Captain Grant's Children

Chapter 3 The Secret in the Drifting Bottle

The words on several sheets of paper have been eroded by the sea water and are incomplete.Sir Glenarvan carefully flipped through the pages one by one, looking at them from different angles and in different ways under the sunlight, not missing every single stroke of each word.

He looked up at the anxious friends around him, and said:
"There are three letters in all, but it is very likely that they all have the same content, but they are written in three languages: English, French and German. Judging from the words that have not been corroded, there is no doubt about this. of."

"What did that letter say?" asked Lady Helene.

"These words are too incomplete, ma'am, it's hard to say at the moment." "Then the contents of these three letters may complement each other?" asked the major. "I think it should be possible. The sea water can't be so miraculous that it can erode the same word on the same line on the three letters. Let's piece it together now, and we can always understand the general meaning."

said Captain Mengel. "Yes, that's it, let's look at the English first."

While speaking, Sir Glenarvan focused his attention on the English letter: 62 Brigow sink straal and skipp Gr that monit of long and sistance lost "These words don't have any meaning at all." The major said disappointedly.

"It can be seen that the words sink (sink), aland (landing), that (there), and (and), lost (death), these words are all intact, skipp is obviously skipper (captain), as for Gr , I think it is part of the name of the shipwrecked captain." Sir Glenarvan judged.

"Yes, the words monit and ssistance undoubtedly mean 'file' and 'rescue'." Captain Menger added. "There's more to that," said Mrs. Helen. "It's a pity that a lot of words are missing. We don't know what ship it is or where it happened. What can we do?" said the major. "There will be clues." Jazz said confidently. "Yes, how can I find it?" asked the major. "Look at the three letters side by side," answered Sir.The second letter lost even more words than the first: 7juni Glas zweiatrosen graus bringt ihnen "This is German." Menger judged with a glance.

“Juni 就是6月7日，和英文信上的62合起来便是‘1862年6月7日’，这肯定是出事的时间。”

"Glas and gow in the English letter are spelled together, and it is obviously Glasgow, which can prove that the ship belongs to the Port of Glasgow."

"zwei is 'two', and atrosen should be matrosen, that is, 'sailor'." Both a captain and two sailors were killed.said Mrs. Helen. "Sorry, I really don't understand the word graus. Maybe looking at the third letter will help us figure out what it means. Bringt ihnen means 'to give'. The same English word in the first letter The 'rescue' link is 'hope to rescue'."

"Want to be rescued, but where are they? We still don't know much about the location."

"I wish the letter in French would make us understand better," said Lady Helene.

Troiatstannia
gonieaustral
Taste
continPrcruel indi
Jetéon git
et 37°11'lat
"Let's look at it in order from the beginning to the end, and guess one by one. The first few words combined with English mean 'three-masted Britannia', and below I see the word 'Southern Hemisphere'. This is very important for us. Precious hints are enough to show that the boat happened in the southern hemisphere."

"Abor should be aborder, which means 'arrival', so where did they arrive? Is it continent (continent)? This cruel...cruel! It is the German grausam, which means 'barbaric'! Indi is 'India' ' mean? They were taken to India? Ongit must be longitude, 'longitude'! The latitude is 37°11′."

"But the longitude is unknown," said MacNabbs. "It can't be complete, my dear major!" said Glenarvan. "It is obvious that this French letter is the most complete. All three letters are translations of each other, word for word. In this way, they can be translated." Combined to form a letter that is closest to the content of the original letter."

"We all know French. I'll put the three letters together into one in French right away, and leave blanks where there are no words or things I don't understand, and we'll discuss it further later."

The three-masted ship "Britannia" on June 1862, 6

Glasgow Sinks Gonia Southern Hemisphere
landing two sailors
captain grid arrives

continent captured in barbaric india
Post this letter Longitude
Latitude 37°11′ hope for rescue
Die
At this time the sailor came in and reported that the ship had entered the Firth of Clyde, and asked the captain to give instructions.

"Go to Dunbarton first, and let Lady Helen go back to Macomb House; then we sail to London to deliver this letter to the Admiralty."

Meng Geer immediately gave instructions to the sailors, "Friends, we have found a clue that a large ship was wrecked. Human lives are at stake. All the information we have obtained so far depends on our judgment and reasoning ability."

First of all, we have to divide this letter into three parts. Glenarvan continued, "First, known; second, guessed; third, unknown."

“已经知道些什么呢？1862年6月7日，一条格拉斯哥港驶出的三桅船不列颠尼亚号沉没。两个水手和一名船长在37°11′的纬度上把这封信用漂流瓶扔进海里求救。”

"What can we guess? Guessing that the accident happened in the southern hemisphere, whether gonie is a place or part of a place name, we can't guess yet."

"Is that Patagonie?" cried Lady Helene. "should be."

"Is Patagonia at latitude 37° south?" asked the major. "It's easy to prove." Captain Mengel said as he opened a map of South America. "It's quite correct. The 37° south latitude line just passes through Patagonia."

"Very well, let's go on. What happened to them after they reached the mainland? The two letters pr are the clue to the mystery, pr-pris ('captured')—prisonnier (s'taken captive'). Who captured killed them?—savage Indians?"

What do you think of this explanation?Do you think those empty words can be associated and deduced in this way?

"My friends, our guess is well founded. It happened near Patagonia. I sent someone to the port of Glasgow to find out where the Britannia was going, and then I could determine whether it was possible to arrive. That area of ​​the sea."

"No," said Captain Mengel, "I have all the merchant shipping dailies here, just look them up."

"Peru, May 1862th, 5! Callao! Fully loaded! Passing Glasgow port. Ship's name 'Grant', Captain Grant."

Sir Glenarvan exclaimed, "He just wants to build a new Scotland on the Pacific Ocean, and he has great ambitions! However, after leaving the Port of Glasgow by ship in 1862, there has been no news."

"We can almost match all the blanks in this letter, as if Captain Grant himself was dictating."

As Glenarvan spoke, he bent over his desk and began to write:

On June 1862, 6, the three-masted ship Britannia, belonging to the port of Glasgow, sank in the Southern Hemisphere sea near Patagonia.Two sailors and the captain Grant landed on the mainland and were captured by the savage Indians.Specially throw this letter at the longitude... latitude 7°37'.I hope to be rescued, otherwise I will surely die!
"Ah, dear! It's thanks to you if those unfortunate people can come back!" Madam Helen exclaimed excitedly and excitedly.

"They will definitely come back! This letter says everything is accurate, the British government will not abandon their children, Franklin the navigator, and many shipwrecked crew, have they not all been rescued? Britannia People will be rescued too!"

At this time, the Duncan was speeding forward along the coast of Bute Island, and the fields and towns on the island were left far behind on the starboard side.At 6 o'clock in the evening, the boat berthed beside a snowflake rock.There was already a carriage greeting the return of Mrs. Helen and Major McNabbs.

After Sir Glenarvan hugged his young wife, he embarked on a journey to Glasgow.

At the same time, before he boarded the car, he had sent notices with the same contents to The Times and The Morning Chronicle respectively: "Whoever wants information about the three-masted ship Britannia and Captain Grant in Glasgow harbor, Sir Glenarvan. Address: Macomb Hall, Ruth, Dumbartonshire, Scotland."

(End of this chapter)