Chapter 12 CHAPTER TWELVE THE ENGINEER ROBILLS BEHAVIORS AS OBJECTED TO WIN THE MONDILLON PRIZE

After the Albatross has been flying around the world for so long, the question must be asked: What the hell is this Robbie doing?Until now, all the reader knows is the name.His whole life has been spent in the sky?Does his flying machine never rest?Was there a camp somewhere in the middle of nowhere where, if he didn't need to rest, at least he was supposed to go to replenish his supplies?It would be surprising if it wasn't.Even the fiercest bird has a nest somewhere. Also, what did the Engineer plan to do with the two troublesome captives?To hold them down and force them on an endless flight?Or take them to Africa first.South America, Australia, Indian Ocean.The Atlantic and the Pacific, so that they have to be convinced, and then give them back their freedom, and say to them:

"Now, gentlemen, I hope you will have less qualms about 'heavier than air' in the future!" Such a question has no answer yet.This is a mystery of the future, and perhaps its veil will be lifted someday in the future! At any rate, Robier's bird did not seek his nest on the north coast of Africa.Over Tunisia, from Cape Benedict to Cape Carthage, against the twilight, it sometimes goes up and down, sometimes glides, flying as it pleases, so uncomfortable.Later it began to fly inland, first through the wondrous Maijerda valley, along yellowish streams hidden among cacti and oleander bushes.Along the way, it startled hundreds of parrots that were resting on eight wires, as if waiting for a telegram on the way, and took them away under their wings.

When it was getting dark, the "Albatross" flew over the border area of ​​Croatia.If there were any survivors of the Krumirians, seeing the appearance of this giant eagle, he would prostrate himself on the ground and beg for Allah's protection. The next morning, it flew over the city and saw the beautiful mountains around it.Later, I went to what is now known as "Little Algiers", and I saw its newly built arched embankment and vineyards with a terrifying view; the green grapes are everywhere in the field, which really seems to be from Bordeaux. Or from Burgundy. It reached the Kasbah in Algiers just before noon, thus marking the end of a 500-kilometer roam over the Great and Little Cabiria Mountains.For the passengers on the aircraft, the scenery here is really beautiful!The open anchorage from Madifort Point to the Pesca Spit, there are palaces, mosques, seashores lined with villas, green valleys full of grapes all over the mountains, and blue Mediterranean seas that seem to be the size of steamboats. Passenger ships across the Atlantic plowed ripples on the sea.This beautiful scenery continues to the picturesque city of Oran.Residents who lingered in the city gardens must have seen the Albatross mingling with the night stars.

Uncle Prudant and Phil Evans have been speculating on what whimsical idea prompted Engineer Robier to drag the flying prison in which they were imprisoned in Algeria - the French city on the other side of the ocean known as the Extended part - Wandering above.Two hours after sunset they thought he had had enough of his whim, for with a turn of the helmsman's stick the Albatross began to fly southeast.The next day, when I came out of Teller Mountain, a red sun was rising over the Sahara Desert. During the daytime on July 8, the flight route of the aircraft was as follows: First, pass through the small town of Gerriver (like Lagowat, the town was also built on the edge of the desert in order to conquer the Sahara in the future); Tilling Pass.This mountain pass crossing is not easy, mainly because it has to fly against the wind, and the wind is quite strong; the next step is to fly across the desert.Sometimes the aircraft hovered slowly over the green desert oasis, sometimes over the castle;On several occasions, the flight attendants had to fire at the fearsome flocks of bearded vultures.Those bearded vultures, in groups of 12 to 15, rushed towards the aircraft without fear, which frightened Fricoland.

If the bearded vulture's response was nothing more than a hideous cry or a beak-cracking claw, the natives, who were equally savage, did not spare their bullets, especially when flying over the Salt Mountains. Green-purple mountain beams protrude from Yanshan's silver-white coat.The vast Sahara Desert is at your feet.The remains of the camp lie here.For European travellers, this area, and especially the Beni-Mzar JJA, is always a dangerous place. The Simon wind dragged the reddish grains of sand across the ground like knives, much like the tidal head of a vast ocean rolling in on the surface of the water.To avoid the jumping Simon winds, the Albatross had to rise higher into the sky.The gray-black lava cinders on the bare Sheboga Plateau spread all the way to the cool and shaded An-Masin Valley.The whole area can be seen at a glance, but the change of the surface is unimaginable. Behind the woods and bushy mountains, there are pale gray rolling hills behind, like the great Arabian cloak, The folds of the great cloak create wonderful undulations on the ground.In the distance, there is the turbulent desert season river, palm trees, and patches of huts built on small hills around a mosque.This mosque was none other than Metliti, where a great religious leader, the Islamic hermit Sidi Shiq, lived a monotonous life all year round.

It was still dark, and the aircraft had already flown hundreds of kilometers over the wilderness scattered with big sandsmiths.If it had wanted to take a break, the Albatross could have landed in the Ouargla Oasis, which is located among the vast palm groves.From the aircraft, you can clearly see the three districts of the city: the Sultan's Old Palace - a castle with fortifications, houses made of sun-dried earth bricks, and artesian wells dug in the valley. The "Albatross" could have replenished water here, but, because of its incredible speed, although it has come to the African desert, the water tanks drawn from the Indus River in the Kashmir Valley have not yet been used up.

Was the "Albatross" seen by the mixed Arabs, Mzabs and blacks in Ouargla?No doubt, because it had been greeted by hundreds of bullets, only those bullets began to fall before they touched it. Then came the night, that silent night of the desert, the night whose whole mystery has been written so poetically in musical notation. A few hours later, the aircraft turned southwest, traversing the roads leading to the city of Gulea.One of these roads was found in 1859 by the tenacious Frenchman Du Verrier. The night was so dark that the Trans-Saharan railroad that was being built according to Du Pontcher's plan could not be seen at all.According to the plan, this long iron link will pass through Lagovat and Kardaya, connect Algiers and Timbuktu, and then lead to the Gulf of Guinea.

At this time, the "Albatross" had crossed the Tropic of Cancer and came to the equatorial region.At 1,000 kilometers from the northern tip of the Sahara, it flew over the road where Major Lane died in 1846, and also crossed the trade route from Morocco to Sudan.In the desert area where the Tuaregs wantonly blocked roads and looted, the so-called "desert song" could be heard from the aircraft.The soft, plaintive moan seemed to come from the ground. The only accident was that a swarm of locusts rushed all over the sky and landed on the platform, adding a heavy load to the aircraft, which almost didn't "sink".The flight attendants hurriedly drove off the burden, and only François Tapage left a few hundred for food.The locusts were cooked so deliciously that even Fricoland forgot for a moment the fear that had not disappeared for a moment.

"Just like shrimp!" he said. At this time, the aircraft was 1.800 kilometers away from Ouargla, and it was close to the northern border of the vast Sudanese Kingdom. In this way, at 2 o'clock in the afternoon, a city appeared at the bend of a big river.This river is the Niger River.This city is exactly Timbuktu. If so far there are only travelers from the Old World, such as Batuda and Imbert.Mungo Parker, Adams, Lane, Kaye.Bath, Lenz, etc. have been to this African city of Mecca, and from now on, two more Americans, brought about by chance due to the strangest encounter, will be able to return to the United States—if they Really able to go back - to talk about what he saw, heard, and even smelled!

What they saw was because they were able to see every corner of this triangular city with a side length of five or six kilometers; His olfactory nerves were strongly stimulated by the unpleasant smell from Yub-Kami Square, where, next to the palace of King So-Mays, there was a large butcher's shop. In short, the engineer saw no need to keep the President and Secretary of the Weldon Institute from knowing that the city they had the privilege of viewing was the Sultanate that had fallen to the Tuaregs in Tagagne. "Gentlemen, Timbuktu has arrived." The voice was the same as saying "Gentlemen, India has arrived" to them 12 days ago.

Then he said: "Yambuktu is located at 18 degrees north latitude, 5 degrees 56 minutes west of the Paris meridian, and has an average altitude of 245 meters. This is an important town with 12,000 to 13,000 residents. It was once famous for its art and science—— Do you intend to stop here for a few days?" This suggestion from the engineer's mouth is nothing but irony. "However," he added, "it's very dangerous for foreigners to go among the Negroes, Berbers, Fulanas, and Arabs who occupy the place—especially when I I might add that we might displease them very much by flying here." "Sir," Phil Evans returned in the same tone, "we would rather risk the cold reception of the natives for the pleasure of parting from you. Prison for prison, Timbuktu is better than the Albatross." 'Be good!" "It's a matter of personal taste," retorted the engineer, "I wouldn't take the risk anyway, because I'm responsible for the safety of the guests who will take the honor of traveling with me..." "So, Engineer Robier," Uncle Pruden could no longer restrain his anger, "you are still not satisfied with being our guard, are you? In addition to murdering us, you want to insult us wantonly?" "Oh, where! It's sarcasm at best!" "Is there a weapon on the aircraft?" "Yes, everything is there!" "Two pistols are enough, I'll take one, sir, you take one!" "A duel?" cried Robier. "A duel, and one of us will die." "I am very sure of that." "No, Chairman of the Weldon Society, I would rather let you live!" "It's wiser to let yourself live!" "Wise or not, it suits me anyway. Think what you like; and complain to whomever you like, if you can." "It has been done, Engineer Robier!" "real?" "Is it going to be that hard to drop a letter when we're flying through populated parts of Europe?" "You did this?" Robbier couldn't restrain his anger. "So what if we do this?" "If you did this...you should..." "What should I do?" "It's time to go outside the aircraft to see your letter!" "Then please throw us down," roared Uncle Pruden, "that's what we did!" Robier approached the two colleagues.He made a gesture, and Tom Turner and several other accomplices surrounded him at once.Yes, the engineer desperately wanted his words to be fulfilled.Maybe he really did it because he was worried that he would not be able to control himself. He hurriedly walked towards his cabin. "Good!" Phil Evans applauded from the sidelines. "He has no guts!" said Uncle Pruden. "I'm not afraid! I'll do it myself!" At this time, in the square of Timbuktu.The streets and the terraces in front of the houses built like amphitheatres were full of people.No matter in the rich areas such as Sankar and Salahama, or in the poor areas full of dilapidated cone-shaped huts, the imams climbed to the top of the mosque and issued the most disgusting curses to this flying demon.But after all, this is much more peaceful than bullets. The aircraft has not yet arrived at the port of Kabala, which is located at the bend of the Niger River, and the crew on the fleet there are already busy.Needless to say, if the "Albatross" landed at this time, it would be smashed to pieces. The chattering flocks of storks, partridges, and white ibis followed behind to compare their speed and flew for several kilometers in a row.However, it didn't take long for the flock of birds to be left far behind. It was getting dark.There was the roar of elephant herds and buffalo herds everywhere.The land in this area is extremely fertile, and there are countless herds of elephants and buffaloes living in it. For a full 24 hours, the "Albatross" flew over the 0-degree longitude and the 2-degree west longitude.The whole area in the bend of the Niger River. Indeed, if a geographer had such a machine, he could without difficulty map the country, find out the altitude, determine the course of the river and its tributaries, and mark the places of cities and towns.In this way, there will be no more large blank spaces on the map of Central Africa, and no more dotted boxes, with those vague markers that frustrate map workers. On the morning of the 11th, the "Albatross" crossed the mountains in northern Guinea between Sudan and the Gulf of Guinea; the outline of the peaks of the "Kong Mountain" in the Kingdom of Dahomey was faintly visible on the horizon. After leaving Timbuktu, Uncle Prudang and Phil Evans found that the direction of flight was always from north to south.Therefore, they speculated: If the heading remains the same, if you fly another six degrees of latitude, you should reach the equator.Could it be that the "Albatross" is going to leave the land and fly over the sea again?This time it's not the Bering Sea or the Caspian Sea, nor the North Sea or the Mediterranean Sea, but the Atlantic Ocean! Thinking of this, the two colleagues could not help feeling worried that their hopes of escape would be completely ruined. At this time, the flight speed of the "Albatross" slowed down, as if he hesitated before leaving the African continent.Engineers really want to go back the same way?no.It was the scene below the aircraft that caught his attention. Everyone knows—and he himself is not ignorant, that this is the Kingdom of Dahomey, one of the coastal powers in West Africa.Being able to compete with its neighboring country, the Kingdom of Asantis, already shows that it is quite powerful.Although its territory is very limited, only 120 miles from north to south, and only 60 miles from east to west, its population has reached 700,000 to 800,000 people since it annexed the independent states of Adela and Vida. Although the Dahomey Kingdom is small in size, it is not small in reputation.Especially the horrific massacres during the annual festivals when people worship ancestors, bury the old king and celebrate the new king's ascension to the throne, are even more famous overseas.There is also a grand etiquette in Dahomey: when the king receives foreign dignitaries or envoys, there is a way to surprise the people received, that is, the king will order 12 heads to be cut off to express his warm welcome.It was the Attorney General himself—Mingham, who knew the executioner's business very well—beheaded him. On the day when the "Albatross" flew over Holland and America, King Bahadu died, and the whole country was busy preparing for the new king's enthronement ceremony.Robier saw this busy scene. A long team is heading from all over the Dahomey countryside to Abomey, the capital of the kingdom.The road is flat and leads in all directions.The vast plains are covered with deep grasses; the cassava fields stretch as far as the eye can see; the beautiful woods have palms, coconuts, acacias, oranges and mangoes; On; thousands of parrots and finches fly from the green sea.The place is truly picturesque! The engineer leaned over the railing, lost in thought, speaking occasionally to Tom Turner. The "Albatross" did not seem to cause those beneath the weather-proof canopy.It is often the attention of this group of active people who never expect to see a human figure from top to bottom, probably because the aircraft is flying too high and there are thin clouds. Around 11am, the capital emerged.The city is surrounded by walls, and outside the city walls is a moat more than 20 kilometers long; the terrain in the city is flat, and the streets are wide and tidy.On the north side of the square is the royal palace; in the whole building, the altar near the sacrificial room is the tallest.On festivals, captives bound in wicker baskets were thrown from this altar to the spectators—it is hard to imagine in what an atmosphere of madness those poor creatures were torn to pieces. In the palace compound, there is a place where a royal army is stationed. The 4,000 warriors are definitely not greedy for life and afraid of death. If there is any debate about whether there really are women's troops on the banks of the Amazon, there is no doubt about it in Dahomey.Some of the female soldiers wore blue shirts, blue or red shawls on their shoulders, blue trousers on white background, white caps with bullet belts around their waists; That is, female hunting elephants are equipped with heavy carbines, short knives and daggers, and wear iron rings on their heads, and two antelope horns are fixed on the iron rings; The young girls wear blue jackets and white trousers, all of whom are virgins, pure as they are, and carry bows and arrows like her. In addition to these female soldiers, there were five or six thousand male soldiers wearing shorts, cotton jackets, and a piece of cloth around their waists.You have seen the whole army of Dahomey. On this day, Abome, the capital, was deserted.The king, the royal contingent, men and women of the army, and all the people of the city, flocked out of the capital into an open field surrounded by towering trees a few miles away. The king's enthronement ceremony will be held here.A large number of captives taken during recent raids will be killed here in celebration of the festival. At around 2 o'clock, the "Albatross" flew over the plain and began to descend in a cloud of fog.The fog obscured the view of the Dahomey, so it remained undiscovered for a while. People from all over the country—Vida, Krabei, Adela, Dongboli, and even the most remote villages gathered here, at least sixty thousand people. The new king—a strong, jovial lad named Boo Nadi—was twenty-five years old, standing on a knoll under the shadows of a large grove of trees, surrounded by his new royal family, his troop of female soldiers, and The people of the people. Below the hill, more than fifty musicians are playing various musical instruments of the barbaric tribe: there are hoarse ivory, buckskin-covered drums, gourd guitars and small bells with iron tongues in the middle.Among the mixed music, the scream of the bamboo flute is the most prominent.From time to time the soldiers fired muskets, muskets, and cannons, and the gun mounts trembled and almost ran over the female gunners; the cheers of the crowd almost drowned out the thunder and lightning. In one corner of the field were the prisoners who were guarded by soldiers and huddled together to accompany the late king to another world.Nor can the king lose any of his privileges by going to death.Bahadu killed 3,000 people at the funeral of his father Gozo, and now Boo Nadi cannot kill less than his father.Shouldn't more messengers be sent to inform the gods and all the guests in heaven to gather to welcome the ascended king? For a whole hour there were speeches, speeches, tributes, and various dances in between.There are dances danced by recruited dancers, and there are also dances performed by female soldiers that shine with martial spirit. The moment of massacre drew nearer.Knowing the bloody customs of Dahomey, Robier never took his eyes off the captives, men, women, and children who were specially prepared for this slaughter. Minghan stood at the foot of the hill, holding a scimitar. There was a metal bird on the tip of the knife. With the weight of the bird, the knife could be swung more stably. He was not alone in this execution, and it was impossible for him to complete the work alone.Around him, there were hundreds of other executioners who could cut off heads with a single knife. The "Albatross" flew closer and closer in a diagonal line by constantly adjusting the lifting propeller and propulsion propeller. Soon, it emerged from the hidden clouds and appeared in the air 100 meters above the ground. For the first time revealed its true colors. The difference is that these ferocious natives regarded it as a god who came down from the sky to pay tribute to King Bahadu. Therefore, the natives showed indescribable enthusiasm for this divine bird of the upper world, which undoubtedly came to take the dead king's body to the Dahomey's paradise: the calls were one after another, the begging was deafening, and everyone was praying . At this time, the first head had rolled from under Minghan's knife and fell to the ground.Immediately afterwards, hundreds more captives were brought before their respective executioners. Suddenly, the "Albatross" fired a shot, and Minister of Justice Mingham fell face down and fell to the ground. "That's right, Tom!" said Robier. "Oh... let's hit the crowd!" The foreman replied. Like him, his companions were all armed with live ammunition, waiting for the engineer's order to start shooting. There was an uproar in the crowd.They understood that the winged monster was not a friendly god at all, but a bad god who was at war with the good people of Dahomey; and when Minham fell, there was a roar of vengeance on all sides.Immediately afterwards, there was a burst of gunfire over the field. These intimidations did not prevent the Albatross from daringly descending to less than 150 feet above the ground.Regardless of their feelings for Robier himself, Uncle Prudden and Phil Evans took part in this humanitarian act. "Yes! Rescue the prisoners!" they shouted. "That's exactly what I mean!" replied Robier. Like the crew, the Albatross's repeating rifles were perfectly fired in the hands of the two companions, firing volleys of bullets into the crowd.Even the little cannon in the cabin was turned to the minimum angle, and a few shots were fired with good effect. The captives didn't care to figure out what the rescue from heaven was all about, and while the guards were busy fighting back at the aircraft, they broke their ropes one by one.One bullet hit the front propeller, and several more hit the vehicle's hull.Fricoland, who was hiding in the innermost part of the cabin, was almost shot. "Wow! They want to taste that stuff!" exclaimed Tom Turner. So, he rushed to the ammunition compartment, brought 12 nitroglycerin cartridges, and distributed them to each companion.Following Robbie's gesture, the powder cartridges all flew towards the little craftsman, and exploded like small bombs as soon as they touched the ground. Suffering such a sudden attack, the king, the royal family, the army and the people were all terrified, and they all fled under the tree in a panic!Seeing the captives fleeing, no one thought of arresting them. The coronation ceremony of King Dahomey was thus disturbed.Uncle Prudden and Phil Evans also understand the power of this machine and what it can do for humans. Afterwards, the "Albatross" unhurriedly rose into the air and flew past Vader.It was not long before this desolate coast, lapped by huge waves from the southwest and making it impossible for ships to dock, disappeared from view. It flew over the Atlantic Ocean.

---

Notes: symphony.