Chapter 16 18.terrible flood

Fort Independence is about 240 kilometers away from the Atlantic Ocean.Barring unforeseen delays—the possibility of such delays is indeed small, Glenarvan and his party will be able to rendezvous with the Duncan in four days.However, did his search all fail like this?Go back to the ship alone without finding Captain Grant?This is always very unsatisfactory.So, next day, Glenarvan had no intention of giving the order to depart.It was the major who took the responsibility for him: he prepared the horses, bought the rations, and made the itinerary.As a result of his active activity the little caravan descended the grassy slopes of Mount Tandil at eight o'clock in the morning.

Golinarvan took Robert with him, and galloped without a word.His courageous character did not allow him to accept such defeat with equanimity.His heart was beating so hard that it almost burst out, and his head was as hot as a fire.Exasperated by the difficulty of the document, Paganel turned over the words one by one, trying to find a new interpretation.Takaf remained silent, letting Taojia take the lead.The major was always confident and determined to do what he should do, as if he didn't know what it was to be disappointed.Austin and his two sailors shared the master's gloom.Once a cowardly hare scuttled ahead of them on a mountain road, and the two superstitious Scotch sailors glanced at each other.

"Bad omen," Wilson said. "Yes, on high ground, it's a bad omen." Mulla replied. "It's a bad omen in the Highlands, and it's not a good omen here," Wilson retorted with a serious air. In the evening the travellers, passing through the mountains of Tandil, reentered the great rolling plain that runs straight to the coast.Here and there you meet clear streams that irrigate the fertile soil and disappear among the tall pastures.The ground appeared flat again, just as the sea returned to calm after a storm, the last hills of the Pampa region of Argentina were gone, and the monotonous grasslands laid a long green blanket under the horseshoes.Until then, the weather has been sunny.However, on this day, the weather was a little unreliable.The large water vapor produced by the high temperature in the past few days has condensed into dark clouds, indicating that it may turn into a downpour at any time.Moreover, the area is adjacent to the Atlantic Ocean, and the westerly wind is often blowing, making the climate particularly humid.As soon as people come to the local fertile land, rich pastures and green pastures, they will know the high humidity in the air.On this day, though, the big dark clouds haven't turned into downpours, at least.At night, after the horse briskly ran 65 kilometers in one breath, it rested beside some deep pits.There is no cover in that place.Each person's "canopy" is used as a tent and bedding at the same time.Everyone fell asleep under the stormy sky. Fortunately, the storm was just a bluff, and it didn't actually come.

The next day, the plain gradually became lower, and the underground water was gradually revealed.Moisture seeps from every pore of the soil.Before long, there are large ponds, deep, shallow, or forming, blocking the way to the east.As long as it is a swamp with a clear edge and no water and grass, the horses are not difficult to handle.But once you encounter those flowing mud nests called "pendangdang", it will be difficult. The deep grass covers the mud surface, and the danger is not realized until it sinks. These mud nests have killed countless people and animals.Robert, who had been walking the first half a mile, suddenly came back calling:

"Monsieur Paganel! Monsieur Paganel! There's a forest full of horns!" "What?" the scholar replied, "You saw a forest with bull horns?" "Yes, a small clump." "A little jungle, you're dreaming, my boy." Paganel retorted, shrugging. "I'm not dreaming," continued Robert, "come and see for yourself! It's a strange place! It grows horns in the field, and the horns look like wheat! I'd like to get some seeds to take home!" "He said it very seriously," said the major. "It's serious, Mr. Major, just go and see."

Robert was right. After walking a short distance, everyone saw a large field of horns. The horns were planted neatly, and the edge could not be seen at a glance. It was really a small jungle, low and dense, which was really strange. "Should it be true?" "What a strange thing," said Paganel, looking back at the Indian, asking him for advice. "The horns stick out of the ground, but the cow is underneath," Tarcaf explained. "What? A herd of cows stuck in the mud?" Paganel exclaimed. "Yes." Tarcaf replied. Sure enough, a large herd of cattle trampled the land, sank and died: hundreds of cattle smothered to death in this mudflat.This kind of thing sometimes happens on the Argentine plains, Takaf will not be unaware, and it is also a warning to pedestrians to be on guard.Everyone bypassed the dead cow beach.Among them, there were so many dead cows that it was enough to satisfy the most demanding gods in ancient times for a grand sacrifice of a hundred cows.After walking for an hour, the ox horn field was 2 kilometers behind.

Takaf observed the situation around him, feeling a little anxious in his heart, feeling that everything was unusual.He often stopped and stood on horseback, and his tall stature allowed him to see far.But I couldn't see why, so I had to move on.After walking for more than 1 kilometer, he stopped again, left the straight line, went north for a while, then went south for several kilometers, and then came back to lead the team without saying anything.In this way he stopped several times, leaving Paganel bewildered and Glenarvan agitated.He asked the scholar to ask Tarcaf, which Paganel complied.

Tarcaf replied that he was astonished to see the plain so soaked with water, that he had never walked through such wet grounds since he had been a guide.Even in the heavy rain season, there are still dry roads in the wilderness of Argentina. "Then what is the cause of the increasing humidity?" asked Paganel. "I don't know that, and, if I do know..." "Are those mountain streams full of rain and never flood?" "Sometimes flooded." "Perhaps the mountain stream is flooding now?" "Perhaps!" said Tarcaf. Paganel had to be content with this indeterminate answer, and told Sir the result of the conversation.

"What does Tarcaf advise us to do?" asked Glenarvan. "What shall we do?" Paganel asked Tarcaf. "Hurry up and go." This advice is easy to say, but not so easy to do.Horses walk on soft ground, always sinking, and get tired quickly, and the ground is getting lower and lower. This part of the plain can be said to be a boundless depression, and more and more water will soon accumulate. deep.Therefore, when this flat plain is about to become a great lake, the most important thing is to cross it without delay. Everyone stepped up.But it was not enough for the great beaches to unfurl under the horses' hoofs one by one, and towards two o'clock the cataracts of the sky poured down, and the tropical rain poured down on the plain.This is the best opportunity for anyone who wants to show the so-called "the strong wind and the rain are not fascinated".In such a place where there is no shelter under the pouring rain, I have to grit my teeth and let it rain. The "canopy" has become a ditch, and the water on the hat is like a gutter full of water at the side of the house, rushing straight to the "canopy"; the tassels on the saddle have become a water net; As soon as the horse's hoof stepped on it, there was a big splash of water, and the rider was running in the midst of the two floods of the sky and the ground.That's how they were, terribly cold, frozen, and exhausted, and they arrived at a broken "pen" in the evening.This "pen" is called a lodging only by those who have no regard for comfort, and only travelers in distress are willing to enter it for lodging.Glenarvan and his party had no choice.So they all crouched in this abandoned shack where not even the poorest Indian in Pampa would want to live.With great difficulty, a fire was lit with grass, and the heat of the fire was not as low as the moist smoke from the fire.It was raining heavily outside in bursts, and it fell crazily, and large drops of water leaked from the roof of the rotten grass.The fire was wet with water, and I don't know how many times it was extinguished, and I don't know how many times Murady and Wilson tried to light it again.The dinner was simple and not nutritious, which made everyone feel sad.No one has a good appetite.Only the major was worthy of the soggy dry meat, and he would not spare a bite.The unflappable major was indifferent to the blows of any circumstance.As for Paganel, who was a Frenchman through and through, he wanted to tell a joke at this moment.But everyone couldn't laugh.

"My jokes got wet today, and they didn't explode!" he said. Because the only thing that can be forgiven in this environment is sleep.So everyone turned to dreamland for a moment of peace.The weather was terrible that night. The wooden boards of the "pens" slammed, as if they were about to break.The whole "pen shed" was blown crookedly by the strong wind, and almost flew away with the wind.Horses: let the wind and rain blow and moan outside, and their owners are no more comfortable than them even though they have a shabby house to cover them.Even so, drowsiness finally defeated the heavy rain.Robert closed his eyes first, and fell his head on Sir Glenarvan's shoulder.After a while, the others also fell asleep under the protection of God.

It was as if God had guarded us well, and the night was safe and sound.In the morning, people woke up to Taojia's call.The horse, usually awake, is neighing outside now, kicking its hooves against the walls of the shed.Even without Tarcaf, it would have signaled for departure if necessary.People have always relied heavily on it, so they will not disobey it.As soon as it calls, everyone is on the road.The rain has subsided, but the non-absorbent ground still retains water, everywhere is yellow mud that water cannot seep into, and there are puddles, swamps and ponds all over it, and they all overflow, forming a large area of ​​"ba". Nado", unpredictable.Paganel looked at his map, and remembered that the Great River and the Vevarata River, which usually absorb the water from the plain, must now be flooded, and the two riverbeds together should be several kilometers wide. Must move forward at top speed now.This is about the safety of all.If the flood water rises further, where can we go to shelter?Looking at the surrounding sky, there is no high ground to be seen. This flat field, once the flood comes in, it will flow very quickly. Therefore, the horse is urged to run forward desperately.Taojia took the lead. It was more powerful than some large-finned amphibians and qualified to be called a seahorse because it jumped in the water as if it had always been a boat living in the water. Suddenly, around 10 o'clock in the morning, Taojia became very irritable.It often turns its head towards the boundless flat area to the south, its hissing grows longer and its nostrils suck in the turbulent air vigorously.It jumped up violently, and although Tarcaf could not be thrown off the saddle, it was difficult to control.The foam around Taojia's mouth was covered with blood, because the bit was too tightly reined in, but the fierce horse still refused to calm down. Its owner felt that if he let go of the rein, he would use all his strength. fled to the north. "What's the matter with Toka?" Paganel asked, "The leeches in Argentina are very powerful. Didn't he get bitten by a leech?" "No." Tarcaf said. "Then, what danger did it feel, frightened." "Yes, it senses danger." "What danger?" "I don't know." Taojia guessed the danger, if the human eye has not seen it, at least the ear has heard it.Sure enough, there was a faint surging sound, like a rising tide, coming from outside the sky.The wet wind blows in gusts, carrying dusty spray.Many birds flew through the sky, as if evading some inexplicable phenomenon.The horse was half-legged in the water, already feeling the first wave of the flood.After a while, there was a horrific yelling, bull roaring and horse neighing, and they rolled and crawled in disorder, rushing northward desperately, at an astonishing speed.Even if there were hundreds of long whales tossing in the ocean, they would not set off such a violent wave. "Quick! Quick!" cried Tarcaf. "What's the matter?" Paganel asked. "Flood! Flood!" replied Tarcaf, spurring his horse and galloping northward. "The flood is flooding!" Paganel exclaimed, and all his companions, led by him, also galloped northward with Toka. It's time to run.Sure enough, 8 kilometers to the south, a high and wide wave poured down on the plain, and the plain immediately turned into a vast ocean.The tall grass was gone, as if it had been cut.The mimosa uprooted by the waves floats on the water, forming many floating islands.This torrent is a row of tall and thick water curtains, carrying irresistible power.Apparently, some of the great rivers in the Pampa area have burst, perhaps because the Colorado River in the north and the Negro River in the south flooded at the same time and merged into one huge river bed. Takaf told: The head of the white waves is rushing at the speed of a fast horse.The travelers fled ahead, like a storm driving a cloud, and the water head was chasing after it with ferocious momentum.He looked everywhere with his eyes, but he couldn't find a place to hide.To the horizon, the sky and the water are mixed together.The horse was overly frightened and ran wildly, and the rider managed to grab the saddle.Glenarvan often looked back. "The water is coming to us," he kept thinking. "Quick! Quick!" Tarcaf kept calling. But everyone stepped up to press the poor mount.The spurs rubbed against the horse's belly, and the blood dripped on the water, forming red lines.The horses almost fell over the cracks in the ground.They sometimes get tangled up in the grass at the bottom and can barely walk.The horse fell down, and the man immediately pulled it up; fell down again, and pulled it up again.Seeing that the water is rising, the long wave indicates that the head of the torrent is about to attack. The distance is less than 2-3 kilometers, and the snow-like waves are jumping on the head.Man avoids water, water chases man, and man struggles tenaciously with this most terrible disaster for a quarter of an hour.Everyone just ran away, and no one knew how many ways they had escaped.Judging by the speed, there are quite a few ways to escape.However, the horse had been flooded up to its chest, and it was already very difficult to run.Glenarvan, Paganel, and Austin all felt that their lives were lost, as if a ship had sunk in the sea and had to wait to die.Gradually, the horse's hoof could no longer reach the bottom. If the water was nearly 2 meters deep, the horse would drown.It is indescribable how anxious and distressed the eight people under the flood were.Facing such natural disasters that cannot be resisted by manpower, they feel that they are too powerless and insignificant.Their safety is no longer in their own hands. After another five minutes, the horse was already afloat and swimming.With incomparable power, the water drags the horses at a galloping speed, advancing 32 kilometers in one hour. When everything seemed hopeless, the major's voice was suddenly heard. "a tree!" "Where is it?" cried Glenarvan. "There, there!" Tarcaf replied while he pointed to a tall walnut tree isolated in the water 700-800 meters away to the north. Traveling companions do not need to be urged.This wonderful tree must be seized no matter what.Horses may not reach that tree, but at least man can be saved.The rapids are constantly moving forward against people and horses.Suddenly, Austin's horse disappeared with a long cry.Austin quickly got rid of the stirrups and began to swim delicately. "Grab my saddle," the ser called to him. "Thanks, ser, my arm is still strong." "How is your horse, Robert?" the Sir turned to Young Grant again. "He's doing it, ser! He's doing it! Swimming like a fish!" "Be careful!" cried the major. Before this sentence was finished, the big wave of the flood had arrived.A huge wave 1 meter high, with a sound like thunder, rushed towards the few fleeing people.One by one, people and horses rolled into a maelstrom of foam splashing, and their shadows disappeared.Millions of tons of water rolled them back and forth in crazy waves.When the wave was over, everyone came up and counted each other quickly.But what about the horses?Except for Taojia who was still carrying his master on his back, the rest disappeared without a trace. "Be brave! Be brave!" cried Golinarvan, supporting Paganel with one hand, while paddling with the other. "Success! Succeed!" replied the venerable scholar, "I don't dislike this..." What don't you hate?God knows!The poor wretch drank a mouthful of muddy water, and swallowed even the half sentence.The major advanced calmly.He paddled the water in a very standard way from left to right, even the swimming coach could not compare with him.The two sailors were swimming in the water like dolphins in the sea.As for Robert, he took Toka by the mane and let him drag him.Taojia heroically split the raging waves, and instinctively followed the rushing waves towards the big tree, never leaving the direction of the tree. Only 20 meters away from the tree.After a while, everyone went to the tree.What a fluke!Because, if it weren't for this shelter, everyone would never be saved, and would have to die in Boxin! The water is coming up to the top of the trunk, where the big branches start to grow, so clinging is easy.Tarcaf left his horse and took Robert up.First he climbed up, and then by his strong arms he drew his weary companions up the tree, and put them in a safe place.But Taojia was swept away by the torrent.It turned its wise head toward its master, and, shaking his long mane, called to him with a neigh. "You lost it!" Paganel said to Tarcave. "How could I have lost it!" Tarcaf exclaimed. With a "plop", he got into the torrent, and only came out of the water ten meters away from the tree.After a while, his arm was around Taojia's neck, and he and his horse drifted away towards the boundless sky in the north.