meaning that instead of skipping Africa, they had to almost go around the entirety of the continent. The Russian Baltic Fleet sailed around Africa, with many sailors dying of Blacklung, because of the coal piled on deck. Coal was needed to power the fleet, and with no colonies in Africa or South - East - Asia, the Russians were forced to rely on stockpiles on the decks of their ship. The sailors in the fleet were tired and depressed by the time they had got around the Cape of Good Hope, so by the time they got to
the island of Madagascar, they decided to have some fun. The sailors went onto the island and brought back an alligator, several chamelons that always disappereared, a venomous snake that was said to have taken a liking for vodka, and my personal favourite, a parrot for Admiral Rozhestvensky, who took after the Admiral ’ s extensive vocabulary of Russian curses. More animals joined the Russians, as the freezers on the ship broke, forcing the Russians to throw their rotting meat overboard. This attracted sharks, who
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