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

Chapter 125 The Mysterious Island (10)
Because, a highland cave appeared in front of them.This deep hole turned out to be the crater of the crater above. When the volcano is active, magma will be ejected from here.The natural ladder formed by solidified lava and compacted volcanic cinders here is conducive to their climbing to the top of the mountain.

Cyrus Smith saw the layout of the place at a glance, and entered the gap without hesitation, and it became darker and darker as it went in. Hubbert followed the engineer all the time.Going on like this, there is still a thousand feet of height to climb.Are the slopes inside the crater passable?This problem will be known later.As long as it is not blocked, the engineer does not intend to stop. Fortunately, this slope is very long, winding, spiraling inside the volcano, and it is a good climbing ladder.

As for the volcano itself, there is no need to worry. There is not a wisp of smoke coming out of the side, and there is not a trace of flame in the cave, so it can be seen that it has been completely extinguished.There is no sound in the wells of the black holes, which may extend all the way to the heart of the earth.The air inside the mountain pass does not have any sulfur vapor.From this, it can be proved that the volcano is not sleeping, but completely extinguished.

Cyrus Harding and Herbert walked up the inner wall, and gradually came to see the crater above them.Presumably the engineer's attempt was about to succeed.Looking overhead from the edge of the volcanic pile, the enclosed sky expanded significantly.With every step the two of them took, more stars appeared before their eyes.In this Southern Hemisphere night sky, the stars shine brightly.At the zenith, the light of Alpha Scorpius is shining.Not far away, Beta Centauri appeared, which is recognized as the closest star to the earth.As they moved forward, the crater expanded further, and the constellation Alpha Pisces and the Southern Triangle appeared in the sky.Last to emerge is the dazzling constellation of the Southern Cross, over Earth's South Pole, displacing Polaris in the northern hemisphere.

Near eight o'clock the engineer and Harbert reached the summit of the mountain, that is, the top of the volcanic pile.At this time, the sky was completely dark, and the night affected the vision, and the range of sight was only two nautical miles.Is the land surrounded by the sea, or is it connected to a continent to the west?The situation at this point is simply unrecognizable.Looking to the west, a cloud band appears, clearly appearing in the sky.The sky is getting darker, and it is more difficult to distinguish. I don't know if the sky and the sea have merged into one on a certain circular line.

However, at a certain point in the sky, a gleam of light suddenly appeared, dimly and slowly descending, and at the same time, the cloud belt rose to the zenith.This is the fading crescent moon, and its light, although faint, is enough to make out the horizon clearly, which has broken away from the cloud band at this time.The engineer could see, for a moment, the slightly quivering image of a band of clouds against the sea.

The engineer already had the answer in his heart, grabbed Hubbert's hand, and said in a low voice, "It's an island!" At this time, the crescent moon had gradually disappeared into the rolling waves.

island naming
Half an hour later, the engineer and Harbert returned to camp.The engineer simply told his companions that the place they were in was an island, and fate had accidentally left them on an island, but this would have to wait until tomorrow for further observation.Then there is the problem of sleeping. In this environment, everyone can only do their best.In a basalt cave at an altitude of [-] feet, the "islanders" fell asleep.It was another peaceful, undisturbed night.

The next day, it was already March 3.Grilled chicken became the only food for breakfast this morning.After a quick meal, the engineer planned to climb to the top of the volcano to observe the island more carefully.If the island is far from any land, and it's not on a ship's path through the Pacific, that means they'll be here forever.This is probably no different from imprisonment.This time, all the companions followed the engineer to take a look at the whole picture of the island.After all, from now on, they are going to live here and get everything they need.

It was about seven o'clock when Cyrus Harding, Jardin Splane, Pencroft, Harbert, and Neb were ready to start.It was an unchangeable fact that this place was an island, but none of them felt uneasy about it. The "Islanders" seemed to have great confidence, only that Cyrus Harding's confidence was not equal to that of his companions.The engineer's confidence comes from himself, and he believes that he can ask this wild place, from nature, for all the necessities of life.And the confidence of his companions was in Cyrus Harding.Because the engineer is with them, they have no fear.The difference was easy to understand, especially for the sailor, who had never felt hopeless since the incident of the last fire.Because of the presence of engineers, even if he was sleeping on a bare rock, he was full of hope.

"Ah! We left Richmond in a hot-air balloon without permission from the authorities! It won't be a surprise if we leave here one day! Surely no one will stop us then!" said the sailor. .

The engineer led his companions along the route of last night.They skirted the volcano from the heights and came to the opening of the great cave.At this time, the sun has risen, the sky is pure, and the east side of the volcanic pile is full of sunlight.

Here comes the crater.The situation here is the same as that observed by the engineer last night in the dark.It was a large crater, opening wider and wider until it reached a height of a thousand feet above the platform.Below the chasm, a lava flow, wide and thick, snakes its way, creating a path of volcanic eruption into the valley below.It is these valleys that give the island some stripes.

Inside the crater, the slope is only 35 to [-] degrees, so it is easy to climb, and there are no obstacles along the way.The traces of lava here are enough to show that they flowed from the crater, but this is a long time ago.The volcanic chimney runs through the ground and the crater, but its depth is difficult to estimate.What is certain, though, is that the volcano has completely extinguished.

It took less than an hour for the engineers and companions to reach the top of the crater before eight o'clock.Here is a bulge of the volcano that bulges the back edge.

"Sea! Surrounded by the sea!" they cried, and yes, the sea around them made them true islanders.

Surrounded by endless sea!It is not known whether the engineer climbed to the top again, hoping to see some coast, some neighboring island.This was not observed in the dark last night.However, within fifty nautical miles of sight, to the limit of the horizon, nothing appeared, only the sea!
Cyrus Harding and his companions looked everywhere about them, and for some minutes they remained motionless and silent.Their eyes scoured the Pacific, but there was nothing.Pencroft's eyesight was the best, and a pair of binoculars stood under his brows, and not even a bump obscured by mist could escape his eyes.However, even he could only see the endless sea water around him.

Their eyes returned to the small island, and they had a panoramic view of the small island.Jardine Splane spoke first:
"How big is this island?"

This is the first question he asks.In the vast expanse of the Pacific Ocean, this small island does not look very big.

Cyrus Harding thought for a moment, looked carefully round the island, and considered the altitude at which they now stood, and said:

"The coastline of the island is estimated to be more than 100 nautical miles, and I'm pretty confident about that."

"What about the area?"

"It's hard to estimate! The shape of the island is too irregular!" replied the engineer.

If the engineer's estimate of the coastline does not vary greatly, the island is estimated to be about the same size as the Mediterranean islands of Malta and Firesound.It's just that the shape of this island is irregular, and there are no capes, headlands, coves and harbors.Its shape is surprisingly odd.The engineer suggested that Jardine Splane draw the outline of the island, which made it look like a strange animal sleeping on the surface of the Pacific Ocean.

The reporter believed that it is necessary for everyone to understand the shape of the island, and he drew an accurate map of the island.

The first is their landing site, which is concave and belongs to the coastal zone.Here is the edge of a large bay.This great bay, however, stops at a sharp promontory to the southeast.When Pencroft first surveyed the terrain, the promontory was blocked by a headland.To the northeast, two other headlands form a bay.It's just that the bay is relatively narrow, and it looks like a giant shark with its mouth half open.

From northeast to northwest, the bay is round and looks like the flattened head of a beast that is raised like a hump.This makes the outline of this part of the island extremely irregular.The volcano is located in the center of the island.

Unlike the east-west direction, the outline from south to north is fairly regular, with a narrow cove about two-thirds of its circumference.This part of the outline ends at a tail that resembles the tail of a crocodile.

Where this tail is located, a true peninsula is formed.From the southeastern promontory, the peninsula extends for thirty miles out to sea, and then becomes circular again, forming an open anchorage.This is the outline of the coastal zone, and it can be seen that this is a strangely shaped land.

The narrowest point of the island is between the "chimney" and the cove, a distance of only ten nautical miles.This small bay can be observed from the west coast.The latitude there is the same as that of the cove.The longest part of the island is from the northeast to the southwest tip, a distance of no less than thirty nautical miles.

Above is the outline of the island.As for the interior of the island, the general situation is as follows: the south side of the island, that is, from the mountain to the coast, is very densely wooded; the north side of the island is dry and sandy.Between the volcano and the east coast, Cyrus Harding found a lake.The lake is surrounded by green trees.Engineers were surprised by this finding.The existence of this lake was completely beyond their expectations.From their height, the lake and the sea were almost at the same level.However, after thinking and judging, the engineer told his companions that the highlands at the edge of the lake are the extension of the coastal highlands.So the lake must be about three hundred feet above sea level.

"Would it be a lake, then?" asked Pencroft.

"It must be!" replied the engineer. "The source of the lake's water is the water that flows down from the mountains."

"I found a small stream that flows into the lake." Hubbert said, pointing to a small stream. "Its source probably flows from a branch of the mountain ridge in the west."

"That's right!" the engineer agreed. "Since this stream is the source of water for the lake, there should be an outlet on the coast to drain the excess water. Let's take a look when we go back." .”

This creek, and the previously identified river, make up the water system of the island, or the water system of the island so far as the explorers have discovered.After all, two-thirds of the island's area is occupied by lush forests, and it is also possible if there are other rivers flowing into the sea.This assumption must be considered because the land is rich and fertile, like a sample of flora in temperate regions.In the north of the island, there is no water flow, but there is some water in the swamp in the northeast, that's all.In short, the topography of the island is in stark contrast. One side is very rich with green trees, while the other side is sandy land, sand dunes, and the land is extremely dry.

The volcano is located in the northwest of the island, not standing in the center of the island.The volcano is like a dividing line of the island, and in the southwest, south and southeast directions, the first few layers of the branches of the ridge disappear in the lush woods.In the north, on the contrary, the bifurcation of the branches of the ridge can be clearly observed, and these bifurcations extend to the sandy plain before disappearing.In the north, during the eruption, the lava ejected formed a road, and this wide lava road extends to the bay in the northeast.

Cyrus Harding and his companions watched for about an hour from the top of the hill, with the whole island before them.In their eyes, the entire island is like a three-dimensional map, with bright colors and vivid shapes displayed in front of them: green forests, yellow sand, and blue water.It seems that everything is in sight, but they did not detect the land covered by the vast forest, the bottom line of the tree-lined valley, and the deep canyon at the foot of the volcano.

There is still a very important issue that has not been resolved, and this issue will have a major impact on the future lives of these islanders.That is, is the island inhabited?

Jardin Splane poses the question.However, according to the survey just now, they have carefully observed various areas on the island.It can be seen that the answer to this question is no.

There is no sign of human habitation, no houses, not even a fishing boat on the coast.There has never been a wisp of smoke floating over the island, which all shows that there is no human life here, and this is a deserted island.The observers looked to the southwest, and at a distance of thirty nautical miles, even with Pencroft's eyesight, they found no human habitation.There was no way they could raise the woods that covered the island to see if there was some human village below.However, in general, these small islands in the Pacific Ocean, even if they are inhabited, the islanders will choose to live along the coast.And on this island, its coastal area is absolutely uninhabited.

After a more thorough observation, the victims had to admit that the island was indeed uninhabited.

But would there be Aboriginal people from neighboring islands visiting the place?Even if it is a temporary visit, but this question is even more difficult to answer.No land appeared within fifty miles of their observation.However, fifty nautical miles is not a very long distance, perhaps in a Malay galleon, perhaps in a Polynesian canoe, in short, it is not an insurmountable distance.All this depends on whether it is an isolated island or connected to the archipelago.The location of this island is very important. If it is just a lonely island in the Pacific Ocean, the problem will be even more difficult.Could Cyrus Harding, without any precise instrument for surveying it, be able to determine the exact position of the island in latitude and longitude?It is quite difficult.Since there is no clear answer to the question, it is better to take some measures and prepare for it. After all, if there are indigenous people nearby, they are likely to land.

The exploration work has come to an end, and the situation of the island has been roughly clarified.Its shape has been basically determined, the height of the terrain has been clearly identified, and its area has been roughly estimated, including water resources and mountain forms.The distribution map of forests and plains, the reporter has drawn on the map.All that needs to be done now is to go down the mountain and conduct further exploration in terms of mineral, plant and animal resources.

Cyrus Harding was about to signal his companions to leave, and he said to them in a calm and serious tone:
"Look, God has left us on this land, and we're going to live in this barren land, maybe a long time. But maybe we'll have a windfall, if some boat comes by now and then, I say Occasionally, after all, the location of this island is not important, there is not even a port, and there is no place for ships to anchor. It seems that it is located outside the shipping line, that is, for those ships that often pass through the Pacific Ocean, the island The island is too far to the south. But the island is too far to the north for ships that can round Cape Horn to go to Australia. You should know that, and I don't want to hide it."

"You're quite right, Mr. Cyrus," answered the reporter. "You're with men, and they have absolute confidence in you, and you can depend on them, aren't you, my friends?"

"I obey you, Mr. Cyrus!" said Harbert, shaking the engineer's hand.

"You are my master wherever you are!" cried Neb.

"As for me," said the sailor, "if I don't work hard, I won't be called Pencroft! If you will, we'll make this little island a little America! We'll build cities, we'll build railroads, Build a telegraph office. And when it does, it will surely look new, and when it's fully governed and civilized here, we'll dedicate the island to the government of the United States! But there's one more thing."

"What's the matter?" the reporter asked.

"It is that we are no longer victims, from now on we are immigrants, and we are here to immigrate!"

Cyrus Harding couldn't help laughing, and the sailor's proposal was accepted.Cyrus Harding expressed his gratitude for everyone's support, saying: "Depending on the help of heaven and their perseverance, they will get better."

"Then let us hurry back to the Chimney!" said Pencroft.

"Wait a minute, friends! I think there is one more thing. We need to name this island, and of course the cape, the headland and the river before us. They should all have their own names."

"That's right, it will be simple and straightforward for us to give orders or follow orders in the future!" said the reporter.

"In this way, if we go to or return from somewhere in the future, we can just say the name directly, at least it looks more like we are in a certain place!" Said the sailor.

"Like 'chimney'!" said Hubbert.

"That's right!" continued the sailor. "That's a name I picked up by chance. But it's much more convenient to have a name. Mr. Cyrus, let's call our first camping place 'The Chimney'!"

"Yes, Pencroft, you have named it!" replied the engineer.

"Okay! But it's not difficult in other places!" The sailor was very interested in naming, and continued, "Just like Robinson, Harbert told me his story more than once. We just Naming like Robinson, such as: 'Providence Bay' 'Sperm Whale Head' 'Cape Disappointment' and more!"

(End of this chapter)