Chapter 8 CHAPTER VIII ROBIER DECIDES TO ANSWER THE IMPORTANT QUESTION
Uncle Prudden and Phil Evans were arranged to sleep in a cabin in the aft cabin.There are two very comfortable bunks with enough underwear, a change of clothes, coats and travel blankets.Even on a transatlantic passenger ship it doesn't get any more comfortable than this.The reason they don't sleep through the night is because they are consciously staying awake, and realistic worries are making it difficult to fall asleep, to say the least.What the hell is going on with this adventure they're drawn into?What is the nature of the series of experiments they were "invited" to participate in?How will this matter end?What on earth is Engineer Robier up to?There are indeed many thought-provoking places in it.
As for the footman, Fricoland, he was placed forward, next to the cook of the Albatross.He would not be dissatisfied with such a neighbor, and he liked to be close to the great people of the world today.Although he eventually fell asleep, he dreamed that he was thrown into space again and again, straight down.It turned out to be some worst nightmares that night.
As night progresses and the air currents calm down, there is nothing quite like traveling in the atmosphere at this time.Except for the sound of the propeller blades, there was no other sound heard in the entire night sky.Occasionally, there is a long whistle of a running locomotive on the ground, or a cry from some domestic animals.What a strange animal instinct!The animals on the ground felt the aircraft flying over their heads, and they were so frightened that they kept barking.
The next day, July 14, at five o'clock in the morning, Uncle Pruden and Phil Evans came out on the platform—the deck of the aircraft—for a walk.Same as the previous day: lookout post at the front, helmsman at the rear.
Why set up such a surveillance post?Are you still afraid of colliding with the same type of aircraft?Obviously not.No imitators of Robier have been found.As for whether they will run into any other airships flying in the sky, the chances of this kind of airship are really very small, so there is no need to worry at all.Even if this is the case, the airship deserves to be unlucky. Isn't this hitting a rock with an egg? The "Albatross" is not afraid of such a collision.
So, will there be such a thing as a collision?meeting.If there is a mountain in the way and it cannot go around or go over it, just like the ship, the aircraft will also be in a desperate situation.Just like a ship avoiding rocks in the sea, this is equivalent to a hidden rock in the air, and it is impossible not to avoid it.
In effect, the engineer has always been like the captain of a ship, giving orders based on the altitude required for the mountains to be flown.The aircraft is about to fly to a mountainous area, and it is indeed a prudent way to prevent accidents due to deviation from the route.
Uncle Prudden and Phil Evans looked down at the whole area below them, and they saw a large lake, the southern end of which the Albatross was about to fly.They determined that the craft was flying longitudinally along Lake Erie during the night.And since the aircraft is now flying in a more westward direction, it must fly to the southern end of Lake Michigan.
"It can't be wrong!" said Phil Evans. "That rooftop in the sky is Chicago!"
He is not wrong.Here is Chicago, the largest metropolis in the West, reached by sixteen railroads, and the center for the products of Indiana, Ohio, Wisconsin, Missouri, and all the western states of the United States.
Uncle Pruden found a pair of excellent nautical binoculars in the cabin. With it, he could easily identify the main buildings of the city, and he could follow his companion's instructions to see churches and public buildings. , Look at the countless mechanized barns, look at the huge Sherman Hotel.The hotel was like a big dice waiting to be played, and the windows on each side were like hundreds of dots.
"Now that we're in Chicago," said Uncle Pruden, "that means we're being taken a little west of the way we should go back to Philadelphia."
Yes, the farther the Albatross flew, the farther it got from the capital of Pennsylvania.
At this time, even if Uncle Prudang wanted to force Robier to turn around, he couldn't do it.The engineer seemed in no hurry to get out of his cabin this morning: either busy with his own work or fast asleep.Seeing that he couldn't come out, the two colleagues had no choice but to have breakfast first.
The aircraft has been flying at this speed since the day before.Since the wind is blowing from the east, this speed is not uncomfortable.Moreover, the temperature only decreases by 1 degree for every increase of 170 meters, so the temperature is completely tolerable.Uncle Pruden and Phil Evans had to walk under the "branches" of the spinning propellers and think.Talking, waiting for the engineer to arrive.Due to the fast speed, the blades of the propeller melt into translucent discs.
In less than two and a half hours, they flew over the northern border of Illinois and over the "father of all waters" Mississippi River.The double-decker steamships on the river looked about the size of boats.At nearly 11:00 in the morning, Iowa City was vaguely seen, and the "Albatross" had entered the territory of Iowa.
Several not-too-high mountains with steep cliffs meander across the state from south to northwest.Due to its limited height, the aircraft does not need to increase its flight altitude.Moreover, these cliffs will soon become lower and lower, and eventually give way to the great plains of Iowa.The Great Plains are a vast expanse of grassland that encompasses all of western Iowa and Nebraska, reaching to the foot of the Rocky Mountains.Innumerable river ports dot the prairies, all of which are tributaries or tributaries of tributaries of the Mississippi.The cities and villages on both sides of the river became sparser, and the "Albatross" flew faster over the western region.
On this day, nothing special happened.Presumably Pruden and Phil Evans were left alone.They hardly saw Fricoland either: he had been lying in front with his eyes closed so that his eyes would not see.In fact, he is not as dizzy as people think.There is no reference object, and there will be no dizziness when looking at high-rise buildings.When you are in the gondola of a balloon, or on the platform of a vehicle above an abyss, you don't have the feeling that the abyss sucks you in.Moreover, what appears below the craft is not an abyss, but a horizon that surrounds it and rises with it.
At 2 o'clock, the "Albatross" flew over the city of Omaha on the Nebraska border.Omaha is the real starting point of the 6,000-kilometer Pacific Railway from New York to San Francisco.For a while, I could still see the yellowing water of the Missouri River from the aircraft, and I could see this brick and wood city.The city of Omaha, on the fertile Missouri River valley, resembles a belt buckle on a metal belt that wraps around the waist of North America.No doubt the residents of Omaha must have seen the strange machine as the passengers of the craft viewed the sights.But they were no more amazed at the sight of such a machine in flight than the President and Secretary of the Weldon Institution, who were already on board it.
In any case, the Commonwealth newspapers will comment on the matter, and they will explain the strange phenomenon which the whole world has been paying attention to for some time.
An hour later, the "Albatross" flew over the city of Omaha, leaving the Platte River and heading east.The course of the Pacific Railroad follows the valley of the Platte River across the prairie.Doing so made Uncle Prudden and Phil Evans feel very uncomfortable.
"Looks like that ridiculous plan to take us to the other side of the world is real," said one.
"And whether we like it or not," replied the other, "well, Robier, be careful! I'm not one to be pushed around! . . . "
"Neither am I!" said Phil Evans, "but listen to me, Uncle Prudang, restrain yourself! . . . "
"I restrain myself!"
"Save your anger and let it out when it's time to explode..."
At around 5 o'clock, the "Albatross" crossed the black mountains covered with green pines and cypresses, and came to the sky over the Nebraska so-called "bad land".This is a disorderly ocher-colored hilly country, as if the broken pieces of mountains fell from the sky to the earth.Looking from a distance, the fragments are all kinds of strange things.From the scattered remains, you can also glimpse the outline of the medieval town: fortifications.Castle keep and castle with escapades and turrets.In fact, this "bad land" is just a vast boneyard. There are countless pachyderm and turtle bones, and it is said that there are also human bone fossils, which are the consequences of an unknown catastrophe when the world was created. .
By nightfall they had flown across the entire Platte River valley.Despite the high altitude of the Albatross, the great plains now stretched far into the sky.
At night, there was no shriek of a locomotive or muffled whistle of a steam turbine to disturb the tranquility of the starry sky.When the aircraft was a little closer to the ground, there was an occasional sound of long eyes.This is the call of the bison that hunts for streams and grass on the prairies.When the mooing of the buffalo stopped, you could still hear the muffled sound of the grass under their feet, like a flood, completely different from the continuous rustle of the propeller.
Now and then a howl or two, or a fox, or a bobcat or coyote.The bark of this kind of beast is particularly loud, and the common name "barking dog" is really not wrong.
Sometimes, there are some refreshing fragrances: peppermint, sage and absinthe, mixed with the strong fragrance of coniferous trees, permeated with the fresh night air.
Of course, if everything from the ground is to be registered, there is one ominous howl that should not be forgotten, not unlike that of the coyote, which is the cry of the Voice.The pioneers of the North American continent would not have confused it with the cry of the beast.
About five o'clock in the morning of the next day, June 15th, Phil Evans came out of his cabin.Is it possible to run into Engineer Robier today?
In any case, he wanted to know why Robier hadn't shown up the day before, and he chatted with the foreman, Tom Turner.
Tom Turner is originally from the UK. He is about 45 years old. He has a broad upper body, extremely short limbs, a pair of steel and iron bones, and a large and characteristic head in the same style. exactly the same.If you take a closer look at the fourth painting of "Into the Wind and Dust", you will find that the prison guard has Tom Turner's head on his shoulders, and you will admit that his appearance does not give people to encourage.
"Can we see Engineer Robier today?" asked Phil Evans.
"I don't know," said Tom Turner.
"I didn't ask you if he was out."
"may be."
"I didn't ask you when he would come back."
"Looks like he'll have to wait until he's done shopping."
After speaking, Tom Turner went back to the cabin.
I had no choice but to be content with this answer.Judging from the compass, the "Albatross" continued to fly northwest.Hearing his answer made me feel even more uneasy.
What a contrast between the arid "bad land" that passed away with the night and the present scene!
Flying another 1,000 kilometers from Omaha, the aircraft came over an area Phil Evans didn't know.He has never been to this area.Several fortress-shaped buildings on the cliff, with obvious geometric lines, more fences and less walls, are the places where Indians live.The sparse villages and sparse population in this area are very different from the gold-rich areas of Colorado a few latitudes below it.
In the distance, the fiery red morning glow is reflected on a continuous ridge, showing the still blurred silhouettes of the mountains.
That is the Rocky Mountains.
The first thing Uncle Prudden and Phil Evans felt this morning was the chill.The change in temperature is certainly not caused by a change in the weather, because the sun is so bright.
"It must have been because the 'Albatross' was flying too high," said Phil Evans.
Indeed, the barometer hung on the middle hatch had dropped to 540 mm, suggesting that they had risen by about 3,000 metres.It can be seen that due to the ups and downs of the terrain, the aircraft has risen to a considerable height.
Moreover, its flight altitude must have exceeded 4,000 meters an hour ago, as evidenced by the several snow-covered mountains standing behind it.
From memory, Uncle Prudang and his companions couldn't remember where this was.It was possible that the "Albatross" had strayed south or north from its original course during the night, and it was flying at such a high speed that it was enough to make them dizzy.
After some speculation and assumptions, they finally concluded that this area surrounded by mountains must be the place where Congress passed a decree in March 1872 to declare it a national park of the United States.
What a wonderful place.It is indeed worthy of the title of a park: the mountains are its rockery, the lakes are its ponds, the rivers are its streams, the ice cirque is its labyrinth, and the geysers with super energy are its fountains.
A few minutes later, the Albatross, leaving Stevenson's Peak to her right aft, was over the Yalestone River, on the edge of the great lake that gave the river its name.There are various shapes on the shore of the lake, and the obsidian and small crystal stones scattered on the lake beach are shining in the sun.On the surface of the lake, the arrangement of small islands is so strange!The mirror-like lake reflects the blue sky!Around the Great Lake, one of the highest lakes in the world, there are so many birds, including pelicans, swans, sand gulls, wild geese, and arctic geese!The shores of the lake, in some steep places, are covered with dense greenery, pine and larch.Under the steep bank, countless white craters are spewing white gas.It was steam coming out of the ground, like a huge container filled with water, under which a fire was constantly burning, and the water was constantly boiling.
Trout is the only species that thrives in Lake Yalestone, and this is truly a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for chefs to catch trout.It's just that the "Albatross" is flying too high, and they have no chance to catch fish, otherwise, they will definitely gain a lot.
Moreover, it took only 45 minutes for the lake to fly over.It didn't take us very far to reach an area of geysers that rival Iceland's premier geysers.Uncle Pruden and Phil Evans leaned over the platform and watched the jets of water gushing out as if they were sending new parts to the aircraft.Some of them are like "fans", and the sprayed water is like thin flat columns, shining; some are like "blockhouses", protecting themselves with streams of water; Covered with a round rainbow; some are like "giants", ejecting a straight, 20-foot-circumference, and more than 200-foot-high torrent under the internal pressure of the earth.
This incomparable, even unparalleled wonder in the world must have been experienced by Robier, otherwise, why didn't he come on deck?Had he sent his craft to this land only for his guests?Whatever it was, he didn't seem to want their thanks.He still refused to condescend to show his face when the Albatross reached the Rocky Mountains at seven o'clock in the morning and began the daring maneuver of overflying them.
As we all know, this mountain range is an extension of the Mexican Andes, shaped like a broad spine, stretching from the waist of America to the neck of North America.The mountains stretch for 3,500 kilometers, and the highest peak, James Peak, has a peak of nearly 12,000 feet.
Of course, if it flapped its wings like a bird soaring high, the "Albatross" would certainly be able to pass the highest peak of this mountain range, and it could land in Oregon or Utah in one fell swoop.It's just that there's no need to do so, since there are passes ready to pass the barrier without flying over the ridge.There are several such canyons of varying widths that can be drilled through, such as Bridger's Pass, through which the Pacific Railroad passes to Mormon land.There are other passes further north and south.
It was such a pass that the "Albatross" passed.It slowed down to avoid hitting the cliffs on either side.The sharpness of the steering wheel, coupled with the precise movements of the helmsman, is like steering a first-class dinghy in a Royal Thames Club race.It's amazing!Although the two sworn enemies of the "heavier-than-air" faction are not happy to see this phenomenon, they can't help admiring this air transport vehicle.
It took less than two and a half hours to cross the entire mountain. The "Albatross" returned to its original speed of 100 kilometers per hour, close to the ground, and flew diagonally across Utah toward the southwest.When Uncle Prudden and Phil Evans were attracted by a few sirens, it had even dropped to a height of only a few hundred meters.
A Pacific Railroad train was heading for Salt Lake City.
At this time, the "Albatross" continued to descend in accordance with an invisible command, and followed the train that was moving at full speed, and someone found it immediately.A few heads protruded from the door of the carriage, and then many passengers squeezed onto the small platforms used to connect with American "buses", and some even climbed onto the roof of the double-decker carriage without hesitation. In order to see the aircraft clearly.The sound of exclamation and "Ula" resounded through the sky.But just like that, it failed to lure Robier out.
The Albatross continued to reduce the speed of its hoisting propellers, and slowed its forward speed, so as not to run in front of the train which it could easily pass; it flew like a giant scarab, which it could have done. Be a big bird of prey.It flew left for a while, flew right for a while, flew forward for a while, and flew back for a while, proudly raising its golden sun flag with a black background.The train conductor responded by waving the Confederate flag with 37 stars.
The two captives were eager to take advantage of this good opportunity to make their situation known, and the president of the Welton Society cried out:
"I'm Uncle Prudden from Philadelphia!"
The secretary yelled:
"I'm his colleague Phil Evans!"
Their cries were completely drowned out by the hospitable "Ulla" of the passengers.
At this time, three or four staff members from the aircraft also came to the platform.One even threw a rope tauntingly, as the crew did when passing a slower boat.
The "Xintian Arrow" quickly resumed its usual forward speed; within half an hour, it left the train behind, and soon even the smoke from the train was invisible.
At around 1:00 p.m., what came into view was a gigantic disc that reflected sunlight like a huge mirror.
"This is probably Salt Lake City, the capital of the Mormons," said Uncle Pruden.
Salt Lake City indeed.The disk was the dome of the cathedral, which comfortably accommodated ten thousand saints, and it scattered the sunlight in all directions like a convex mirror.
Salt Lake City is located under the Wesatch Peak, which is covered with green pines and cypresses until its halfway up, on the banks of the Josi River, which flows all the waters of Utah into the Great Salt Lake.Like most cities in the United States, looking down from the aircraft, you can see a big chessboard.Here, it can be said that "there are more pieces than squares", because polygamy is prevalent among Mormons.The textile industry is developed here, the city is well managed, the farmland is intensively cultivated, and there are thousands of sheep flocks all over the fields.
But all this soon disappeared like a shadow. The "Albatross" flew faster to the southwest.The speed has obviously accelerated a lot, because it has exceeded the wind speed now.
It didn't take long for the aircraft to fly to Nevada, over the silver mines, just across the mountain from the California gold mines.
"We'll see San Francisco before dark!" said Phil Evans.
"Then what about after reading it?..." asked Uncle Prudang.
At 6:00 p.m., they crossed the Sierra Nevada by the railroad pass, Truckee Pass.From there to San Francisco or Sacramento, the capital of California, is only 300 kilometers away.
At that time, the speed of the "Albatross" was really fast. Before 8 o'clock, the dome of the State Capitol appeared in the western sky.It didn't take long for it to disappear into the eastern sky.
At this time, Robier appeared on the deck.The two colleagues walked towards him.
"Engineer Robier," said Uncle Prudden, "we have reached the border of the United States, and this joke should be over..."
"I never joke," replied Robier.
He made a gesture, and the "Albatross" quickly descended towards the ground, and the speed was so fast that people had to hide in the cabin.
As soon as they closed the door, Uncle Prudden said:
"I almost strangled him!"
"Should try to escape!" said Phil Evans.
"Yes... at any cost!"
A low rumbling sound reached their ears.
It was the roar of the sea beating against the rocks on the shore.Already over the Pacific Ocean.
Notes:
Notes: