Chapter 34 Thirty-four crossing the Snowy River

Now is not the time for discouragement, but the time for active action. Although the Gemblebe Bridge has been burned, the Snowy River must pass anyway, and it must be rushed to Tufu Bay before the bandits.So everyone can't just complain about others, it's useless.The next day, the captain and the jazz ran to the river to watch the water and tried every means to cross the river. The tide after the rain has not yet set, the waves are rolling and surging.To fight such a flood is to court death.Sir folded his arms, bowed his head, and remained motionless. Shall I swim first, ser?asked the captain.

No!Menger, let's wait.replied the Sir, holding the bold youth with his hands, as if lest he should jump into the river. With that said, the two walked back to the camp.This day was spent in such a state of extreme anxiety.How many times did Jazz run to the river, always trying to find a risky way to cross the river, but in vain.This river seems to be against them, and the water has not diminished. Even if the lava of the volcano flows in it, it is not so difficult to cross. During the last few days the sailor felt much better, and was out of danger, thanks to Lady Helene's excellent care.It was only now that the major concluded that the blow had harmed no vitals.At that time, the patient was dying, but it was caused by excessive bleeding.Once the wound was tied, the bleeding stopped.As long as you take care of it for a few days, it will heal quickly.Mrs. Helen kept letting Mu Ladi live in the front compartment, and he felt embarrassed.What disturbed him most was the fear of delaying the journey of other traveling companions.So he asked that as long as they could manage to cross the river, go to the East Coast and leave Wilson to take care of him.

Unfortunately, for several days in a row, this hateful river could not be tamed.Recently, Jazz has been very irritable.Although the wife and the major persuaded him not to get angry and to be patient, it was in vain.Peng.Jues may have boarded the Duncan at this time, can he bear it!When the Duncan, his beloved cruise ship, is fully sailed and throws itself at the east coast at full speed, when the partners are getting closer to death hour by hour, can they bear it? As the captain, Meng Geer felt uncomfortable at this time, and felt anxious every time he thought of the terrible scene that was about to happen.

He wanted to overcome the current difficulties at all costs, so like the Australians, he made a small boat out of large pieces of gum bark.The bark of the gum tree is very light, and when clamped with wooden sticks, it constitutes a light ferry boat. On January 18, Menger and Wilson tried out the weak boat.They tried all they could, but to no avail, and the boat capsized as soon as it reached the rapids, and they almost lost their lives.The boat was sucked into the whirlpool and disappeared, and it was with great difficulty that they climbed onto the bank.Because of the recent rain and the melting of the mountain snow, the water has increased even more. At this moment, the river is one kilometer wide, and the two of them are not even three meters away from the river bank.

Again the 19th and 20th of January passed in this dilemma.The Major and Sir walked along the bank of the river, and after eight kilometers they could not find a ford to wade across.There are raging waves and torrents everywhere, as if the rainwater from the entire mountainous area has gathered into this river. Now, all hope of saving the Duncan had to be given up.The Duncan had to resign herself to fate.Peng.It has been five days since Juce left, and the cruise ship has probably reached the east coast, or it may have fallen into the hands of bandits. However, you can't just sit around like this!After all, the flood will not last for a long time. It comes quickly and recedes quickly.Sure enough, on the morning of the 21st, the geographer observed that the water level began to drop, and hurriedly reported to Sir.

The water level has dropped, what's the use, it's too late.Sir sighed. But we can't wait for long, can we?McNabbs countered. Maybe tomorrow we can get over there!Menger also said. Cross over, is there still time to save those poor crew members? Sir, listen to me, said the captain again, I know what Austin, the mate, is like.He must strictly follow orders, and he will sail when he can.But who can guarantee that in Peng.When Jues arrived, the ship had already been repaired?What if the ship is delayed for a day or two to go to sea! You are right, Mengle!I hope so!We have to get to Tuff Bay as soon as possible.We are now only fifty-five kilometers from Delguite.

When we get to that town, we can find transportation, says the geographer, and get to the east coast as soon as possible, and perhaps prevent this disaster from happening! OK, let's get ready!Jazz ordered. So the captain and Wilson got busy building the ship again.The last failure has proved that gum bark cannot withstand the impact of floods.So they sawed down some of the big gum trees to make a big and strong raft.The work was time consuming and was not completed until the next day. By this time, the water level had dropped significantly.But the Snowy River was still strong.However, it doesn't matter much, as long as you follow the water potential and control the water potential within an appropriate range, you can reach the opposite bank.

At noon, everyone moved the dry food needed for the two-day journey onto the raft, and threw away the rest, such as ox carts and tents.At this time, Mu Ladi's injury had recovered, and his body recovered quickly. He turned over and was fine. At one o'clock in the afternoon, everyone got on the raft.The captain put a long oar on the right side and gave it to Wilson to take charge, the purpose is to prevent the raft from being washed away by the rapids and reduce the distance from being knocked out of the course by the waves.As for Mengel, he stood at the stern of the raft and steered the course with a crude oar.Lady Helene and Miss Mary sat in the middle, near Murady, surrounded by the Sir, the Major and the Geographer, ready to help.

Are you ready, Wilson?asked the captain. It's done!Wilson answered, holding the paddle in his thick hand. Be careful on the way, lest the waves wash us away! Captain Mengel untied the ropes that moored the raft and floated down the current at once. The first five meters were fine, and Wilson was able to control the raft all the time.But after a while, the raft was caught in the whirlpool.It just spins inside and doesn't come out anyway. At this time, the oars and sculls have lost their function.Had to wait for the vortex to pass.The raft turned so fast that it dazzled people.Menger stood there, his face pale, his teeth clenched, his eyes fixed on the water turning into countless eddies.

The raft gradually advanced with the whirlpool, and after a long time, it finally turned to the center of the river. At this time, it was only half a kilometer away from the starting point.The water here is extremely strong, and the vortex is not easy to form, so the raft is a little more stable. Using their oars and oars again, the captain and Wilson advanced through the water in a diagonal line.Finally, when he was about to reach the shore after some hardships, the oar in Wilson's hand suddenly broke, and the raft lost its balance and was swept away by the rapids.The captain could no longer break the scull, and tried his best to resist.Wilson, with blood on his hands, also came to help.

Finally, God paid off, the raft tossed in the river for half an hour, and finally reached a steep rock on the opposite bank, who knew that the collision caused too much inertia, and the raft was knocked apart. Now, the caravan has almost nothing left.They were still fifty kilometers away from Delegit. In this untouched wilderness, it was difficult to meet immigrants and locals, because this area was basically uninhabited except for vicious robbers and murderous bandits. We decided not to delay, but to set off immediately.Knowing that he was a liability, Mulladi asked to be left alone until they sent someone to fetch him. Jazz didn't want to lose a lovely partner, he refused to live or die.He expects to travel at least three days to reach Delegit and another five days to the east coast.And the Duncan might have sailed to the East Coast by then, and she was late anyway, so what did it matter if she was a few hours late? I don't want to lose any of my friends, said the sergeant. We'll make a soft sedan chair, and we'll take turns carrying you! The soft sedan was quickly woven with leafy eucalyptus branches, and the injured sailor was put on it without asking any questions.Sir was the first to carry him. Sir carried one end of the soft sedan chair, Wilson carried the other end, and they set off together. It was such a satisfying trip at the beginning, but who would have thought that the ending would be so unfortunate and become so embarrassing!Now it was no longer a question of finding Captain Grant, who was not on the continent, had not even been there at all, and which almost killed those who sought him.When his brave compatriots arrived on the east coast of Australia, perhaps the cruise ship that carried them home was also snatched by bandits! The day was spent in silence and pain.Every ten minutes, the person who carried the muladi changed.In such hot weather, walking was tiring, and carrying people was even more painful, but none of the traveling companions complained. After walking eight kilometers, they camped in the rubber forest when it got dark.Supper was only a little dry food salvaged from the raft. At this time, the carbine was almost useless, and there was no food for tomorrow.The weather is not beautiful, and it rains at night.It was so easy to look forward to the dawn, the rain was over and the sky was sunny, and we set off again.But this unlucky place was more desolate than a desert, and so inaccessible that the major had no chance of hunting. Fortunately, little Robert had sharp eyes and found a bird's nest with more than a dozen eggs in it.Obir took it and boiled it in hot water, and together with some purslane dug from the puddle, it formed the lunch for the twenty-second day. The road was full of thistle weeds, and it was difficult to walk at first. This kind of grass is also called arrowhunt, as Melburnians are used to calling it.If you walk carelessly, it can tear your trouser legs and stab your feet with blood.However, the two brave female guests did not cry out. They went forward without hesitation, set an example for other partners, and often encouraged each other with expressions or words. That day, they spent the night on the banks of the Ronggala River at the foot of Mount Bula.Thanks to the major for killing a big rat for dinner, otherwise dinner would have been a problem.This kind of mouse is also called the Candy rat, and its meat is delicious. If only it was as big as a goat.After a while, Obir roasted it, but its meat was limited, so everyone had to eat all the bones. On the 23rd, although the traveling companions were exhausted, they still set out on the road resolutely.After detouring from the foot of the mountain, there is a vast wild grassland. The grass grows like whalebone, like a forest of arrows, and like a mountain of knives. The roots and stems are intertwined. Sometimes they are hacked with axes, and sometimes they are burned with fire to open a road. Come. This morning, although the chief secretary was lucky, it was difficult for him to live without rice. They walked among the barren and scattered silica, not only hungry but also thirsty, and the weather was very hot.If they go on like this without food or drink, they will fall to the ground. At last, as luck came, they saw many skulls, filled with water like gourds, hanging from the branches of a coral-like shrub.Everyone drank in one breath and felt refreshed again. There is also something to eat.It is the kind of plant that the natives rely on to survive after eating up all the insects, snakes, birds and beasts. It is called Naerdou, and geographers have heard it mentioned by colleagues before.This plant is a cryptogamous plant in grasses, with leaves like alfalfa and buds growing under the leaves.The spores are as big as lentils, and when they are picked, they are smashed with stones and become flour.The rough bread made of this flour is also extraordinarily sweet for people who are dying.There are a lot of this kind of fruit, and Obir has stored a lot, so he doesn't have to worry about the food for the next few days. The next day, the 24th, Muradhi was able to walk on his own, and his wounds were completely healed.It was only sixteen kilometers away from Deleguit, and I stopped at the border of New South Wales that night, which happened to be 149 degrees east longitude. It rained continuously for several hours, and everyone's clothes were drenched through.The captain finally found a dilapidated wooden shed left by a sawman, and everyone went in to shelter from the rain.Wilson wanted to start a fire to bake Nall's bean flour bread, so he went out to pick up dead branches, but the dry wood he picked up couldn't be ignited anyway, because it contained a lot of alum, which couldn't be used as fuel at all.Learned geographers have said such things before in their Australian anecdotes. Therefore, the fire was not lit, and no one ate the dry and cold bread, and they all slept in wet clothes.Only the laughing birds on the tall branches sang, as if mocking the unfortunate seekers. After all, women are different from men. Although the two female guests pretended to be valiant, their physical strength was getting worse day by day.They are no longer walking, but dragging and crawling. However, the road always has an end.The next day, I set off at dawn and arrived at a small town in Delegit in Upper Wiss at eleven o'clock, 80 kilometers away from Tuff Bay. In Delegit, they quickly prepared the means of transportation.At this time, a flame of hope ignited in Jazz's heart again: if the Duncan is delayed a little, we can reach Tuff Bay within twenty-four hours, and the Duncan can still be saved. At noon, after having a good meal, everyone boarded a mail van and left the town.Five strong horses drove the mail car forward at a high speed. When the coachman heard that he would pay more for the wine if he was too fast, he went even further, without stopping.Every 16 kilometers is an hour, and each stop is no more than two minutes.At this moment, Jazz can't wait to become a bird and fly to the east coast quickly. The next day, when the sun was rising, the faint sound of sea water heralded that the destination was about to be reached.The mail came round the bay to the coast of the thirty-seventh parallel, where Austin was ordered to bring the ship. At this time, everyone's eyes are watching the sea, looking for hope.Hopefully, by some miracle, the Duncan will swim around there, as it did a month ago off Cape Corrente off the coast of Argentina.But the water and the sky are the same color, and there is no shadow of a sailboat on the vast sea. There is also a possibility that the wind may be too strong, and the ship cannot anchor outside the port, so it sails to Eden City, the inner port of Tuff Bay. Therefore, the Jazz ordered the mail car to turn right again, and headed for Eden City, which is eight kilometers away from here. The driver stopped not far from the fixed signal that marked the port.There were several boats moored at the pier, but the flag of Malcolm House was not seen. The jazz, the captain and the geographer got out of the car together, went to the customs, questioned the sailors, and checked the import registers of ships in the past few days. As a result, no ship has entered Tuff Bay for a week. Is it because the Duncan delayed its departure?Maybe we're ahead of them!Sir exclaimed that people don't want to think of despair, so they turned to this idea again. Captain Meng Geer shook his head, he knew that Austin would never delay the execution of orders. Whether it's good or bad, we always need to know the result, we can't be half-trusted like this!Greenervan said. A quarter of an hour later a telegram was sent to the Melbourne Marine Insurance Managers' Association.Then they boarded the mail coach and went to rest at the Victoria Hotel.At two o'clock in the afternoon Sir received a telegram which read as follows: Sir Glenarvan, Tuff Bay, Eden Town The Duncan sailed on the 18th of this month, whereabouts are unknown Andrew Andrew The telegram fell from Jazz's hand like a page to the ground. no doubt!The decent Scottish cruise ship has become a pirate ship, and the bandit leader Peng.Jues became its master! The transcontinental journey that had begun so optimistically ended in such despair!There seemed to be no trace of Captain Grant and his wrecked crew, a defeat so disastrous that it cost the lives of the entire fleet, and that Sir was too exhausted and helpless.This heroic seeker was not conquered by the natural disasters in the Banpass grasslands, but now the man-made disasters on the Australian mainland have subdued him.