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

Chapter 155 The Mysterious Island (40)
"Sir Glenarvan did not give up. He intended to cross Australia as he crossed America. So he disembarked and came to a farm a few miles from the coast. The farmer was an Irishman and entertained them very warmly. Sir Glenarvan explained to him his purpose in coming here, and asked him if he had ever heard of an English barque, the Britannia, which had been wrecked off the east coast of Australia two years before. .

"The Irishman said he had never heard of the shipwreck. But to everyone's surprise, one of his servants broke in suddenly. He said: 'Thank God, sir, if Captain Grant If he was alive, he would be in Australia." Sir Glenarvan asked: "Who are you?" The man replied: "Like you, I am also a Scot, I am a friend of Captain Grant, and I am also a friend of 'Britain. One of the victims of the 'Nia'.'

"This man is indeed the bosun of the 'Britannia', named Ayrton. To prove the truth of what he said, he also produced his papers. However, after the sailboat was smashed by the reef, he Separated from Captain Grant. Before this he thought he was the only survivor of the 'Britannia', and the captain and other crew members were all killed.

"Later he added: 'The Britannia, which sank on the east coast, did not sink on the west coast of Australia. If Captain Grant was alive, as the letter stated, he must have been captured by the Australian aborigines. , must go to another coast to find him.'

"When this man narrated these things, his eyes were deep and resolute, and his voice was sonorous and powerful. No one would doubt his words at all. The farm owner has hired him for more than a year, and he has not found any bad deeds. He also vouched for him. Sir Glenarvan also believed that he was a gentleman. So, at his suggestion, he decided to continue crossing to Australia along the 37° parallel. In addition, they also formed a team composed of Glenarvan Sir, his wife, the major, the Frenchman, the two children, Captain Mengel, and several sailors, and appointed Ayrton to lead it. Ding's command, sailed for Melbourne, where they were on standby for orders from Sir Glenarvan, and on the 1854rd of December, 12, they set off.

"Now it needs to be pointed out that this Ayrton is indeed the boatswain on the 'Britannia', but he is actually a bad guy. At that time, he had a series of conflicts with the captain, and later led the crew to rebel and attempted to To seize the ship. Captain Grant, who discovered his misdemeanor, left him in August, 1852, to fend for himself off the west coast of Australia, and the ship went on.—Ayrton's due punishment.

"Actually, this scoundrel doesn't know that the 'Britannia' is dead. He just learned it from Sir Glenarvan's story! He has been called Ben Joyce since he was kicked off the ship by Captain Grant. He became the leader of a gang of fugitives. The reason why he insisted that the shipwreck happened on the east coast, and he wanted to lead Sir Glenarvan in this direction, was to let Sir Glenarvan leave his ship, and then capture 'Duncan ', in order to achieve the purpose of turning this yacht into a pirate ship in the Pacific Ocean."

At this point the stranger paused for a moment, and continued in his trembling voice:

"The expedition is set off, and they're going to cross the Australian continent. It's going to be a failure, since it's led by the villain Ayrton or Ben Joyce - whatever it is called - and he's ganging up with the gang of criminals. , let the gang of criminals wreak havoc at the front, at other times behind, and Sir Glenarvan was in the dark about it all.

"At that time, the 'Duncan' had sailed to Melbourne for repairs. Ayrton planned to let Sir Glenarvan order the 'Duncan' to leave Melbourne and sail to the east coast of Australia. There, Ayrton could easily Ayrton took the expedition to a boundless forest very close to the coast, but he was helpless. Then he planned to have Sir Glenarvan write a letter ordering the yacht to leave immediately. The letter to Dufou Bay on the east coast was to be brought by him to the first mate of the 'Duncan', which was only a few days' journey from the expedition's mooring, where Ayrton and the gang of criminals had agreed. This is Ayrton's wishful thinking.

"However, at the very moment when Sir Glenarvan was about to hand him the letter, the villain's crimes were revealed. For this reason, he had to flee. But before he fled, he tried every means to get the letter that would enable him to win the letter. The letter of the 'Duncan' was hijacked. So, two days later, he came to Melbourne.

"The villain's plot has worked so far. He's about to take the 'Duncan' into Dufoe Sound, where the 'Duncan' will easily fall into the hands of criminals. They'll kill Kill all the crew. In this way, Ben Joyce will be the master of this sea... But the merciful God always prevents those evil plans from being realized.

"When Ayrton arrived in Melbourne, he gave the letter to Tom Austin, the first mate, who then ordered to sail immediately. However, the day after sailing, Ayrton discovered that the ship was not bound for the east coast of Australia. Dufoe Bay, but headed for the east coast of New Zealand. Ayrton's disappointment and annoyance can be imagined. He stepped up to stop the journey, and Austin showed him the letter!... Such a coincidence, the letter was written A French geographer accidentally made a mistake, so the destination became the east coast of New Zealand.

"Despite all his best efforts, all of Ayrton's plans came to naught! So he rebelled in a flagrant manner, and instead of succeeding, he was imprisoned. He was then taken to the east coast of New Zealand. His fellow criminals He knew nothing of what happened afterwards with Sir Glenarvan.

"The Duncan cruised this coast until the 3rd of March. All that Ayrton heard that day was the firing of the Duncan's guns. A moment later, Sir Glenarvan and his The partners are all on board.

"What happened next:

"Through all the hardships and dangers, Sir Glenarvan finally arrived at Dufoe Bay on the east coast of Australia and ended his journey. But there was still no sign of the 'Duncan'! So he photographed the Melbourne ship insurance manager Telegram. The call back is:

The "'Duncan'" set sail on the 18th of this month and its whereabouts are unknown. '

"Seeing this telegram, Sir Glenarvan's heart skipped a beat, and he concluded that the yacht of justice had been converted into a pirate ship by Ben Joyce!
"But Sir Glenarvan was a tenacious and brave man, and he was unwilling to retreat. He boarded a merchant ship, and the ship sent him to the east coast of New Zealand. Next, he crossed New Zealand along the 37° parallel, and still did not find Grant. Captain's trace. But to his surprise, also because of God's will, he found the 'Duncan' on another coast, and the first mate had been waiting for him there for five weeks!
"It was the 1855rd of March, 3, and Sir Glenarvan went aboard the 'Duncan' again. Ayrton was imprisoned on board. He was brought before Sir Glenarvan for interrogation. Sir asked Ayrton refused to answer anything about Captain Grant, and Sir Glenarvan told him that he would be handed over to the English authorities at the next port of call. Ayrton still refused.

"The 'Duncan' continued to sail along the 37° parallel. During the voyage, Mrs. Glenarvan also began to persuade the gangsters. Her words finally had an effect. Ayrton was willing to explain what he knew about Captain Grant, but He offered an exchange, that he should not be handed over to the British authorities, but be dumped on an island in the Pacific, which Sir Glenarvan agreed to in order to obtain information about Captain Grant.

"Ayrton then related his story. But he insisted throughout that he had not seen or heard from Captain Grant since he was fired off the coast of Australia.

"But Sir Glenarvan complied with Ayrton's terms of exchange. When the 'Duncan' sailed to Tabor Island, Ayrton disembarked. But a miracle happened, and they were on this island by accident. Captain Grant and two of his men were found, also precisely on the 37° parallel. So the criminal took their place and stayed on this deserted island. When Ayrton left the yacht, Sir Glenarvan gave him The following words were left:

"'Ayrton, here on this island far from any land, you have no communication with anyone. The 'Duncan' leaves you now, and there is no escape from you. Under the watchful eye of the Almighty God , you will be alone. You will not disappear nor be unknown like Captain Grant. You will not be forgotten though your virtue is not worthy of being remembered. Ayrton, I know you Whoever you are, knows where you are. I will definitely remember it!'

"Then the 'Duncan' raised anchor and sailed, and soon disappeared into the sky.

"That day was March 1855, 3.

"Ayrton is alone, but he needs nothing. He has the house built by the righteous Captain Grant, and ammunition, weapons, tools, and seeds. On this small island, he can do as he pleases, and redeem himself by solitude.

"As time went on, gentlemen, he repented, he was ashamed, and he was very miserable! He said to himself more than once that if people came to this island to look for him, he would become a man worthy of the People accepted him! So, he kept working, trying to transform himself! He prayed devoutly, trying to get a new life!
"The first two or three years were spent like this. Every day Ayrton suffered in loneliness and pain. He always looked at the sea, hoping that a boat would appear on the horizon of the island, and always fantasized about his own redemption. His period would soon end. His sufferings were unimaginable! Oh, what a life of isolation for a soul tormented by guilt!
"Maybe God didn't think his punishment enough for a sinner. He felt that he was becoming a savage! He felt that he was becoming more and more savage! He didn't know that his savagery happened two years after he was abandoned." It's still four years later, but he's finally who he was when you first found him.

"You understand without telling me, gentlemen, that Ayrton or Ben Joyce and I are one!"

When his narrative was over, Cyrus Harding and his companions rose to their feet, and it is difficult to describe their excitement!What was nakedly exposed to them was so much unbearable misfortune, pain and despair for ordinary people.

Cyrus Harding spoke at last: "Ayrton, you have done a great deal of evil, but your sins are atoned, and God has forgiven you! He has sent you back to us, and that proves it. Ayrton, God has forgiven you! Now, will you be our friend?"

Ayrton thought for a while, but flinched.

"This is my hand!" said the engineer.

Ayrton rushed at last to the hand offered to him by Cyrus Harding, and great tears fell from his eyes.

"Would you like to live with us?" asked Cyrus Harding.

"Mr. Smith, you'd better give me some time, and let me live alone in the room in the corral!"

"As you please, Ayrton," replied Cyrus Harding.

Ayrton was about to turn away when the engineer asked him one last question:
"My friend, there is one more question. Since you are determined to live alone on the island, why did you throw that distress letter into the sea? You know, it was the letter that asked us to find you."

"letter?"

"Yes, that letter is in a drift bottle, and it shows the exact location of Tabor Island!"

Ayrton touched his forehead, thought for a long time, and finally said: "I never threw a distress letter into the sea!"

"Never?" exclaimed Pencroft in amazement.

"never!"

Ayrton bowed deeply, and went away from the door.

who threw the bottle
"What a pity!" said Hubbert, rushing to the door, and seeing that Ayrton had slipped down the rope and disappeared into the darkness, he turned back to "Granite Palace".

Said Cyrus Harding: "He will certainly return."

cried Pencroft: "Oh, Mr. Cyrus, what is the matter? What is the matter! Ayrton didn't throw the bottle into the sea? Who could it be?"

Yes, yes, this is indeed a problem!
"He must have thrown it," said Neb, "for the poor fellow is half-mad enough to remember."

"That's it, he doesn't know what he's done," Hubbert said.

Cyrus Harding continued: "My friends, this is the only way to explain it, and I now know why Ayrton was able to tell the location of Tabor Island so accurately. Before he was abandoned on the island There had been a series of events, and it was through them that he came to know."

"But if he wrote the letter seven or eight years ago, when he was not a savage, and he threw it into the sea, how is it that the paper is in such good condition, and not damaged by damp?" said Pencroft.

Cyrus Harding said: "It shows that Ayrton's loss of reason was much more recent than he supposed."

"It must be so," said Pencroft, "otherwise the matter would be inexplicable."

The engineer said perfunctorily: "It can't be explained." It seems that he doesn't want to talk about this topic anymore.

"Is it true what Ayrton said?" asked the sailor.

The reporter replied: "Yes, what he said must be true. I still remember very clearly that many newspapers at that time reported on Sir Glenarvan's attempt and the final result."

Added Cyrus Harding: "Pencroft, there is no need to doubt what Ayrton said. For it was cruel to him to tell it. A man cannot tell a lie when he is fully aware of his crime. of!"

The next day, December 12, they were all on the beach, and they came to the heights without seeing Ayrton.Ayrton must have taken up his nights in the house in the "corral" which had been built for him, and it was thought best not to disturb him.Time heals all wounds.

Then, everyone resumed their old life.

One day Cyrus Harding and Jardine Splane were working in the workshop of The Chimney.

Jardine Splane said: "Dear Cyrus, do you know that I disagree with your interpretation of the bottle yesterday! The unfortunate man wrote and threw the bottle into the sea, and he How is it possible to have no memory of it all?"

"My dear Sprine, he certainly did not throw the bottle."

"However, do you think..."

Before the reporter had finished speaking, Cyrus Harding said: "I don't think anything, and I don't know anything! I can only include this incident in the list of events that have hitherto been unable to be reasonably explained!"

Jardine Splane said: "Yes, Cyrus, those things are incredible! The rescue of you, the box that washed up on the beach, Top's strange cry, and finally the bottle... Are these mysteries Can we never unravel?"

The engineer quickly interjected: "It can be untied! It can definitely be untied, but we need to do some more surveys of the depths of the island!"

"Maybe good luck will help us find the answers to these secrets!"

"Luck! Spline! I never believe in luck, nor do I believe that there are any secrets in this world. There is a reason for the so-called secrets that happen here. It's just that I haven't found the reason yet. One day I will It will be found. For now, let us work and observe."

January is here.A new year, 1867, begins.The work of the summer was done by the incessant work.Afterwards, Harbert and Jardine Splane went to look over at the Corral, where Ayrton was doing well in the house prepared for him.Since the large herd was under his care, it was not so laborious for everyone to check in every two or three days.However, in order to prevent Ayrton from feeling lonely, people would visit him from time to time.

Something happened that made the engineer and Jardine Splane suspicious, and it was necessary to keep this part of the island under surveillance.At the same time, if anything happened, Ayrton would definitely go to inform his friends who lived in "Granite Palace".

However, it may also be the case that the incident happened so suddenly that the engineers must be informed as soon as possible, and if the secret of "Lincoln Island" is not involved, it may require the rapid participation of everyone.For example, a passing ship appeared on the sea, a shipwreck occurred on the coast, or a pirate ship came, etc.But how to get the news to Granite Palace as quickly as possible?

Cyrus Harding, therefore, resolved to find a way by which the "corral" could be in contact with the "granite house" at all times.

On January 1, he told everyone about his plan.

Asked Pencroft: "Oh, very well! What are you going to do, Mr. Cyrus? Do you wish to install a transmitter?"

The engineer replied, "Yes, that's it."

Hubbert called out, "Electric?"

Cyrus Harding replied: "Electricity! We have all the elements needed to make a battery, but the most difficult thing is to draw the iron wire. If I can use a wire drawing die, I think it will be easy to do."

The sailor said: "Okay, if it works, then we may hope to ride on the train and travel on the railway in the future."

So, everyone started to do it.

Start with the hardest crafting wire.If making wire fails, other jobs like making battery attachments don't have to be done.

As you know, the iron of "Lincoln Island" is of high quality, and it is very suitable for drawing.Cyrus Smith first made the wire drawing die, that is, drilled a lot of tapered holes of various diameters on a steel plate, and it was through these holes that the iron wire was slender enough to meet the requirements.The steel plate was quenched to make it very hard, and then it was fixed firmly on a frame that was firmly inserted into the ground, and the system was only a few feet away from the waterfall.Engineers harnessed the power of waterfalls again.

(End of this chapter)