Chapter 39 Chapter Seventeen

The stranger's last words proved the immigrants' guesses correct.He has a sad past, and it looks like he has atoned for his sins, yet his conscience has not forgiven himself.In any case, the sinner was ashamed, he confessed his past, and his new friends eagerly wanted to shake his hand; but he felt unworthy to give his hand to these faithful ones!However, after the incident with the jaguar, he did not return to the forest, and from that day on he did not even go out beyond the boundaries of Granite Palace. What are the secrets of his life?Will the stranger talk out in the future?All this will have to wait for a later date.However, everyone agreed that they would never ask his secrets, and that they would live with him as if they had no doubts.

Their life continued as before for several days.Cyrus.Smith and Keating.Spilett worked together, sometimes as chemists, sometimes as experimentalists.The correspondent left the engineer only when he went hunting with Herbert, for it would be careless to leave the boy alone in the woods; they must always be on the lookout.Neb and Pencroft were never without work, sometimes in the sheds and poultry-yards, sometimes in the corrals, and at Granite Palace. The stranger still worked alone, and he returned to his usual life. He never came to eat, slept under the big tree on the high ground, and never had contact with his partners.The inhabitants saved him, but their communal life seemed intolerable to him!

But why, said Pencroft, should he be rescued?Why throw that note in the ocean? He'll explain it to us.Cyrus.That's what Smith keeps saying. when? Perhaps earlier than you think, Pencroft. Sure enough, the day of his own confession was drawing near. On December 10th, a week after his return to the vicinity of Granite Palace, Smith saw the stranger approaching him, and said in a calm and humble voice: Sir, I ask you something. Go ahead, said the engineer, but first I want to ask you a question. When the stranger heard this, his face flushed immediately, and he planned to back away.Cyrus.Smith knew what was going on in the sinner's mind, no doubt afraid that the engineer would ask him about his past life.

Smith stopped him. Partners, said the engineer, we are not only your partners, but your friends.I want you to believe that, now tell me what you have to say. The stranger covered his eyes with his hand.He was trembling all over and couldn't speak for a while. At last he has spoken, sir, and I ask you to promise me one thing. What's up? Four or five miles from here, you have a corral for livestock.These livestock require human care.can you let me live there Cyrus.Smith gazed at the unfortunate man with great sympathy for a moment, and then said: Friends, the huts in the corral can barely accommodate the animals.

That suits me perfectly, sir. Friend, Smith said, there is no limit to what you can do.You want to live in a corral, that's fine too.However, you are always welcome to stay at Granite Palace at any time.But since you're going to live in the corral, we've got to fix you up so you can live there comfortably. Never mind that, I'll take care of myself. Friend, said Smith, who has always used this intimate term on purpose, you should let us decide what is best to do in this matter. Thank you, sir.After the stranger finished speaking, he left. The engineer told his companions about his proposal, and it was agreed that a wooden house should be built in the corral, and that it should be built as comfortably as possible.

On the same day, the settlers went to the corral together with the necessary tools, and within a week the house was completed, waiting for the tenants to move in.The house was built about twenty feet from the stable, and it was very convenient to tend the sheep there, and there were now more than eighty sheep in the corral.They also made some furniture: a bed, a table, a bench, a cupboard, and a chest, and took a gun, ammunition, and tools to the corral. The Stranger, who had not yet seen his new abode, left the inhabitants to work there, while he remained on the heights, no doubt wishing to have his work done.As a result of his labor the whole ground has been loosened, and it is only time to sow the seeds.

On December 20, everything in the corral was packed.The engineer told the stranger that he could move any time, and the stranger promised to sleep there that night. In the evening of this day, the immigrants gathered in the dining room of Granite Palace.It was now eight o'clock, and their companion was about to part with them.Fearing that their presence would cause the stranger to say good-bye, which might cause him discomfort, they left the stranger alone, and all returned to Granite Palace. They talked for a few minutes in the hall when they heard a soft knock on the door.Immediately the stranger entered; without opening his mouth, he opened his mouth and said:

Gentlemen, before I leave you, you should know my history.I tell you. These few simple words made Cyrus.Smith and his partners were deeply moved. The engineer stood up. We do not ask you, friend, he said, that you have the right to remain silent. I should talk about it. So sit down. No, I will stand. You say it.Smith said. The stranger stood in a corner of the room in a dimly lit place, and he put his hat on, folded his hands on his chest, and, as if forcing himself, he began to speak in a hoarse voice, During the lecture, his audience did not interrupt him once.The following is his story: [Note: For details of the following stories, please refer to "Captain Grant's Children"]

On December 20, 1854, the cruise ship Duncan, owned by the Scottish nobleman Sir Glenarvan, moored at Cape Benoy, 37 degrees south latitude, on the west coast of Australia.On board were Sir Glenarvan and his wife, a British major, a French geographer, a girl and a boy.The two children were the sons and daughters of Captain Grant, who had disappeared a year earlier with his crew on the Britannia.The captain of the Duncan is John.Menger, there are fifteen sailors on board. The reason why the cruise ship came to the coast of Australia is this: six months ago, the people on board the Duncan picked up a bottle in the Irish waters, which contained a note in English, German and French.To put it bluntly, after the Britannia was in distress, there were still three people who survived, that is, Captain Grant and his two sailors. These three people were stranded on an island. The place has been eroded by sea water and is no longer recognizable.

This latitude is 37°11' south latitude. Although I don't know the longitude, as long as we keep going along the 37th parallel regardless of land or sea, we will be able to find the place where Captain Grant and his two companions are in the end. .The British Admiralty did not seek them for a long time, but Sir Glenarvan decided to do everything in his power to find the captain back.Mary and Rob.Grant, the two kids also got in touch with him.So the jazz's family and Captain Grant's sons and daughters prepared to sail on the steamboat Duncan.The Duncan left Glasgow, headed for the Atlantic Ocean, passed through the Strait of Magellan, entered the Pacific Ocean, and came to Patagonia. They read the note and thought that Captain Grant had been taken captive by the local natives.

The Duncan's passengers landed on the west coast of Patagonia, and the cruise ship sailed to Cape Corinth on the east coast to wait for them to board.Sir Glenarvan crossed Patagonia along the thirty-seventh parallel, and found no sign of the captain.So they returned to the ship on November 13th in order to cross the Atlantic Ocean and continue their search. The Duncan went all the way to the Quenya Islands and the Amsterdam Islands by way of Teles, but failed to find them, and on December 20, 1854, as I have said, she reached Cape Benoy, Australia. Sir Glenarvan intended to cross Australia as he crossed America, so he landed.A few miles from the coast there was an Irish farm, where the travellers were graciously entertained by the owner.Sir Glenarvan explained his purpose to the Irishman, and asked him whether a three-masted ship called the Britannia had ever sunk off the west coast of Australia more than a year ago. The Irishman had never heard of the shipwreck; yet suddenly one of his servants stepped forward and said: Your Excellency, thank God!If there was anyone alive on Grant's ship, he must be in the Australian area. Who are you?asked Ser Glenarvan. A Scot like you, my lord, said the servant, I am a shipwreck on board the Britannia, one of Captain Grant's sailors. The man's name was Ayrton.Yes, according to his papers, he was a sailor on the Britannia.But when he hit the rocks, he and Captain Grant were separated, and until then he thought that the captain and all the sailors were dead; he was the only person on the Britannia who got away with it. However, he went on to say that the place where the ship sank was not the west coast of Australia, but the east coast. If, as stated in the note, Captain Grant is indeed still alive, then he must have been captured by the local natives!We should go to the east coast and find him. This man speaks bluntly, and it seems that he is very sure, and his words seem to be infallible.The Irishman had employed him for more than a year, and he had proved to be faithful and reliable.Sir Glenarvan, therefore, believing that he was an honest man, resolved to follow the thirty-seventh parallel across Australia in accordance with his opinion.Sir Glenarvan and his wife, two children, a major, a French geographer, Captain Menger and several sailors set out in a small party, guided by Ayrton;Austin led the way and sailed to Melbourne, where he waited for Sir Glenarvan's dispatch. The day they set off was December 23, 1854. It should now be said that Ayrton was a traitor, indeed, he had been the bosun's bosun of the Britannia, but because of his quarrel with the captain, he tried to incite the sailors to mutiny and take the ship, so in 1852 Grant dropped him on the west coast of Australia on April 8th, 1949, and sailed away by himself.According to the rules of the sea, this is the right thing to do. The villain, therefore, knew nothing of the distress of the Britannia, except after hearing it from Sir Glenarvan.Since he was abandoned, he changed his name to Peng.Jues, became the leader of a group of fugitives.That is why he was so bold, insisting that the ship was in danger on the east coast, in order to lure Sir Glenarvan there, keep him far away from his ship, and then take the Duncan, and use this pleasure boat to sail on the coast. Pirates in the Pacific. When the stranger said this, he stopped for a while.His voice trembled a little, but he went on: The team embarked on an expedition across Australia.Let Peng.They had to be lucky if they had Jues (that is, Ayrton) as their guide.He colluded with the prisoners in advance, so that the prisoners were sometimes in the front and sometimes behind. By this time the Duncan had been sent to Melbourne for repairs.The prisoners must get Sir Glenarvan to order the cruise ship to leave Melbourne and go to the east coast of Australia, where it is very easy to hijack a ship.Ayrton took the team to a place not far from the east bank, into a large forest, where the knight could not advance or retreat, there was nothing he could do, so he planned to send Ayrton a letter to the first mate of the Duncan, the letter The boss ordered the cruise ship to sail to Tufu Bay on the east coast immediately, because the expedition team could go there in a few days.Ayrton was planning to join his henchmen there.When the letter was about to be delivered to him, the traitor's true colors were revealed.He had no choice but to run away.But the letter would get him the Duncan, and he would do anything to get it.Ayrton got the letter at last.Two days later, we arrived in Melbourne. Until now, the villain's plot has been going smoothly. According to his plan, as long as the Duncan sails into Tuff Bay, the criminals can easily snatch the ship and kill all the people on board.Jues would be able to rule the sea, but God did not allow him to realize these terrible plots. When Ayrton arrived in Melbourne, he handed the letter to the first mate, Tom.Austin, the mate read the letter and set sail immediately.But the next day, Ayrton found that the first officer was sailing to the east coast of New Zealand instead of Tufu Bay on the east coast of Australia.Think how vexed and disappointed Ayrton must have been!He tried to stop the first mate, but Austin showed him the letter!Sure enough, the letter was written on the east coast of New Zealand. It turns out that the French geographer wrote the destination wrong. It's a good thing. All Ayrton's plans have come to naught!He was so angry that he didn't care about anything and acted recklessly.So they put him in handcuffs and shackles.He was thus brought to the coast of New Zealand, and the whereabouts of his henchmen and Sir Glenarvan were completely unknown. The Duncan waited off the coast of New Zealand until March 3rd, when Ayrton heard the gunfire.It was the Duncan who fired, and in a moment Sir Glenarvan and his companions were on board. This is what happened. Sir Glenarvan overcame numerous difficulties and dangers, and finally made it all the way to Tuff Bay on the east coast of Australia.He sent a telegram telling Melbourne that the Duncan was not here!The call back was: The Duncan set sail on the eighteenth of this month.The destination is unknown. Sir Glenarvan could only conclude that his justifiable pleasure-boat had landed in Penn.In the hands of Jues, it has become a pirate ship! However, Sir Glenarvan did not give up his intention to find Captain Grant.He is a brave and generous man.He boarded a merchant ship, sailed to the west coast of New Zealand, and then crossed New Zealand along the thirty-seventh parallel, but he still found no trace of Captain Grant.But beyond his expectation, it may be said that it was God's arrangement, he found the Duncan on the east bank, and the first mate was in command of it, and she had been waiting for him there for five weeks! The day was March 3, 1855.Sir Glenarvan aboard the Duncan!Ayrton was also on board.Sir called him, and bade the scoundrel tell all he knew about Captain Grant.Ayrton would not speak.Sir Glenarvan then told him that he would be handed over to the local English authorities immediately after the next landing.Ayrton remained silent. The Duncan continued sailing along the thirty-seventh parallel.During this period, Lady Glenarvan worked on the scoundrel by means of persuasion. At last her power worked, and Ayrton promised to tell what he knew, but he offered Sir Glenarvan an exchange, that he would rather leave him on any island in the Pacific than leave him alone. to the British authorities.Sir Glenarvan wanted to hear from Captain Grant, so he agreed. Ayrton then related his life, of course, from the day when Captain Grant had left him on the coast of Australia, of which he was utterly ignorant. In any case, Sir Glenarvan kept his promise.The Duncan sailed on, and soon arrived at Po Island.Here they intended to land Ayrton, and here, exactly on the thirty-seventh parallel, they found, by a miracle, Captain Grant and two other sailors. So the criminal went to this desolate island to replace the three people.Sir Glenarvan said as he left the boat: Ayrton, this place is far away from any land, and it is impossible to get in touch with humans.The Duncan has left you on this island, and there is no escape for you.You're going to be left here alone, and Heaven will know what's in your heart's eye.You won't go missing and you won't be forgotten, just like Captain Grant.Although you are not worth being missed, people will miss you.I know where you are and where to find you.I will never forget! The Duncan hoisted her sails and was soon gone.It was March 18th, 1855. Ayrton lives alone on the island, but he has no shortage of powder, weapons, tools and seeds. Captain Grant built a house on the island, which can be used freely by criminals.He just needs to live in, to atone for his past sins in solitude. Gentlemen!He repents, he is ashamed of his sin, he suffers terribly!He said to himself that when the people came to take him off the island one day, he would be worthy to go back to the people!How many torments had this unfortunate man suffered!He worked hard and wanted to transform himself into a new man through labor!He prayed all day long, trying to repent and change his mind through prayer!Two, three years, time passed like this.Ayrton, in his solitude, became exceedingly humble, he waited long for the ship on the horizon, and asked himself whether the time of atonement was coming to an end, and he suffered as much as men have never tasted.ah!How dreadful is solitude to a heart that suffers in penitence! But Heaven must have thought it not enough for the unfortunate man, who felt that he was slowly turning into a savage!He felt himself growing wild! I don't know if he changed after living alone for two or three years, but he finally became the poor fellow you found! I don't tell you, sir, I'm Ayrton Peng.felt. Cyrus.After hearing this, Smith and his companions stood up.Their excitement is indescribable.What a tragic, painful and hopeless scene this is! Ayrton, said Smith standing up, you have had great crimes in the past, but Heaven thinks your sins have been expiated!Now you can come back to your fellows, and that's a proof.Ayrton, you have been forgiven!Now, would you like to be our partner? Ayrton took a few steps back. Let's shake hands!said the engineer. Ayrton grasped the engineer's extended hand, and his tears could not be stopped. Would you like to live with us?Cyrus.Smith asked. Mr Smith, leave me alone for a while longer, answered Ayrton, let me live alone in the house in the corral! Do as you like, Ayrton.Cyrus.Smith said.Ayrton was about to withdraw when the engineer asked him another question: One more word, friend.Since you yourself are willing to live a lonely life, why do you throw the note in the sea and let us find it according to the location? note?Ayrton repeated, seeming not to understand what it meant. Yes, we fished out a bottle with a note inside that correctly stated the location of Tapo Island! Ayrton shook his head, thought for a moment, and then said: I never threw a note overboard! Never?cried Pencroft. Never! Ayrton bowed, went to the door, and parted from them all.