJOR DISCOVERY THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER I COULD HAVE GONE FARTHER BUT THE COLD AND RAIN MADE ME SICK FORTUNATELY FOR US THERE ARE PLACES IN THE AMERICAS THAT STAY WARM ALL YEAR ROUND 11
