Chapter 36 Chapter 12 Celebrating the New Year

As Gallia moves further from the sun, the weather has become particularly cold.The temperature gauge has dropped below -42°C.The mercury thermometer has become unusable due to mercury condensation, so everyone has to use the alcohol thermometer that was originally placed on the Dobrina.The alcohol column in the table has dropped to -53°C at this time. At the same time, in the bay where the Dobrina and the Hansa were moored, what Prokop's second mate expected happened to happen.Under the action of slow and huge natural force, the ice layer under the hull became thicker and thicker, gradually lifting the two ships up to 16 to 7 meters above sea level.Due to its lighter hull, the Dobrina was even taller than the Hansa.Man is completely powerless in the face of this natural phenomenon.

Prokop's second mate was very worried about his ketch.The things on the ship had already been moved to the cave, and now only the machinery and the mast remained.In case of any accidents in the future, this ship is still a good refuge.But when the thaw comes, the ship will be in danger of capsizing at any time. At that time, if everyone is forced to leave the "Warm Land" by the situation, they will not be able to use the ship. It is also impossible to count on the Hansa, which will suffer the same fate.The Hansa has now tilted due to weak condensation between the ice and the hull.It is very dangerous for people to stay on it.But Isaac was still unwilling to leave the goods he guarded day and night.Under such circumstances, Captain Servadac had no choice but to take drastic measures to force Isaac to accept.His own safety was insignificant to all, but his goods were priceless.Therefore, all these goods must be rescued before disaster strikes.At first, Servadac comforted Isaac with kind words and understood his interests, but Isaac remained indifferent and refused to move out until his death.Selvadak had no choice but to say to him:

"Whether you get off the ship or not is up to you. But the goods on the ship are not up to you. You must quickly move them to the cave in the 'Warm Land'." Isaac naturally cried again, but no one cared about him. On December 20th, everyone got busy and rushed to transport the goods on the ship.Russian sailors and those Spaniards wore thick leather jackets and braved the bitter cold, traveling between the bay and the cave.They all wore gloves on their hands.Because the weather is too cold, a layer of skin will be torn off in a blink of an eye if you are not careful and connect your hands directly to the energy object.After several days of hard work, the cargo on the ship was finally moved without any accident.Prokop's second mate was very satisfied.

Isaac also came to the cave.He is quite at ease here, he is with those goods all day long, food and use are all his own, and he does not interfere with everyone else. In a few days it will be January 1st.It's been a year since the Earth collided with a comet and we were brought to this tiny planet.During this stay, everyone lived well, and no one had an accident.Although the weather is getting colder and colder, the change is not drastic, and there is no wind, and there are not even people who have a cold.Therefore, the climate on the comet is very beneficial to people's physical and mental health.Everything shows that as long as Professor Rosseter's calculation is accurate and Gallia can meet the earth smoothly, then everyone can return to the earth safely.

January 1 in the old calendar is not the new year in the Galian calendar, but the beginning of the second half of the Galian solar year.Even so, Captain Servadac decided to celebrate this important day with grandeur.He said to Count Ironmashev and Second Lieutenant Prokop: "We are all from the earth, and we should not forget the customs and habits there. We will go back one day. Even if we can't go back, we should not forget our hometown. In a few days, the earth will People in China are about to celebrate the New Year, and we should also celebrate on the comet. We should think of them together. You must know that they must be thinking of us now, and there may still be people observing our comet with telescopes in some places .”

"I agree with you, Captain," said Count Ironmasheff. "There is no doubt that the observatories everywhere must be very busy at the moment. Paris. Petersburg, Greenwich, Cambridge, Cape Town and Melbourne. The astronomical telescopes are probably tracking our Gallia." "Galia's presence on Earth must be the central topic among people." Captain Servadac said again, "Newspapers and magazines everywhere must report a large number of Galia's whereabouts every day, so that the residents of the old and new continents are well aware of it. .So we should think of them too. January 1st is a great opportunity, and we should celebrate this festive day with them."

"I completely agree with your analysis." Second Officer Prokop said, "But I think they care about the whereabouts of comets for other reasons besides curiosity and scientific research. It is conceivable that people on the earth are very concerned about the comet's whereabouts." The observations must have been very serious and accurate. They probably had already mapped out the comet's ephemeris, so they knew all the information about the comet and the exact time when the comet will collide with the earth somewhere in the ecliptic. Chu. Their interest in the comet, therefore, was rather a fear of a collision between two planets. I daresay they would have taken some measures, if it were possible, to prevent or minimize its consequences."

Prokop's analysis is entirely correct.Gallia was about to collide with Earth, and there must have been a lot of panic there.Of course, although the Galians are eager to go back, they are also very worried about the serious consequences of this collision.Since, as Procop says, the people of the earth may have taken some precautions for this, could not the Galians have taken some similar measures?This is a question that Servadak and others need to study seriously in the future. But in any case, the matter of celebrating the New Year has been decided.The Russian New Year is not on the same day as the French and Spaniards, and now we have to make do with it.

Christmas has come.Everyone solemnly commemorated the birthday of Jesus with a pious mood.Only Isaac stayed in his dark corner all day long and refused to come out. In the last week of the end of the year, Ben Yizoff was so busy that he had to hurry up and arrange the best program for everyone.It's a pity that on Galia planet, the programs cannot be as rich and colorful as on Earth.Finally, it was decided that a grand banquet would be held in the cave on the morning of New Year's Eve. After the banquet, they would go skating on the sea until they reached the vicinity of Gulby Island, and then return by night with torches.The torches used will be bought from Isaac with some necessities and made temporarily.

"It's a feast and ice skating, it's really beautiful," thought Ben-Zov. What dishes are served at a banquet is a big deal.Ben-Zov discussed with the cook on the Dobrina for a long time before deciding on it.They decided to combine Russian and French cuisine in a clever way. By the evening of New Year's Eve, everything was ready.The cold dishes bought from Isaac, including various canned meat, minced wild boar, jelly, etc., have been placed on the long table in the hall.As for the hot dishes, all kinds of condiments have been prepared, and they will be processed on the stove that uses volcanic lava as fuel tomorrow morning.

At this time, everyone suddenly thought whether to invite Professor Palmier Rosette to the dinner.Of course he should be invited.But will he embrace it?It's hard to say. In any case, they decided to invite him.Captain Servadac wanted to visit the door in person, but the professor was too eccentric and often rejected visitors, so he decided to send him an invitation. Little Pablo volunteered and sent the invitation.Soon, the little guy came back with the professor's reply.The professor put it this way: "Today is June 125th, and tomorrow is July 1st. Since we are on Galia, we should follow Galia's calendar." He really refused to go to the banquet, and the excuse was very clever. The next day, an hour after sunrise, the French, the Russians, the Spaniards, and the little Italian girl, Nina, entered the hall with solemn steps and sat down at the long table.Everyone was overjoyed to be part of one of the largest banquets ever to be held on Galia.Ben-Zoff and the cook on the Dobrina really lived up to their reputation.Since there is no cabbage, the cabbage in "Pheasante Bai Lai" has to be replaced with other ingredients, but the effect is still very good, which is full of praise.The wine used for the banquet was originally stored on the Dobrina, including French wine, Spanish wine, and Russian ouzo.But no matter what kind of wine, it is an aged wine with a mellow aroma and a fascinating taste. After drinking for several rounds, everyone began to raise their arms for a safe return to the earth—their common hometown—and the sound of "Ulla" could be heard one after another, even in the small cave where Palman Rosette lived. After eating, it was still early and the sun was still in the middle of the sky.So everyone put on thick leather jackets and went skating on the sea.Everyone was in high spirits along the way, some chatted and some sang.After arriving at the beach, people put on their skates, walked onto the ice rink, walked together, and skating towards Gulbi Island.Before long, the cliffs, snow-capped mountains and smoky craters of Warm Country disappeared from view. When they reached the vicinity of Gulby Island, the sun began to sink rapidly toward the horizon.On the planet Galia, the charming sunset glow on the earth cannot be seen.Night suddenly fell on the land, and the sky was flickering with cold stars, so everyone lit torches, gathered around Selvadak, and set off on their way home. An hour later, the tall mountains of the "Warm Land" appeared on the night-clouded horizon.The hot lava spewing out from the crater covered the entire ice surface red.The light of the fire shone on them, leaving long figures on the ice. After a while, everyone returned to the original starting point smoothly.But at this moment, Ben-Zov suddenly pointed at the top of the volcano and let out a scream.Everyone followed and looked over there, and they all cried out in unison... The volcano suddenly went out.The lava that had been erupting continuously for several days suddenly stopped flowing.Everyone immediately realized that this was a serious threat to them.Now that the volcano has ceased activity, how can they withstand the bitter cold?Are they destined to freeze to death alive! "Go! Go back and have a look." Captain Selvadak said loudly. The torches have been extinguished.Everyone groped forward in the dark, stumbled up the rock, and got into the cave... It was dark in the cave, and the temperature had dropped significantly.The lava "waterfall" has stopped flowing, and Prokop looked out from the hole below the "waterfall", and the magma has condensed. The happy New Year ended in this bleak atmosphere.