America 1881: They Call Me Legend

Chapter 171 The dilapidated town of Roswell

Stone itself is not an easy building material to handle, and it is time-consuming and labor-intensive.

Therefore, stone buildings are rare in the western United States, because wood can often solve most problems.

But the building in front of them was a genuine stone bunker.

This has quite a European medieval retro style.

"Where did you get the stone?" Chen Jianqiu took a look at the bunker. Although the craftsmanship was average, it looked decent. Without decent cannons, it might not be easy to break in.

"It's probably that mountain." Holmes pointed to the bare hills to the south.

"Well, actually, we recruited some local Nahua people." Vaughan touched his nose, "They are different from the Indians I have seen before. Some of them have very good stone masonry skills."

They followed Vaughn and walked in through the gate under the watchtower.

Only then did Chen Jianqiu see the whole picture inside.

The interior of the building looks much simpler than the exterior. Strictly speaking, this is a village surrounded by four stone walls.

The four shooting towers are located at the four corners of the watchtower, and the tops of the stone walls connecting them are accessible to people.

A wooden ladder was set up on the stone wall, leading to the open space surrounded by the four walls below.

Vaughn and his soldiers usually lived in an adobe house in the middle of the open space.

Chen Jianqiu felt a little strange: "Why don't the houses you live in just be built with stones?"

"Because the expropriated Nahua people have run away." Vaughan scratched his head in embarrassment, "The terrain here is too flat and there is no danger for us to rely on, so these four stone walls still play a lot of role."

Everyone climbed up the ladder and walked around the top of the wall.

Next to the stone wall on the west side.

"This is where we came from." Holmes pointed to the wasteland, "Chihuahuan Desert. There is no human habitation until hundreds of kilometers away."

They walked along the stone wall to the south stone wall.

There is a road leading into the mountains to the south. Roseville is located at the eastern foot of the Rocky Mountains. Chen Jianqiu understood why Holmes said before that if he went further south, he must pass through this place.

Finally they came to the east.

Not far away, a dilapidated town appeared in their sight.

"This is Roswell."

Chen Jianqiu looked in the direction pointed by Holmes.

It's broken, really broken, so broken that it almost makes people feel like this place has been abandoned.

The buildings in the town are mainly adobe houses, with a small number of wooden buildings mixed in.

Many buildings look uninhabited from a distance. Some of their walls have collapsed in half, some of their roofs are missing, and some have only a broken sign hanging outside.

A gust of wind blew over, causing the dust on the ground to fly up, giving the town a layer of yellow. The broken wooden signs swayed in the wind, making the town look even more deserted.

The only popular place is in the center of the town, where there are two rooms and there seem to be a few horses and a carriage parked at the door.

“That’s the town’s post office,” Vaughan said. “It’s also the only public facility that’s still in operation in the town.”

"I remember it wasn't so desolate when I came here last time?" Holmes also shook his head, "No wonder you don't have much interest in getting paid. There is no place to spend."

"There's no water!" Vaughan sighed. "The nearest water source is far to the east, and it's often hard to find. The salary will come with the post office carriage every month."

"Why is this town called Roswell?" Chen Jianqiu suddenly asked.

"The old postmaster's father's name." Vaughan's answer surprised Chen Jianqiu.

"Isn't this what you guys have the final say?"

Vaughn shook his head:

"The old guy came here earlier than us. He came here ten years ago. At that time, there were Nahuas everywhere around here."

"He built two adobe houses here as a way station, and then he was driven away by the Nahuas." Vaughn pointed to the post office in the center of the town.

"Later we drove the Nahua people away, and he came back, and then actually filed a claim lawsuit with the federal government on the grounds that he came first, and the evidence was the two houses. In the end, he actually won, and used his father's

This town is named after.”

"Then what?" Chen Jianqiu broke the casserole and asked.

"Then? I don't know the details of the above, but it should be that he bought out the ownership of all the nearby land from him."

After everyone visited the entire place under the leadership of Vaughn, they returned to the ground in the middle.

Vaughan opened the doors of several empty houses and said to Chen Jianqiu: "You can live here, they are all vacated by the dead brothers anyway."

So, in the end, Geronimo and his Apache tribe occupied two rooms; the two women occupied one room; and the remaining people lived in one room.

"Sir, when will we start looking for crude oil?"

During dinner, Vaughn took a bowl, scooped up a pile of mushy stuff, and asked the geologist expectantly.

"Ah, this, or we can talk about it tomorrow." Holmes said hesitantly.

After dinner, a group of people returned to the house.

Chen Jianqiu found a kerosene lamp, leaned on the table, and for the first time began to study the densely packed map that was standard by Holmes.

"Tell me, is there really oil here?" Chen Jianqiu suddenly asked Holmes on the side.

Sean and Feiniao, who were chatting quietly aside, were dumbfounded, and the room suddenly became silent.

"Boss, you're not really going to find any crude oil, are you?" Sean asked with confusion on his face.

But Chen Jianqiu ignored him and continued to look at the geologist.

"The probability is quite high. I have found traces of ancient underground rivers on the cut stones exposed on the ground here, but no amount of exploration will allow me to do it," Holmes said.

"I guess there are knowledgeable people who have been here and come to a similar conclusion. Although the Freemasons like to play tricks, they are always very well-informed. This thing can only be tried and tested."

"What about water? Do you believe there is no water in this place?" Chen Jianqiu asked eagerly.

"How is that possible! These people don't know anything." Holmes answered very simply this time, "I walked around and there should be an aquifer underground here. But this thing is the same as crude oil, it doesn't

No one can guarantee that it will come out."

"Besides, do you believe that the Nahua people will settle in a place without water sources? When I have time, I will take you to see the land southeast of Roswell. If the problem of surface irrigation is solved, it will be very suitable for farming."

Holmes continued.

"However, there are only a few pastures there now. If we plan to eat up all the grass there and then run away, it will be a waste of money."

Chen Jianqiu has been listening very carefully and thinking constantly in his mind.

The mountains are high and the emperor is far away, and there are oil and fields.

This place is good, he took note of it.

"Everyone, go to bed early, Holmes. You can tell Vaughn tomorrow that we will look for crude oil further afield, and then we will find an opportunity to continue heading south." Chen Jianqiu made the decision.

During the three or four days in the desert, Chen Jianqiu could hardly get a good night's sleep.

He thought he could have a good rest today.

But the gunfire in the middle of the night still woke him up from his sleep.

He sat up from the bed.

The sky above the barracks echoed with Vaughn's shout:

"The Nahuas are coming! The Nahuas are coming! Get your weapons on the wall! Hurry!"

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Second update

(End of chapter)