Captain Grant's Children

Chapter 9 Another hero

The ocean current in North Africa strongly pushed the Duncan towards the equator, and finally reached Madeira on August 8. Glenarvan docked the Duncan and prepared to disembark Paganel.

"For a geographer, Madeira has already been thoroughly studied by others. It's really meaningless. Such an island is too boring. If you don't object, I can go to the Canary Islands and disembark again."

"You know, my dear sir, there are three groups of islands in the Canary Islands that can be studied, and I am very interested in Mount Tenerife there. I will take advantage of the opportunity to climb there while waiting for the ship back to Europe. The mountain."

"Then it's entirely up to you, and the Canary Islands are also on our route." Glenarvan said with a smile.

Paganel and Mengele were walking together.Paganel kept asking Menger about Chile.Suddenly Meng Geer interrupted his question, pointed to a point on the southern horizon and said:

"Look! Look above the horizon, in the clouds." "There's nothing there!"

"Forty nautical miles away, the summit of Mount Tenerife is visible between the clouds."

"This is Tenerife Mountain?" Paganel said with a suspicious tone and a look of disdain.

"Yes." Captain Mengel replied. "It's not too high!" I feel that it is not as high as Mont Blanc. "However, if you climb it, you will feel that it is high enough." "Mr. Hong Bao and Mr. Pemberan have climbed, and they have clearly described every plant and tree on the mountain. There are five layers of vegetation on the mountain, grape belts, laurel belts, The pine belt, the alpine shrub belt, the barren belt. They've been there, so what's the use of climbing up again?"

"Yes, it's useless to go any further. How boring it is for you to stay here alone! You don't even have a company for a walk, and you don't even have anyone to talk to." Menger said jokingly.

"Talking heart-to-heart is naturally not an extravagant hope, but there are too many opportunities for carelessness. You know my faults." Speaking of this, Paganel smiled to himself. "Mr. Captain, do you stop at the Cape Verde Islands?"

"Stop, of course there. Besides, it is convenient to take a boat there." "Mr. Paganel, I believe that your stay in the Cape Verde Islands will make a contribution to geography. Our plan is to stop there anyway to add coal." , your disembarkation will not delay our time at all. In this way, we can kill two birds with one stone."

At 9 o'clock in the morning on September 2, it crossed the summer solstice line.Once the summer solstice passes, the weather changes.Humid, hot and rainy, this is what the Spaniards call the "water season". The water season is not a good thing for passengers. The wind and waves on the sea have increased, and people can no longer stand on the deck. Everyone sits around the table in the square hall and talks well. Also happy.

On September 9, Bagalny was preparing for disembarkation, and the work of adding coal to the ship was also going on at the same time, but at an extremely slow speed.

Below decks at this time, the conversation was more focused on the weather.Madam Helen originally planned to go ashore and take a look around the city to see the weather, but now she had to give up.

Paganel paced back and forth, muttering to himself: "It's really trying to embarrass me, even God treats me like this." "God is also declaring war on you." Glenarvan said . "I think I can beat it for sure. It's just my equipment and luggage..." "It will be fine in the city. Of course the living conditions here will not be very good. You can only live with monkeys and pigs. But I I believe that a traveler will not care about those, what you care about most is the research results. After that, you will definitely be able to return to Europe in seven or eight months." Glenarvan said.

"Seven or eight months!" Paganel exclaimed at these four words. "It will take at least seven or eight months. Because there are no boats here during the rainy season. By the way, it just gives you time to investigate the terrain, weather, and human race here."

"There's still a big river to explore!" Mrs. Helen interrupted. "Hey, there is no river at all on the island, ma'am. Not to mention no river, not even a brook or forest." "Don't be discouraged, Mr. Paganel, you can still visit the mountains!"

Seeing his dejected look, Glenarvan comforted him. "Well, sir, the mountain is not high, and someone else has already studied it." "Someone has already studied it!" M. Paganel's voice was getting lower and lower.

"It's a pity. Wherever you go, there are people running ahead of you. Then what do you do after you get off the boat?" Mrs. Helen expressed her sympathy.

Paganel fell silent.full of disappointment. "If I were you, I would wait for the next opportunity." The major said this in a tone that clearly said, "If it were me, I would never disembark again, and follow us to our set goal."

"Dear Glenarvan, where are you going to stop?" Paganel finally spoke again, as if there was still a glimmer of hope. "It doesn't stop until Concepcion. Let's go straight to our destination." "Oh, that's too far away from India." "You can go straight to India by rounding Cape Horn! Anyway, it's India, East India (India in Asia) and West India (South America) don’t matter.” “How can it matter, how can it matter!” “Aren’t the people on the Patagonian steppe and the residents of Punjab all Indians? Is it?" "Dear Mr. Paganel, if you want to win a gold medal, you can go anywhere! There is knowledge everywhere in the huge world, and valuable things can be researched in the mountains of Tibet and the Andes of America!"

"I am so confident that if I had asked the Geographical Society, they would have sent me to Patagonia, as surely as they had sent me to India! Oh, how did I not think of that?"

"In the final analysis, Mr. Paganel, would you like to go with us to rescue the captain and sailors?" Madam Helen couldn't help herself, and asked anxiously.

"It is important to tell you beforehand that we are going to pass through the Strait of Magellan, and Port Hunger."

"Sir, you are tempting me again by saying that."

"Port Hungry!" Paganel yelled and jumped up, feeling the real temptation. "The geography books all say that Port Hunger is miraculous..."

"You join our ranks, you can say that you have united France and Scotland, and it is of great significance."

Madam Helen encouraged her further, and asked tentatively. "You just listen to my words, make mistakes and follow God's will! God gave us a drifting bottle, and God gave you on the Duncan, so you can stay here at ease. Maybe this is what is meant by God."

"Oh, I'm afraid I'm too ignorant, and I've been taking the liberty to bother you all the time, so I haven't the nerve to say it!"

(End of this chapter)