Captain Grant's Children

Chapter 48 The River of Nations (2)
From the brief conversation between the chief and his subordinates, the geographer accidentally heard a place name called "Dobo".So, he quickly searched on the map.

It turned out that "Daobo" turned out to be a lake.Lake Dobo is a famous lake in New Zealand, which happens to be on the river of this national river, and is located in the southern part of the Auckland Mountains.The distance from the confluence of the rivers to Lake Daupo is 120 nautical miles.In order to avoid being heard by the Maori, Paganel talked to John in French: "What is the speed of this long boat?" "About 3 knots per hour."

"It will take about 4 days to get to Lake Daubo, if you just walk during the day." Paganel quickly calculated the time.

"I don't know where the British troops are stationed now?" Glenarvan asked.According to Paganel's speculation: "Now it may be possible to hit Taranaki Province. The British army is probably at the lake behind the mountains at this moment. That is the old camp where the Maori are!"

"I hope you guessed right!" Madam Helen prayed in a low voice.When I thought that my young and beloved wife would fall into the hands of those ferocious and savage natives, I suddenly felt remorse and resentment: If I knew today, why bother!But when he noticed that the bone gnawer was staring at him fiercely, he managed to pull himself together—he didn't want the other party to look down on him just from his appearance, and he didn't want the Maori to know that he and Helen were married relation.

Glenarvan pretended to be calm, and watched all the scenery on the shore like no one else was there.

The former residence of King Nabatatu flashed by, as did the small village that had been destroyed by the war.The ship is moving forward rapidly.There were no other boats on the entire river, and no one was seen on the shore.

The earth seemed to be in complete silence in waiting.Occasionally, a few waterfowls would fly up, swirl back and forth in the sky, and then go to the front and land again.The Tabalunga bird was also startled by the boats on the river. It spread its black wings, exposed its white belly, and swung its long legs. Its red beak was still shaking back and forth.

The egrets watched the boat pass by with great boldness and tact.Among them are the gray "Matugu", the big white "Ketugu", and some silly Puji.

Looking at the past from a distance, in the waters by the river, the emerald bird called "Kotale" by the Maori is now concentrating on hunting eels-this kind of fish can be seen everywhere in New Zealand.

On the small trees by the water, there are countless lapwings, crakes, and Sudan chickens. These lively birds are combing their morning makeup in the bright sunshine, as if they are about to participate in a happy festival. Like a cabaret party.

Alas, these are really happy birds. In their eyes, they don't care about the flames of war and the devastation of so many people.

The river gradually narrowed from wide to narrow, and the plains on both sides of the river quickly disappeared, and hills and mountains appeared along the way.The longship has reached the high shore of Chiliquiloa.

The bone eater didn't intend to stop the ship, he ordered his men to give the captured food to the captives.They ate roasted anchovies and New Zealand potatoes, and they ate them with great enthusiasm and relish, as if they were not interested in the dried meat in the hands of their captives.

3 points.On the right bank of the river, there is a towering mountain peak, which looks like a fortified barrier.There are still some blockhouses left on the cliff, these are the former fortifications and buildings, which fully demonstrate the courage of the Maori people who are not afraid of anything and dare to think and do.

Looking at it from a distance, people who don't know it think that these bunkers are a big eagle's nest.

The sun is about to set.The long boat was moored on a pool of pebbles on the shore.

There are a few trees planted right next to the cobblestones, which is perfect for camping.

The bone gnawer began to order again.Let the captives be driven off the boat and the hands of the male captives be tied (the ladies are not tied).

So Glenarvan and his party were led into the middle of the bivouac.They lit a pile of fire in front, burning fiercely, like a line of defense.

Before learning that he was going to be exchanged for prisoners of war, Glenarvan had discussed with John to escape while sleeping in the open.But at this moment, they all felt that they should wait patiently for the opportunity.This is obvious. Although the exchange of prisoners of war will take a lot of trouble, there is still a glimmer of hope for survival. If you escape in the dark, you are not familiar with the place, and the Maori are chasing fiercely with long guns, it must be bad luck.

How can 10 people with their hands and feet bound against more than 30 armed Maori?
So just be patient.the next day.

The long boat rowed upstream at a faster speed.10 o'clock in the morning.

The mouth of the Bohaven River.The longboat stopped for a short rest.

You can clearly see the Bohaiwena River flowing from the plain on the right bank, and its unhurried flow flows silently into the River of Nations.

At this time, another boat was rowed by 10 Maori to meet the bone eater.The aboriginals greeted each other after meeting: "Ail-Mela" means "arrive home safely".Then the two boats rowed upstream at the same time.The clothes of all the Maori warriors on the escorting boat looked shabby, and the guns on their bodies were covered with blood.

It seems that the battle is very fierce.Silently but obstinately, the Maori rowed vigorously without even looking at the captives.

noon.On the west bank of the river, the peaks of Mongattali Mountain appear.

At this time, the surface of the river became narrower, and the river was surging.Surprisingly, the Maori sang a song, and the rhythm of the song could just go along with the action of paddling.It can be seen that the rhythm of paddling is quite harmonious, and everyone's energy is particularly sufficient and powerful.

The boat is struggling to move forward in the waves.After walking through this turbulent and rushing river, the boat turned a few turns easily and freely.The surface of the river has become open again, and the water flow has slowed down.evening.

The boat stopped under a cliff.The bone gnawer ordered the Maori warriors to quickly clean up the place where they slept.A large bonfire was lit immediately, and the flames reflected the surrounding trees.At this time, a Maori leader came over—it seemed that he was at the same level as the bone gnawer.I saw that the two Maori chiefs rubbed each other's noses after meeting each other, and called affectionately: "Brother Ji."

The 10 captives were held in the center of the camp, surrounded by gunmen guarding them.

the next morning.The Maori longboat set off again.

During this period, many small boats began to be rowed from the tributaries of the river.There are more than 60 Maori warriors on board.These are all native soldiers who have retreated from the front line. At present, they are going to the mountains to recuperate, and many of them are wounded.

All of a sudden, there was a simple, passionate and high-pitched singing voice among the soldiers:
baba - pull - ti-wati - mention enemy

According to - Dongjia - within - ......

This is a Maori folk song, the main idea of ​​the lyrics is to call on all indigenous people to fight for independence.The patriotic content made it the national anthem of New Zealand.The singing slowly reverberates among the rivers, mountains and rocks, as if it can shock the soul of the nation, making people feel emotional after listening to it.After the song was over, the other Maori warriors clapped their chests and thumped, almost like drummers, echoing the majestic and loud singing in this way.

As a result, all the oars cut through the waves neatly, and the boat moved forward on the river like flying.

4 o'clock.The longboat rowed into a particularly narrow channel.

A group of small islands appeared in the middle of the river, and they would set off a large wave at any time.

Obviously, this is a very dangerous voyage. If you are not careful, the ship will be smashed.

This is the extremely peculiar boiling spring beach.

But the river water just flows through this hot boiling spring beach.There will definitely be countless adventurers and travelers in the world who dream of this.

This can be regarded as a great spectacle in geological history.Because of the iron element, the mud on both sides of the river is bright red and dazzling, and there is not even a small piece of white on the entire river bank.The air is filled with an unpleasant smell of sulfur. This smell is mixed with the stench from the soil and mixed with the smell of gas from the mud bubbles, which can almost suffocate people to death.

Maori, however, are accustomed to the taste.

These 10 captives almost watched the unique scenery here while holding their breath.

Pale clouds and mists permeated the river surface, which were caused by the hot steam of countless boiling springs, and the higher it went, the more it looked like a huge dome.Some springs spew out streams of water one after another, high and low and scattered, as if they are fountains controlled by personnel.The sun was shining brightly and brightly, making the colorful rainbows rise on the river, which looked extraordinarily beautiful.

It has to be said that this is a truly rare river in the world.Due to the radiance of geothermal heat, there are not only patches of hot springs here, but also a hot water waterfall on the east side of Lake Rotorua nearby.The strange landscape there attracts many daring and adventurous travelers.

There is a reason for this. Although there are only two active volcanoes in New Zealand, Tonggarilo and Wakali, the heat stored in the ground is very huge, so they burst out of countless springs here.

The boats of the Maori warriors passed through the clouds flexibly and freely, and the two-mile-long Remist River was familiar to them.

After the smell of sulfur and stench dissipated, the fresh air penetrated into people's lungs with warm moisture, which was very pleasant!Oh, the boiling spring river surface has been thrown behind the boat.

After that, their boats rowed through two fast-flowing canyons in Xibabatua and Tamatea.

At night, they stopped again at a bend in the Kukato River for bivouac.I figured it was 100 miles.

This mighty national river turns another corner, and then it reaches the famous Daobo Lake.

The next morning, Paganel looked at the Tobara Mountains on the right bank against the map.This mountain is majestic, beautiful, upright and imposing, with a height of 3000 feet.

The ship continued on its way.noon.All boats go into Lake Dobo.

I saw a thatched hut by the lake, and on the roof, a piece of cloth fluttered in the wind.That's the so-called Maori flag.

None of the Maori warriors raised their hands and saluted after seeing it.

(End of this chapter)