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

Chapter 42 Captain Grant's Children (42)
When night fell, Jazz and his party set up a tent to rest under several eucalyptus trees that had been burned by fire.The few eucalyptus trees that were burned by the fire turned into hollow trees at this time.The trunks are empty from bottom to top, very much like the chimneys of a large factory; although only the bark exists, they are still tenaciously alive.But if the locals and indigenous people still do the bad thing of burning tree trunks, these high-quality eucalyptus trees will always be extinct.Aubinet followed Paganel's advice and carefully built a bonfire in a hollow tree trunk to cook dinner.The guards at night were also arranged, and Ayrton, Muradi, Wilson, and Menger took turns to be on duty until the next morning.

On January 1, the Jazz and his party were still walking in this piece of eucalyptus forest, as if the forest would never end.Fortunately, in the evening, the trees became thinner, and after going on for a few miles, the travelers came across a small plain, and saw some neatly lined houses.

"We've arrived at Samuel!" Paganel exclaimed joyfully. "As soon as we cross this town, we'll be out of the province of Victoria."

"Is it a big town?" asked Mrs. Helen.

"Ma'am, no, this is just a small village, and now it is developing towards the town." Paganel said.

"Can we find a decent inn here?" asked Sir Glenarvan.

"I think I'll find it!"

"Let's go into town, then! I don't think our brave and beautiful lady would be afraid to spend a night in an inn."

"My dear Edward!" continued Lady Helene, "Miss Mary and I have always supported this arrangement. But let us not go too far, because we have to go on tomorrow."

"It won't be very far!" said Sir Glenarvan. "Now, the cows are very tired from walking, so let them rest at the inn! The next morning, they will be able to regain their energy and continue on their way."

Now, it is already nine o'clock in the evening.The moon rose from the horizon, and the silver-white moonlight evenly slanted on the earth through a thin night fog.The jazz and his party stepped on the wide road in the town of Samuel, with Paganel acting as a guide and walking in front; he, an outstanding geographer, seemed very familiar with some things he had never seen before. Following his intuition, he led everyone to Campbell's inn.

Bullock carts were parked in the parking lot; cattle and horses were tied up in stalls and stables, and travelers were accommodated in comfortable rooms.At ten o'clock, everyone gathered around the table to eat.Before dining, Mr. Aubinette, in his capacity as the head housekeeper, inspected the dinner arranged by the inn.During this free time, Paganel took Robert Jr. for a stroll around the town and then came back.During the meal, the two of them finished what they saw in a few words.In fact, neither of them saw anything.

In fact, the careless Paganel naturally did not notice that there was an undercurrent of commotion in this town.People gather in groups, and the more they gather, the more they gather.The crowd was discussing in front of the door, asking each other, and the expression on everyone's face was so nervous.Some people even read the newspaper aloud, and the audience discussed and analyzed it.The uneasiness of the people in the town is actually easy to detect.It's a pity that our scholar, Paganel, didn't notice it.

The Major was different.Although he didn't go far in the town, it can be said that he never left the inn, but he faintly sensed that there was something wrong in this town.So, he couldn't hold back anymore, and hurriedly found Mr. Dixon, the innkeeper.Within 10 minutes, it became clear what had happened.

However, the major did not speak out immediately.After everyone was full, he watched Mrs. Helen and Miss Grant go back to the room to rest. He suggested that everyone stay for a while, and then said:
"Everyone in this town knows who was behind the Sanduster Railroad tragedy!"

"Ah! Arrested?" asked Ayrton hastily.

"Not yet arrested." Although the major felt a little strange about Ayrton's eager questioning, he didn't show it.

"Oh! what a pity!" added Ayrton.

"Which gangster, then, was responsible for this tragedy?" asked Sir Glenarvan.

"Take a look at the paper and you'll understand. The officer's analysis was correct at the time," said the major.

So Sir Glenarvan took the newspaper which the Major had handed him, and read aloud the news:
Sydney, January 1865, 1.It will not be forgotten that in the middle of the night of the 2th of December there was a train tragedy on the Mossanne Line at Camden Bridge, about five miles from Castlegate Station.At 12:29, when a fast-moving night train arrived at Camden Bridge, it suddenly plunged into the Luton River under the bridge.

The Camden Bridge did not immediately close as the train passed.

When the tragedy happened, the train was robbed, and the bridge guard suddenly disappeared, and his body was found half a mile away from the bridge; obviously, this was a tragic disaster caused by gangsters.

After some investigation by the prosecutor, it was confirmed that six months ago, when the detention camp in Perth, Western Australia was about to escort a group of exiles to Norfolk Island, unfortunately, the precautions were not strict, and these exiles slipped away during the escort. .It has been proved that these exiles were responsible for the catastrophe at Camden Bridge.

There were a total of 29 prisoners in this group of exiles.The chief's name was Ben Joyce.This man has always been a vicious and cunning gangster.He did not know what ship he took to reach Australia a few months ago.The government has been trying to track him down, but has never been able to bring him to justice.

I just hope that the residents of all villages and towns, rural immigrants and herdsmen must pay attention to precautions and cooperate with the police to arrest them.If you learn of a criminal, report it immediately to the Governor of the local colony.

colonial governor mitchell

As soon as Sir Glenarvan finished, the major asked Paganel:

"Paganel, look, didn't you say that there are no exiles in Australia?"

"There are escapees who have escaped from prison anywhere. But there is no place where exiled escapees are formally housed. Also, exiled escapees are not allowed to stay."

"But, at any rate, there are vicious exiles here," said Sir Glenarvan, "and I now think that we must not stand still because of this; my dear. What do you think, John?"

At this moment, Captain John Mengel said nothing.He was hesitating, worried that if he didn't continue to search, the Grant siblings would be miserable, but he was also worried that he would encounter criminals if he continued to move forward.Thinking about it, he said:
"I don't think I would be afraid of these scoundrels if we didn't have Mrs. Helen and Miss Grant!"

Sir Glenarvan understood what John meant, and said thus:

"That's right, I haven't stopped looking for Captain Grant. I mean, because there are two female companions, for the sake of safety, we should go to Melbourne first, return to the 'Duncan', and sail by boat Go to the east coast and continue to look for clues about Captain Grant. McNabbs, what do you think?"

"Ayrton will go first, and I should like to know his opinion," said the major.

This time Ayrton was named, and he looked at Sir Glenarvan in front of him and said:

"My point is that we're two hundred miles from Melbourne now; since there are gangsters, it's just as dangerous whether you go east or west. Because the two roads are similar and uninhabited. Moreover, I don't believe that a mere thirty criminals can kill our eight men with live ammunition! Therefore, I think we should proceed according to the original plan, unless there is a better plan."

"Ayrton, your point of view is absolutely correct!" Paganel praised, "We continue to move forward, and there is a possibility of finding Captain Grant. If we turn to the south, it will run counter to the original plan, and the further we go, the farther we will go." And I also think that a few thieves in the district, why should we be afraid? We brave people don’t need to be afraid!”

As a result, changes to the itinerary plan require everyone to vote.After discussion, everyone decided not to change the plan and move on.

"Sir, I have another suggestion." When everyone went back to their room to rest, Ayrton called Glenarvan to stop him.

"Ayrton, tell me."

"Sir, wouldn't it be better if you could send someone to inform the crew of the 'Duncan' and order them to sail to the east coast?"

"Why?" asked Captain John Mengel. "We should not give this order until we are in Dufford Sound. If the Duncan is called ahead of time, in case something happens along the way, Wouldn't it be worse not to be able to find the 'Duncan' when we were forced to return to Melbourne? Besides, our ship has not been repaired yet, so this plan will be discussed at a later date."

"That's all right," said Ayrton, without further insisting on his opinion.

On the second day, Jazz and his party left the town of Samuel.Everyone has raised their vigilance and is fully armed to prevent accidents from happening.After about half an hour, the travelers stepped into the eucalyptus forest, which stretched endlessly to the east.At this time, Sir Glenarvan still hoped to walk in the wilderness, because in the wilderness, people's vision is relatively wide, and criminals who do evil often have nowhere to hide.However, they have only one way to choose, there is no other way.The ox-cart and the horse traveled all day through the great monotonous forest.When the sun was setting, the Jazz and his party walked through the 146° east longitude after driving for a while along the north side of the Ansegel District.

At this time, Jazz and his party set up a tent on the border of Murray County, preparing to spend the night.

australian aborigines
On the second day, that is, the morning of January 1, the Jazz and his party walked into the vast Murray area again.This is a desert area in the Australian outback, which spreads all the way to the Australian Alps.It is also the most remote part of the state of Victoria and is less traveled by.Before the arrival of modern civilization, there were no districts and townships here.At a glance, the forest here has not been cut down, and there is no livestock grazing on the pasture. It is still a virgin land that has not yet been reached by human civilization.

On the British map, this deserted area is called the "black area", which is an area specially reserved for blacks.The British immigrants in Australia used barbaric means to drive the aborigines to this area, leaving the aborigines to fend for themselves here.There is also a rule here, as long as white people, whether immigrants, herdsmen or loggers, can freely enter and leave this area, but the aborigines are not allowed to come out, and can only settle here for life.

Paganel, on horseback, speaks out about the racial discrimination Aboriginal people face.After a lot of eloquence, he came to a conclusion: the purpose of the colonial policy of the British Empire was to wipe out weak nations; this phenomenon was particularly prominent in Australia.In the early days of colonization, those illegal exiles and legitimate immigrants in Australia regarded the local blacks as beasts.These outsiders drove out blacks, killed them with guns, and plausibly said that the extermination of the aborigines in Australia was because of their stubbornness.This suggestion was published in the newspapers in Sydney with a high-sounding sound: to release poison on a large area in the Hunter Lake area to poison the local aborigines to death.

It can be seen that at the beginning, the British used these methods to massacre the aborigines and expand their sacred colonial career step by step.The brutality and ferocity with which these Englishmen used methods was unmatched.For example, in India, the British wiped out 500 million local Indians; in the Cape of Good Hope in South Africa, 100 of the 90 million Hutus were killed by the colonists.In Australia, the British also used the same brutal methods as in India and the Cape of Good Hope.These aborigines who have lived on Australian land for a long time disappeared tragically in the face of the inhumane and majestic "civilization".Although a few governors issued orders prohibiting bloodthirsty loggers from massacring natives, this was merely a dead letter and did not bring the indiscriminate forms of killing under control.These governors also took severe measures, stipulating that a white man who cut off a negro's nose or ear, or cut off a negro's little finger for a tobacco skewer, should be punished with flogging; but these regulations were not vigorously enforced, The practice of killing blacks continued unabated, to the extent that entire tribes of native people were wiped out.For example, there were 5000 aborigines on Fandimen Island in the early nineteenth century; but by 1863, there were only seven people left.Recently, the "Mercury News" also reported a news that the last living Tasmanian was forced to go to Hubbard.

Sir Glenarvan, Major McNabbs, and Captain Mengel could not speak because of Paganel's high-spirited speech, and they walked in silence all the time.The facts listed by Paganel are all done by the British Empire, and their cruel methods are well known to everyone; although they belong to the Scots, they feel that what they did for the British Empire to which they belong is inhumane, so I can’t refute it and insert a sentence mouth.

Then, Paganel continued: "If we had come here 50 years ago, we would have seen many indigenous people along the way. But until now, we have not even seen a single trace of the indigenous people." If this continues, in 100 years, the indigenous people on this continent will disappear.”

Indeed, what Paganel said was true.After walking so far in this area, the group of people didn't see any trace of the aborigines.Going forward, it is either a wilderness or a forest. In these desolate areas, not to mention the shadow of people, even the traces of wild animals cannot be found.

Suddenly, Little Robert stopped in front of a eucalyptus tree, pointed to a black shadow on the tree, and shouted loudly:

"Look everyone, this is a monkey, look quickly, monkey!!"

Following the direction of his finger, everyone saw a black shadow bouncing among the branches on the tree; once it was on the top of this tree, it suddenly jumped to another tree, just like a bird with wings flying. .

The ox cart stopped now, and everyone stared at the animal; in the blink of an eye, it disappeared among the tops of the eucalyptus trees.Not long after, the animal jumped to the ground with lightning speed.He twisted his body on the ground, jumped up and down and ran.Then, in front of the trunk of a large eucalyptus, the animal stretched out its long arms.Travelers are very puzzled, how can they climb up this thick, straight and bare tree trunk?After a while, everyone saw that the animal had a way, took out an ax-like tool, and slashed left and right on the tree trunk. Many notches appeared on the trunk immediately, and the distance was very even.The animal stepped on these notches and climbed up the treetops like lightning.In the blink of an eye, it disappeared into the dense leaves again.

"What kind of monkey is this? It's so strange!" the major muttered to himself.

"What kind of monkey is this? It's an authentic Australian aborigine!" Paganel said.

When the others heard this, they all shrugged their shoulders and were about to start to refute, when suddenly there was a shout of "Goooo! Goooo!" in the distance.Ayrton hurriedly drove the ox cart forward, and just after taking a hundred or so steps, everyone saw an aboriginal camp.

There were more than a dozen sheds built on the camp that were covered with large pieces of bark.These barks can only obliquely cover one side of the shed, which looks shabby and desolate.These sloping huts lived with aboriginal people, and none of them looked human.Counting these aborigines, men, women, and children, there were about thirty people. These people were all dressed in tattered kangaroo skins, and when they saw the ox cart approaching, they ran away one by one in a hurry.At this time, Ayrton said a few words, and they seemed to be relieved, and ran back again, looking at the strangers with fear.

These natives were dark-skinned, but not pure black; their height was between five feet five inches and five feet seven inches.A head of curly hair, long arms, tattoos all over the body, and full body hair.Some aborigines still have scars, which are probably caused by cutting off the flesh at the funeral.They are ugly, with flat nose bridges, wide mouths and thick lips, and the lower jaw protrudes forward, revealing a mouthful of white teeth.

With compassion, Mrs. Helen and Miss Mary got out of the bullock cart and distributed food to these aborigines.As soon as the natives received the food, they devoured it.In the eyes of Aboriginal Australians, white people are black before they are born; they become white after death.Thus, these two ladies became their gods at this time.

Among the Aboriginal people, the most sympathetic are the women, whose living conditions are dire.Because aboriginal women have no chance to enjoy the gift of femininity, they always live under the violence of men and are always robbed; their wedding gifts are the big sticks in the hands of their husbands.After women get married, they all lead a wandering life, often aging prematurely.Their married life is to wrap their children in cattail bags and carry them in their arms; then they carry hunting or fishing tools on their backs, and bring the tendons of weeds for weaving nets, and run around all day for family livelihood.Normally, they are busy catching kangaroos, lizards and snakes, or chopping wood and bark to build a shed.It can be seen that these women are simply inferior to cattle and horses. They only know how to work and rarely have a chance to rest.Only after her husband finishes eating, can I have a mouthful of cold roast.

The Jazz and his party saw that the condition of several women was very pitiful.They were using grains to trap birds, and by the look on their faces they knew they hadn't eaten for many days.And they lie on the hot ground and don't move for hours, hoping that some stupid bird will fall into the trap.

(End of this chapter)