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

Chapter 66 Captain Grant's Children (66)
"Gentlemen, my real name is indeed Tom Ayrton," began Ayrton, "and, as I said before, bosun of the Britannia. On the 1861th March, 3 , I left Glasgow with Captain Grant, and sailed the Pacific for fourteen months, in order to find a good place for the establishment of a Scottish colony. Captain Grant was indeed a great man, full of lofty ambitions; and we were often at odds. He has a stubborn personality, and as long as he decides something, no one can object to it; but I am not a person who succumbs to others. He is very strict with himself, and he is also very strict with others. Therefore, I When I couldn't bear the situation, I thought of mutiny; and I also wanted to pull the other sailors on board to snatch the ship with me! Don't discuss it here, whether my approach is right or not, I will discuss it later. Anyway, I Captain Grant knew what had been done; and he lost his temper, and on April 12, 1862, while the ship was on the west coast of Australia, he threw me off the ship."

"Ah! the west coast of Australia!" interrupted the major. "So you were not on board the 'Britannia' before it arrived in Callao. Did the ship arrive in Callao? No more news."

"Yes! When I was on the 'Britannia' she never moored in Callao. The reason why I mentioned Callao to you when I was at the estate of the Irishman Paddy Ormore, In fact, you told me beforehand that it had parked there."

"Go on, then," urged Sir Glenarvan.

"Later, I was thrown on a deserted island, only 1864 miles away from the exile and detention place on Perth, the provincial capital of Western Australia. At that time, I was at a loss by the sea, and I didn't know how to act. I was about to get out of desperation I happened to meet a group of exiles who had escaped from the detention center, and then I joined their gang. I will not go into details about the two and a half years of my exile life with the exiles. I just want to I tell you that I was called Ben Joyce before I became chief of the roving convicts. I was at the Irishman's estate in September, 9, working as their servant under the name of Ayrton. At that time, I just want to wait for the opportunity there, and I want to seize a ship. This is my only long-cherished wish. Exactly two months later, your "Duncan" will come. As soon as you get there, tell Captain Grant everything Speak clearly; thus, I know many things that I did not know about the Britannia before. Such as: In Callao, the Britannia was moored; Two months after it was dispatched to the island, it conveyed the final news; several distress letters; a shipwreck on the 1862° line; the real reason for your visit to Captain Grant, etc. At that time, I first I saw the 'Duncan' at a glance, and felt that this ship was really good, and it was really faster than the British warship; so, I was thinking about how to get it. It happened that the 'Duncan' was broken, and I had to repair, so I proposed to sail the ship to Melbourne. So I made up a shipwreck story in the role of the sailor on the Britannia, and led you to the east coast of Australia where the story was wrecked. Therefore Well, that's how I led you through the province of Victoria. Some of my brethren followed me, before and after. My brethren were responsible for the tragedy on Camden Bridge; Necessary; because as long as the 'Duncan' is on the east coast, it will not escape from my palm. If I can really own the 'Duncan', I can become an invincible king of the sea, and I can still use it Pediatric crime? That's why I dragged you to the Snowy River. I poisoned your cattle and horses with peagrass, and stuck your carts in the mud on purpose, and then— —You all know what happened afterwards, and there is nothing to say. Alas, if Paganel had not been careless for a moment and wrote the wrong address, the "Duncan" would now fall into my hands. Above, That is my whole story. I am sorry, but what I have said is too simple. I am afraid that the information I have provided will not be of any benefit to you in your search for Captain Grant; therefore, in this negotiation, the terms you negotiated with me, It is a disadvantage to you, I have already explained this in advance!"

When Ayrton finished speaking, he hugged his arms tightly, with a calm face, and said nothing more.For a moment, Sir Glenarvan and the two friends had nothing to say; the scoundrel now told the whole story, and if Paganel had not been careless, their plot would have really succeeded!At that time, the consequences will be predictable!In Dufoe Bay, Sir Glenarvan found the yellow prison uniform, which is the best proof; obviously, these gangsters are ready to meet their leaders in Dufoe Bay; but they can't wait , and may have fled to the countryside of New South Wales again to commit crimes, murder and set fire.Suddenly, the major thought of something, and asked Ayrton:
"Are you sure you were thrown off the ship on April 1842, 4, off the west coast of Australia?"

"Yes, that's right!"

"At that time, do you know what Captain Grant's plans are?"

"Know a little bit."

"At that time, I only knew that Captain Grant was going to New Zealand. But after I was kicked off the ship, I didn't know whether he really went to New Zealand. It is very likely that he really went, because the distress letter Above, the date of the wreck of the 'Britannia', June 1862, 6, is in agreement."

"Of course it fits!" Paganel added.

"However, in the letter, 'New Zealand' was not mentioned!" Sir Glenarvan said puzzledly.

"I can't explain this question clearly," Ayrton added.

"Ayrton, yes!" added Sir Glenarvan, "and now that you have done your word, I will do mine! islands."

"Sir, you can just give me an island life, that's all." Ayrton said with satisfaction.

"Now, go down! I'll tell you everything after we discuss and decide!"

Then two sailors escorted Ayrton back to his cabin.

"Actually, this bad boy could make a great sailor!" sighed the major.

"That's right, this man is capable, smart, and resolute, but unfortunately he has gone down the wrong path." Sir replied.

"I really don't know, where is Captain Grant now?" the major sighed again.

"It seems that the situation is not good. Pity, pity these two orphans. They want to find their father, but where can they find it now?" Sir Glenarvan sighed.

"I know, where should I continue to look!" Paganel said this sentence suddenly.

Speaking of Paganel, during the interrogation of Ayrton, he stood silently by the side, asking few questions.However, it is really strange that such a sentence pops up now.

"Do you really know where to look?" asked Sir Glenarvan aloud.

"Yes, I know." Paganel replied calmly.

"How did you know this clue?"

"Deduced from those letters."

"Hey, stop joking now!" said the major dismissively, shrugging his shoulders.

"McNabbs, listen to me, don't believe me. At the beginning, I was afraid that you would not believe me, so I kept silent. But after Ayrton's narration today, my opinion has been confirmed!"

"New Zealand?" asked Sir Glenarvan anxiously.

"Don't worry, listen to me slowly," Paganel said very seriously, "At that time, I made a mistake in writing a word, but it happened to destroy Ayrton's plot; but in fact, I made a mistake It is not unreasonable to make a mistake! At that time, when I was listening to the jazz dictation and recording at the same time; the "Australia and New Zealand Newspaper" happened to fall on the ground; at that time, the newspaper was folded, The second half of the newspaper's name was exposed. I happened to see the half of the word aland in the name of the newspaper "Australian and New Zealand Gazette". Suddenly my eyes lit up, thinking that this half of the word happened to be 'aland' on the letter '? Why do we understand it as 'landing' instead of the last half of the word 'New Zealand'?"

"That makes sense." Sir Glenarvan nodded hastily.

"I also blame myself, such an important point, why didn't I pay attention to it in advance?" Paganel said confidently, "Maybe I devoted all my thoughts to interpreting that French letter at that time, because compared to other letters , this letter is relatively complete! It's a pity that there is no such word in the French letter!"

"Hmph! My Paganel, what a fancy you are!" said the major sarcastically, "and now, at once, you have completely forgotten the two previous explanations."

"I really haven't forgotten, I can explain it again!"

"Okay, please explain again, the word austral!"

"According to the literal meaning, it should be in the southern hemisphere!"

"Okay, what about the word indi? Before that, you understood it as 'Indians' (indiens), but later you said it was 'indigenous people' (indigènes). Which one should it be?"

"I feel now that there must be a third explanation: 'a cornered person.'"

"Okay! And what about contin? It should mean 'continent' (Continent), right?"

"But New Zealand is an island, so it wouldn't be the 'mainland'."

"What do you mean by that?" Sir asked anxiously.

"Dear Sir, don't worry. Wait a moment, I will connect this letter from the beginning to the end, and I will interpret it for you again, and you can make a judgment. Is it correct? In fact, before I make an interpretation, I just ask you to pay attention to two points: the first point is to forget all the previous explanations in your mind and concentrate on studying new interpretations. The second point is that there are some places that are far-fetched, but they are all irrelevant things , such as 'gonie', before this, I felt that my understanding was somewhat inappropriate, but I couldn't find any other suitable explanation; at the same time, my explanation was mainly based on that French letter, which was written by someone But he is an Englishman, probably not proficient in French. After emphasizing these, let me explain the three letters to you again!"

Then, Paganel calmly read out the third interpretation of the distress letter:

The three-masted ship 'Britannia', on June 1862, 6, was wrecked at sea.It sank in the rough seas of the southern hemisphere, approaching New Zealand—that is, the "landing" on the English letter.The three survivors on the ship - Captain Grant and two sailors - landed on the North Island, but unfortunately became cornered people on this wild island.Therefore, I throw this letter into the sea tonight and seek rescue.The location is at 27°37'.Please see the letter, come here to rescue quickly.

Paganel finished reading it for the third time, and this new interpretation makes perfect sense.But the first two times sounded reasonable, didn't the result prove that the understanding was wrong?The Jazz and the major didn't want to argue anymore.Since everyone can find Captain Grant on the coast of Patagonia on the 37° line and the coast of Australia; then, in the New Zealand area, it is very likely that you will encounter him.Both expressed their sincere agreement with Paganel's interpretation.

"But Paganel, since you have an opinion, why have you been hiding it for the past two months?" Sir Glenarvan asked in bewilderment.

"I was worried that this time I would let my friends rejoice in vain. So, I told you to go to Oakland, because that is the location on the 37° line indicated in the letter."

"But then, we were forced to deviate to Auckland, why didn't you say that?"

"I think, even if you say it out and explain it clearly, it will become an irreparable afterthought. At that time, there is really no way to rescue Captain Grant!"

"What do you mean by that?"

"What I want to say is that if the 'Britannia' had an accident in New Zealand, two years have passed; the people on board were either drowned or killed by the savage and ignorant Maori. "

"Let us not speak of such things, my friends!" said Sir Glenarvan anxiously, "and when we have a proper opportunity, we shall break this sad news to Captain Grant's poor children! "

soul call

Ayrton's truthful confession did not bring the good news that everyone expected.The purpose of the visitor has come to naught.Everyone on board was extremely disappointed and melancholy.

Is there still hope for the Duncan to find the site of the Britannia's wreck?None of us have a bottom line.The ship continued on its course; and they hoped to find a favorable island in which to leave Ayrton.

Paganel and Menger looked at the map; it happened that on the 37° line, there was a small isolated island named Maria Theresa Island, which was only [-] nautical miles away from the Americas and [-] nautical miles away from New Zealand. Five hundred nautical miles away, the nearest land to it is the Paumatu Islands, a French protectorate in the north.Continue to go south, until you reach the South Pole, there is a vast ocean without any land.This is a piece of crag isolated on the Pacific Ocean. It is a place where many birds rest halfway on the ocean, and it is also a place that is hit by storms and waves.

When Ayrton learned that he was going to be sent to this deserted island, he immediately agreed.Then, the "Duncan" sailed in the direction of Maria Theresa Island.This small isolated island in the sea is exactly at the same latitude as Talcahuano Bay and the sailing "Duncan".

Two days later, at two o'clock in the afternoon, the sailors who were on the lookout at sea reported to everyone that they saw Maria Theresa Island appearing.The island is long and low, like a great whale emerging from the waves.At this time, the "Duncan" still had thirty miles to reach the island; she was now cutting through the waves at a speed of sixteen knots, heading for the island.

Now, the boat is getting closer and closer to the island, and under the reflection of the setting sun in the west, the silhouette of the island can be clearly seen.Several low hills stand sparsely on this island, reflecting their reflections in the sea water.

At five o'clock, Captain Mengel saw a puff of red smoke rising from the island in a daze.

"Is that smoke coming from a volcano?" Menger asked Paganel while holding up his binoculars.

"It's really hard to say," Paganel said. "Right now, people don't know much about the island. If the island is formed by an undersea protrusion, it may be a volcano."

"If this small island is only caused by a volcanic eruption, will the next volcanic eruption destroy this small island?" Sir Glenarvan asked hastily.

"This possibility is really unlikely." Paganel said, "According to what I know, this small island has been formed for at least hundreds of years; therefore, it is definitely not like Yuria Island in the Mediterranean Sea, which popped up suddenly. , disappeared after a few months."

"Well, very good. By the way, John, let's see, can we reach that small island before dark?" Sir Glenarvan hurriedly asked Captain Mengel.

"Your Excellency, this is really impossible. Because I am not familiar with this area; and it is also dark, and it is very dangerous to land. We can only reduce the speed of the ship and drift slowly on the sea; when it is dawn, we will put a small The boat landed on the island."

At eight o'clock in the evening, the distance between the "Duncan" and the island was only five nautical miles. The "Duncan" was slowly drifting in the direction of the island in the vast night.

At nine o'clock, suddenly, a mass of red light rose from the top of the island, and it continued to flash continuously.

"This is really a volcano." Paganel said after careful observation.

"No way!" Meng Geer said puzzledly, "If it was a volcanic eruption, it should make a loud noise. But we are so close, why can't we hear it at all? And this volcano is still on the top Looking at the wind outlet, the wind direction is tailwind, right?"

"Yes!" Paganel was also puzzled, "If the volcano really erupted, it would definitely make a rumbling sound. And, look again, there is a time interval for the flickering of the fire, it should be a lighthouse."

"Ah! Lighthouse! Lighthouses can only appear on the coastline. But here, it is just an isolated island in the Pacific Ocean!" Meng Geer suddenly exclaimed, "Look, there is another fire coming out! Look, it's still on the beach! The fire is still shaking vigorously! Ah! I see, it has moved again!"

Meng Geer really didn't miss it. It was true that another fire appeared in another place, and it was always flickering and flickering.

"Maybe there are people living here on this island?" Sir Glenarvan muttered to himself.

"Well, it must be. And it should be an indigenous person." Paganel said.

"It seems that we can't leave that bad boy here."

"Well, absolutely not!" The major added, "That kid is so bad, he doesn't even have the right to be eaten by the natives!"

"No matter how you say it, it's better for us to be cautious!" Paganel reminded, "You know, the aborigines of New Zealand are cunning by nature. Sometimes, they deliberately lit torches to lure passing ships, and the former Conwano people Same. So, I think, the natives of this small island also use this trick."

"Turn the bow!" Captain Menger ordered to the sailor at the helm. "Maybe, at dawn tomorrow, we will know what's going on?"

At eleven o'clock at night, Meng Geer and others returned to their cabins.On the deck at the bow, only a few sailors were on duty; a sailor at the helm was at the stern to steer the helm.

(End of this chapter)