Captain Grant's Children

Chapter 32 The Mysterious Sailor

Hearing the sudden voice, Glenarvan stood up abruptly, pushed aside the stool quickly, and shouted, "Who is speaking?" "It's me!" replied the farm worker at the other end of the table. "It's you, Ayrton!" Paddy O'morr was no less surprised than Glenarvan.

"It's me! I'm Scotch like you, sir. And I was a wreck on the Britannia."

Mary was so pleasantly surprised that she almost fainted, and fell into Madam Helen's arms.And Menger, Robert, and Paganel all left their seats and surrounded Ayrton at once.

Glenarvan was chosen as plenipotentiary, and Ayrton was posed a series of questions.However, due to the excitement of receiving such news, the first questions were blind and incoherent, and some of the words were incoherent.But slowly it became organized.

"Are you really a wreck on the Britannia?" "Yes, sir. I am Captain Grant's boatswain." "Did you escape with him after the shipwreck?" "No , no. Sir, in that horrific moment I was thrown off deck and thrown ashore." "Are you, then, one of the two sailors mentioned in the document?" "No. I don't know about the document. , I'm pretty sure I wasn't on board when the captain threw the papers overboard." "What about the captain? Where's the captain?" "I thought he was drowned, or missing, or related to the Britannia. The whole crew fell into the sea, and I was the only one who survived."

"But you just said that the captain is still alive." "No, just now I said that if the captain is still alive..." "Didn't you just say that he must be living on the Australian mainland?" "Yes, he can only be on the Australian mainland. " "Then do you know where he is?" "No, sir." "But what do you know?" Obviously Glenarvan was in a hurry.

"I only know that if the captain is still alive, he would be in Australia." "Do you know where the accident happened to the ship?" The Britannia is heading straight for the coast of Australia. This is where the accident happened." "Is it on the 37th parallel south?" Mengel asked.

"On the 37th." "On the West Coast?" "No, on the East Coast." "When?" "June 1862."

"Yes, that's true!" Glenarvan almost shouted. "Now you see, sir. If Captain Grant is alive, he must be on the mainland. Am I right?"

"We'll find him and get him out, my friend." Mary Grant shook the hand of her father's companion, tears streaming down her cheeks with excitement.

Ayrton told many facts and details, and they all matched, so that no one except the major and Menger doubted what he said or his identity.

Ayrton seems to be very familiar with Mary and Robert, and has been talking with Mary about her father, and also about the past of the Britannia and its voyages in the Pacific Ocean.Mary Grant also knew a great deal about that voyage, for the news continued until 1862.Seeing such a scene, the doubts in Captain Menger's heart have been eliminated.McNabbs always takes a reserved attitude and does not jump to conclusions.

The results were obtained from Ayrton, so Glenarvan asked everyone to discuss: whether Ayrton's information can be used to formulate the next search plan.

At this time, the major asked the sailor: "You say you are a sailor on the Britannia?"

"Yes." Ayrton answered decisively and resolutely.But he felt that there seemed to be doubts about his identity, and he went on to say:

"I have a certificate of service on board the ship," he said, standing up to get the certificate. "Sir, I assure you that Ayrton is absolutely honest and trustworthy. He has been with me for two months and I have never reproached him for anything. I know he was killed and taken prisoner. So Do things aboveboard and completely trustworthy." While Ayrton was going to collect the certificate, the master said to Glenarvan.Just as he was talking, Ayrton took out the certificate and showed it to everyone.The certificate was signed by the owner of the Britannia and Captain Grant, and Mary recognized her father's handwriting.The certificate reads:

"Tom Ayrton, Seaman First Class, is hereby appointed bosun of the barque Britannia in the port of Glasgow."

Now that he can hold the certificate, there is no doubt about his identity.

"Come on, let's discuss it now. What should we do next? Ayrton, if you can give us some valuable advice on our plan, we are very grateful."

"Thank you very much for your trust in me, sir. I know a little bit about the customs and habits of the aborigines, if I can help you..." Al was halfway through the call and thought for a while before answering. "I came to the same conclusion as yours. I guessed that Captain Grant and two other sailors escaped from the ship. But there is no news so far. I guess they suffered the same fate as I did-being captured by the natives."

With such a large landmass, it is quite difficult to find their clues.Glenarvan also lost his mind at this time.Everyone was silent too.

"Mr. Ayrton, what's your opinion? If it were you, what would you do?" asked Mrs. Helen, breaking the silence.

"If it were me, I would return to the Duncan, sail to the crash site, and play by ear. Make the next step."

"That's all well and good, but not until the Duncan has been repaired." "What? The ship is broken?" asked Ayrton loudly. "yes."

"Is that bad enough?". "It's not very serious, but it needs special tools to fix it, and we don't have any on board at the moment. One propeller blade is twisted, and it can't be fixed until Melbourne."

"Then let it go to Melbourne. We don't need to take it. We will go to Tufu Bay by land." Paganel shouted anxiously again.

"How to get there by land?" Meng Ge asked. "Go along the 37th parallel."

"What about the Duncan?" Ayrton seemed concerned about the ship.I asked again.

"It depends! If Captain Grant is found on the way, we will return to Melbourne together; if there is no clue on the way, we will search all the way to the coast, and the Duncan will pick us up. Is there any objection to my plan?"

"It's very possible. I suggest that Mrs. Helen and Miss Grant go with us this time."

"Are you joking, Paganel?" asked Glenarvan. "What should we do if we encounter a ferocious beast?" Glenarvan asked. "There are no beasts in Australia."

"What do you do when you meet a savage native?"

"There are no Aboriginal people in this parallel. There are, and they are not as cruel and ruthless as the New Zealand Aboriginal people."

"What should I do if I meet a prisoner who is exiled here?"

"There are no exiled prisoners in the southern provinces of Australia, only in the eastern colonies. Omor and Ayrton also affirmed Paganel's theory, saying they have never seen it."

"What do you think, Helen?" Glenarvan turned to his wife.

"I am the same as everyone else, dear Edward, get ready, let's go!" Madam Helen said.

(End of this chapter)