Chapter 19 Robben Island
"Why look for the prisoners in those jails? If we need Boers as spies, then we also have Boers in our commandos." Henry didn't understand why Rock set his sights on those lowly prisoners. There were four Boer members in the commandos, and they could also blend in with the Boers to get information .
The Boers are not all descendants of the Dutch. There are also descendants of Germans, French, etc. The British classified any white people who had lived in Cape Town before the British colonized Cape Town as Boers.
Although the Boers have established their own country, it does not mean that there are no Boers in Cape Town. In fact, most of the more than 100,000 people in Cape Town are Boers. In order to rule Cape Town, the British even established a colonial force composed of Boers. It is normal to have Boer police in the police station. There are only a few pure British people in the entire Cape Town. Without relying on the Boers, the British would not be able to colonize Cape Town.
Of course, because the country was founded by the Boers, the British were always suspicious of the Boers' loyalty, so the police department hired police officers from India and Qing Dynasty. This could not completely solve the problem, but at least it could solve most of the problems.
"The Boers in the commando team are useless. They will definitely be excluded among the Boers. Those Boers know that they are policemen and will not tell them the correct information. And have you noticed a problem? There have been so many attacks, but no Boer policemen have been attacked. What does this show?" Rock did not trust the Boers or the Indians, and he even did not dare to give 100% trust to the Chinese police.
The helpless fact is that in Cape Town, the people Rock could really trust were the British, because the British were the rulers and they had no reason to collude with the Boers.
"We have a mole in our midst?" Henry was still naive and blurted out immediately.
"I didn't say that. You can't say anything without evidence, but we have to take some precautions." Rock was shocked. Henry could say this, but Rock couldn't.
"That must be the case. Those rioters only targeted Indian and Chinese policemen. When the patrolmen were all Boers, those people would become more unscrupulous. We must catch them." Henry gritted his teeth. This was why Rock trusted the British.
The prison is located on Robben Island off the coast of Cape Town. It was originally a concentration camp for lepers. After the British colonized Cape Town, they converted Robben Island into a prison, but did not remove the lepers on the island, so there are still .
For the British, Robben Island was a restricted area. Henry refused to board the ship no matter what at the dock and gave all the rights of the informant to Rock.
"Captain, there are lepers on the island, we have to be careful." Henry had a choice, but the other two Chinese policemen named by Rock had no choice. Tang En, who was over 1.8 meters tall and weighed over 180 pounds, was quite frightened. While speaking, he looked at the captain who was driving the ferry, as if he was the leper.
"Don't worry, if others can go, we can go too. We also have colleagues on the island, so it's okay." Rock was not too worried. Since there were still ordinary people on the island, it proved that leprosy had been brought under control. As for whether the British had this ability, Rock believed that they did.
It was a simple fact that all lepers were sent to Robben Island and isolated from the world. No one visited them and they could never return to the mainland. It was as if they had disappeared from this world. Rock was not even sure whether there were any lepers left on the island.
Looking at Robben Island from afar, it is quiet and peaceful, with lush vegetation. Among the lush woods, the barbed wire on the top of the wall can be vaguely seen . The road leading to the prison is hardened with stone flags. There are no carriages for hire on the island, so Rock and his companions can only walk to the prison.
"Hey, cowboys, have you been sent to play Whack-a-Mole too?" On the tower next to the dock, armed guards greeted Rock and his friends. Rock and his friends' wide-brimmed hats did look like cowboy hats.
Whack-a-mole?
What kind of job is this?
"No, we are here to interrogate a few prisoners. What are you doing up there?" Rock was a little curious. There didn't seem to be many gophers on the island.
"Hunting is fun. Why not give it a try? No matter what it is, you can hit it as long as you want." The guard on the tower was not very happy, and his voice revealed a sense of self-abandonment.
Rock immediately understood what whack-a-mole was. This was the British plan to control leprosy. Anyone who approached the dock would be immediately shot by the police on the tower. It was simple and crude, but very effective.
"Have fun." Rock gave him the middle finger, and walked away without responding to the guards' laughter and scolding.
People who stay here for a long time will become perverted. Rock is very grateful that August Russell did not arrange Chinese policemen to guard Robben Island.
Rock did not have much sympathy for those lepers. This was the era, an era where human life was worthless. In the past, there was the Black Death, and in the past, there were Nazi concentration camps. The British performed not much better than the Nazis in the Second Boer War. No one had the right to sympathize with anyone. Rock's motherland was still experiencing a collective invasion by eight countries. Although Rock did not like the Qing Dynasty, he did not want it to be invaded by foreign enemies.
It is the common people who suffer.
The prison warden and assistant warden were both British, but they never went to Robben Island. Rock found the actual manager of the prison, Fred Sinclair, who also held the rank of sheriff and was a native Boer.
"What do you want with a burglar?" Fred Sinclair had already checked the warrant Austin Pence had issued for Rock and was just chatting casually.
"They are not simple thieves. They must be prisoners who have family in Cape Town and have no more than one year left in their sentences. I have a special job that requires their cooperation." Rock just explained casually, and there was no need to go into details.
Although Rock's requirements are high, there are still many such people. The entire Robben Island covers an area of more than 13 square kilometers, and the prison only occupies a small part of it. However, there are more than 500 prisoners held here. They are all held in dungeons. In other words, they are imprisoned under the feet of Rock and others.
"There are only four, and some of them are almost dead. I don't think you need to waste your time." Fred Sinclair was very efficient and quickly brought four humanoid skeletons.
They were truly human-shaped skeletons. They were wearing almost no clothes, but you couldn't see the original color of their skin. Thick dirt covered their bodies like fish scales, and they exuded a disgusting stench. After being taken out of the cell, the four men knelt in a row with their hands folded behind their heads, without any resistance.
Rock doubted whether they could complete the mission.
