Captain Grant's Children

Chapter 49: Daobo Lake (1)
Lake Doble is 25 miles long and 20 miles wide, but no one knows how deep it is.

Lake Dobo was formed in prehistoric centuries.At that time, because of the eruption of the volcano, all the central area of ​​the island collapsed into it, and a huge deep pit was formed, and the surrounding water immediately flowed in, so a large lake appeared.

Later it was called Daobo Lake.

Lake Dobo has an elevation of 1250 feet.The peaks around it are all around 800 meters.To the west is a straight and steep mountain; to the north is a gentle hillside, on which there are many trees; to the east and west is a large and vast plain with shrubs all over the ground, and there is a stone tooth road; There are several volcanoes outside the forest.

Therefore, the vast water surface of this Daobo Lake is set off by the surrounding scenery, which is extraordinarily magnificent, and it looks so deep and wide.When the wind and rain are mixed, the scene on the lake is not much different from that of a hurricane in the Pacific Ocean.

As the heat source under the earth's crust is constantly intensifying, the situation here is also close to boiling.The hot fog is constantly lingering, and the extreme heat threatens life at any time.

Twelve miles away is Tongariro Volcano.Tongjialiluo Volcano dominates other small volcanoes in a way that stands out from the crowd.This active volcano emits flames and smoke all year round, and it looks like a person with red feathers on his head from a distance.Compared with the fires erupted by other small volcanoes, it cannot be compared with it.

There is also a larger Rua Bahu Peak behind the Tongariro Volcano.The peak is about 9000 feet, and no one has ever climbed to its summit.The dense clouds and mist blocked it, making it impossible for people to detect its mysterious exit.

Of course, in the past 20 years, more than one person has climbed to the top of Tongariro Volcano.For example, Bewell, Dixon, and most recently, Hochtett, have all gone up to take measurements.

Every volcano is actually terrible, but behind every terrible volcano there is a very beautiful myth and legend.If we were in a different situation now, Paganel would surely tell everyone these stories:

In order to compete for the same beauty, Xishan quarreled with Mount Garilo and Mount Taranaki.At that time, the two mountains were adjacent and had a close relationship.But after this quarrel, they all blushed, and even fought violently.The former is very angry, and his attacks are quite fierce.So the latter suffered a disadvantage and felt ashamed to face people, so he escaped from the Wanggani River Valley, and threw down two pieces of mountains while fleeing.Later, it jumped into the sea and no one paid attention to it, so it took the false name of Mount Egmond.

And at this very moment, how could Paganel tell it?Even if it is possible to tell, the companions will not want to listen.

Alas, it was their own bad fortune that had placed them in such a dilemma.They just stared at the northeast side of Daobo Lake silently, thinking about their own thoughts but at this moment their thoughts were basically the same.Chief Bonechewer steered the boat out of the Kukato River and into an unknown creek.After that, it came out of the small river, bypassed a sharp island, and sailed to the 600-meter-high Mangga Mountain.Finally their boat stopped at the foot of the mountain.

There's a lot of formion here - that's New Zealand hemp, which the Māori call halaki.

This kind of hemp is full of treasures.It has honey in its flowers, and a glue in its stem that sticks things together.Its leaves are not only large but also strong. When fresh, they can be used as paper, but when they are dry, they are tinder.Tear that leaf into strips and use it to twist rope, to make cables, to weave nets, to weave cloth, to make clothes, to weave mats, whatever.The red or black clothes worn by the most distinguished Maori are all dyed from this linen.

This kind of hemp grows everywhere on the seaside, riverside, lakeside, and riverside of New Zealand. It can be said that it is inexhaustible and inexhaustible.

And at this moment, the field in front of me is full of this kind of hemp.The brown-red flowers are dotted among its green leaves, which are a bit like agave.Those leaves are big and long, like sharp swords.There are many bees flying back and forth between the flowers and leaves, sometimes stopping to Lulu, but they are busy collecting honey!And there are a large group of ducks swimming around the lake, and their feathers reflect colorful brilliance.It can be concluded from their attitude towards people that they have degenerated from wild animals to poultry.

There is a Maori cottage not far away, which seems to be suspended from the cliff.

The captives' feet were loosened, and they were embarking on the path leading to the cottage.Formion fields and lush woods lined the path on both sides.Take a closer look, there are various trees in the woods: the "Jiaokacha" tree with red fruits, the fresh and lovely Australian Millennium Banana, and the oil tree that produces black dye, etc.

When the crowd passed by, the bird on the tree suddenly flew away.Those splendor-looking doves, gray magpies with round beaks, and red-crowned starlings were very lovely at the moment.

Under the escort of those Maori soldiers, Glenarvan and his companions came to the cottage.There is a very strong wooden fence around the cottage, about fifteen feet high.And inside the fence is a circle of wooden stakes—it can be regarded as the second line of defense for the cottage.Looking further in is the wicker wall, and there are small openings in the wall, which are specially used for guns.

Inside the cottage, there is a flat river.Many Maori-style buildings are neatly arranged inside, very orderly.

When Glenarvan and the others walked in, they couldn't help admiring the highland on the mountain, but when they turned around and saw the heads of dead people hanging on the surrounding wooden posts, they couldn't help but get goosebumps all over their bodies.

Mrs. Helen and Mary immediately turned their heads and even closed their eyes. Yes, they didn't have the courage to face such a cruel scene.

There is no doubt that these heads are all lost or dead, as for their complete bodies, they have long been eaten by Maori.

The bone gnawing demon's house is located inside the cottage, surrounded by thatched huts, and behind it is a martial arts field.The dwelling is not particularly large, measuring 20 feet long, 15 feet wide, and 10 feet high.All around the house are tree trunks woven with branches, and the inner layer is covered with a layer of Formion mats.There was only one so-called door in his living room, and a thick straw curtain was set up at the door.The eaves are very long, a bit like Roman cornices.Patterns are carved on the rafters under the eaves.There are also a large number of carvings of flower figures and animals on the screen wall outside the door, as well as patterns of branches and leaves, as well as some symbolic patterns and serial patterns.This can be regarded as a representative work of Maori craftsmen.

The floor was raised five inches above the outside, and was all flattened with clay, and on the floor were some reed mats and some dried fern-grass.There was a large mattress woven of cattail leaves, which was his bed.

There is also a stone urn-like thing in the house, which is the stove.The whole house was black and dirty from the smoke, for there was only a small hole in the roof for the flue.

Next to this house, there is also a storehouse for food, including formion, yam, calla, fern root, and the like, as well as his usual stone oven.

On the other side are several small enclosures, with pigs and sheep inside.Those dogs are running around, and there is no separate residence at all.These livestock species were all carefully transplanted by Captain Cook, but at present they are all lean and ugly.

Glenarvan and his companions had no intention of visiting the chief's courtyard at all at the moment. They all stayed in an empty room in an uneasy mood, biting the bullet, and even forced themselves to listen to the scolding and accusations of a large group of old women.

All of these old women were so vicious, they cursed and waved their fists at them with all their might, spittle shot out from their thick lips.

It didn't take Glenarvan and the poor Europeans a moment to catch that, and they wanted immediate revenge.

Facing the vicious abuse, Mrs. Helen showed a rare and peaceful expression, but in fact, there was unspeakable grievance and pain in her heart.However, in order to support her beloved husband, she strongly restrained her emotions.

Mary couldn't bear such a threatening attack at all. She felt that she was so weak that she was almost fainted. If John hadn't supported her, she would definitely have fallen to the ground without delay.

Others reacted differently when they heard the insults from the group of shrews.Some showed the same contemptuous expression as the major, while others were almost ashamed and angry like Paganel, wishing to rush up and fight with them immediately.

Glenarvan himself didn't care about it, but he was worried that his wife would be beaten by these Maori shrews, so he walked over and said to the bone gnawer with an air of neither humility nor condescension:
"Hurry them away!" He pointed at the group of old women with his finger.

The chief cast a cold glance at Glenarvan, but said nothing.Then he waved his hands vigorously.

Immediately, the group of Maori wives who were constantly cursing finally became silent.Glenarvan nodded politely to the chief, turned around and returned to his companions.But at this moment, nearly a hundred New Zealanders, men, women, young and old, had gathered in the martial arts practice field outside.Some were crying, some were cursing, and some were silent, waiting for the bone gnawer's order.

(End of this chapter)