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

Chapter 130 The Mysterious Island (15)
Next, the engineer processed the steel, which can be forged under hot and cold conditions, with a hammer. Under the guidance of the engineer, Neb and the sailor made an axe. They first heated the steel red, and then immersed it in water. , thus obtaining excellent quenching.

As for other tools, crudely made, they were planers, axes, saws, and steel rods, as well as picks, shovels, picks, hammers, and nails.

On May 5th, on this day, the first stage of smelting has been successfully concluded, and the blacksmiths returned to the "chimney", but new work is also sending them new signals.

Mysterious Lake Bottom
Although it was just May 5, the climate was already very similar to November 6 in the northern hemisphere, which made people feel a little cold.It was foggy.It's been like this for the past few days, and it's time to get ready for winter.However, up to now, the drop in temperature has not been very obvious. If you can take a thermometer to "Lincoln Island", it will definitely show a temperature between 11°C and 6°C above zero.Of course, this average is also expected. "Lincoln Island" is located between 10° and 12° south latitude, and its climatic conditions should be roughly the same as those of Sicily and Greece in the northern hemisphere.In the severe cold season, Greece and Sicily will fall full of snow and thick ice will form. Then, in the coldest days of winter, the temperature on "Lincoln Island" will also drop to some extent, so Be prepared.

Anyway, even if there is still some time before the cold weather, the rainy season is coming soon.This isolated island in the Pacific Ocean will suffer from the many bad weathers at sea. It is conceivable that the bad weather on the isolated island is as many and severe.

Hurry up and find a place to stay, this is an urgent problem, and now is the time to seriously consider it.

Pencroft, though, had developed a feeling for his present hiding-place, and had a preference for it.However, the reality is that the sea water has almost submerged the "chimney", and the terrible scene at that time has been deeply imprinted in Pencroft's mind.Therefore, he now knows exactly what he wants to do, that is, he must find another place to live, and he must never encounter such a dangerous accident again.

"Besides," added Cyrus Harding.He was discussing the issue of residence with his partner at that time, "We have to take some other precautions."

"Why is this? No one else lives on the island." The reporter said.

"That's the reason," the engineer replied following the topic, "Although we haven't conducted a comprehensive inspection of this small island, we should think that even if there are no other people on the small island, there must be many animals that hurt people." .Therefore, we must avoid the harm that animals do to us, and we must also consider that our members can no longer take turns watching the fire. Anyway, friends, we must anticipate before doing anything. Besides, we are now This part of the Pacific Ocean where it is located is a place where Malay pirates often haunt..."

"What?" exclaimed Hubbert, "in this place far away from the entire continent?"

"That's right, boy," replied the engineer, "these pirates are notorious, brazen and formidable villains, so we must take precautions."

"It is better for us," replied Pencroft, "to build forts against these ferocious beasts, whether they be two-legged men or four-legged beasts. I will, however, make a suggestion, Mr. Cyrus, do you want to check the situation on the island first before you start to defend yourself?"

"I think that's the best way," continued Jardine Splane. "Perhaps the hole for hiding that we have just found on this coast can be found on the opposite coast as well?"

"It might be possible," replied the engineer, "but haven't you forgotten, my dear friends, that we should choose a place to live near the stream. However, looking west from the top of "Franklin Peak" , we found no creeks, nor any rivers. Here, on the contrary, we are between the "Grateful River" and "Grant Lake". We have abundant rivers around us, which is a clear advantage This point is also very important to us, please don't ignore it. Besides, the coast on this side faces east, unlike the other side facing the trade wind, which blows from the northwest direction of this hemisphere. "

The sailor took over the topic and said, "Mr. Cyrus, let's build a house on this bank. Now we have everything, bricks and tools. Among our people, some have been brickmakers, makers There are potters, ironworkers, blacksmiths. There are all kinds of talents, there is no problem!"

"That's right, my friends. But before we start, we must look for a place with relatively good conditions and a natural place. This will save us a lot of effort, and it is also safe and reliable, because it can While sheltering us from wind and rain, it can also resist the invasion of enemies inside and outside the island."

"Indeed, Cyrus," said the reporter, "but we have searched the whole of the granite plateau, and have not found a single shelter, not even a crevice!" The reporter sighed softly. one time.

"Yes, no!" rejoined Pencroft. "Well, it would be much safer if we could dig a dwelling-house at a suitable height in the rock face. How nice it would be! Looking at it from here, on the side facing the sea, we can dig five, maybe even six rooms..."

Pencroft wanted to go on, but Harbert cut him off: "We can open some more windows to fill our room with sunlight!"

"It would be a good idea to build a beautiful staircase that can be climbed up!" Neb added immediately.

"I'm not afraid you'll laugh at me," said the sailor. "Isn't my suggestion bad? Is it impossible to carry it out? Don't we still have our pickaxe and pickaxe? Mister Cyrus can make dynamite too. Detonate mines? Is it so, my friends, Mr. Cyrus, you will make explosives whenever we need them?"

The passionate Pencroft spoke impassionedly of his seemingly fantastic ideas, which Cyrus Harding admired very much.Using this hard granite highland to build a hiding place, even if it is bombed with landmines, is an unbelievable task. Hercules, known for his extraordinary strength and bravery, is a hero in ancient Greek mythology.Such amazing work.It is indeed irritating that nature has failed to carve out a dwelling for man in rocky ground.But the engineer did not answer the sailors, but only suggested that everyone should examine the rock wall more carefully, from the mouth of the river to the northernmost corner of the rock wall.

So, everyone went out together and inspected the rock wall very carefully. The scope of inspection was about two nautical miles.The rock wall is steep and straight, but flat, with no caves at all.There are a few rock pigeons flying lightly on the top of the rock. The nests of the rock pigeons are just above the rough, irregular-looking pits on the granite.

The situation with the wall was a bit disappointing.It is impossible to dig a hole in this highland, whether it is with a pickaxe or with dynamite, to make a cave for everyone to live in.Here on the coast Pencroft could discover the temporary hiding-place, the "chimney" which everyone now wanted to abandon.It was definitely by accident.

We surveyed and found nothing, and came to the northern end of the rock wall, which is its end.At the end there are some slopes that go down to the beach.This slope looks like 45 degrees, which is relatively steep.The slope is full of large and small stones, thick soil and sand, and some plants grow in disorder on it.There are overgrown shrubs and many unnamed weeds.Granite rocks can also be seen around here, which are sharp corners exposed on the cliffs.In addition, there are lush trees growing on the slope.Facing the hard rock, the plants were helpless and failed to cover the entire rock.A barren, long sandy plain was exposed, no longer covered by green, and the monotonous color of the sand stretched helplessly all the way to the seashore.

From this Cyrus Harding concluded that the waters of the plentiful lakes probably flowed like cataracts from this side.Indeed, the excessive water in the Red River must flow out somewhere.However, in this place, the engineer has not yet found the outlet on the shore of the lake that he has surveyed, from the mouth of the creek on the west to Prospect Heights.

Therefore, the engineer suggested that everyone climb the steep slope that is being inspected together, and return from the high ground to the place with the "chimney", and survey the north and east banks of the lake along the way.

This suggestion was immediately adopted.In a moment, the agile Harbert and Neb climbed to the highest point above.Cyrus Harding, Jardin Splane, and Pencroft, followed closely behind.

Standing on a high place, you can have a panoramic view of the beautiful scenery.Through the foliage, the calm and beautiful lake sparkles in the sun.The slightly yellowed trees stood there quietly, pleasing to the eye.There are a few huge tree trunks that have fallen down due to old age, and the bark has turned black, forming a sharp contrast with the green grass under the trunks.There, a great flock of beautiful white parrots was having a great time, jumping from branch to branch.The chirping of birds is endless.Under the bright sunshine, everything becomes blurred.

We did not go directly to the north bank of the lake, but bypassed the edge of the highland to the estuary on the left bank of the Red River.This detour is not very long, fifteen nautical miles at most.Therefore, it does not take a lot of effort for everyone to walk.Furthermore, the trees are not densely packed, and the distance between the trees is large, which allows them to pass freely.They can also clearly feel that the more fertile areas are here.Although the vegetation here is not very lush compared with the area between the Red River and the Thanksgiving River.

The land was strange to them, and Cyrus Harding and his companions walked cautiously.The only weapons they had were bows, arrows, and sticks with pointed irons.However, after walking for such a long time, no wild animals appeared. Maybe those animals didn't like the sparse forest, but only liked the dense forests to the south.But everyone was soon surprised to find that a huge snake appeared in front of Top. This big snake was fourteen to fifteen feet long.Neb found out, and without hesitation struck him dead with a club.Cyrus Smith inspected the large snake carefully, and found that it belonged to the class of non-venomous snakes, and was a diamond snake.New South Wales is a state in southeastern Australia.Aboriginal people often eat it.Although it was a false alarm, everyone has further raised their vigilance.It is very likely that there are other poisonous snakes in this place, such as the silent adder with a forked tail and standing upright, or the flying snake with a pair of small ears that can rush forward at extremely fast speed.Top was frightened by the snake just now, but he calmed down immediately, and then started chasing and killing these snakes running around. They were so ferocious that people couldn't help worrying.His master had to call it back one after another.

Soon we reached the mouth of the Red River, which is where the water of the Red River flows into the lake.It was recognized from the opposite bank that it was the place they had inspected when they came down from "Franklin Peak".Cyrus Harding noted that the Red River was rich in water and output.To be sure, there must be some place where the water from the lake is drained.It is this drain that everyone is looking for.This is because a waterfall will definitely be formed at the outlet, and everyone can use the mechanical energy of this waterfall to do something.

Everyone seems to be walking casually, but they are not too far away from each other.At first they walked around the very steep shore of the lake.The water was so clear that one could see a lot of fish in it at a glance. Pencroft started to have a whim again and decided to make some fishing gear for fishing.

See that sharp cape to the northeast?Yes, that's it, we have to go around first.It is certain that the spout is exactly this place.For the end of the lake is almost level with the edge of the plateau.Just when everyone thought they had found it, they found that there was nothing.Everyone continued to survey the lakeshore. After the beautiful lakeshore had a slight curvature, it went down parallel to the previous section and extended to the coastal area.

The shore of the lake here is still steep, but the trees are not as dense as before, but there are also a few trees scattered in an orderly manner, making the scenery look more beautiful.Standing on the shore of the lake, you can have a panoramic view of the beautiful scenery of "Grant Lake".There is no wind on the lake, and it is as calm as a mirror.To draw out the various birds, Top slapped the bushes vigorously.And Jardin Splain and Hubbert greeted them by shooting arrows quickly.One of the poor birds was unfortunately shot by a young man and landed in the grass in the swamp not far away.Top rushed over quickly, and in a short while, brought back a beautiful water bird.The bird has dark gray plumage, a short, powerful beak, and a well-developed frontal bone.A crescent border widened the claws, and the wings had a handsome white border.This is a bonetop chicken, about the size of a fat partridge, belonging to the long-toed waterfowl, a transition between waders and webbed feet.In short, it can only be regarded as an inferior game, and the taste will not be much better, but Top is certainly not as picky as its owners, so everyone unanimously agreed to award the bone chicken to Top Pu cook dinner.

There was nothing new to discover, and everyone continued to walk along the east bank of the lake.Before they knew it, they soon reached the shore of the lake that had already been surveyed, but still did not find the outlet.For this reason the engineer marveled, not knowing where the excess water could drain.He made no effort to conceal his astonishment when journalists and sailors chatted with the engineer about the subject.

At this time, Top, who had always been obedient, suddenly became irritable.The clever animal was walking up and down the steep shore, and suddenly stopped to look at the water, and raised one paw.It's like there is an invisible prey in front of you, and everyone can't see it.After a while, Top began to scream wildly, searching for something, and then, for some unknown reason, fell silent again.

Neither Cyrus Harding nor his companions noticed this change in Top at first.But Top began to bark incessantly again, and the barking became more and more frequent, until at last it caught the engineer's attention.

"What's the matter, Top?" asked the engineer.

The dog jumped around its master, then jumped a few times at the master, then rushed to the steep bank, and then jumped into the lake.Everyone felt the dog's uneasiness.

"Come back, Top!" cried Cyrus Harding.Not knowing the water situation, he would not risk his dog.

Pencroft, surveying the surface of the water, asked: "Is there anything going on down there?"

Hubbert replied, "Top must have smelled some amphibian."

The reporter said: "It may also be a blunt crocodile?"

"I don't think so," replied Cyrus Harding. "The crocodile is only likely to be encountered in the lower latitudes."

At this time, hearing the call of the master, Top came to the master's side wagging his tail.However, it still couldn't calm down, and then jumped into the tall grass again.Under the guidance of instinct, it seems to be tracking some invisible creature that is now clinging to the lake shore or lurking in the lake water.But there was still no ripple on the calm lake.Several times, everyone stopped on the shore of the lake and observed it together, but found nothing.There must be some kind of secret hidden there.

In this regard, the engineer was very confused.

"We still have to stick to this survey." He said to everyone.

After about half an hour, they all came to the southeast corner of the lake and stood together on Prospect Heights.So far, the inspection of the lakeshore should be considered over.But engineers have not been able to find out where and how the lake water is discharged?
"However, there must be a spout, I'm sure," he repeatedly emphasized, "it may not appear on the surface, but it must have penetrated into the granite plateau somewhere on the coast!"

"My dear Cyrus, I don't see why it is necessary to find this drain? How important it is to us," asked Jardin Splane.

"Very important," replied the engineer. "The reason is this. If the water flows through the high ground, there must be a cave in it after being scoured by the current. If we divert the water again, the cave can be inhabited." .”

"However, can't the lake water flow away from the bottom of the lake? It can flow into the sea through an underground pipe."

"That may be the case," replied the engineer. "If so, we shall have but one way out, to build our own houses, since nature will not help us."

So, everyone began to prepare to cross the high ground and return to the "chimney".Because it was already five o'clock in the evening, but Top was restless again.It screamed frantically, and jumped into the water again before the owner could stop it.

Everyone hurried to the shore of the lake.The dog was already within twenty feet of the shore, when Cyrus Harding called him back with a loud voice.At this time, a large head suddenly appeared on the water surface, and found that the water in this place did not seem to be very deep.

The large head was conical in shape, with large eyes and a long beard growing around the mouth.Hubbert recognized it at once as an amphibian.

"A manatee!" cried Harpert.

Actually, it's not a manatee.It is called "Dugong, a rare animal in the world, commonly known as a mermaid. It is a cetacean animal. Its nostrils are very special and open on the upper part of the face.

(End of this chapter)