Captain Grant's Children

Chapter 13 Earthquake Express
If it weren't for Major McNabbs, no one else would have walked a hundred or even a thousand times from here and would not have found the cabin!
It's just a slightly raised point on the snow, mixed with the surrounding rocks, it's really hard to tell.Wilson and Mulla desperately clawed at the thick snow and ice on the hut, and it took half an hour before they opened the door.

Seven people quickly squeezed in and shrank into a ball.This hut was built by Indians on the rock with adobe. It is 7 meters long and wide. There is only one door, and the door is a stone ladder.Although this small shack does not look very big, it can still be used for shelter from wind and snow and for emergency use.There is also an adobe stove and chimney in the house, which can be used for cooking and heating when necessary. "I really thank God for leading us to this place where we can live!"

Glenarvan said. "Ah, this place is stronger than the royal palace, only there are no guards and ministers!" Paganel joked contentedly. "It would be even better if it was on fire!" Austin said. "Hungry is definitely hungry, but cold is still ranked first. Maybe it is possible to find some firewood, that is more exciting than hunting wild game!"

"Okay, let's find something to burn." Paganel seemed confident. "Here? Where can I get some burnt?" Murat said suspiciously. "I think since there is a stove in the house, there must be something to burn outside."

The major analyzed. "The major is right. Get ready to cook, and I'll go out and get firewood," said Glenarvan.

"Then Wilson and I will go with you," said Paganel. "Shall I go too?"

Little Robert got up and cried happily. "No, child, you'd better rest well," said Glenarvan. "You have become an adult when others are still children!" At dusk, Glenarvan, Paganel, and Wilson walked out of the shack together.Although there is no wind, it is cold.The last ray of light in the sky was reflected on the tall cliffs like extinguished ashes, which made people feel very disappointed.

Paganel glanced at the barometer: -4°95′.This means they were at 11700 feet at this time.It is only 910 meters lower than Mont Blanc, the highest peak in Europe!
If there were as many hurricanes and cyclones as there are on Mont Blanc, they would never be able to climb it anyway.

The few of them walked forward for a while, climbed up a huge rock, and searched around.

Standing here, you can have a panoramic view of the mountains and rivers within 40 square miles.

To the east is a slope with lower floors, so there should be no problem for people to walk.The chaotic stones rushed out when the iceberg collapsed are all arranged in a row.

The Colorado River basin gradually disappeared in the setting sun, and the land where the peaks and plains intersected gradually darkened.

The mountain peaks and protruding boulders in the west are still under the sunlight, and the rocks, ice and snow reflect dazzling light, making people dazzled.

The mountain peaks in the north seem to be zigzag lines drawn by trembling hands, while the south is just the opposite of this hazy scene, and the closer it is to the night, the more magnificent it looks.

Andu Valley Volcano opened its bloody mouth and roared lowly two miles away, erupting fiery red, tan, purple, green... all kinds of flames, which looked like a Colorful kaleidoscope.

The flickering like electric fire and the long-lasting jet were staged alternately in the silent sky, and the embers scattered in all directions, disappearing into the boundless night sea like stars.

Paganel and Glenarvan were completely attracted by the magnificent sight in front of them. At this moment, they changed from woodcutters to art connoisseurs!

Wilson didn't pay much attention to these, he reminded them to get down to business.

At last they found a lot of dried moss in the crevices of the rocks.Carry this precious fuel back to the shack, and the waiting men immediately start the fire.The fire was neither easy to light nor maintain because of the thin air.

"It's easier to boil water, though," said the major. "Because the water does not need to boil at 100 degrees. People who like to drink Baidu boiling water to make coffee have to make do with it. The boiling water here will not exceed 90 degrees." , only 87 degrees.

At any rate, they all ended up drinking hot coffee again, and eating the dried meat was a real treat.

Paganel began to have a whim again: "It would be even better if we had some roasted vicuña meat! I heard people say that vicuña can replace cattle and sheep, but today I really want to know whether vicuña meat can replace beef and mutton." !"

"Ah, Monsieur Paganel, are you not satisfied with this, so to speak, sumptuous dinner?"

asked the major. "Very satisfying. But a plate of wild game would really be the icing on the cake!" "A gourmand!" said McNabbs.

"I would gladly accept the hat you put on me. But don't you want to eat any of it yourself?"

"Maybe want to eat." "If you were to go hunting now, would you go out into the cold and the dark?"

"Of course." Before he finished speaking, everyone heard a roar coming from far and near.It sounds like this is not one or two animals, let alone ten or eight, but hundreds or thousands!After God rewarded us with a hut, will he also give us delicious food?

This is what geographers think.Glenarvan insisted that at such a high altitude there would never be large herds of beasts. "Without the beast, where does the sound outside come from?" Austin asked.

"Is it an avalanche?" Moura asked eagerly.

"No, it's obviously the roar of a wild beast!" Paganel insisted on his opinion. "Look and go."

Glenarvan said. "I'll go out and have a look first as a hunter." The major grabbed his gun.Everyone followed suit.

As night falls, the moon has not yet come out, and the sky is full of stars.All the surrounding mountains were lost in darkness.The roar, from far to near, became louder and louder, roaring and rushing towards this side!
what is itAll of a sudden, there was a wave of overwhelming waves coming towards us violently. Thousands of beasts roared and rushed towards us like a strong wind!
The air is so thin and the sound is so loud!Instinctively, everyone fell to the ground as the animal gust blew wildly over the rocks a few feet above their heads.Paganel was extremely curious, and he had to see what it was anyway, so he didn't get down; but he was knocked down in just a moment.

"Bang!" The major grabbed the gun beside him and fired indiscriminately.

He felt an animal lying nearby.And the whole group of animals running wildly was not affected in any way, and quickly disappeared behind the hillside.

"I've found it!" cried Paganel. "Found what?" Glenarvan asked.

"My glasses. Although I was hit on the front, I only lost my glasses. What a blessing among misfortunes!"

"Aren't you hurt?" Glenarvan asked again.

"No. It was just kicked a few times. What is it?" "This thing." The major came over dragging the beast he had shot and killed indiscriminately.Everyone hurried back to the hut with the major, and by the light of the fire, they saw a beautiful animal that looked like a humpless camel: it had a thin head, a flat body, long legs, soft fur, and white spots under its belly.

"The guanaco!" Paganel almost shouted. "What is a guanaco?" Glenarvan asked.

"It's the kind of animal that the camel was before it evolved, but most importantly it can eat!"

Paganel replied. "Is it tasty?"

"It tastes so good. I knew I was going to have something to eat tonight. Who peeled it?"

"Me," Wilson said. "You peel and I bake," Paganel said.

"You can cook, Monsieur Paganel?"

Glenarvan asked. "I'm French! French people are born to cook!"

Five minutes later, Paganel was seriously grilling the meat over the fire.

After another 10 minutes, the meat was done roasting.Everyone immediately took it and ate it.But everyone only took a bite, and they all spit it out with a wow! "It's so unpalatable!"

"I can't eat it!" Paganel tasted it himself, and confessed in frustration that even a hungry ghost couldn't swallow the roast meat he made.Everyone started making fun of him again.Paganel remained silent, not because he didn't know that others were laughing at him, but because he was trying to think about the reason why the meat didn't taste good.Suddenly, he yelled: "Yes, yes, I know!" "Too old?"

asked the major. "No, you nitpicking major! It's because you ran so hard, how did I forget?" "What's 'running too hard'?" Austin asked.

"'Running too hard', if you beat it to death, the meat will be really bad. Only when the guanaco is resting, the meat will be delicious. Therefore, according to the taste of the meat, it can be concluded that this guanaco It's been quite a distance." "Really?"

Glenarvan asked. "real."

"Then what made them run so desperately? It should be the time for them to sleep in the nest!"

"My dear sir, I don't know either. Go to sleep, I'm so sleepy." "Sleep." Everyone wrapped their cloaks tightly, added more fire, and lay down tightly huddled together.Soon, Paganel's bass-like snoring sounded.Glenarvan did not sleep, he could not sleep at all.Why did the group of beasts, driven by extreme fear, all flee in the same direction?
With no wild animal chasing, much less a hunter hunting, what was it that frightened them so much?
Glenarvan faintly felt that a disaster was approaching quietly.

Gradually, his consciousness became a little blurred.It seemed to be the next day. They went down the mountain smoothly and came to the vast plain.They began to investigate, and the investigation also had results: Captain Grant and his companions were successfully rescued by them.

The crackling of the charcoal fire in the stove woke him up from time to time. Through the light of the fire, he saw the sleeping faces of his companions and the flickering shadows on the wall.

And his consciousness is clearly telling him: disaster is coming.I saw that he heard a rumbling sound outside, as if it came from the mountain.What is this sound?The rumbling sound seemed to have some kind of close connection with the threatening noise underground, as if a storm accompanied by thunder and lightning had come up from the mountainside.

Glenarvan came out of the shelter.The moon is sparse and bright, and the sky is shining with the colorful light of the Andu Valley Volcano.

There was neither wind nor rain outside; no flashes, much less thunder.However, the rumbling sound was still intensifying, as if it was getting closer!

what is this?
At this time, Glenarvan's mind was extremely confused: Is there any connection between the running guanaco and the rumbling noise?

It's two o'clock in the morning, to wake up our tired traveling companions?tell them what?Said there was a mortal danger?What is the danger?How to do?Glenarvan fell into a hazy sleep again while hesitating.A few hours later, he was awakened suddenly by a loud bang, and a deafening sound like countless chariots rolling over the ground rushed towards him!

The stones under my feet are sinking, and the shack is shaking violently back and forth!
"Run for your life!" he yelled.

In an instant, the hut was completely torn apart, and the people were rolling and huddled together, and were suddenly thrown onto a steep slope.

It was already dawn, and what appeared in front of everyone was a very terrifying scene: all the surrounding mountains suddenly changed their appearance, some were cut off in the middle, some fell into the ground suddenly, and some looked like mountains in the sky. The clouds were like clouds, sliding towards the plain... "Earthquake!" Paganel exclaimed.

Yes, it's an earthquake.Such natural disasters often occur in the mountains of Chile.Cobia was destroyed twice by earthquakes, while Santiago was razed to the ground four times in 14 years.

The ground fire burns underground, and if the crater is too small, it will impact other parts of the ground, causing a big shock.

Now, the mountain where the seven of them are located is flying towards the plain at a particularly fast speed-7 miles per hour-!I saw them grabbing the moss and grabbing the cracks in the rocks, screaming and shouting, flying dizzily with the mountains.There is no way to escape, nowhere to stop, it is useless to shout, and it is useless to shout. At this time, they have lost the ability to control their own destiny.Shi Potian was shocked, the loud rumbling noise covered all the shouts and screams, and everyone looked at what happened in front of them in a daze.

The mountain flies down, and it is easily leveled when encountering any obstacles. The thousand-year-old trees and the abyss are uprooted, and those that should be filled are filled; Rolling down, passing over people's heads, like stone rain.

Sometimes the sliding mountain suddenly swayed from left to right, and people followed it, leaning back and forth, as if they were boats caught in a typhoon.

A gigantic monster weighing hundreds of millions of tons rushing downward at an oblique angle of 50° is an incalculable force!

How long will this weightless slide last?Where will it end up gliding?Can we all still be together?Is it possible to still be alive?
No one knows.

The speed, the violent shaking, the cold wind, and the wildly dancing snow made everyone in a semi-comatose state. The only thing they didn't forget was to grab everything they could - because that was the last survival instinct.

Suddenly, with a bang, the mountain shook the most violently, and they were thrown out in unison and rolled down the hillside.

The mountain stopped.After a long time, the first person got up, endured the severe dizziness, and stood up-Major McNabbs.He rubbed his hazy eyes, gathered himself together, and finally found his companions in a small valley—it turned out that they were all dumped there!The major counted those who were lying upright, and found that one was missing:
Robert Grant.

(End of this chapter)