The Mysterious Island Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea by Captain Grant's Children

Chapter 11 Captain Grant's Children (11)
"Dear Major McNabbs, the map is here. Look, between Cape Lumena and the Bay of Carneiro on the Chilean coast, there is also a parallel of 37°. We can start from this end and go through Arrow After Gania, climb over the slopes stretching on the side of the Andu Valley volcano, pass the Neukang River and the Colorado River. Then enter the Pampas Prairie. Then walk through the Salt Lake, the Guamini River, and the Tabal Kang, entered the province of Buenos Aires. From Buenos Aires, climbed up the Tandil Mountain there, walked all the way, and finally reached Madanas Point on the Atlantic coast During this journey, if we observe carefully, we will definitely find some clues of the seafarers in distress."

While talking, Paganel gestured with his hands, without looking at the map spread out on the table.For him, maps are meaningless.Because he has carefully read the works of some famous scholars, such as Fleischer, Hong Bao, Mauriner, Mière, and Daubigny, so he can memorize the topography of South America by heart.After listing this long list of place names, he added:

"Dear friends, the sooner we act, the better. We must know that this road is relatively straight, and it can be completed in 30 days. Even if there is a strong wind, the 'Duncan' will be there before we get there. We waited on the east coast first."

"According to your words, sir," said Captain John Mengel, "the Duncan should be cruising between Cape Corinth and St. Anthony, isn't it?"

"Yes, exactly!"

"Then who should take part in this long journey into the land?" Sir Glenarvan asked.

Paganel broke his fingers and made a plan: "I think the fewer people the better, because this time it is not to declare war on the Indians, but to inquire about Captain Grant's situation. In terms of personnel arrangements, I think Glenarvan Sir must go, and of course, our captain; the major should also attend, and of course, don't leave out your loyal friend and servant, Monsieur Paganel..."

"I'm going too!" cried little Robert.

"My dear brother, don't bark!" my sister Mary said loudly.

"Why not let this kid go?" Paganel said helping Robert Jr., "Actually, traveling is an excellent form of exercise for young people. So, in addition to these four people, you can also Plus the three sailors of the 'Duncan'..."

"Why, my lord, I have no place!" replied Captain John Mungle.

"My dear Mr. John," said Sir Glenarvan, "our plan is to keep the female passengers on board. We do this to keep the dearest people on board. A captain as warm and meticulous as you does not care Who can take care of them?"

"Wouldn't it be nice for us to go with you?" Madam Helen said, with a frightened expression on her face, her eyes fixed on Sir Glenarvan.

"Dear Helen," said Sir Glenarvan, "we don't think this journey will take very long. So the separation is only temporary..."

Mrs. Helen pondered: "Okay, I know the ladies won't be of much help, and maybe they will cause trouble. You guys go ahead, and I wish you all the best."

"And not even traveling!" said M. Paganel to himself, following Sir Glenarvan's words.

"It's not even a trip, so what is it!" Mrs. Helen asked.

"It's just a quick glance at the flowers, because this is neither an investigation nor a visit to ancient places to see places of interest."

When Paganel had finished speaking, the conversation ended.Everyone has no objection to this, and the opinions are completely unified.On the same day, everyone made preparations for the trip, and unanimously decided not to publicize it, because it would easily alarm the local indigenous people - Indians.

The departure date for this land trip is October 10th.When Sir Glenarvan was selecting sailors, these sailors all signed up enthusiastically, vying to go, so Sir didn't know who to choose for a while.There was no choice but to draw lots, and three sailors were lucky enough to be selected: first mate Tom Austin, sailor Wilson and Muradi.Among the three sailors, Tom Austin was strong and powerful; Mulady was better than Tom Cyrus at the time. he.And mighty.

Now, Sir Glenarvan is actively preparing for the trip.He asked the team members to leave on time.Captain Meng Geer did not slack in the slightest, and stored a lot of fuel for the cruise ship so that he could sail immediately.Moreover, the captain still thought that he must reach the coast of Argentina before Sir Glenarvan and his party.From this it can be seen that there was a contest between the young captain and Sir Glenarvan.

The scheduled time—October 10th—has finally arrived, and people on board the Duncan, everything is ready.Before departure, all the staff sat in the square hall and waited.At this time, the "Duncan" cruise ship raised its sails in the sea breeze, and its propellers violently beat the clear waves of Talcahuano Bay.Sir Glenarvan and his party, including Sir, Paganel, Major McNabbs, Robert Jr., Austin, Wilson, and Mulady, each armed with a carbine and a Gott pistol, were ready to leave "Duncan number" preparations.A guide on the coast, pulling mules, waits by the water fence.

"The time of departure has come!" announced Sir Glenarvan solemnly.

"My friends, go at ease!" Mrs. Helen suppressed her excitement and said calmly.

Sir Glenarvan hugged his beloved wife, and little Robert also jumped up and hugged his sister's neck tightly:

"Now, my friends!" said Paganel. "Let's shake hands again! We look forward to meeting again on the Atlantic shore!"

At this time, everyone no longer shook hands, but hugged the venerable scholar tightly, wishing the operation all the best.

Everyone boarded the deck and watched the seven travelers leave the "Duncan" together.Not long after, the seven people arrived at the pier; the "Duncan" was only sticking to the shore of the pier, and it was only half a chain away from the shore.

On the upper cabin of the ship, Mrs. Helen uttered a loud cry:

"My friends, bless God bless you!"

"God will help us, madam!" replied Paganel. "Don't worry! We will help each other!"

"Now, sail!" Commanded Captain John Mengel.

"Let us go, then!" said Sir Glenarvan.

On the one hand, Sir Glenarvan and his party on the land walked quickly along the shore; on the other hand, the "Duncan" also drove at full speed and sailed towards the distant ocean.

travel in chile

Sir Glenarvan's caravan is walking in Chile.There are six adults and one child in the traveling team.The local who led the caravan was an Englishman who had lived there for 20 years.His trade in Chile consisted of renting mules to travelers and leading them through the passes of the High Rocks.The Englishman has lived in Chile for such a long time and has been dealing with mules and Indians, but he has never forgotten his mother tongue, so there is no obstacle for Sir Glenarvan and his party to communicate with him.From the Jazz's point of view, this is also a very good thing, because the locals really don't understand the Spanish Paganel learned.

In Chilean, the head of the mule driver is called "Cataba".This British mule driver is of British origin; in order to form a mule team, he hired two local mule drivers, called "Pei Weng" in the local dialect; and a 12-year-old boy as an assistant.The main job of the mule driver is to take care of the mule carrying the luggage, and the little boy as an assistant rides on a small mare called "Madeleina" by the locals.The little mare, with a bell tied around her neck, was at the head of the train of mules, followed by ten mules.Of these ten mules Sir Glenarvan and his party rode seven, Kataba himself rode one, and the other two carried the traveller's baggage and some bolts of cloth.The purpose of loading these few bolts of cloth is to get close to the merchants in the plain area.The mule driver Peon followed the mule on foot.With this sufficient equipment, people can naturally travel through Chile safely, and the speed of travel is not slow.

Crossing the Andes is not an easy task, and only a mule with a strong physique can take on the heavy responsibility.Of all the mules that cross the mountains, only the Argentine mule is the most suitable.Therefore, the local people pay great attention to the breeding of Argentine mules, making this kind of mules ten times stronger than the original species.Argentine mules are not very picky about their feed. They only drink water once a day. They can walk ten miles within eight hours, and they can also carry heavy loads. A unit of measurement for a person, the weight of an Arob is equivalent to 11 kilograms.of goods.

On the road that connects the two oceans, there are no inns in between.Travelers on the road can only eat dried meat, chili bibimbap, and some prey that can be seen everywhere; the water they drink can only be water from waterfalls in the mountains and streams on the plains, and in order to enhance the taste of the water, they need to add a few drops. Drops of rum.So every traveler carries an ox horn jug, which naturally contains this kind of liqueur.However, locals also remind travelers from other places not to drink too much of this sweet wine.Because in these areas, liqueur is easy to stimulate the nervous system, so it is harmful to people but not beneficial.The quilts and mattresses for rest are all tied with embroidered wide-brimmed belts and placed on top of the saddle.This kind of saddle is locally produced, called "Le Jia Tuo" in the local language, and is made of locally produced sheepskin.It was tanned on one side of the saddle, with wool remaining on the other.Travelers will feel very warm when they rest in this kind of quilt. They don't have to be afraid of being damp and cold at night, and they can sleep comfortably.

Sir Glenarvan is a man who can bend and stretch, but also a traveler who can follow the customs of the country, and can adapt to various customs and customs of the place.Before this departure, he prepared local Chilean clothing for his traveling companions.Paganel and Robert Jr., a grown man and a child, were jumping for joy as they put on their great Chilean cloaks and their long leather boots.This large cloak, called "cape" in the Chilean language, is a piece of plaid cloth with a hole cut in the middle; the material of the leather boots is made of the hide of the hind legs of a pony.The mule of Sir Glenarvan's caravan was very handsomely dressed.On the mouth of the mule, what chews is Arabic-style iron chewing; at both ends of the donkey, there are reins made of leather, which can be used as a whip.On the head of the donkey, there is a glittering golden collar; on the back of the donkey is a brightly colored satchel, which is naturally edible dry food.Paganel's character has always been careless, and he was always kicked by the mule a few times when he rode on it.When he climbed into the saddle again, he could sit on it leisurely.At this time, Paganel, still hanging the telescope on his waist, has been inseparable from him; the pedals are firmly pressed on his feet, and the reins are held loosely, and the mule walks alone.He was very pleased with the mount and felt the mule was well trained.In contrast, Robert Jr. was completely different. As soon as he climbed onto the mule's back, he looked serious like a top-notch rider.

So the mule train set off.At this time, the sky was cloudless and the wind was sunny.Although the hot sun hangs in the sky, the air is very cool because of the temperature adjustment of the sea water.Thirty miles southward in this direction, the caravan traveled first along the tortuous coast of Talcahuano Bay, and reached the end of the 37° parallel.On the first day, the mule team walked among the reeds in a dry tidal flat. The travelers did not speak, and what lingered in their minds was the parting words on the boat.Although the thick smoke from the "Duncan" has disappeared into the boundless sky, it is still emerging in everyone's memory.Except for the studious geographer, who practiced Spanish with questions and answers on the back of his mule, no one said a word.

Not only the members of the jazz team were silent, but even the leader of the mule team—"Kataba" seldom spoke, even to "Peon"—this was the requirement of his job.These two "Peons" are experts in travel, and they know their responsibilities and what to do.When the mule stopped, they yelled and urged the mule to go quickly; if they still didn't move, they aimed at them and threw a small stone, and the mule immediately moved forward quickly.When the belt is loose, or the reins are loose, the Paeons immediately take off their cloaks, then cover the mule's head, fix the reins or belts, then retract the cloaks, and let the mule continue to move forward. .

The mule drivers usually eat at eight o'clock in the morning.Set off after dinner, stop until four o'clock in the afternoon, and spend the night nearby.Sir Glenarvan respected the custom.On this day, the mule team was walking in the city of Arrogh at the southern end of the bay. When Kataba gave the order to rest, the team stopped moving.At this time, Sir Glenarvan and his party had not yet left the edge of the sea, and they had to continue westward for twenty miles before they reached the Bay of Carnero and finally reached the end of the 37° line.The reason for doing this is that in the area near the sea, searching everywhere, there is still no trace of the sunken ship. If you continue to search like this, you will find nothing.Therefore, Sir Glenarvan's team could only use Arrogant City as a starting point, walk from the east, continue along a straight line on the land, and walk to the coast at the other end.

In the city of Arogo, the members of the mule team lived in a very simple inn.

Arrogant City is actually the capital of Arogania.The country is about 150 miles long and 1533 miles wide.Most of the residents in the city are Maurush, which means Arogania, and is the name given by the Spaniards to the local residents.A subgroup of the Chilean nation.The famous poet El Sila El Sila (1596-[-]), a famous Spanish military strategist, is also a famous poet. He once wrote the epic poem "Arocana".I once praised them with beautiful verses.On the whole, the Marushes are physically strong and have a relatively proud personality. They are the only nation in the entire Americas that has not been ruled by foreigners.The Spaniards once ruled the city of Arroco, but the Maurusi never obeyed the rule, just like resisting the Chileans today, they resisted the rule of the Spaniards.Their heroic resistance finally won the country's independence.Now, the national flag of independence, the white star flag on a blue background, is still flying high in the wind in the fortifications built on the top of the mountain.

Sir Glenarvan, Paganel, and "Cataba" walked leisurely alone among the thatched houses while the others were eating.In this Arrogant city, the only things that can be seen are a church and a monastery.Sir Glenarvan wanted to learn some clues about the shipwreck of the "Britannia" from the local residents, but he found nothing.The Spanish spoken by Paganel was incomprehensible to the inhabitants of the city.Because Paganel himself didn't know that the residents here all spoke the local vernacular from Chile to the Strait of Magellan-Aroganian, and they didn't know Spanish at all.So no matter how well Paganel said, they just couldn't understand.Sir Glenarvan was also a little discouraged, because since language cannot communicate, he can only observe and feel with his eyes.But what excites him is the variety of different types of Maurush that can be seen locally.Some of these Maurush people are very tall and strong, with flat faces, bronze complexion, no hair on the chin, very broad heads, full of doubts in their eyes, and long black hair hanging loose , giving people the feeling that they are like useless soldiers, mighty but doing nothing.But the women of Maurush are very hardworking, and they are busy all day long, brushing horses, wiping weapons, hunting, and plowing the fields. The heavy work of these men is done by women.In addition to this, the women also need to find time to weave the cape - a kind of blue "canopy".It usually takes two years to weave this kind of cloak, and the cheapest one can cost a hundred dollars.

Taken as a whole, the customs of these Maurush people are rough and uninhibited.They have acquired some of the bad habits of human beings, and the only virtue worthy of praise is self-reliance.

"I think they look like Spartans!" Paganel couldn't help admiring when he sat in the courtyard and had dinner with everyone after returning from a walk.

(End of this chapter)