Chapter 35 38.first plan failed

It turned out that Harley and his sailors took advantage of the darkness to put down the only small boat left on board and escape.There is no doubt about it. "It's good that the bastards are gone," said Sir Mengelean. "It will save us a lot of trouble." "I think the same way," said Gelinafan, "and there are so many brave friends on board. From now on, Menger will be the temporary captain of the Mercalli. We will be your temporary sailors, and we will obey you." command." This remark made the traveling companions laugh.The young captain glanced at the sea, then at the incomplete mast, and said: "At present, we have two ways to get out of danger: one is to get the ship out and drive to the sea; the other is to make a raft and row ashore. ’” “It’s the best way, if you can get the boat out,” said Glenarvan.

"How is the ship damaged?" asked Lady Helene. "I think, madam, it won't do too much damage. We'll put a makeshift mast in the bow instead of the fore-mast. That way, though a bit slower, we'll get to our destination just as well." "Let's check the ship for damage," McNabbs said matter-of-factly. It took three hours for Golinavan, John, and Murad to move the leather in the cargo hold, and throw some of it into the sea to reduce the weight of the hull.When inspecting the bottom of the ship, it was found that there were two seams open on the left side of the waistboard.Fortunately, the Mercalli was tilted to the right, with its opening facing the sky, and did not flow into the sea.Wilson hastily tucked in some twine, and nailed in a piece of copper to complete the seam.

The water in the bilge is very shallow, and the pump can be easily drained, which can save some weight. When inspecting the hull, Menger found that it had not suffered much damage from the grounding.Maybe part of the auxiliary keel is embedded in the sand, but there is a way to get it out. After checking the interior, Wilson swam down to the bottom of the boat to ascertain where the boat rested on the high beach. Now all that was left to do was to figure out how to get the boat out.The tide in the Pacific Ocean was not too high, but even so, Mengele still wanted to use the rising tide to wash the Megali up.But it takes a long time to make a temporary mast, and there are certain difficulties.When the tide rose at noon, it was too late.Then just observe how the water potential acts on the bow, and try again next time.

Now, everyone gets ready.Mengele first ordered the remaining sails on the mast to be lowered and furled.After some hard work, the mainsail, jibsail and topsail were finally lowered successively.Little Robert climbed up the mast as nimbly as a cat, and was as bold as an apprentice sailor, and made "great contributions" in his work. The job to do again is to break down.At the back of the boat, towards the keel, drop an anchor or two so that the stern lifts its head at high tide.It would be great if the boat was there.Now, we had to build a raft with the broken fore-mast and empty wine barrels as a means of transporting anchor.As soon as the anchor is dropped, as long as it can hold the bottom, there is hope for the Mercalli to float.

And so the raft-building work began.Everyone participates in labor.The fore-mast, still lashed, was hacked with axes, and the remnant mast fell down.The foremast breaks off at the butt joint, so the discs come down easily.Menger used a mast to raft with an empty bucket below to increase buoyancy, and a scull was installed on the raft for maneuvering. The work of building the raft was only half done, and the sun was almost at its mid-heaven.Mengele asked Glenarvan to lead the raft-building work, and went to calculate the geographical position himself. Menger found a Greenwich Observatory almanac and a sextant in Halley's room.We know that the true horizon, that is, the line where the water and the sky meet, can be measured through the telescope on the sextant.Unexpectedly, there is a piece of land extending into the ocean in the north, which just blocks the true horizon, making it impossible to measure at all.

That being the case, it must be replaced by an artificial horizon.Usually, a large flat plate is used, filled with mercury, but there is no mercury, and liquid asphalt can also be used, and the measurement is done on this flat plate.Menger already knew the longitude of the west coast of New Zealand, and now he wanted to measure the latitude, so he started the work of measuring the latitude. First, use a sextant to measure the height of the sun from the horizon on the meridian, and the result is 68 minutes and 30 seconds.From this we can know that the sun is 21 minutes and 30 seconds away from the sky center.Because the sum of two numbers is 90 degrees.Check the Greenwich Almanac again, and get the desired latitude of 38 degrees.Therefore, the position of the Mercalli was determined to be 171 degrees 13 seconds east longitude and 38 degrees south latitude.

Menger looked at the map and found that the Mercalli was blown to the south, one latitude off course.One latitude must be sailed north to reach the capital of New Zealand. After the azimuth was determined, it was exactly a quarter past 12:10. Everyone stood on the deck, watching the movement of the Mercalli anxiously. How much they hoped that it would float by itself!But there were a few rattling sounds under the boat, which was the sound of trembling at the bottom of the boat, but the hull didn't move at all. At 2 o'clock in the afternoon, the raft was built, the anchor was put on the raft, and after Mengele and Wilson tied a thin iron chain to the stern, they boarded the raft and dropped anchor.The ebb tide carried them just astern of the boat and dropped the trace 100 meters from the boat in 10 inches of water.The anchor stays tight on the bottom of the sea.Likewise, they took the main anchor and dropped it in 12 inches of water.

Complete these tasks and wait for the high tide.Mengele was very happy, praised the sailor a few words, and said to Paganel that if he did a good job, he would be promoted to bosun in the end. At this time, Obir prepared the meal at the right time, and the whole crew replenished their energy and recovered their spirits for the future work. It's not easy, don't be careless.If something goes wrong, all previous efforts will be wasted. In order to lighten the weight of the ship, Menger had most of the cargo thrown overboard.The remaining leather bales, heavy slacks, spare jibs, and several tons of pig iron were all moved aft to hold the stern down and help the bow out of the bunker.At the same time, a number of casks were rolled to the rear of the ship and filled with water to increase the buoyancy of the front.

After finishing these things, it was already midnight, and all the crew members were exhausted.The gale was abating, and the sailors, watching the color and arrangement of the clouds, saw that the wind was tending to turn.Mengele reported the situation to the Sir, and suggested that the work of starting the ship should be postponed until the next day. Menger said: "My reasons are: first of all, we are tired and we can't do without strength; in addition, since the boat floats, it is difficult to pass through the reef in the dark; besides, tomorrow, if the northwest wind blows, Heaven will help me. Let us spread all the sails on the mast, against the wind, and the sails will help to raise the ship."

Menger's reasons were so unquestionable that even the two most impatient men on board, the jazz and the geographer, had to agree to the suggestion.Had a good night.Everyone took turns on duty, especially guarding the anchor. As expected.At dawn, a northwest wind blew, and it got bigger and bigger.All crew members assemble.Ready to sail.And taking advantage of the fact that the high tide has not yet arrived, a light mast was installed on the bow to replace the foremast. In this way, once the ship floats up, it can sail away from this dangerous sea. After all the sails, big and small, were hoisted, the tide began to rise.The long small waves rolled up one after another, and the reef gradually disappeared, like many sea monsters returning to their old nests under the sea.The time to try the hard work was approaching, and a frenzied impatience filled everyone's minds, all were overwrought, and no one spoke, all waiting for orders.Mengele concentrated on observing the tide, and he glanced worriedly at the two thick iron chains stretched out and stretched tightly.At one o'clock, the tide rose to its highest height, just at the moment when the tide was already rising.At this time, you have to act quickly, before it is too late.The big sails and mainsails were pulled up together, caught the wind, and bulged on the mast.

"Turn the capstan!" cried Mengele. The winch was equipped with a lever for turning, and everyone turned the lever desperately.The two iron chains are pulled straight by the powerful rotation of the winch.The anchor was tight on the bottom of the sea, without slipping a bit, and it took a lot of time to succeed. The wind blew harder, and the bellows of the sail swelled, pressed against the mast, and pushed the ship out.People felt the hull vibrate several times, as if it was about to float. At this point, perhaps another hand could pull the boat out of the sand. "Helen! Mary!" cried Sir. "Come and help!" The two female guests also ran over to help the traveling companions work hard together. The catch on the winch wheel clicked again at last. But after that the capstan would not turn again, the brig remained, and all efforts were in vain.The tide had already begun to drop. Obviously, even with the combination of wind and tide, with this group of people, the boat still couldn't float. Since the first method of losing face has failed, the second method should be implemented immediately.It was obvious that the Mercalli was not afloat, and the only option at present was to lose the ship.It would be too short-sighted and foolish to wait for the unknowable rescue ship to arrive at the accident site.Because by then, perhaps the Macquarie would have been smashed to pieces.As long as there is a storm or the waves are a little bit bigger, the boat will be hit straight on the beach, and it will break when it swings, and it will fall apart when it breaks.From this point of view, ship damage is inevitable, so Mengele decided to land before the ship was damaged. Menger suggested building a raft, or in sailor's term, a "pontoon," one strong enough to carry passengers and enough provisions to the coast of New Zealand. There is no room for discussion on this matter, and it must be implemented immediately.In the evening, the raft building project was almost completed, but it had to be stopped when it got dark. After dinner, Mrs. Helen and Miss Mary went back to the cabin to rest, and the geographer and other friends walked up and down on the deck, talking about some serious problems.Little Robert did not leave either, the brave boy listened attentively, and was ready to serve and contribute to all in the dangers to come. The geographer asked Mengele if he could land nearby and walk along the coast to Oakland.Mengele replied that with such backward means of transportation, it is difficult to reach Oakland. "Not with the raft, but with the canoes of the brig?" Paganel asked again. "Can be successful, but must sail in daylight." "In this case, those nasty guys left us on purpose and went to Oakland alone." "Don't mention them! Those drunken, treacherous fellows will end up in the ocean nine times out of ten to feed the fish." "It deserves it! What use they have made to us in that little canoe!" "What's the use of talking about the old corn and rotten sesame seeds!" asked the sergeant. "We'll be going ashore on a raft soon." "What we are trying to avoid is the nearest landing," objected Paganel. "Why, is it hard work to walk 30 kilometers?" "Where is it, sir! I don't doubt our courage, nor the perseverance of the two ladies. 30 kilometers, in other places, is a piece of cake, but in New Zealand it is different. You must not think that I Cowardly! We crossed the Americas, crossed the Australian continent, and that was my first suggestion. But here, I have to repeat, everything is easy to do, but don't land close by." "What's so scary about New Zealand?" Sir asked. "The most terrible are the natives!" replied the geographer. "The natives are so terrible? We are fully armed and can defend ourselves. What is the attack of a few bad guys?" "It's not a matter of a few natives," said the geographer, shaking his head, "New Zealand formed a terrible tribe, resisted the British rule, and fought against the invaders. They often defeated the invaders, and then beat the enemies to death. down!" "It turns out that the natives here eat people!" Little Robert exclaimed. Then the child was heard saying the names of two people to himself: "Sister! Lady Helen! I'm so frightened!" "Don't be afraid, my boy," said the sergeant, trying to comfort the boy's heart, "Paganel, my friend, perhaps you have gone too far." "Not so much, sir! Robert He has appeared to be an adult, we should not hide from him, we should tell the truth." "Do you think that all New Zealanders are compassionate?" the geographer went on sternly. "Last year an Englishman, Wackner, was horribly murdered at the base of Opoh, a short distance from Auckland. It’s only a few kilometers away, and it can be said that it happened right under the noses of British officials.” "Come on!" said MacNabbs, "these accounts are often unreliable, and travelers often like to describe the places they have visited as dangerous, and they would like to say that they escaped from the belly of the natives!" "I also know that there is water in some words. However, there are many reliable people who have said it, such as Pastor Kendall, Madison, Captain Dillon, Cuwe, Laplace, etc. We cannot but believe their words When the Maori chief dies, they sacrifice to heaven. They think that using people as offerings can appease the anger of the dead; otherwise, the anger of the dead will be vented on the head of the living. Send servants to the dead! However, they often eat the servants who have been killed, so it can be seen that they are actually less superstitious and more delicious." The geographer is right that cannibalism has become a custom in New Zealand, Fiji or the Torres Strait.Of course, there is a bit of superstition in this appalling custom, but the reason why people cannibalize people is because of the lack of prey and the insufficiency of their stomachs. Uncivilized people have to eat people to satisfy their hunger.Later, the priests made this abnormal custom a canon and gave it a sacred meaning.Cannibalism has changed from satisfying hunger to etiquette. This is the evolution of the custom of cannibalism. Moreover, in the eyes of the Maori, cannibalism is completely natural.In addition, the natives of New Zealand also believed that if the enemy died, eating it would inherit his soul, strength and courage.And these things are mainly stored in the brain, so at a banquet, the human brain is the main dish, the first-class dish. Geographers also have reason to believe that the main reason for the cannibalism of the natives in New Zealand is hunger, not only among the savages of Oceania, but also in Europe. He added: "The custom of cannibalism has existed among the ancestors of the most civilized peoples, and it has not been confined to a few peculiar individuals, especially among the ancestors of the Scots." "Really, Monsieur Paganel," said the major. "That's still wrong. Read St. Jerome's description of the Atticaulis of Scotland, and you'll know what kind of people your ancestors were! And you don't need to go to ancient times to find them, just in the time of Queen Elizabeth , When Shakespeare created Sherlock (the main character in the play), wasn't there a Scottish bandit named Thorne Bean? He was executed for cannibalism. What thought drove him to eat human flesh? Is it religion? ?No, it's hunger. "Really hungry?" Mengele asked. "Yes!" replied Paganel, "for there are few birds or beasts in this unforgiving place, and they have nothing else to eat but human flesh. There is even a season of cannibalism here, as in civilization. It’s like a country has a hunting season. During the season of cannibalism, you can hunt once and win a big battle, and the defeated tribe will become the winner’s dish.” "In your opinion, Paganel," said Sir, "the habit of cannibalism will not be completely extinct until the pastures of New Zealand are filled with cattle, sheep, pigs, and so on." "Of course, sir!" "How do they eat people?" asked MacNabbs. "Raw or cooked?" "Mr. Major, why do you ask this?" Little Robert asked again in a little panic. "Why don't you ask? Boy, if I'm actually eaten, I'd rather be cooked and eaten!" "why!" "In order not to be eaten alive by them!" "You think well, Major," said the geographer again. "Isn't it better to boil you in a pot?" "Well, it's death anyway, and I don't have a choice between flaying and boiling." "I tell you the truth, Major," said Paganel, "the natives of New Zealand who eat human flesh must be boiled or boiled." They are all connoisseurs and know how to cook. However, personally, I always feel uncomfortable when I think of being eaten by others. I feel a little wronged to send my life to the stomach of a savage !" "All in all," said Mengele, "you don't want to fall into the hands of the natives, do you?"