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

Chapter 32 Captain Grant's Children (32)
"Okay," Paganel went on, "well, now I will continue to tell the story of the voyages of the British. In 1686, a ronin leader who made a living hunting buffalo in America, the original text is boucanier, lived in ten European adventurers and ronin in the 3th and 70th centuries. While hunting bison, skinning and selling for a living in the American continent, they also engaged in some plundering business part-time. Later, they were hunted down by Spanish officials, so they were forced to go to sea as pirates, and flibustiers (see note 1699) Together. A person who often haunts the coast. The coast here seems to refer to the coast of America. There is also the most famous one who roams around the South China Sea, called William Danbel. The original text is flibustiers. The famous pirates who ran rampant on the American seas in the 1770th century. The pirates ran to New Holland and made friends with the local aborigines. During the next 1770 years, that is, from 1770 to 3, there was no more pirates in this area. The patronage of navigators. Then in 1773, Captain Cook, the world's most famous navigator, conducted expeditions to the New Netherlands, a new continent. Since then, European immigrants have lived there. In this new continent, Cook The captain made three world-renowned survey activities, the three were in March 1777, 1770 and 3. On March 31, 1769, Captain Cook landed in Australia for the first time. In Tahiti, He clearly observed the astronomical scene of Venus passing through the sun and Venus passing through the sun, which should have happened in 1788. Venus passing in front of the sun disk is a rare astronomical spectacle and has great significance in astronomy. And according to this phenomenon, Human beings can calculate the distance between the earth and the sun.——The astronomical spectacle of the original note. Then he sailed all the way to the west of the Pacific Ocean. There, he landed in New Zealand to survey the area. Then he went to a part of the east coast of Australia He found that there are many kinds of novel plants growing here, so he named the bay "Botany Bay". This "Botany Bay" is now Botany Bay. After that, in 1797, the famous Philip The captain founded the first colony right on York Harbour. In [-], the navigator Bass successfully crossed the Bass Strait..."

"Wow, there are now 24!" Robert Jr. exclaimed.

"Great, it seems that half of the major's gun now belongs to me. After talking about navigators on the sea, I will talk about explorers on land." Paganel continued.

"Mr. Paganel, you are really amazing!" Madam Helen exclaimed, "This is very worthy of recognition, your memory is really beyond ordinary people!"

"It is very strange!" said Sir Glenarvan. "You are always like this..."

"It means I'm careless! Right!" Paganel continued, "Actually, I just remembered some events and the corresponding historical era."

"Twenty-four already!" repeated Robert Jr. again.

"Okay, continue! No. 20 five, is the famous navigator Captain Taos. In 1789, he tried hard to cross the long mountain range on the east coast, and then went deep into the hinterland, but after nine days of continuous walking, He went back to the house and returned to York Harbor along the same road. In this year, Captain Tezzi tried to cross this mountain range, but failed. In 1792, Colonel Paterson, did the same Efforts, also failures... Between 1829 and 1830 Captain Scott surveyed first the Darling and then the Murray."

"Now, there are 36 people in total." Little Robert shouted.

"Very well, then I shall continue," continued Paganel. "By now, we should have mentioned El and Reshard. These two men traveled in 1840 and 1841, and each visited some parts of the country. In 1846, the Gregory brothers and Hepman traveled to Western Australia; Cody reached the Victoria River in 1847; he reached the northern part of Australia in 1848. Immediately afterwards, the famous traveler Stuart successfully crossed Australia. Then between 1860 and 1862, the Dunster brothers, Nelson, Hewitt, Makinley..."

"A total of 56!" Little Robert exclaimed.

"Well, good! You know, Major, I haven't said anything about Gabriel, Bergwell, Stokes..."

"Enough! Enough!" said the major.

"By the way, there are Perrol, Coy, Cunningham, Bennett..."

"Okay, okay, just let me go!"

"Dix, Red, Mitchell, Vickers, I haven't said these, and..."

"Paganel, just stop! There is a saying that you should forgive others and forgive others. This time, our major is willing to admit defeat." Sir Glenarvan said with a smile.

"And now, where is his carbine?" Paganel said proudly.

"Paganel, of course this belongs to you! Although I am very reluctant to give it up, I still have to admit defeat. Your memory is really excellent, and it is simply unmatched!" The major said convincingly.

"In my opinion, no one knows Australia better than Mr. Paganel. Even a small fact, a small place name, Mr. Paganel is so familiar..." Mrs. Helen said with sincere admiration.

"That's not right, a little fact!" The major interrupted immediately, shaking his head in disbelief.

"McNabs, what's the matter, are you still not convinced?" Paganel asked urgently.

"What I mean by this is that in fact, you don't know very well about many small situations in Australia!"

"You're wrong, I know it!" Paganel said firmly.

"I'll cite a fact now. If you don't know it, give me back the carbine!"

"Okay, Major, just tell me!"

"Does your words count?"

"Of course it counts!"

"Okay, then, Paganel, tell me, why doesn't the territory of Australia belong to France?"

"I need to think about this question..."

"Or, let me put it another way, tell me, what do the British think of this territory?"

"Major, this... I really can't explain why." Paganel said dejectedly, with a very annoyed expression on his face.

"Actually, the reason is very simple. Because your compatriot from the motherland, that is, Captain Bodan, heard a sound of frogs when he arrived in Australia in 1802, so he was so frightened that he immediately sailed, turned the bow, and left without a trace. returned."

"Really, why is this!" Paganel said angrily, "You British, do you like to make fun of others like this?"

"I admit now that I was joking, but it's true!"

"What a bore!" said the very patriotic geographer. "Is that what the English say until now?"

"My dear Monsieur Paganel, it is true, and it is still being said. How can you be so ignorant of this simple fact?" Sir Glenarvan answered in the major's stead.At this time, everyone was so amused that they couldn't breathe.

"To be honest, I really don't know this fact. But I still don't believe that there will be such a thing! The British have always said that the French like to 'eat frogs'. Since we French like to eat frogs, but what Are you afraid of frogs?"

"What you said is correct, but the facts still belong to the facts!" The major replied with a slight smile.

Finally, the carbine that had been used as a wager was now back in the hands of Major McNabbs.

waves of the indian ocean
On the third day after this chat, at noon, Captain Mengel had measured the position of the "Duncan" at 133° 37" east longitude, less than 5° from Cape Benoy. From here It can be estimated that about four days later, you can see the shadow of Cape Bainui on the horizon.

Prior to this, the sailing of the "Duncan" at sea has always been smooth sailing.But in the past few days, the westerly wind on the sea has gradually decreased.On December 12th, there was no wind blowing on the sea, and the sails naturally couldn't be bulged, and they all hung limply on the mast.

If the "Duncan" hadn't been equipped with a powerful driving device, it would probably have been floating on this peaceful sea, unable to move forward.

It has been seen that this calm condition may have always been the case.That night, Sir Glenarvan and Captain Mengel talked about it.The young Captain Mengel knew that the coal in the ship's coal bunker was almost exhausted, so he was very worried about the current calm situation.He hoisted all the sails and sails of the ship; hoping to be aided by the wind, even the slightest breeze, to carry on.But all that was done was in vain.

"Dear John, let's not be too blaming," Sir Glenarvan comforted. "It is better to be in a calm situation than to go against the wind."

"Your Excellency, what you said is very reasonable," said Captain Menger. "However, if the weather has always been so calm, it means that the climate will also change drastically. Now, our trade wind belt in the Indian Ocean is in the Indian Ocean. Above, the trade winds are very strong, changing with the seasons, and the direction is uncertain. The direction of the summer trade wind is exactly opposite to that of the winter trade wind.—Original note. Between October and April each year, this This kind of trade wind blows from northeast to southwest. Therefore, as long as this kind of trade wind blows slightly, it will seriously affect our voyage at sea, so I am so anxious."

"John, there is nothing I can do. If this is the case, we can only accept it patiently. Isn't it just a waste of time?"

"Well, that's true. But I pray to God above all that there will be no storm."

"Ah! What's the matter? Is the weather going to change?" said Sir Glenarvan, looking at the sky from the horizon to the sky overhead, but still there was not a cloud in the sky.

"Yes, I guess the weather will change," said the captain. "I can only tell you this, because I don't want Mrs. Helen and Miss Mary to hear it, and worry that they will be frightened."

"Well, thank you, you are very thoughtful, but, did something really terrible happen?"

"Looking at the weather, there's bound to be a storm. There's nothing in the sky right now, but that's just the surface. The barometer has been uncomfortably low for the past two days. Look, it's 27 degrees. Contract 73.09 Centimeters. The barometer column is generally 76 centimeters in height.—Original note. This is a danger warning! I have tasted the taste of a storm in the southern Indian Ocean before. I know its power. This southern Indian Ocean storm , generally produced by the intersection of polar and equatorial winds. Ships are not out of luck in such storms."

"My dear John," said Sir Glenarvan reassuring Captain John Mengel, "it is all right, the Duncan is a very strong ship, with a capable captain and crew. Storms come when they please, and we will Naturally there is a way to deal with it!"

Captain John Mungle's concern was instinctive as a sailor.He saw that the barometer had been going down, and he became concerned.To this end, he took every precaution on board for the storm.

Captain John remained on deck all night.At about eleven o'clock, patches of cloud appeared in the southern part of the sky.Seeing this, Captain Mengel called all the sailors to the deck, and ordered the sailors to lower the small sails, leaving only the mainsail, schooner, foresail and tentail up in the air.Sure enough, in the middle of the night, the wind rose on the sea, and the wind gradually strengthened, reaching a speed of 12 meters per second.In the wind, the masts rattled, the riggings rattled, and the bulkheads rattled.Passengers on board who didn't know before now knew what was going to happen.Major McNabbs, Paganel, Glenarvan, and Robert Jr. all stepped onto the deck out of curiosity, not only wanting to see what happened, but also wanting to help.Before going to sleep, the night was clear and starry and cloudless, and now the clouds were rolling, which was very frightening.

"Is there a hurricane coming?" Sir Glenarvan asked Captain Mengle aloud.

"It's not here yet, but it's coming soon," said Captain Menger.

Captain John Mengel ordered the sailors to furl the constriction under the jib.So the sailors climbed up the rope ladder, and after a lot of trouble, rolled up the lower constriction of the jib, tied it with rigging, and fastened it to the jib.Captain Menger did this in order to preserve a part of the sail surface as much as possible so that he could lower the cruise ship and avoid the ship from shaking from side to side.

After finishing this preparation, Captain Mengel ordered Austin and the boatswain to prepare for the impending hurricane.The ropes of the original mooring boats and the cables of the spars were all taut at this moment.The tackles on either side of the cannon were also well lashed, and the shrouds and backstays were fastened, and the hatches were fastened shut.At this time, Captain Mengel, like an officer in the battlefield, stood on the position of the cannon, standing on the roof of the cabin, facing the sea breeze, and staring at the unpredictable sky above his head.

By this time the barometer was down to twenty-six inches, a rare low.Meanwhile, a storm goggle is an instrument that measures the approach of a storm.The mirrors are filled with chemicals that change color depending on the direction of the wind and the voltage in the air.The storm mirror invented by Nigladi and Zangbola in the British Navy is the best.The color also indicates that a storm is approaching.

At about one o'clock in the morning, Mrs. Helen and Miss Mary, who were in the cabin, risked their lives and rushed to the deck because they couldn't bear the turbulence.At this time, the wind speed on the sea has reached 28 meters per second.The strong wind blows the ropes and shakes violently, and the huge shaking sound resounds in the night; the winches are blown against each other by the wind, and the ropes in the rough rope grooves also make sharp and harsh sounds; Like a cannon, it blows loudly; the sea is rough, and the waves are stronger than the waves.In the ups and downs of the sea, the "Duncan" was also jumping and bumping.

Captain Mengel saw Miss Grant and Helen on deck, went up to them, and begged them to go to their respective cabins to rest.But the howling of the storm on the sea covered the captain's voice, so Madam Helen could hardly hear what he said.

"Is there any danger?" Madam Helen took the opportunity to ask Captain Mengele when the roar of the wind and waves was a little quieter.

"My dear lady, there is no danger. However, you and Miss Grant should not stay on the deck and go back to your cabin to rest."

The captain's pleading tone made Mrs. Helen and Miss Grant almost irresistible, and they both returned to their respective cabins.

After a while, the sea wind became more violent, and the ship's mast was almost bent under the pressure of the sail.The boat floated up and down on the top of the waves, bouncing up and down with the waves.

"Boys, furl the mainsail!" cried Captain Mengel, "and lower the jib and jib!"

The sailors quickly rushed to their posts, hoisted the sail ropes, tightly coiled the sail ropes, and were busy working.At this time, the "Duncan" had tall chimneys spewing thick smoke into the sky; the ship's propellers were sometimes heavy and sometimes lightly beating the waves, fighting bravely against the strong wind and waves.

Sir Glenarvan, Major McNabbs, Paganel and Robert Jr. witnessed the "Duncan" tenaciously resisting the fierce wind and waves, and they were both admiring and disturbed.The four people leaned against the bulkhead, firmly grasped the transverse board, and quietly watched the large flocks of petrels soaring in the strong wind.

Suddenly, there was a deafening noise, which was fiercer than a storm.Listen carefully, the sound is the sound of a violent jet of steam; the steam is not ejected from the vent pipe, but from the fused plug of the boiler; in an instant, the whistle sounded sharply, and the ship suddenly tilted to one side, and stood on the side. Wilson, who was holding the rudder, was knocked down to the ground by the rudder suddenly.Under the attack of an overwhelming wave, the "Duncan" lost control.

"What happened?" Captain Meng Geer shouted, while rushing towards the podium.

"Your Excellency, the rudder has fallen." Austin said.

"Ah! The rudder fell to the ground?"

"Quick, save the machine! Save the machine!" The engineer kept shouting loudly.

In the rickety ship, Captain Mengel rushed to the engine room.I saw a fog in the cabin.The piston plugged in the cylinder can no longer move at this time.The engineer was worried that the boiler would be suffocated, so he immediately closed the valve so that the steam could be discharged from the exhaust pipe smoothly.

"What happened again?" Captain Mengel asked again.

"Oops! The propeller is bent, maybe it's stuck, so it can't turn!" said the engineer.

"Ah! What, it's stuck! Really can't get it out?"

"Yes, I can't open it anyway."

It seems that the propeller can't turn, and it can only discharge the steam.But at this moment, it is not the time to solve the machine failure.In order to fight against the storm, Captain Menger could only use the sails to borrow strength from the fierce enemy in front of him.

After a while, Captain Mengel ran onto the deck again and briefly reported the status of the ship to Sir Glenarvan.After that, he persuaded Jazz to take the other three passengers and sit in the cabin with peace of mind!But Sir Glenarvan always insisted on staying on deck.

"Dear Your Excellency, this is not acceptable! Only the sailors and I need to stay here at this dangerous moment. So, you should go back to the cabin! If the waves sweep you into the sea, the consequences will be disastrous!" Meng Ge Captain Er spoke resolutely.

"Maybe we can help a little by staying here."

"That won't work, sir! Let's go in! Go in! At this critical moment, I still have the final say! So, everyone listen to me and go back to your respective cabins!"

Captain Menger's tone of voice was so tough and resolute that no chance for discussion was allowed.As you can see, the situation is very serious!Sir Glenarvan thought for a while, and felt that it was better to obey the captain's command in everything.After that, he led the three passengers to the cabin of the two female passengers.The two ladies had waited impatiently, and were anxious to know how things were going.

(End of this chapter)