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

Chapter 58 Captain Grant's Children (58)
At this time, Paganel, although he was still looking at the map and the river as if nothing had happened, he still firmly held the hope of surviving.Mrs. Helen and Miss Mary Grant were trying their best to suppress the tension and panic in their hearts, and exchanged glances with each other from time to time.After a while, Mrs. Helen would go up to her husband and whisper a few words to her husband, all of whom had nothing to say; but even a few words of chatting could suppress her inner anxiety.

This Kuma Kato River can be called the national river of New Zealand.Maori are proud of this river and love it as they love their own lives.Just as the Germans did to the Rhine and the Slavs did to the Danube, it is the glory of the nation.The river, which runs through the provinces of Wellington and Auckland, is two hundred miles long; its existence fertilizes the land along the river in the North Island.Therefore, the Maori tribe living along the river named it after the river and called themselves the "Kumakato Tribe".These Maori have always been a strong-willed nation, never yielding to foreign nations, and never allowing foreign nations to occupy this piece of land.

The Maori people love this river, so there are almost no foreigners or foreign ships on this river; only the unique Maori canoes and long boats shuttle on the river; if some daring adventurers come here, it is just After a little tour, I left immediately.

Paganel knew very well that this river was revered by the Maori as a sacred river.In the past, when some naturalists traveled this river, they only came to the point where it met the Kumpa, and stopped.Now he was wondering, where did the chief "bone gnawer" want to take them?But after much deliberation, he still couldn't guess anything.He only heard the word "Daobo" from the words of the chief and his subordinates; so he quickly took out his own map from his pocket.It turned out that Jazz and his party's feet were bound, but their hands were not tied, and they could still move freely.He looked it up on the map and found out that "Daobo" turned out to be "Daobo Lake".This is also a famous lake in New Zealand.It is located in the mountainous area at the southern tip of Auckland in the North Island.This Daobo lake is also on the waterway of Kuma Kato, and it is only 120 nautical miles from the place where the two rivers meet.

In order to prevent the Maori from understanding the meaning, Paganel communicated with John Mengel in French.

"What do you estimate the speed of this boat?" Paganel asked Munger.

"Probably three knots per hour," Menger estimated.

"If we drive together day and night, it is estimated that it will take four days to reach Lake Dobo." Paganel made a rough estimate.

"I don't know if there are British troops stationed there?" Sir Glenarvan also participated in the conversation after hearing this.

"The British army may have reached Taranaki Province; it is also likely to have been stationed by the lake behind the mountains; because that is the old den of the Maori." Paganel estimated.

"I hope your guess is right!" Madam Helen said.

At this time, Sir Glenarvan looked at the two ladies with great regret when he thought of his young wife and Miss Mary Grant being escorted into the desolate mountains at the mercy of the natives.But suddenly, when he saw the eyes of the "Bone Eater" staring at him, he immediately pulled himself together and stopped looking at the two ladies to prevent the chief from finding out that they were husband and wife.

In the upper reaches of the confluence of these two rivers, about half a sea mile away, there is a former residence of King Batatu.But the boat just passed by here, without any lingering.There were no boats on the river, nor were there any silhouettes of people.The sky and the earth were silent, only occasionally, a few waterfowls flew up gently, but after flying a few times, they stopped and perched in front again.Here is a black-winged, white-bellied and red-billed wading bird called "Tabalunga", running forward with two long legs.After a while, a gray "Ma Tugu" stood by the river, a big "Ke Tugu" with white hair, yellow beak and black feet, and a kind of stupefied egret watched the boat pass by safely.There is also a kind of emerald bird called "Kotale", which catches eels on the very deep sloping banks of the river.In the river area of ​​New Zealand, the number of this eel is very large, swimming in groups in the river.After a while on the boat, you can see a clump of small trees by the river, in which there are countless field mallards, crakes, and Sudanese chickens, combing their feathers carefully in the bright sunshine.These birds have no idea how many lives will be lost when the flames of war spread here; they still have a peaceful expression, as if going to a happy banquet, they are doing their best to dress themselves up.

At the beginning of the Kuma Tuo River, the river surface was wide; but along the upstream direction, the hills along the coast became more and more; followed by a piece of rolling hills, the river surface gradually narrowed from wide.Afterwards, the boat sailed to the high bank of Guerrilloa, but the "Bone Eater" did not anchor there.The chief merely ordered his subordinates to share with the captives the food they had taken from them; they ate roasted anchovy roots and New Zealand potatoes with relish, and had no interest in the dried meat the captives ate.

At three o'clock in the afternoon, there was a sudden peak on the right bank of the river, standing like a row of fortified walls.This peak is the Poka Roa Mountains; on the top of the mountain there are still some ruined bunkers.These blockhouses are the fortifications built by the Maori people who went through hardships and climbed the peak.From a distance, the bunker looks like some huge eagle's nest.

The sun was about to set in the west; the Maori moored the long boat on a beach of pebbles on the river bank.This cobblestone is actually a kind of volcanic rock; from the appearance, this kind of rock is light and porous; it exists because the source of the Kukato River is the volcano area.There are several trees on the bank of the river that can camp; the "Bone Eater" ordered his men to take the prisoners off the boat, and then tied the hands of the male prisoners, while the hands of the female prisoners were still loose.Then, these captives were taken to the center of the camp by the Maori. There was a pile of strong bonfires in front of the camp as a line of defense.

In fact, when they were arrested, Sir Glenarvan had discussed with John Mengel to sneak away while camping; but knowing that the chief had a plan to exchange prisoners, and looking at the situation at this time, they still I think it's best to wait patiently.The benefits of this decision are self-evident.When exchanging prisoners, it is often necessary to bargain, and there are several negotiations and negotiations, which will definitely take time; in this way, the possibility of survival is relatively high; In an unfamiliar environment, the Maori must be chasing after them with long guns. This situation must be more or less ominous.Because how could a dozen or so unarmed outsiders deal with more than 30 fiercely armed natives?

On the second day, the boat continued to sail against the river, paddling faster than yesterday.At ten o'clock the chief, desiring to rest a little, anchored at the mouth of the Bohavena;

At this time, a small boat rowed from the direction of the Bohaven River; on the boat were ten aboriginals who came to pick up the "Bone Crawler"; "Ayil-Mela", which means "May you come back safely".After that, the two boats continued to row up the river.The Maori who came to pick up the boat had blood on their guns, and their clothes were in tatters;These natives were still rowing silently, and had no time to pay attention to the European captives on the side.

When it was almost noon, the Mengatali Mountains on both sides of the river changed into abrupt peaks, and the river became narrower as a result.The river flows more quickly in the canyon, and the boat is struggling to move forward in the turbulent river.At this time, the aborigines sang loudly, and the rhythm of the song coincided with the rhythm of the oars, which could echo each other.After passing through the rapid current, the boat turned a few bends with ease.The surface of the river became wider again, and the water flowed smoothly.

In the evening, the boat anchored at the foot of a cliff. "Bone Eater" ordered his subordinates to prepare for camp.These Maori people lit a bonfire on the ground, and the flames shot up to the sky, and the surrounding trees were reflected red by the fire.At this time, a leader of the Maori tribe came, who seemed to be of the same level as the "Bone Crawler".When the two chiefs met, they wiped each other's noses and said "Brother Ji" affectionately.Afterwards, the chief's men put ten European prisoners in the center of the camp, guarded by some Maori with guns.

In the morning of the second day, the boat continued up the river.At this time, many small boats appeared from the tributaries of the river.There were more than 60 Maori soldiers on these ships, and there were many wounded among the soldiers; obviously, they were evacuated from the battlefield and were going to rest in the mountains.

Suddenly, a soldier among the Maori sang their mysterious battle song loudly:
Baba-la-ti-wati-tidiyi-dongyao-nei-......

This is a Maori national song, the content is to encourage Maori to fight bravely for independence.This song with nationalism and patriotism naturally became the national anthem of New Zealand.

The song was so loud, and it echoed between the river and the rocks; while listening to it, the natives echoed the battle song in unison, and beat their chests in tune with the rhythm.Encouraged by the high-pitched song, the oarsmen rowed harder; the boat broke through the rapids and cut up the waves.

At four o'clock in the afternoon the boat entered a very narrow channel.Small islands appeared on the surface of the river, where the current stirred up high waves.This is a treacherous waterway, and if you are not careful, the boat will be smashed to pieces; here is the Boiling Spring Beach, a wonder on the Kukato River.

The Kuma Katuo River just flows through this boiling hot spring, which is a great spectacle in geological history and has attracted countless explorers to come here to watch.Because the river water is rich in iron elements, the silt on both sides of the river is dyed bright red, and there is no white land.What disperses in the air is a pungent sulfur smell, mixed with the stench in the soil, it is really unpleasant.These Maori are used to it, but Jazz and his party are unbearable.

Thick steam clouds filled the river surface one after another, forming a natural dome; the boat meandered through the white steam clouds.There are hundreds of boiling springs here, some of which are steaming, and some of which are spewing water columns; these water columns are high and low, scattered and distributed like artificially installed fountains; Shooting in through the thick fog, rainbows appeared on the river, making it a colorful world, like a beautiful woman showing her enchanting figure.

It may be due to the radiation of geothermal heat. In addition to the hot springs in patches, there are also some boiling water waterfalls on the east side of the nearby Tolua Lake.Exploring adventurers who come here are amazed by this sight.New Zealand now has only two active volcanoes, one is Dongariro Volcano; the other is Wakali Volcano, which still contains abundant heat underground.The heat spurts from the ground to the ground, and countless hot springs are formed in this way.

In this way the Maori boats moved briskly across the water, rising from the hot mist; the mist was two miles long in this area.After passing through this area, the smell of sulfur gradually dissipated, and there was a gust of cool wind; the fresh air was nourishing people's hearts and lungs; everyone felt that breathing became much more refreshing, His face was also naturally refreshed; it seemed that he had finally bid farewell to the sultry hot springs in this area.

In front of them appeared Xibaba Tuaxia and Tamatiaxia.The boat passed lightly between the two canyons.At dusk the Bonechewer ordered to camp on the banks of the Kumakato; this was a hundred miles from where the two rivers meet.When the Kuma Katuo River comes here, it flows to the east, and then turns to the south to flow into Lake Dobo.

On the second morning, Paganel took out his map, looked at the high mountain on the right of the river bank, and learned that it was Mount Tobara, with an altitude of three thousand feet.

At noon the boat sailed into Lake Dobo.By the lake stands a thatched cottage with a piece of cloth fluttering from the roof.That piece of cloth is their national flag, and the Maori people salute the national flag respectfully!

Maori cottage
This lake was formed in prehistoric times.The whole lake is twenty-five miles long and twenty miles wide, and its waters are bottomless.In prehistoric times, due to volcanic eruptions, the center of the island in this area collapsed, and a huge "tiankeng" was naturally formed in this way.The nearby river flows into this "tiankeng", thus forming a large lake.Later generations called this lake "Daobo Lake".

The altitude of Daobo Lake is 250 feet. The lake is surrounded by mountains, and the peaks are all over 800 meters high.Standing on the west side of the lake, there are high cliffs; on the north side of the lake, there are several mountains covered with small forests; on the east side of the lake, there is a flat lakeside plain, covered with bushes; There is a road among the bushes, the stones on the road glisten in the sun.On the south side of the lake, there is a large dense forest; behind the forest, there are conical volcanoes.Against the background of mountains and forests, Daobo Lake looks charming and enchanting; if there is a stormy weather, the strong wind sweeps across the lake, and the howling wind is as violent as a hurricane on the Pacific Ocean.

The heat contained in the ground makes the area boil almost like a large iron pot.These steaming hot fogs make people very uncomfortable.Fortunately, twelve miles away, there is Mount Tongariro, and the geothermal heat finally has a place to dissipate.Otherwise, the geothermal heat would turn the place into a melting pot.

Tongariro Volcano stands out among the mountains, especially among the small volcanoes.It spews smoke and flames for many years; from a distance, this volcano looks like a human head with red feathers, which makes the smaller volcanoes in this area feel inferior.Behind this volcano stands Ruabahu, a lonely peak that juts out of the plain. It reaches a height of nine thousand feet and has never been climbed.The perennial clouds and mists have tightly locked the crater, and scientists cannot detect the secrets inside the crater.But the nearby Tongariro volcano has been climbed by many explorers in the past 20 years; these explorers include Weir, Dixon, and the most recent Hochtto, who have climbed there to measure the height of the volcano.

These volcanoes have their beautiful and moving myths and legends.Under normal circumstances, Paganel would definitely tell his companions.There is a myth and legend that Mount Garilo and Mount Takinaki turned their faces and fought for a beautiful lady in the winter.At the time, the two volcanoes were in close proximity and have always had a very close relationship.But for this beauty, the two sides fought a duel.Donggariloshan has a violent temper and is quick to fight; but Takinakishan can only be beaten all the time, so ashamed that he can only escape along the valley of the Wangagani River. Abandoned.This Mount Takinaki ran to the coast, changed its name from then on, and changed it to Mount Egmon, where it has been standing alone.

But at this moment, Paganel was really in no mood to tell these stories, and even if he did, his friends were even less interested in listening.well!It can only be blamed on the rough fate, but it is really depressing to fall into this kind of field!
At this time, the "Bone Eater" ordered his subordinates to steer the boat away from the Kuma Katuo River and row into a small river instead.After coming out of the small river, it successfully bypassed a sharp headland and drove to the foot of the 600-meter-high Mangga Mountain.Here, the ground is full of chrysanthemum grass, which is called "hala Keji" by the Maori people, but it is actually New Zealand hemp.This hemp is full of treasures, and contains a good honey in the flowers; colloid in the stem, which can be used instead of starch or wax; the leaves of these hemp are broad and strong, and the new leaves can be used as paper. For use, the dried leaves can be used to make tinder, torn leaves can be used to rub rope, make cables, weave nets, weave cloth, make clothes, weave mats, or dye hemp into black or red to make the most noble maori. clothes.

In every corner of the two islands of New Zealand, such as the seaside, riverside, riverside, and lakeside, there is a kind of precious mellow grass; what appears in front of the Jazz and his party now is a large piece of wild mellow grass.There are some brown-red flowers dotted among the green leaves; these flowers are very similar to agave; the leaves are long and big, as sharp as a sword; among the green leaves, countless bees are flying around, busy Make honey.

By the lake, there is a large flock of ducks floating; the feathers of the ducks are colorful, shining in the sun, and it seems that they have evolved from wild ducks to domestic ducks.

(End of this chapter)