secret in a bottle On July 26, 1864, with a northeasterly wind blowing, an elegant and gorgeous yacht sailed at full power in the North Channel between Northern Ireland and Scotland.The Union Jack fluttered from the slanted pole of the sternmast, and from the top of the mainmast hung a small blue flag with an E. G．Two letters [Note: It is the first letter of the two words of the owner's name (Edward & Glenarvan) (Edward Glenarvan). ], there is also a Duke's crown mark on the top of the word.This cruise ship is called Duncan, and it belongs to Edward.Sir Glenarvan's.Jazz is one of the twelve elders of the Scottish House of Lords, and is also the most outstanding member of the famous Royal Thames River Cruise Club in the UK.

Sir Glenarvan was on board with his young wife, Lady Helene, and one of his cousins, Major MacNabbs. The Duncan, newly built, had sailed off the Firth of Clyde for trial voyages, and was now heading for Glasgow; when the Isle of Arran was in sight, the sailors on the lookout suddenly reported that a large fish had thrown itself into the waves behind the ship. Come in the trough.Captain John.Mengel immediately sent for Sir Greenarvan to be informed of the matter.The sergeant took the major up to the top of the poop and asked the captain what kind of fish that was. ah!Sir, replied the captain, I think it is a big shark.

Are there any sharks in this area?Sir asked in surprise. Yes, the captain said, there is a kind of shark whose head is like a scale. Everyone calls it a Libra fish. This kind of shark can be found in oceans of any temperature.If I'm not mistaken, what a villain we've got now!If you will allow me, if my lady likes to see a strange way of fishing, we shall soon find out what a monster it is. Moreover, the skipper added, there was no end to this dreadful pernicious fish.Let us take the opportunity to kill a pest, and if you please, we will fish it, so it is a touching scene and a good thing for people.

Well, you do it.Sir said. The Sir called for Lady Helene to be informed.The lady also came up to the top of the poop, and she came to watch this moving fishing with great interest. The sea surface is clear and clear, and the sharks swim freely and quickly on the sea surface, which everyone can see clearly.It suddenly sank into the sea, and suddenly leaped forward, with amazing agility and vigor.Captain Mengel gave orders separately.The sailors threw overboard a thick rope over the starboard rail, with a large hook attached to the end, and a thick piece of bacon on the hook.Even though the shark was still forty-five meters away, he could smell the bait that was given to satisfy his hunger.It quickly approached the cruise ship.Everyone saw that its gray-black double fins beat the waves violently, and the tail kept the balance of the body, moving forward along a straight line.As it swam forward, it stared at its two protruding eyes, which seemed to be burning with desire. When it turned over, its open palate showed four rows of white teeth.Its head is broad, like a double-headed hammer resting on a long handle.Captain Menger was right. It was indeed the most voracious shark. Americans called it a Libra fish, and some people in the French province of Provence called it a Jewish fish.

Passengers and sailors aboard the Duncan watched the shark's movements with fascination.After a while the guy came to the hook and rolled to make it easier to swallow, and the big piece of bait disappeared in its thick throat.It immediately shook the cable and was hooked.The sailors hastened to spin the tackle at the end of the sail frame, and hoisted the monster up. When the shark came out of the water, he jumped very hard.But people have a way to subdue it: another rope, with a slipknot at the end, which catches its tail and keeps it immobile.In a few moments it was hoisted aboard over the rails and fell on the deck.At this time, a sailor approached it quietly, and cut off its terrible tail with an axe.

The fishing scene was over, and the monster had nothing to fear.The sailors' desire for revenge was satisfied, but their curiosity was not.Yes, there is such a habit on any ship: when you kill a shark, you have to search carefully in its belly. Sailors know that sharks eat everything, and hope to find some unexpected gains in its belly. Always fails. Mrs. Helen didn't want to take part in this smelly search, and went back to the poop. The shark was still panting; it was more than three meters long and weighed more than six hundred catties.Such length and weight are not unusual at all, but Libra is not the largest of sharks, but at least it is one of the most ferocious.

After a while, the big fish was unceremoniously cut open with a big axe, and the hook swallowed it all the way, but the stomach was still empty; obviously, the guy hadn't eaten for a long time.The sailors were listlessly about to throw the wreck overboard when the bosun's attention was attracted by something rough in the shark's belly. Well!What is that?he cried. That, answered one of the sailors, was a stone that the fellow swallowed for balance. Go to hell!Another sailor said that it was obviously a serial bomb that hit the villain's stomach before he had time to digest it.

Don't you talk nonsense, first mate Tom.Austin retorted, don't you see this guy is an alcoholic?It didn't count if it drank the wine, and even swallowed the bottle. how!Jazz cried out too. Is there a bottle in the shark's belly? What a bottle, answered the bosun, but it was evident that the bottle had not been taken from the cellar. Then, Austen, said the sergeant again, take that bottle carefully, for bottles found at sea often contain valuable papers. Do you believe this?asked the major. I believe at least this is possible. ah!I don't disagree with you, replied Major McNabbs, perhaps there's a secret in that bottle.

"We'll find out in a minute," said Sir Glenarvan. "Well, Austen?" Here, replied the mate, pointing to the shapeless object which he had taken with great difficulty out of the shark's belly. Well, said Glenarvan, have that ugly thing cleaned up and brought up to the poop. Austin complied, and he sent the bizarre bottle to the square hall and put it on the table, and the jazz, the major, and the captain all sat around the table.Generally speaking, women are always a little curious, and of course Mrs. Helen also surrounded her. At sea, little things are considered big things.For a while, everyone was silent, looking at the glass bottle eagerly.Does it contain clues to the accident of the ship, or is it a voyager who wrote an irrelevant letter and threw it into the waves for fun?

In order to know what was in it, Jazz immediately set about examining the bottle.He was as careful as an English prosecutor investigating the merits of an important case.Jazz is right to do this, because a seemingly innocuous thing often turns up important clues. Check the outside before checking the inside of the bottle.It has a thin neck, a very solid mouth, and a section of rusty wire. The bottle is so thick that it will not break even under different degrees of pressure. It can be seen that it is made in the Champagne province of France.Liquor dealers often knock the chair rail with this bottle, and the chair rail is knocked off, but the bottle is still safe and sound.The bottle found this time can survive long-term wandering and be bumped countless times without any damage, which shows how strong it is.

It was a bottle from the Creek Distillery.The major said something casually. Just because he is an expert, his judgment is not disputed by anyone. My dear Major, replied Helen, if we don't know where the bottle comes from, what's the use of knowing which distillery it's from? We shall know where it came from, my dear Helen, said sir, and we are already sure that it came from far away.You see, the layer of solidified impurities adhering to the outside of the bottle can be said to have turned into ore under the influence of seawater immersion!The bottle had been drifting in the ocean long before it burrowed into the shark's belly. I quite agree with you, replied the major, that the glass bottle has such a thick layer of impurities that it may have been a long journey. Where did it come from?Lady Helene asked. You wait, my dear Helen, wait a moment, and study this bottle patiently.Unless I'm totally wrong, the bottle itself will answer the questions we ask. As Sir Glenarvan spoke, he scraped off the hard substance that protected the mouth of the bottle. After a while, the cork was exposed, but it was badly corroded by the sea. The erosion is so serious!Even if there were documents in the bottle, they must have been poorly preserved.Sir said. I'm afraid so.The major agreed. I have another surmise, sir, that the bottle was not well corked, and would sink shortly after it was thrown into the sea, but the shark swallowed it, and brought it up to the Duncan. There is no doubt about that, John.Menger replied, however, it would be better if we picked it up in the sea and knew the latitude and longitude of the place where it was caught.For, as soon as we study the direction of the currents and currents, we can know the distance it travels; now that it is delivered to us by this shark, which is accustomed to swim against the wind, we cannot know. Let's see.Sir replied. At this moment he uncorked the bottle very carefully, and a salty smell filled the poop. How about it?Lady Helen asked impatiently. yes!I guessed right!There are documents in it!Sir said. file!It's a file!Lady Helene cried out. The Sir replied: However, probably because of the strong moisture erosion, the documents are all stuck to the bottle, and I can't take it out. Just break the bottle.said the major. I don't want to break the bottle.Jazz retorted. I hope so too.The major followed suit. Naturally it is better not to break the bottle.Mrs. Helen said, but what is in the bottle is more important than the bottle, so the bottle has to be sacrificed. Just knock the neck off, sir.said the captain. Just do it!my dear edward.cried Madame. In fact, there was no other way, so although Sir Glenarvan was reluctant, he had to make up his mind to break the neck of the precious bottle.Because the outer layer of impurities is as hard as granite, a hammer must be used.After a while, the fragments of the bottleneck fell on the table, and people immediately saw several pieces of paper sticking together.Sir carefully pulled out the papers, unfolded them one by one, and spread them out on the table.Lady Helene, the Major, and the Captain crowded around him now. These few sheets of paper, due to the erosion of sea water, have lost all the lines of characters, leaving only some indistinct and indistinct handwriting.Sir observed carefully for a few minutes, looking upside down, and placing it in the sun again, observing the smallest strokes of the writing that the sea water has not etched, and then he looked at the writing that was staring at him. , and my impatient friends said: Here are three different documents, possibly one document, but in three languages: one in English, one in French, and one in German.Judging from the few words that have not been etched, this cannot be doubted. At least, these words always have a meaning, right?Lady Helene asked. It is hard to say, my dear Helen, the writing on these documents is so incomplete. Perhaps the words on the three documents can complement each other?said the major. It should be possible, the captain replied, because the sea water can never erode all the words on the same line on the three documents, and we can always have an understandable meaning if we put these broken words together. That is exactly what we are going to do, Sir said, but we have to do it step by step, first look at the English one. 62 Bri gow sink stra aland skipp Gr that monit of long and sisstance lost These words don't mean much.said the major with a disappointed expression. At any rate, the captain replied, the words were always in English. There is no doubt about this point, Sir said, sink (sink), aland (land), that (this), and (and), lost (must die), these words are very complete, skipp is obviously skipper (Captain), this is about a Gr or something, probably the captain of a wrecked ship. Also, the meaning of the two words monit and ssistance is also obvious. monit should be monitor (file), and ssistance should be assistance (rescue).said Captain Mengel. Looking at it this way, it is very interesting.said Mrs. Helen. It's a pity, said the major, that some whole lines are missing, what is the name of the wrecked ship, and where is the wrecked place, how do we know? we will find out.Sir said. No problem, it will be found, the major said, he always takes everyone's opinion as his opinion, but how to find it? We will find the three files by complementing each other. Let's find it like this!Madame cried again. The second sheet was more damaged than the first, and only a few disconnected words remained: 7 Juni Glas z wei atrosen graus bringt ihnen This is German.The captain said as soon as he saw it. Do you know German, Mengele?Sir asked the captain. Sir, I understand. You know, please tell me what these words mean. The captain looked at the paper carefully, and said: First of all, the date of the accident is determined, 7Juni is June 7th, and then we combine this date with the 62 on the English document, and we know that it is a complete date like June 7th, 1862. very good!cried Lady Helene, go on! In the same line, there is also the word Glas. Putting the gow on the first document together with it, the word Glasgow (Glasgow) is obviously a ship in the port of Glasgow. So is my opinion.The major echoed. The second line of the file is gone.Menger said again, but I saw two important characters in the third line: z wei means two, and atrosen should be matrosen, meaning sailor. That is to say, a captain and two sailors were killed.said Mrs. Helen. That's probably it.Sir replied. I will confess to you honestly, sir, that the next word graus confuses me, went on the captain, and I don't know how to explain it.Maybe a third file can make us understand the word.As for the last two words, it is not difficult to explain: bringtit and ihnen mean to beg. If we add the English word on the sixth line of the first document, I mean add the word rescue, we will make a plea. Rescue, that couldn't be more obvious. yes!Plead for help!But where are the unfortunates, said the sergeant?Until now, we have had no clue as to the location!We have no idea where it happened! We would like the French document to be more clear.said Mrs. Helen. Let's look at the French documents again. We all know French, so it is much easier to study.Sir said. The third file reads: troi ats tannia gonie austral abor contin pr cruel indi jet ongit et37°11'lat Here are the numbers, cried Lady Helene, and look!Ladies and gentlemen, please take a look! Let us proceed in order, said Sir Greenarvan, and begin at the beginning.Please allow me to bring up these incomplete words one by one.From the first few words, I could tell it was a three-masted ship. Putting together the two documents in English and French, the name of the ship was complete, and it was called Britannia.The last two words gonie and austral in the second line, only the latter word has meaning, and everyone knows that this is the southern hemisphere. This is already a valuable revelation, Menger replied that the ship was wrecked in the southern hemisphere. Still very unclear.said the major. Sir said: Let me go on, the word abor should be borderer, which means arrival.Those unfortunate souls have arrived somewhere. Is contin the continent (mainland)?this cruel Cruel happens to be the word grausgrausam in German!That's what it means to be barbaric! Let's read on, read on!Jazz said that he saw that those incomplete characters gradually became meaningful, and his interest naturally increased accordingly. Is indi the word inde (India)?Were the sailors blown to India by the storm?There is also the word ongit, which must be longitude (longitude). The following is latitude: 37 degrees 11 minutes, all right!We have the right reveal! But the longitude is still unknown!said the major. We cannot ask for such perfection, my dear major!Sir replied that it was good to have the correct latitude.This French document is the most complete of the three.And these three documents are obviously translations of each other, and they are literal translations, because the number of lines on the three sheets is the same, so we should now combine the three into one and translate them in one language , and then study their most possible, reasonable, and clearest meanings. Are you translating in French, English, or German?asked the major. Take the French translation, since the interesting words are all preserved in French. You are right, we all understand French.Mengel said. Naturally, I will write this document now, put together the broken words and sentences, keep the blanks between the words and sentences, and fill in the unquestionable words and sentences, and then we will compare and judge. Sir at once picked up a pen, and after a while he handed them all a piece of paper, on which was written: 7 juin 1862 trois|mats Britannia Glasgow The three-masted Britannia Glasgow, 7th June 1862 sombre gonie austral sinking gonia southern hemisphere a terre deux matelots landing two sailors captain Grabor captain grid arrives contin pr cruel indi Continent captured by savage Indy jete ce document delongitude Throw this file longitude et 37°11' de latitude portez|leur secours Latitude 37°11' Plead for help perdu must die At this time, a sailor came to report to the captain that the Duncan had entered the Firth of Clyde, and asked the captain to issue an order. Sir, what do you mean?Mungle turned to Sir Glenarvan. Drive quickly to Dunbarton, and send Lady Helene back to Malcolm Hall, and then I will go to London to deliver this paper to the Admiralty. The captain ordered accordingly, and the sailor conveyed the order to the mate.Now, my friends, said the sergeant, let us continue our studies.We've found a clue to the wreck of a large merchant ship.Several lives depended on our correct judgment.Therefore, we have to rack our brains to guess this charade. We're all set to do it, dear ones.said Mrs. Helen. First, Sir went on to say, we are going to deal with the contents of this document in three different parts: 1. What is already known; 2. What can be guessed; 3. What is not yet known.What do we already know?We already know that on June 7, 1862, a three-masted ship, the Britannia, sank in the port of Glasgow, and that the two sailors and the captain threw this document overboard at latitude 37°11' , calling for help. Quite right.said the major. What else can we guess?I think it is: the place where the ship wrecked is in the southern hemisphere, and here I want to draw your attention immediately to the word gonie.Doesn't this word refer to a place name?Is it part of a place name? It's patagonie (Patagonia)!cried Lady Helene. No problem. But Patagonia [Note: East of the Andes Mountains in South America, south of the Colorado River; mainly in Argentina, a small part belongs to Chile. ] Is it on the 37th parallel south?asked the major. This is not difficult to prove.While opening the map of South America, Meng Geer replied, that's exactly it!Patagonia is crossed by the 37th parallel south.The 37th parallel south first traverses Arogania, then passes through the grasslands along the northern part of Patagonia, and enters the Atlantic Ocean. good!We continue to speculate. abor is a border (arrival).Where did the two sailors and the captain arrive? Contin is continent (continent).You pay attention, it is a mainland, not an island.What happens when they reach the mainland?There is a word pr that looks like a sign of the gods to explain their fate.This word means that those few unfortunate people were captured (pris) or made prisoners (prisonniers).Who was captured?Captured by the savage Indians, (cruels indiens).I explain it this way, do you believe me?Don't the words in the blanks automatically jump out one by one?Don't you think the meaning of the document is obvious?Is there anything you don't understand? Jazz spoke firmly, his eyes full of confidence.All his enthusiasm poured into everyone's hearts.They all exclaimed as he did: Can't understand it better!Can't understand it better! After a while, Sir said again: Friends, all these assumptions, in my opinion, are very plausible.I think it's off the coast of Patagonia.Besides, I'm going to ask someone in the port of Glasgow to find out where the Britannia was going, and then we'll know whether it's possible for her to be forced to sail to that area. ah!We don't need to go so far to inquire, I have the whole daily Merchant Shipping here, and I can give us the correct answer.said the captain. Take it out and check it out, check it out quickly!Helenf said. Menger took out a large bundle of 1862 newspapers and began to flip through them quickly. It didn't take long for him to search, and after a while he said in a satisfied tone: May 30, 1862, Callao, Peru [Note: A large commercial port in western Peru. 】!Fully loaded, sailed to the port of Glasgow, the name of the ship Britannia, Captain Grant. Grant!Sir exclaimed, it was the ambitious Scot who wanted to establish a new Scotland on the Pacific Ocean! yes!It was he who sailed from Glasgow on the Britannia in 1862, and was never heard of again. Doubt no more!Doubt no more!Jazz said it was indeed him.The Britannia had left Callao on May 30, and eight days later, on June 7, she had an accident in the Patagonian waters.Its whole history is contained in these remnants of writing which at first glance seem illegible, as you should know, my friends!The facts that we have speculated are not small.As for what we don't know, there is only one thing for now: it is the degree of longitude. Now that the name of the place is known, it doesn't matter whether the longitude is known or not.As long as I know the latitude, I can guarantee to sail all the way to the accident site.said the captain. So, don't we all get it?said Mrs. Helen. It is all understood, my dear Helen, and I can fill in the gaps between the words of this document as easily as if Captain Grant himself had spoken and I had taken notes for him. As he spoke, he immediately picked up his pen and made the following record without hesitation: On June 7, 1862, the three-masted ship Britannia, of Glasgow port, sank off the coast near Patagonia. In the southern hemisphere of the sea, two sailors and the captain Grant immediately arrived on the continent due to first aid, and were captured by the savage Indians.Zit dropped this document at latitude and longitude thirty-seven degrees and eleven minutes, begging for rescue, otherwise he will die here! good!good!my dear!Mrs. Helen said, if those unfortunate people can return to the motherland, it is all thanks to you! They must be able to return to their homeland.This document is too obvious, too clear, too sure.England would never leave its children on that lonely shore without rescue, never.It used to operate to save Franklin [Note: British navigator, killed in Arctic expedition. ] and many other wrecked crew, it must have rescued the Britannia's wrecked crew today! These unfortunate people must have families, and the families must be crying over their disappearance!Perhaps this Grant has a wife and children! You are right, my dear lady, and it was my duty to inform them that they were not entirely disappointed.Now, my friends, let's go back to the roof, we're almost at the port. Sure enough, the Duncan put on full steam, sailed along the coast of Bute Island, with Hesser and the pretty little town lying in the fertile valley behind to starboard; then she sailed into the narrow channel of the bay. , turned a corner in front of the city of Greenock, and at six o'clock in the evening, it was moored at the foot of the snowflake rock in Dumbarton, on the top of which stands the Scottish hero Wallace. The leader of the people in the war was later killed by the British. 】The famous mansion of the. There, a carriage with harnessed horses was waiting for Lady Helene to take her back to Malcolm Hall with Major MacNabbs.After embracing goodbye to his young lady, the Sir hopped on the express train to Glasgow. But before he left, he used a faster means of transportation to make an important announcement.In a few minutes the telegraph sent the notice to The Times and the Daily Chronicle.The notice reads as follows: For information on the three-masted Britannia in Glasgow harbor and its captain Grant, ask Sir Glenarvan.Address: Macomb Hall, Russ, Van Pattenshire, Scotland.