Captain Grant's Children

Chapter 26
Although everyone listened carefully to Paganel's story, their opinions were very different.Geographers have reached the general result of scholarly discussion: no one is convincing anyone.

Of course, there is one point of view that everyone still has in common, that is, no matter what kind of environment you are in, you should not be discouraged.Since there is no better place to live, let's live in this Onbi tree with peace of mind.

Talking and talking, the night is very deep.People who have been chased by danger and fatigue for a day should also have a good night's sleep.The birds on the upper layer of the Ombi tree have stopped singing, and they are all hidden among the thick branches and leaves, maybe the dream is just fragrant!Before going to sleep, Glenarvan, Robert and Paganel all climbed to the "observation platform" and watched for a while.The water and mist are vast, and the sky and water form a chaotic one; the stars have also become blurred, so that their directions can be vaguely discerned.Paganel seized this opportunity to tell Robert all the constellations in the sky, such as "Antarctic Cross", "Sagittarius", "Magellan Star Cluster"... It's a pity that the "Orion Constellation" has not yet come out.At this time, dark clouds had turned up in the eastern sky, and I guessed that the heavy rain must have started to fall there.The dark clouds kept rolling, and half the sky was soon occupied by them.Everything around the sky is in a very still state: the leaves are motionless; there is not even a ripple on the water, and even the air seems to be frozen.

"It looks like a storm is coming," said Paganel. "Are you afraid of thunder?" Glenarvan turned his head and asked Robert. "No, sir," replied Robert.

"That's all right, the storm is coming." "Looks like a big storm," said Paganel.

"It's raining so hard that we're really chilled. No matter what you say, Paganel, it's impossible to live in a bird's nest."

Glenarvan said. "Well, would you please have a little bit of philosophy?" said the geographer. "Isn't it possible for people with philosophical cultivation to be drenched?" "Although it is inevitable to be drenched, as long as you have a philosophical cultivation, your heart will be warm!" "Okay, let's go down! Tell us Let those friends of my philosophizing wrap their cloaks as tightly as possible!" By this time the dark clouds in the sky were all mixed with the mist on the water.The profound power of light and sound is faintly about to break out. "Go down, it's going to thunder!"

Glenarvan continued.The three of them quickly descended to the bottom floor, and saw shimmering lights everywhere, moving and dancing chaotically... "Is it phosphorescence?"

Glenarvan asked. "No, fireflies. Live and cheap diamonds, the women of Buenos Aires use them as decorations!"

Paganel said. "Oh, insects fly like sparks?" exclaimed Robert.

"Yes, child." While speaking, Robert had already reached out to catch a bug that would emit light.Paganel was quite right in saying that the insect has two spots on the front of its wings, and it is from these two spots that light emanates.So Paganel took the firefly to take a picture, and he could see the watch clearly: 10 o'clock at night.Everyone tied themselves firmly to the tree according to Glenarvan's request.If a thunderstorm comes, the Ombi tree will definitely vibrate strongly.Everyone said good night to each other, and lay down to sleep with a feeling of not being very "safe".

The thunderstorm is approaching, and the deep premonition of disaster fills everyone's heart with unknowable fear, which even the strongest people cannot avoid.

It was close to 11 o'clock when the first thunder blasted in the air.Glenarvan risked his head out of the branches and leaves, wanting to see the situation outside at this moment.

The night sky as big as the bottom of the pot seems to be torn open a jagged and bright gap, and its clear reflection seems to tear apart the water on the ground.

"Well, Glenarvan?" asked Paganel.

"It's going to be very fierce, and the storm will be very big!" "It's great, so I can witness a natural wonder with my own eyes." Paganel said excitedly. "Look, you're bringing up your strange talk again!"

said the major. "Major, neither you nor I can escape this thunderstorm attack. Since you cannot escape, let's take a look as much as possible!"

"It is said that in 1793 there was a thunderstorm in the province of Buenos Aires, which lasted for 55 minutes."

"Have you got your watch?" asked the major.

"That's not a big deal, gentlemen. Scientists advise people not to take shelter under trees during thunderstorms. Because trees are taller than people and are more susceptible to lightning strikes."

"Now, the Ombi tree we live in is the only high point on this flooded plain—it's almost certain to be struck by lightning."

"That's still serious talk," said the major. "Thunder!" cried Paganel.

More violent, and still continuous thunder rolls in!One sound of thunder followed by another, and the bass quickly turned to the alto, and the chorus of multiple voices came immediately!The flame jumped back and forth in the air, moving up and down, almost forming a sea of ​​fire.

Lightning criss-crossed back and forth.All kinds of lightning with hundreds of shapes twisted and grew in the air like coral trees... At this moment, it seemed that the world between the sky and the water became a world of electric fire, and the reflection in the water expanded the electric fire Nearly doubled, the world has been filled with fire, and the Ombi tree is in the center of the fire world.

At this time, everyone's face was illuminated by the white flame, and everyone looked at everything in front of them in relative silence: Glenarvan held on with an extremely firm posture, the major squinted his eyes with his usual calmness, Garnell studied it curiously, while Robert grasped the branch in panic.

The rain is really coming.The waterfall in the sky seems to have broken the dike, splashing countless big puddles on the water surface... Lightning and thunderstorms, torrential rain, I saw a cloud of heavenly fire violently descending from the sky, making a bang on the Ombi tree. The top exploded.The strong smell of sulfur began to permeate the rain... "Look at the fire on the tree!"

Austin yelled in a hurry.The western half of the Ombi tree was immediately engulfed in raging fire, and the rattling sound trembled and resounded through the whole tree.Glenarvan and his party quickly fled to the side that was not on fire.Everyone even rolled and crawled, quickly climbing to the trembling branches in a hurry.

The creaking sound of burning, the snake-like flames moving up and down, and the continuous falling of burnt branches oppressed everyone.I saw the thick smoke billowing and the flames raging. In this situation, I can no longer stay on the tree, otherwise I will definitely die! "Dive!"

cried Glenarvan.Wilson was on fire, and he was the first to jump.As soon as he jumped down, he yelled again: "Help! Help!" Austin rushed over and pulled him up one after another. "what's wrong?"

"Alligator! Alligator!" cried Wilson.

With the strong firelight, people saw around the trunk a circle of flat heads, protruding eyes, big mouths, and guys covered in lumps.

It's over, this time it must be death!It is nothing more than burning to death or being killed by a crocodile!That's all the difference.Even the major, who has always been calm and composed, lowered his head at this time.

"Maybe everything will come to an end." All things in the natural world are always descending from one thing to another. Under the situation of Glenarvan and others, there is fire above, water below, and crocodiles in the water. Did a miracle happen?

At this time, the storm had already reduced its power, and a powerful hurricane formed a cone-shaped cloud on the water surface. I saw that the tip of the cone was downward and the bottom of the cone was upward, rolling up a column of water that soared to the sky, creating an incomparable Moving forward at astonishing speed.

The water column rolled up by the hurricane quickly rushed to the Ombi tree, and surrounded the big tree, shaking it vigorously--Glenarvan thought that the crocodile was about to bite the trunk!
But in fact, the Big Ombre tree at this moment has been uprooted at this moment and fell into the water.

All the people on the tree huddled together and hugged the fallen trunk tightly with their hands.

Besides, all the crocodiles under the tree were swept away, and only one had climbed up the tree trunk, opened its bloody mouth, and crawled towards people.

And at this moment, Mu La raised a burnt wooden stick and smashed it fiercely on the crocodile's waist.

Soon the crocodile's waist was broken, turned over and fell into the water.But that terrible tail was still whipping back and forth desperately... After Glenarvan and the others drove away the crocodile, they immediately turned to the windward side of the fire, and firmly grasped the tree trunk.

The downed Ombi tree drifted away quickly in the night sea with a mass of fire. The fire seemed to be a sail, swept up high, and then swept down obliquely by the wind.

(End of this chapter)