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

Chapter 24 Captain Grant's Children (24)
In this way, everyone returned to the inn angrily.At dinner time, everyone didn't eat well.These brave and enthusiastic people did not regret that they had suffered so much in vain, let alone risked their lives so many times; everyone felt regretful that their hopes had been shattered, so they felt helpless and melancholy.Everyone thought again, can we still see Captain Grant in this Tandil area?It seems that this hope is impossible to realize!Moreover, if you want to know a little news about Captain Grant, you can only go forward and reach the agreed place-Medano Point, and meet the people on the "Duncan" ship without any gains.

At this time, Paganel proposed to Sir Glenarvan that he should see for himself the three letters recording the unfortunate shipwreck.Although Paganel looked unhappy, he still studied it seriously, trying to find a new way of interpretation, hoping to find new clues from it.

"This letter really couldn't be more clear!" Sir Glenarvan repeated again, "Look, the time, passage, and place where Captain Grant's ship sank are all clear!"

"Oh, not necessarily, it's really not necessarily!" The geographer slammed his fist on the table and replied loudly, "Really not necessarily. Now Harry Grant is indeed not in the Pampas area, which proves that he He is not in America, so where is he? If you read these three letters carefully, you should know the information to tell us. My friends, I must analyze it and find out this clue; otherwise, you will not call me Jacques Paganel!"

Monstrous flood
Fort Independence, where the Jazz and his party are located, is only 150 miles away from the Atlantic coast.If it is not delayed by any accidents, and these accidents are rarely likely to happen, the Jazz and his party will continue to walk, and they will be able to rendezvous with their friends on the "Duncan" in about four days, but there is no gain What's the point of rendezvous?The more Sir Glenarvan thought about it, the more he felt resigned.He was still thinking about it the next day, and his despondency prevented him from giving the order to start.It was Major McNabbs who ordered everyone to prepare horses and rations, and make a plan for the itinerary for the next few days, replacing Sir as the commanding task.At eight o'clock in the morning the party of travelers descended the lower slope of Mount Tandil, which was covered with grass.

Sir Glenarvan whipped the horse to haste, but his disappointment kept him silent.Behind him is Robert Jr.The boy felt a splitting headache and a racing heart because of his stubbornness, and the pain of failure was tormenting him.Paganel turned over the three letters in his mind, pondered and mulled over them word for word.Takaf also didn't say a word, letting "Taojia" gallop ahead, leading the team to gallop forward.Only the major still looked relaxed and at ease, as if he didn't know what it was to be downcast.

The others, Austin and the two sailors and the master, were troubled and preoccupied.Suddenly, a timid hare jumped from the front of the team.The two sailors subconsciously realized that something was wrong and looked at each other.

"That's unlucky!" Wilson said.

"Well, if it's on high ground, it might be a bad omen!" said Muradi.

"It's a bad omen when the rabbit runs on the Highlands; it's definitely not a good omen here!" Wilson said solemnly.

About noon the procession traversed the sloping hillside and entered the great undulating plain stretching as far as the eye could see.On the plains, travelers saw criss-crossing streams feeding the fertile land.The shadow of the last peak on the pampas prairie disappeared behind the line.On this lush grassland, the horse's walking pace is much lighter.

Before this day, the weather was sunny; but looking at the sky today, I feel that it is about to change.The high temperature for several days caused a large amount of water vapor to condense in the sky, forming large dark clouds.This is a sign of the coming rainstorm!Moreover, this area is on the Atlantic Ocean, and the northwest wind often blows, so the air is humid.However, on this day, the dense dark clouds did not rain, and the traveler walked smoothly.The horse ran briskly, and in the evening, it had already run for about forty miles, and stopped beside the deeper "Kana Da".This "Kanada" is a local language, which means "a large natural puddle"; since there is no shelter from the wind and rain nearby, everyone can only use the "canopy" as a tent and as a bedding.

In this stormy night, everyone fell asleep peacefully.These storms appear to be coming soon, but in reality they are long overdue.

On the second day, the terrain of this plain became lower and lower, and the humidity of the air became heavier and heavier. The travelers also saw that there were countless swamps, large and small, in front of them.Every time the horse took a step, there were deep, shallow, or forming ponds lying in front of it, blocking the journey to the east.Some clear-cut ponds are relatively easy to deal with, but the most dangerous ones are the flowing mud nests hidden under the grass.If one step is not careful, both people and horses will sink.

Often, in these muddy nests, countless tragedies that killed both humans and animals occurred.Little Robert, who was walking ahead, suddenly reined in his horse and turned his head, and shouted loudly to Paganel behind him:
"Monsieur, my dear Monsieur Paganel! Look, there is a huge forest with horns ahead!"

"What!?" said Paganel, "a forest full of horns?"

"That's right! It's densely packed with horns!"

"Dear child, you are not dreaming!" Paganel shrugged his shoulders and said questioningly.

"No, sir, I really am not dreaming! Come see for yourself, it is so strange, how can there be a field with horns? And these horns are as long as wheat! If I can get seeds, I really want to You can get it back and plant it!"

"It seems that the boy must have discovered something," the major added.

"Mr. Major, I invite you to go up and have a look!"

Little Robert was not talking in his sleep. We walked forward for a while, and saw that there was really a oxhorn forest.Moreover, this ox horn forest grows neatly, a large area, with no edge visible at a glance, like a small forest, low and densely packed, it is really strange!
"Look, I'm not lying!" said little Robert.

"It's incredible!" Paganel said, then turned to Tarcaf, wishing he could explain it to everyone.

"The horns are out, which proves that the cow must have been buried!" Tarcaf explained.

"According to what you say, there is a large herd of cows all trapped in the mud and unable to get out?" Paganel exclaimed in shock.

"Yes, it should be!" added the Patagonian.

Indeed, there must have been a large herd of cows who were all trapped in this soft and muddy land when they stepped on it.In this way, more than 100 well-behaved cows were squeezed into a pile at once, and all of them were suffocated to death in the mud.Tarcave knew very well that this kind of thing often happened on the plains of Argentina.When the jazz team circled the dead cow beach, it took a full hour to throw the dead cow beach two miles away.

The guide Takaf looked around while walking, his expression was very anxious, and he always felt that something ominous and big would happen.He walked and stopped, got off his horse from time to time, stood on top of the stirrups, and looked into the distance, but he still didn't see anything important, so he had to sit on the saddle again and continue driving.But after continuing to walk for a mile, he stopped again, suddenly left the straight line of the team, and walked north and south.But after walking a few miles, he led the group again and walked back to the straight line.He did this, but he couldn't give a reason, and everyone didn't know what he was afraid of or what he expected.But he was going on in circles like this, which bewildered Paganel and disturbed Sir Glenarvan.The Jazz couldn't bear it anymore, so he called Paganel and asked Tarcaf, what happened?
After Paganel's inquiry, he informed Sir that Tarcaf was very surprised to find that the plain was soaked with water.In his career as a guide, he has never been to such a wetland here. Even in the rainy season, there are dry roads to walk on the Argentine plains.

"What caused the earth to be soaked with water here?" Paganel asked Tarcaf.

"I don't really understand that," Tarcaf went on, "and, even if I did..."

"Here, when the rain is abundant, won't the water in the mountain streams flood?"

"Sometimes there are floods too."

"Is there any sign of a flood?"

"Maybe!"

Paganel did not continue to ask, but conveyed the content of the conversation to Sir Glenarvan.

"What does Tarcafe think we should do now?" asked Sir Glenarvan.

"What shall we do?" Paganel continued.

"There is no way, the only way is to go!" Tarcaf replied.

But this is easier said than done.The horse sags as he walks on this wet ground, and the more he walks the more tired he becomes.Looking at the lower and lower terrain, this area has become an endless depression.You have also seen that in this pot-shaped plain, if a flood occurs, it will become a large lake.Therefore, to solve the present situation, it is best to hurry up and try to cross this area.

The jazz and his party hurried on.But unknowingly, the torrential rain poured down, and there was nothing to cover this area, so it could only let the rain pour down.The traveler is wearing a "canopy", and under the pouring of rain, the "canopy" also flows into ditches; the horse's hooves step on the ground, splashing infinite water.The traveler can only spur the horse, under the pressure of the heavy rain in the sky and the splash on the ground, run forward desperately.

The travelers were all drenched, feeling cold, hungry and tired.It was almost evening when Jazz and his party ran into a dilapidated "hut".Everyone had no choice but to use this dilapidated "hut" as an inn to rest and spend the night.Outside the hut, there was a storm, and the rain was pouring down on the dilapidated roof of the shed, and it was hard to light a fire with grass.But in a humid environment, there is only smoke, no flames, and no heat.In this way, the so-called fire with only smoke is how many times it has been extinguished and how many times it has been rekindled.Everyone could only frown tightly and barely make do with a dinner.Only Major McNabbs, who can adapt to any environment, can smoothly eat that portion of drenched dry meat.Paganel, a true Frenchman, has not forgotten to tell some jokes in this harsh environment.Then his jokes didn't amused everyone.

"It seems that my jokes are like damp firecrackers, they really can't ring!" Paganel could only laugh at himself in this way.

Everyone has no choice but to rest and sleep.However, the attack of the violent wind and rain crackled the walls and roof of the "hut", as if it was about to collapse.The horse outside is worse than the owner inside.They moaned incessantly.But despite the dire surroundings, fatigue kept people falling asleep.Little Robert was the first to fall asleep on Sir Glenarvan's body.Not long after, the other companions in this "hut" also fell asleep one after another, and went to make a date with Zhou.

This night, as if God was blessing them, passed without incident.In the early morning of the next day, the neighing sound of "Taojia" woke up the travelers.Even if the master Takaf is not around, the BMW "Taojia" will always send out the signal of departure on time.Afterwards, the Jazz and his group went on the road again.On this day, the rain was much less, but the land that had absorbed enough water became watery.Along the way, there are muddy mud everywhere.Moreover, the swamps, puddles, and ponds overflowed outwards, forming a large "Barnado", and it was difficult to measure the depth.So Paganel turned over the map here, and he naturally thought of it. There are two big rivers here, and one of them is called the Vifarota River, which absorbs water from the plain on weekdays.This heavy rain has connected the two large rivers into one piece. If the beds of the two large rivers are added together, they should be several miles wide.

The most urgent thing is to get out of this terrible place as soon as possible.Otherwise, if this continues, everyone's lives will be lost.You know, if the river here continues to overflow, it will become a flood, and there will be no place to live!But travelers looked around, but could not find any high ground.

Therefore, everyone can only hurry up and urge the horse to run forward. "Taojia" gallops in the water, and its bravery exceeds that of amphibians with fins; it is like a seahorse galloping in the water, galloping like a fish in water.

However, at about ten o'clock, "Taojia" had a very unusual performance.I saw that it was very anxious and manic, its head was facing the flat area in the south, and it made a long neighing sound, and its nostrils were desperately sucking water.It ran wildly in the water. Although Takaf was not thrown off the horse, it was still difficult to sit firmly on it.Moreover, the foam that spits out from its mouth is bloodshot, which may be because the chewing iron it is biting on has been strangled too tightly.But Tarcaf felt that if he let go of the rein, it would run wildly towards the north regardless of its own body.

"What happened to your 'Taojia'? What happened?" Paganel asked curiously, "I know that the leeches in Argentina are very fierce. Did it get bitten?"

"No!" Tarcaf said.

"I think it may feel that the danger is approaching, so it looks very panicked!"

"What danger could there be?"

"I do not know either."

Although the traveler's eyes didn't notice the danger that the BMW "Taojia" had foreseen, he heard an abnormal sound.They all felt that in the distance, there was a faint surging sound, like a rising tide.At this time, the wind was wet, mixed with dust-like spray; the birds flew through the air quickly, as if fleeing from the danger of catastrophe.The water has covered half of the horse's legs, which should be a harbinger of flood waves.Sure enough, not long after, half a mile away, there was a ferocious uproar, accompanied by the bleating of sheep, the neighing of horses, and the lowing of cows...In an instant, the travelers saw countless livestock flocking. Rolling and crawling, fleeing to the north in a hurry; this panic scene splashed the ground water high, and a wave of waves rose up, just like hundreds of whales churning in the sea.

"Hurry up, everyone! Quickly!" Tarcaf yelled in panic.

"What's the matter?" Paganel asked hastily.

"It's terrible, the flood is coming!" Tarcaf said while urging the horse to go fast, pointing to the north.

"The flood is coming!" Paganel also shouted loudly, and led his companions to follow the direction of "Taojia" and ran towards the north.

The travelers escaped just in time.A great and broad billow, five miles farther south, came with overwhelming force upon the plain.This plain immediately turned into a vast ocean.The original tall grass seemed to have been cut off and disappeared.Only the woody mimosa that was washed away by the waves floated on the water, like small isolated islands on the sea.Obviously, the flood washed away the embankment in the Pampas area, and it is also likely that the Colorado River in the north and the Negro River in the south flooded together to form a wide riverbed.

Watching the white waves attacking the sky, the horse galloped at full speed.Looking from a distance, the water and the sky are all around, and there is nowhere to hide.The horses were frightened by the flood, and ran wildly as if they were dying.A traveler sitting on a horse can only hold on to the saddle bridle that covers the horse.Sir Glenarvan turned from time to time, looking round his shoulders.

"It seems that the flood is coming here!" Jazz thought to himself.

"Quick! Just run faster!" Takaf urged.

The travelers stabbed the horses hard with spurs, urging them to run fast, but the horses' bellies were pierced by the spurs, and blood flowed out; the horses running wildly in the water were tripped over by water plants, stumbled and stood up, and then continued to run. It's poor.The water is still rising, and the rolled waves are like white snow, flying on the waves.Look, the flood is no more than two miles away from this line of travelers.For a quarter of an hour the travelers struggled with the pursuing water.The travelers ran desperately, not knowing how far they had traveled.Calculated at this speed, the running distance is very long.However, the water had slowly risen to the horse's chest, so it became very difficult for the horse to run.Sir Glenarvan, Paganel, and Austin all felt that even if their lives were saved in the flood this time, it was like sinking a ship in the vast ocean, and there was really no hope of survival.Gradually the horse's hooves were no longer on the ground, and the water was now about six feet deep.If this continues, the horse will also be drowned by the flood.The anguish of this line of travelers is indescribable.But in the face of this irresistible natural force, everyone feels small and helpless, and feels that the safety of their own lives cannot be controlled by themselves.

Five minutes later, the horses were floating.They are not running, but swimming in water.The rushing currents pushed the horse and the traveler forward with great force, covering a distance of about twenty miles in an hour.

When the group of travelers felt extremely desperate, Major McNabbs suddenly shouted: "Tree!"

"Where, where?" asked Sir Glenarvan in response.

"There, there!" Tarcaf also shouted.Then he cried, pointing out, about eight hundred yards to the north, that there was indeed a huge walnut tree in the water.

In this regard, the travelers were overjoyed.In a flood, men and horses are irresistibly carried forward by the rapids.Suddenly, Austin's horse let out a long cry, and immediately disappeared. Austin's eyes were quick, and he kicked off the stirrup immediately, and swam in the water with all his might.

(End of this chapter)