Chapter 13 Chapter Thirteen: Uncle Prudden and Phil.Evans made it across the ocean without getting seasick

Yes, Atlantic Ocean!What the two colleagues feared really happened.Robier, however, didn't seem to care one bit about venturing across the vast ocean.Not only did he not feel uneasy about such a flight, but neither did his subordinates: they had long been accustomed to such a flight across the ocean.They have all gone down to their cabins in peace, and there will be no nightmares to disturb their sleep. Where is the Albatross going?Is it really not just going around the earth, as the engineer said?In any case, the trip had to end somewhere.It is unbelievable that Robier will spend his entire life in the sky in a flying machine without ever landing.How are his living provisions and ammunition replenished?Not to mention the supplies that keep the machines running.Must be somewhere on Earth that no one knows about.Out of reach is a camp, or a port of rest, where the Albatross can resupply.It is quite possible to say that it is cut off from all the inhabitants of the earth, but it is impossible to say that it has no contact with any part of the earth.

If so, where is this place?How did the engineer choose this place?Was there a small group of immigrants, of which he was the leader, and they were waiting for him to go back?Does he accept new members?Above all, why would a man of these different origins tie his own destiny to his adventure?Also, how much money should he own if he can secretly build such an expensive machine?Yes, the cost of maintaining the aircraft does not seem to be large.Everyone lives together on the aircraft, like a family, everyone is happy, and they don't hide it.But who is this Rober?Where is he from?What did you do before?There are so many unsolved mysteries, and the person concerned himself refuses to reveal a word.

There were so many questions that could not be answered, which made the two colleagues extremely annoyed.Just like that, I was brought into a strange world without knowing where this adventure ended, and I didn't even know if this adventure had an end.Wasn't the involuntary endless flight enough to drive the president and secretary of the Weldon Society to some extreme behavior? Let's not mention these for now. Since the night of July 11, the Albatross has been flying over the Atlantic Ocean.When the sun rose the next day, it seemed to be just above the horizon where the water and the sky were all in one color.The sea stretched as far as the eye could see, not a single piece of land could be seen, and the continent of Africa had disappeared behind the northern horizon.

Fricoland ventured out of the cabin.When he saw the vast ocean below, he immediately became frightened again.The following word is not accurate enough, it is best to describe it in terms of surroundings, because when you look at the sky, it seems that there is an abyss all around you.The horizon rises to the same height as you, and seems to keep receding, so that you can never reach the edge. Of course, Fricoland could not understand this phenomenon from a physical point of view, but he felt it psychologically.This was enough to arouse his fear of the abyss.This feeling, even a very brave person can't get rid of it.So, anyway, for the sake of prudence, the black man didn't complain easily, he closed his eyes, groped with both hands and went back to his cabin.Plan to stay like this forever.

In fact, the Atlantic Ocean accounts for more than a quarter of the total ocean area of ​​374,057,912 square kilometers.However, the engineer didn't seem to be in such a hurry anymore, so he didn't give the order to move forward at full speed. Besides, the aircraft couldn't reach the speed of 200 kilometers per hour when it was flying over Europe: the southwest air current in this area was very strong, and the Albatross happened to be in the middle of the sea. It is driving against the wind, although the wind is not too strong, but it can no longer find a chance to advance at full speed.

Based on numerous observations, meteorologists have finally confirmed that there is a converging trade wind in this tropical region, blowing either towards the Sahara or the Gulf of Mexico.Outside the calm zone, the trade winds sometimes blow from the west toward Africa and sometimes from the east toward the New World, at least during the hot season. The Albatross simply wasn't using the full power of its thrusters to contend with the opposing breeze.It's just content to move forward slowly.However, this speed has already surpassed the fastest transatlantic ship. On July 13, the craft crossed the equator.This news was notified to every crew member.

In this way, Uncle Prudang and Phil.Evans also knew that they had just left the northern hemisphere and came to the southern hemisphere.Unlike some warships or merchant ships, there were no ceremonies or competitions when the craft crossed the equator line. Only Francois.Tapari jokingly poured a pint of water down Fricoland's neck.As the baptism was followed by glasses of gin, the negro declared that he would gladly cross the equator no matter how many times it wasn't on the back of this robotic bird that he couldn't trust at all. On the morning of the 15th, the Albatross flew to the Ascension Islands and St. Helena (Note: A volcanic island in the South Atlantic Ocean. 1815︱1821, Napoleon I was imprisoned on the island and eventually died here.), and nearer to the latter, the highlands of the island could be seen looming on the horizon for several hours.

There is no doubt that when Napoleon fell into the hands of the British, if there was an aircraft like engineer Robier, even Hudson.Lowe (Note: British military officer, appointed in August 1815 as the governor of St. Helena, responsible for taking care of Napoleon.) No matter how careful he is to the point of humiliation, he can only look helplessly at the illustrious Prisoners escaped from the sky! On the night of July 16th and 17th, at sunset, the sight of the glow was extremely novel.If it is in a high latitude area, it may really be regarded as an aurora.When the sun sets, the rays of the sun are colorful, including fiery greens.

Is the Earth passing through a patch of cosmic dust that reflects the setting sun?This is how some observers interpret glow.If these scholars had come to the aircraft, they might not have insisted on their views. After verification, it is known that, like some volcanic materials, there are fine pyroxene crystals, glassy particles and magnetite particles suspended in the atmosphere.There is no doubt, then, that this cloud had been spewed into the sky by some volcano, and was at this moment suspended over the Atlantic Ocean by the action of the currents of the air.It was the crystalline particles in the clouds that allowed them to see the landscape.

Besides this, several other phenomena were observed during this part of the flight.It was seen several times that the sky was stained a strange gray by the large black clouds.Moreover, if you fly over this aerosol-like veil, you will find some dazzling white spiral protrusions on the cloud surface, and there are some tiny flakes of shining objects scattered in the middle. The only explanation can only be that it is the same as the formation of hail. On the night of the 17th, as the craft was between a full moon and a veil of drizzle that evaporated before it hit the sea, they were able to see a yellow-green moon rainbow appearing in the sky.

Based on these phenomena, can we draw the conclusion that the sky will change?Probably.At any rate, since leaving the coast of Africa, the wind has been blowing from the southwest, and it ceases at the equator.In this tropical region, the climate is exceptionally hot.Rober decided to go to the higher atmosphere to find a little coolness. The direct sunlight in this area was unbearable, so he had to find a way to hide. This change in the atmosphere portends different climatic conditions that may be encountered outside the equatorial regions.And especially don't forget: July in the southern hemisphere is equal to January in the northern hemisphere, which means it's the middle of winter in the northern hemisphere.If the Albatross continues to fly south, it will soon get a feel for it. The sea, as sailors say, has felt this.On July 18, just past the Tropic of Capricornus, another phenomenon occurred. If a ship happened to be there at this time, it would have been terribly frightened. There was a series of gigantic, glistening swells, which were moving fast, perhaps not less than sixty miles an hour, and whose crests were eighty feet apart, leaving long trails of light on the surface.Just when it was beginning to get dark again, the dazzling reflections hit the Albatross.This phenomenon might be regarded as a bolide, and Robier himself has never had the opportunity to fly over a sea of ​​flames.However, the fire is not hot, so there is no need to lift the aircraft to a high altitude. The cause of this phenomenon must be electricity, and it is said that there are large schools of fry or small phosphorescent creatures gathering on the sea surface, but this is not an appropriate explanation after all. It can be guessed that the voltage in the air at this moment must be extremely large. If there is really a ship at sea at this time, the next day, July 19th, it must be found only at the bottom of the sea, and the Albatross is really playing with the wind and waves like the bird it borrowed its name from.Although it doesn't like to fly across the water like a swallow, it can spread its wings high in the sky like an eagle, and go there to find peace and sunshine. At this time, the forty-seventh parallel south latitude has passed.The whole day is only seven or eight hours, and the closer you are to the South Pole, the shorter the day will be. Near one o'clock in the afternoon, in order to find more suitable flight conditions, the Albatross lowered its altitude significantly.The flying altitude was less than a hundred feet above the sea. The weather is peaceful.But from time to time large groups of dark clouds appeared in the sky.The upper part of the dark cloud is uneven, and the tail of the dark cloud is like an absolutely horizontal and straight line.Those protruding prongs protruding from under the clouds seemed to be sucking up the water.The sea is boiling, and the protruding columns of water are like a thicket of liquid. Suddenly, the sea water bulged up suddenly, and the whole appearance really looked like a huge glass bottle with a big belly. Suddenly, the Albatross was sucked into the huge vortex of the tornado, and more than twenty tornadoes rushed towards it in turn.Fortunately, the direction of rotation of the tornado was opposite to that of the propeller, otherwise, the propeller would lose its function, and the aircraft would have to fall into the sea; however, the entire body of the aircraft was spinning very fast, which made people feel terrible. The situation was extremely critical, and it seemed that there was nothing to do, because the aircraft was always sucked tightly by the tornado, and the engineer was completely trapped in the whirlpool.The crew members were thrown to both ends of the platform by the centrifugal force, and each of them had to desperately hold on to the guardrail so as not to be swept away. calm down!cried Robier. Be calm and be patient. Uncle Prudden and Phil.Evans just happened to come out of the cabin, and they were immediately thrown to the tail of the aircraft by the wind, almost being thrown out. The Albatross spun and moved with the tornado.The tornado rotates so fast that even the propellers of the aircraft are inferior.As soon as it escaped from one vortex, it was sucked into another vortex, and the aircraft faced the danger of being thrown apart and smashed into pieces. Let the cannons go!shouted the engineer. The order is to Tom.Turner down.The foreman grabbed hold of the cannon mounted in the center of the platform, where centrifugal force was almost imperceptible.He understood what Robier was thinking.In a blink of an eye, he pulled the gun bolt, took out a shell from the ammunition box fixed on the gun mount, and loaded it into the gun chamber.The cannon rang, and the tornado dispersed, together with the dark clouds that seemed to be on its back. The vibration of the air changed the original climate conditions, and the thick clouds turned into torrential rain, like a huge water net hanging between the water and the sky. The Albatross finally regained its freedom and hastily rose several hundred meters. Is anything damaged?asked the engineer. no, tom.Turner replied.This game of playing Dutch top with a racket can no longer be played again! Yes, in the past ten minutes or so just now, the Albatross was full of dangers. If it was not for its strong structure, it would have been buried in the vortex of the tornado long ago. On this flight across the Atlantic, if there is nothing to break the dullness of the journey, the time will seem longer!Besides, the days are getting shorter and freezing cold.Uncle Prudden and Phil.Evans rarely saw Robier.Shut up in his cabin, the engineer was busy, determining the course, marking the course followed on the map, circling all the positions he could discern, transcribing the data from the barometers, thermometers, and chronographs, and finally , but also record everything encountered during the flight in the flight log. As for the two colleagues, they put on their windbreakers and searched tirelessly, hoping to find a piece of land in the south. On the other hand, Fricolin, also under the special instructions of Uncle Prudden, is seeing if he can get some details about the engineer from the cook.But this one is called Francois.How can the words of the Gascons of Tapa Day be trusted?He said in a moment that Robier had been a Minister of the Argentine Republic, a Naval Admiral, a retired President of the United States, a Spanish Commodore, an Indian Vice-Governor who had come to the air for a higher position, At one moment, he said that he used this machine to plunder, raised millions of dollars, and was prosecuted;As to whether the Engineer would stop somewhere, he said it was impossible, but he intended to go to the moon, and if there was a suitable place there, he would settle. ah!Free!Wouldn't it please you, my good fellow, to go and see there? I dont go!I refuse to go!The fool replied that he took the nonsense seriously. Why?Free, why?We marry you a beautiful young moon girl!You are the black ancestors there. Fricoland reported all these words to his master, and Uncle Prudden knew that he would never get any more information about Robier, so he could only think of revenge wholeheartedly. Phil, one day, he said to his colleagues, is there really no possibility of escape? impossible. Oh well!But man should always be free, and if necessary, can give his life for it If this sacrifice is unavoidable, then do it as soon as possible!Phil.Evans replied.He was usually so calm, but now he felt unbearable. Yes, this matter should be over. Where is the Albatross going?Right now it is slanting across the Atlantic Ocean. If the course remains the same, it will go to Patagonia (note: on the southern coast of Argentina.), and then to the seaside of Fuego. Then what will happen next?Flying to the Pacific Ocean?Fly to the Antarctic continent for adventure?This Robbie can do anything!Then we're done!So, we are now in self-defense, and if we die May it not be so, said Uncle Pruden, and may we not die till we have had our revenge, and destroyed this machine and those who are on it! The helpless resentment and pent-up chagrin of the two colleagues had grown to a crescendo.right!Since there is no other way to think of it, let's go all out and destroy the inventor and his secret.They also recognized the undoubted superiority of the air-transport machine, but the lifespan of this marvelous aircraft was a few months away. This idea has been deeply rooted in their minds, and they are always thinking about how to implement it.But how?Steal one of the bombs stored on the aircraft and blow up the aircraft?But this has to go into the ammunition compartment. Fortunately, Fricoland knew nothing about the plan, otherwise, thinking that the Albatross was going to be blown up in the air, he would definitely expose his master! On July 23, land appeared again to the southwest, near Cape Virgin at the entrance to the Strait of Magellan.At this season, beyond the fifty-fourth parallel, there are nearly eighteen hours of darkness, and the average temperature drops to minus six degrees. At first, the Albatross did not continue to fly south, but flew forward along the winding Strait of Magellan, much like heading to the Pacific Ocean.Flying over the Gulf of Maspalomas, south of Gregory Peak and east of Brick Nox Mountain, we saw the small Chilean village of Punta Arenas.The big church bell in the village was ringing desperately.Then, after flying for a few more hours, I saw the ancient buildings in Famina Port. It can be seen from the aircraft that the sporadic fires lit by the Patagonians are indeed taller than ordinary people, but the people on the aircraft cannot see it, because from the height of the aircraft Go, they're all dwarfs. Daylight in the southern hemisphere is only a few hours, but the scenery is spectacular!Precipitous mountain peaks, snow-capped mountains covered with snow all the year round and dense forests growing on the mountainsides, inland seas, bays between the islands and peninsulas of the archipelago, Clarence Island, De Sorazon Island, straits, waterways, There are countless capes and headlands.From Cape Froward, at the top of the American continent, to Cape Horn at the end of the New World, due to the cold weather, this intricate gully has been frozen into a whole. Arriving at Famina Port, the Albatross headed south again, passed between Mount Tarna and Mount Graves on the Brunswick Peninsula, and flew directly to Silver Mountain, which stands at an altitude of 2,000 meters by the Strait of Magellan. The giant peak Sarmiento wrapped in plain clothes. It used to be the place where the native Pesh people or Fuego people living on Tierra del Fuego now live here. Six months ago, in midsummer, the daylight lasted fifteen or sixteen hours.How fertile and magnificent the land must be, especially in the south!There are valleys and pastures large enough to feed thousands of livestock; towering virgin forests of birch, beech, ash, cypress and tree fern; llamas, vicuna and ostriches running around on the plains , There are also groups of penguins and flocks of birds.Therefore, when the Albatross turned on the searchlights, puffins, wild ducks, and wild geese all flocked to the platform at once.The tapa day pantry can be filled to the brim. So, the chef has an additional job, which is to cook game. What he is best at doing this kind of game is to make it not greasy.Fricoland also had an extra job, and he had to agree to pluck batch after batch of interesting birds. At about three o'clock in the afternoon, when the sun was setting, I found a large lake surrounded by towering trees, and the lake was frozen.A few aborigines, with long skateboards tied to their feet, slid fast on the lake. In fact, after they saw this flying machine, they were terrified and ran around.Those who cannot escape, either hide or lie on the ground like animals. The Albatross continued to fly south, crossed the Beagle Channel, and flew over the island of Navarin (the Greek name of Navarin is somewhat incongruous compared with other blunt-sounding names in this remote land), Crossed the Wollaston Islands on the Pacific Ocean.Since leaving the coast of Dahomey, it has flown 7,500 kilometers, past the outermost islands of the Magellan Islands, and even passed the most southerly island on the earth, which has been eroded by waves for many years, that is, the terrible Cape Horn. .