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

Chapter 71: Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea (2)
At about [-]:[-] in the afternoon, at the stern of the Scotia, a little behind the port engine wheel, it seemed that something hit it slightly. It was not a percussion instrument but a drilling instrument that struck it. .At that time, the passengers were eating snacks in the lobby, and no one cared about it until the crew in charge of the cabin ran to the deck and shouted: "The ship is going to sink! The ship is going to sink!" People woke up like a dream, and then they began to panic and commotion .However, the captain, Anderson, quickly reassured everyone. He told everyone that the "Scottia" was divided into seven compartments by waterproof boards, and he didn't care about a few loopholes at all, and there would be no danger for the time being.

After appeasing the emotions of the passengers, Captain Anderson immediately ran to the bottom of the cabin to check.He found that the seawater had penetrated into the fifth compartment, and judging from the speed at which the seawater entered, the leak was quite large.Fortunately, the steam oven is not in this cabin, otherwise, the fire would have been drowned by sea water long ago.

After Captain Anderson found out this situation, he ordered the sailing to be stopped immediately, and a diver was sent into the water to check the damage to the hull.The divers checked out the result in a short time. It turned out that a two-meter-wide hole was opened at the bottom of the boat.Under the circumstances at the time, it was impossible to close such a gap.As a result, the Scotia, whose wheels were half soaked, had to continue sailing.At that time, the ship was still three hundred nautical miles away from the Klia Gorge.The time to return to Liverpool was three days later than the expected plan, and the people of Liverpool survived these three days in anxiety.Immediately after returning to Liverpool, the Scotia entered the company dock.

Engineers began to check the Scotia.They couldn't even believe what they saw with their eyes. They found a very regular equilateral triangle gap, which was exposed two and a half meters below the waterline of the hull.Ordinary steel sharp instruments would definitely not be able to make such a crack. The cracks on the iron sheet are very neat, and even a drilling machine cannot chisel so accurately.Moreover, after this guy slammed forward with astonishing force and pierced through the four-centimeter-thick iron sheet, he could also use a very difficult backward movement to escape himself.This action is really inexplicable, and all the engineers couldn't believe their eyes.

Such was the outline of the latest incident, which had the effect of stirring the public mood again.From then on, all unexplained shipwrecks were credited to that monster, and all such shipwrecks were held responsible by this bizarre animal.Unfortunately, the number of shipwrecks is quite large. According to the statistical yearbook, about [-] ships are lost every year, including sailboats and steamships.It is very unfortunate that the number of sunken ships is so large.

Due to the existence of the monster, the sea traffic between the five continents is becoming more and more dangerous, and everyone is determined to eliminate this terrible whale monster at any cost.Regardless of whether the monster has been wronged or not, people have blamed it for the disappearance of the ship.

for and against

Since I was an associate professor at the Paris Museum of Natural Sciences, the French government sent me to conduct scientific research in the barren areas of Nebraska, USA.When these events happened, I had just returned from Nebraska, USA.I was responsible for collecting precious specimens in Nebraska, and after half a year, I arrived in New York at the end of March.The beginning of May is the time I planned to leave for France. Before returning to China, I have been busy arranging the mineral specimens, animal and plant specimens collected this time.And at this time, the accident on the Scotia happened.

This incident became a hot topic at the time, and I was naturally familiar with it.Moreover, it is impossible not to know about it.I turned and looked and looked through the various American and European papers, but I still couldn't figure it out, it was so elusive.There can be no doubt that this must be a real thing; and those who doubt it, let them go and feel the Scotia's breach for themselves.And I couldn't form an opinion of my own, always vacillating between radically different opinions.

This incident was in full swing when I arrived in New York.Some people once thought that it was a small floating island or an imperceptible reef, but this kind of argument is really unreasonable. There are very few people who support this argument, and now this assumption has been completely overturned.And it is true that it can go here and there so quickly that it cannot do it unless the reef has a machine in its belly.

The hypothesis that it was a floating hull or a huge shipwreck was likewise rejected because of its speed of movement.

Therefore, there are only two possible claims left. Some people think that this is a monster with infinite strength, while others say that this is a very powerful "submarine".Both theories have their own supporters, forming two factions with distinct barriers.

Although the latter statement can be barely accepted, it is obviously untenable after investigations in Europe and the United States.How is it possible that private individuals can own such a machine?When was it made?And where is it made?How did you keep such a big machine a secret?

After the machine gun, there are mines, after the mines, there are diving shock machines, and then there are various weapons that restrain each other.That is to say, only governments can possess such destructive machines, and in unfortunate times when people are racking their brains to increase the power of weapons, it is possible for one country to manufacture such weapons without knowing it from other countries.At least, that's how I think about it.

Since it is a matter of public interest, the sincerity of the governments of various countries cannot be doubted since the marine traffic has been damaged.Personally speaking, it is very difficult to keep secrets under such circumstances, let alone a country whose every move is closely monitored by powerful opponents?It is absolutely impossible to manufacture such a large "submarine" to avoid the eyes and ears of the public.

Therefore, after investigations by Britain, France, Russia, Prussia, Spain, Italy, the United States and even Turkey, the hypothesis about this "submarine" was finally refuted.The tabloids are still publishing articles using this monster as a joke, and the rumors about this monster have appeared on the cusp again.Moreover, following this line of thought, people began to use their imagination from the aspect of fish, and created one after another magical and absurd legends.

There is a book called "The Mystery of the Sea", in octavo, in two volumes, which I published in France.The academic community has particularly appreciated this book, and it has made me an expert in this very mysterious field of natural science.Therefore, after I came to New York, some people came to me specifically to consult me ​​about this strange incident.When I can deny the truth of something, I am absolutely in denial.But, after a while, I was forced to take a clear stand. The "New York Herald Tribune" said that it had an appointment with the respectable Mr. Pierre Aronnas, a professor at the Paris Museum of Natural Sciences, to express his views on this matter.

I couldn't keep silent any longer, so I had to do so and had to speak.So, on April 4, I published a very informative article in the Tribune, discussing this issue from political and academic aspects.The following is an excerpt from this article:
"After I have gone through the various hypotheses and all the improbable conjectures one after the other, I must admit that there is a sea animal that really exists, and that it is astonishingly powerful.

"Probes cannot reach the bottom of the ocean. What does the unfathomable underwater world look like? Are there any creatures that can survive 2 nautical miles or [-] nautical miles under the sea? What are the body structures of these animals? These questions are completely unknown to us.

"However, I can use the 'two swords theory' formula to solve the problems before me.

"There are all kinds of creatures living on Earth, and we may know something, and maybe we don't know anything.

"To explain this problem, there is still a convincing statement: if we don't know all living things, and nature keeps some ichthyology secrets from us, then, admitting that there are fish, New species of cetaceans exist in layers of water that are out of reach of probes, and they may have a 'non-floating' organ that pops up out of nowhere after spending too much time at the bottom, or occasionally on a whim sea ​​surface.

"On the contrary, if we do know all life on earth, we must distinguish the animal we are discussing from the already cataloged marine life. In this case, I am inclined to admit that it is a Huge narwhal.

"The average narwhal or sea unicorn is about sixty feet long. If you increase its length by five or ten times, and then give it a corresponding Its length is proportional to its length, and its attacking weapon is strengthened, so it becomes the animal on the sea. The length of this animal will have the length measured by the officers of the 'Shannong', and it will have the ability to pierce the 'Scotia'. the Horn of the Horn, and the strength to break through the hull of a steamboat.

"Actually, this narwhal's weapon was, as some biologists say, a bony sword or halberd. Its one principal tooth was as hard as steel. The narwhal Often attack whales, and each attack is very successful. Someone once found its teeth on the body of the whale, and someone once took a lot of effort to find the teeth of the narwhal from the part below the waterline of the hull. Its teeth It can drill through the bottom of a ship, just like a sharp cone piercing a barrel. There is a tooth of this kind about two meters long and 25 centimeters wide, which is collected in the exhibition hall of the Paris Medical College.

"Now, assuming the force of the impact that would destroy the Scotia, the animal's weapons and strength would be ten times greater, and twenty miles an hour be its forward speed, and its Multiplying its weight by the square of its speed, its impact force is naturally calculated.

"So, before I get more information, I think this is a very huge sea unicorn. The sword and halberd are not the weapons on it, but the metal horns installed on iron-clad ships or warships. It has the weight of an ironclad ship and a battleship, but also has the same power as them.

"This mysterious and unexplainable phenomenon can only be explained in this way. Or it can also be explained in this way: Although some people have seen or felt it, all of this is purely non-existent, and this possibility also exists."

In fact, I admit the existence of this "monster".But I don't want to be laughed at by the Americans, so the last few words are a little vacillating, this is to preserve my identity as a professor to a certain extent, and to leave a way out for myself.Because when Americans laugh, they laugh very hard.

People are always interested in those magical and grotesque fantasies.My article has aroused great repercussions among the public, aroused heated discussions, and was also recognized by some people.The sea is the best source of these fantasies, because only the sea is the environment in which huge animals can reproduce and grow, and land animals such as elephants or rhinos are too small compared with them.In a vast ocean, since the largest mammals we know exist, there may also be mollusks of enormous size or crustaceans that look frightening, such as a 100-meter-long prawn, or a [-]-meter-long prawn. Tons of crabs, it's entirely possible to exist!In the past, land animals of all ages, such as quadrupeds, four-handed beasts, reptiles, birds, etc., were all created according to huge models.The Creator threw those animals into a big mold, and time shrank the big mold little by little.Why should not the breeds of gigantic beings from another age be preserved?For, while the Earth's core is almost constantly changing, the oceans remain unchanged.The year of the ocean is the century of the earth's core, and the century is the millennium of the earth's core, so why shouldn't the ocean keep within itself the last few extraordinary species?
I myself can't help falling into fantasies, which I shouldn't be doing, I must stop these fantasies!Because for me, these fantasies have been turned into brutal reality by time.I must restate that, as to the form of this phenomenon, there was now a consensus that this miraculous thing existed, and that it had nothing in common with the grotesque sea serpent. place.

But while some see the matter as a purely scientific problem to be solved, others, the more realistic ones in America and England, think that removing this dreadful animal from the oceans will ensure Maritime traffic safety, especially the newspapers and periodicals of the industrial and commercial circles, all take this point of view as their starting point when studying this issue.

As soon as public opinion was formed, the United States of America was the first to issue a statement.The government ordered preparations in New York for an expedition to remove narwhals.The extremely fast second-class battleship "USS Lincoln" with an angle of attack is about to set sail in the near future.The various shipyards also cooperated extremely well with Commander Farragut to help him equip this second-tier battleship as soon as possible.

When people decided to chase the monster, the monster never appeared again, which is also a phenomenon that often occurs.It seems that this sea unicorn has received information that people are planning to attack it.Because everyone talks too much, even with the submarine power lines of the Atlantic Ocean!During the next two months, no one heard of this monster again, and no sea-going ship encountered it.So some people joked that it must be this elf thing that intercepted the telegram while passing through the cable, and learned that humans were going to attack it, so it didn't come out.

The second-tier battleship has been equipped with powerful fishing machines and is ready to go on an expedition at any time, but it doesn't know where it is going to go.Just when everyone was waiting more and more impatiently, suddenly on July 7, a steamer of the San Francisco Steamship Company saw this thing again three weeks ago in the northern Pacific Ocean. The "Tangbige" in Shanghai.

The news was immediately heartening.Commander Farragut ordered the crew to bring supplies on board, fill the fuel tanks with coal needed to start the ship, and count the personnel of all departments on board.Just waiting for ignition, heating, unmooring and sailing!No one will forgive him for a half-day delay!In fact, Commander Farragut himself was in a hurry to set off more than anyone else!
Three hours before the "Lincoln" left the Brooklyn docks, I received a letter, the following is the content of the letter:

"No. [-] Road Hotel in New York, Mr. Aronnax, Professor of the Museum of Natural Sciences in Paris:
"Commander Farragut has left a cabin on board for your use, and if you agree to join the Lincoln expedition, the Government of the United States will be pleased to see you represent France in this expedition.

Yours truly, Secretary of the Navy Robertson”

Take it at your convenience, sir

For the matter of chasing the sea unicorn, a few seconds before I received Minister Hobertson's letter, I was as reluctant as I was to travel to the Arctic Ocean.As soon as I read the Secretary of the Navy's letter, I realized in an instant that my true calling, and the sole purpose of my life, was to capture and eliminate this worrisome monster.

Even though I've just returned from a long journey, I feel very tired and would like to have a good rest.I also miss my homeland very much, I really want to be with my family and friends, and I really want to go back to my little house in the botanical garden and admire the specimens that I regard as treasures.But now I put everything behind me, I forgot about my tiredness, my family and friends, my precious specimens, nothing could stop me, and I accepted the invitation of the US government without thinking.

I thought: "Anyway, there are many ways back to Europe, maybe this sea unicorn will be kind enough to take me to the coast of France, if it can let me catch it in the European sea, then it will be too cute! And I have to take at least half a meter of halberds to the Natural Science Museum.”

However, going to the northern part of the Pacific Ocean to find this sea unicorn is what I have to do, which is exactly the opposite for me to return to France. "Conseil!" I cried anxiously.

Conseil is a Flemish and also my servant. He is calm and honest by nature, and he never makes a fuss about the unexpected events in life;His name is Conseil, which means "advice", but he is not a talkative person. Unless someone asks him some questions, he will never express any opinions.He is very good to me and I like him very much, I always let him accompany me every time I travel.

(End of this chapter)