Chapter 18 Chapter 18 Celebration Dinner

A short night passed, and everyone had just calmed down from the excitement, and the big raft set sail again, leaving the beach where crocodiles were infested.If the journey was safe, the big raft could reach the port of Manao in five days. The girl has now fully recovered from her fear; with her eyes and smile she thanked all those who gave their lives to save them. Lina is even more grateful to the brave Fragoso, even more grateful to him than for saving her own life. I will repay you sooner or later, Monsieur Fragoso!she smiled at him. How can I repay you, Miss Lina? Oh, you know it yourself!

If it's like what I think, then I hope it will be sooner rather than later!said the lovely boy. From this day on, the lovely Lina becomes Fragoso's fiancée, who will marry Mina and Manoel at the same time, and the newlyweds will live together in Belem. Great, great!Fragoso kept saying, I never thought Pala was so far away! Manoel and Benito had a long talk about what happened.Now, it is even more impossible for Joam.Galar drove away his savior. Your life is the most precious to me.Torres once said so. The adventurer's words were both exaggerated and strange, and Benito kept them in his heart after hearing them.

At present, the two young people have nothing to do.They needed more patience than ever to wait not only for four or five days, but for seven or eight weeks, in other words, until the great raft reached Belem. There was a certain mystery in this matter which I could not comprehend.Benito said. Yes, but one thing is certain, Manoel said, Benito, it is certain that Torres does not want your father's life, and besides, we must continue to watch him! From that day on, Torres seemed more cautious.He did not want to be close to the Galars at all, and he was not as attentive to Mina as he used to be.Except Joam.The tension felt by everyone outside Gallard eased.

That night, the raft passed Barroso Island, on the right bank of the river, where there are many small rivers with the same name.Then sailed across Lake Manaoli, where many criss-crossing rivers flow into the lake. All night, but Joam.Galal had told everyone to be vigilant in advance. Next day, August 20th, the great raft sailed between the steep banks and the numerous islands.The pilot insisted on sailing along the right bank, because the left bank had many capricious eddies. Outside the river beach, there are large and small river beaches dotted with each other, including Calderon Lake, Vallandra Lake, and several black lagoons.This hydrogeographical situation indicates that it is already close to the Negro River, the most famous tributary of the Amazon River.In fact, the great river has hitherto been called the Solimoes; but, after passing the mouth of the Rio Negro, it is called by the well-known name of the Amazon.

All that day the great raft sailed under very peculiar conditions. The channel between Calderon Island and the mainland is very narrow, although it appears to be very open.This is because most of the island has never been much above the water and is still submerged by the rising river.There are dense forests on both sides of the waterway. Giant trees fifty feet high stand tall, and the branches on both sides of the river are intertwined, forming a huge cradle. There is no better view than this flooded forest on the left bank, which seems to grow in the middle of the lake.The tree trunk floats above the calm and clear water, and the intertwined branches are reflected in the clear water, which is clearly visible, no less than the image of the bonsai on the table in the mirror.The reflection is exactly the same as the real scene.There seems to be a big green umbrella above and below the water, forming two semicircles, and the big raft seems to walk through a big circle.

In fact, it was quite risky for a raft to pass under these arches, and it would be smashed to pieces by the slightest wave.However, going back is not possible.Therefore, it must be maneuvered accurately, otherwise it will hit the big trees on both sides of the bank. The pilot, Aloro, showed great skill, and the crew worked perfectly with him.The trees in the forest provide a strong support point for the long pole, so the direction of the boat remains unchanged.Any slight collision would have thrown the raft off course, destroyed its structure, and, if the occupants had been spared, would at least have caused considerable damage to its contents.

It's so beautiful here, Mina said, how pleasant it would be if you could sail in places where the sun doesn't shine like this along the way! It's comfortable here, but it's dangerous, too, said Manoel, if we were in a small boat, it wouldn't be so scary; but a ship of this size is best sailed on a clear river. . We can walk through this forest in two hours.said the driver. behold!Lina exclaimed how quickly these beauties faded away!ah!Dear lady, look at these monkeys playing in groups on the high branches, and these birds looking at themselves in pity on the clear water!

And the shadowy flowers on the water, Mina said, and the waves shook them gently like a breeze! And these spindly ivy tangling its branches!said the mulatto girl. But there is no Fragoso at the end of them!Says Fragoso, What a beautiful flower you gathered in the forest of Iquitos! What a unique flower in the world!Lina sneered, and then said to Mina, ah!Miss, look at these wonderful plants! Lina pointed to a clump of water lilies, whose buds were the size of cocoa pods, against a backdrop of giant leaves.Where the bank was submerged in the water grew clumps of Mugum reeds, whose leaves were so wide that when the boat passed, the flexible reeds hid to the sides and then joined together again.The water waves swayed gently, the reed leaves fluttered, and countless water birds danced one after another, luring hunters to come here.

Several rhododendrons perched on an old half-tilted tree trunk, motionless like a stone monument; several gray herons, standing alone like golden roosters, remained motionless; Only pink parasols, and various other colorful birds also add a little life to the swamp. But there are also some long water snakes that swim swiftly through the water, and perhaps a few hideous electric eels, with such a barrage of discharges that they are capable of insensituring even the strongest man or animal to death. Therefore, we must beware of electric eels, but we must also pay attention to Suguliju snakes. They coil around tree trunks. Once they find their prey, they stretch their bodies, pounce on them, and wrap their prey tightly. The force is strong enough to crush a cow. .These 30- to 50-foot-long reptiles live in the jungles of the Amazon basin.According to Mr. Calle, some snakes were as long as forty-six feet, and their waists were as thick as a bucket.

Indeed, if a suguliju snake jumped onto the raft, it would be no less terrifying than a crocodile! Fortunately, the passengers encountered neither electric eels nor snakes. After about two hours, the big raft passed through the underwater forest without incident. Three days passed.The large raft gradually approached the city of Manao onyx.In another twenty-four hours, we will reach the capital of the Amazonas province at the mouth of the Negro River. On August 23rd, at five o'clock in the evening, the big raft moored at the northern end of Muras Island on the right bank of the river.As long as you cross this small island diagonally, you can reach the port a few miles away.

But the driver Aloruo thought that it was getting dark and he should not take the risk of traveling that day. He was justified, because there were still three miles to the port and it took about three hours to sail.And when sailing, the most important thing is to see clearly. Dinner that night was the last meal of the first leg of the trip and it was impossible not to celebrate.Under these conditions, half the voyage of the Amazon River is indeed worth a good meal.It was decided to toast the health of the Amazon with fine wines made from Porto or Setubale grapes. Also, it's Fragoso and the lovely Lina's engagement dinner.Manoel and Mina's engagement ceremony took place a few weeks ago at the Iquitos estate.After the engagement ceremony of the young hosts, it was the turn of the devoted fiancée, and they couldn't be more grateful! Therefore, they will remain in this decent family, Lina will still serve the lady, and Fragoso will serve Manoel.Valdès, at the banquet they dined at the same table as the host, and were treated as honored guests. Torres, of course, also took part in the dinner, which was carefully prepared by the kitchen and pantry. The adventurer sits in Joam.Opposite Galar, he was still taciturn, listening to everyone's conversation silently.Benito watched him carefully and calmly.But seeing Torres always looking at his father, his eyes were very strange.It is this look that a wild animal uses to confuse its prey before it pounces. Manoel spends most of the time chatting with Mina.He glanced at Torres now and then, and on the whole he was more cautious than Benito, because he was convinced that sooner or later this situation would end, if not in Manao, then in Belém. Dinner went off quite nicely.Lina's humor and Fragoso's quick response keep the atmosphere very lively.Father Pasana looked with joy on his beloved family and the two young fiances who would soon be blessing them with the waters of the Para River. Eat more, Father, said Benito, joining at last the conversation, and you must honor this engagement feast!Presiding over so many weddings at once requires a lot of energy! ah!Dear child, said Father Passana, quickly find us a beautiful and kind girl who will fall in love with you, and then you will see whether I have enough energy to officiate your wedding! well said!Father, cried Manoel, let us drink to Benito's wedding! Let's find him a young and beautiful girl in Belem, said Mina, and he should be like everyone else! Cheers to Mr. Benito's wedding!Fragoso said he might want all the girls in the world to marry him. They are right, my child, said Yaquita, and I will drink to your marriage too, and may you be as happy as Mina and Manoel, and I and your father! I wish you eternal happiness, I hope so, Torres drank a glass of Porto, and said to himself, everyone's happiness is in their own hands! For some reason, this blessing from him made everyone uncomfortable. Feeling this, Manoel said, trying to moderate the situation. I said, Father, wouldn't there be other couples on the raft who would be engaged during the trip? I don't think so, said Father Passana, unless Torres I don't think you're married yet, do you? No, I am and have always been a bachelor! Benito and Manoel felt Torres staring at Mina as he spoke. Who will not let you marry?Father Passana said that you could find a girl of your own age in Belem, and you might be able to settle there.It's better than a life of wandering, it doesn't do you any good! You are right, Father, said Torres, I am not against marriage!Also, role models are contagious and seeing these young fiancee makes me want to get married too!However, I know nothing about Belem, and it would be difficult for me to settle there unless there are special circumstances. SD?asked Fragoso, secretly feeling that he had met Torres somewhere. I am Minas.Gilaes people. where were you born In Tijuca, the famous town of diamonds. At this time, if anyone saw Joam.Galar and Torres looked at each other for a long time, and they must be amazed.