Chapter 15 17.Commander of Fort Independence

Tandil Mountain is more than 300 meters above sea level and is the oldest mountain range.It is a series of hills, covered with green grass, arranged in a semicircle.This district is a county, called Tandil, which includes the whole of the southern part of the province of Buenos Aires, and is bounded by the mountainside from which to the north flow many rivers that spring from the mountain town.There are about 4,000 inhabitants in this county, and the county seat is the village of Tandil, which is built at the foot of the northern hills and is protected by Fort Independence.Its location is good because there is a rather important tributary of the Shabarev River.Another point, very peculiar and strange, but which Paganel knew well, was that the village was inhabited entirely by French Basques and Italian immigrants.The reason: the first few colonies in this area of ​​the lower reaches of the La Palata River were established by the French. In 1828, in order to resist the frequent Indian invasions, this Independence Fort was built under the leadership of the French Balshapu.In this project he was assisted in this project by the first-class scholar Daubigny, who knew, studied and described the conditions of the South American countries in the most detail.

Tandil Village is a very important stronghold.It uses local bullock carts as a means of transportation to and from Buenos Aires. It only takes 12 days for a big bullock cart to run, so the commerce and trade here are flourishing.The goods transported from the village to the provincial capital include livestock raised in large pastures, bacon marinated in slaughterhouses, and Indian handicrafts, such as cotton cloth, woolen fabrics, and various rare goods woven by cobblers, etc.Also, the village not only has some fairly comfortable houses, but also some schools and churches. After Paganel gave everyone a detailed introduction, he added: No information will be obtained here, and the castle is often garrisoned by troops.So Glenarvan chose a rather handsome brigade to live in, and led the horses to the stables.Then, he, Paganel, the major, and Robert, under the guidance of Tarcaf, walked towards Fort Independence.After climbing the hill for a few minutes, they arrived at the gate of the fort. An Argentine sentinel stood at the gate, guarding it lazily.They walked past easily, which shows that the defenses are very lax, otherwise the place is extremely safe.

At this time, several soldiers were practicing in the open field of the fort.The oldest is only 20 years old, and the youngest is less than seven years old.To be honest, it was just a dozen or so children and teenagers. They were dancing with guns and knives, and they looked very decent.Their uniform was a shirt made of striped cloth fastened close to the body with belts.As for the trousers, neither trousers nor shorts nor Scottish kilts.Paganel made a good first impression of a government that refused to spend money on fancy uniforms.Those child soldiers each wore a breech-loading gun and a saber. The gun seemed too heavy and the knife seemed too long, because they were too small.Their faces were all tanned, and they all looked alike.The coach and platoon leader who commanded them also had exactly the same face as them.They were about 12 brothers performing the general exercises under the command of a big brother. Later, when asked about the facts, it was true.

Paganel was not surprised by this.He was familiar with Argentine statistical mathematics and knew that the average Argentine family had more than nine children.But what surprised him was that these little soldiers were doing French-style exercises, and the main charge movements divided into 12 programs were all done very accurately, and the coach's orders were often issued in the geographer's French language. . "That's strange!" he said. But Golinavan did not come to Fort Independence to watch the child soldiers drill, let alone to study their nationality and origin.He therefore did not allow Paganel time to remain in astonishment, and begged him to speak to the chief of the garrison at once.Paganel complied, and one of the soldiers set off towards a small house used as a camp.After a while, the Commander himself came out.A man about fifty years old, with a strong physique, military demeanor, a stiff mustache, high cheekbones, gray hair, piercing eyes, and puffs of smoke from a short pipe , This is what it looks like through the smoke.His manner reminded Paganel of the self-contained demeanor of old French junior officers.

Tarcaf introduced Sir Glenarvan and his party to the Commander.While he was talking, the Commandant kept looking at Paganel, staring, embarrassingly, and leaving our scholar bewildered as to what the old soldier was up to.He was about to ask him, when the man took his hand unceremoniously, and asked in French with joyful tones: "French?" "Yes! French!" "Ah! I'm so happy! Welcome! Welcome! I'm French too." The Commander repeated, shaking the scholar's arm with an indescribable amount of strength. "A friend of yours?" the major asked Paganel.

"Isn't it!" he answered proudly. "We have friends on five continents." Paganel's hand was almost crushed, and he finally struggled to free it from the vise-like grip, and then began to have a formal conversation with Commander Hercules.Glenarvan would have liked to have put in a word or two, and asked him what he wanted to know, but the Commander was reciting his history, and seemed very reluctant to be interrupted.From his account, it was known that this bold soldier had left France a long time ago.The language of the motherland is no longer so proficient. Although the characters have not been forgotten, at least the grammar rules are not well remembered.He spoke French almost as well as the Negroes in the French colonies.It turned out that the commander of Fort Independence was a sergeant of the French army and was once a partner of Balshapur. This is what the passengers learned from him.

Since the completion of Fort Independence in 1838, he has never left Fort Independence, and now he is approved by the Argentine government to command the fort.He was fifty years old, a Basque man, and his name was Manuel Ifaraguerre.Although he is not a Spaniard, he has his own way of coping: he became an Argentine citizen a year after he arrived here, served in the Argentine army, and married an Indian as his wife, and the Indian lady was nursing her. With a pair of 6-month-old twins.Naturally, both twins were boys, since the lady was determined not to have daughters.Manuel, who had never known a career other than being a soldier, hoped that in the future he would dedicate himself to a company of young soldiers in the Republic.

"You see!" said he, "everyone is lovely! Good soldiers! Joseph! John! Mikael!Double!Double is only 7 years old!Already know how to shoot! " Hearing his father's praise, the child raised his two little feet, stood at attention, and raised his gun in a very good posture. "He has a future! One day, he will be promoted to colonel and division commander!" the commander said again. The commander was very happy. The career of a soldier is indeed above all else. The future of the general's son is indeed limitless, and no one can refute him.He was very happy, as Goethe said, "Everything that makes people happy is nothing but dreams."

This series of histories lasted for a quarter of an hour, which surprised Tarcaf: how could so many words be said in one mouth!When the commander was speaking, no one interrupted him.But a sergeant, even a French sergeant, always stops talking, and at last he stops, and before he stops, he invites his guests to follow him to his lodgings.The guests found it hard to refrain from the hospitality, and were compelled to see the Commander's wife, who was "popular," if that term can be used for an Indian woman. After everyone accepted his invitation, the commander asked the distinguished guests what kind of wind brought them to "my place".This is the opportunity to get down to business, otherwise I am afraid we will never be able to talk about the topic.Paganel recounted in French his journey across the Pampa, and finally asked why the Indians had left the prairies. "Ah!... There is no one left!..." The Commander replied, shrugging his shoulders, "Really!... There is no one left!... We have nothing to do but hold our hands together... There is nothing to do! "

"What is the reason?" "It's a war." "fight?" "Yes! My family hit my family..." "My family beating my own family?..." Paganel repeated, unconsciously adopting Negro French. "Yes, the Paraguayans fought the Buenos Aires." "What about after the fight?" "After the beating, the Indians went north, after General Flores. Indians, robbers." "Where are the chiefs?" "The Chief is with them." "What! Chief Catley Earl..." "No." "nor." "And Janstruz?"

"No more." After this answer was translated to Tarcaf, he nodded, indicating that the commander was right.It turned out that Tarcaf didn't know or forgot that there was a civil war at this moment.This civil war later also led to the intervention of Brazil, which resulted in many deaths on both sides of the civil war in the Argentine Republic.This kind of fratricidal war is a good opportunity for the Indians, and they will not miss this opportunity and not take advantage of it. Therefore, the northern provinces of Argentina are fighting civil wars, and there is no one in the Panpa area.These two things, one cause and one effect, the sergeant was not wrong at all.However, this national event completely overturned Glenarvan's plan, and what he originally planned to do could not be done.is not that right?If Harry Grant had been held captive by the chiefs, he must have been taken into the North Front.That being the case, where to find him?And how to find him?Should we go all the way to the northern border of the prairie in a dangerous and almost useless search?This approach will have serious consequences and must be seriously discussed. At this time, there was another important question that could be asked to the sergeant, but unfortunately everyone was relatively silent, so they forgot about it. It was thanks to the major that he remembered: "Sergeant, have you ever heard that Europeans have been taken prisoner by the Indian chiefs in Panpa?" Manuel thought for a while, like a man trying to search his memory. "Yes," he finally replied. "Ah!" exclaimed Glenarvan, catching a new hope. Golinarvan, Paganel, McNabbs, and Ropar all surrounded the sergeant. "Please speak! Please speak!" Everyone urged him, looking at him longingly. "That was a few years ago," Manuel replied. "Yeah, . . . yes . . . European captives . . . but never seen . . . " "A few years ago," said Glenarvan, "you remember wrongly, you remember wrongly... The date of the shipwreck is correct, it was in June 1862... so it was less than two years." "Ah! More than two years, sir." "Impossible," cried Paganel. "Indeed, it was more than two years. It was when Bei Bei was born... There were 2 people." "No, it's three people!" Golinavan said. "Two people," the sergeant refuted again in an affirmative tone. "Two people!" repeated Glenarvan, surprised. "Two Englishmen?" "No," replied the Sergeant. "Who said Englishmen? No...a Frenchman and an Italian." "An Italian was killed by the Bausches, was it not?" cried Paganel. "Exactly! I found out later... that the Frenchman was saved." "Saved!" cried little Robert, whose whole life seemed to hang on the sergeant's words. "Yes, from the Indians," replied Manuel. Everyone was looking at the scholar, who patted his forehead, looking disappointed. "Ah! I see," said the scholar at last, "everything is clear, everything can be explained!" "What is it all about?" asked Glenarvan, anxious and uneasy. "Friends," replied Bagal, taking Robert's hand, "we will bear with patience this great misfortune! We have taken the wrong lead! It is not Captain Grant who is captured here, but one of my countrymen, who My companion was Marco Vacilo, who was indeed killed by the Bausches. My compatriots followed those cruel Indians to the Colorado River several times, and were lucky enough to escape from them out, and back in France again. We were on the trail of Harry Grant, and now we're on the trail of the young Genard." This statement elicited a deep silence.The error is most evident: the details given by the sergeant, the nationality of the captive, the murder of his companions, and the escape from the Indians, all agree with each other and prove the error beyond doubt. Glenarvan looked at Tarcaf with disappointment.Then the Indian asked the sergeant again: "Have you never heard that three Englishmen were captured?" "Never," replied Manuel, "if so, Tandil should be heard Speaking of... I'm sure I'll know... no, there's no such thing..." After hearing this straightforward answer, Glenarvan no longer needed to stay at Fort Independence.He and his friends took their leave, thanking the sergeant and shaking hands with him. It grieved Glenarvan to see his hopes so shattered.Robert walked beside him, silent, with tears on the verge of tears.Glenarvan could not find a word to comfort him.Paganel was talking to himself, gesticulating.The major's lips did not move.As for Tarcafe, he felt that he had taken a wrong lead and that his Indian pride was being hurt, and he also looked displeased.In fact, this mistake is quite forgivable, and no one thought of blaming him. Everyone went back to the hotel. Dinner was sluggish.Of course, these people were all brave and enthusiastic, and none of them regretted so much meaningless hard work and so many risks in vain.But everyone felt that all hope of success had suddenly been shattered.Will Captain Grant still be found between Tandy Hill and the coast?Impossible.Sergeant Manuel would not fail to receive information should any captive fall into the hands of the Indians on the Atlantic coast.Those Indians who frequently traveled between Tandil and Carmen, and traded at the mouth of the Nero, could not fail to notice such incidents.We know that those who do business on the plains of Argentina pass the news to each other, and that anyone who does business knows anything.Now, since there was no news of Grant, there was only one thing possible: to rendezvous with the Duncan immediately at the appointed place at Medano Point. However, Paganel asked Glenarvan for the document that unfortunately caused the mistake of this search, and he re-studied it with a stomach full of displeasure.He struggled to find a new explanation. "This document is quite obvious!" repeated Glenarvan. "It is absolutely true as to the passage of Captain Grant's wreck, and the place where he was taken prisoner!" "Eh! Not necessarily!" replied the geographer, tapping the table. "A hundred not! Since Harry Grant is not in the Panpa, he is not in America. Where is he at all? The paper should tell us, and It will tell us; my friends, if I don't find out, I won't be called Jacques Paganel!"