Chapter 29 32.mole in the caravan

"There are unpredictable things in the sky", at two o'clock in the night, dark clouds rolled in the sky, lightning flashed and thunder rumbled, and it began to rain heavily.The tents couldn't keep out the rain, so the gentlemen had to hide in the ox carts.No one could sleep, so they had to talk casually about trivial matters, except the major, who was silent and listened quietly.The rain never ceased, and this storm might cause the Snowy River to flood.The ground was soft, the wheels had sunk deeply in the mud, and it would be even worse if the river flooded again.So Mudira, Ayrton, and the captain ran to check the water level frequently, and when they came back, their clothes were soaked.

The rain stopped at dawn, but the sun did not peek out of the clouds.The muddy yellow water of the big beach is everywhere, like a rotten pond.Hot mist billowed from the damp ground, and the humidity in the air had reached its mild level, uncomfortably damp. Jazz's main concern was the car, and getting the car out of the mud was a top priority.They went to look at the heavy vehicle, half of the wheel was stuck to the mud, it was not easy to get it out, even with the strength of oxen, horses and people, it was not too much. "Anyway, it's got to be done quickly, this hole is getting deeper and deeper," Mengele said.

"Then do it," replied Ayrton. So Sir, his two sailors, the captain, and Ayrton all went into the wood, to fetch the horses and oxen which had been tethered the night before. It was a desolate gum forest.There are towering dead trees in the forest, and there is one tree far away. It seems that the bark has peeled off for nearly a hundred years, just like the European cork tree peels off its bark during the harvest season.They are about 20 meters high, with bare branches stretching sparsely into the air.Not a bird will nest on this airy skeleton, nor a leaf swing on this tinkling dry bone.The whole forest seemed to have died of the plague. This is not uncommon in Australia. As for the reason, no one can say.The oldest natives, not even their buried ancestors, have seen the woods green.

As Jazz walked, he looked at the gray sky. The thin branches of the gum tree were clearly silhouetted against the sky, like delicate silhouettes.Ayrton ran to the place where the cows and horses had been grazing yesterday, and was startled by the disappearance of the cows and horses.These animals are all tied and cannot run very far. So, everyone went to look for it separately, but found nothing.Ayrton came hurriedly back from the bank of the Schuwe River, overgrown with woody mimosa.He uttered the call that cows are used to, but no cow answered him.The bosun was very disturbed, and the traveling companions looked at each other with disappointment.

An hour passed, Jazz was going back from a distance of one kilometer from the car, when he heard a cooing, and at the same time, he heard a cow braying. "Here are the cattle!" cried the captain, and made his way for the pea-bush, which was so thick that a herd of horses and cows could not be seen. After a while, everyone ran over, dumbfounded.It turned out that two cows and three horses were lying on the ground, out of breath, and their bodies were already frozen.A group of old black ravens croaked in the trees, watching for the delicious meal that was about to arrive.The Jazz and his traveling companions were relatively silent, except for Wilson who couldn't help but curse.

"What's the use of scolding, Wilson!" said Sir, in fact, he was a little impatient himself. "It's up to now, so we have to bring back the remaining cow and horse, and the rest will depend on you." They've done it." "If only the ox-cart didn't get stuck in the mud!" said the captain. "Anyway, get that nasty cart out first." "Let's go back. It's been too long since we've been out. The ladies will definitely be waiting." Ayrton unhooked the ox, Moura untied the horse, and they all walked back along the winding river bank.Half an hour later, the female guests also knew the unfortunate thing.

"It's a pity, Ayrton, if only we could put our cattle on the horseshoes at Blackpoint Station when we cross the Vimera," said MacNabbs to the sailor. "Why, Mister Major?" Because among all the horses, only the one with the triangular horseshoe nailed did not die, and all the rest died. " "Yes," said the captain, "what a coincidence!" "It was a mere chance," answered the bosun, casting a glance at the major. The major bit his lip, as if he wanted to say something, but swallowed it again.They waited for the major to speak, but he stopped talking and walked towards Ayrton.At this time, Ayrton was overhauling the car.

"What did he mean by that?" Sir asked Mengele. "Who knows?" replied the young captain, "but the Major seldom speaks without reason." "Perhaps the major is a little suspicious of Ayrton," guessed Lady Helene. "Doubt?" asked the geographer, shrugging. "Doubt what?" asked the sergeant. "Does Ayrton poison the cows and horses?"Why did he do this?He is not of one mind with us? " "Perhaps I was wrong. Ayrton has been faithful to us from the beginning of our journey," corrected Mrs. Helen. "However, since this is the case, the major must have his reasons for saying that. I must ask clearly." The captain said.

"Does he think that the boatswain and the convict wear a pair of trousers?" said the candid geographer. "What convict?" asked Miss Mary. "Paganel is mistaken," added the captain hastily; "it is well known that there are no convicts in Victoria!" "Ah! By the way, I'm confused. Who ever heard of convicts in Victoria. If there were any, the hygienic climate here would have reformed them..." The poor scholar uttered a wrong sentence and tried desperately to take it back, but the result was just the opposite. He tried to cover up his words, and became more and more hidden like that bullock cart.Mrs. Helen looked at him, and he was terrified.In order not to make him too nervous, the lady took Miss Mary to the other side of the tent.Mr. O'Bierr was getting ready for breakfast step by step.

"I should have sent myself out of the frontier as a convict," regretted the geographer. "I suppose so!" replied Sir. Jazz's words seemed to be spoken in a serious manner.This troubled the venerable geographer all the more.But as soon as the sergeant had finished speaking, he and the captain went to the ox cart. Meanwhile Ayrton and the two sailors were trying to figure out how to get the cart out of the mud.The ox and the horse were harnessed together, and the thong was almost broken when they were pulled with all their strength; Wilson and Mullardi pushed the wheel beside them, but no matter how hard they tried, it was of no avail.

The slime dries and bites the wheels like cement cast steel. In vain the captain ordered water to be thrown under the wheel to reduce its stickiness.The man, the ox and the horse pulled hard for a while, and gradually became tired, so they had to stop.Unless the parts of the car are removed bit by bit, there is no hope.However, there is no tool for dismantling the car, and there is no way to dismantle it. At this moment, Ayrton was determined to drag the ox cart out of the mud pit, and spurred the ox and horse to try again.Jazz stopped him. "That's enough, don't pull," he said. "These are the only two animals we have. If we go on, one of them will be of great use to carry the two women and the other to carry the luggage." "That's good!" Ayrton reluctantly untied the exhausted animal. "Now, my friends, let's all go back to our tents and discuss what we should do next!" said Sir. After a while, the traveling companions finished their breakfast, refreshed themselves, and began to discuss. First of all, it is necessary to determine the exact orientation of the camping site.This task is naturally none other than Paganel.After careful calculation, he reported that the caravan was now at latitude 37° south, longitude 147° 53' east, on the banks of the Snowway. "What's the exact longitude of the coast of Tuff Bay?" Sir asked. "150 degrees." "There, the difference between the two places is 2 degrees 7 minutes, how many kilometers?" "It's 120 kilometers." "How far from Melbourne?" "At least 320 kilometers." "Okay, now that the location and distance are clear, what should we do?" It was unanimously advocated to set off for the coast immediately.Mrs. Helen and Miss Mary promised to walk 8 kilometers every day. They faced the reality and were not timid. "Helen, you are truly a hero among travellers," said the Sir to his lady, "but are we sure we will find everything we need as soon as we get to Tuff Bay?" "With great convenience along the way, no doubt," answered the geographer. "Aydin is a city with a long history, and the transportation to Melbourne is very convenient. In addition, we will walk another 50 kilometers to Delegit City on the border of Victoria, where we can buy food and find transportation." "Ser, what about the Duncan?" asked Ayrton. "Isn't it time to order her to drive to Tuff Bay?" "What do you think, Mengele?" asked Glenarvan. "I don't think there should be a rush to set sail on the Duncan," Mengele replied after thinking for a while. "There will be time to inform Chief Mate Austin." "Yes, obviously in time," added the geographer. "And, don't forget, in four or five days, we can reach Eden City." The captain said again. "Four to five days! You don't want to regret your slip of the tongue in the future. It will be good if you arrive in 15 or 20 days." Ayrton shook his head to answer his words. "Does it take 15 or 20 days to walk 120 kilometers?" Sir asked. "At least that's the case. The road ahead is the most difficult in Victoria. It's a wilderness. According to the locals, there's nothing there, and it's full of thorns. It's impossible to build a pasture station there. To get there, you have to use an ax or a torch to open the way. Please believe me, haste makes waste." Ayrton made sense.Decisive.All looked to the geographer, who seemed to agree with the boatswain. "Even with all these difficulties," said the captain, "it will not be too late for us to give orders to the Duncan in fifteen days' time!" "The main obstacle, however, is not the road, but the crossing of the Snowy River, and the possibility of its water going down," added Ayrton. "Must we wait for the water to go down? Can't we find a ford?" "It's hard to find, Mr. Captain," answered Ayrton. Very rarely." "Is this Snow River very wide?" asked Lady Helene. "Wide and deep, Madame," answered Ayrton, "about sixteen kilometers wide, and the current is very strong. The best swimmers will hardly be able to cross it safely." "Let's cut down a tree, cut it down, make a boat, and float it, won't it work?" Little Robert said without doubting that there was something wrong. "You are really good, worthy of being Grant's son!" Paganel praised a few words. "Little Robert is right. That's the last thing we can do. I don't think it's worth wasting time on meaningless discussions," added the captain. "What do you think?" Sir asked Ayrton. "If no one comes to help, we'll stay by the river in a month's time." "So there's no better way?" Mengele asked, flushing with anger. "Yes, only the Duncan left Melbourne for the East Coast!" "You're always telling the Duncan to set sail. Don't we have no trouble when she gets to Tuff Bay?" Ayrton did not answer immediately, but after thinking for a while, he hesitated and said: "I am not insisting on my opinion, but my opinion is beneficial to everyone. If you give the order to go, I am ready to go at any time." ." He crossed his arms to see how everyone reacted. "Why do you talk like that?" Sir said, "If you have any opinions, you can raise them and we can discuss them. What do you propose?" Ayrton said the following in a tone of calm confidence: "Since we have nothing to do now, and we don't want to venture beyond the Snowy River, we should wait for someone to help us, and the only person who can help us is to find someone from the Duncan. Therefore, we are staying here temporarily. Fortunately, food That's enough, send a message to Austin, the mate, telling him to sail the boat to Tuff Bay." Everyone was very surprised by this sudden suggestion.The captain obviously disagreed. "While sending for the message," continued the boatswain, "we can find a ford in case the Snowy River should be reduced, and we have time to build boats in case of boating. These are mine Suggestions, please consider." "Okay, your opinion is indeed worthy of careful consideration," said the Sir. "The biggest drawback of this plan is that it will delay our journey, but it can allow us to recuperate and avoid some possible dangers. What do you think?" "Please tell me, too, Mr. Major," interposed Lady Helene at this moment. "Why have you become so silent?" "Since I have been called," replied MacNabbs, "I frankly find Ayrton to be a very wise and prudent man, and I fully agree with his suggestion." No one expected the major's ease, for he had always been opposed to Ayrton's plans.Even Ayrton felt a little strange at this moment.Originally, the others were ready to support the bosun's suggestion, but after the major said, they naturally agreed without hesitation.Therefore, the Jazz adopted Ayrton's suggestion in principle. "To be on the safe side, should we stop for a while and wait for the transport to be delivered?" Sir added. "I think it's safer that way," replied the captain, "if we can't get across the river, neither can the messenger!" They all looked again at Ayrton, who smiled with absolute certainty. "Naturally there will be a way!" said Ayrton. "Is there any way?" asked the captain. "Just go back to the road from Lucknow to Melbourne?!" "Walking 400 kilometers?" Mengele called out. "Of course not, there is still a healthy horse. The journey takes only two days, plus it takes four days for the Duncan to travel from Melbourne to Tuff Bay, and it takes 24 hours to get here from Tuff Bay. After a week, we can be saved." MacNabbs kept nodding his head in agreement with Ayrton's words, which surprised the captain.But since everyone feels that this method is effective, they can only do so. "The task at hand," said the sergeant, "is who is best to send. It is a errand of great responsibility, arduous and dangerous. Who will undertake it?" Wilson, Murady, Mengele, Paganel, and even Robert Jr. all stepped forward immediately.Mengele was particularly determined and willing to go.Ayrton had been silent, and now at last he spoke: "Your Excellency, if you trust me, let me take a trip. I am used to running in this area, I am familiar with the route, I have run in places that are more difficult than this, and I can try to pass where others are difficult. Therefore, I can bear So long as a letter is given to the mate to make him trust me, I promise to sail the Duncan to Tuff Bay in six days' time." "It's a good thing you are Captain Grant's subordinate, I believe you will be able to complete the task." It was obvious that there was no one better suited for this difficult task than the boatswain, and therefore there was no dispute.But Menger made one final objection, saying that Ayrton's presence might help to find clues to Captain Grant.But the major said that in such a situation it was impossible to make any inquiries, so it would be all right to go away for a while. "Go, then, Ayrton," said Sir, "as soon as possible, and don't keep us waiting." The bosun's face showed a smug look, and he turned his head quickly, but no matter how fast he turned, the captain still caught sight of him.Therefore, Captain Mengele mistrusted him even more. Ayrton was actively preparing to go, and two sailors helped him with his horse and provisions.At this time, Jazz was busy writing letters to Austin. He ordered the first mate to set sail for Tuff Bay as soon as possible, and told the first mate that Ayrton was a reliable man.He told Austin to send a team of sailors to the rescue as soon as he reached the east coast... The major watched Sir write the letter, and when he signed Ayrton's name, he suddenly asked Ayrton how to write his name. "Written according to the sound," Sir replied. "You are mistaken," replied MacNabbs calmly, "pronounced as Ayrton, but written as Penn Juss!"