Chapter 24 Twenty Four out of Cape Calamity

The first thing Captain Mengel did was to drop two anchors, one on each side, and bring the ship to a steady stop.It is parked at a depth of five meters.The sea bottom is fine, it is coarse sand and gravel, which can hold the anchor.Therefore, it is neither afraid of slipping the anchor nor being afraid of running aground.The Duncan, after many hours of galloping in peril, now had a safe haven, in a bay surrounded on three sides by sharp peaks, sheltered from the gale blowing from the sea. Jazz took Menger's hand and said: Thank you, Captain!These few words made Meng Geer feel extremely gratified.The Sir kept his anxiety just now in his stomach forever. Mrs. Helen, Miss Mary, and Robert could not have imagined how complicated the environment in which they escaped from death was.

Now there is one important question left to be clarified.Where was the Duncan driven by this storm to the coast?How can we find the thirty-seventh parallel?How far is Bainuyijiao to its southwest?These few basic questions are waiting for the captain to answer.He immediately started to calculate, observed, and marked on the chart. According to the calculation results, fortunately, the Duncan is not too far away from the route: the difference is less than two latitudes.It is now at 136° 12' east longitude and 35° 7' south latitude. The place is called Cape Calamity, at the southern tip of Australia, 160 kilometers from Cape Benoy.

Calamity Corner, as the name suggests, means the place where disaster occurs.It faces Poda Horn, an earthen headland on Kangaroo Island.Between the two corners is Explorer's Strait, which leads to two deep-water bays: Spencer's Sound to the north and St. Vincent's Sound to the south.Port Adelaide, the capital of South Australia, is on the east coast of St. Vincent's Bay. The city was founded in 1836 with a population of 40,000 and abundant resources.However, urban residents are mostly engaged in farming, such as growing grapes, citrus and other agricultural products, and rarely set up large-scale industries.There are more farmers than workers in cities.In short, most people do not pay attention to commerce and handicrafts.

Can the Duncan fix the damaged parts?This is also a problem that needs to be solved.The first thing Captain Mengle wanted to know was what was damaged.He sent someone into the water to check.The diver came back to report.It is said that the wheels of the steam engine were twisted and pressed against the tailbone of the dragon: so the steam wheel could not turn.Judging from this, the damage was so severe that it required a great deal of tools, which were impossible to find in Adelaide. The jazz and the captain discussed and decided: the Duncan will continue sailing, search for the traces of Captain Grant along the coast of Oceania, stop at Baiyino Cape, maybe get some important clues, and then go south again to Melbourne; it is very easy in Melbourne Repair damaged ships.As soon as the steam engine was repaired, the Duncan searched along the east coast to complete this series of search tasks.

This proposal has the support of everyone.Meng Geer decided to sail as soon as the wind came.They waited shortly before the hurricane died down completely, followed by an exploitable southwesterly wind.Everyone made preparations for sailing, and the new sail was put on the mast again.At four o'clock in the morning, the sailors turned the windlass, and the ship gradually left the port.The Duncan put up her mainsail, foresail, topsail, jibsail, schooner, and mastsail, and sailed as fast as she could, with the rigging on the starboard side, to receive the wind from the Oceanian coast. Two hours later, Cape Calamity was gone, and the ship was crossing Explorer Sound.At night, it rounded Cape Poda and sailed along Kangaroo Island, a few kilometers offshore.Kangaroo Island is the largest of the small islands in Oceania. Prisoners exiled from Europe to Australia, who can escape, use this island as their shelter.The appearance of the island is beautiful, and the rocks on the shore are covered with boundless greenery.It is still the same as when it was discovered in early 1802, and people can still see groups of kangaroos jumping in the woods and on the plains.The next day, all the small boats on board were lowered, and a group of people landed and followed the steep bank to visit.At this time, the ship was on the thirty-sixth parallel, and Jazz did not want to leave an unexplored blank spot between the thirty-sixth and thirty-eighth.

All day, December 18th, the pleasure-boat sailed close to Encounter Bay, as fast as any caravel.This is the place where the traveler Stuart discovered Australia's largest river, the Murray River, in 1828.It is no longer green like the coast of Kangaroo Island, except for a few barren and bare hills that occasionally break the monotony of the low and fragmented coastline; here and there there is also a gray rock head or some sandy headlands. , but what is shown is the desolate scene of the North and South Poles. The dinghy helped a lot on this trip.Although navigating a dinghy is a chore, the sailors don't complain.Sir Glenarvan and his inseparable friends, the Geographer and Robert Jr., accompanied them nearly every time.None of the three had seen a single relic of the Britannia, but their hearts were filled with hope.They searched in this area, taking extra care, lest they miss a place.Stop the boat every night and keep it as still as possible, and go to the shore to search carefully during the day.

They searched as they went forward, and arrived at Dabainuyijiao on December 20th, but they still haven't found any remains of the sunken ship.However, this does not prove that Captain Grant has not been here.It had been two years now since the wreck of the ship, and its wreckage could and must have been washed away, corroded, or even swept away by the current.Moreover, when the ship is wrecked, the natives soon know that, just as the eagle smells the stench of the corpse from afar, they will definitely loot the ship.In addition, Captain Grant and his companions were washed to the seashore by the sea, and since they were captured by the natives, they would undoubtedly be taken to the hinterland of the continent.

However, in this way, the speculation of learned geographers does not hold water.Had it been on Argentine territory, he would have had good reason to argue that the latitude on the document was the place of detention, not the shipwreck.Because there are many rivers on the Banpas grassland, precious documents can be sent to the ocean.Now in Australia, the situation is different. There are not many rivers at all across the 37th parallel; flow.For other big rivers, such as the Murray River and the Yarra River, their tributaries intersect with each other, and merchant ships gather at the mouth of the sea.So, is it possible that a fragile bottle dropped in such a ship-frequent river can safely drift into the Indian Ocean?

This is impossible, and ordinary people can tell it at a glance.Therefore, the geographer's speculation that the bottle came from the inland river to the sea is reasonable in America, but it is illogical to move to Oceania.The major had discussed this subject, and Paganel admitted that his conjectures did not apply here.Therefore, the latitude number in the document can only refer to the place of the wreck, that is to say, it is obvious that the bottle was thrown into the sea at the place where Captain Grant crashed on the west coast of Oceania. However, as Sir said, this affirmative conclusion does not contradict the assumption of Grant's capture.This point, even Menger has long been expected, he wrote in the document: will be captured by the barbaric natives.However, in this way, it is unreasonable to search for those prisoners only along the thirty-seventh parallel, without involving other places.

This issue was discussed a lot, and finally came to a conclusion: if no clues of the Britannia can be found at Bainuyijiao, Jazz has no choice but to return to Europe. This decision inevitably made the passengers very frustrated, especially the Grant siblings.As they waited for the boat to disembark, the two of them, with the Greenarvans, Captain Mengel, McNabbs, and Paganel, they wondered whether father had been saved in one fell swoop.Here, every word is worth a thousand dollars, and it is deeply imprinted in their hearts. has hope!has hope!There is always hope!Mrs. Helen kept encouraging the girl beside her.

Less than 200 meters from the shore.Bainuyijiao extends into the sea for three kilometers, and the tip of the corner is a gentle hillside.The natural good harbor that the boat rowed to was surrounded by a group of coral reefs. The passengers on the Duncan boarded the shore smoothly, and the land was extremely desolate.Layers of steep banks like belts form a line along the coast, eighteen meters high, which is a natural barrier, and it is impossible to climb up without a hook and rope.Fortunately, the captain found a gap half a mile to the south, which was formed by a landslide caused by the erosion of the limestone by sea water and the weak foundation of the mountain. Glenarvan and his party got through the gap, which is equivalent to climbing a soft ladder to the top of the rock.Robert scrambled up the steep slope like a kitten, reaching the top first, leaving Paganel and the major far behind.Paganel almost died of anger, but McNabbs remained calm and calm. After a while the little caravan assembled and surveyed the plain that lay before them.It was a barren country with bushes and lichens, and the soil was barren. Sir said it was like a barren valley in the lowlands of Scotland, and Paganel said it was like the barren land of the French peninsula of Brittany.Although this area is uninhabited, some buildings can be seen faintly in the distance, which is obviously a sign of human fireworks, and based on those buildings, it can be deduced that this place is not inhabited by barbarians but by working people. A windmill!called Robert. Sure enough, two kilometers away, a wind-milled wing was spinning in the wind. What a windmill, replied the geographer, having turned his telescope on the thing, a small windmill, practical and unpretentious, and very pleasing to the eye. Almost like a church bell tower.said Mrs. Helen. Yes, ma'am, the wind mill grinds the food of the body, and teaching grinds the food of the soul, and from this point of view, the two are also alike. Let's go to the windmill and have a look!Sir said. Everyone hit the road.After walking for half an hour, the land after human labor took on a new look.The transition from desolation to vitality is sudden.There is no longer overgrown grass, but a newly cultivated farm surrounded by living hedges.Cows in groups of three or two and horses in groups of three or two graze on the grassland surrounded by tall bean flower trees.Then, there are golden ears of wheat and huge haystacks everywhere, and the orchard around the newly built wall seems to be an elegant, affordable and poetic garden. Even the garden poet Horace has to see it. admiration.In addition, there are straw sheds and foot houses, all of which are well configured.At last, a simple and comfortable dwelling, overlooked by the pointed mill, caressed lovingly by the whirling shadow of the great beaming windmill. At this time, the four big dogs barked and reported the arrival of the guests to their masters.An elderly man in his fifties with a kind face came out of the main room.Followed by five strong sons and his wife.People can tell at a glance that this elder is an overseas immigrant from Ireland.He had had enough suffering in his own country, so he traveled across the ocean to seek a living and happiness here. Before the jazz group had time to explain their purpose and identity, they had already heard the words of warm welcome: Foreign guests, you are welcome to visit Ao Moore's house. Are you Irish?the ser asked, taking the elder's outstretched hand. I was, and I am, an Australian, O'Mer replied, "Come in, guys, you're welcome, and make this your home." Such a sincere invitation had to be accepted bluntly.Lady Helene and Miss Mary were led into the house by Miss O'Mer while the children unarmed them. The house is entirely of wooden structure, and the downstairs of the house is a spacious and bright hall.A few benches, two oak cabinets filled with white china and shiny pewter pots, and a long table that could seat twenty people were all the furniture in the hall.The house of this furniture is unusually strong, commensurate with those strong young men. Lunch is set.In the middle is a steaming hot pot, with roast beef and lamb legs on both sides, and some fruits around.The main dishes are here, and there are naturally many snacks to go with them.The host is warm and hospitable, the table setting is attractive, the table is large, the dishes are rich, and it is really inappropriate not to sit on it.The hired workers in the farm are equal to the master, and they have come to eat with the master, Omor pointed to the banquet. I have been waiting for you for a long time.He spoke to Sir defiantly. You have been waiting?Jazz was taken aback. I am waiting for everyone who comes.said the Irishman. Then, all the masters and servants of the family stood in silence, and he prayed before meals in a solemn voice.Mrs. Helen loves to see this simple custom, and after taking a look at her husband, she knows that he likes this ancient style. After everyone ate to their heart's content, they began to talk freely.Scotland and Ireland are close at hand, and the people on the two islands shake hands and become one family.O'Moore recounts his history, a history of all immigrants driven out by poverty.Many people have gone to far away places to try their luck, and found the disaster of embarrassment.They only blame bad luck, but forget to blame themselves for being unintelligent, lazy, and flawed.Whoever can save food and clothing, be calm and calm, be good at making ends meet, and be brave and progressive will surely succeed. Omor was and still is.He almost starved to death locally, and brought his family to Australia.He disembarked at Adelaide, unwilling to be a miner, preferring to work in agricultural production.Two months later, he started running the farm, which is now flourishing. This Australian land is divided into lots [Note: Eighty acres each. ], sold by government estimates.A hard-working farmer cultivates a share, in addition to maintaining his life, he also has a surplus. O'Moore relied on his agricultural experience to maintain his life while saving money, and bought several more lands with the first profit.His family prospered, his farm prospered, and he gradually became a farmer.Although he has been in business for less than two years, he already has 500 acres of land and 500 head of cattle and sheep.The man who used to be a slave in Europe is now his own master, enjoying the democracy and treatment of the last free country in the world. After listening to Omor's self-report, the guests all congratulated him sincerely.After he finished talking about his history, he undoubtedly waited for the other party to meet honestly, but he did not make such a request.He is very reserved, always expressing: I have already said what kind of person I am, and it is inconvenient for me to ask you what kind of person you are.What about Jazz?What he was eager to say was that he had taken the trouble to come to the corner of Bainuyi in order to find the Britannia.He was straight to the point, so he asked first if he had any news of Captain Grant. O'Moore's answer didn't bring good news.He had never heard the name.For two years not a single ship has been seen on this shore or at Benuyi Cape.It had only been two years since the accident on the Britannia, so he was absolutely certain that the crew that died hadn't come to the West Coast. Now, sir, the Irish immigrant adds, what is the wreck to you. Sir, then, related the quest for the documents, the journey of the cruise ship, and the various attempts made to find the captain.He made no secret of saying that his full hopes had been dashed to the sound of his master's decisive answer. These words, of course, gave those present a painful feeling.Robert and Miss Mary listened, with teary eyes.The geographer wants to comfort them with a fitting word.Captain Meng Geer also felt uncomfortable, unable to dispel the boredom in his heart.The venom of despair has soaked the hearts of the generous men who crossed the ocean with hope.At this time, they suddenly heard another sentence: Sir, thank God.If Captain Grant is alive, he must be living on the Australian mainland!