Chapter 19 21.Controversy after the reunion

After returning to the ship, everyone was intoxicated with the joy of reunion.Sir Glenarvan didn't want to disappoint everyone because of the failure of the search, so the first sentence was: "Be confident! My friends, be confident! Although our search failed this time, we are sure to find Captain Grant." This assurance was necessary in order not to disappoint the two ladies, Lady Helene and Miss Mary. Indeed, when the small boat was slowly approaching the big ship, Mrs. Helen and Miss Mary had been waiting anxiously. They watched the returning people carefully on the top of the poop.Miss Mary was both happy and desperate, as if she saw her father.Her heart was beating so hard that she could not speak, nor could she stand firmly, but fortunately Mrs. Helene put her arms around her.Captain Mengele stood beside her, watching the boat in silence.The sailor's eyes were so sharp that they could see things clearly in the distance, but they couldn't see the shadow of Captain Grant.

"There he is! Here he is! My father!" murmured Miss Mary. However, the boat was getting closer and closer, and the illusion of deceiving myself was in vain.The returning passengers were less than 100 meters away from the big ship.Lady Helene and the captain saw that Captain Grant was not in the boat, and Mary herself felt hopeless with tears in her eyes.At that moment Sir Glenarvan arrived, and in time he gave them a reassurance, and comforted them with those words of confidence. After a hug, they told Lady Helene, Miss Mary, and Captain Menger about some of the unexpected hardships they had encountered in their land expedition.First, Sir Glenarvan mentioned that Paganel had given a new interpretation of that document with his keen wit.Then he praised little Robert, saying that he was brave and earnest, not afraid of the dangers he experienced, and that Miss Mary should be proud of having such a good brother.Sir's words made little Robert embarrassed, and he didn't know where to hide, but luckily his sister held him in her arms with open arms.

"Don't be ashamed, Robert," said Mengele, "that makes you look worthy of Captain Grant's son!" He lifted Robert up with both arms, and kissed his little face, which was still stained with Miss Mary's tears. Here we make a brief remark: MacNabbs and the geographer were warmly welcomed, and the generous Tarcaf was honorably spoken of.Lady Helene regretted not having the opportunity to shake the hand of the honest Indian.After a good deal of cheering, the major retired to his room and shaved with his quiet, steady hand.As for Paganel, he was like a bee, running here and there, looking for this and that, absorbing the honey of people's praises and smiles from all sides.He wanted to kiss the entire crew of the Duncan, including Mrs. Helen and Miss Mary.So he started with the two of them and kissed them one by one until he reached Mr. Aubier.

O'Bierre felt that there was no better way to thank him for his kindness, so he announced lunch. "Dinner is open!" cried Paganel. "Yes, sir!" O'Bill replied. "Is it really a good lunch! Is it really me sitting at the table alone? Are there any cutlery! Are there napkins!" asked Paganel incessantly. "Of course there is!" "So, don't you eat dried meat, simmered eggs, and ostrich ribs today?" "Sir, where did you start with this!" "I'm not trying to make fun of you, my friend," Paganel said with a smile. "You know, we have been eating these things for a month, and not sitting on the table, but lying on the ground, or riding on the branches. Therefore, you announced the meal, which is very important to me. , as if dreaming, telling a story, or dreaming!"

"Then we shall go and ascertain the authenticity of this luncheon, Mr. Barnegal," replied Lady Helene, and could not help laughing. "Let me take your arm," said the gallant geographer. "Has your excellency no orders for me about the Duncan?" asked the captain. "My dear Mengele," replied Sir, "we shall discuss our plans of exploration in leisure after lunch." The passengers and the captain of the cruise ship all came to the square hall.Mengele told the engineer to hold fire so that the ship could sail as soon as the order was given. After McNabbs shaved, the passengers also washed up quickly, and all gathered around the dining table.

The lunch prepared by the chief secretary, everyone laughed and said it was delicious, much better than the feast at the Banpass Grassland.Paganel took two servings of each dish, which he said was "due to carelessness". Speaking of carelessness, Lady Helene asked the lovely Frenchman if he had ever been guilty of it.The major and the sergeant looked at each other and smiled knowingly.Paganel, on the other hand, laughed, so innocently, and made a promise of honor that he would never be careless again, and then he told with relish what he had studied hard on Cammons and what the speaker did not understand. .

He finally added: "In short, if you suffer a loss, you will gain a wisdom. In fact, I did not suffer from that mistake." "What do you say, my venerable friend?" asked the major. "It's very simple! Thanks to this mistake, I can speak not only Spanish, but also Portuguese, which kills two birds with one stone." "It turns out that you can kill two birds with one stone!" replied the major. "Congratulations, I sincerely congratulate you on becoming bilingual." Everyone congratulated Paganel, but he ate without stopping.He ate and talked to people.But there was a secret that he didn't discover during the dinner, but was noticed by the Sir: that is, Captain Mengele sat beside Miss Mary and was extremely courteous to her.Lady Helene winked at her husband, saying, "It's always been like this!" Sir looked at the young couple with a sort of loving sympathy.He called Mengele sharply, but that was not what he was asking.

"Mengele, how is your voyage going?" "Very well," replied the captain, "however, we have not passed through the Strait of Magellan." "Okay!" cried the geographer, "I am not on board, you carry me around Cape Horn!" "Don't he regret not seeing Cape Horn, great geographer," said the sir, "how can you be in several places at once unless you have a double body? You have run across the Banpass grasslands, Can it round Cape Horn at the same time?" "Although it can't, it's a pity after all," the scholar retorted.

Everyone stopped teasing him to continue, and his words became the conclusion of this side issue.The captain continued to narrate their voyage.They followed the coast of America, surveyed all the islands to the west, and found no trace of the Britannia.Arriving at Cape Pilar, near the mouth of the Strait of Magellan, with a favorable wind, we sailed straight south.The Duncan then sailed along the islands of Soraciona up to the 67th parallel south, then rounded Cape Horn, followed Tierra del Fuego, crossed the Strait of Lemaire, and then followed the Patagonian coast. go north.When it sailed to a place at the same latitude as Cape Corinth, it encountered a storm. The strong wind also violently hit the team of Corinafan who was investigating on the Banpas grassland.But the cruise ship remained unharmed, and it sailed close to the coast for three days, anxiously awaiting their return, until it heard the gunshots.As for Lady Helene and Miss Mary, it would be very unfair if Captain Mengele did not respect them.Because they are not afraid in the face of stormy waves, although sometimes they show a little irritability, it is because their kind hearts are thinking of their friends who are traveling on the grasslands of Argentina!

Thus ended the captain's narrative, and Glenarvan rewarded him.Then, turning to Miss Mary, she said: "My dear lady, I find that Menger agrees with your views very much. I think you will not be in a hurry on his ship." "How could it be?" replied the young lady, looking at Mrs. Helen, and seemed to be looking at the young captain at the same time. "Ah! my sister is very fond of you, Mr. Captain," cried Mary's brother, "and I am very fond of you." "I love you too, my dear children," answered the captain.The child was a little embarrassed by this, and Miss Mary flushed.In order to change the subject, the captain went on to say: "I have finished talking about the voyage of the Duncan. Can you tell me the details of the journey across the American continent and the deeds of our little hero?"

Nothing Lady Helene and Miss Mary loved to hear more than this.Therefore, Jazz quickly satisfied their curiosity.In detail, scene after scene, he narrates the journey between the two oceans.Climbing the Andes, encountering an earthquake, Robert disappears, the vulture captures him, Tarcave shoots, a fierce battle with the red wolf, the child's sacrifice, Sergeant Manuel, the flood, in Refuge in the "ombi" tree, lightning strike dead tree, tree fire, crocodile, hurricane, night on the shore of the Atlantic, all this, whether pleasant or terrible, is told exactly to the delight of the audience , suddenly shocked.There are many times in the narrative that Robert is comforted by his sister and Lady Helene.Never before had a child been given so many hugs and kisses as he was doing right now. After Sir finished his narration, he added another sentence: "Now, my friends, think of the present; the past is past, the future is ours, and let us talk of Captain Grant whom we are looking for." Lunch is over.They all ran into Lady Helene's little drawing room, and sat down around a table.The table is piled with colorful maps, and the conversation starts right away. "My dear Helen," said Sir, "I told you when I came aboard: the wrecked crew of the Britannia did not come back with us, but we had every hope of finding them. We ran across America The result of this trip is to give people such confidence, or more properly, such a certainty that the shipwreck was neither on the Pacific coast nor on the Atlantic coast. In short, we misunderstood the meaning of the document , about the interpretation of Patagonia being completely wrong. Thanks to the geographer Paganel, who had a good idea, found the error, and reinterpreted the document, so there should be no more doubts in our minds. He took The French document was used to explain it. In order to make everyone feel more at ease, we will ask him to explain it again. Paganel accepted the request and spoke at once.He speaks the two completely different words gonie and incli very well.Paganel effectively explained the word "Australie" from the word austral. He proved that when Captain Grant left the coast of Peru and returned to Europe, he might have been drifted by the westerly wind to the coast of Oceania due to the failure of the ship's machinery. .In the end, his ingenious assumptions and fine reasoning convinced the stubborn captain, who was not easily deceived by fantasy, to fully agree with this point of view. After the geographer had finished speaking, Sir announced that the Duncan was sailing for Oceania. At this point, Major McNabbs asked for a small comment before ordering to turn around and sail east. "Speak," said Glenarvan. "It is not my intention to undercut our friend Paganel's argument, much less to overthrow it," said McNabbs. It serves as the basis for our future investigations. Therefore, I hope that you will make one last scrutiny on these documents, in order to reach a level where there is nothing to criticize and no one to criticize." Everyone didn't know what kind of medicine was sold in the gourd of the cautious major, and they were a little disturbed to hear his words. "Go on, Major," said the Geographer, "I am ready to answer all your questions." "My question is very simple," McNabbs said. "When we were studying these three documents in Clyde Bay five months ago, I felt that the meaning we explained was very clear. Except Patagoni On the east coast of Asia, there is no other coast that can be assumed as the site of the wreck. We have not even the shadow of a doubt about this." "You are right," said Sir. "Afterwards," continued MacNabbs, "Paganel boarded our ship carelessly, as if by accident, and we showed him the papers, and he unreservedly agreed with our search on the coast of America." "I agree with you, sir!" replied the geographer. "However, we were headed in the wrong direction," McNabbs said. "Yes, but we are going in the wrong direction," said the geographer, imitating him.Then he shouted: "However, people are bound to make mistakes. If you make mistakes and keep making mistakes, you are a complete fool." "While I have finished, Mr. Expert," replied the major, "don't be so hasty. I am by no means asking to keep searching in America." At this time, the jazz couldn't wait any longer: "Then what are you talking about?" "Nothing else, I just want you to admit one thing. As long as you admit that now Oceania seems to be the accident site of the Britannia, which is the same as America back then." It's as obvious as if it were where Captain Grant's ship was wrecked." "Of course we do," replied the geographer. "Now that I admit it," McNabbs continued, "I'll tell you based on your words: your imagination seems to be too rich. One thing is obvious today, and the other is obvious tomorrow. Today's obvious negates yesterday. Tomorrow's obviousness will negate today's again. If this cycle goes on like this, who can guarantee that after we finish searching Oceania, we will find the New World as obvious as America and Oceania? Who can guarantee that if we fail to search Oceania, you will Do you think you should go to the obvious place to look for it?" The jazz and the geographer looked at each other, unable to say a word.McNabbs was so right that they were amazed. Then McNabbs said: "Therefore, I request that we make one last verification before setting sail for Oceania. Here are the papers and maps. Study again the various points that the 37th latitude line passes through, and see See if it's marked elsewhere in the file." "That is too easy, and does not take long," replied the geographer, "for fortunately, this line of latitude passes through very little land." "Let's just study it," McNabbs said, opening a flat map of the earth printed in the British version of the Mercate (geographer in Flanders) projection, and the entire terrain is presented to everyone. before. The map was placed in front of Mrs. Helen, everyone gathered together to find a suitable location, and listened to the geography expert's explanation based on the map. "As I have told you," said Paganel, "after the thirty-seventh parallel passes through South America, there is the Quenya Islands of Tristan. I don't think there is a single word in the document connected with the name of the islands." of." After careful examination, everyone had to admit that the geographer was right, and they unanimously dropped the archipelago. "Further down," continued Paganel, "out of the Atlantic, we reach the Cape of Good Hope, two degrees below thirty-seven degrees, and then we enter the Indian Ocean. We can only encounter the Amsterdam Islands on our way. We Check the papers again, just like Torres explored the Quenya Islands." Everyone searched carefully again.In the end, the Amsterdam Islands were also abandoned.The English, French and German documents, complete or incomplete, have nothing to do with this group of islands in the Indian Ocean. "Now we have reached Oceania," said the geographer again, "the 37th parallel passes through the Australian mainland, enters from Baiyijiao, and exits from Tufu Bay. I think you, like me, think that the stra and stra in the English document The austral in the French document, obviously, is suitable for the word Australia (Australie). I don't need to say more." Soon everyone was in favor of the geographer's conclusion.The possibility of the location of the accident was concentrated on him. "Look further ahead," McNabbs said. "Looking further," replied Paganel, "it is easy to travel on a map. The strait that leaves Tufu Bay and passes through the strait to the east of Oceania is the island country of New Zealand. First of all, I would like to remind everyone that the continent on French documents The word refers to the meaning of the mainland. Because New Zealand is only a small island, it is impossible for Captain Grant to escape to it. Even so, we need to study more, compare, and examine every word repeatedly to see if there is any It's a New Zealand possibility." "Impossible!" replied the captain immediately. "I have carefully examined the papers and maps." "Impossible," said the others, including the major, "impossible, without New Zealand." "Now," continued Paganel, "between the island of New Zealand and the vast seas off the coast of America, the 37th parallel passes only one deserted and inhabited island." "What's it called?" asked McNabbs. "Look at the map. It's called Maria Theresa Island. I can't find any trace of this name in these three documents." "Yes, indeed there are no traces," replied Sir. "Therefore, friends, come to discuss whether it is possible, if not sure, to be on the Australian mainland?" "That's obvious!" All the passengers and the captain agreed in unison. So the Sir asked: "Mengele, is there enough coal and oil?" "Enough, Your Excellency, I have replenished in large quantities at Talcahuano, and we can easily replenish fuel when we reach the Cape of Good Hope." "Okay then, sail to..." "I have another comment," McNabbs interrupted the Sir. "Go ahead, Mr. Major." "No matter what Oceania can do to ensure our success, won't we stop for a day in Telis to explore Quenya and Amsterdam? These two islands are on our sailing route, no need to turn around, and maybe we can search for the Britannia sunken traces there." "Suspicious Major, you are still stubborn," cried the Geographer.