Chapter 11 Section VI Freedom

Seeing a boat... No news has such magic to convert strangers, so excited these people, the riot subsides, and the crowd rushes towards the shore like a raging torrent, no longer thinking about the fight People crowded together in a hurry and silently, and after a while, all the immigrants gathered at the top of the west side of the island, where you can see the endless sea. Ali Lordes and Altlebull followed the crowd and rushed forward. They were also very excited. They opened their eager eyes, and they saw a thick black smoke across the sky above the sea, which foreshadowed The steamship is coming.

After a while, the bow of the ship could be vaguely seen from the horizon, and it was soon recognized that it was a ship of about 400 tons, with a flag flying on the gaff, and the color and logo could not be discerned from a distance. . The immigrants looked at each other, exchanging frustration. They had never seen such a low-tonnage ship that could carry all the people on board. Then this ship was a cargo ship from other countries, not Penta——promised by Governor Arnas Rescue boat? The problem was immediately clarified, and the ship sailed quickly, and before it got dark, it was less than three nautical miles away from the south bank.

"Chilean ship," Le Corgi said, as a light wind flattened and straightened the flag, making its color recognizable. Forty-five minutes later, the sky had completely entered the night, and at this time, the harsh sound of the impact of the anchor chain could be heard. Go back to your own residence. The night passed without incident. At dawn, people found the ship moored three chains away from the coast. People asked Altlebull for help. He said: "This is an escort ship of the Chilean Navy." Altleble was quite right, it was indeed a escort ship, and at eight o'clock in the morning they disembarked and landed.

The captain was immediately surrounded by this face-hungry group, and around him, many questions intersected: why send such a small ship?When are you going to pick up these people?Do you want these people to die on Khost Island?The captain didn't know who to listen to. With so many questions raining down on him, he wanted to wait for people to calm down before answering them one by one.It took a lot of effort to calm everyone down a little, so he spoke loudly. Let me comfort these listeners with a few words, so that they can appreciate Chile's benevolence and charity. The arrival of this escort ship shows that the government has not forgotten them.

He explained, however, that if his government thought that a warship should be sent to them and had not promised to send one, it might have wished to give them a suggestion first, which might appeal to them. Unexpected suggestion, the captain explained it straight to the point. This opening statement is not a nonsense for the audience, so that they can clearly judge some of the thoughts of the Chilean Governor. In the treaty signed on January 17, 1881, the development of the land in the west and south of Magellan given to the government, Chile intends to use a unique trick to use the land development to call more than 2,000 immigrants in Khost On the island, these are the people who died on the Jonathan.

This treaty, in short, ruled purely theoretical power. Obviously, the Argentine Republic has nothing to claim except for the joint land, part of Patagonia, and the land of Tierra del Fuego. Territorial extent, complete freedom to act for the greatest advantage, merely owning the area; it is not enough to prevent other nations from forming another law of occupation here, what is required is to obtain a greater advantage from it, in the development of minerals and plants. Land property, and through commercial prosperity, attract people to live and multiply here.All in all, making it a colony has already been successful on the islands of the Strait of Magellan, an important area of ​​Penta Arras, where trade has increased day by day, encouraging the Republic of Chile to try new ways, attracting a large number of immigrants to the Magellan Peninsula .So that this fertile land, as well as the area of ​​​​the vibrant Indian tribes, belong to his rule.

To be precise, at present, in the intricate Grand Canal, a large ship is stranded on the small island of Este, and there are still immigrants from all over the world. I went to pan for gold in a distant area and dreamed of getting rich, but now I have to take refuge here. The Chilean government thought it through. This was an unexpected opportunity to turn the victims on the Jonathan into immigrants on Khost Island. Therefore, he did not send them a dispatch ship, but sent a The frigate came, and the captain conveyed the proposal to them. This suggestion is also unexpected and very attractive. The Chilean government agreed to give up Khost Island unconditionally for the benefit of the victims of the Jonathan. They can own this land according to their wishes, and It is not a temporary transfer of land mining rights, but an absolute right of autonomy, without any conditions or restrictions.

This suggestion could not be clearer. The very clear thing is to abandon Khost Island to ensure that they can develop the island immediately. Chile has indeed used these conditions to attract immigrants to other islands, for Clarence Island, Daou The islands of Sonnen, Lavalan, and Helmet belong to it. If the new colony prospers, this is possible. The people here know that there is no need to doubt the climate of the Magellan area. There are excellent conditions for agricultural production, and there are also rich mineral resources, as well as vast and abundant pastures and fisheries that can be developed. Establishing a prosperous industrial company on this peninsula will have auspicious stars and is a good opportunity. Opportunities, the ships coming and going in this port will bring good luck in a steady stream.

Penta-Arras is already a big free port, and all the red tape of customs has been cancelled, and the development of ships from the mainland can be imagined with bright and brilliant prospects.With the establishment of this stronghold, the absolute advantage of the Strait of Magellan can be guaranteed, so it is not unprofitable to achieve the same effect in the southern part of the peninsula. In order to achieve this goal more clearly, a shrewd strategic thinking within the governments of Sandia , leading to the decision to make sacrifices to Khost Island.This kind of sacrifice is more realistic, because the island is still uninhabited, not only deducting exorbitant taxes, but also giving up land ownership, allowing it to be completely autonomous, and allowing it to be separated from its territory. This will be the only piece of complete independence for Magellan soil of.

The main thing now is to find out whether the distressed people on the Jonadan can accept their proposals. If everyone agrees, then the development of Africa will be replaced by the development of Khost Island. The government intends to settle this matter without delay, the frigate brought this proposal, will bring a reply, the captain has the authority to deal with all matters with immigration representatives, but he has also been ordered to stay at Khost Island for no more than ten days After five or fifteen days, regardless of whether the treaty is signed or not, you have to return. If the answer is yes, a new republic will be born immediately, and the flag they see fit will be erected immediately.

If the answer is no, the government will consider the method of sending them in the future, not that this frigate can send them, to Penta-Arras, they will ask the United States to send an immigration company to a rescue ship, sailing here requires Take a while, in this case, a few weeks before they evacuate. So one can imagine that the Santiago government's proposal had an unusual effect. People never thought that they would look forward to such a thing. Under such circumstances, the immigrants all felt the seriousness of the situation and could not make up their minds. Thinking of the wise man who believed to have distinguished right from wrong for everyone, shared weal and woe, and relieved everyone of a lot of suffering, they all turned to this small bay at the mouth of the river and watched the rickety Ville-Jet boat. But Ver-Tier has gradually moved away, and it is no longer visible on the sea. For a while, everyone was stunned, and there was another commotion among the people. Everyone was restless, bent down, and looked for the person they put all their hopes on. Finally, it was confirmed that it had become a fact. Le Corgi took Algie and Calori away. up. People were stunned. These poor people had become used to obeying Le Cogi's orders, but now they could no longer enjoy his intelligence and love. At the critical moment when their fate was about to be decided, he abandoned them.Both his departure and his appearance on Khost Island are very important. Ali Lordes, who had very different motives from the others, was deeply saddened, and he understood that Le Corgis would abandon Khost Island on the day the emigrants left, but why not wait until that day?Abruptly broke off sincere friendships with people, parted without saying goodbye. Besides, why leave in such a hurry?Like an escape?Was it the arrival of the Chilean warship that made him leave? ... In view of the fact that this person has always been mysterious, even the nationality of him is unknown, so all hypotheses are possible. Usually, he can always put forward the most accurate and appropriate suggestions when the problem needs to be solved the most. Now the immigrants are hesitating, and no one discusses, which makes the immigrants at a loss. People gradually dispersed, and finally saw only the captain One person stayed there, and people left secretly in groups of three or five in order to avoid the trouble of participating in a certain decision. People were silent about the suggestion they had just heard. For seven or eight days, the proposal was the subject of everyone's talk, a general feeling of surprise, a proposal so bizarre and out of the ordinary that many immigrants could hardly believe it was true.Encouraged by his companions, Ali Lordes had no choice but to see the captain, hoping to explain clearly, to clear up doubts in his mind, to verify their due rights, and to ask him to prove that the Republic of Chile will guarantee the absolute independence of Khost Island. The captain patiently persuaded the relevant personnel in detail and comprehensively. He let them understand the motives and intentions of the government, and how beneficial it is for the immigrants to allow them to settle in this area that they have autonomy. Forget telling them that Penta-Arras is prosperous and claiming that Chile will sincerely come to help this new colony. "The deed of gift is ready," added the captain, "just waiting to be signed." "Who signed it," Ali Guedesh asked. "Signed by representatives elected by the General Migration Assembly." Indeed, this is the only possible way, and later, when the immigrants are in charge of organizing, it will decide whether it is better for the immigrants to appoint a chief, and it will be absolutely free to choose, which seems to be the best system, and Chile will not Any way to interfere with this choice. In order not to be surprised by what happens next to this proposal, it is best to know exactly what happened.What will become of the passengers transported by the Jonathan from San Francisco to Lagoa Bay?What does it matter, these poor souls, that survival drives them from their homes, here or there?When their future is secured and their housing conditions are favorable, it is all right. However, since they entered Khost Island, the entire cold winter has passed. Through the experience of actual life, the winter here is not extremely cold. Regions are never easy to see. From a security point of view, Lagoa Bay does not seem to be favorable. It is close to the British and the Kafir barbarians. Obviously, these immigrants should consider these accidental factors before boarding the ship, because it is more important in their lives. The most important thing is that now is the opportunity to live and work in a deserted area without all kinds of dangers. Besides, the time for mining rights obtained by the immigration company from South Africa, the residents of the subbantu language in the eastern part of Kaffir are limited, and the Portuguese government does not give any preferential rights to new immigrants. On the contrary, Magellan can be absolutely free, Horst The island becomes its own land and will be allowed to develop and grow as an independent country. Finally, there are some considerations, that is, staying on Khost Island can avoid the tiring journey of relocating again, and the Chilean government is also very concerned about the fate of immigrants, people can also get some assistance from him, and Penta-Alla Sri Lanka will be able to establish normal relations. On the islands of the Strait of Magellan and elsewhere on the peninsula, trading companies can be established and trade can be carried out. When the fishing industry is organized, trade will also be developed with the Falklands. After a period of time, the Argentine Republic Likely giving up the land holdings of Land Isla, where it would build a town to rival Penta de Arras, Tierra del Fuego would belong to Argentina as Brunswick belonged to Chile. It should be admitted that all these arguments have a certain weight and have finally gained a certain advantage in people's thinking. After a long time of secret conversations and consultations, most immigrants showed a tendency to accept the proposal of the Chilean government. What a pity!Le Corgi left Khost Island. At this critical moment, people want to hear his opinions and suggestions. There is no one who is as accurate and reliable as he is in pointing out the maze. He is very likely to agree to accept it. The proposal to separate one of the eleven large islands of the Magellan Peninsula.Ali Lordes did not doubt that Le Corgi had the right to discuss this matter. He had done so many good things for everyone, and everyone was willing to give him this right. As for himself, he would fully agree with this proposal, and in such a situation, it is a rare opportunity that his views are basically the same as Ferdinand Beauvale, the leader of socialism, accepting proposals through propaganda, then What did he hope for?Intending to put the theory into practice, this group of people who are almost uneducated, people who share property, are still in the beginning, chaotic and ignorant, and there is no sufficient reason for anyone to ask for a trivial point for themselves. What an amazing adventure, what an incomparable experiment in land ownership, collectivism, or even outright communism. Ferdinand Beauvale is so busy here, how he goes from house to house, justifies these reasons without interruption, and makes people's eardrums calloused, how much did he spend? Energy is really hard to calculate. Finally elections had to be held, and the time was approaching, according to the Chilean government, and the captain of the frigate pressed for something to be done on the matter. The time fixed was October 30 when she would sail, and Chile would retain all authority over Khost. On October 26, a general meeting was held, and all adult immigrants participated in the voting, the actual number was 824.Women, children, and young people under the age of twenty-one did not attend, and there were also absentees, the heads of the households of Galton, Lee Willy, Ivan Rove, and Gemery. Counting results: There were 729 votes in favor and 32 votes against. The votes in favor accounted for the majority. In the end, the minority followed the majority decision. Three representatives were elected, and this time Ferdinand Beauvale was a satisfactory success, and thanks to his relentless campaign and advocacy, this time he did not fail, and received high honors, emigrated They were elected as representatives, but everyone was cautious and instinctive, and everyone also chose Ali Lords and Altlebull. On the same day, the representative of the immigration and the representative of the Chilean government, the captain, signed the treaty together. The text of the treaty is very concise and there is no ambiguity. Soon, the national flag of Khost—half white and half red—was immediately erected on the beach, and the frigate fired a 21-gun salute to pay tribute. Flying freely, it heralds the birth of a free kingdom.