Chapter 25 The wrecked crew of the 25 Britannia

These few words caused indescribable consternation in the audience.The jazz jumped up, left his seat, and cried: Who said so? it's me.A farm worker at the other end of the table answered. You, Ayrton!O'Moore said he was as surprised as anyone else. It is I, said Ayrton excitedly and firmly, I, like you, sir, am a Scot, and a shipwrecked member of the Britannia. This announcement had a huge impact. Miss Mary felt dizzy, and she was so happy that she fell into Lady Helen's arms involuntarily.Menger, Robert, the major and others also gathered around Ayrton. Ayrton was a man of forty-five, with a stern countenance and deep-set eyes.He must have had extraordinary strength, though thin.He is full of muscles and bones, and fat seems to have nothing to do with him. He is of medium build, with a broad body, and his actions are resolute. Although his face is stern, his expression is full of wisdom and perseverance.All this makes people feel good at first glance.He seemed to have suffered recently, and the stamp of that suffering upon his countenance increased his sympathy.He is a person who can not only endure hardship, but is not afraid of suffering, and can overcome suffering.

Sir and his friends felt this at first glance, and Ayrton was a man who could not be ignored when approached.Sir Sir spoke on behalf of the group and asked many questions, all of which were answered by Ayrton.The two of them met their bosom friend and compatriots by chance on such an occasion, and they had mixed feelings in their hearts. Therefore, Jazz's initial questions were all haphazard, as if they came out involuntarily. Are you a shipwrecked crew member of the Britannia?he asks. Yes, sir, I am the bosun of that ship. Had it escaped with them after the shipwreck? No sir.In that dreadful moment I was flung from the side of the boat, and thrown ashore by the sea.

Aren't you one of the two sailors the document says it is? what document?I didn't know about it! What about the captain? I thought he was drowned, lost, and sunk to the bottom of the ocean.I always thought I was the only one out of danger! But, you just said that the captain is still alive! No, I just said, if the captain is still alive You added just now that he must be living on the Australian mainland! yes!He can only be on this continent. So, don't you know where the hell he is? I don't know, sir.I repeat, I thought he was buried at the bottom of the sea, or crashed against a rock.It was you who told me that perhaps he was still alive.

So, what else do you know?Sir asked. All I know is that if Captain Grant is alive, he is on the Australian mainland. Where did the ship happen to be?At last the major could stand it no longer. This should have been the first question, but was delayed by a vague conversation between Sir and Ayrton.Now, the conversation was on the right track and more organized, and after a while, the dark historical plot began to become clear. Ayrton replied to the question posed by the Major as follows: When I was just touching the sails at the bow, I was suddenly thrown out, and the Britannia was heading for the coast of Oceania, when she was not more than two miles from the shore.So that must be where it happened.

On the thirty-seventh parallel south latitude?Menger asked. Yes!Ayrton said. Is it on the west coast? No, on the east coast.corrected the bosun. at what time? The night of June 27, 1862. That's right, that's right.Jazz cried. You see, sir, added the bosun, that if Grant were alive, he would be found on the Continent, and there would be no need to look elsewhere. We must find them, we must find them, and we must free them, my friends!The geographer exclaimed, ah!Precious document, he added naively, it must be said that you have fallen into the wisest hands. No doubt no one listened to the geographer's flattering words.The Glenarvans, Mary and Robert flocked to Ayrton again.They held Ayrton's hand, as if Captain Grant's safety was assured in his presence.Since the sailors escaped safely, couldn't the captain escape the disaster?Ayrton also happily repeated the words that Grant should be with him.Everyone asked him many questions, and he explained them all.Miss Mary held his hand as he spoke.This is one of my father's companions!It's a crew member of the Britannia!He had lived with Captain Grant!They sailed across the ocean together, at the same risk!Miss Mary stared at his weather-beaten face, weeping with emotion.

Hitherto no one had doubted the bosun's identity.Only the major, and perhaps Menger included, wondered whether Ayrton's words could be fully believed.This unexpected coincidence can raise several doubts.The boatswain, of course, gave many facts and many dates which corresponded to each other, and many touching particulars.But the details, though correct, are not necessarily true, for the cheats are often far more sophisticated, and everyone knows that.The major, therefore, had reservations, and refused to draw a conclusion at once. As for Captain Mengel, his doubts were soon reassured by the sailor's words.When he heard the sailor talk to Mary about her father, he thought that Ayrton was really Captain Grant's companion.Ayrton knew the captain's boy very well.He had also seen them in Port Glasgow when they set off.On that day, he said, the captain bid farewell to his friends, and a banquet was held, and both children came to eat.At that time, Robert Jr. was not yet ten years old, and the captain entrusted the sailor Dick to take care of him, but he secretly climbed to the beam on the mast, making a false alarm!

Is that true?Little Robert asked with a smile. The boatswain talked about many small things casually, as if they were insignificant, but the captain regarded them as very important.When he rested, Mary begged him softly: Go on, M. Ayrton, tell us more about our father. The boatswain did his best to accommodate their demands.Sir didn't want to interrupt him, but there were more questions crowded in his mind, Lady Helene let him see Mary's happy mood, and didn't let him speak. It was during this conversation that Ayrton recounted the history of the Britannia and her voyages across the Pacific.Mary also knew part of the voyage, for news of the ship did not disappear until May, 1862.During the year, the ship had docked in major continents in Oceania. They had been to New Guinea, New Zealand, and New Caledonia. Most of these lands were colonies, so they were discriminated against by the British authorities everywhere.Then, they actually found a stronghold on the west coast of Papua, where they thought they could build a colony and ensure its prosperity.Indeed, if there is a halfway station between the Moluccas and the Philippines, it will definitely attract many ships, especially after the opening of the Suez Canal, the route through the Cape of Good Hope will be cancelled.Captain Grant is a man with a sense of justice, and he opposes those political struggles that disregard the common interests of the international community.

After the Britannia surveyed Papua, it went to Callao to get supplies. It left the port of Callao on May 30, 1862, and was going to return to the European continent via the Cape of Good Hope via the Indian Ocean.Three weeks after departure, a terrible storm wrecked the ship.The ship was almost capsized and the mast had to be cut.The hole in the bottom of the ship began to seep in water, and it couldn't be blocked.The whole crew didn't close their eyes for several days and nights, they were almost exhausted, and they couldn't do without the pump for a moment.The ship was tossed and tossed in the storm for eight days and nights, the water in the cabin was six meters deep, and the hull gradually sank.And the boats were all blown away in the storm.Everyone had to wait to die on the boat, and at this time, as geographers speculated, the boat looked out to the east coast of Australia.After a while, the boat hit the shore and sank.At first a violent touch, Ayrton was swept in by the wave, struck a coral reef, and fainted.After regaining consciousness, he has fallen into the hands of the natives.When he was taken inland, he was never heard from the Britannia again.The narrative of Captain Grant ends here.This statement caused more than one exclamation, and the major no longer cared about the facts that the bosun said, otherwise, it would be too unfair.With the documents, coupled with Ayrton's personal experience, it is more realistic for this search, all of which fully prove that Captain Grant and his companions did not die at the bottom of the sea.What had happened to the three persons was reasonably conjectured, and Ayrton was again asked to describe his state in the interior.This narrative is very simple and popular.

After Ayrton became a captive of the natives, he worked in the valley of the Grand Canal.He lived very poorly, because the tribe itself was poor, but he was not mistreated.After two years of hard slave life, he still had the hope of regaining his freedom in his heart.In spite of the many dangers of escaping, he waits for the slightest chance of escape. One night in October of 1864, he took advantage of the poor defense of the natives and ran to hide in the virgin forest.After hiding for a whole month, he ate grass roots, leaves, bark, etc., and wandered back and forth in the vast and uninhabited areas.Relying on the sun during the day and the stars at night, he often falls into desperate situations.In this way, he crossed swamps, rivers, mountains, and walked through places that many explorers dared not go to.In the end, he was exhausted from running, dying, and dying, before he came to the kind man's house, Omor, and exchanged labor for a happy life.

Ayrton was very grateful to me, and I was very satisfied with him, and the Irish immigrant said after hearing this account that he was a wise and brave man, and that this would be his home forever if he wanted to. The bosun made a gesture of thanks to the Irishman, and he waited for further questions to be asked.Then he thought to himself that his audience had good reasons for asking this question, and that they should be satisfied.However, some of the questions he answered have been asked several times, so what new questions are there?Therefore, Jazz asked everyone to discuss how to formulate the next search plan based on the current situation.The major turned to the bosun and asked:

You said you are Captain Grant's subordinate, do you have any proof? It goes without saying.Ayrton answered without hesitation. However, he felt that the major had some mistrust of him, so he added.I have a certificate of service on board. With that said, he immediately walked out of the hall to get the certificate.He comes and goes in less than a minute.Omor took advantage of this moment to say: Sir, I can assure you that Ayrton is an honest man.He worked with me for two months without a single reproach.I knew beforehand that he was a dead captive.He is aboveboard and worthy of your trust. Sir was explaining to the owner that he had never doubted Ayrton's identity, when Ayrton came with the certificate.The certificate was signed by both the owner and Captain Grant, and Mary recognized her father's handwriting.On the certificate it was written that Seaman First Class Thom.Ayrton was bosun of the three-masted Britannia in Glasgow.There was no room for doubt as to Ayrton's identity. Now, Sir said, I'm asking for your opinion on how to do it in the future.Your opinion, Ayrton, is very useful.We would be very grateful if you could give me some more advice. The boatswain thought for a while, and then replied: Thank you sir for your confidence in me, and I will do my best to live up to your expectations.I also know a thing or two about the customs here, if I can help you Of course you can help us!Sir said. I thought the same as everyone else, and the boatswain said, since the captain and those two companions escaped from the catastrophe and did not go to the British possessions, and now there is no news, they have to suspect that what happened to me was the same. The natives went captive. What you said is exactly what I expected, and the geographer echoed that the victims were obviously captured by the natives, and they also expected it in the documents.But can we guess that they went to the same place as you, north of the thirty-seventh parallel south latitude? Very likely, sir, replied the boatswain, that those natives who discriminated against Europeans rarely lived in the British colonies. This will make it much harder for us to find, said the sergeant, wondering how we can find the captives in the interior of such a large landmass? After a long silence, Mrs. Helen asked all the traveling companions with her eyes, but got no reply. Even the outspoken geographer was exceptionally speechless. Feel a little embarrassed. What good idea do you have, Mr. Ayrton?Mrs. Helen finally asked the bosun, if it were you, what would you do? If it were me, ma'am," said Ayrton rather quickly, I would go back to the Duncan again, and sail straight to the place of the accident.Go there and play by ear, so that maybe you can find a little clue, and then consider how to deal with it. All right, said ser, only till the Duncan is repaired. Is the ship broken?Ayrton asked. Yes, replied the captain. Is it bad? It's not that bad, it just needs some repair tools.A steam-wheel blade was twisted and could only be repaired in Melbourne. Can't spread the sails and walk?the bosun asked again. Yes, yes, but with a slight headwind, it will take too much time for the Duncan to reach Tuff Bay.In any case, I still have to go to Melbourne. Well, let it be repaired first, cried the geographer, and we will not go to Tufu Bay by boat. Are you going on foot?asked the captain. Trans-Australia is the same as Trans-Ameria, we just follow the thirty-seventh parallel. But what about the Duncan?asked the boatswain, looking particularly concerned. Pick us up after the Duncan is repaired.Who is against this plan?How about the major? I have no objection, replied the major, as long as a trans-Australian practicable. That's all right, said the geographer, and I'd suggest Lady Helene go with Miss Mary! Are you telling the truth?Paganel?Sir asked. Honestly, my dear sir.This is only a distance of 580 kilometers, 30 kilometers a day, and it takes less than a month to complete the journey, which is about the same time as it takes to repair the Duncan.ah!If it were to travel on a latitude a little northerly, if it were to cross Australia over its widest part, if it were to go through those great scorching deserts, in short, if it were to do many things that the most daring explorers had never done, then It's different.This trip, if you like, you can take a light carriage or a dirt cart, which is more interesting, and it is equivalent to a tour from London to Ireland, nothing else. What if there are beasts?The Jazz want to bring up every possible issue. Australia has no beasts. What about uncivilized natives? There are no natives on this parallel.Even if there are, they are not as vicious as the natives of New Zealand. And what about the British exiles? There are no convicts in the southern provinces of Australia, only in the eastern colonies.The province of Victoria, which passes through the 37th parallel, not only refuses the entry of exiles, but also enacts laws that even exiles released from other provinces are not allowed to enter.Even this year, the Victoria Provincial Government notified the shipping company that if there is a port that accepts exiles, it will prohibit future coal transportation and stop subsidizing the company. Yes, Omor affirmed Paganel's statement, and not only Victoria did so, but South Australia, Queensland, and even Tasmania followed suit. Take me, I have never met.Ayrton agreed. You should rest easy, my friends, the geographer said again, there are neither natives, nor beasts, nor exiles, not even Europe has such a good area!Now, should everyone agree to the plan? what do you mean, ma'am?Sir asked. I agree with everyone, my dear Edward, after Mrs. Helen answered, she turned her head to everyone and said: Let's go!friends!