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

Chapter 89: Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea (20)
Indeed, as Conseil said, under the dense leaves, there are groups of parrots flying among the branches. This kind of bird can learn human language as long as it is carefully trained.At this moment, several male parrots are chirping and chirping around the colorful female parrots; the serious-looking colorful parrots seem to be thinking about something; Flying among the birds.Also in this flock were great green parrots that whirled in flight, pure blue gentoos, and many other beautiful and lovely birds.Overall, these birds are not fit for consumption.

Here, however, a peculiar bird does not appear, which never flies beyond the borders of the Alu Islands and the Papuan Islands, and which I do not now see in this flock.Fate has only kept this bird from view for a while, and it won't be long before I can see it.

After passing through a less dense jungle, we came to a plain with many thorns.At this time, I saw many gorgeous birds flying in the sky. Their feathers are so long that they must fly against the wind.Their flying posture is wavy, showing graceful curves in the air.Even more attractive is their vibrant color.I had no trouble recognizing them.

"The Peerless Bird, the Peerless Bird!" I shouted excitedly.

"It belongs to the order of passerines and the suborder of rectals," Conseil went on.

"Is it a swan?" Ned Land asked.

"I don't think so, Master Ned Land. But I hope you'll be able to bring down a lovely bird in your own right!"

"Professor, I'm used to using a harpoon, and my marksmanship is a bit worse. Let me try."

Malaysians use this bird to conduct a large trade with the Chinese.The various methods used by the Malaysians to catch this bird are not suitable for our use.Sometimes they set traps on the tops of tall trees where the unparalleled birds like to live, sometimes they use sparrow glue, which is so sticky that once the birds touch it, they can't move anymore, sometimes even in the springs where these birds often go to drink. Poisoned.And now the only way we use it is to shoot them while they are flying.We wasted a lot of ammo and had very few chances of hitting them.

When it was nearly eleven o'clock, we had already climbed the first mountain ridge in the center of the island, but we still found nothing.We had hoped to live on our prey, but now we had nothing and were starving.After walking for a while, our luck came. Conseil unexpectedly shot down a white pigeon and a mountain dove, and our lunch was finally settled.Conseil quickly plucked their feathers, nailed them to small iron chisels, and lit them with dry wood to roast them.While the two little animals were roasting over the fire, Ned Land had prepared the breadfruit.Nutmeg is commonly eaten in abundance by these birds, so that their meat is spiced and a very savory delicacy.Soon, the white pigeons and mountain doves were gnawed down to a pile of bones, and everyone said they were delicious.

Conseil said, "It smells like a big hen fed with mushrooms."

"Ned Land, is there anything we need now?" I asked the Canadian.

"Mr. Aronnax, all these pigeons and doves are nothing more than snacks and snacks," Ned Land replied. can never be satisfied.”

"Ned Land, I won't be satisfied if I can't hit a Peerless Bird."

Conseil said: "Let's go on hunting, then. But now we're heading towards the sea. We've climbed over a ridge and reached the first slope of the ridge, and I think we'd better go back to the woods. "

This was wise advice, and we followed Conseil's advice.After walking for about an hour, we arrived at a real sago forest.A few non-poisonous little snakes slipped past our feet, and Wushuang bird flew away immediately when it saw us.When I was very disappointed that I couldn't catch them, Conseil suddenly walked in front of me and bent down, let out a cry of joy, and then approached me excitedly. A very beautiful unparalleled bird.

"Well done, lad!"

"Sir, you are too much for your prize," Conseil replied.

"No, young man, you are really amazing. You can catch a live Peerless Bird with your hands. It's amazing!"

"Sir, if you take a closer look, you won't find me so remarkable."

"Why is that, Conseil?"

"Because it's a drunken unparalleled bird."

"Is the bird drunk?" I was a little confused.

"Yes, sir, this unparalleled bird is very greedy. It ate too much cardamom under the cardamom tree and got drunk. That's why I caught it. You see, brother Ned, he is greedy and delicious." How dire the consequences!"

The Canadian said: "What are you talking about? For two months, I have only drank a little gin. Is this considered greedy?"

I have long been accustomed to such bickering between the two of them, so while they were bickering, I observed the bird carefully.Its legs were limp and weak, and it could no longer fly. It could only barely walk a few steps staggeringly.It seemed that Conseil was right, this unparalleled bird was indeed drunk, intoxicated by the cardamom juice.However, I don't have to worry about him at all, it will wake up naturally after a while.

This bird is the "Great Emerald" Pelican, the most beautiful and rarest of the eight Pelicans native to Papua and the neighboring islands.It is thirty centimeters long, with a relatively small head, and its eyes are also very small around its mouth.It has several colors all over its body, and it looks very gorgeous. It has a yellow mouth, brown claws and nails, purple-colored wings, reddish wing tips, pale yellow head and nape, emerald neck, chestnut Colored belly and chest.Two horny, downy feathers stand up on the tail, which is covered with long, light and beautiful feathers, giving this amazing bird a particularly perfect look.The locals gave this bird a poetic name: Peerless Bird.

There is not a living unparalleled bird in the botanical gardens in Paris. I really hope to bring this beautiful unparalleled bird back to Paris.

Canadians rarely evaluate their prey from an artistic point of view. He asked in a disdainful tone: "Is this bird really so rare?"

"Yes, it's really rare, and it's hard to get a live one. Even a dead bird is an important trade object. Therefore, the locals have come up with ways to counterfeit it, just like making fake pearls and fake diamonds."

"What!" cried Conseil, "someone made a fake Peerless Bird?"

"Yes, Conseil."

"Then, do you know, sir, how the locals make fakes?"

"Of course I know. When the monsoon season comes, the beautiful feathers around the tail of the unparalleled bird will fall off. Biologists call these shed feathers aileron feathers. People who fake birds will collect these shed feathers and put them They were cleverly mounted on poor parrots that had been pre-killed and plucked. Then they glued the joints of the fur, and painted the body of the bird, so that a fake bird was made. Thus, these The fake birds were sold to museums and bird lovers all over Europe.

"That's wonderful!" said Ned Land. "Although the bird is not that kind of bird, the feathers are that kind of bird. If the kind of bird is not used for eating, I don't think there is any harm in that!"

Because of getting this unparalleled bird, my wish has been fulfilled, but the wish of the Canadian hunter has not yet been fulfilled.However, Ned Land's luck finally came. When it was close to two o'clock, a fat wild boar in the forest became Ned Land's prey. The local natives called this pig "Baliodon".Ned Land, who got the quadruped beast, was very satisfied with his marksmanship.

Canadians pick half a dozen ribs from the pig and prepare to roast them for dinner.Then he stripped it of its fur, disemboweled it, and emptied it of its internal organs.Then we went hunting again, and while the friends were searching the bushes, they drove out a colony of kangaroos, which spread their springy legs and hopped away.But before they could escape, Ned Land and Conseil's electric bullets had already hit them.In this hunting, the two gained a lot.

Ned Land, who had harvested a lot, was very happy, and his enthusiasm for hunting became even more frenzied: "Ah! Professor, the meat of these prey is very delicious when stewed. These foods are very rare on the 'Nautilus'! Only! Three! Five! There's five on the ground! I'm so glad to think we've eaten all the meat, and the fools on board can't get a scrap of it."

I think the Canadian would have slaughtered the whole pack of kangaroos if he hadn't been too excited to talk so much!And now, he only hits a dozen or so and quits.These kangaroos are a type of rabbit kangaroo, they are short in stature, usually live in tree holes, and can run very quickly.Although they are small in stature, their meat is delicious and considered a treasure.

"These kangaroos are the first order of red-bellied mammals," Conseil said.

We were very satisfied with the results of this hunt, and Ned Land was also very happy. He proposed to return to this charming island tomorrow, and he wanted to kill all edible quadrupeds here, but he did not expect accidents.

At six o'clock in the evening we were back on the beach with the dinghy where it had been. The "Nautilus" stopped two nautical miles from the coast, and looked like a very long reef from a distance.

Without wasting any time, Ned Land immediately started preparing dinner.He roasted the loin meat of the "Balio Don" wild boar over a red fire. After a while, the air was filled with a very fragrant smell!Facing these fresh barbecues, I can't help myself!Please forgive me for becoming a fellow Canadian!
Dinner was absolutely delicious!The addition of two mountain doves rounded out this unusual dinner.Sago noodles, breadfruit, some mangoes, half a dozen pineapples, and a drink made from coconut fruit, we had a great time.Moreover, I feel that my two companions are already a little bit swayed, and their heads are not clear.

Conseil said, "What if we don't go back to the Nautilus tonight?"

"Then we never go back, shall we?" Ned Land said.

Just then, a rock fell at our feet and interrupted his proposal.

captain nemo's thunder
We didn't stand up, but turned to look in the direction of the woods. My hand that was delivering food to my mouth stopped in mid-air, and Ned Land's hand stopped moving as soon as he put the food into his mouth.

Conseil said: "Except for meteorites, no other stones will fall from the sky."

The fall of another round stone, knocking off a fragrant hawve leg from Conseil's hand, fully vindicates his statement and deserves our attention.So the three of us stood up with our guns in hand, ready to deal with the sudden attack.

"Could it be some apes?" said Ned Land.

"Basically, they're a bunch of savages," Conseil replied.
"Hurry up and get on the boat." I shouted to my companions, and ran to the sea.Our dinghy was anchored 20 meters out to sea from us.

Faced with the situation at hand, retreating is our best choice.For twenty or so natives with bows and arrows and slings appeared at the edge of a coppice, only a hundred paces from us.Ned Land was not willing to give up all his food, and in spite of the immediate danger, he picked up the boar and the kangaroo rather quickly.These wild natives did not run after us, but approached us slowly, raining stones, bows and arrows, all their expressions and movements were full of hostility.

After running for about 2 minutes, we arrived on the beach. We loaded the boat with food and weapons as fast as we could, pushed the boat into the sea, and installed the two oars.We haven't drawn 200 meters away, more than 100 natives have already jumped into the waist-deep sea water, gesticulating and shouting at us.I took a quick look to see if the presence of these savages might draw some of the Nautilus to the platform.However, this huge machine seemed to be asleep, and no one could be seen.

After 10 minutes, we returned to the submarine.The panels were open, and with the dinghy fastened we were back inside the Nautilus.

As soon as I entered the living room, I heard some music came to my ears.Captain Nemo was leaning over the organ, intoxicated by his music.

I called to him, "Captain!"

He didn't seem to hear my shout.

"Captain!" I called him again, and touched him with my hand.

He shivered, turned to me and said:

"Ah! Professor, you are the one who came back. Did your hunting go well? You must have collected a lot of plant specimens, right?"

I said, "Yes, Captain, we are back. But unfortunately, we have accidentally attracted some two-legged animals, and they are nearby. I am a little worried, so I came to inform you."

"What? Twolegs?"

"Yes, they are natives."

"Some natives!" Captain Nemo said to me in a sarcastic tone. "Professor, don't you find it strange that you met natives as soon as you set foot on land? There are natives everywhere, but the ones you call natives." People must be much worse than other people, right?"

"But, Captain..."

"It seems to me, sir, that there are savages everywhere."

I said, "Captain, if you don't want them to be guests on board, you'd better find a way to deal with them."

"Professor, please rest assured that there is nothing to worry about."

"But there are plenty of natives."

"How many do you think they could have?"

"There are at least 100 people."

Captain Nemo put his fingers on the keys of the organ again, and said: "Mr. Aronnax, even if all the natives of Papua come, the Nautilus will not be afraid of their attacks at all. !"

After finishing speaking, the captain's fingers were flying on the keyboard of the organ, and I found that he only played the black keys, which gave the melody he played a strong Scottish color.He was so absorbed in his beautiful music that he completely forgot about my existence.

Without disturbing him, I turned back to the platform.It was already dark.Here at low latitudes, the daylight hours are short and there is no transition to night directly into night.Gueboroe Island became a shadow, and there were countless fires shining on the beach. I knew that the natives were still there and didn't want to leave.

Infected by the captain's unshakable faith, I was no longer afraid of the natives, and completely ignored their existence, and spent hours alone on the platform, admiring the nocturnal beauties of the tropics.Looking at the stars of the zodiac, my heart seemed to follow them to France, as they shone for hours.The moon shone brightly in the starry sky, and I thought that this faithful and agreeable satellite would come to the same place the day after tomorrow to raise the waters and return the Nautilus to the sea.When it was almost midnight, I saw the black sea and under the trees on the shore, there was silence and no sound, so I went back to my room and fell asleep quietly.

The night passed peacefully.The panels were open, and it was easy for the natives to try to get inside the Nautilus, but nothing happened.I think those natives must think that the "Nautilus" stranded in the bay is a big monster, and they dare not move forward.

At six o'clock in the morning on January 1, I boarded the platform again.The fog on the sea has dispersed.Through the dissipating mist, Gueboroa Island revealed first the beach and then slowly the mountains.

The number of natives guarding there has increased a lot compared to yesterday's number, and has reached about 600.Several natives took advantage of the low tide to stand on the tip of the coral rock, only about 400 meters away from the "Nautilus".I can see them clearly.These were some real Papuans, a good race, strong and full, with big and straight noses, white teeth, and red hair hanging on a black and shiny body.Bone earrings hang from their long, pendulous ears.These natives don't wear clothes and are usually naked.I saw some women among them, with rough skirts of blades of grass covering them from waist to knee.Some of the leaders wore a crescent and a necklace of red and white glass around their necks.Almost all of them carried bows, arrows, and shields, and carried over their shoulders something like a net containing stones, which they could hurl easily with slings.

One of the chiefs walked as close as possible to the Nautilus and watched our submarine carefully.Because he was wearing a scarf woven from banana leaves, with patterns woven around it and dyed in bright colors, he seemed to be a "Mado" of high status.He was very close to my position, I thought it would be easy to kill him, but I didn't do it, I thought it would not be too late to strike him when he actually made a hostile move.

All through the ebb tide the natives hung about the Nautilus without shouting.I heard them repeating the phrase "Azai" all the time. Judging from their gestures, I understood that they wanted to invite me to land. For such an invitation, I think it's better to refuse.

Surrounded by these natives, the small boat couldn't leave the big boat, which displeased Master Ned Land who wanted to get more food.So the handy Canadian took advantage of the time to pack up the meat and flour he had brought back from Gueboroa Island.At about eleven o'clock, the sea began to rise, and the coral pinnacles were slowly submerged by the rising tide, and the natives returned to the shore.I saw, however, that their number had increased considerably, probably from the neighboring islands, or from Papua itself.Also, I didn't see a native canoe.

(End of this chapter)