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

Chapter 86: Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea (17)
Ned Land was right. It was indeed a ship. The broken shrouds were still hanging from the iron posts, and the hull was still intact. It seemed that the ship had only sunk for a few hours at most.Three broken masts had been cut from two feet above the deck, indicating that the ship was forced to abandon the masts while heeling.The inside of the boat had been filled with water, and it was leaning to port.The sinking of the ship in the sea is already horrible, but the situation on the deck is even more tragic, where several corpses entangled by ropes are lying there!I counted the bodies of four men.I also saw a woman with a child in her arms standing on the lattice of the stern plank. She looked young, and under the lighting of the Nautilus' electric lights, I could see her face that had not been corroded by the sea.In a last desperate effort she lifted the child over her head, while the poor little creature clasped its mother's neck with its little hands!The expressions on the faces of the four sailors were terribly frightening. They were huddled together with convulsions, but they were still struggling to free themselves from the cables that entangled them.Only the helmsman was calmer, with a clear face and serious expression, gray hair on his forehead, and one hand holding the steering wheel tightly, as if he was still steering the sunken ship.

This scene really chills me!We stood silently at the scene of the shipwreck that just happened, we were all silent!My heartbeat also accelerated!I saw some big sharks swimming over with red eyes under the lure of human bait!

At this time, the "Nautilus" bypassed the sunken ship and continued to move forward. The moment our ship passed by, I saw the name of the ship written on the sign at the stern: Port of Thandland, "USS Florida".

Vanikoro Islands
Since the "Nautilus" entered a sea area with more traffic, this terrible scene was the beginning of a series of shipwrecks encountered by the "Nautilus" during its voyage.We often see wrecked ships rotting in the sea. Under the deeper seabed, we can see many rusty cannons, bullets, anchors, chains and other various iron objects.

We lived in isolation aboard the Nautilus, which carried us forward. On December 12th, the Pamotu Islands came into view. The archipelago is east-southeast to west-northwest, located between 11°13′ and 30°23′ south latitude, and 50°125′ west longitude. Between 30°151′ and 30°370′, it stretches for [-] miles from Duxi Island to Racha Islands.The archipelago consists of about sixty small islands with a total area of ​​[-] square miles.I saw that the Gambier Islands, which had been occupied by France, were among them.These small islands are calcareous coral islands. Under the action of coral polyps, the islands are constantly rising and uplifting, and one day they will be connected into pieces.The new contiguous islands would be united with neighboring islands, and a fifth continent would appear, stretching from New Zealand and New Caledonia to the Marquesas Islands.

That day, I talked about my theory of the formation of the New World in front of Captain Nemo, and he responded to me coldly:
"New continents are not what the earth needs, what it needs are new people!"

Coincidentally, during the voyage, the "Nautilus" just arrived at Clementine Island, which is the most interesting island in the archipelago. In 1822, Bell, the captain of the "Qumineva", discovered it.I therefore conducted research on the reef-building coral systems of small islands in the Pacific Ocean.It is worth reminding that stony coral is different from ordinary coral. The fibrous tissue of stony coral is covered with a layer of calcareous skin. into five parts.These tiny microscopic organisms that accumulate into coral trees with their secretions live in the billions inside their cells.Rocks, reefs, islets, and islands are formed by the gradual accumulation of limestone secreted by them.In some places they form a circle enclosing a coral reef or an inner lake with a gap at the edge to communicate with the sea.In other places they form reefs, such as are found on the coast of New Caledonia and some of the coasts of the Pamotu Islands.In places like Union Island and Maurice Island, they are reefs built up like high straight walls, and the water around them is unfathomable.

Walking only a few hundred meters along the Clementine cliffs, I saw the admirable work done by the laborers of these microbes.Those cliffs are a unique masterpiece of stony corals, which are known by various names, such as millipede coral, porite coral, star coral and brain coral.Corals thrive especially well in the turbulent waters of the ocean's surface.Therefore, the underwater buildings they built started from the upper part, and the buildings, together with the debris containing secretions that supported them, extended down bit by bit.At least, that's how Darwin's theory explained it.Another theory holds that mountaintops or volcanoes sunken a few feet below the ocean surface must be the foundations of coral reefs.But I think Darwin's theory is more reasonable.

The depth indicated by the probe was more than 300 meters, and the electric lights from the ship illuminated these vertical limestones so that I could get close to these strange walls for observation.

Conseil asked me how long it took to build up these huge walls.I answered him, according to the research of scholars, it takes a century to accumulate an eighth-inch-thick coral wall, which is equivalent to about 100 years.The answer surprised him.

He asked me again: "So, how long did it take to build such a high wall?"

"It will take 19 years, my dear Conseil, and that puts an extraordinary lengthen on the time recorded in the Bible. Besides, it would take much longer than that to form coal. I should add, however, that the Bible "The number of days in" only indicates some periods, and does not refer to the time between the two risings of the sun, because the "Bible" also said that the sun did not exist from the first day of the creation of the world."

After the "Nautilus" surfaced, the low and tree-covered Clementine Island was completely presented in front of us.Apparently the island's coral rocks have been made fertile by the washing of the cyclones and storms.Some grains and fruit stones were brought to the adjacent land by the storm in what year and month, and fell on the calcareous ground, while the plant fertilizer was the dregs decomposed by those fish and marine plants.Then, some fruit cores were washed to this new coast by the waves. After a while, the seeds began to germinate and take root, gradually grew up, and finally became trees and forests, and stored water vapor. So it grows more vigorously.Later, some were drifted here one after another.Turtles come here to lay eggs, birds build nests in the trees, and animals are active on the island like this.Soon, the greenery and fertile land of the island attracted human beings and appeared on the island. This is how these islands were formed. They are the amazing masterpieces of those microscopic animals.

In the evening, the island of Clementine disappeared into the distance, and the course of the "Nautilus" also changed.After arriving at the Tropic of Capricornus at 135° west longitude, the submarine headed west-northwest.Because our boat is sailing at a depth of 30 to 40 meters, although it is scorching summer, the temperature does not exceed [-] to [-] degrees Celsius, so we don't feel hot at all.

On December 12th, the charming Society Islands and the pearl of the Pacific Ocean, the graceful Tahiti appeared to our east.Early in the morning, I caught a glimpse of Tahiti's summit a few miles to leeward.This sea area provides a lot of seafood delicacies for our table, fin fish, carp, albino fish, and several kinds of sea snakes belonging to eels.

The "Nautilus" had sailed eight thousand and one hundred nautical miles.The Tongatapu Islands are where the crew of the "Argo", "Port-au-Prince" and the "Duke de Boland" were killed, and the Voyager Islands are where La Perouse's friend and Captain Langel were killed.When the "Nautilus" passed between the two islands, the number displayed on the log was 720 nautical miles.Then the Viti Islands reappeared before our eyes, and the sailors of the "Hehe" and the Nantes Captain Burrow who commanded the lovely "Josephine" were killed by the natives of this island.

This archipelago is located between 6° to 2° south latitude and 174° to 179° west longitude. It consists of many small islands such as Viti Island, Vanu Island and Gandubon. It is one hundred miles to the south, and ninety miles from east to west.

The islands were discovered by Tasman in 1643, the same year that Torreselli invented the weather meter and Louis XIV came to power.I don't need to say which of these three things is beneficial to mankind.Then, Cook, Don Tourgasto, and Dumont Juville came here in 1714, 1793, and 1827 respectively. Dumont Juville clarified the geographical situation of the archipelago after surveying. The "Nautilus" approached Valia Bay, where Captain Di Yong encountered a thrilling incident. It was Captain Di Yong who first figured out the secret of the shipwreck of La Bairou.

Welia Bay produces excellent oysters, and we have had several good catches here.We began shucking oysters at the table and ate without restraint.This mollusk is very common in the Mediterranean island of Corsica and belongs to the shell snakes called thin-shelled oysters.If there is no reason to deliberately eliminate these oysters, they will certainly flood the entire bay. It has been calculated that a single oyster can lay 200 million eggs.

During the process of eating oysters this time, Ned Land did not have the slightest regret because of his gluttony, because oysters do not make people feel full.Indeed, at least 310 oysters are needed to meet the [-] grams of nitrogen required by a person's daily nutrition.

On December 12, the "Nautilus" sailed among the New Hebrides. In 25, Culos discovered the archipelago; in 1606, Bushwell came here to explore; in 1768, Cook renamed it what is now known as the New Hebrides.The New Hebrides lie between latitudes 1773° and 15° south and longitudes 2° and 164° west, and consist of nine major islands, forming a 168-mile strip from north-northwest to south-southeast .Our boat passed along the shore of Oulu Island. It was noon at that time. At a glance, the island looked like a large lush forest with a tall mountain standing on it.This day is Christmas, which is a family reunion festival loved by Christians, and Ned Land is depressed because he cannot celebrate Christmas.

On the morning of the 27th, I was looking at the route of the "Nautilus" on the plan. Captain Nemo walked into the living room. He hadn't appeared in seven or eight days, but his expression always seemed to have been away for less than 5 minutes. look.He approached me, pointed to a point on the map, and said only one name:
"Vanikoro Islands."

The name is magical.This is the name of the archipelago where La Perouse's fleet disappeared.I stood up suddenly and asked:
"Is the 'Nautilus' taking us to the Vanikoro Islands?"

"You are right, Professor," replied the captain.

"So, can I go and see those famous islands? That is, the place where the 'Compass' and the 'Ammillary Sphere' were destroyed and sunk?"

"Of course, Professor, we can go whenever you like."

"When can we reach the Vanikoro Islands?"

"We're almost there now, Professor."

Captain Nemo led me up onto the platform, and my eyes could not wait to look up to the sky.

Two volcanic islands of varying sizes appeared to the northeast, surrounded by a ring of coral reefs about forty miles long.Now before us was Vanikoro Island, which Dumont Tourville insisted on calling Search Island.We faced exactly 16° 4' south latitude, 164° 32' east longitude, Port Vanu, a small sheltered island on this island.The land on the island seems to be covered with green plants. From the beach to the peak inside the island, it is lush and lush. The highest peak on the island, Mount Poko, is about 900 meters high. Standing on it, you can see the whole island. .

The "Nautilus" passed through a narrow waterway, passed through a reef ring made of rocks, and came to the breakwater, where the water depth is about 50 meters to 65 meters.I saw a dozen or thirteen natives in the shade of the mangroves, and they looked very surprised to see our boat approaching.Seeing such a long gray and black thing walking on the water, they thought they had seen a powerful cetacean that needed to be guarded!

At this moment Captain Nemo asked me what I knew about the death of La Perouse.

"Captain, all I know is what everyone knows," I said to him.

"So, can you tell me the well-known things?" There was sarcasm in his tone.

"of course can."

I then related to him the situation which is described in Dumont Cuvier's last book on the matter, briefly summarized as follows.

In 1785, Louis XVI sent La Perouse and his deputy Captain Langer to cooperate on a voyage around the world.They set off in two third-class ships, the Compass and the Armillary Sphere, and we have not heard from them since.

In 1791, the French government was very concerned about the fate of these two warships, so it equipped two large transport ships-"Search" and "Hope". At the port of Luster, the search began.Two months later, it was reported from the captain of the Aber Marr, named Bowen, that the wrecks of two warships had been found off the coast of New George Island.Turgasdo was not aware of the report at the time, and the credibility of the report was not so high, so he directed the ship to continue to the Admiralty Islands.For a report by Captain Hand pointed to this archipelago as the place where La Perouse had perished.

The "Hope" and the "Search" did not even stop at the Vanikoro Islands, and two of Turgasdo's lieutenants and several of his crew members unfortunately lost their lives on the way.However, his search was in vain.The first to find the trace of the wrecked ship was Captain Di Yong, an experienced old navigator. On May 1824, 5, the ship he commanded was called the "St. Patrick", and on May 15, 1824, it passed near Tikbea Island, one of the New Hebrides.There an Indian who approached his boat in a canoe sold him a silver knife-hilt with writing on it.The Indian also mentioned that when he was living in Vanikoro Island six years ago, he had seen two Europeans who were crew members of a ship that had been wrecked on this island many years ago.

The disappearance of the two ships of La Perouse had shocked the whole world. Di Yong guessed that it might be the two ships that wrecked here.He intended to go to the Vanikoro Islands, where, according to the Indian, there were many wrecks of ships, but the wind and the current prevented him.

Di Yong returned to Calcutta.There he tried to get the Asiatic Society and the Indian Company interested in his discoveries.He was thus given a ship named the Search, which he commanded, together with a Frenchman, set sail on January 1827, 1.

After porting at several places in the Pacific, the Searcher finally reached the Vanikoro Islands on July 1827, 7, and sailed into the small safe harbor of Vanu, where the Nautilus was now floating.

In this place, Captain Di Yong collected many relics of the shipwreck, including iron utensils, anchors, iron chains for pulleys, several small cannons, 180mm shells, broken astronomical instruments, fragments of the stern and a mouthful. The bronze bell, engraved with a few words: "Made in Bazin", this mark was used by the foundry of the Brest Ordnance Bureau around 1785.Judging from these, there is nothing suspicious about this matter.In order to make the information he collected more perfect and credible, Di Yong stayed at the place where he was killed until October of the same year, then left Vanikoro Islands for New Zealand, and arrived in Calcutta on April 1828, 4. Back in France, Charles X warmly entertained him.

But at this time, Dumont Cuvier did not know the results of Di Yong's work, and had already set off to find the place of death elsewhere.For he knew from a whaler's report that in the hands of the natives of Louisiani and New Caledonia, there were coats of arms and a sort of Cross of St. Louis.So, Dumont Cuvier commanded the "armillary sphere" and set off to the ocean.His ship docked at the port of Hoba City two months after Di Yong left the Vanikoro Islands.There, he learned of the results obtained by Di Yong, and he also heard that Hobbs, an officer on board the "Hehe" of the Calcutta Steamship Company, had been at 8°18' south latitude and 56° east longitude. On a small island at 30', I saw some red felt cloth and iron bars used by the natives on the island.

Dumont Cuvier was particularly hesitant. He did not know whether to believe the reports in the press.After much deliberation, he finally decided to follow Di Yong's trail.

(End of this chapter)