Chapter 42 47.There are wolves in front and tigers in back

Dark night is a favorable condition for escaping.Therefore, it is necessary to leave this dangerous place around Lake Daubo in the dark.Paganel, who led the charge as guide, once again showed his wonderful traveler's instincts in this arduous march over mountains and mountains.He nimbly slid through the darkness, turned around, and chose a path that was almost invisible, always maintaining a fixed direction, and he couldn't go wrong at all.We should say that his gifted night vision also helped him a lot, his cat eyes seeing even the smallest things in the deep darkness. We walked for 3 hours on the slope on the east side of the mountain.Paganel turned slightly to the southeast in order to come to the narrow pass between the Kaimanawa Mountains and the Huahitilian Mountains, which is passed by the Oakland to Hawke's Bay road.He intended to leave the road beyond the col and, under the cover of the mountains, make his way through the uninhabited country to the coast.

By 9 o'clock in the morning, I had walked 20 kilometers in 12 hours.The determined lady guest couldn't have been asked to go any faster.Moreover, this place seemed to be suitable for camping, because they had reached the trail between the two mountains.On the right is the Oberland Parkway running south.Paganel, map in hand, turned northeastward, and at ten o'clock the party came to a steep pass.Everyone took out dry food from the bag and ate a big meal.Mary and the major, though they had always disliked eating the fern root, were now chomping on it.This time I rested until 2 o'clock in the afternoon, and then walked due east again. In the evening, the passengers stopped at a place 12 kilometers away from the mountain.They fell asleep in the open air.

The next day there were considerable difficulties on the road.They were to pass through a strange region, full of volcanic lakes, boiling springs and sulfur gas pits.The eyes are not shallow, but the legs are a bit too much.Every quarter of a mile there are so many turns, so many obstacles, so many twists and turns, it's undeniably tiring to walk on.And yet how magnificent the scenery is!How infinitely varied are the faces of nature! In this vast space of 50 square kilometers, the underground heat is released in many different forms.Many transparent and bright salt water springs flow from clumps of tea trees, and countless insects are flying on the springs.The spring emits a pungent smell of gunpowder and leaves a layer of precipitation on the soil surface, which is dazzlingly white.Their clear water boils with boiling heat; while many other nearby springs gushes bone-chilling water.The tall ferns are growing beside the spring under conditions suitable for the growth of ancient organisms.

In all directions, there are water heads spraying from the ground, just like the fountains in the park. Around the water heads, there are large clouds of steam.Some of these water heads spray continuously, and some rise and fall one after another, as if a willful Vulcan is manipulating them at will.The water flows down layer by layer from the natural platform, which seems to be equipped with a modern water tray.The water head poured down, and slowly mixed under the clouds of white smoke, eroding the translucent steps of the platform, pouring into the depression like a boiling waterfall, forming a large lake.A little farther, beyond those tumultuous geysers, followed by many sulfur gas pits.There seemed to be many large pustules on the ground.They were all half-extinguished craters, leaving many great cracks, from which various gases spewed out.The air is filled with acrid sulfurous acid gas.The sulfur condensed into large crusts or crystal blocks, covering the ground.There are countless sources of wealth, which have been piled up like this for thousands of years. from the area.

One can imagine the degree of fatigue of travelers traveling through this obstacle-ridden region.Camping here was hard work, and the hunter's carbine could not meet a bird worthy of Aubinet's own hand.So most of the time, everyone just eats anchovies and sweet potatoes.This kind of food is really not enough to restore their physical strength. So everyone is rushing to finish this wasteland with nothing. However, it would take at least four days to detour around this impassable land.By February 23, it was 80 kilometers away from Montganam, and Golinavan and others camped at the foot of a hill. This mountain was on the map of Paganel, but it was not named.In front of him was a plain covered with bushes, but a forest appeared on the horizon.

That's a good sign, but on one condition: These livable areas don't have too many residents.Up to this point, the travelers had never met a single soul. The Major and Robert caught three kiwis that day, and all three were honorably placed on the dinner table, but I must confess that within a few minutes they were snatched from beak to paw. I ate it up. Later, while eating sweet potatoes and potatoes, Paganel made an impromptu proposal, which was immediately and enthusiastically applauded. He suggested that this unnamed mountain, so high in the sky, be called Glenarvan, and he took great care to write Sir's name on his map.

Since then, we will not talk about many monotonous and boring details of the journey.There are only two or three events of slight importance in the journey from the Lake District to the Pacific coast. The party walked all day in the woods and on the plain.Menger determined directions from the positions of the sun and stars.Fortunately, God helped, the temperature was not too high, and it was not raining.But these arduous travelers were getting more and more tired; they were walking more and more slowly, and they were anxious to get to the mission station.They still walk and talk, but they don't talk together anymore.They had been divided into groups not by closeness of feeling but by closer proximity of personal thought.

Jazz walked alone most of the time, and the closer he got to shore the more he thought of the Duncan and her crew.There were many dangers which he might encounter before he reached Oakland, but he forgot them all and thought only of the murdered sailors on board.This dreadful picture never left him. People don't talk about Harry Grant anymore.Since there is no way to rescue him now, what's the use of talking about it?If his name was still being called, it was only in the middle of a conversation between his daughter and Mengele. Mengele did not repeat to Marie what she had said to him during her last night in prison.Because of his sincerity, he didn't want to take a word spoken at the moment of life and death as a formal promise.

When he talked about Harry Grant, he still mentioned plans for future visits.He assured Mary that Glenarvan would continue this failed career in the future.His argument is that there is absolutely no doubt about the correctness of the document.Therefore, Captain Grant must still be alive.Therefore, even if you want to search all over the world, you must find him.Hearing these words, Mary was completely intoxicated.They were joined together by the same thought, and now they were united in the same hope.Lady Helen often joined their conversations.But she never had so many illusions, but she was also unwilling to disappoint this innocent man and woman by saying something disappointing.

Meanwhile the Major, Robert, Wilson, and Murady were hunting together, but not too far from the caravan.Each of them caught some wild game.As for Paganel, he was always wrapped in his Formion coat and walked aside alone, silently as if thinking about something. However—this sentence needs to be explained clearly—although according to the laws of nature, even the gentlest disposition will become depressed or irritable when people are in adversity, danger, fatigue, and embarrassment, but our friends in need But they are always sincere and united, and they don't hesitate to sacrifice their lives in order to help each other.

On February 25, a river blocked the way. It should be the Kukali River recorded on Paganel's map.We found the shoal and walked across it on foot. From then on, in two days, there were one piece of bush plain after another.The distance between Lake Daupo and the coast has already been halfway. Although everyone is tired from walking, there is no accident. Now, endless large forests have begun to appear. These forests are very similar to the forests in Oceania, but here are "high standing" pine trees instead of trees.Although the four months of travel has greatly sapped their appreciation mood.But they were still in admiration when they saw these towering ancient birches that were comparable to Liban Coopers and California "giant trees".This kind of "Gao Li" pine, scientifically named "Glue Gum Pine", the trunk below the branches is more than 30 meters high.They all grow in clumps, and the clumps are not connected. Therefore, the forest is not composed of poplar trees alone, but countless clumps. There are big green umbrellas on the top of the trees, extending to the 300 feet high in the sky. Several of these pine trees are still very young, only over a hundred years old, and they are very similar to the red pine trees in some parts of Europe.They all wear dark green conical crowns.Their predecessors are just the opposite. They are all five or six hundred years old trees, with a huge green canopy formed on the top, supported by countless intersecting branches.The patriarch of those New Zealand forests - the largest tree, 17 meters thick, and all the tourists can't even hug them with open arms. For three days the little caravan burrowed among these tall and large bushes, treading the clay ground where no one had ever walked.No one has died here, which can be seen, because there are many places where a thick layer of turpentine has accumulated at the foot of the "Gaoli" pine. . The hunters encountered a large flock of kiwis, a strange bird that is rarely seen in the areas frequented by the Maori. It turned out that they were all driven by their hunting dogs to these rare forests for refuge.They provide passengers with rich and nutritious food. Paganel even saw a pair of huge birds in the dense woods from a distance.His polymath instincts were at once on the alert.He told his traveling companions to hurry, and the major, Robert, and himself, forgetting their fatigue, followed the trail of the pair of birds. It is not difficult to understand why Paganel suddenly aroused such a strong curiosity. It is because he recognized, or thought he recognized, these two birds as mosas, belonging to the group of dino birds, which some naturalists think This bird has long since become extinct.Only Mr. Hauchett and some travelers are sure that the wingless bird still exists in New Zealand today.Their sighting of the bird this time confirmed the opinion of Mr. Hauchett and the traveler. The two mosas that Paganel was chasing were descendants of creatures contemporaneous with the giant sloth and the pterodactyl.They are up to 6 meters tall.This is a very large ostrich, but it is very timid and escapes very fast.When they run, not even bullets can stop them!After everyone chased for a few minutes, the two uncatchable Moshua birds disappeared behind many big trees. The hunter wasted a lot of ammunition and ran a lot in vain. On the night of March 1, Golinavan and his team finally walked out of the "Gao Li" pine forest, and they camped at the foot of the 2,000-meter-high Ikiranji Mountain.At this time, 160 kilometers had been traveled from Mengganam Mountain to here, and the coast was still 50 kilometers away.Mengele originally hoped that the journey could be completed within ten days, but he did not expect so many difficulties at that time. Isn't it true that they took many detours along the way, encountered many obstacles, and their calculations were not accurate, so that the actual distance was one-fifth longer than estimated, and unfortunately, the travelers came to the foot of this mountain. It was already exhausted. It was still two days' walk to reach the coast, and it was especially necessary to cheer up and be vigilant now, because we were again in an area frequented by natives.Therefore, everyone didn't care about fatigue, and as soon as the sun went up the mountain the next day, they went on the road again. Between the Ikirangi Mountains on the right and the 1,200-meter-high Hardy Mountains standing ahead on the left, the walk was arduous.There is a plain there, stretching for about ten kilometers, covered with bear willow, a plant whose branches are so soft that people call it "choking vine," and it is true of its name.With every step I took, my arms and legs were entangled.These branches are like long snakes, twisting and wrapping around your body.During the two days, everyone was opening the road, advancing, walking, and fighting against the ten thousand-headed monster "snake". Insectidae". Hunting is impossible on this plain, so the hunters, who used to be successful every day, are useless now.The food they carried was almost exhausted, and there was no way to replenish it, and there was a lack of water. The more we were tired, the thirstier our mouths became, and we couldn't find anything to quench our thirst. At this time, Glenarvan and his party really reached the point of unspeakable misery.For the first time since they set off, they looked so embarrassed. They are not walking now, but walking forward step by step. They seem to have lost their souls, only their bodies are left. They have lost the sense of five sense organs, and they only rely on their only survival instinct to lead them forward.Finally, they reached the tip of Laoting, and finally reached the coast of the Pacific Ocean. There are a few empty huts in this place, and it can be seen that this is a village that has been damaged by war recently. There are also some fields that are also barren, with traces of looting and burning everywhere.Here, too, unsatisfactory fate has arranged a new and terrible test for these unfortunate people. While they were wandering along the coast, suddenly, a group of natives appeared one kilometer away from the coast. They brandished weapons and rushed towards the group of people.Glenarvan and the others were already on the seashore, and had nowhere to escape, so they could only use their last bit of strength to fight the enemy. At this moment, Mengele suddenly called out: "A boat! There's a boat!" Sure enough, not twenty paces away, there was a canoe lying under the sand, with six oars in it.It was too late, but soon, the passengers immediately pushed the canoe into the water, jumped on it, paddled and fled.Mengele, the Major, Wilson, and Mourati rowed, and Glenard steered the helm, and the two ladies, Aubinet, and Robert lay beside him. In ten minutes the canoe covered a quarter of a nautical mile.The sea is calm.The fleeing people were also silent. However, Mengele didn't want to leave the coast too far. He planned to ask everyone to row along the coast, but at this moment, the paddle in his hand stopped suddenly. It turned out that he saw three canoes rowing out from Laotingtou, obviously, they were chasing them. "Paddle the sea! Paddle the sea! We'd rather be in the waves!" he cried. With all four oars working together, the canoe turned to the center of the sea again.For half an hour, the fleeing boat and the pursuing boat kept the original distance.However, after a while, the few of them were exhausted from paddling and slowed down, seeing the three canoes chasing after them paddling faster than them.Now they are less than 2 kilometers away from the boat behind.Therefore, it is absolutely impossible to escape the attack of the natives. The natives all carry guns, and they are about to open fire. What was Glenarvan doing at this time?He was standing in the stern of the boat, looking up and down the horizon, hoping to find some help.What is he looking forward to?What else did he want to find?Did he have a premonition? Suddenly, his eyes flashed, and he stretched out his hand, pointing to a point in the distance. "A sea-boat! My friends, there's a sea-boat! Row! Row hard!" None of the four oarsmen turned their heads to look at the delightful boat, for they were rowing nervously, unable to relax for a moment.Only Paganel got up, opened the binoculars and looked at the black spot. "It's a sea-boat, indeed!" said he, "and a steamboat! She's running full steam ahead! She's coming for us, row, my fellows!" The fleeing people worked harder, and for about half an hour, the four oars rowed the boat quickly, maintaining the original distance from the chasing boat.The steamboat was gradually visible.With its two unsailed masts and the great cloud of black smoke, it was clearly seen that the Golinar had thrown the rudder to Robert, who seized the geographer's glass and looked carefully at the ship. The movement of the ship. Suddenly, he became tense and pale, and the large telescope fell from his hand.Menger and his partners saw it, and were all baffled.Why is he suddenly so desperate?Jazz explained it clearly in one sentence: "It's the Duncan! It's the Duncan and those exiles!" "Is it the Duncan?!" Mengele also called out, dropped the oars, and stood up immediately. "Yes! There is a dead end for us!" Golinarvan said to himself, anxiously. Sure enough, it was that cruise ship, no one would have misread it, it was that cruise ship and those gangsters!The major involuntarily cursed at the sky.How can you be so unlucky? ! At this time, no one rowed the canoe and let it float away.Where do you want to go?Where else was there to escape?There are bandits in the front and natives in the back, can they still escape? Suddenly, there was a "bang" shot from the last native's canoe, and the bullet hit Wilson's oar. The sub got closer to the Duncan. The cruise ship was running at full speed, and the distance was less than half a nautical mile.John Mengele was attacked back and forth, and he no longer knew how to steer the boat, nor did he know which direction to flee.The two poor ladies, terrified out of their wits, knelt and prayed. The natives' guns were placed in a continuous stream, and the bullets rained down around the boat.At this time, there was a bang, and a shell from the cruise ship flew over their heads.Between the Duncan and the native's boat, they were caught between the guns and the guns. Mengele, frantic with anxiety, grabbed his axe, and was about to cut a hole in the boat so that he and the boat could sink to the bottom of the sea, but was stopped by a loud cry from Robert. "Tom Austin! It's Tom Austin!" he kept yelling. "He's in that boat! I see him! He knows it's us! And he's waving his hat to us!" The ax was held high in Menger's hand. A second shell flew over their heads again, splitting the first of the three chasing canoes in two, and at the same time there was a "Ooo!" from the Duncan, and the natives were frightened. Panicked, he turned his head and fled, paddling towards the coast. "Come and save us! Come and save us, Tom!" cried Mengele. Then, in an instant, the ten fugitives returned to the Duncan in such a sudden and inexplicable way.