Chapter 2 Chapter 2 My Journey to Morganton

On April 26, the second day after leaving Washington, I arrived in Raleigh, the capital of North Carolina. Two days ago, the head of the Federal Police summoned me in his office, where he was waiting for me. "John Strack," he said impatiently when he saw me, "are you still the Strack I have seen who has been faithful to his duty on many occasions, and has outstanding ability?" "Mr. Ward," I replied, nodding. "I don't dare to guarantee all my success. I have extraordinary abilities, but when it comes to being loyal to my duties, I can say frankly that I am absolutely worthy of your trust."

"Yes, I'm interested, Mr. Ward." "Well, Strucker, listen to me. There can't be a reason for everything that's happening here. In short, we've decided to conduct a thorough investigation of the phenomena on Mount Airy, to search for all evidence, to visit the villages and towns in that area. and the people of the village. To accomplish this mission, I have found a spy, whom we have full confidence in, Strucker, and this spy is you." "Yes! Mr. Ward, I agree," I said aloud. "I assure you that I will not neglect anything and will give you all the information."

"I never doubted that, Strucker, but I have to say this: I think you're the perfect person for this job. I hope you get what you want, and you'll have a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to satisfy your ever-so-scrupulous appetite for weirdness." curiosity." "Mr. Commissioner, it is true." "You can act according to the specific situation without asking for instructions." Mr. Ward, of about fifty years of age, was of great vigor and intelligence, and was quite competent in the position he occupied, and on several occasions he had entrusted me with affairs of the utmost importance, which I handled very well. Excellent, so he is highly regarded by him.For the past few months, though, he hasn't been able to find an opportunity to put me to good use.I waited patiently, not knowing what he would order me to do, but I believed, of course, that the question he asked me meant that an urgent and important task was entrusted to me.

"You must have known," he said, "what happened in the Blue Ridge Mountains near Morganton." "Yes, Mr. Ward, there have been reports of rare phenomena from there which should arouse any one's curiosity." "These phenomena are not only rare but even extraordinarily extraordinary. Sotrak; there is no doubt. Still, there is reason to wonder whether such strange occurrences concerning Mount Airy have always been of great concern to the inhabitants of the region. The cause of the danger, whether these phenomena will be the precursor of some mysterious and terrible disaster."

"Mr. Director, this issue is cause for concern." "It's really the job of the local authorities, Strack," I replied. "It's necessary to know what's going on there." "That's right, Strucker, but it's very difficult to do. Everyone says it's impossible to scale Mount Airy's sheer precipice and get into its interior. The problem is that no one seems to be using scientific means to Equipment, have you tried it in a very favorable situation? I think no one has ever done it before, and I firmly believe that perseverance. Fearless and difficult will eventually succeed."

"Mr. Ward, there is nothing that cannot be done. All we will face is the problem of expenditure." "Our purpose is to relieve all residents from worry, or rather, to ensure that they do not suffer from any disaster, so that they do not have to worry about economic and trade expenses. I would also like to suggest to you that, perhaps, Mount Airi is not as unclimbable as people think it is. .Maybe a gang of criminals is hiding there, using a method that they only know how to climb the mountain." "You mean, you suspect criminals—" "Strucker, maybe my guess is wrong. The strange things and sounds that appear there are related to natural phenomena. Anyway, we have to find out, the sooner the better."

"I have a question." "Sdrake, please speak." "Once we've got to Mount Airy and figured out what's going on with everything, if there's a crater there and the eruption is really about to happen, can we do anything to stop it?" "It's impossible, Strucker, but we can predict the extent of the damage. If the volcanoes in the Allegheny Mountains pose a threat to North Carolina like the volcanoes in the Martinique Mountains, and these volcanoes And it's deep under the spew from Mount Pere, and people who live in those areas have to leave their homes."

"Mr. Commissioner, I hope there will be no such widespread danger." "I don't think so, Strack. It seems to me absolutely impossible that there is an active volcano in the Blue Ridge Mountains. There are no volcanoes in the history of the Appalachians. However, as for the cost, if necessary Organizing a mountaineering team must cost a lot, but you have full power to deal with it." "Mr. Ward, I will definitely play by ear in the best way." "I would also like to remind you that you must be extremely cautious. The people in that area are already impulsive enough. It is best to act secretly. Make sure not to mention the doubts I just mentioned to you, and the most important thing is to avoid raising any A new panic,"

"I see." "You will be ordered to meet the mayor of Morganton, who will help you. Strucker, again, be very careful not to mention this mission to anyone you know unless it is absolutely necessary. You His wisdom and ability have always been obvious to all, and this time, I believe, he will succeed." "All I care about is, when do I leave?" "tomorrow." "Tomorrow, I will leave Washington, and the day after tomorrow, I will arrive in Morganton." As for the outcome of the mission that is about to be completed by me, to be honest, it is difficult to predict.

I went home immediately, and set to work to set off.I arrived in Raleigh next evening, spent the night in Raleigh, and arrived at Morganton Station the next afternoon. Morganton was but a small town.The building is built on the Jurassic rock series strata, showing some kind of vitality. There are countless mineral lakes in the city that exude a not so pleasant smell, but nonetheless they are still attractive to tourists. Morganton City is surrounded by a rich agricultural area, and wheat fields can be seen everywhere. Ganton is in the middle of a swamp, where moss and reeds grow everywhere.The forests along the hillsides are green all year round, and what the entire region lacks are gas mines that provide power, light, and heat of inestimable value.In most parts of the Allegheny Valley, however, natural gas wells are particularly abundant.The villages and farms are connected and extend to the edge of the mountain forest.If the giant mountain of Airi is proved to be a volcano, if the vibration or fury of nature spreads to the Pleasure Field and Morganton City, the lives and properties of tens of thousands of people will be threatened.

Elias Smith, Mayor of Morganton, was a tall, vigorous, enterprising man, about forty years of age, and in reasonable health.He loves hunting bears, leopards, and other kinds of wild animals.These animals still frequented the wild valleys and great forests of the Allegheny. Mr. Smith, being a wealthy farmer himself, and owning several farms in the surrounding area, visited his tenants often, even at great distances, and was, in fact, obliged, so long as his business was not too busy, to stay at his house in Morganton. For his residence, he always explores the surrounding mountains and fields with great interest out of his hunting instinct. I went straight to Mr. Smith's house.He was expecting my visit, having received the telegram in advance.He received me frankly, without any civility; a pipe was in his mouth, and a glass of brandy on the table.The servant then brought another cup, and before the meeting officially began, I had to toast the master: "Mr. Ward sent you to meet me," he said to me, in an easy-going tone. "Very well, let us drink to Mr. Ward's health." I clinked glasses with him and downed the brandy for my chief's health. "Tell me," asked Elias Smith, "what worries him at the moment?" So I told the mayor of Mackinton honestly about the reason and purpose of my mission in North Carolina.I convinced him that my superiors had given me full authority to carry out this mission, and would give me all support, financial or otherwise, so that the truth could finally be revealed and the people in this area relieved of the fear of love. The fear of wonders. Elias Smith listened to me without saying a word, but several times filled his and mine.All the while, he was puffing on and on, obviously paying close attention to what I was saying.I saw his cheeks flush with excitement from time to time, and his eyes twinkled under thick brows.No doubt the magistrate of Morganton was deeply troubled by the rumors about the Mount Airy, and was as anxious as I was to find out the cause of all these phenomena. When I had finished talking, Elias Smith was silent for a moment, studying me.Then, calmly, he said, "It seems that in Washington, the concerned people want to know what secrets are hidden at the bottom of the giant mountain of love?" "Exactly, Mr. Smith." "You want to know too?" "yes". "Mr. Strack, me too." We're all clearly bonded by curiosity. "Surely you will understand," he went on, shaking the ashes from his pipe, "that as a landowner I have a great interest in matters connected with Mount Airy; and as Mayor I have a duty to protect my constituents. " "It is these two considerations," I said, "that make you so eager to discover the causes of these extraordinary phenomena! My dear Mr. Smith, they are equally extraordinary to you and to your constituents. It is difficult to explain, and it is also a big worry." "Mr. Strack, of course it's difficult to explain. In my opinion, I myself do not believe that Mount Airy could be a volcano at all. There is no record of any volcanic activity in the history of the Allegheny. Geologically, I I have never found any trace of cinders, lava, or any erupted rocks, or the like, in the immediate vicinity. I therefore do not myself believe that it is possible for Morganton to be frightened by such a rumor." "Mr. Smith, do you really think so?" "good." "But the people in this area really feel the earth shaking all the time." "Yes, the earth shakes! The earth shakes!" repeated Mr. Smith, shaking his head, "but the most important thing is whether the earth really shakes at all? I was at my Wedlon estate when the fire was burning brightly." , less than a mile from Mount Airy, and there was something shaking in the air, but I didn't feel the ground shaking, shaking." "But from the information Mr. Ward has received—" "This information is given in a state of panic," the Mayor interrupted me. "I myself am shaking in disbelief." "But how do you account for the apparent rise of flames over the summit?" "Yes, Mr. Sdlake, but the flames have nothing to do with it. I have seen, I have seen, that for miles the clouds are indeed reddened by the flames; The hissing sound was like a huge boiler being blown away by steam." "Is this proof you have given reliable?" "Of course, I heard it with my own ears." "Among the sounds, Mr. Smith, are you sure you really heard one of the most remarkable sounds of this phenomenon, the bursting sound of the beating of giant wings?" "Yes, Mr. Strucker, but only some enormous bird of enormous size could actually fly away after the flames had died down, and only huge wings could make such a strange, strange sound. So I couldn't help being suspicious at the time." Could that be my delusion. The Mount of Airi must be the refuge of some unknown beast! Have they not been seen for a long time, only flying over their huge stone-rock lairs? In short, this It is a mysterious mystery that has not yet been solved." "But we must get to the bottom of this mystery, Mr. Smith, if you will help me." "Mr. Strack, I will be willing to serve, and we will start to act tomorrow." "Okay, tomorrow." So I parted from Mr. Mayor, went to a hotel, went through all the formalities, and planned to stay here for a while, perhaps indefinitely.After dinner I wrote a letter to Mr. Ward.I called on Mr. Smith again that afternoon, with the intention of leaving Morganton with him at daybreak. Our first consideration is to climb the mountain under the leadership of two experienced guides.The two guides had climbed Mount Zhuqier and other peaks in the Blue Ridge Mountains.Of course, they never had enough courage to try it, knowing that the cliffs of Airi Mountain could not be climbed no matter where they came from. Besides, before such a shocking phenomenon, Airi Mountain had no sense for tourists. special attraction.The two guides that Mr. Smith knew were courageous, experienced in mountaineering, trustworthy, and would not shrink back under any danger.We are determined to overcome many difficulties in order to achieve our goals under their leadership. In the end, Mr. Smith said to me that perhaps, entering the hinterland of Airy Mountain will not be as difficult and dangerous as originally imagined. "Why?" I asked. "Because a boulder tumbled off the side of the mountain not long ago, perhaps leaving a trail or passageway to walk on." "Mr. Smith, we are very fortunate to have a rare opportunity." "Tomorrow at the latest, Mr. Strack, we'll make it all clear." "great, see you tomorrow."