Maisu Log '26⑥ Oh! The Southern Cross, May 8
Wind Voyagers of Changbin
Original version in Chinese
✐ Isin (Guanyuu) ✐
The moment I emerge from the cabin and look toward the horizon at the bow, there it is: Oh! The Southern Cross! It is just about to reach Machemelatow. I observe the steersman for a moment to see where he is pointing the canoe. Yes, we seem to be heading toward Tubulup, just to the right of Machemelatow—which the steersman confirms. The wind has shifted to a near-perfect tailwind, blowing directly from behind us. The waves are about three meters high, also rolling in from the stern at a slight angle. Looking out from the back of the canoe, the Big Dipper sits off to the left, making it easy to track the North Star. It is incredibly low now; I measure it with my hand and find it has already dropped below 11 degrees, hovering right around 10. That is less than half its altitude back home in Changbin. Looking straight out from the starboard side, Leo and its brightest star, Regulus, hang just above the horizon in the direction of tubul Uul, confirming once again that the bow is locked onto Tubulup.
“That one right there is Mailap!” Moss, the captain’s son, tells those of us holding down the late-night watch. He is in a great mood. “Whenever we asked the elders back then, they would simply tell us it was Mailap. They didn’t know the English names for the stars.” “Take Tumur, for example—I only found out later that its English name is Antares.”
“What about Igulig? Which star is that?” someone asks.
“Oh, that’s a group of stars shaped like an upside-down ‘M.’ I don’t think it’s visible right now... What is its English name again? It slips my mind at the moment.”
A little after 4:00 AM, I wake from a brief doze and glance toward the stern. I notice a distinct triangle formed by three stars. Huh? I’ve never seen a triangle like that in this direction before... Then, it quickly clicks: that is the upper half of Igulig, just beginning its ascent into the sky.
Post-edited by Yulun Huang (Yaya)