Chapter 10 Chapter 10 Insights Why and How Fricoland Was Dragged Behind the Aircraft

Engineer Robier had no intention of wandering over the wonderful country of Hindustan.He probably had no other purpose in flying the Himalayas than to convince even the most unconvinced of him by showing what an amazing vehicle he possessed.Does this mean that the Albatross is so perfect?There is nothing perfect in the world.It will be discussed later. Although Uncle Prudang and his colleagues couldn't help admiring such flying tools from the bottom of their hearts, they still couldn't show it on their faces no matter what.They were focused on looking for opportunities to escape, even when the Albatross flew over the beautiful Punjab border, they had no intention of admiring the beauty right under their noses.

At the foot of the Himalayas, there is indeed a miasma-filled swamp, the Tray Swamp.Fever often rages here.But this neither hinders the flight of the Albatross nor affects the health of the people on board.It flew unhurriedly towards the corner where Hindustan meets Turkestan and China.In the early morning of June 29, the incomparable Kashmir Valley unfolds before our eyes. This canyon formed by the big and small Himalayas is indeed unique in the world!Hundreds of ridge branches rush down from the huge mountain ranges and sink into the Indus River, lining the canyon; the winding Indus waters it.It was once the witness of the confrontation between the armies of Polus and Alexander, that is, the rivalry between India and Greece in Central Asia.

Today, the two cities that the Macedonian built to commemorate his victory have long since disappeared, and even the ruins of the cities have disappeared. Only the water of the Indus River is still flowing. That morning, the Albatross flew over Srinagar (also known as Kashmir).Uncle Pruden and his companions saw a very beautiful city stretching along the banks of the river.The wooden bridges are like tight strings, and the wooden houses with balconies seem to be cut out of paper; the tall poplar trees on the steep bank are full of shade; the turf-covered roofs are like big mole nests. The ditches in the city are crisscrossed, and the small boats are as big as walnuts, and the boatmen are like ants.Palaces, temples, mosques, bungalows with balconies around the city gates, all are reflected in the green water;The Pavada Castle is very much like an important fortification built on the top of Valery Hill in the Paris area.

If we were in Europe, we really thought this would be Venice.Phil.Evans said. If we were really in Europe, we would know how to get back to America!Uncle Prudang replied. The Albatross did not stop long over the lake where the Indus River flows before continuing to fly along the river valley. At ten meters above the water it only stayed for half an hour.Tom.Turner and his men connected a rubber hose to the surface of the lake to pump water to the tank.The water pump is powered by batteries. While they were busy pumping water, Uncle Prudden and PhilEvans looked at each other, and the same thought flashed through his head: only a few meters above the water, not far from the shore, and both of them were good swimmers, diving headfirst into the water would regain their freedom.How did Robbiel get them back when they jumped into the water and disappeared?For the propeller propulsion to work, would the aircraft have to be less than two meters above the water?

For a moment, they thought of all the possibilities of success and failure; for a moment, they weighed all possibilities.Just as they were about to jump down from the deck, several hands fell on their shoulders. People were watching them all the time.They can't escape. This time they didn't just let it go.They tried to push their captors away, but the men on the Albatross were big, strong men. Gentlemen, said the engineer triumphantly, when a man has the honor of traveling in the company of Robier the Conqueror on his admirable Albatross, can't he just go and leave without saying goodbye?According to me, never leave here again.

Uncle Prudang wanted to get angry, but was caught by Phil.Evans pulled away.The two returned to the cabin, determined that no matter where they went, even if it cost their lives, they must escape. The Albatross began heading west again.On this day, the flying speed was neither fast nor slow.They flew over Kabristan first, and for a while they saw its capital.Later, they flew to the border of the Kingdom of Herat, which is 1,100 kilometers away from Kashmir. This has always been a very contentious area.On this necessary road from Russia to British India, crowds of people and horses appeared: there were teams, there were vehicles, in short, there were all the personnel and supplies that a marching army should have.And the rumbling of cannon and the crackling of musketry can be heard.However, as long as honor or humanity is not involved, the engineer never meddles in other people's business.He flew over.Even if Herat was the key to Central Asia, as others said, it did not matter to him whether the key fell into the hands of the British or the pockets of the Russians.Conflicts of interest on earth do not matter to a fearless man whose only territory is the sky.

Besides, it didn't take long for this area to disappear in a solid yellow sand storm.In this area, there are many such storms. This kind of storm is called Tybald, which brings violent air currents, and can roll up countless sand and dust wherever it passes.How many caravans of camels have lost their lives in this vortex of air! In order to avoid this kind of dust that might affect the precision of its transmission equipment, the Albatross ascended to a place with clear air at an altitude of two kilometers. The Persian frontier, with its narrow plains, vanished from view.Although there are no reefs to be wary of, the flying speed is still quite slow.There are indeed a few peaks marked on the map, but they are of moderate height.However, it is best to avoid the Damavand Mountain near the capital. Its snow-covered peak is almost 6,600 meters high; in addition, there is also the Erpur Mountain that Tehran is built at the foot of. .

On July 2, just after dawn, Mount Damavand emerged from the flying sand and stones of the Simon wind (Note: the dry and hot wind in deserts such as Africa and Arabia.) and appeared in front of us. The Albatross flew towards the sky over Tehran, which was shrouded in fine sand clouds and mist rolled up by the strong wind. However, at about ten o'clock in the morning, they still saw the wide moats surrounding the city, the Shah (Note: the title of the Shah of Iran.) Palace in the center of the city, saw the palace walls covered with tiles and what seemed to be huge A pool carved out of crystal clear blue turquoise.

All this was lost in an instant, and from here the Albatross changed course, heading almost due north.A few hours later, it came over a small city.The small town sits on the corner of the northern border of Persia, on the edge of a vast expanse of water that stretches as far as the eye can see to the east and north. The small town is the port of Astara, the southernmost station of Russia.The body of water is the sea, the Caspian Sea. There is no more dust rolled up, and what is presented in front of you are European-style houses lined up along the headland, with a towering bell tower in the middle.

The surface of the Caspian Sea is three hundred feet below sea level.The Albatross lowered its altitude toward the sea.At night, the aircraft continued to fly along the coast that originally belonged to Turkey and now belongs to Russia leading to the Balkan Gulf.The next day, July 3rd, it flew a hundred meters above the surface of the Caspian Sea. Neither looking towards Asia nor towards Europe could there be any land in sight.On the surface of the sea, there are a few white sails billowed by the breeze; these are local ships, which can be recognized from their appearance: the two-masted Casby, the old-fashioned one-masted Cayuk pirate ship, and those simple A small Tamil boat for carrying people or fishing.In the sky, from time to time, wisps of blue smoke drifted to the side of the Albatross.The smoke was coming from the funnels of steamships in the port of Astara, Russian rationed ships for the Turkmen police.

That morning, Tom ForemanTurner and chef Francois.Tapa Day was chatting.In response to one of the latter's questions, he had this to say: Yes, we are going to spend forty-eight hours over the Caspian Sea. Hurrah!The chef said, so we can fish? That's right! Since it took the Albatross 40 hours to cross the Caspian Sea, which was 625 miles long and 200 miles wide, it meant that its speed would be rather slow, possibly zero when fishing. Tom.Turner's words happened to be heard by Phil.Evans heard it. At this moment, Fricoland was persistently and endlessly pestering him to intercede with his master and put himself on the ground. For his ridiculous request, Phil.Evans didn't answer.He went back to the back cabin and found Uncle Prudang.After taking various measures to confirm that it was impossible to be overheard, he took Tom.The conversation between Turner and the chef was repeated. Phil.Evans, said Uncle Prudden, I think we should have no illusions about what this villain can do to us? Nothing fancy, Phil.Evans replied that he would set us free only when it pleased him.What if he never sets us free again? ! If this is the case, we should find a way to leave the Albatross at any cost! It's a fine machine, it must be admitted. Perhaps, said Uncle Prudden, but this is a bastard machine that detains us in disregard of any human rights, a machine that will always be a threat to us and our colleagues.if we can't destroy it Let's run away first, Phil.Evans said, then think about what to do! Oh well!Uncle Pruden said again, let us take advantage of this coming opportunity.Obviously, the Albatross is going to cross the Caspian Sea first, and then either reach Northern Europe via Russia, or fly to Western Europe via the southern region.Very good!We'll be saved no matter where we land, as long as we make it in time before we reach the Atlantic Ocean.So we have to be ready at all times. However, Phil.Evans asked, how to escape? Listen to me, replied Uncle Pruden, at night, the Albatross is sometimes only a few hundred feet above the ground, and there are several cables on the aircraft that are this long.As long as you are a little bit more courageous, you may be able to slide down OK, Phil.Evans said, when the time comes, I will never hesitate I won't either, said Uncle Pruden, and I'll add that there's no one on guard at night except the helmsman who's on duty aft.There is just such a cable in the front, and it is not impossible to let the cable go down without anyone noticing. OK, Phil.Evans said, Uncle Prudang, I am glad to see you have become calmer.In this way, we should take action all the more.However, at present we are above the Caspian Sea, and there are many boats on the water.When fishing, the albatross will lower its altitude and stop flying, can't we take advantage of it well!Even when we thought we were not being watched, someone was watching us, replied Uncle Prudden, didn't you see that when we tried to jump into the Indus last time? Who can say that we are not being watched at night?Phil.Evans replied. It can't go on like this anymore, said Uncle Pruden, yes, it's time to finish with this Albatross and its owner! It is conceivable that if things go wrong, the two colleagues, especially Uncle Prudang, may do the most risky, even the most detrimental thing to their own safety in a fit of anger. Feelings of powerlessness, Robier's sneering attitude, and harsh replies given to them all added to the strain on an already not easy relationship. On this very day, a new quarrel broke out between Robier and his two colleagues, which almost made their relationship even more out of control.It never occurred to Fricolin that the cause of the quarrel would be himself. This coward was frightened when he saw that he was flying over the sea beyond the horizon.Like a black man of his kind, he groaned, protested, and made noises like a child, twisting his body desperately and making all kinds of grimaces. I want to go, I want to go, he yelled loudly, I am not a bird, I cannot fly, put me on the ground, let me go immediately Needless to say, Uncle Prudang would never try to calm him down, on the contrary!These howls of his finally made Robbier extremely impatient. Tom.Turner and his companions were about to start fishing, and in order to get rid of Fricoland, the engineer ordered him to be shut up in his cabin.But the nigger kept struggling, pounding the wall, and howling even more fiercely. It is noon.At this time, the Albatross was only five or six meters above the sea.Several boats on the sea ran away in fright when they saw the aircraft; after a while, the entire sea was empty. Needless to say, everyone can imagine that in this situation where they can escape by just diving headfirst into the water, the two colleagues will definitely and indeed be under special surveillance.Even if they really jumped, wouldn't it be possible to catch them back with the rubber boat on the Albatross?Therefore, when others are fishing, it is best not to take this risk.Phil.Evans thought he should go and watch them fish.Uncle Prudang was still angry, and hid in his cabin again. It is well known that the Caspian Sea was formed due to the collapse of the ground caused by volcanoes.The waters of all these rivers like Volga, Ural, Kur, Kuma, Emba, etc. flow into this depression.Had it not been for evaporation to evaporate the excess lake water in this depression with an area of ​​20,000 square miles and an average depth of 60 to 400 feet, the low-lying swamps on the east and north banks would have been completely submerged.Although this large basin is not connected to the Black Sea and the Aral Sea, which are much higher in water level, there are still many fish in the lake.Of course, these are fishes that don't dislike its bitter lake water. The reason why the lake water has a bitter taste is mainly because the southern water source contains petroleum spirit. The crew of the Albatross beamed with joy at the thought that fishing would enrich their daily diet. beware!Tom.cried Turner.He had just hit a fish with his gaff dart and it was almost the size of a shark. This is a beautiful sturgeon about seven feet long, belonging to the Russian Bronka species, whose eggs are mixed with salt, vinegar, and white wine to make caviar.Sturgeons caught in the river are probably better than those caught in the sea.Still, on board the Albatross, the sturgeon in the sea was a big hit. However, the biggest harvest of this fishing is trawling.The trawls brought up carp, bream, salmon, northern pike in saltwater, and especially large numbers of sterlets.This small sturgeon is eaten by rich eaters who have to pay for live fish to be transported from Astrakhan to Moscow and Petersburg.And now, at no shipping cost, they go straight from their natural origins to the crew's soup pots. The Albatross dragged the net forward for several nautical miles, and Robier's men began to gather the net happily.François of Gascony.Tapege was screaming with joy, Tapege (Note: (tapege) means noisy, uproarious in French.) This name is really suitable for him.After an hour of fishing, there were enough fish to fill the tank on the aircraft, so the Albatross continued to fly north. During the time of fishing, Fricoland never stopped shouting. He kept beating the walls of the cabin, making the noise unbearable. This damn nigga, can't keep his mouth shut anymore?Robbier said he was really getting a little impatient. Sir, I think he has every right to complain, Phil.Evans said. Yes, just as I have a right to spare my ears from this torture.Robbie retorted. Robbie Engineer!Uncle Pruden said he had just come on deck. Mr. President of the Welton Society! The two approached each other, staring at each other angrily. Then Robier shrugged his shoulders and said: Take the rope!Hang me up! Tom.Turner knew what he meant.Fricoland was dragged from the cabin. What a tearing cry he made when the foreman and a boy seized him and tied him to what looked like a barrel at the end of the cable! It was the cable that Uncle Prudang had taken a fancy to. At first, the black man thought he would be hanged, but he was just hung in mid-air.The cable was lowered a hundred feet, and Fricoland swung in mid-air. Now he should be able to yell as much as he wants, but he was so frightened that he seemed to be stuck in the neck, and he couldn't utter a sound. Uncle Prudden and Phil.Evans tried to stop them, but they were pushed away. shameful!mean!exclaimed Uncle Pruden, who could no longer control himself. Indeed! This is an abuse of violence, I can't just say that and let it go, I'm going to do something else! Just think about it! Engineer Robill, I want revenge! Mr. President of the Weldon Society, then do yourself a favor! I want revenge on you and your men! The people from the Albatross came up with hostility, and Robier signaled them to disperse. right!To seek revenge on you and your men!Uncle Prudang said again.His colleagues tried to calm him down, but to no avail. Do as you please!replied the engineer. And it is to take all possible means! enough!Robbier said in a threatening tone, that's enough!How many cables are there on the aircraft!Shut up!Otherwise, you will end up like a master and a servant! Uncle Pruden said no more, not because he was afraid, but because he was suffocated.Phil.Evans had to pull him back to the cabin. From two o'clock, the sky changed drastically.A series of unreassuring signs appeared in the sky.A storm is coming.The charge content of the atmosphere was very high, and at about half past two, there appeared in the sky a phenomenon that Robier had never seen before. The storm comes from the north.There, bright spirals of water vapor were rising, which must have been caused by changes in the charge of the different clouds. These bright strips of water vapor reflect on the water surface, making countless bright spots flash on the sea surface.As the sky gets darker, the bright spot becomes brighter. The Albatross was about to hit those spirals of water vapor, and they were approaching each other. What about Fricoland?Well, Fricoland, he's still being dragged.The word dragging is really appropriate, because the aircraft is advancing at a speed of 100 kilometers per hour, the cable and the aircraft form a large obtuse angle, and the large wooden barrel has been dragged behind. When the thunder was rolling and the lightning flashed around him, just imagine how scared he must be! All the people on the aircraft are busy preparing for the storm.Either fly above the storm, or pass through the lower clouds, the only way to get out of trouble. At that time, the Albatross was at the same altitude as the storm, that is, about a thousand meters.Suddenly there was a thunderbolt, and the wind rose suddenly; in an instant, the burning clouds rushed to the aircraft. Phil.Evans hurried out to intercede for Fricoland and asked to pull him up. Before he could mention it, Robier had already given the order to do so.People were busy pulling up the cable when suddenly, the speed of the horizontal propeller slowed down inexplicably. Robier immediately rushed towards the middle cabin. Step up the power!Step up the power!He shouted to the mechanic, must rise faster and higher than the storm! No way, master! what happened? The current is disturbed!On and off! The Albatross was visibly descending. Like the waves of a wireless telegraph in a storm, the aircraft's batteries were malfunctioning.What had been merely an inconvenience to the telegraph became a dire danger here and now: the flying machine was falling overboard, and there was nothing man could do. Let it go down, out of the charge zone!cried Robier, Come on, boys, be calm! The engineer climbed onto his duty stool.The rest of the people are sticking to their posts, ready to carry out the leader's order at any time. The Albatross had already descended several hundred feet, but it still couldn't get out of the cloud and mist. The surrounding lightning intertwined like fireworks, making one feel that it might be struck by lightning at any time.The speed of the propeller was getting slower and slower. Before that, the aircraft was only descending at a slightly faster speed, but at this moment, it was in danger of falling vertically. Obviously, in less than a minute, it will fall to the surface of the sea.Once it is thrown into the sea, no force can pull it out of this abyss. All of a sudden, the charged clouds suddenly came over them.The Albatross was only sixty feet from the crest, and in two or three seconds the waves would cover the deck. Robier saw the opportunity, rushed to the middle cabin, grabbed the starter lever, and switched on the electric current. Now the electric charge in the surrounding atmosphere no longer affected the electric current. In a blink of an eye, the propeller returned to normal, and the descent was stopped.The Albatross remained at a very low altitude and was pushed away from the storm by the propellers, leaving the storm behind in a short while. Needless to say, Fricoland reluctantly took a shower, but only for a few seconds.When he was pulled back to the aircraft, he was soaked, as if he had been to the bottom of the sea.It was not difficult to imagine that he would never bark again. The next day, the Fourth of July, the Albatross crossed the northern coast of the Caspian Sea.