Chapter 166: Recruitment Advertisement
October 3, 1868.
The Stuttgart Evening News published a job ad:
Urgently seeking construction workers.
Requirements: Skilled workers familiar with various German-style buildings, at least five years of experience. Family members may accompany you. Work location: overseas.
Benefits: Housing provided, free education for children, eight-hour workdays, monthly wage of 3 talers and 5 groschen.
Such an advertisement could be dismissed as a scam in any era, yet its content is highly tempting to workers in Württemberg. And fate often favors the unfortunate—though seizing that chance is another matter. In this era of imperfect institutions, workers lead harsh lives, especially those who have lost their jobs for any number of reasons. Fisher was one of these, dismissed because his employer deemed him "too old."
Fisher, however, was in his early thirties. Employers often prefer younger, stronger labor. As industrialization and capitalist farming advanced, countless landless farmers in Germany went bankrupt—particularly in the southwest, where harvests had been poor these last years, leaving rural folk "rained on when the roof leaks." Many peasants had no choice but to leave home in search of something new, crowding into cities. Stuttgart, a major city in Germany's southwest, absorbed many such peasants. The labor market seemed flush, so bosses started getting picky. Cities, especially in a largely agricultural southwestern Germany, couldn't possibly accommodate everyone. Some had to look elsewhere. That's when the East African colony and the United States emerged, and the Hechingen consortium took the initiative, stoking a half-year wave of German emigration to East Africa.
But Fisher wasn't a peasant. Ever since his grandfather's day, the family had earned a living as construction workers on meager wages. His grandfather clearly hadn't been especially gifted, though prolific: he had four sons. The eldest inherited the house, while the second and third each got portions of the leftover estate. By the time Fisher's father inherited, all that remained was the family trade. Fisher's father joined the Kingdom of Württemberg's army, fighting against Napoleon. He was lucky, catching the last campaign in France. He made some money there, saving enough to buy a small house in Stuttgart after demobilization and married Fisher's mother, the widow of a fallen comrade. They had Fisher in their thirties, with no other children, so Fisher inherited a somewhat better footing than his father once had.
Following his parents' death, Fisher took over the family holdings: one little house, some furniture, and the ancestral trade. Fortune blessed him a second time: he married the girl next door, though life remained tight. With children, they slid deeper into poverty.
Two years ago, during the Austro-Prussian War, the entire German Confederation teetered. Fisher had hoped to duplicate his father's success—maybe a small war windfall to feed his family. But the conflict fizzled out in southwestern Germany with hardly any real fighting, finishing in just a couple of months. Fisher never even finished boot camp or earned any wages before being demobilized, leaving him unemployed.
…
"Anna, what do you think about us heading to East Africa?" Fisher asked, holding that Hechingen consortium job advertisement.
"Is that reliable? We know nothing about East Africa. If it's a scam, and they trick us over there, we couldn't get back to Europe on our own," Anna fretted.
Fisher gently stroked her hair. "But I'm out of work. I can't just stay idle forever. We need to eat."
"Truly no other options? Even if the job's more grueling, at least Europe's better than some African backwater, right?"
"There are a few factories hiring, but the stories say conditions are horrible: day and night labor, the boss often postpones wages, and it's rumored they work you nearly to death. If I do somehow get paid, it's still not enough to support our whole family—maybe I could manage alone, but we're four. Even if you pick up extra work, it still wouldn't cover it," Fisher said, frowning.
Silence fell. Anna leaned on her husband with a bitter smile. "Then it seems we have no choice but to roll the dice on this East African colony!"
Fisher pulled her close to comfort her. "My love, don't be so negative. Africa might not be the 'man-eating pit' people claim. In the past few months, many have gone to East Africa—mainly peasants from the countryside. I've seen quite a few groups in the Stuttgart station transiting to East Africa, so presumably there's a fair number of Germans there."
Indeed, Fisher had inquired. Peasants from Württemberg traveling to East Africa generally needed to transfer in large cities like Stuttgart, so it wasn't unusual to see them.
"My dear, if that's what you want, I support you," Anna said. She sensed Fisher was tempted yet still uncertain, so he turned to her for an opinion.
Fisher, touched, answered: "If East Africa is really how the ads describe it, I'll make sure we have a good life."
…
Come December, Fisher's family arrived intact at the East African colony. The colony always welcomed family migrants, especially "high-end talents" like a skilled builder. Under the direction of consortium staff, they boarded a family-friendly ship with far better conditions than typical. With no storms or large waves, they safely reached the colony. His workplace was confirmed: Dar es Salaam.
As with many matters in East Africa, Ernst leaves no half measures. Natives are to be eradicated in the end—no illusions. If they intend to colonize effectively, they have to do everything thoroughly. For the colony's future health, they plan to destroy or conceal every "incriminating trace" of the old colonization era. In the same spirit, they intend to wipe out all remnants of indigenous civilization, so no future complexities can arise.
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