Chapter 13 Chapter Thirteen With the Help of the Fire

At this time, Colonel Everett and others were naturally anxiously waiting for the result of the battle at the foot of the mountain.If the hunters are victorious, a luminous pole will appear that night.One can imagine the eagerness with which the three scientists passed the day.They had their instruments ready and pointed them at the summit so that they could catch whatever light, however faint, was within the field of view of the lenses.Will this shimmer appear? Colonel Everett and Strux did not feel a moment's peace.Only Ballandre, absorbed in his calculations at all times, forgot that some danger threatened his distant colleagues.One cannot blame him for this eccentric selfishness, but he can use the words of the mathematician Bouvard: he can only stop calculating when life stops.Perhaps it could even be said that Ballendre could only end his life when he ceased to count.

But it should be said that in this uneasy mood, while the two scientists were worried about the safety of their friends, they also thought as much about whether the geodetic experiment could be successfully completed.The dangers my friends take, they have all experienced first hand, they belong to the science of combat.Yet its outcome worries them.A natural obstacle which they cannot overcome will finally stop their work, or at least delay it.During this long day, the anxiety of the two astronomers is easy to understand. Night came at last.Colonel Everett and Strux took turns watching the eyepieces of the astronomical telescope, changing them every half hour.In the darkness they spoke not a word, succeeding each other very punctually.Who will be the first to see that glowing post so eagerly awaited?

Hour by hour passed.Midnight passed, and nothing appeared on the dark mountaintop. Finally, at 2:30, Ballendre stood up calmly and said simply: benchmark! Luck favored Everett with the Colonel, much to the annoyance of his Russian colleague Strux, who should have observed the appearance of the beacon himself.But he restrained himself and didn't say a word. So they began to make meticulous measurements, and after repeated observations, they found that the angle was 73 degrees 58 minutes 42 seconds 413.This value is accurate to the thousandth of a second and is therefore measured with absolute accuracy.

At dawn the next day, July 2, the camp was dismantled.Colonel Everett wanted to join his companions as soon as possible, anxious to know whether the conquest of Lion Mountain had cost them too high.The four-wheel convoy was on the road under the leadership of Forobel.At noon, all members of the committee met, and no one was absent.The conquerors recounted various events that took place during the battle with the lion, and they were warmly congratulated. This morning Lord John, Zorn, and Amory had measured the angular distance from the summit to a new observation point a few miles west of the meridian.So experiments can continue on schedule.They also measured the zenith distance of several stars at the same time, calculated the latitude of the mountain top, and thus Nicholas.Ballendre deduced that they had obtained yet another arc of meridian spanning one degree of latitude from a recent set of triangulations.In short, they have deduced two latitudes since establishing the base hem.

They immediately went to work.The experiments were carried out under satisfactory conditions, and it is to be hoped that no natural obstacle will prevent the work from being completed in its entirety.For five weeks, the sky conditions were favorable for observation, and the somewhat undulating terrain was ideal for benchmarking.Under Morcum's leadership, the camp was always organized on time and there was no shortage of food.The hunters of the expedition, headed by His Excellency John, never stopped supplying.The honorable Briton is not going to count the antelope or buffalo that fall under his bullets.Everything went as expected.General health is satisfactory.Water in formations has not yet become a rarity.In the end, to the delight of the companions, the argument between Colonel Everett and Strux seemed to have eased.Everyone was motivated, and the eventual success of the enterprise could be foreseen, when a local difficulty arose that hampered the observations and revived national hostilities.

This day was the eleventh of August, and the day before this the expedition had been advancing through a green area of ​​woods and undergrowth without interruption.On the morning of the 11th, the four-wheel convoy came to a vast and tall dense forest.Its edges may have stretched beyond the horizon.Nothing is more awe-inspiring than these green swarms, which draw a curtain a hundred feet high over the ground.No description can give an exact idea of ​​the beautiful trees that make up an African forest.Various tree species grow mixed here.There are Guonda, Masokoso, and Mocomdu, precious trees used for shipbuilding, ebony trees with thick trunks covered in solid black wood, boignia with fibers as hard as iron, and orange-yellow trees. The flowering Bushnaha, the beautiful Hodbra with its pale white trunk and crimson foliage crowned with indescribable effects, and the guaiac trees by their thousands, some of them as large as fifteen feet in diameter. .A grand, moving sound came from deep in the woods, reminiscent of the sound of waves lapping on a sandy shore.This is how the wind reacts at the edge of the forest after it passes through the thick foliage.

To a question put to him by Colonel Everett, Morcum replied: This is Rouma Forest. How wide is it from east to west? forty-five miles. How deep is it from south to north? About ten miles. How will we get through this dense forest. We cannot walk through it, there is no way in it.There is only one way, either from the east or from the west. The two leaders of the expedition felt very embarrassed when they heard such an affirmative answer from the Bushmen.It was obviously impossible for them to set a benchmark in this absolutely flat forest.As for going around, that is to say twenty to twenty-five miles away from one side or the other of the meridian, this would add enormous triangulation work, perhaps adding a dozen auxiliary triangles to the series.

A real difficulty, a natural obstacle, thus arises.Problems are important and difficult to solve.Once camp was established under a huge clump of shade trees half a mile from the edge of the forest, the astronomers convened to make a decision.Proposals to triangulate through vast dense forests were immediately ruled out, apparently, they could not operate under such conditions.There remains the suggestion of going around the obstacle from the left or the right, since the meridian runs through the middle of the forest, so the distance is almost the same no matter which way you go around. The committee members then had to come to a conclusion on how to bypass the barrier.It doesn't matter whether you go around from the west or the east.Yet it was on this pointless question that a violent dispute broke out between Colonel Everett and Strux.The two adversaries, who had restrained themselves for a while, rediscovered their new and old feud over the issue, which passed from latent to overt and finally turned into a serious quarrel.Colleagues tried in vain to mediate, and the two leaders wanted nothing to say.The British insist on going to the right, this route is close to David.The route taken by Livingstone in his first exploration of the Zambezi cataracts is at least one reason, for the region is better known, more frequented, and has certain advantages.As for the Russians, he suggested going to the left, but apparently against the Colonel's advice.If the colonel chooses the left, he will stick to the right.

The quarrel had reached such a degree that one could foresee a split among the members of the committee. Feeling powerless, Zorn, Amory, His Excellency John and Ballendre left the meeting, leaving the two leaders to make a decision.The stubbornness of the two is what the others are most worried about, even if the work that was suspended here can only be continued through two sets of inclined triangles. The day passed without the opposing sides ever getting any closer. The next day, August 12th, anticipating that the two obstinate men would still not come to a compromise, Lord John went to the Bushmen and suggested that they should go hunting together.The two astronomers may be heading towards collaboration during this time.anyway.A fresh piece of game meat is not met with disdain.

Morcum was always ready to whistle to Top the Hound.The two hunted in the jungle and on the edge of the forest a few miles from camp, talking as they searched for game. The conversation turned naturally to the events that stopped the geodetic work. We have been stationed at the edge of the Rouma Forest for some time.Morcum said, our two leaders are unwilling to make any concessions, please allow me to make an analogy like this: one pulls to the left and the other pulls to the right, just like two cows do not work hard together, so the machine cannot turn . This is an unpleasant situation.Sir John replied, I fear that such obstinacy will split the whole.It's a matter of scientific interest, and this kind of competition among astronomers is a bit indifferent to me.The game-rich region of Africa is enough to amuse me, and I will hunt it across the plains, gun in hand, until the two adversaries come to an agreement.

But this time, do you think they can agree on that?I don't hope that, as I told you, this pause will drag on endlessly. I fear it too, Morcum.Sir John said that our two leaders quarreled over such a senseless and unfortunate matter that we were unable to settle scientifically.Both are right and both are wrong.Colonel Everett had made it clear that he would not back down, and Strux had sworn to fight the Colonel's pretensions to the end.These two scientists may be subordinate to a scientific argument, but will never agree to make certain concessions on a simple matter of self-esteem.From the perspective of work interests, this is indeed regrettable.Let our warp cut this forest! To hell with the forest when it comes to such experiments!But the Bushmen retorted what a strange idea these scientists have come here to measure the length and breadth of the land.Will they become more advanced after they are measured foot by inch?For my part, sir, I prefer to be ignorant of such matters.The earth on which I live, I think, when I know its exact size, I shrink it.Maybe I'll live a hundred years, but I'll never accept the use of your experiments, never, my lord John. Sir John couldn't help smiling.This topic is often debated between him and the hunter.This child who doesn't understand nature, who runs freely in the woods and on the plains, and the brave hunter who rounds up wild animals, obviously doesn't understand the scientific significance of triangulation.Lord John sometimes presses Mercum on this point, but the Bushmans answer him with arguments backed up by a real philosophy of nature.His Excellency John, half scientist, half hunter, admired the charm of informal eloquence with which he formulated his problems. Lord John and Morcombe chatted like this while chasing prey on the plain.There are rock rabbits, and there is also a newly discovered rodent, Giosl, who was lived by Ojiri as Graves.Love Reagan's name being confirmed.There were also shrieking birds and a flock of young partridges with gray, yellow and black plumage.But it should be said that only His Excellency John undertook the hunting, and the Bushmans hardly fired.He seemed to fear that the rivalry between the two astronomers would necessarily impair the success of the expedition.The incident in the forest must have troubled him more than it had affected Lord John.Such an abundance of prey can only attract his blank attention.Reflected on a hunter, it was a sign of seriousness. In fact, a vague idea haunted the Bushman's mind, and slowly it took shape clearly in his mind.His Excellency John heard him talking to himself, asking and answering himself, and saw him idly laying his gun aside, indifferent to the animals and animals that passed before him, and remained motionless, absorbed in his own thoughts, as Ballandre had once been addicted to finding logarithmic errors. matter.But Lord John respects this state of mind and doesn't want to pull him out of a deep state of worry. Two or three times during the day, Mercombe approached Sir John and asked: Do you think it impossible for Colonel Everett and Strux to agree? To this question, Sir John answered invariably, he found it difficult to reach an agreement, and the division between the British and the Russians was worrying. In the afternoon, a few miles from camp, Morcombe asked the same question for the last time and got the same answer.He said: Hey, sir, rest assured, I have found a solution that satisfies both scientists! real?my respected hunter.His Excellency John said with a little surprise. real!Sir John.Colonel Everett and Strux would have nothing to quarrel before tomorrow, if the wind was favorable. What do you want to say?Morcombe. I understand myself. good!Do it then, Morcum.You will make a contribution to European academia and your name will be written in the annals of science. That's too much of an honor for me, Mr. John.replied the Bushman.Perhaps ruminating over his plans, he stopped talking. His Excellency John respected this reticence and asked no explanation from his companion.But he obviously couldn't guess in what way the companion was trying to reconcile the two obstinate people.They are ridiculously jeopardizing the success of the cause. The two hunters returned to camp around five o'clock in the evening.No progress was made on the matter, and the respective postures of the British and Russians even intensified.Zorn and Amory continued to mediate, but nothing came of it.The two opponents have heckled each other multiple times and expressed regrettable innuendo to each other, which has now made any improvement impossible.People are even worried that this heated quarrel will turn into provocation.The future of triangulation is somewhat compromised unless scientists keep working apart for their own benefit.In this case, however, a split would ensue, and the prospect was especially saddening to two young men who were so accustomed to each other that their mutual affection bound them intimately. His Excellency John knew the two young men well, and well understood the reason for their grief.Perhaps he could reassure the Bushmans by passing them on, but even if he had faith in Morcombe he did not want to give the two young friends joy in vain.So he decided to wait until tomorrow, until the hunter fulfilled his promise. That night, Morcum was still busy with his usual business.He organized guards to stand guard for the camp according to the usual practice, supervised the placement of four-wheeled vehicles, and took all measures to ensure the safety of the expedition team. Lord John had to think that the hunter had forgotten his promise.Before going to rest, he intended to at least test Colonel Everett's attitude towards Strux.The Colonel looked immovable from head to toe, and said that without Strux's concessions, the English and Russians would be divided in view of something that not even a colleague could stand. After hearing this, His Excellency John was very worried and could only sleep.Tired from hunting during the day, he soon fell asleep. At about eleven o'clock in the evening, His Excellency John was suddenly awakened.There was a strange commotion among the natives, who were going to and fro in the camp. His Excellency John got up immediately and found that his companions were all up. The forest is on fire. What a sight!On this dark night, under the black sky, the mantle of fire seemed to rise straight to the zenith.In a short time, the fire spread several miles wide. Lord John looked at Morcomb, who was motionless beside him, but the latter did not answer his gaze.Sir John understood that the fire would clear a path for scientists through the centuries-old forest. The wind from the south aided Morcum's plans.The rush of air, like blowing from a blower, fueled the fire and filled the fiery sea of ​​fire with oxygen.The wind fanned the flames, and lifted some burning twigs and glowing coals, and carried them far away to fall among the bushes, which at once became the center of a new fire.The fire field continued to expand, and continued to sink.A strong gust of hot air hit the camp, and burned logs crackled and crackled under the dark foliage.Among the patches of flame, some of the more brilliant fires suddenly produced bright sparks.Here are the resinous trees that were lit like torches.Due to the different nature of various forest tree species, when burning, they make various real sounds of musket shooting, crackling, and clear crackling.Some hard old tree trunks sounded like bombs exploding.The sky reflects this spectacular fire.The blazing red clouds also seemed to be on fire, as if the fire had spread to the heights of the sky.In the billowing smoke, strands of sparks covered the black sky. Animal roars and screams resounded throughout the burning forest.Groups of black shadows, groups of panic-stricken beasts fled in all directions, and some huge black ghosts were exposed by their terrible roars to the fleeing animals.An overwhelming restlessness dragged the hyenas, buffaloes, lions and elephants all the way to the very edge of the dark horizon. The fire burned all night, and it was still burning until the next night.On the morning of August 14th a wide open space appeared, cleared by fire, and the woods were passable for miles in width.They had already cleared the way for the warp, and this time, a daring move by the hunter Morcum saved the triangulation experiment.