Chapter 6 Chapter 6 Sailing Among the Islands

The voyage of the middle Orinoco begins, and how many long, monotonous days will be spent on board!It is absolutely not fast to walk on this river, and I don't know how long it will take!It may not be too boring for the three of Miguel and his party. Before arriving at the intersection of Guaviare and Atababu, they will conduct geographical research and further understand the hydrological conditions of Orinoco. Find out where its tributaries, as numerous as the island, are distributed, note down the exact location of each rapid, and correct the mistakes that are still used on the map so far.Time flies by for scholars because they are always seeking new knowledge!

Maybe Martial really shouldn't refuse to go with the geographer, because it would make time easier.But on this issue, the old man is uncompromising.And the boy never mentioned it again, as if it was appropriate not to mention it. The boy immersed himself in Xia Fangrong's travel notes all day long, reading them over and over again.He had nothing else to do.On the other hand, there is no better reference book than this book on the Orinoco as it describes the situation on the Orinoco. When Maripare and Garineta drove to the center of the river, the small hills bulging on the surrounding plains came into view.At eleven o'clock in the morning the travelers approached a settlement under the granite hills of the left bank.This is the village of Kabruta. There are about fifty thatched houses in the village, one for each family, and the whole family of seven or eight are crowded inside.This place was originally inhabited by the Guamos Indian tribe, whose skin was lighter than mulattoes.But now the Guamos people have scattered elsewhere, and the mixed races have moved in.But every rainy season, the people of Guamos would paddle canoes to the river here to fish. For example, on this day, Martial and Jean saw a few.

Garineta's captain, Valdes, speaks Spanish.He was also very happy to answer Jean's questions. When the boat approached the right bank in the evening, Valdes said to Jean: Here is Cappuccino, a long-abandoned missionary settlement. Do you want to stop here, Valdes?let ask. It had to be done because the wind died down at night.Besides, just to be on the safe side, sailing on the Orinoco River can only be done during the day, and the waterway changes frequently, so it is very difficult to see clearly. Therefore, the boatmen always moored on the river bank or some island every night.Maripare also docked for cappuccino.For dinner, fish that lived in the rapids were bought from the fishermen of the village of Cabruta.Then everyone fell asleep.

What Valdes said was indeed true. The wind stopped at night, and the northeast wind picked up again at dawn.The two boats hoisted their sails and, pushed by the wind behind them, sailed effortlessly upstream. Opposite the cappuccino is the mouth of a tributary of the Apulito River Apure.The Apure River Delta was another two hours away.Simon.After the Bolivar left Kecara, it sailed up the Apure River to the land of Colombia, and sailed westward to the foot of the Andes. For this reason, Miguel asked his two colleagues why there is any reason to think that the true source of the Orinoco must be Atabab or Guaviare, and is it impossible for Apure?

What strange talk!Felipe immediately retorted that the Orinoco is a full three kilometers wide here, and the Apure River can only be a tributary. Could it be anything else? Its water is very cloudy and white in color, Varinas also called, while the water of the Orinoco is always clear and transparent from the city of Bolivar to here. Okay, okay, Miguel said with a smile, let's get Apure River off the shortlist.There are many rivers we have to pass along the way, so don't care about this one. In fact, Miguel can tell them that the plains of the Apure Valley are more fertile than Orinoco, and it seems that Apure does look like an extension of Orinoco to the west, but in fact Orinoco is here. Turning a corner, it turned to the south and flowed due south all the way to San Fernando. The steamboat can travel 500 kilometers until Palmilito.It is appropriate for Apure to be called the river of plains. The plains on both sides are vast and suitable for growing a variety of crops and raising livestock. The people nurtured by the Apure River are also the strongest and hardworking people in central Venezuela.

It is also worth noting that I have also seen with my own eyes that there are a large number of American crocodiles in the turbid river water, because they are not easy to be found, they can more easily approach their prey.Just a few steps away from Garine Tower, there are several ferocious lizard-like crocodiles rolling and playing.The tributaries of the Orinoco are rich in crocodiles, the largest of which can reach six meters in length, while the American crocodiles of the Apure River are somewhat smaller. Facing Jean's question, Valdes replied: Not all crocodiles eat people, and some, such as the Bava crocodile, don't even bother people who bathe in the river.But those crocodiles called Sebado, that is, crocodiles who have tasted human flesh, will even jump onto the boat in order to eat people!

They'll jump on our boat!Marshall yelled. No they won't, uncle!While talking, Jean pointed to a big crocodile. The crocodile's big mouth was opening and closing, accompanied by a loud noise. Besides, the crocodiles are not the only animals to be feared in the Orinoco and its tributaries.There is also a kind of fish called Galibi, which is so powerful that it can twist the hardest hooks in one blow.Their name is derived from the Caribbean, referring to an aquatic man-eating animal.There is also a kind of electric eel called Tambrador. Its grooves and electric needles are also terrible. It kills passing fish through electric discharge.

During the day's voyage, the boat passed several small islands, and the water flow around the islands was so turbulent that once or twice they had to take out the ropes and tie them to the strong and sturdy branches of the big trees on the shore. On the roots, pull the boat forward. The boat sailed to Viria.De.On Mono Island, the forest on the island was so dense that it was difficult to pass through. Suddenly, several gunshots were heard from Maripare. As soon as the gunshots fell, six or seven dead ducks appeared on the water.Miguel and the three of them just showed their true colors as sharpshooters.

After a while, a small canoe hit Garine Tower. Give you a change of taste!Miguel said, and handed over two ducks. let.De.Kellmer thanked him repeatedly, and Sergeant Marshall mumbled a word of thanks indistinctly. Miguel asked Jean how the two-day sailing situation was, and Jean's answer made him very satisfied and happy.He wished his nephew and uncle good night, and went back to his boat in the canoe. As soon as night fell, the two boats docked at Payalal Island.The right bank cannot be docked, and there are jagged rocks all over the place. Xia Fangrong found many inscriptions on the rocks, which were carved on the rocks with knives by businessmen who often travel to and from this area.

Dinner was eaten with gusto.Martial's cooking skills are as poor as a cooking soldier, but the duck itself is tender and plump, smooth and refreshing, and its taste is far superior to that of European duck.They all fell asleep at nine o'clock.At least Jean has been lying on the mat in the cabin.His uncle Martial wrapped him carefully in a mosquito net, as was customary. This thought is not in vain!There are so many mosquitoes, so poisonous!Xia Fangrong once said that the harm of mosquitoes is probably the biggest difficulty encountered in traveling on the Orinoco River. In Martial's view, it is not an exaggeration to say so.They are like thousands of spear darts dipped in venom, they are thrown at you non-stop, the place where the bite will be inflamed, the pain will not disappear after two weeks, and may even cause a high fever.

Martial covered his nephew with this protective net with great care, and he took a few puffs from his pipe, puffing out puffs of smoke to temporarily drive away the mosquitoes around the net.Then he raised his big hand and mercilessly slapped to death the mosquitoes that tried to get in through the folds of the mosquito net. My good Martial, your wrists will snap, and I cannot help but say, Don't bother!I can sleep well! No, replied the veteran, I cannot allow a stinky mosquito to buzz in your ear! He continued to slap, listening to every suspicious sound, and didn't lie down to rest until he saw that Jean was fast asleep.He himself is not afraid of mosquitoes.But even though he boasted that he has thick skin and is not afraid of being bitten, in fact he was bitten to the same extent as others. He kept scratching the itch all night, with such force that even the boat under him shook stand up. Early the next morning, the ship loosened its cables and set sail, and set off again.Although the wind blows and stops from time to time, it always follows the direction of the boat.The sky is not high, and there are large groups of clouds.It was pouring rain, and the passengers had to stay under the canopy. Numerous small islands narrow the river bed, and the current becomes swifter.The boat had to stick to the left bank, which was in better condition. The left bank is a low-lying swamp with ditches.This landscape extends from the mouth of the Aprito River to the mouth of the Arauca River for two hundred kilometers.There are a large number of wild ducks inhabiting here. They fly low on the plain and look like thousands of small black spots from a distance. Even if there are as many wild ducks as there are mosquitoes, at least they are not as annoying as mosquitoes, Martial exclaimed, and besides, wild ducks can be eaten! His comparison is apt. This can also be explained by Elisa.Karl as described by Lecluse.Sachs' words are believable.According to Sacks, he had heard a story of a regiment of cavalry camped by a lagoon in the area, and that for a fortnight they had eaten nothing but wild ducks, which were found in the surrounding canals. There is no reduction in going up. The hunters on Garineta and Maripare naturally killed far fewer ducks than the regiment.They only hunted dozens of them, and they were picked up by canoes along the current.The boy also hit a few, which made Martial very happy.In accordance with the principle of reciprocity that he often said, he distributed part of his prey to Miguel and the others, even though the other party was already full of prey.Martial does not want to owe them any favors. During this day's voyage, I avoided many rocks, and they were often not in the water, only a spire was exposed.The bosses of the ship showed superb technology.In a river swollen by rain, hitting a rock will surely capsize the boat.If you want to steer a boat well, you must not only hold the short oars behind the boat, but also pay close attention to the tree trunks floating on the water to avoid collisions with them.The trees had drifted down from Jamuro Island, which had been falling apart piece by piece since years ago.The people in the two boats saw that due to the seepage and erosion of the water, the day when the island would disappear completely was not far away. Both boats spend the night on the headland upstream of Casimirito.The howling wind cannot blow in here.They slept in a few abandoned huts, which are usually used by turtle hunters, and they felt much more comfortable than in the cabin.We refer to the Maripare passengers, while the two Garinettas, who had been invited, remained on board. Besides, it would not be prudent to venture on Casimilito Island, which is full of monkeys, jaguars and pumas.Fortunately, due to the storm, the beasts stayed in the cave, and Miguel and the others were able to spend the night safely.Still, through the sound of the wind and rain, they heard the roar of the beast, and what the naturalist calls the howler monkey proved himself worthy of the name with a shrill cry. The weather improved slightly the next day.Clouds descended during the night.The heavy rain that formed high in the sky was replaced by a drizzle, which became more and more sporadic, and stopped altogether at dawn.The sun came out now and then, and the northeasterly wind kept blowing, and the two boats were being pushed along along the river, which was turning westward until Buenavista, where it did not go south again. The bed of the Orinoco became so wide that Jean.De.The two Nantes, Kellmer and Martial, were amazed.Marshall couldn't help but say: Hey!Nephew, look at the scene today The boy walked out of the cabin and came to the bow, the sails behind him were fully bulging.The air is fresh and transparent, and the plains in the distance are faintly discernible. Marshall added: Aren't we back in our lovely hometown of Brittany? I know what you mean, let's say, the Orinoco is a lot like the Loire in this section Yes, Jean, much like the Loire that flows through Nantes!See those Yellow River piles!If going through it were six or seven flat-bottomed barges in a single row with square sails, I really should have thought we were going to St.Florent or Morvo! You are right, my good Martial, it really looks like it.But the long plain on both sides of the river seems to me more like the meadows near Pellerin or Pampeuf in the lower Loire. That's true, nephew, I think I'm about to see the steamboat at Saint-Nazaire What do they call a steamship there a pyroscaphe, it's a Greek word I never understood Pass! If such a pyroscaphe comes, the boy said with a smile, we will not go up, uncle, we will watch it go far, isn't Nantes in front of me the place where my father is? Yes, that's where my good Colonel is, and when we find him, he'll know he's not alone in the world anymore, and he'll go down the river with us in a small boat and then take the Bolivar to pick him up Down he went back to France with us on the steamer for Saint-Nazaire, that is May God hear your words!Jean murmured. As he said this, he looked upriver, lost in the low hills that loomed in outline to the southeast. His thoughts returned to the similarity between the Orinoco and the Loire that Martial had pointed out. Jean added, for example, that at certain times the sights on the beaches of the Orinoco could not be seen anywhere on the Loire. What scene? It is the tortoise that comes here to lay eggs and hatch eggs in mid-March every year. ah!there are turtles Thousands of them. The river you see on the right bank was originally called the Tortuga River, which means the Turtle River, and was later renamed the Xia Fangrong River. Since it's called the Turtle River, it proves that there are indeed turtles here, but I haven't seen them until now Be patient, Uncle Martial, although the hatching period has passed, you will still see so many turtles that you will not believe it However, if they stop hatching, wouldn’t we be able to eat turtle eggs? I’ve heard people say they’re delicious. It is delicious, and the turtle meat is no less.I think our ship's boss Valdes will catch a few to stew To drink turtle soup!cried Martial. Yes, this time, the method is different from France, and the beef head is not used If it's just to eat an ordinary piece of meat in white sauce, do you need to come all the way here!Martial said. The young man was right, and the boat soon came to the beach area full of turtles, and many Indians from the nearby area were attracted to come here.Now they only come during the fishing season, but previously they gathered here all year round.These Taparitu, Panarei, Yaruro, Guamo, and Mapoyu people fought bloody battles for the ownership of the beach.The people who lived here before them were the Otomako people, who have now dispersed to the west.According to Humboldt's [Note], the Indians here claimed that their ancestors were stone people. These Indians played tennis with strength and flexibility, which was better than the Basques of European descent living in Venezuela.It is said that they are also soil eaters. Every year when there are few fish in the river, they swallow the clay balls and pure clay after roasting them on the fire for a while.This ancient eating habit has not yet completely disappeared.This vice, which we can only call a vice, is acquired from childhood and becomes ingrained.These soil eaters eat soil like the Chinese smoke opium, driven by an irresistible need.Xia Fangrong once met a few soil eaters whose bad habits were hard to change. In order to satisfy their desires, they used their tongues to lick the clay on their houses. 【Note】Alexander.Humboldt (1769 | 1859), a German who visited equatorial America and Central Asia, contributed to the development of climatology, biogeography, volcanology, and geomagnetism.Translator's note The afternoon's voyage was difficult, and the crews of both ships were exhausted.The sand pile made the riverbed narrower all of a sudden, and the current was extremely fast. Dark clouds rolled in the sky, and the air was saturated with water vapor. Along with lightning, thunder rumbled from the south.Another large cloud of cumulonimbus gathered against the wind.The breeze just now blew a few last times, and it went on and on until it was almost imperceptible. In such a case, it was necessary to take refuge hastily, just to be on the safe side, for the storm on the Orinoco was never going to stop and could cause something worse. weather changes.The crew really wanted to find a cove quickly and hide behind the high bank to avoid the wind and rain. Unfortunately, there is no place to rest along this stretch of the coast, and as far as the eye can see on both sides of the bank, there are vast plains without even a tree, which can be easily swept away by a hurricane. Miguel asked the captain of the boat what Martus was going to do, and asked him if he could just let the boat dangle on the river overnight. That's not safe, said Martus, the anchor won't hold in a place like this and we'll be washed up on the sand and crushed by stones and lose arms and legs So what to do? We must go on upriver, and get to the nearest village as soon as possible, or, if we can't, go back to Casimilito, where we spent last night. What is the nearest village? Buena Vista on the left bank. This plan was indeed suitable, and Valdes, the captain of the other boat, rowed towards the village without discussing it with Martus. The deflated sail hung from the mast.The crew unloaded the sails and put them in the cabin, so as not to be messed up by the strong wind.But it might take another hour or two for the rainstorm to come down.Leaden clouds seemed to stand still on the southern horizon. Ghost weather.Martial said to the captain of Garineta in an inquiring tone. It's bad, Valdez said, but we're going to fight to beat it. The sides of the two boats were about fifty feet apart.The fishing rod with a fork at the end is used as a penny to prop up the sand pile in the water.Everyone put in a lot of effort, but overall the results were not great, and it was difficult to withstand the rapid current.But doing so is the only possible way.The important thing is to get close to the left bank so that the boat can be towed by the towline. A support is an hour.Several times, everyone was terribly worried, for fear that the boat would lose its stability, drift downstream, and maybe hit a hidden reef!Thanks to the good command of the bosses of the ship, the crew members went all out, and the passengers of the two ships also tried their best to help, the ship finally approached the left bank, and the deviation in the water was not too far. Next, the fiber rope will come in handy. This time, it can be said that every effort will be rewarded. At least there is no need to worry about the boat slipping downstream. According to Valdez's proposal, the two boats were tied bow to stern.The whole crew pulls them from the boat and slides along the river bank.They jump ashore when conditions permit.Only the helmsman was left on board to steer the boat, while the rest of the crew pulled the boat forward from the shore.When people cannot leave on the shore, they tie the rope to the rocks or tree stumps more than 40 meters ahead, and then everyone returns to Maripare ahead to pull the rope together. On the port side the boat sailed past Seba, Gururuparo and Estiero Islands, followed by Poso Isla a little to the right.Ratondo Island. Here the dark clouds have risen to the zenith.The entire southern sky was constantly thundering and lightning, dazzling and deafening.At eight o'clock in the evening, the wind and the torrential rain, with hail falling from the sky.Fortunately, the two ships had safely hid in Buena Vista at this time.