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

Chapter 72: Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea (3)
Conseil gradually learned a lot of knowledge due to his frequent contact with scholars in the academic circle of the botanical garden.In terms of biological classification, I say without exaggeration that he is simply an expert. Be clear.However, his learning is limited to taxonomy, and his main life is to classify every day, but he knows nothing else.He is well versed in the theory of taxonomy, but has little practical experience. I think he can't even tell the difference between a humphead whale and a fin whale!But this is a very faithful and reliable lad.

Conseil followed me everywhere to carry out scientific investigations, and it has been more than ten years now.He never considered how long the journey would be, or how far the journey would be, or how hard it would be.Whether he was going to China or the Congo, he packed his luggage and left without asking any nonsense.He is strong, muscular, immune to all diseases, and always so calm and easy-going, not to mention his thinking ability.

The lad was twenty years old, and the ratio of his age to his master's was ten to twenty.I hope readers will forgive me for saying that I am 20 years old.

Conseil is not perfect, and he also has shortcomings, that is, he is too rigid in etiquette, which has reached the point of irritating, and even when talking to me, he uses the third person.

"Conseil!" I called him again while I was busy preparing my luggage for departure.

For this long journey, I believe that this faithful young man will definitely follow me.If it was normal, I would not have asked him if he would go with me, but this trip is different from the past. No one can be sure how long it will take, and it is dangerous. A monster of a second-tier battleship that shatters like a walnut shell.No matter how calm a person faces such a dangerous journey, he will seriously consider it.What would Conseil think.

"Conseil!" This was the third time I called him.

Conseil responded.

"Sir, call me?" He asked me as he walked into the house.

"Yes, I called you. Get ready for me, and get ready yourself. We're leaving in two hours."

"You are welcome, sir." Conseil replied quietly.

"You can't delay even one minute. Hurry up and put all the things you need during the trip into my suitcase. Clothes, shirts, socks, don't count, take as much as you can, hurry up, go do it!"

"What about your specimens, sir?" said Conseil.

"Let's talk about it later."

"What! What about Mr.'s strange animals, plants, horses, snakes, and other skeletons?"

"Put them all in the hotel for the time being."

"What about the live boar?"

"When we are away, I will ask someone to feed it. In addition, I will ask someone to transport the animals used for research back to France."

Conseil asked me: "Do you mean, sir, that we are not going back to Paris?"

"This...Of course...I have to go back..." I replied hesitantly, "But I have to make a detour."

"Sir, do you like this bend?"

"Oh! Nothing! It's a trifle! It's just a not-so-direct route. We're leaving on the 'Lincoln.'"

"Sir, as long as it suits you." Conseil replied calmly.

"You know, my friend, about that monster... that famous narwhal problem... we're going to get it out of the sea... The Mystery of the Sea is a two-volume eight-volume I can't stay out of it, I have to go with Commander Farragut. This is an honorable mission, but... also very dangerous! We don't know where the real destination is! This monster's temper is very capricious! But we still go! Our captain is a man of courage and insight..."

"I will follow sir, and I will go wherever sir goes." Conseil replied.

"I won't hide anything from you. This trip may be the last time. Maybe you won't be able to come back after you go! You have to think about it!"

"As you please, sir."

A quarter of an hour later, Conseil finished packing the box.He does it with such ease that I am sure nothing will be lacking, for the lad is as good at sorting shirts and clothes as he is at birds or mammals.

The hotel elevator took us to the lobby between the ground floor and the second floor.I went down a few steps to the ground floor, where I paid at the big counter that was always crowded with people.I made a confession, and asked someone to transport bundles of packed animal and plant specimens back to Paris, and left enough money to feed the wild boar, and asked someone to feed it.Then I jumped into a carriage, Conseil following.

The fare for the carriage was twenty francs.We passed Broadway Road and went straight to Unity Square, then followed No. 34 Road to the intersection with Bovary Street, turned into Jialin Street, and stopped at Pier [-].In addition, Lin Ferry transported us to Brooklyn, including people, horses and cars.Brooklyn is a large area of ​​New York, and its location is on the left bank of the East River.A few minutes later, we arrived at the pier where the "Lincoln" was moored. The two funnels of the "Lincoln" were emitting thick black smoke.

As soon as we arrived at the quay of the Lincoln, our luggage was taken on deck of the great ship.I hurried on board, and asked where Captain Farragut was.A sailor said he was upstairs in the stern, and took me to him.The red-faced Commander Farragut immediately held out his hand to me and said:
"If I am not mistaken, you are Mr. Pierre Aronnax?"

"Yes," I replied, "then you must be Captain Farragut?"

"Exactly, exactly. Professor, you are very welcome. Your cabin has been prepared long ago."

I salute my farewell so that the captain can prepare to sail.I was taken to the cabin prepared for me.

The USS Lincoln was carefully selected for this new mission and more rationally remodeled.It was a fast second-tier battleship, equipped with high-pressure steam engines capable of increasing air pressure to seven atmospheres.Relying on this kind of air pressure, the average speed of the "Lincoln" can reach [-] knots. This speed is very remarkable, but it is not enough to fight with that huge cetacean.

The equipment inside the battleship fully matches the requirements of this nautical mission.I am very satisfied with the cabin I stayed in.It is located at the rear of the ship, opposite the officers' dining room.

I said to Conseil: "This cabin is very nice."

Conseil replied, "Living here is as comfortable as a hermit crab living in a conch shell. Don't mind my words, sir."

I asked Conseil to stay in the cabin to settle our suitcases, and came to the deck alone to see the preparations before sailing.

The Lincoln was still tied to the bitts of the Brooklyn pier when Captain Farragut had the last cables untied.We arrived just in time, and if we had been a quarter of an hour late, if not a quarter of an hour later, the ship would have departed, and I would have been with this extraordinary, mysterious, incredible expedition. Passed by.Although the account of this expedition is true, it must be doubted what follows.

Captain Farragut was impatient to put the ship into the sea where the animal was, and he did not want to lose a day, not even an hour.He called the ship's engineer.

"Is the pressure enough?" the captain asked him.

"Enough, Captain," replied the engineer.

"Set sail!" cried Captain Farragut.

The order to sail the ship was transmitted to the machine room through the microphone. After receiving the order, the engineers immediately started the wheels.The steam engine roared into the half-open intake valve.Rows of horizontal pistons clicked and rattled, pushing the connecting rods of the crankshaft.The blades of the propellers continued to increase speed, churning the water, so the "Lincoln" set sail solemnly, surrounded by hundreds of ferries and motorboats full of spectators who came to see them off.

Curious people packed the Brooklyn piers and along the East River, and 5000 million people cheered from the bottom of their hearts.On top of the dense crowd, thousands of handkerchiefs were excitedly fluttering, and they kept saluting farewell to the "Lincoln". At the tip of the peninsula, the crowd gradually dispersed.

The big ship sailed along the coast of New West State. The right bank of the river had a beautiful scenery, and the villas were connected one by one.When the big ship passed through the middle of the fort, the fort fired a salute to show respect for the big ship. In order to show their salute, the "Lincoln" hoisted the American flag three times in a row, and put the 39 stars on the mizzen beam to shine brightly.Then, the big ship changed course and sailed into the channel where the navigation mark was set.When the big ship passed the sandbar, it was welcomed by thousands of spectators on the island.

The ferries and motorboats escorting the ship followed closely behind, and they did not leave the ship until they were near the lightship.There are two lights on the lightship, indicating that it is the exit of the New York route.

It was exactly three o'clock in the afternoon.The navigator disembarked from the ship, got into his dinghy, and sailed toward a small clipper waiting for him below.The coal fires burned hotter, the wheels churned the water faster, and the big ship sailed along the low yellow shore of Long Island.At eight o'clock in the evening, after the lights of Long Island had been thrown to the northwest, the ship was at full steam ahead, racing at full speed over the dusky waters of the Atlantic.

Ned Land

Captain Farragut is a very fine seaman, and he is most well-deserved in commanding the ship.He merged with his battleship and became the soul of this battleship.Regarding the cetacean, he had no doubts in his mind, and on this ship he would not allow anyone to discuss the existence of that animal.He believed in the existence of this animal, just as many honest women believed in Leviathan, the sea monster that symbolizes evil in the Book of Isaiah in the Bible.All the same, by faith rather than reason, the monster existed, and it must be cleared from the sea, he had sworn.He was like the knight of Rhodes, like Dieudonne on Gorson, who went to fight the serpent that trampled his island.Either Captain Farragut killed the narwhal, or the narwhal killed Captain Farragut, there was no compromise.

The seamen on board agreed with their officer's opinion.They were always talking, arguing, and speculating about the various chances of encountering monsters, and they were often making observations of the open sea.There were more than one seaman rushing to be on duty on the transom, and if this were not the case, they would all be full of complaints when they encountered such a drudgery.As long as the sun was still on, the sailors were always crowded at the mast, and it was hard to stand on the deck, which was hot to the feet, but they still stood there, and in fact, the "Lincoln" was far from the Pacific Ocean. The sea is still far away.

All the crew on board were concentrating on scouting the sea.Everyone hoped to find the sea unicorn, harpoon it, drag it to the boat, and chop it into pieces.In addition, Captain Farragut said that he had also prepared a bonus of two thousand dollars, which would be given to whoever first reported the news about the sea unicorn, whether it was the sailor or the officer.It is conceivable, therefore, that all the eyes of the "Lincoln" seemed busier.

Of course, I am not willing to lag behind, and I will not let others do the observations that I should do every day for me.This ship has enough reason to be renamed "Multi-Eyes".Conseil was the only one of them all, whose indifference to the subject which excited us all seemed quite incongruous with the heightened enthusiasm on board.

As I have said, Captain Farragut is a very careful person. He carefully prepared all kinds of equipment for catching whales. Even a professional whaling ship may not have such sophisticated equipment.Now our ships have everything from hand-thrown harpoons to fowling-shots and iron arrows from cannons.There was also an improved breech-loading gun on the foredeck, with a thick barrel and narrow muzzle, loaded from the breech bolt.This precious cannon was of American manufacture, and it fired four-kilogram conical shells at a range of sixteen kilometers.A model of this gun was exhibited at the Universal Exposition in 1867.

Therefore, the "Lincoln" has the most comprehensive annihilation weapons.Moreover, there is Ned Land, the king of harpooners, on board, which is like icing on the cake for the "Lincoln".

Ned Land is Canadian.This man was so skilled, so cool, so bold, that a fin whale would have to be very cunning to escape his harpoon, and a humphead whale would have to be extraordinarily clever.In this dangerous career of spearfishing, he has yet to meet an opponent.

Ned Land was about forty years old.He was a very large man, about six feet high, solidly built, grave, unsmiling, and very bad-tempered, with a violent rage if anyone provoked him.His appearance is very attractive, especially his piercing eyes, which make his face very vivid.

It seemed to me that Captain Farragut was wise to have this man on board.His eyesight was sharp, his limbs strong, and in these respects he alone was worth a ship's crew.I can't find a better adjective to describe him. I can only compare him to a high-powered telescope and a cannon ready to fire at any time.

Ned Land was Canadian, and he could also be French, however difficult he was, I must admit that he had a certain liking for me, probably because my nationality attracted him.For him, there is said Rabelais Rabelais (1483-1553), French writer, humanist, represented as the novel "Giant".The opportunity of the French of the time; for me, the opportunity of hearing this old French.Rabelaisian French is still spoken today in several Canadian provinces.Quebec is the hometown of the harpooner. When the city was still part of France, there were already many brave fishermen in his family.

Ned Land gradually became interested in talking, and I was fascinated by the stories he told about his adventures in the Arctic sea.When he told the stories of fishing and fighting, he carried a strong poetic flavor.The stories he tells are vivid and colorful, just like narrative poems. Listening to him, I seem to be listening to Homer of Canada chanting the "Iliad" of the North Pole. The ancient Greek literature is also one of the classics of the whole West.

The reason why I want to describe this brave harpooner based on what I know of him now is because we have become old friends in times of trouble, and the unbreakable friendship has bound us tightly together!what!Brave Ned Land!I really hope that I can live another 100 years and miss you for a longer time!
So, what did Ned Land think of the sea monster?I admit that among the people on the boat, he is the only one who disagrees with everyone. He doesn't believe in sea unicorns and narwhals, and he even avoids this question.But, one day I will talk to him about it.

On the 7th of July, three weeks after we set sail, on a beautiful night, we arrived at the same latitude as Cape Blanche, thirty miles from the coast of Patagonia.We had crossed the Tropic of Capricorn and were less than seven hundred nautical miles from the Strait of Magellan to the south.In less than a week, the Lincoln would be riding the waves of the Pacific.

Ned Land and I sat together on the poop deck, chatting wildly while gazing at the unfathomable and mysterious sea.At this time, it was natural to turn the topic to the giant sea unicorn, and analyzed various possibilities for the success or failure of our expedition.As we talked, I realized that Ned Land was silent and only let me talk, so I decided to go straight to the point.

"What's the matter, Ned Land?" I asked him. "How do you think the cetaceans we're after don't exist? Do you have any particular reason for being so suspicious?"

Before answering, Ned Land looked at me for a while, patted his broad forehead with his hand habitually, and closed his eyes, as if concentrating his thoughts.He said: "I have a reason, Mr. Aronnax."

"Ned Land, you are a professional whaling expert. You are very familiar with the huge mammals in the sea. You should be easy to accept the fact that this huge cetacean exists, but you want to be the last one. Those who doubt this matter, this is beyond my comprehension!"

"Professor, you are wrong to think that way." Ned Land said, "It is reasonable for ordinary people to believe that there are strange comets passing through the universe, or that monsters from ancient times lived in the interior of the earth, but astronomers and geologists Scientists would never admit the existence of such bizarre things. I am a whaler, have hunted cetaceans, harpooned many, and killed several, but, regardless of the strength of those whale attacks No matter how strong they are, whether they use their tails or their tusks, they will never be able to destroy the steel plate of a steamboat."

"But, Ned Land, there are plenty of legends about narwhal teeth drilling through the bottom of boats."

"If it's a wooden boat, there is a possibility," Ned Land replied, "but I have never seen even such a thing with my own eyes. Therefore, I cannot admit that fin whales, big-headed whales, etc. Whales and narwhals can penetrate steel plates."

"Ned Land, listen to me..."

"No, professor, I can listen to anything you say, but this is impossible! Maybe it's a huge octopus..."

"That's even less likely, Ned Land. The octopus is only a mollusk, and the name itself suggests that its muscles are not very hard. Even if the octopus were five hundred feet long, it would not be a vertebrate." One, it can't do any harm to ships like the Scotia or the Lincoln. So anything about such sea monsters or monsters is pure fantasy."

(End of this chapter)