Chapter 4 Four Jacques.Paganel

The secretary of the Geographical Society was a lovely character, and his introduction of himself was very free and pleasant.Moreover, Jazz understands what kind of person is in front of him.Jacques.Paganel's name and reputation were not new to him.His geographical works, his reports in the journals of the Geographical Society on the discoveries of modern geography, and his correspondence with the world geography community, have made him one of the most eminent scholars in France.So Sir Glenarvan cordially extended his hand to the intruder, and said: Now that we know each other, M. Paganel, will you allow me to ask you a question?

Twenty questions will do, sir, and I think it is always a pleasure to talk to you. Did you get on this boat the night before? Yes, sir, it was eight o'clock last night.I jumped into the carriage from the Caledonian train, and from the carriage I jumped into the Scotia, on which I had booked room number six from Paris.It was very dark, and I met no one on board.I had traveled thirty hours and was tired, and I knew that to avoid seasickness it was best to go to sleep as soon as I got on board and not to leave my berth for the first few days, so I went to sleep as soon as I arrived, and I slept without compromise For thirty-six hours, please take my word for it.

Now, after hearing these words of Paganel, we all know how he came to this ship.The French traveler got on the wrong ship.He came aboard the Duncan while the crew of the Duncan attended a service at St. Mungo's Church.Everyone understands it, but the learned geographer doesn't understand it yet.If you tell him what ship he is on and where he is going, what will he do? So, Mr. Paganel, have you chosen Calcutta as the starting point for your future research trips in India? yes sir.My lifelong wish is to visit India.This is the most wonderful dream of my life, and now I am going to realize this dream in that elephant country.

Well, Monsieur Paganel, would it not be enough to visit another place? How can that be, ser, it would be too bad to change places.For I still have a letter of introduction to Sir Musser, Governor-General in India, and I have a Geographical assignment to do. ah!You still have tasks? Yes, I still want to try to make a valuable and interesting adventure trip, the travel plan is my knowledgeable friend Fei Weiyan.De.Monsieur Saint-Martin ordered it for me.The purpose is to follow many famous travelers and continue their exploration career.I shall complete the legacy of the Crick Priest where he failed miserably in 1846.In short, in a word, I want to investigate the course of the Yarlung Zangbo River. This river flows for 1,500 kilometers along the northern foothills of the Himalayas in Tibet. I want to know whether this river is in the northeast of Assam and Brahmaputra. Confluence of the Tela River.That is one of the great problems of geography, and any traveler who solves it, sir, is sure of a gold medal.

Paganel was indeed extraordinary, he spoke with gusto and pomp.He seemed to fly on the wings of his imagination.He talked like a rushing Rhine. Mr. Paganel, sir, after a moment's silence, your plan for the voyage of exploration is really ingenious, and the scientific community will thank you.However, I don't want you to go any further, until at least for the time being you have to give up your plans to visit India. give up!Why? Because you are sailing with the peninsula of India on your back. What, Captain Bulton? I am not Captain Bulton.Menger replied. So what about the Scotia?

This ship is not the Scotia! M. Paganel's amazement is indescribable.He looked at Sir Sir who was always serious; he also looked at the expressions of sympathy and regret on the faces of Mrs. Helen and Mary;Then, shrugging his shoulders, pushing his spectacles on his forehead, he exclaimed: This is not a joke, is it? At this time, his eyes suddenly fell on the rudder wheel, and saw two lines of big characters written on the rudder wheel: Duncan Glasgow Duncan!Duncan!He cried out desperately. Then he ran swiftly down the stairs to his room. No one on board, except the major, could keep a serious face as soon as the unfortunate scholar went away, and even the sailors burst into laughter.If you take the wrong train, so be it!It was all right to board the Edinburgh train to get to Dumbartonshire, for example.Why did you get the wrong boat? !Is it not the height of carelessness to go to India to board a ship bound for Chile?

However, I am not surprised that this kind of thing was done by Paganel. His carelessness has been passed down as a joke too much.Once, he published a famous map of the Americas, including Japan. However, this did not prevent him from becoming an outstanding scholar and an excellent geographer in France.Sir said. But what shall we do with the poor scholar now?We can't take him to Patagonia.Mrs. Helen said worriedly. Why not?The major said solemnly that he was careless and we are not responsible.If he takes the wrong train, can the train stop for him? It is impossible to stop, but when we arrive at a port, he can go down.said Mrs. Helen.

Well, he could if he wanted to.Sir said he could go down when we got to the first mooring ahead. At this moment Paganel, having ascertained that his luggage was on board, returned to the top deck, embarrassed and pitiful.He kept muttering the wretched name: Duncan!Duncan!As if that was all he could say.He walked up and down, carefully looking at the equipment of the cruise ship, at the silent horizon in the sea.Finally he walked back to Jazz again: Is this Duncan arriving?he asks. To America, Monsieur Paganel. To America? Concepcion [Note: The capital of a province in Chile. 】. ah!To Chile!To Chile!cried the unfortunate geographer.What about my mission to India?Mr. Gatfazhi, Chairman of the Central Committee of the Geographical Society, is to blame me;De.Monsieur Saint-Martin, how to blame me!What face do I have to attend the society meeting again!

Don't worry, Monsieur Paganel, you are not in despair, everything is possible, you are only a little late.The Yarlung Zangbo River is always waiting for you in the deep mountains of Tibet.We will be in Madeira shortly. ] anchor, where you can take a boat back to Europe. Thank you, sir, it has to be done.However, we can say that this is really a strange encounter, and only I can encounter such strange things.What about the cabin I booked on the Scotia? Alas, this has to be given up for you. oh!Paganel looked at the boat again and said, It's a pleasure boat! Yes, sir, it belongs to Sir Glenarvan.Mengel said.

I ask you to accept my hospitality with ease.Sir said. Thank you, sir, and I do appreciate your kindness, but allow me to make a small comment: India is a fine place, and there are many wonderful and amazing things to come.These ladies must have never been to India, so wouldn't it be easy for the Duncan to turn around and sail back to Calcutta with a turn of the rudder?Since it is a tour After hearing Paganel's suggestion, everyone just shook their heads, and his mouth could no longer be used.He stopped immediately. If it were only for excursions, sir, I must agree with you, and so will sir.Helplessly, the Duncan also has its mission. Several sailors who were killed and abandoned on the coast of Patagonia need it to transport them back to their motherland.Such an act of righteousness cannot be changed

In a few minutes, everyone explained all the problems to the French traveler: from the documents given by God, Captain Grant's history, to Mrs. Helen's generous advice, he knew it all, and was very moved. Madam, please allow me to praise you, without reservation, for everything you have done in this matter.Let your ship go on its voyage, I would not let it be a day's delay. Would you like to visit with us?the lady asked. That's impossible, ma'am, and I'm going to do my job too.When I got to the first mooring ahead, I had to go down. That means going down in Madeira.Mengel said. Stop at Madeira.The island is only 800 kilometers away from Lisbon, and I waited there for the boat before returning to Lisbon. Well, as you please, sir, it would be a great honor to entertain you a few days aboard this ship.Hope we have a good time together. ah!Sir, I am in the wrong boat, and I am so lucky to have missed such a pleasant outcome!But it's really a big joke to say: a person who is going to India actually boards a ship to America. When he thought of this, he always felt a little puzzled, but this was an unavoidable delay, so he had to hold back his temper and live for a few days.From then on, he looked very cute, happy, and even sometimes careless.His good humor delighted the ladies.In this way, in less than a day, he made friends with everyone.Sir, at his request, showed him the paper as well.He studied carefully for a long time, analyzed bit by bit, and believed that the explanations of Jazz and the others were correct, and there was no other explanation.He was very concerned about Mary and his brother, and he had great hopes for them.His vision of the future, and his prophecy of the certainty of the Duncan's success, made the girl smile.Really, if he didn't have a mission, he would also go to find Captain Grant together! For Mrs. Helen, when he heard that she was William.When she saw Tufnell's daughter, she cried out in surprise and admiration.He had known her father.What a bold scholar!Mrs. Helene's father is a correspondent of the Paris Geographical Society. How many times have they passed each other!It was he and another member, Mr. Matt Brown, who introduced Tufnell to join the Society!What a coincidence!What a joy to sail with Tufnell's daughter! Finally, he asked for a kiss on the forehead of Lady Helene, which she granted, although it seemed a bit inappropriate to the Englishman. Currents in northern Africa help cruise ships approach the equator very quickly.Sighted Madeira Islands on August 30th.Sir, fulfilling his promise to his guests, suggested anchoring and letting Paganel ashore. My dear sir, I don't want to be polite to you.May I ask, did you intend to anchor at Madeira before I embarked on the Duncan? No.Sir said. So let me take advantage of this unfortunate mistake.The archipelago has been studied in far too much detail.For a geographer, there is nothing interesting to study.About it, everyone who can talk about it has said everything, and everyone who can write about it has done everything. Moreover, it was originally famous for growing grapes, but now the production of grapes has plummeted.Consider: Madeira produced 22,000 barrels in 1813, and 669 in 1845.Not even 500 barrels now!How sad!If you don't care, can you go to the Canary Islands [Note: An archipelago composed of seven volcanic islands in the Atlantic Ocean, located off the northwest coast of Africa. 】Where is the parking? Then anchor there, it will not depart from our original route. I know, my dear sir.There are three groups of islands in the Canary Islands to study, and there is Tenerife, which I have always wanted to climb.This is an opportunity, and I am going to take advantage of this opportunity, to climb this famous mountain while waiting for the boat back to Europe. It is entirely up to you, my dear Paganel.Jazz couldn't help smiling.The Canary Islands are not far from the Madeira Islands, less than 460 kilometers. A fast ship like the Duncan is simply an indifferent small distance. At two o'clock in the afternoon on August 31st, Menger and Paganel were walking on deck. The Frenchman kept staring at Menger and asking questions about Chile.Suddenly the captain interrupted him, pointing to a point on the southern horizon and saying: mr paganel What's the matter, my dear captain? Please look this way, what can you see? I can't see anything. You don't look at the horizon, look up, into the clouds. Look in the clouds?I look around Here, now, look along the jib rack that touches the mast. I don't see anything. You just don't want to see it.Anyway, although about seventy-five kilometers away, the peaks of Tenerife are clearly visible on the horizon, you understand me? Whether Paganel wanted to see it or not, a few hours later, the peak was in front of his eyes, and he could only say that he could not see it unless he admitted that he was blind. You must have seen it, right?asked the captain. I see, clearly, that is the so-called peak of Tenerife?he said with a dismissive air. That's it. Not very high. However, it is more than 3,300 meters above sea level. Not as good as Mont Blanc [Note: The highest peak in the Alps. 】ah. Maybe, but you'll think it's high enough when you get up. ah!My dear captain, climb up, I ask, what is the use of that?Both Mr. Hongbao and Mr. Pember climbed before me.Mr. Hong Bao is really a great genius. He once climbed this mountain and described it without omission.He inspected the five zones of this mountain: the grape zone, the laurel zone, the pine forest zone, the Alpine shrub zone, and the highest barren zone.He climbed all the way to the top of the mountain, where he couldn't even find a place to sit.From the top of the mountain, he saw at a glance a land as vast as a quarter of Spain.In addition, he traveled the volcano, drilled into the interior of the volcano, and penetrated to the deepest part of the extinguished caldera.After this big man has done it, I ask you, what else can I do? This is true, there is nothing left to do.What a pity, there's nothing to do, how boring it is for you to wait for the boat!Can't hope for much relaxation there. Although it is impossible to talk about relaxation, there are often opportunities for carelessness.Paganel said with a smile, but, my dear captain, the Cape Verde Islands. 】Is there a berth? some.It's easy to catch a boat there. It is also convenient to disembark there, the Cape Verde Islands are not far from Senegal, where I can meet some French compatriots.I know that people generally say that this archipelago is not very interesting, desolate and unsanitary, but from the perspective of a geographer, everything is interesting.See, that's learning.Many people don't know how to see. They travel like conch shells and clams, crawling forward with their heads covered.You can believe that I am not that kind of person. Do as you please, sir, and I am convinced that your stay in the Cape Verde Islands will be of service to geography.We are going to anchor there for coal, and your disembarkation will not delay our journey. So settled, the captain set sail for the west of the Canary Islands.The famous peak fell out to port.The Duncan continued to sail rapidly and passed the Tropic of Cancer at 5 o'clock in the morning on September 2.Since then, the weather has changed, and it is the humid and hot weather of the rainy season, which the Spaniards call the water season.The water season is tough for travelers, but good for the inhabitants of the African islands.Because there are no trees on the island, there is a lack of water, and it depends entirely on rainwater.At this time, the waves on the sea were so strong that people dared not stand on the deck.So everyone sat in the square hall and talked equally vigorously. On September 3rd, Paganel began packing his luggage for disembarkation.The Duncan was zigzagging between the Cape Verde Islands, and she passed in front of Salt Island, which was a great sandy pile, very barren and desolate.It sailed along a large coral reef, and then sailed sideways past the Ile Saint-Jacques, which was run from north to south by a mountain range, with two high mountains at both ends.After passing Saint-Jacques Island, Meng Geer sailed into the Bay of Vilabraya, and soon anchored in front of the city of Vilabraya. The weather was extremely bad on the sea twelve meters deep, although The sea breeze cannot blow into the bay, but the stormy waves hit the shore extremely violently.At this time, it was raining heavily, and only a city could be vaguely seen, built on a platform-like plateau.The platform is supported by 90-meter-high volcanic rocks.Looking at the island through the dense rain curtain, it is very sad. Mrs. Helen originally wanted to visit the city, but now she had to give up her plan.The work of loading coal is still going on, but has encountered many difficulties.Passengers on the Duncan had to hide below decks, because the rain from the sky and the waves from the sea intertwined into a torrent.Everyone's conversation is focused on the weather.Everyone had an opinion, except the Major, because he didn't care if he saw the flood.Paganel paced up and down, just shaking his head. This is deliberately against me!He said. The wind and the waves must be declaring war on you.Sir said. But I can beat them. You can't take chances with such heavy rain.said Mrs. me?Ma'am, I can definitely take the risk.I'm just afraid that my luggage and instruments will be ruined in a dozen rains. That is, the moment when you disembark the ship is terrible. Once you arrive in the city, you can live in a not too bad place. The cleanliness is not clean enough. Living with monkeys and pigs is not very pleasant, but for a traveler, he cannot pay attention to these.We hope that in seven to eight months you will be able to sail back to Europe.Sir said. Seven to eight months!cried Paganel. For at least seven to eight months, there is no boat traffic here during the rainy season.But you can find a way to use your waiting time for the boat.People are still not familiar with the archipelago, and there is still a lot of work to be done in topography, meteorology, ethnology, surveying techniques, etc. You can visit some big rivers.said Mrs. There is no great river at all, madam. There are no big rivers, but there are always small rivers, right? nor. So, only the creek? Not even a creek. Well, then you go to the forest to study it.The major cut in. But there is not even a tree there! What a beautiful place!said the major. Do not despair, my dear Paganel, there are at least some high mountains for you to visit.Jazz interjected. ah!Not only is the mountain not very high, it's not very interesting, sir, and besides, it's been done before. It was also done! ?Jazz was surprised. Yeah, that's just how unlucky I am, people always get ahead of me. impossible? True.he said pitifully. What a pity, but what do you do when you disembark, Monsieur Paganel?said Mrs. Paganel was silent for a while. Why, you might as well disembark at Madeira that day, though there is no more wine there!Sir said curtly. He remained silent. If it were me, I would wait on the boat for my chance.said the major, with the look on his face that said: If it were me, I wouldn't intend to disembark. My dear sir, Paganel has spoken at last, where will you anchor in the future? In the future, less than Concepcion [Note: The capital of Chile's Bío Bío region. 】It stopped. Oops!I am too far away from India. No, as soon as you rounded Cape Horn, didn't you get closer to India every day? That's exactly what I thought of. Moreover, as long as you go to India, it doesn't matter if you go to the East Indies or the West Indies. Why doesn't it matter? Yes, the residents of the Patagonian grasslands are not also Indians [Note: also known as West Indians. 】?They are all Indians. ah!yes!My sir, I shall never think of it till you speak of it.cried Paganel. And, Paganel, you can get the gold medal anywhere.The world is full of things to study.Everywhere there is something to seek, everywhere there is something to discover, not in the mountains of Tibet and in the Andes. 】Is it the same in the mountains? So what about the Brahmaputra issue? Yarlung Zangbo River, you take the Colorado River [Note: A river in southern Argentina, originating from the eastern foot of the Andes Mountains, flows east-southeast into the Atlantic Ocean. 】Replace it!Not many people know about this river. On the map, geographers can draw this river however they like. I know that, ser.On the map, this river course is often several degrees off.ah!I am convinced that, had I asked, the Geographical Society would have sent me to Patagonia as well as to India.However, I have not thought of it. You have been so careless all your life, so you didn't think about it. Come on, Monsieur Paganel, will you go with us?Lady Helen asked in the most earnest tone. Ma'am, what about my mission? I want to tell you in advance that we have to pass through the Strait of Magellan [Note: A strait located in the south of Chile in South America, which is the most important natural waterway between the Pacific Ocean and the Atlantic Ocean. ] Mile.Jazz added. Sir, you want to seduce me? Let me add that we also visited Port Hunger [Note: In the Strait of Magellan. 】Woolen cloth! Port of Hunger, cried the Frenchman, feeling that he was being besieged from all sides to change his mind, this port, so many geography books have described it in hype, it is too famous! Think also, Monsieur Paganel, that by joining our cause you have the right to combine French and Scottish names.said Mrs. yes!This is not a problem. For our expedition, a geographer will be of great help to us. You use science to serve humanity. Is there anything more glorious in the world than this? You speak so well, madam! Please believe me, you should make mistakes, or rather, we should follow the will of God.Please learn from us.God's will sent the documents to us, and we set off, and God's will sent you to the Duncan again, so don't leave the Duncan. Do you want me to tell the truth?My good friends?Paganel finally let go, I see you all want me to stay! What about yourself?Paganel, I see that you, too, would very much like to stay.Sir said. is not that right? !The learned geographer cried out, I dare not speak, for fear of being too presumptuous!