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

Chapter 37 Captain Grant's Children (37)
After walking for several miles, Robert Jr. shot a monster. This animal looks like a hedgehog, with a cylindrical mouth, a long pointed tongue, and rich mucus on it. It specializes in eating ants. pregnancy.

"This animal is called an echidna. Have you ever seen it?" This learned scholar also has a lot of research on animals.

"A very ugly one," said Sir Glenarvan.

"Although it looks ugly, it is a rare animal. Except for the Australian mainland, there is no such monster in other places in the world."

Paganel originally wanted to put this monster in the sundry compartment of the bullock cart, but this was strongly opposed by Aubinette, so he had to give up.

On this day, the group continued to walk to a place at longitude 141°30′ east.Until now, they have rarely seen immigrants from other places, and they have never met any local aborigines.

Then a rare spectacle of the region aroused great interest among travelers.They saw that there were tens of thousands of livestock walking here, and the scene was indeed spectacular.In fact, this is a speculative businessman in Australia who drove large groups of livestock from the eastern mountainous area to Victoria Province and South Australia for sale.

At four o'clock in the afternoon, Captain Mengel noticed, three miles ahead, on the horizon, a billowing cloud of dust.Everyone is puzzled, what is going on?Paganel judged that this was a rare natural phenomenon, and he also used the imagination of scientists to make a scientific theoretical explanation.However, Paganel's boundless imagination was blocked by Ayrton's words, because Ayrton said that it was just the dust raised by the herd of cattle walking.

Ayrton was quite right.I saw the cloud of gray smoke slowly approaching, and the travelers soon heard a noise, which included the sound of cattle howling, sheep, horses neighing, mixed with people's shouts, curses, and whistles.

At this time, Jazz and his party saw that a person came out from the dust and fog. He was the commander-in-chief of this mighty livestock army. To be precise, he should be called "Mu Shou".The man's name was Sam Mitchell, and he was coming up to Petland from the Eastlands.Sir Glenarvan stepped forward to chat with this "shepherd" named Mitchell.

Mitchell's army of livestock consisted of twelve thousand and seven animals.These livestock were purchased by "Mushou" from the Blue Mountain Plain.Among the livestock were a thousand cows, 75 horses, and eleven thousand sheep.Mitchell said that these newly purchased livestock are very thin, and now his task is to drive these livestock to the fertile grasslands of South Australia to graze, and raise them up one by one so that they can be sold at a good price , to obtain huge profits.What troubled him was that driving these animals was not easy, and it required persistent patience and perseverance to do it well.So, it is really difficult to make some small money.

These herds of livestock walked slowly in front, and Mitchell continued to tell his life story to the Jazz and his party.He said he had been out of his home for seven months; to drive the cattle he had twenty dogs to watch over them, and thirty helpers, followed by six carts; The destination takes three months.

Everyone praises Mitchell for the orderliness and orderliness of these herds.Mitchell said that the herd walks in order and is particular about alignment.First, the cow is used as the leader, the sheep are in the middle, and [-] people are used to direct the cattle and sheep to walk, and finally the horses are used. The reason for using the cow as the leader is that the livestock like to follow the cattle. Unruly.

Mitchell also explained that it is easy to drive herds in plain areas; but in jungle areas, there are many difficulties; the most annoying time is when encountering storms or turbulent rivers, it is even more difficult to walk.When I arrived here, I overcame many obstacles, crossed many plains, mountains, and jungles, and moved forward mile by mile.

When Mitchell was narrating, the herds had walked slowly for more than half, so he had to run to the front to continue herding.So he bid farewell to Sir Glenarvan and his party, galloped to the horse, and disappeared in a cloud of smoke in the blink of an eye.

Sir Glenarvan and his party continued to walk in the opposite direction from the herd.In the evening, as the sun went down, the party rested at the foot of Tarpo.

At this time, Paganel reminded everyone that this day was December 12, which was Christmas; according to European customs, it was a grand celebration.In fact, Mr. Aubine did not forget this traditional festival.He was already ready to celebrate, cooking a sumptuous Christmas dinner with his own hands.There was venison ham, corned beef, smoked salmon, pastry made of buckwheat flour and barley flour for dinner, whiskey, fragrant tea, and Bordeaux wine.So the travelers sat under their tents, feasting on the festive delicacies, while admiring Mr. Aubinet's culinary skills.

The sumptuous supper was eaten with great gusto, and Paganel thought it even better with some fruit.So, he ran all the way to the foot of the mountain and picked some wild oranges with his own hands. These local indigenous people call them "Maoka pears". It was very choking.Paganel tasted it himself to show that he used the spirit of scientific research to study things, but the result was so hot that he couldn't open his mouth, so that when the major wanted him to tell everyone about the characteristics of the Australian desert , he couldn't speak.

On the second day, December 12, the Jazz and his party walked through the fertile land of the Norton River and waded through the McGenzie River that was about to dry up.It was a sunny day, and the travelers felt that it was not too hot, but rather cool.Paganel explained to Robert Jr. that this is because the south wind blows and the weather becomes cooler, which is the same reason that if the north wind blows in the northern hemisphere in summer, the weather will be cool.

"Actually, it's a coincidence that our weather is beautiful this time. You know, generally speaking, the weather in the southern hemisphere is hotter than that in the northern hemisphere." Paganel continued to explain.

"What's the reason?" Little Robert asked curiously.

"It's very simple! Don't you know that the earth is closer to the sun in summer?"

"Monsieur Paganel, I know that."

"Have you ever heard that the reason why winter is so cold is because of the sun's oblique projection on the earth?"

"Well, I know that too."

"Dear child, so, the reason why the southern hemisphere is hotter is here."

"In this case, I don't understand at all." Little Robert said with a pair of curious big eyes.

"Son, you can think about it! It's winter in Europe now; but we're on the other half of the earth, so what season is it in the Australian continent we're stepping on?"

"It's summer!"

"Well, so, at this time, the earth is closest to the sun, you know that!"

"Well, I see that."

"The southern hemisphere is hotter than the northern hemisphere in summer because the southern hemisphere is closer to the sun than the northern hemisphere during the summer season."

"Yes, my dear Monsieur Paganel."

"So the Earth is closer to the sun in winter, which is the view held by those of us who live in the northern hemisphere."

"Ah! I really didn't think of that." Little Robert replied innocently and straightforwardly.

"My child, you understand now, don't forget!"

In this way, Mr. Paganel gave little Robert a lively and interesting geography lesson.Finally, he also knows that the average temperature in Victoria, where he is now, is about 74°F, which adds up to 23.33°C.

At dusk the party went about five miles from Ronstar Lake and camped.

On the next day the party set off again, and at about eleven o'clock they reached the banks of the Vimaila, at 143°E.

The Vimela is about half a mile wide, and there is no bridge or raft to cross it.Ayrton looked around for a shallow beach where he could ford the river.Later, at a quarter of a mile upstream, he found that the river there was relatively shallow, so he ordered everyone to cross the river here.Ayrton also made a special test. The river here is about three feet deep. When cattle and sheep wade through the river, there will be no danger.

"Is there no good way of crossing the river but here?" Sir Glenarvan asked Ayrton.

"Sir, it's really gone. In fact, I don't think anything dangerous will happen if you cross the river from here!"

"Mrs. Helen and Miss Grant, do you both need to go down the river?"

"It's not necessary, I'll pull on the cow that drives the shaft."

"Well, Ayrton, it's all up to you now!"

Then, these men on horseback surrounded the ox cart and stepped into the river resolutely and cautiously.

The major and two riders were on horseback, looking ahead; Ayrton sat on the ox cart, and steered it carefully; Sir Glenarvan and Captain John Mengel were on the left and right sides of the ox cart. , to protect the two ladies inside; Paganel and Robert Jr. are behind.

When I walked to the center of the river, there was no danger, and I walked safely, and everything was very safe.But when driving to the middle of the river, the river gradually became deeper and submerged up to the wheels of the bullock cart.Ayrton watched the oxen walking unsteadily, and worried that the oxen's feet would not be able to reach the bottom of the river; so he stepped into the river himself, holding the ox horns, and pulling the oxen forward.

However, unexpected accidents still happened.There was only a rattling sound, and the ox carts seemed to have hit something, tilted to one side, and the river water came up to the ladies' ankles.Sir Glenarvan and John Mengel dismounted at once, and tried their best to hold the cart, but could not hold it steady, and the cart floated on the river.

It was still Ayrton who was nimble in his hands and feet, holding the bullock cart with all his strength, and immediately corrected the position of the cart.Slowly, there is a small flat slope at the bottom of the river in front, and the feet of cows and horses can "steadily" touch the ground.In this way, both the ox cart and the rider can cross the river safely.Although the traveler was soaked all over, he was still happy.

But, unfortunately, the front of the ox cart was smashed, and the horse that Sir Glenarvan was sitting on lost the front shoe.Everyone is very worried, how to fix it?When they were at a loss as to what to do, Ayrton offered himself, saying that he could go twenty miles to the north, where there was a black power station, and get a blacksmith to come back and fix it.

"Okay, this is hard work for you! May I ask, how long will it take to go back and forth like this?" Sir Glenarvan asked.

"It won't take long, it will take fifteen hours, it won't be too long."

"Okay, then go quickly! We will concentrate on waiting for your arrival here. Now, let's camp and camp on the banks of the Vimela River!"

explorer's story
Waiting for Ayrton's return was a bit boring, so everyone chatted and walked along the Vimela River, admiring the beautiful scenery along the coast.Travelers have seen many gray herons and flamingos along the river.As soon as these birds saw people, they flew away one after another, making hoarse calls as they flew.Among the branches of wild fig trees or lilies, there are countless satin birds, orioles, flycatchers and windbirds flying around; emerald birds do not fish by the river; The red-headed and red-necked "Roshier" bird and the red and blue "Leli" bird kept making deafening calls on the top of the flowering gum trees.Travelers are intoxicated by the beauty of this piece of nature. Sometimes they stop by the gurgling river, and sometimes they enjoy the beauty of nature on the green grass.

These travelers walked, and without knowing it, covered half a mile.The sky is also gradually getting dark, and people can only rely on the twinkling stars to find out the direction and return from the original road.Naturally, people in the southern hemisphere cannot see the Big Dipper, but only the Antarctic Cross constellation.

When everyone returned to the camp, Mr. Aubine prepared a delicious dinner in the tent.So everyone sat down to eat.The delicacy for dinner was a pot of parrots, which Wilson had hunted.After careful cooking by the chef Aubine, it has become a delicacy with complete color, aroma and taste.As you can see, it is a pity to miss the beautiful night view here.So, after the meal, everyone did not go to bed to rest, but chatted in a circle.Mrs. Helen suggested that Mr. Paganel, a scholar, should tell everyone the story of great travelers who went to Australia to explore.Everyone supported the proposal, including Paganel.So this erudite geographer, relying on his profound knowledge and super memory, talked eloquently and vividly.

"My friends, including the major, should remember the more than 50 travelers I listed on the 'Duncan'. However, there were actually only four of these travelers who explored deep into the Australian interior. These four were Burke, Makinley, Landsboro and Stuart. They crossed the Australian continent from south to north, or along the direction from north to south. The time of their exploration is: 1860 and 1861 Cypress Clarke, Makinley in 1861 and 1862, Landsboro in 1862, and Stuart in 1862. Of these two, Makinley and Landsboro, I will briefly mention Makinley traveled from Adelaide to the Gulf of Carpentaria; but Landsborough traveled from the Gulf of Carpentaria to Melbourne. Both were commissioned by the Australian Commission , to find Explorer Burke's.

"I will now tell you about the adventures of two explorers, Burke and Stuart. These two were brave and fearless explorers.

"On about 1860th August 8, Robert Burke was originally a retired soldier on the Castlegate Metropolitan Police patrol. At the encouragement of the Royal Society of Melbourne, he set out from Melbourne with eleven explorers The eleven explorers are the well-known astronomer Wells, the botanist Dr. Berklear, Gray, some young Indian military officers, such as Ginger, Langdale, Burrah, and several others. Indian soldiers. In this expedition, they carried a total of 20 horses, 25 camels, plus eight months of rations. The expedition plan was to walk along the Cobb River until it reached the northern Kabentali At the beginning, they crossed the Murray River and the Darling River smoothly, and arrived at Meninty Station, the northern border city of the colony.

"When the expedition team went there, because the luggage carried by the team was too heavy, the commander of the team, Burke, had a bad temper, which caused differences of opinion among the members, and there were conflicts and divisions. As the leader of the camel team ——Langdale, and several Indian soldiers sneaked away from the expedition and returned to the original Darling River. Burke still continued the expedition. Three months after they set off, that is, on November 11, They reached the banks of the Cobb River, where they established the first grain storage station.

"Here, the expedition team couldn't find a way to continuously replenish the water source for the journey, so they stayed on the banks of the Cobb River for a long time. After that, the expedition team went through hardships and arrived at a place where they Call that place 'Wilsburg', and set up a staging station there. Here, Burke divided the expedition into two teams, a small team led by Brahe, in this Wellsburg Stationed for three months, responsible for waiting for the return of another expedition; the other small team has four members: Burke, Gray, Ginger, and Wells; these four people continued to explore after a little reorganization.

"Considering the journey to be six hundred leagues in all, this other little party under Burke took six camels in all, and three months' provisions. The provisions were two quarts a quart. , about fifty kilos. of rice and buckwheat flour, three quarts of flour, one quart of bacon and bacon, one quart of dried horsemeat, and thirty kilos of biscuits.

"Burke led these four people and set off in this way. They crossed the desolate gravel area with difficulty and arrived at the River El. That place was the farthest place reached by the explorer Stuart in 1845. After that, they Try to follow the 140° east longitude line and continue exploring northward.

"On January 1th, these four people arrived at the Tropic of Capricornus, where there was a tropical desert, the sun was shining brightly; there was no water to drink in the desert, and occasionally encountered some storms, they felt cooler and more comfortable ; Occasionally, they also encountered a few local aborigines, but nothing dangerous happened. Because there were no rivers or mountains to hinder this expedition, it was not too difficult, and the journey went smoothly.

"On January 1, these four people arrived at Fobo Mountain and Lianshan Mountains. These mountains are all granite mountains, so it is very difficult to climb. In that place, it is very difficult for people to walk, and it is even more difficult for camels. It was because they were too tired to move forward. So much so that Burke wrote in his travel diary: "I have been circling in circles in the mountains, and the camels were sweating profusely!" However, these four people still relied on tenacious willpower With courageous and tenacious spirit, finally climbed these two mountains, and successfully reached the banks of the Turner River. After that, this small team went to the upper reaches of the Flinders River; seeing the Flinders River It flows directly to the Gulf of Carpentaria, and the banks of the river are covered with eucalyptus and palm trees.

(End of this chapter)