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

Chapter 29 Captain Grant's Children (29)
So, the passengers on the deck and the captain all returned to the square hall together.

Captain Mengel ordered the ship's engineer to fire up the ship so that he could be on standby and ready to sail for the long voyage.

Soon the major was shaved, and the passengers were all washed and brushed, and everyone sat down at the table and gathered around the table together.

Mr. Aubinet put on the table the lunch he had prepared.Everyone gathered around and ate a happy meal.Jazz and his party kept praising the dishes here, which were much better than those game delicacies on the Pampas grassland.Paganel, for his part, doubled every dish, tactfully stating that it was the result of carelessness.

When carelessness was mentioned, Lady Helene immediately asked if the lovely geographer was repeating his old habit.The major and Sir Glenarvan immediately looked at each other and smiled.Paganel on the side was the first to laugh out loud, looking very innocent and cute.After laughing, he said that with his own reputation, he would not make this shortcoming again in future trips.Afterwards, he talked at length about how he painstakingly read the great work of the geographer Cummens; but no one could understand the interesting stories he told, although he told them with gusto and energy.As he talked, the lovely geographer concluded:

"No matter how you say it, even though I was careless, I still didn't suffer a loss. Finally, I got caught in the pit and gained some wisdom!"

"How do you say that, my esteemed friend?" Major McNabbs addressed him.

"Do I need to say more? This mistake not only allowed me to learn Spanish, but also Portuguese. So isn't it a double-edged harvest?"

"In that case, Paganel, then I should really congratulate you, sincerely congratulate you, you have learned two foreign languages." Major McNabbs said.

Everyone also congratulated Paganel one after another, but Paganel kept silent and ate alone without stopping.After that, he joked with everyone while eating.

Between the seats, Sir Glenarvan noticed a little secret: Captain Mengle had been sitting beside Miss Mary Grant, and had always been very attentive and caring to her.The Sir immediately winked at Mrs. Helen, and Mrs. Helen understood and smiled at each other; then, Sir Glenarvan looked at the young couple with loving and caring eyes.Suddenly, he said:
"Dear John, how was your journey along the way?"

"Ah! Your Excellency! Excellent! We have not passed through the Strait of Magellan!" Captain Mengel replied.

"How are you!" Paganel shouted loudly, "you took the opportunity to carry me around the famous Cape Horn while I was not on board!"

"Well, my dear Paganel, don't be sorry that you can't see Cape Horn," added Sir Glenarvan, "you were with us in the Pampas, and you didn't know how to divide yourself." , how can we go to Cape Horn at the same time?"

"Ah! It can't be impossible, but there is always a little regret!" Paganel muttered.

They did not continue to tease Paganel, but quietly listened to Captain Menger's narration of the voyage.He first said that the team first sailed along the west coast of South America and carefully observed all the islands off the west coast, but found no trace of the wreck of the "Britannia".When the ship sailed to Cape Pilar, it encountered a rare tailwind; so the ship continued to sail south until it was near 67° south latitude, bypassed Cape Horn in South Africa, and traveled along Tierra del Fuego , successfully crossed the Lemaire Strait, and continued north along the Patagonian coastline.At this time, they also encountered a strong wind, the same strong wind that Jazz and his party encountered on the Pampas grassland, but neither the people nor the boat were affected.So they drove on along the coast for three days, waiting anxiously for the arrival of the jazz procession in this neighborhood, until they heard the gunfire.During this voyage, although Miss Grant and Mrs. Helen were anxious, they remained calm and calm, which is really admirable.

When Captain Mengel finished his voyage, Sir Glenarvan spoke highly of his performance, and then turned to Miss Grant and said:
"Dear Miss Grant, during this journey, Captain Mengel has always spoken highly of you. You don't feel lonely on board, do you?"

"Ah! How can you be lonely?" said Miss Grant, turning her eyes to Lady Helene and Captain Mengel.

"Ah! Captain Menger, my sister likes you, and I like you very much!" Little Robert shouted first.

"My dear boy, I love you too!" said Captain Mengel, but little Robert's words made him blush, and Miss Mary Grant's too.

Afterwards, in order to break the embarrassing situation, Captain Meng Geer immediately changed the subject and said:
"I have finished telling the voyage experience of the 'Duncan'. Your Excellency, can you tell us the detailed story of your voyage across the American continent, as well as the story of the little hero in front of you!"

Lady Helene and Miss Grant, though both ladies, liked to hear adventure stories.Then, Sir Glenarvan described how the team encountered an earthquake when they crossed the Andes, Robert Jr. disappeared suddenly, fought fiercely with red wolves at night, as well as the outbreak of floods, crocodile attacks, and raging winds. All the thrilling scenes in the movie are told.Finally, he concluded:
"Okay! My friends, let's forget about everything in the past now! What we need to do is to decide on the next step! Let's talk about Captain Grant again!"

So, after lunch, everyone went to Mrs. Helene's small living room and sat around a table. On the table were some plain and colored maps.

"Dear Helen, what I need to say is," said Sir Glenarvan first, "before boarding the ship, although I told you that we hope to find Captain Grant. Although this time we will cross the American continent The expedition did not bring Captain Grant back with us; but the results of the expedition strengthened our confidence in this voyage. To be precise, during this voyage we firmly believed that the accident of the Britannia was not in the On the Atlantic coast, not on the Pacific coast. In short, we misunderstood the content of the three letters at the beginning. All this is thanks to the erudition of Mr. Paganel, who re-studied the letters and carried out a This new explanation has corrected our initial misunderstanding. Now, I invite Mr. Paganel to give you a detailed account so that everyone can understand clearly."

Paganel, a geographer, also did his part. As soon as the jazz finished speaking, he accepted the invitation and began to talk eloquently.He rationally analyzed the correct meaning of the two incomplete words gonie and indi in the letter; and interpreted from the word austral that it should mean Australia (Australia).These interpretations prove that Captain Grant should have left the coast of Peru and returned to Europe. There may be a malfunction in the ship's machinery, so the ship was swept to the coast of Australia by the current in the southern Pacific Ocean.The narration and explanation of our venerable scholar are reasonable and precise; even Captain Mengel, who is usually stubborn, unaffected, and unique in thinking, nodded in agreement after hearing this.

So, after Paganel finished telling everyone, Sir Glenarvan ordered Captain Mengel to convey that the "Duncan" set sail and headed for Australia.

But at this moment, Major McNabbs asked to order the ship to turn around, and before heading east, please allow him to make a small suggestion to everyone.

"Speak, Major MacNabbs!" agreed Sir Glenarvan.

"My suggestion is not intended to overthrow Paganel's conclusion. His interpretation is very reasonable and rigorous, and we should pay attention to it. The following voyages can be used as a basis. However, I have an idea now , before deciding on the next step to set off, whether the three letters can be carefully deliberated for the last time, and a perfect explanation has been achieved, reaching an undoubted perfection." The major said so.

Major McNabbs was known to be cautious and well-planned.At this time, the thing that puzzled everyone was that they didn't know what the purpose of his suggestion was.

"Major, please continue, I am ready to answer your questions!" Paganel continued.

"Actually, my question is very simple," the major continued. "You must know that five months ago, when we were in the Firth of Clyde, when we interpreted these three letters, we always thought that our understanding was impeccable and completely Reasonable. And firmly, there is no other shipwreck site other than the east coast of Patagonia in America. At that time, we did not have the slightest doubt about the interpretation of this content."

"Well, yes, Major," added Sir Glenarvan.

"Afterwards, because of Mr. Paganel's carelessness, he boarded our 'Duncan' by mistake. At that time, he read our three letters, and he fully agreed with our interpretation method, and he always agreed with us to go to South Africa. on the shores of America."

"Yes, that's right," said Paganel.

"But everything that happened proved us wrong!" continued the major.

"Yes, we made mistakes! But McNabbs, you have to know that no one is a saint, so everyone will make mistakes! But the most important thing is that mistakes must be corrected, and we cannot always insist on mistakes. It's stupid to insist on being wrong!" Paganel corrected loudly.

"Paganel, don't worry, wait until I've finished talking! I don't mean to look for it on the other side of America."

"What do you mean, McNabbs?" Sir Glenarvan asked hastily.

"I don't mean anything else. When I say these words, I want you to be very sure that Australia is the accident site of the 'Britannia', just as we insisted that America is the accident site at that time."

"When we were on the American continent, we knew it!" Paganel said.

"Now that I have said that, I still want to tell you, who can guarantee that our trip to Australia is correct? Don't always judge by imagination, these letters 'obviously' mean this today, and 'obviously' mean that tomorrow; if Always thinking about "obviousness" in this way, today's "obviousness" will deny yesterday's "obviousness"; tomorrow's "obviousness" will deny today's "obviousness". 'Obviously' drove us to keep looking."

The major's words were indeed very reasonable. Sir Glenarvan and Paganel looked at each other and had nothing to say.

"So, I make this suggestion," the major continued, "before we decide to weigh anchor and go to Australia, we should make a final verification. We should follow the prompts in the letter, look at the map, and put the 37° south latitude line across. Do a careful study to see if there is any match with the letter."

"It's so easy, it doesn't take much work," Paganel said. "It's also a coincidence that the land at 37° south latitude is actually not very much."

"Then let's observe and study carefully!" the major said while spreading out an English map on the table.Everyone gathered around and listened to Paganel explain according to the diagram.

"As I have said before," said Paganel, "that after passing South America at 37 degrees south latitude, the land is the Tristan da Quenya. I do not think that in these three letters there is a single word that has anything to do with These islands are related."

Everyone read the three letters carefully again, and had to admit that Paganel's explanation was indeed well-founded.Then, everyone continued to look at the map on the desktop.

"Continue to look," Paganel continued, "when this line of latitude passes through the Atlantic Ocean, around the Cape of Good Hope, it enters the Indian Ocean. In this vicinity, the only land is the Amsterdam Islands. Let's compare the three letters to see what exactly .”

Everyone carefully observed the three letters again, and they all saw that no matter whether they were English letters, German letters, or French letters, there were no words related to the Amsterdam Islands.

"Okay, let's look at Australia next." Paganel explained, "When the 37° south latitude line reaches Cape Benoy, it reaches the Australian mainland and finally passes through Dufoe Bay. Obviously, this English The stra on the letter and the austral on the French letter are both reminiscent of Australia (Australia). Things are obvious here, and I don’t need to say more.”

Paganel's powerful analysis received unanimous approval.

"Continue to look down." The major said.

"It's very easy to travel on the map," Paganel continued, "out of Australia, you're in New Zealand. From here, the 'contin' on the French letter is obviously continene (continental) ) meaning. But New Zealand is actually an island, and it is obvious that Captain Grant will not go there."

"Well, there is no such possibility." Captain Meng Geer looked at the letter again, compared the map and said, with a very firm expression of agreement.

"Good! Go on down. There is a vast ocean between the coast of America and New Zealand. At 37 degrees south latitude, you pass a small uninhabited island."

"What island is this?" asked the major.

"Look at the map! There is a small island here called Mariya-Telesa Island. In these three letters, there is no mention of any text related to this island."

"No indeed," agreed Sir Glenarvan.

"Okay, my friends, since this is the case, we should make a decision whether we should go to Australia or not!" Sir Glenarvan said.

"Of course, of course, you should go!" The captain and other passengers said in unison.

"My Captain Mengel, have you got all the provisions and fuel?" Sir Glenarvan then asked the captain.

"My lord, I have everything ready. At Talcahuano I have stocked up just in case. And we shall have plenty of food and fuel when we reach the Cape of Good Hope."

"Okay, now let's set sail and weigh anchor..."

"Now, I'm still a little doubtful," the major interrupted Sir Glenarvan at once.

"Okay, McNabbs, tell me!"

"Now, let's not worry about whether the trip to Australia can be fulfilled. I just propose that it is best to stop for a day or two when the ship passes through Tristan da Quenya and Amsterdam. See if you can find out about it locally. Some news of the accident on the Britannia; besides, this area is passing by, so there is no need to detour."

"This major is suspicious and stubborn by nature," Paganel shouted.

"I know I'm stubborn, but I don't want to waste my energy and go back!"

"Actually, it's not a bad thing for McNabbs to think so." Sir Glenarvan added.

"I have no objection, I also very much agree with it." Paganel defended himself.

"It seems, then, Mungle," ordered Sir Glenarvan, "that we shall proceed to the Tristanda Quenya Islands!"

"Okay, sir, I obey!" Captain Meng Geer turned around and walked to the deck after finishing speaking.

After a while, the "Duncan" left the coast of America, cut through the waves, and sailed to the east of the sea.

Tristan da Quenya

The distance between America and Australia is accurately measured, from Cape Benoy on the edge of Australia to Cape Corinthia on the edge of America. The longitude distance between the two places is 196°. In case thousand 760 nautical miles.The distance from the coast of America to the Tristan da Quenya is about [-] nautical miles.If the "Duncan" is sailing towards the East China Sea without any accidents and everything is going smoothly, Captain Menger expects to complete this journey within ten days.

That night, a westerly wind blew across the sea, which made the "Duncan" move forward briskly on the calm Atlantic Ocean.The smooth sailing at sea made everyone feel very happy, and the interest of chatting came up.While talking, they talked about Captain Grant, as if they were not going to find him who was missing, but to welcome him back.The cabins of Captain Grant and the other two crew members were also prepared.Miss Mary Grant, on the other hand, was in such good spirits that she cheerfully furnished her father's bedroom with her own hands.M. Aubinet had originally belonged to that bedroom, but he vacated it of his own accord, and went to live in his wife's cabin.

Mr. Paganel was still in the No. 6 cabin he had booked, and he kept writing.Day and night, he wrote his travel notes on his journey in the Americas. The title of the travel notes is "A Geographer's Wanderings in the Argentine Pampas Prairie". Word.Sometimes when he was tired from writing, he would change his mind, walk out of the cabin, and chat with everyone on board.Mrs. Helen often sincerely praised his diligent attitude towards learning.

The major also admires this serious attitude towards learning, and often praises him, but he can't help but say a few words:

"But, Monsieur Paganel, don't be careless."

Life on a ship is very pleasant.Sir Glenarvan and his wife are very caring for Captain Munger and Miss Grant, but the Sir and his wife do not reveal their relationship, allowing their relationship to develop freely and go with the flow.

"Dear Helen, think about it, if one day Captain Grant knew about this, what would he think?" Sir Glenarvan asked Mrs. Helen that day.

"I think he must think that Captain Menger and Miss Grant are very suitable. Dear Edward, you say so!" Mrs. Helen replied in this way.

(End of this chapter)