Captain Grant's Children

Chapter 16 The Colorado River

The next day, October 10, at 22:8 am, Tarcaf led everyone to set off.

Argentina is between 220° and 420° south latitude, and its terrain is high in the west and low in the east.Their travel route also happened to be from west to east, along the slope to the sea.

Yesterday I bought horses for Tarcaf. He didn't want horses. Glenarvan thought he wanted to walk!Because with his tall and burly figure and physical strength, he can completely keep up with their team on foot, but he didn't know that he was wrong until now.

Before setting off, Takaf gave a long whistle, and saw a tall Argentine horse running from the nearby woods.

This is a brownish-red BMW horse: slender neck, wide legs, high shoulders, and shining eyes.

The major, who was used to knowing horses, was full of praise for this horse, thinking that it was comparable to the British "hunting horse".

And this horse also has a name called "Taojia", which means "flying bird", which is really worthy of its name.Because as soon as Tarcaf stepped up, the horse raised its hooves and jumped up, as if it was going to fly.

Tarcaf was a good rider, and his posture on the horse was very beautiful.And, he has the full armor of a Patagonian.

The first is the long gun.Then there is a kind of "paola", which is three balls connected by a belt, usually hung on the saddle.When necessary, they can throw the "paola" a hundred steps away, so as to wrap the legs of the enemy or beast and make it fall quickly.

The last one is called "Lasso".It is a weapon that does not let go, in fact, it is a long rope.One end of the rope was tied to the saddle, and the other end was tied with a loop and an iron ring, so that it could be thrown out at any time.

Takaf is not only good at marksmanship, but also a master at using the latter two weapons with ease.

His horse was quite fast, and he rushed to the leading position at once, so that the entire cavalry immediately started running fast. After running for a while, Takaf was about to press down, so the horses moved forward slowly.

These horses don't seem to know much about medium speed, and they don't know how to trot at a fast pace.

Little Robert fully demonstrated his natural ability to ride a horse this time. It was seen that he was quite stable on the saddle and ran very fast.This made Glenarvan particularly relieved.

Descending from the hillside, there are first 250 miles of woods and shrubs; then 450 miles wide and extending to 180 miles from Buenos Aires;

They came out of the mountains, first crossed a few forests, and then encountered many sand dunes.In areas without any vegetation, very fine sand spreads over the ground like waves.

As long as there is a little bit of wind, the sand will float up like light smoke, or dance with the wind, or form a smoke column and coil up to the sky, fluctuating high and low, gathering and scattering, which looks very interesting.

However, in this case, no matter how tightly your eyes are closed, it is inevitable that sand will get in.

By 6 o'clock in the evening, the mountain behind them had been left by them 40 miles away, forming a shadow in the distance, blending with the fog at dusk.

So they set up camp on the bank of the Nei Ukang River.The Neucon River is fast-flowing and cloudy, and its source is a lake upstream that only the local Indians know the exact location of.I had nothing to say all night, and continued on my way the next day.The road was smooth, the journey was unimpeded, and they went very quickly and smoothly.

Towards noon, some clouds appeared in the southwest sky.

Tarcaf pointed over there and told everyone that the weather was going to change. "That's right, the sky is about to change, the 'Northern Fall' is coming," cried Paganel.He knew that everyone didn't understand what "Ben Bei Luo" was, so he quickly explained to everyone: "Ben Bei Luo" is a kind of southwest wind on the Argentine plains, and it is very dry when it blows.

That night, "Ben Bei Luo" came as expected.The horses were lying on the ground, and the people crowded beside the horses, covering their heads and faces tightly.

Glenarvan thought to himself, if this "running north and down" doesn't stop, they won't be able to leave for the time being.

Paganel looked at the barometer and said confidently to Gliner: "No problem. When the mercury column falls, it will take at least three days to 'go north and set'; as it is now, the mercury column will drop at most. It will be over in a few hours."

"So it will be calm after dawn."

"You've got a story that's just as good as a book!" said Glenarvan. "I'm just a book! Everyone just read it!" At 1 o'clock in the morning, the wind stopped.When we woke up in the morning, everyone was in good spirits.Paganel moved all his joints, rattled, stretched and stuck out his tongue like a happy puppy!

It was the morning of October 10th, and it had been 24 days since they set off from the seaside.

There are still 37 miles away from the confluence of the 93° line and the Colorado River, which means that we will continue to walk for 3 days.

Along the way, Glenarvan kept an eye out for any natives around, so that he could ask them for clues about Captain Grant's disappearance.

At this time, the conversation between Paganel and Takaf is no longer a problem. If you encounter a native, you can first translate it into Spanish by Takaf, and then translate it into English by Paganel.The bridge of communication language has been fully built.

However, no one has ever met anyone walking across the bridge.They walked in a straight line that the Indians did not always walk.Indians' nomadic and transportation routes are all north of this straight line.One or two Indians came across by chance, and as soon as they saw them, they fled far away.They were mistaken for armed bandits!Even the real robbers would shy away from seeing them in such a powerful formation.Therefore, Glenarvan's wish to meet the robbers, shoot them a few times, and then ask about the specific situation has become a luxury.

However, such a situation brought unexpected proof to the explanation of the letter in the drifting bottle.

Because this straight line crosses several paths on the grassland, one of which leads from Carmen to Mendoza.

There are countless piles of bones pecked by birds of prey and weathered everywhere on that road.No need to think, no need to say that there must be human bones in there.Takaf saw that they did not take any path, but kept moving forward in a straight line, rising towards the sun and setting behind their backs, and they did not leave at all. Of course, they were quite puzzled.But the Indian's natural silence and the duty of guiding the profession kept him from asking.

But he knew very clearly in his heart that this straight line neither leads to any village nor to a certain market town, but only intersects with some main roads and small roads.

However, when they passed the intersection of the road we mentioned just now and this straight line, Takaf finally couldn't help but stop.

"This leads to Carmen," he said.

"Yes, I know this is the road from Carmen to Mendoza, my dear Patagonians!"

Paganel said. "Don't you go this way?" Tarcaf asked.

"No." Paganel replied. "Then we..." "Go east."

"Is there no place to go to the east?" "Then I don't know."

Takaf looked at Paganel with very surprised eyes, he didn't know that Paganel was joking with him.

As long as an Indian is always serious when he speaks, he cannot understand that a person can speak without seriousness.

"Aren't you going to Carmen?" Takaf said again after a moment of silence. "No."

Paganel said. "Not going to Mendoza either?" "No."

At this moment Glenarvan caught up and asked Paganel what they were talking about and why they did not leave.

"He asked if he was going to Carmen or Mendoza, and I told him no, he was surprised."

"Yes, the straight line we're walking will definitely confuse him."

Glenarvan said. "He said if we keep going, we'll have nowhere to go." "Paganel, can you explain to him our purpose? Tell him why we keep going east!" "It's too hard How can an Indian understand the secrets in the bottle and the latitude and longitude of the earth?" Paganel replied.

"Then, M. Paganel, does he not understand, or do you not understand?"

asked the major seriously. "Oh, Major, do you doubt my Spanish even now?" cried Paganel.

"Then try it!" "Just try it."

Paganel then called Tarcaf to the other side, gestured and said, gritted his teeth and stomped his feet, and talked for a long time with sweat dripping down his face, and finally he lay down on the ground and drew a big map.

Pointing at that map, they talked about the lines of longitude and latitude, about the Atlantic Ocean and the Pacific Ocean, and about the road leading to Carmen beside them now.

I don't think any geography teacher has ever worked so hard.Takaf stood by from the beginning to the end, with a blank face and no words.

Paganel got up from the ground, and looked up at Tarcaf, wiping his face profusely with sweat.

"Does he understand?" Glenarvan asked.

"Look, if you don't understand, then I can't help it." Paganel kept panting.And Takaf stared at the map on the sand that was gradually blown away by the wind, motionless.

"Understood?" Paganel asked again.

But Tarcaf looked as if he hadn't heard it at all.Paganel looked over there and saw that the major was beginning to snicker to himself.

He was very unconvinced and was going to tell it again anyway.But Takaf stopped him with a wave of his hand. "You want a prisoner?"

Tarcalf asked. "Yes." Paganel answered hastily.

"On this way the sun rises and sets?" Tarcaf asked in his Indian way. "Yes, yes, that's right." "God himself sent the secret about the captive in the bottle to the waves of the sea?" "Yes, God himself did it."

"Then do it according to God's will! We will go straight ahead, and we can go as far as the sun if necessary."

Takaf said grimly.Now Baganel looked excited, and he was very proud to translate what Tarcaf said to his companions. "It's so smart! It's so smart! In our country, if I tell 20 farmers what I just said, at least 19 of them won't understand at all!"

Paganel said.

Glenarvan asked Paganel to ask Tarcave again: Has anyone ever heard of foreigners falling into the hands of Indians?

"I seem to have heard it." Takaf replied.

When everyone heard what he said, they immediately gathered around, asking for more detailed information with incomparably anxious eyes.

Paganel continued to ask excitedly, staring at Tarcaf without blinking, hoping to know his answer before he spoke.

Every time Tarcaf said a Spanish word, Paganel translated it into English simultaneously. To everyone's ears, it seemed that Tarcaf was speaking English directly.

"Who is this prisoner?" asked Paganel. "It's a foreigner, a European," replied Tarcaf. "Then have you seen him?"

"No. I've only heard people talk about it. He's a good man, and he has the heart of a bull!"

"Ah, the heart of a bull! It's amazing to use this language! It means that he is a very brave man!"

Paganel sighed. "It's my father!"

cried little Robert excitedly.He looked back eagerly to ask Paganel how to say that in Spanish?
Paganel took him by the hand and whispered: "Ace-mio-butler!" "Suo-butler!" (his father!) exclaimed Tarcaf.

He put his arms around little Robert gently, and looked at him carefully.There was deep sympathy on that calm face.

But Paganel's questions were not yet finished: where was he captured?What was he doing then?When did Tarcaf hear about it?
Tarcafe told him earnestly that the captured European was a slave of an Indian tribe.This tribe is a nomadic tribe that grazes between the Colorado and Negro rivers.

"So where is the European now?" Paganel asked. "At the home of Chief Kafgula." Takaf replied. "Is that on the straight line we're walking?" "Yes." "What kind of a chief is he?" "A man with two tongues and two hearts."

"It means that this person is usually dishonest and inconsistent in doing things." Paganel helped explain.Then he asked again:

"Can we have a chance of getting him out?" "Maybe, if he's still in the chief's house." "And when did you hear about it?" "Since I heard about it, The sun has brought two more summers." Glenarvan was very happy when he heard that.This is almost the same as the date on the letter!

At this moment Paganel asked again: "Were there three of them?" "I don't know."

Takaf replied. "So what's his current situation?" "I don't know." The question and answer came to an end.

Maybe the three of them have been separated.But it is certain that at least one European was captured by the Indians!And the dates and locations are basically the same!

That European must be Captain Grant!

The next day, October 10th, everyone continued to set off eastward with excitement.

The grassland looked desolate, and where there was no grass, the wind blew the ground into furrows one after another.Some sparse bushes are dotted among them, and the distance between them is extremely large.Sometimes, there will be a few solitary cassia trees on the grassland, bearing cool and delicious fruits.Besides, there are all kinds of dwarf thorns, which are the most obvious evidence of the barrenness of the land.

On the 26th, they rode fast and ran very hard all day, and finally arrived at their expected destination at night: the Colorado River.

This is longitude 69°45' West.The Colorado River is a truly large river, and the closer it is to the Atlantic Ocean, the smaller its water volume-this is also a feature that has not been clearly explained.

As soon as he reached the river, Paganel was the first to jump into the water reddened by the red soil and take a quick bath.

The water was deep, for the summer sun had melted the snow from the distant mountains; and the river was too wide for a horse to swim across.

Fortunately, there was a bridge upstream, and they crossed the river smoothly through the bridge made of wooden planks suspended by belts, and camped on the other side of the river.

Before going to sleep, Paganel carefully measured the Colorado River several times and marked it on the map meticulously.

He has spared the Yarlung Zangbo River, and now he must never let the Colorado River go.

On the 27th and 28th, nothing happened on the road, but the environment was still poor and monotonous, and there were many swamps along the way, which delayed the speed of the march.

On the night of the 28th, they camped by a very large lake.That lake is called Lake Lankun, and "Lankun" is an Indian word that means "bitter".The lake water really didn't smell very good.

In 1862, the Argentine army carried out a very brutal massacre of the indigenous people.

At night, many monkeys and wild dogs came, barking wildly around.They are using this almost natural music to welcome visitors from outside the region, but it is a pity that these Europeans cannot enjoy this futuristic style of music.

(End of this chapter)