Chapter 31 34.Forcing the Snowy River

Now is not the time for discouragement, but the time for active action. Although the Gemblebe Bridge has been burned, the Snowy River must pass anyway, and it must be rushed to Tufu Bay before the bandits.So we can't just complain and worry about others, it's useless.The next day, the captain and the jazz ran to the river to watch the water and tried every means to cross the river. The tide after the rain has not yet set, the waves are rolling and surging.To fight against such floods is to court death.Sir folded his arms, bowed his head, and remained motionless. "May I swim first, ser?" asked the captain.

"No! Mengele, let us wait," replied the Sir, holding the bold young man by the hand, as if lest he should jump into the river. With that said, the two walked back to the camp.This day was spent in such a state of extreme anxiety.How many times did Jazz run to the river, always trying to find a risky way to cross the river, but in vain.This river seems to be against them, and the water has not diminished. Even if the lava of the volcano flows in it, it is not so difficult to cross. During the last few days the sailor felt much better, and was out of danger, thanks to Lady Helene's excellent care.It was only now that the major concluded that the blow had harmed no vitals.At that time, the patient was dying, but it was caused by excessive bleeding.Once the wound was tied, the bleeding stopped.As long as you take care of it for a few days, it will recover soon.Mrs. Helen kept letting Mu Ladi live in the front compartment, and he felt embarrassed.What disturbed him most was the fear of delaying the journey of other traveling companions.So he asked that as long as they could manage to cross the river, go to the East Coast and leave Wilson to take care of him.

Unfortunately, for several days in a row, this hateful river could not be tamed.Recently, Jazz's temper has been extremely irritable.Although the wife and the major persuaded him not to get angry and to be patient, it was in vain.Penjues may have boarded the Duncan at this time, can he bear it!When the Duncan, his beloved cruise ship, is fully sailed and throws itself at the east coast at full speed, when the companions are getting closer to death every hour, can they bear it? As the captain, Mengele felt uncomfortable at this time, and felt anxious every time he thought of the terrible scene that was about to happen.

He wanted to overcome the current difficulties at all costs, so like the Australians, he made a small boat out of large pieces of gum bark.The bark of the gum tree is very light, and when clamped with wooden sticks, it constitutes a light ferry boat. On January 18, Menger and Wilson tried out the weak boat.They tried all they could, but to no avail, and the boat capsized as soon as it reached the rapids, and they almost lost their lives.The boat was sucked into the whirlpool and disappeared, and it was with great difficulty that they climbed onto the shore.Because of the recent rain and the melting of the mountain snow, the water has increased even more. At this moment, the river is one kilometer wide, and the two of them are not even 3 meters away from the river bank.

January 19th and 20th passed again in this dilemma.The major and Sir walked along the river bank. After walking 8 kilometers, they couldn't find a shoal where they could wade across.There are raging waves and torrents everywhere, as if the rainwater from the entire mountainous area has gathered into this river. Now, all hope of saving the Duncan had to be given up.The Duncan had to resign herself to fate.It has been five days since Penjus left, and the cruise ship has probably reached the east coast, and it may have fallen into the hands of robbers. However, you can't just sit around like this!After all, the flood will not last for a long time. It comes quickly and recedes quickly.Sure enough, on the morning of the 21st, the geographer observed that the water level began to drop, and hurriedly reported to Sir.

"The water level has dropped, what's the use, it's too late." Jazz said with a sigh. "But we can't stay for long, can we?" McNabbs retorted. "Maybe we can cross tomorrow!" Mengele also said. "Crossing over, can you save those poor crew members?" "My lord, listen to me," said the captain again, "I know the character of Austin the first mate. He will strictly follow orders and will sail when he can. But who can guarantee that he will arrive at Penjus By the time, the ship has already been repaired? What if the ship is delayed for a day or two to go to sea!"

"You're right, Mengele! I hope so! We have to get to Tuffe Bay as soon as possible. We're only 55 kilometers away from Delegit." "When we get to that town, we can find transportation," said the Geographer, "and get to the East Coast as quickly as we can, and perhaps prevent this disaster!" "Okay, let's start preparing!" Jazz ordered. So the captain and Wilson got busy building the ship again.The last failure has proved that gum bark cannot withstand the impact of floods.So they sawed down some of the big gum trees to make a big and strong raft.The work was time consuming and was not completed until the next day.

At this time, the water level has dropped significantly.But the Snowy River remained unchanged, and its currents were still swift.However, it doesn't matter much, as long as you follow the water potential and control the water potential within an appropriate range, you can reach the opposite bank. At noon, everyone moved the dry food needed for the two-day journey onto the raft, and threw away the rest, such as ox carts and tents.At this time, Mu Ladi's injury had recovered, and his body recovered quickly. He turned over and was fine. At 1 o'clock in the afternoon, everyone got on the raft.The captain put a long oar on the right side and handed it over to Wilson, in order to prevent the raft from being swept away by the rapids and thrown out of the sailing distance by the waves.As for Mengele, he stood at the stern of the raft and steered the course with a crude oar.Lady Helene and Miss Mary sat in the middle, near Murady, surrounded by the Sir, the Major and the Geographer, ready to help.

"Are you ready, Wilson?" asked the captain. "Sure!" replied Wilson, holding the paddle in his thick hands. "Be careful on the way, lest the waves wash us away!" Captain Mengele untied the ropes of the raft and floated down the water at once. The first 5 meters were fine, and Wilson was able to control the raft all the time.But after a while, the raft was caught in the whirlpool.It just spins inside and doesn't come out anyway. At this time, the oars and sculls have lost their function.Had to wait for the vortex to pass.The raft turned so fast that it dazzled people.Menger boat stood there, his face pale, his teeth clenched, his eyes fixed on the countless eddies formed by the turning of the water.

Following the whirlpool and propulsion, the raft turned to the center of the river for a long time. At this time, it was only half a kilometer away from the starting point.The water here is extremely strong, and the vortex is not easy to form, so the raft is a little more stable. Using their oars and oars again, the captain and Wilson advanced through the water in a diagonal line.Finally, when he was about to reach the shore after some hardships, the oar in Wilson's hand suddenly broke, and the raft lost its balance and was swept away by the rapids.The captain could no longer break the scull, and tried his best to resist.Wilson, with blood on his hands, also came to help.

Finally, "hard work pays off", the raft tossed in the river for half an hour, and finally reached a steep rock on the opposite bank. Unexpectedly, the collision caused too much inertia, and the raft was knocked apart. Now, the caravan has almost nothing left.They are still 50 miles away from Delegit. In this untouched wilderness, it is difficult to meet immigrants and "landers", because there is no one in this area except ferocious robbers and murderous bandits. people live. We decided not to delay, but to set off immediately.Knowing that he was a liability, Mulladi asked to be left alone until they sent someone to fetch him. Jazz didn't want to lose a lovely partner, he refused to live or die.He expects to travel at least three days to reach Delegit and another five days to the east coast.And the Duncan might have sailed to the East Coast by then, and she was late anyway, so what did it matter if she was a few hours late? "I don't want to lose any friend," said Sir, "we'll make a soft bag, and we'll take turns carrying you!" The soft bag was quickly woven with leafy eucalyptus branches, and the wounded sailor was put on it without asking any questions.Jazz was the first to carry him, Jazz lifted one end of the floppy bag, Wilson lifted the other, and they set off together. It was such a satisfying trip at the beginning, but who would have thought that the ending would be so unfortunate and become so embarrassing!Now it was no longer a question of finding Captain Grant, who was not on the continent, had not even been there at all, and which almost killed those who sought him.When his brave compatriots arrived on the east coast of Australia, perhaps the cruise ship that carried them home was also snatched by bandits! The day was spent in silence and pain.Every ten minutes, the person who carried the muladi changed.In such hot weather, walking was tiring, and carrying people was even more painful, but none of the traveling companions complained. After walking 8 kilometers, they camped in the rubber forest when it got dark.Supper was only a little dry food salvaged from the raft. At this time, the carbine was almost useless, and there was no food for tomorrow. "The sky is not beautiful", and it rained at night.It was so easy to look forward to the dawn, the rain was over and the sky was sunny, and we set off again.But this unlucky place was more desolate than a desert, and so inaccessible that the major had no chance of hunting. Fortunately, little Robert had sharp eyes and found a bird's nest with more than a dozen eggs in it.Obir was boiled in hot water, and some horse tooth gardens dug from the puddles were added to form lunch on the 22nd. The road was full of thistles, and it was difficult to walk at first. This kind of grass is also called "arrowhunt", as Melburnians are used to calling it.If you walk carelessly, it can tear your trouser legs and stab your feet with blood.However, the two brave female guests did not cry out. They moved forward without hesitation, set an example for other partners, and often encouraged each other with expressions or words. That day, they spent the night on the banks of the Ronggala River at the foot of Mount Bula.Thanks to the major for killing a big rat for dinner, otherwise dinner would have been a problem.This kind of mouse is also called "Kandu mouse", and its meat is delicious. If only it was as big as a goat.After a while, Obir roasted it, but its meat was limited, so everyone had to eat all the bones. On the 23rd, although the traveling companions were exhausted, they still resolutely set out on the road.After detouring from the foot of the mountain, there is a vast wild grassland, the grass grows like whalebone, like a forest of arrows, and like a mountain of knives, with intertwined roots and stems, sometimes with an axe, sometimes with fire, to open a road. This morning, although the chief secretary happened to be "hard to cook without rice", they walked among the barren scattered silica, not only hungry, but also thirsty, and the weather was very hot.If they go on like this without food or drink, they will fall to the ground. When luck finally came, they saw many "craniums", which were filled with water like gourds full of nectar, hanging from the branches of a coral-like shrub.Everyone drank in one breath and felt refreshed again. There is also something to eat.It is the kind of plant that the natives depend on to survive after eating up all the insects, snakes, birds and beasts. It is called "naerto". Geographers have heard it mentioned by colleagues before.This plant is a cryptogamous plant in grasses, with leaves like alfalfa and gum cells growing under the leaves.The tooth cells are as big as lentils, and when they are picked, they are smashed with stones and become "flour".The rough bread made of this kind of "flour" tastes extra sweet for people who are dying.There are a lot of this kind of fruit, and Obir has stored a lot, so he doesn't have to worry about the food for the next few days. The next day, Muradhi was able to walk on his own, and his wound had healed completely.It was only 16 kilometers away from Deleguit, and I stopped at the border of New South Wales that night, which happened to be 149 degrees east longitude. It rained continuously for several hours, and everyone's clothes were drenched through.The captain finally found a dilapidated wooden shed left by a sawman, and everyone went in to shelter from the rain.Wilson wanted to make a fire to bake "Naerdou" flour bread, so he went out to pick up dead branches, but the dry wood he picked up couldn't be ignited anyway, because it contained a lot of alum, which couldn't be used as fuel at all.Learned geographers have said such things before in their Australian anecdotes. Therefore, the fire was not lit, and no one ate the dry and cold bread, and they all slept in wet clothes.Only the laughing birds on the tall branches sang, as if mocking the unfortunate seekers. After all, women are different from men. Although the two female guests pretended to be valiant, their physical strength was getting worse day by day.They are no longer walking, but dragging and crawling. However, the road always has an end.The next day, I set off at dawn and arrived at a small town in Delegit in Upper Wiss at 11 o'clock, 80 kilometers away from Tufu Bay. In Delegit, they quickly prepared the means of transportation.At this time, a flame of hope ignited in Jazz's heart again.If the Duncan is delayed a little, we can reach Tuff Bay within twenty-four hours, and the Duncan can still be saved. At noon, after having a good meal, everyone boarded a mail van and left the town. Five strong horses drove the mail car forward quickly. When the coachman heard that he would pay more for the wine if he was too fast, he went even further, without stopping.One hour every 16 kilometers, and each stop is no more than two minutes.At this moment, Jazz can't wait to become a bird and fly to the east coast quickly. The next day, when the sun was rising, the faint sound of sea water heralded that the destination was about to be reached.The mail came round the bay to the shore at the 30th parallel, where Austin was ordered to bring the ship. As soon as the sea appeared, everyone looked far and wide, trying their best to search for the shadow of the Duncan. Could there be a miracle?But the water and the sky are the same color, and there is no shadow of a sailboat on the vast sea. There is also a possibility that the wind may be too strong, and the ship cannot anchor outside the port, so it sails to the inner port of Tufu Bay-Eden City. Therefore, the jazz ordered the mail car to turn right again, and headed for the city of Eden, which is 9 miles away from here. The driver stopped not far from the fixed signal that marked the port.There were a few boats at the docks, but none under the flag of Malcolm House. The jazz, the captain and the geographer got out of the car together, went to the customs, questioned the sailors, and checked the import registers of ships in the past few days. As a result, no ship has entered Tuff Bay for a week. "Is the Duncan late to set sail? Perhaps we're ahead of them!" exclaimed the sergeant, returning to this thought, one always refraining from thinking in the direction of despair. Captain Mengele shook his head. He knew that Austin would never delay in carrying out the order. "Whether it's good or bad, we always need to know the result, so we can't be half-trusted like this!" said Golinavan. A quarter of an hour later a telegram was sent to the Melbourne Marine Insurance Managers' Association.Then they boarded the mail coach and went to rest at the Victoria Hotel.At two o'clock in the afternoon Sir received a telegram which read as follows: Tuff Bay Sir Eden Town Glenarvan The destination of the Duncan sailing on the 18th of this month is unknown Andrew Andrew The telegram fell from Jazz's hand to the ground like a page. no doubt!The respectable Scottish yacht has been transformed into a pirate ship, and the bandit leader, Pen Juce, is its master! The transcontinental journey that had begun so optimistically ended in such despair!There seemed to be no trace of Captain Grant and his wrecked crew, a defeat so disastrous that it cost the lives of the entire fleet, and that Sir was too exhausted and helpless.This heroic seeker was not conquered by the natural disasters in the Banpass grasslands, but now the man-made disasters on the Australian mainland have subdued him.