Chapter 41 Chapter Nineteen

two years!The immigrants had no contact with their fellow countrymen for two years!They had no news from the civilized world, and they were living on this deserted island, as if they were on the smallest planet in the universe! What is happening in their home country now?The scene of their homeland was often before their eyes, and when they left it, the land was being torn apart by civil wars, and perhaps the traitors in the South were still bleeding now!It was the most distressing thing to the inhabitants, and they talked of it so often, yet they had no doubt that the cause of the Union Army, fighting for the honor of the United States of America, would at last be victorious.

In the past two years, no ship has ever come within sight of the island, at least they have never seen a single sail.Evidently, Lincoln Island was out of the usual course, and no one knew of such an island, as evidenced from the maps; otherwise, though there was no port, ships might have come to replenish the fresh water.Now, as far as the eye can see, there is nothing on the surrounding sea, and the immigrants have to rely on themselves to try to return to their hometowns. There was, however, a chance of salvation, which the settlers discussed one day in the dining room of Granite Palace during the first week of April.

They spoke first of America, of their homeland; and there was so little hope of ever seeing it again. Certainly there is but one way for us, said Spilett, the only way to leave Lincoln Island, and that is to build a ship capable of sailing hundreds of miles.I think that since the small boat can be built, the big boat will not be difficult! With the big ship, added Herbert, we could get to the Pamotus as easily as we could get to the Isle of Pomotus. I have no objection, said Pencroft, who always votes for voyages, and I have no objection, but near voyages are different from far voyages!When we arrived at Baodao, no matter how strong the wind was in our boat, we knew that the island was nearby, but twelve hundred nautical miles was a long journey, and the nearest land was at least It's that far!

In this case, are you not going to run the risk, Pencroft?asked the correspondent. I will take any risk if you will, Monsieur Spilett, replied the sailor, and you know that I am not afraid of anything! And, don't you forget, now we have one more sailor among us.said Neb. who?asked Pencroft. Ayrton. good.Herbert said. That depends on whether he is willing to go with us.said Pencroft. nonsense!The correspondent said, if he still lived at Tabor Island, do you think Ayrton would refuse to leave when Sir Glenarvan's pleasure-boat went there? You forget, my friends, that at this time CyrusSmith said that Ayrton had been irrational in recent years when he lived on that island, but that was not the problem.The question is whether we can count on the Scottish cruise ship to come back and rescue us.Sir Glenarvan once promised Ayrton that he would come to fetch Ayrton from Tabor Island when he thought he had atoned for his sins, and I believe Sir Glenarvan will come.

Yes, said the correspondent, and I will add that he will be here soon, for twelve years have passed since Ayrton was left on the desert island! All right!Sir Pencroft said he would be back, and soon, and I agreed with that.But where was his ship?Stop at Tabo Island, not Lincoln Island. This was all the more certain, said Herbert, that Lincoln Island was not on the map at all. Therefore, friends, said the engineer, we must make some preparations on Tabor Island, so that it will be known that Ayrton and we are on Lincoln Island. Of course, said the correspondent, it couldn't be easier than to leave a notice at the house where Captain Grant and Ayrton lived, stating the location of Lincoln Island, Sir Glenarvan and his The sailors will surely see it.

It is a pity, said the sailor, that it did not occur to us to do so when we first arrived at Po Island. How did we do it then?asked Herbert, at that time we didn't know the history of Ayrton; we didn't know that someone would come to pick him up one day, but it's a pity that we really know his history now, but the weather is too cold to reach Baoding. Island gone. Yes, Smith said, it's too late now, we'll have to wait until next spring. What if the Scottish cruise ships arrive before spring?said Pencroft. That's probably not a big deal, replied the engineer, because Sir Glenarvan would not choose to sail here in winter.Either he has been to Po Island, that is to say, during the five months that Ayrton was with us and has now left, or he has not been here and will not come for another period, so , When the weather improves in October, we will arrive at Baodao and leave a notice there. It is still too late.

What a pity, said Neb, if the Duncan had been here just a few months ago! I hope it is not so, Cyrus.May God not deprive us of the only remaining opportunity, said Smith. I think, said the correspondent, that in any case, when we get to Bao Island again, we will know that there is no hope. If the cruise ships have come, they will definitely leave some traces. That's for sure, the engineer said, so, friends, since we still have a chance to return to China, we should wait patiently, and if this opportunity has been missed, we should also wait and see, and study what is the most suitable way.

At any rate, said Pencroft, if we do leave Lincoln Island by any means, it will not be because we are uncomfortable here, as everyone knows! Yes, Pencroft, said the engineer, but because we do not want to be separated from the dearest things in the world: family, friends, and native land! After the discussion, they stopped talking about building a big ship to go north to the Pacific Islands, or go west to New Zealand.Everyone was busy with their daily work, preparing to spend the third winter in Granite Palace. At the same time, everyone also agreed that a small boat should be used to sail around the island before the storm came.The settlers had not hitherto explored the whole coast, and their knowledge of the west and north shores from the mouth of the Falls to Cape Jawbone, and the narrow bay like the mouth of a shark between Cape Jawbone, was only half-knowledgeable.

The plan of the voyage was proposed by Pencroft, Cyrus.Smith wholeheartedly agreed, since he himself wanted to see this part of his territory. The weather was variable, but the barometer did not fluctuate violently, so they estimated that the weather would not be too bad. However, in the first week of April, the pressure suddenly dropped for a while, and when it rose again, it was blown again. Five or six days of gale; and then the needle remained at twenty-nine and nine-tenths of an inch, which seemed good for sailing. They decided to start on the fourteenth of April, and the Rider stopped at Balloon Harbor, loaded up with provisions, and prepared for a rather long voyage.

Cyrus.Smith told Ayrton of his plans for the voyage, and suggested that he also take part.But Ayrton preferred to remain on the island, and it was decided that Ayrton should stay temporarily at Granite Palace while the companions were sailing.Japp was ordered to stay with him, and it made no protest. In the early morning of April 16, all the immigrants, including Top, boarded the ship.A light wind came from the southwest, and the Windbreaker left Balloon Harbor and headed for Reptilian Point, sideways.The circumference of the island is ninety miles in all, and the south shore between Balloon Harbor and Reptile Point is twenty miles long.Since the wind is blowing head-on, it is necessary to sail close to the shore.

It took them a whole day's work to get to Reptilian Point, because the tide was low for only two hours after leaving Balloon Harbor, and for the remaining six hours they had been fighting against the high tide and sailing against the current.By the time we rounded the cape, it was already dark. Pencroft proposed to the engineer to draw down both sails, and continue to advance slowly.Smith, however, proposed dropping anchor a few anchor lines offshore, in order to inspect this part of the coast during the day tomorrow.At the same time, all wished to explore the coast carefully, and it was agreed that they should stop sailing for the night, and, if the weather was fine, try to keep anchored near the shore. They spent the night just below the cape, the wind had stopped, and everything around them was completely silent.Few of the passengers on the Windbreaker, save the sailors, slept as soundly as they had in their rooms at Granite House, but they did.The next day, April 17th, Pencroft hoisted the sails at dawn, and they could proceed along the west bank, provided they kept their port course. This beautiful wooded coast was familiar to the emigrants, who had explored it on foot; yet it aroused their admiration this time.They moved as close to the shore as they could get a good view of, and there were tree trunks floating here and there on the sea, and they kept dodging here and there.During the voyage, it also stopped several times, allowing Gideon.Spilett took pictures in the best places. At about noon, the "Windbreaker" came to the mouth of the waterfall estuary.On the opposite left bank a sparse patch of trees could be seen, and for three miles there were even fewer of these trees, and only clusters of trees among the rocks to the west, the barren ridge sloping down to the The seaside area. What a difference between the south and the north of the seashore!In contrast, one side is lush with trees and fertile land, and the other side is rugged, desolate and barren!One might as well call the latter part of the coast the Iron Flats, as some countries do, for its barren and disordered appearance looks as if it had been suddenly crystallized by basaltic lava gushing from geological seas in ancient times.These boulders must have surprised the inhabitants had they landed on this part of the deserted island!When they looked out from the top of Mount Franklin, their stand was too high to see this steep coast; now it is clearly seen from the sea, and it looks very desolate, perhaps nowhere else in the world. up. The Windbreaker sailed half a mile along the coast.It can be seen that this part of the beach is covered with rocks of various sizes, ranging in height from twenty feet to three hundred feet, and in various shapes, round like towers, prismatic like church steeples, pyramid-shaped. Like a square tower, conical like a factory chimney.Even the icebergs on the Arctic Ocean couldn't be more grotesque!In some places, there seem to be bridges between the rocks, in some places, a series of arches seem to be endless like waves; in some places, huge caves look very majestic, and in some places, there are rows of stone pillars , steeples and arches, can overwhelm any Gothic church.The natural wonders that people can't imagine are all available on this magnificent seashore that stretches for eight or nine miles. Cyrus.Smith and his companions stared, almost in awe.They didn't speak a word, but Top was not in this mood, and he barked a few times, and there were countless echoes from the basalt cliffs.The engineer found Top to bark strangely, as he barks at the mouth of the well at Granite Palace. Let's move closer to the shore.He said. So Riding the Waves moved as close to the rocky coast as possible.Maybe there are caves worth exploring here?But Smith saw nothing, there was no cave, no crevice in which anything could hide, and the bottom of the cliff was constantly washed by the waves.Top soon ceased to bark, and they kept a few hawses from the shore, and continued on. In the northwest of the deserted island, the coast became flat and sandy again.There are trees growing everywhere in the swampy depression, and immigrants have also come here to investigate. This area is completely different from the desolate coast just seen, and it looks very lively because of the many waterfowl.That night, the Riding Wave approached land and stopped in a small bay in the northern part of the deserted island, which is the deepest place in the vicinity.This night passed very peacefully, and as the sun set, the sea became calm, and it was not until the dawn of the next day that the breeze blew again. Due to the convenience of going ashore, the team's veteran hunters Herbert and Gideon.Spilett wandered about for about two hours, and they brought back strings of mallard ducks and sandpipers. Top showed great talent, and thanks to his zeal and dexterity, not a single bird was lost. At eight o'clock in the morning, the Windbreaker hoisted her sails, for the wind was catching up.And the wind quickly picked up, and it headed for the North Jaw Cape quickly. I'm afraid there will be a strong westerly wind.According to Pencroft, it was a bad omen when the sun set yesterday and the west side was red, and the horsetail cloud appeared again this morning. Horsetail clouds are a type of cirrocumulus cloud that spread overhead less than 5,000 feet above the sea.Looking like sheets of lightweight, coarse cotton, this cloud often heralds abrupt changes in the weather. Well, said Smith, let's get all our sails up as far as we can, and hurry to Shark Bay for shelter.I think it's safe to keep the Windbreaker there. Quite right, said Pencroft, and the northern shore, so full of sand, does not look very interesting. It would be all right to spend one night and one day tomorrow in Shark's Bay, the engineer went on, and it was worth a close search. I am afraid it is not a matter of willingness or unwillingness, but that it must be so, said Pencroft. The weather in the west is very bad, and the weather is about to change! In any case, we had a good voyage to Jawbone Cape.said the correspondent. The wind is fair, said the sailor, but we must sail against the wind to get into the port, and I hope I can pass this strange sea smoothly. From what we saw on the south shore of Shark Bay, added Herbert, this part of the sea seemed to be rocky. Pencroft, Cyrus.Smith said, do what you think should be done, we listen to you. Don't worry, Mr. Smith, said the sailor, I can't help it!I'd rather have a knife in my ribs than a rock break Rider's ribs! By rib Pencroft meant the part of the boat in the water, which he regarded more closely than his own flesh and blood. what time is it?asked Pencroft. ten o'clock.Ji Ding.Spilett replied. How far to the jawbone, Mr. Smith? About fifteen miles to go.replied the engineer. That is to say, it will take another two and a half hours, the sailor said, and we will reach the surface of the sea at the Cape of the Mandible after twelve o'clock.Unfortunately, it was low tide at that time, and the sea was going to flow out of the bay.Coupled with the wind and waves, I am afraid it will be difficult to get in. Especially today being a full moon, said Herbert, the tide is strong in April. Well, Pencroft, Cyrus.Couldn't you anchor somewhere near the angle of the jawbone, asked Smith? When the weather is about to change, drop anchor close to land!cried the sailor, what are you thinking, Mr. Smith?It must be stranded! So what are you going to do? I shall try to stay on the surface and wait for the high tide, that is, until about seven o'clock in the evening; if the light is still bright enough, I will try to come into port, or else we will have to stay on the surface all night, Dock for a while, leave the shore for a while, and then go in when the sun comes out tomorrow morning. As I have already said, Pencroft, do as you please.Smith said. well!Sailors, said Pencroft, would be much more convenient if there were a lighthouse on the seashore. Yes, said Herbert, this time the good engineer will not be able to light us into port! Verily, my dear Cyrus, said Spilett, we have not thanked you, and, frankly, were it not for the fire, we should never have been able to return to fire?Smith asked in great surprise after hearing what the correspondent had said. We mean, Mr. Smith, replied Pencroft, in the hours before the Windbreaker came back to the island, we were very anxious, if you had not lighted a pile on Prospect Heights on the night of the nineteenth of October. The fire is coming, and we're going up to the windward head of Lincoln Island. Yeah, yeah, thank goodness I came up with this great idea!said the engineer. This time, continued the sailor, unless Ayrton thought of it, there would be no service for us! No, there will be no one!Cyrus.Smith said. After a few minutes, the engineer saw that only the correspondent and himself were left in the bow, bent down, and said to him in a low voice: I am sure, Spilett, that I never lit a fire on Prospect Heights, or anywhere else on the island, on the night of October 19th!