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

Chapter 35 Captain Grant's Children (35)
"Okay," said Sir Glenarvan, "now, let's discuss together how we should act next. Ayrton, if you have some suggestions for our actions at this time, we sincerely appreciate grateful."

"Dear Sir, thank you very much for your trust in me. Living here, I know more or less the customs of the local aborigines, if you need my help..."

"Of course we need you," Ser Glenarvan added.

"Actually, my thoughts are the same as yours." Ayrton continued, "From these letters, it can be learned that Captain Grant and the two sailors must have escaped the shipwreck. However, there is no news about them now. This can only mean that they have never been to the British colonies. Therefore, I also guess that they were all taken as slaves by the local aborigines in the same situation as me."

"Ayrton, everything you say is exactly what I want to say," Paganel immediately echoed. "In the letter, they say that they have been robbed by the natives. However, do they also agree with me?" You, too, were taken north of the 37° line?"

"Sir, your statement is very likely." Ayrton added, "You know, the aborigines in Australia have always been very hostile to Europeans. Therefore, these aborigines seldom live in areas ruled by the British. "

"However, it is too difficult to do exploration work in the vast land of Australia!" After Sir Glenarvan finished speaking, he didn't know what to do.

At this time, the hall was silent, and everyone was silent.Mrs. Helen looked at everyone's expressions, and saw that everyone was thinking, but no one said anything.Even Paganel, who always liked to speak, was silent at this time.And Captain John Mengel walked anxiously in the hall, not knowing what to do next.

"Dear Mr. Ayrton, according to your opinion, what do you think we should do next?" Mrs. Helen broke the silence first and asked Ayrton.

"Ma'am, if I were you, I should go back to the 'Duncan' first, and then sail the ship to the place where the accident happened. After observing the local situation, I will make a decision." Ayrton said briskly.

"That's a good idea. But this operation can only start after the 'Duncan' is repaired." Sir Glenarvan added.

"Ah! What! Your ship is broken?" Ayrton was very surprised.

"That's right!" said Captain Mengel.

"Is that serious?"

"Well, it's not serious. It just needs some special tools to fix it. But it was not prepared on board. There is also a propeller that is bent. It seems that it can only be repaired in Melbourne."

"If you hoist the sails, won't you be able to sail?"

"Of course. But if there is a head wind, it will take time to sail to Dufing Sound. But now, no matter what, the ship must sail to Melbourne."

"Now, let the boat go to Melbourne!" Paganel said loudly, "We can also go directly to Dufoe Bay by land instead of taking the boat."

"How to walk?"

"Just follow the 37° line."

"What about your 'Duncan'?" Ayrton asked with great concern.

"We'll see what happens there. The 'Duncan' can pick us up at Dufford Bay, or we can go back and find the 'Duncan'. If we can find Captain Grant during this journey, we'll go to Melbourne together; if If there is no harvest, we will walk to the seaside and let the "Duncan" meet us. How about this plan? Major, do you have any objections?"

"I'm fine with it," said Major McNabbs, "if we can cross the land of Australia, of course I'm for it."

"Of course we can. This time, I suggest that Miss Grant and Mrs. Helen go with us."

"My dear Paganel, stop joking here," said Sir Glenarvan.

"Dear sir, I really don't have time for jokes. This time, we have traveled about 350 miles, not much more. If we can walk twenty miles a day, in less than a month, we can reach The destination is here. If we go to the north of 37° this time, the range will be very wide. We may have to traverse the scorching hot desert and do things that the bravest explorers have never done. It is really risky. Life is in danger. But the 37° line we are going to pass through the province of Victoria, which is under the jurisdiction of the United Kingdom. There are roads and railways, and there are many residents living along the way. If you are willing, you can take light Horse-drawn carriage or four-wheeler. Traveling here is as easy as traveling from London to Edinburgh."

"But what shall we do if we encounter a ferocious beast?" asked Sir Glenarvan.

"My God! There aren't any man-eating beasts in Australia!"

"But what should we do if we encounter some wild and brutal natives?"

"There are no aborigines living in this latitude at all; if there are any, they are not as barbaric as the aborigines in New Zealand."

"What if we encounter some criminals who were exiled here by the British government and who were exiled to Australia to do land reclamation or hard labor. What should we do?"

"In the southern part of Australia, there are no exiled prisoners at all; these criminals only exist in the colonial areas in the east. You know, the province of Victoria now expressly prohibits all prisoners from entering the country, and has also enacted a law specifically to require other provinces The exiled prisoners cannot come here. Moreover, this year, the provincial government of Victoria Province also notified the Peninsula Shipping Company that if the company's ships are found to be refueling at some exile ports in the west, it will immediately stop any assistance to the company. This news, you, the Englishman "Englishman", refers to the British in the broad sense, but in the narrow sense, it refers to the people of the island of England; here, Paganel is talking about the British in the broad sense, But Jazz replied in a narrow sense. He didn’t even know anything about it!”

"You know, I'm not English either!" Sir Glenarvan immediately corrected Paganel's mistake.

"Just now, what Mr. Paganel said is very correct. Not only Victoria Province, but even Queensland in southern Australia, and Tasmania, no exiles are allowed to enter. Moreover, since I I haven't seen any exiles since the establishment of this manor."

"I really haven't seen it either," Ayrton added.

"My friends! All is at ease now! There are no ferocious beasts here! There are no savage natives! And there are no outlaws. Even in Europe, such a good place is rare. You agree Action this time?"

"My dear Helen, what's your opinion?" Sir Glenarvan asked his wife.

"My dear Edward, I agree with everyone else," said Mrs. Helen. "Now, let's set off!"

Australian Overland Tour
Sir Glenarvan was a man of decisive action.Whatever is decided, he takes immediate action.So he adopted Paganel's suggestion, decided to set off on December 12, and told everyone to prepare for departure.

But will this trip across the Australian continent find Captain Grant?Everyone can't tell clearly, and no one dares to swear that it will be successful.Although there are risks, everyone still believes that this action can get more clues about Captain Grant.Moreover, the jazz and his party all believe that if Ayrton is willing to go with them this time, they can lead everyone through the Victoria Forest and reach the east coast smoothly.In order to invite Ayrton, Sir Glenarvan asked Paddy Ormore, the farmer, for his opinion.

At the beginning, Omor did not want such a good worker to leave, but in the end he allowed Ayrton to leave.

Sir Glenarvan, having obtained the consent of the manor, said to Ayrton,
"Mr. Ayrton, would you like to accompany us to visit Captain Grant and the crew of the 'Britannia'?"

Ayrton was silent at first, but after a moment of reflection, began to say:
"Sir, yes, I am willing to go with you. I think that even if you can't find Captain Grant, you can still bring you to the place where the accident happened."

"Ayrton, thank you very much." Sir Glenarvan said excitedly.

"Sir, I have one more question," said Ayrton.

"My friend, tell me!"

"Where shall we meet the 'Duncan'?"

"It depends! If we don't need to go the whole trip, we will go to Melbourne and wait for the 'Duncan' to come. If the situation requires us to go all the way to the east coast, then we will wait for the 'Duncan' on the east coast. No'."

"What about the captain of the 'Duncan'?" asked Ayrton again.

"We ordered the captain to wait for instructions in Melbourne."

"Good! Sir, trust me!"

"Ayrton, I trust you so much!"

Everyone was very happy to see that Ayrton was willing to go with him, and expressed their sincere thanks.Especially the siblings, Mary and Robert Jr., were even more moved.After that, Sir Glenarvan asked the owner of the manor, Paddy O'Moore, to provide horses and other means of transportation after letting the good general Ayrton go. He also discussed with Ayrton the time and location of the meeting.

So Jazz and his party returned to the ship in a hurry, ecstatic to find the clue of Captain Grant.These distant seekers thought that if all goes well, Captain Grant will be found in about two months, and they will return to Scotland together on the "Duncan".

Captain John Mungle was very much in favor of Paganel's proposal to cross the Australian continent.He originally thought that he could go with everyone, but Sir insisted that he stay on board.Not reconciled, he put forward various reasons, saying that he must be by the side of Sir Glenarvan and Lady Helen, and that he would be of great help and provide a lot of help if he went; if he stayed on the ship, it would be really useless The land of martial arts.He gave many reasons, but there was one reason that Sir Glenarvan knew very well, and that was Captain Mengle's desire to be with Miss Grant.

"My dear John, if you are not on board, will you be assured that the first mate will take your place?" Sir Glenarvan asked.

"Perfect rest assured!" said Captain Mengel. "Your Excellency, you must know that Tom Austin is a skilled and good sailor, obedient to orders and conscientious in his duties. He is perfectly capable of running the Duncan to the agreed Destination, and can also repair the ship. So you can trust him as much as you trust me."

Sir Glenarvan smiled knowingly: "John, you have said so. That's fine, just go with us! If you can be present when we meet Miss Grant's father, all of this will be too great All right!"

"Your Excellency...um..." Captain Mengel replied vaguely.

So, on the second day, Captain Meng Geer ordered several sailors and carpenters on the ship to carry food and other supplies to Paddy O'Moore's farm, and discussed with the owner about the means of transportation.

Omor's family is waiting for their arrival and is ready to provide assistance at any time.

During the discussion between the owner of the manor and the men sent by Meng Geer, they agreed on one point. The ladies sat on the ox carts, and the men sat on the horses. The owner could provide these ox carts and horses.

The ox cart provided by the owner of the manor is a large trailer about twenty miles long; it is covered with a large leather canopy, and the wheels are made of four logs without spokes inside. There are no hoops.The shaft was about 35 feet long, and six oxen could be hitched to it, pulled side by side.

Since this kind of bullock cart is not equipped with springs, it is not very comfortable to sit on, so everyone has to make up for it.Captain John Mengel was ingenious, trying to make the environment and decoration of the car better.So, he used a piece of wood to divide the carriage into two parts.In the second half, food, luggage and some cooking utensils in Obiny are loaded; in the first half, it is reserved for two ladies.The carpenter on board was also ingenious, transforming the front half of the carriage into a small room.There are thick blankets on the floor of the carriage, two beds are placed on it, and some washing equipment and supplies are placed.Leather curtains were hung around the carriages to protect against strong winds and severe cold at night; when it rained, men could shelter inside.Usually, when these men are resting, they mainly set up tents.

Traveling men walk in horses.There were eight gentlemen on the trip: Glenarvan, Major McNabbs, Paganel, Robert Jr., Menger and Wilson, Mulady, and Aubinet.Because Aubine was not good at riding and was willing to stay in the carriage, he prepared seven horses for the remaining seven men to ride.

On the grassland of the manor, the well-fed cows and horses immediately gathered when they heard the yelling when they set off.

After these preparations are done, the Irish host family needs to return to the Jazz.So Captain Mengle led the family to the "Duncan", followed by Ayrton.

Sir Glenarvan saw the family coming, welcomed them with joy, and gave them a feast on board.Paddy O'Moore kept admiring the ship's furniture and cabin decorations.But Ayrton on the side didn't take it seriously, thinking it was a waste, and didn't show a look of praise.

But the former bosun of the "Britannia" carefully inspected the "Duncan" with a sailing eye.He looked carefully at the inside and outside of the ship, up and down, and also asked about the ship's mechanical power and coal consumption with great concern. He also looked at the granary and coal bunker.He was particularly concerned about the weapons bays, and inquired carefully about the range of the cannons in the bow.At last, after taking another careful look at the span and the mast, he said at last;
"Sir, it's a fine ship!"

"Yes, a well-built and sturdy ship!" said Sir Glenarvan.

"By the way, what is the tonnage?"

"There are 210 tons!"

"I guess the 'Duncan' can do fifteen miles an hour if it's running at full power, right?"

"It's still close, if you can run seventeen nautical miles, it's very correct!"

"Ah! Seventeen miles!" the bosun exclaimed in amazement. "In this way, its speed can surpass any warship; even the best warship can't catch up with it, can it?"

"Yes, that's right! Its speed beats every galley!" interposed Captain John Mungle, "but the Duncan is a real yacht. No matter what kind of race she's in, No one is left behind on this yacht."

"It's also faster than the other boats if it's just using sails, isn't it?"

"Yes, exactly!"

"Ah, my lord! And you, my dear captain!" said Ayrton, "now that you have such a fine ship, accept the congratulations of a skilled sailor!"

"Ayrton, thank you very much!" Sir Glenarvan said, "Actually, if you wish, you can choose to work on this ship, and you can treat this ship as your home."

"Sir, I will consider your proposal slowly." Ayrton replied succinctly.

After a while, Mr. Aubine came up and said to Sir that the banquet is ready and please have dinner in the dining room.Sir Glenarvan greeted the guests and walked towards the cabin together.

"I think this Ayrton is really a very clever man." Paganel couldn't help saying to the major.

"Well, some of them are too clever!" Major McNabbs muttered involuntarily.He felt that there was something wrong with this person, but he couldn't say why.

During the banquet, Ayrton talked about the familiar Australian continent, and described it vividly and interestingly. He also asked how many sailors Sir Glenarvan planned to take to complete the trip to the Australian continent.Ayrton was amazed when the Jazz said they planned to take only two sailors, Wilson and Mulady.He persuaded the jazz that it was best to take all the good sailors on board, and insisted on this requirement firmly.The major looked at his behavior, but he dispelled a trace of doubts about him.

"Why so many sailors?" asked Sir Glenarvan eagerly. "Is this journey across the continent of Australia dangerous?"

"There's no danger!" Ayrton said hastily.

"Since this is the case, more people should be arranged on the 'Duncan'. Because the ship needs a lot of manpower to sail, and repairs need the help of manpower. The most important thing is that the 'Duncan' must be on time. The place where the two teams can meet together. Therefore, there should be more sailors on board, and we can’t transfer them any more.”

This Ayrton seems to know the Jazz's determination, so he is no longer stubborn.

When the sun was about to set, the Scots and the Irish shook hands and said goodbye.Ayrton and the Omor family returned to the manor together.

The departure time was set at eight o'clock the next morning, and all the carriages and horses were ready.

Mrs. Helen and Miss Grant quickly packed all the long-distance luggage.But our scholar Paganel is blah blah blah.He first removed the glass on the large telescope that he carried with him, then wiped and wiped it repeatedly, and tightened the screws tightly, tossing like this for most of the night.Therefore, when the major called him to get up at dawn the next morning, he was still asleep and would not get up.

Before setting off, Captain John Mengel asked someone to send the luggage to the manor.Then a small boat was sent out, and all the visitors were on it, and they all sat down one by one.Before the boat was rowed, after explaining everything to Tom Austin, Captain Mengel specially asked him to remember that he was waiting for Sir's order in Melbourne, and this step must be carried out without any mistakes.Finally, he got into the boat.

Amidst the sound of blessings and farewells from the crowd, the boat left the big boat and approached the coast in about 10 minutes.An hour later, Jazz and his party came to the farm of Irish manor Paddy Ormore.

The Irish manor had all the work done.

(End of this chapter)