Chapter 19 Chapter Nineteen
If Zephyran Siddhar had acted alone, would he have reached his destination smoothly?This is possible, because anything can happen in the world.However, it seems more cautious to assert that it is impossible.
In any case, since he has been lucky enough to get the protection and guidance of the boss, it is too late to bet on this topic.Mandol's practical wit conquered the eccentric's supreme whims.Although Zephyrán Sidar saw everything in the journey as complicated, he didn't know how difficult it was in the end.And for Mr. Robert Legere, travel is simpler than a suburban outing.
The express brought them in a few hours to Le Havre, where the two travelers were received in a luxurious steamer.Without waiting for the other passengers, the ship undocked and sailed into the sea.
It turned out that the "Atlantic" was not a large passenger ship, but a motor speedboat of five or six hundred tons, rented by Mr. Robert Legere for their exclusive use.Because of the vital interests involved, the banker considers it a great advantage to have a means of transportation with which he can communicate freely with the civilized world.In addition, he had made a fortune in gold mining speculation, and the huge profits had been put into the treasury, so he could spend like a prince.In this way, he can safely enjoy the speedboat that he has selected from hundreds of ships in the UK.
This speedboat is the whimsical design of a millionaire, built for top speed.The shape is slender and delicate, and under the impetus of 4,000 horsepower, it can reach a high speed of even more than 20.Mr. Legere's choice also depends on this characteristic.
Zephyran Siddharth thus had a ship at his disposal, but he did not show the slightest surprise at it.In truth, perhaps he hadn't noticed the detail at all.In any case, he stepped over the opening in the railing of the ship and settled into his cabin without comment.
Between Le Havre and Ubernivick, a distance of about eight hundred nautical miles, the Transatlantic could cover that distance in six days if she made full steam ahead.Mr. Legere, on the other hand, took his time and spent twelve days crossing the ocean.In this way, it was not until the evening of July 12 that it reached the Uber Nevik berthing station.
During these twelve days, Zephyran Siddhar hardly spoke.They always got together at dinner, but Mr. Legere made twenty attempts during the meal to bring the conversation up to the object of their journey, but never received an answer.It was useless for him to talk to him about shooting stars, his godson seemed to remember nothing about shooting stars.In his lifeless gaze, there was not even a trace of wisdom.
Siddall is currently looking "inward" and seeking solutions to other problems.What's the problem?He didn't tell.However, it seemed likely that the object was the ocean, for Zephyrán Siddhar was always at the bow or stern of the ship during the day, gazing at the rolling waves.Maybe that's not too bold a thought: he's working on surface tension in his mind.Because he had once mentioned this question briefly to a large group of people, and at the time he thought he was talking about it with his friend Marcel Leroux.It may even be said that the reasoning he made at that time was not unrelated to the extraordinary inventions he later made that would shock the world.
On his second day in Ubernivik, Mr. Legere was in despair.He tried hard to get his godson's attention again, so he put the machine with the shield removed before his godson's eyes.He was right. This is really the most fundamental way.As soon as he saw his machine, Zephyrán Sidal woke up as if he had just woken up from a dream, and immediately cheered up, looking around, his eyes were firm and resolute, and he was unusually lucid.
"Where are we?" he asked.
"In Ubernivik," replied Mr. Legere.
"Where is my land?"
"We're going there right now."
This is not quite accurate.They had to go first to Mr. Bian Helderson, Inspector-General of the North.His house was identifiable by the flag above it, and they found it easily.After exchanging pleasantries, they began to talk about serious matters through the channel of translation.Thanks to Mr. Legere's foresight, he had already hired an interpreter.
They soon encountered the first difficulty.It wasn't because Bian Helderson had a whim to dispute the property ownership certificate submitted to him for consideration; it was because the relevant instructions on the certificate were somewhat unclear.These certificates are quite formal, with all the signatures and official seals on them.The terms of the certificate were as follows: The Government of Greenland, represented by its diplomat in Copenhagen, ceded a land area of nine square kilometers to Mr Zefeland Sidal.The four sides of this piece of land are equal, and each side is three kilometers long. Its direction is determined according to the basic azimuths of east, west, and northwest, and the center point at 72°51′30″ north latitude and 55°35′18″ west longitude is taken as the origin. Each side is equidistant from the center point.The land area is divided according to this method.The land price is uniformly 500 per square kilometer, or a total of more than 6,000 francs.
Mr. Bian Helderson eagerly nodded in agreement.However, it is also necessary to know where the center point is located.Of course, it's not that he hasn't heard of latitude and longitude, and it's not that he doesn't know that such things exist.But Mr. Bian Helderson's learning ends here.Whether latitude was fauna or vegetable, longitude minerals or furnishing, all seemed to him equally acceptable and impartial.
In a few words Zephyrán Sidal completes and corrects errors in the Northern Inspector General's knowledge of cosmology.He then suggested that he himself should make the necessary observations and calculations with the aid of the Atlantic's instruments.In addition, the captain of a Danish steamer at berth could be responsible for checking the results of observations and calculations, so that His Excellency Bian Heldorsen could be completely assured.
And so it was decided.
Within two days Zefeland Sidal had finished his work, and the Danish captain could only attest to the extreme precision of his work.At this time, I encountered a second difficulty.
The land area point whose coordinates are 72°51′30″ north latitude and 55°35′18″ west longitude is actually located in the vast sea, about 250 meters north of Ubernivik Island!
Mr. Legere was taken aback by this great discovery, and then fell into a fit of rage.what to do?Could it be that the purpose of coming to this remote place is to watch meteors play in the water?It's so frivolous and frivolous!Zephyran Siddhar - A Scientist! ——How could you make such a big mistake?
Explaining this error is the easiest. The word "ubernivik" refers not only to a settlement but to an island, Zeferan Sidal does not know this, that's all.Having determined mathematically where the bolide fell, he relied on a poor map from a small student atlas, which he drew from one of his pockets, large and small. Come out and put it in front of the angry banker.This map clearly shows that the point on the earth at latitude 72°51'30"N and longitude 55°35'18"W is close to the town of Ubernivik, but neglects to point out that this town dared to Daojin, located on the island with the same name, is on the verge of the sea.Zefelan Siddhar did not investigate further, and let this map that was too "approximate" have the final say.
May this be a lesson!I hope the readers of this book can concentrate on studying geography, and don't forget that Ubernivik is an island!This will come in handy someday when readers need to receive a bolide worth 5788 billion!
But for the bolide that appeared over Weston, the problem couldn't be solved.
If the field can be drawn at least a little southerly, then this cheating method has some advantages in the event that the meteor deviates from its orbit.However, Zefeland Sidal had already rashly given the cultural education lessons to His Excellency Bian Heldorsen, and accepted the inspection of the Danish captain--such inspections have become inconvenient by now--this time Not even this lame impostor.He had to spare no expense to bear the fait accompli facts intact, and accept the purchased piece of land that was half on land and half on sea.
One of the most interesting is the land part.According to the latest analytical studies, its southern boundary is located on the northern coast of Ubernivik and is three kilometers long, exceeding the width of the island in this area.It can be concluded from this that the east and west boundaries of this land are in the sea.Therefore, what Zeferan Sidar actually accepted was only slightly more than 272 hectares, instead of the 9 square kilometers bought with money, and this property transaction suffered a huge loss.What a pity!
From the point of view of the fall of the bolide, this bad luck even makes people gnash their teeth!Zephyrán Siddhar was too witty and dexterous, and the point he aimed at was actually on the sea!Of course, he said that since the meteor has wandered around this point at an altitude of more than 500 meters, it may deviate from its orbit.But on which side will the deviation occur?This is not known.Had Zephyrán Sidar been able to cause meteors to fall on the limited patch of land that belonged to him, it would not be surprising that the opposite should have happened.Mr. Legere, therefore, was in the dark.
"What do you do now?" he asked his godson.
The latter raised his arms towards the sky, expressing that he did not know what to do.
"But we must get out of this dead end."
Zephyran Siddhar pondered for a while.
"The first thing to do," he said at last, "is to fence up the field and put up a wooden shed there that will hold the two of us. I'll think about it."
Legere set to work.Within eight days, the sailors of the "Atlantic", with the help of several Greenlanders recruited with high wages, erected the wire fence.The ends of the fence went all the way into the sea.Then, a hut was built with wooden slats, and a few indispensable things were simply placed inside.
On the twenty-sixth of July, three weeks before the bolide was supposed to fall, Zephyrán Sidal set to work.After he made several observations of meteors orbiting in the upper atmosphere, he spread his wings and soared in the high altitude area of mathematics.His new calculations can only prove that his previous calculations are 100% correct, without any mistakes.The meteor did not experience any deviation from its orbit.It will fall exactly where it was predicted, at latitude 72°51'30"N and longitude 55°35'18"W.
"Therefore fell into the sea," concluded Mr. Legere, hardly concealing his anger.
"Obviously fell into the sea," Siddhar said serenely.As a true mathematician, he had nothing but satisfaction in proving the high precision of his calculations.
But almost immediately the other side of the problem came to him.
"Damn it! . . . " he said, changing his tone, and looking suspiciously at his godfather.
The latter managed to remain calm.
"Well, Zephyrin," he went on, in the good-natured tone of speaking to a child, "I think we won't be helpless. Foolishness has been done, and we must make it right. Since you have the ability Looking for fireballs in the vastness of space, you can deflect meteors by hundreds of meters."
"You, you believe that!" replied Zephyrán Sidal, shaking his head. "When I was moving the meteor, it was four hundred kilometers away from the earth. At this distance, the gravitational force of the earth played a role within certain limits. Within this limit, the energy I emitted against one side of the meteor can be To a considerable extent, the state of balance is broken. This is not the case now. The bolide is relatively close, and the gravitational force exerted by the earth on it is so strong that any more or less force acting on it will not help, changing Nothing. Besides, if the bolide's absolute velocity has been reduced, its angular velocity has been greatly increased. Now it is turning like lightning into the most favorable position, and we have almost no time to do anything with it."
"Then there's nothing you can do?" Legere insisted, biting his lips tightly to avoid a sudden attack.
"I didn't say that," Zephyran Siddhar corrected. "But it's a hard thing to do. But of course you can try."
He really tried it, and he was so persistent and stubborn in the experiment that on August 17th, he would affirm that his experiment was a success.The bolide has deviated from its orbit and will just fall on solid land, about 50 meters away from the seashore.This is enough to avoid any danger.
Unfortunately, in the next few days, the storm was so fierce that it violently rocked the ship in Uber Nivik and swept everything on the land.Therefore, Siddall was rightly worried that the bolide's orbit would change due to such a violent air flow.
It is known that the storm subsided during the night of the 18th and 19th, but the inhabitants of the cabin did not take advantage of the calm.They were waiting for the big event, and there was no possibility of a minute's rest.They saw the sun set at about half past ten in the evening, and less than three hours later, they saw the sun star rise in the clear sky.
The bolide fell neither sooner nor later, exactly at the moment announced by Zephyran Sidar.At 6:57:35 a flash of light pierced the northern sky.Almost half blinded Mr. Legere and his godson.They had stood on the doorstep closely watching the horizon for an hour.Almost at the same time as the flashes, only a muffled sound was heard, and the land trembled under the huge shock.
When Zefelan Sidal and Mr. Leger regained their eyesight, the first thing they saw was the big gold nugget that was 500 meters away.
"It's burning," stammered Mr. Legere, excited.
"Yes." Zephyran Siddhar replied, he could only pronounce this simple monosyllable.
But gradually they calmed down and made out more precisely what they were seeing.
Bolide is really hot.Its temperature may exceed a thousand degrees, which is close to the melting point.It can be seen at a glance that it is a porous structure.The Greenwich Observatory compares it to a sponge, which is quite appropriate.Its surface gradually cools due to heat release, and the cooling darkens the color of its surface.There are countless ditches on the surface, and you can see the inside of the meteor all the way. The metal inside is red, and the fissures are criss-crossed and fragmented. They are bent into thousands of bends, forming countless holes on the spherical surface. , the super-hot air whistled and burst out from these holes.
Although the bolide was flattened as it spun and fell, its spherical shape is still clearly discernible.The upper part is still a fairly regular circle, while the cracked and smashed bottom fits tightly with the uneven ground.
"But . . . it's going to slide into the sea!" exclaimed Mr. Legere after a while.
His godson was silent.
"You said it would land fifty meters from the shore! It is only ten meters from the shore now, because its radius must be taken into account, and ten and fifty are not the same."
"It'll deflect the storm."
The two interlocutors said nothing more, but gazed silently at the golden ball.
In fact, Mr. Legere's fears were not without reason.The bolide fell only ten meters from the ridge of the cliff cliff on the coast, on a slope connecting this ridge with the rest of the island.Since the radius of the meteor was fifty-five meters long—as Greenwich Observatory rightly determined—forty-five meters of it were completely suspended.This huge mass of metal, softened by the heat, jutted out in such a way that it seemed to flow along the straight and sheer cliffs, and hung sadly almost at the level of the sea.Another part of it, however, is literally imprinted on the rock, holding the meteor in its entirety above the ocean.
Of course, it didn't fall because it was in a state of balance.But this equilibrium seems very unstable.Everyone knows that just a little push is enough to make this magical baby roll into the abyss.As soon as it is on the slope, it will go forward, and nothing will stop it, and it will slide into the sea and die miserably.
This time it is even more urgent to think of a way.Mr. Legere suddenly thought, and immediately came to his senses.Standing and staring like this, wasting time and incurring huge losses to one's own interests in vain, this is simply nonsense!
So he raced against the clock to go over the back of the hut and hoist a French flag on a rope to a mast of considerable height, so that all ships moored at Ubernivik could see it.Everyone knew that someone would see the sign and understand it, and the Atlantic sailed at once to the nearest telegraph office, where she sent a telegram in plain language: "Meteor fell to earth. For sale.” To be sent to the Bank Robert Legere, Rue de Lauter, Paris.
In Paris the order will be hastily carried out, and it will again make a fortune for M. Legere, who is sure of winning.As soon as the news of the falling meteor spreads, the gold mine will undoubtedly experience a final sharp drop in price.Mr. Legere would then buy it again on the condition that it would be a huge profit.all right!Whatever happened, it was a lucrative business, and Mr. Legere was bound to have a handsome income in the millions.
Zephyrán Siddhar, insensitive to this set of vulgar business, was still staring, lost in deep thought.At this time, I suddenly heard the sound of people, which was deafening.Turning his head, he saw that a large group of tourists, led by M. de Schneck, had dared to trespass on his property.Alas, this is simply intolerable!Siddhar bought a piece of land and became the head of the family. He couldn't help but be filled with righteous indignation at such an unscrupulous behavior.
He walked quickly towards the reckless intruders.
He was halfway there when representatives from Greenland came up to him.
"Sir, what's going on," Siddall said, approaching him. "You came to my house? Didn't you see the sign?"
"Excuse me, sir," replied de Schneck politely. "We see it clearly, but we think that, as the circumstances are so exceptional, a violation of accepted rules and regulations is justified."
"Special circumstances?..." Siddhar asked naively. "What special circumstances?"
Monsieur de Schneck was of course astonished.
"What special circumstances? . . . " he repeated. "Then, sir, am I to tell you that Weston's bolide has just landed on this island?"
"I know this all too well," Siddhar declared. "But there's nothing special about it. Meteors are commonplace."
"When it's a golden meteor, it's another matter."
"It's gold or something else, a shooting star is a shooting star."
"These gentlemen and these ladies don't see it that way," retorted M. de Schneck, pointing to the large group of tourists.The vast majority of tourists did not understand a single word of the conversation. "All of them came here just to see the bolide fall in Weston. You have to admit that it is very inhumane for them to be blocked by a wire fence after traveling so far."
"That's true," Siddall admitted, ready to reconcile.
While things were going on so smoothly, Mr. de Schneck was careless and said something extra:
"As for me, I will not be blocked by your fence, because it will prevent me from fulfilling the official mission assigned to me by the government."
"What mission?"
"It is to occupy this bolide in the name of the country of Greenland. I am the representative sent here by the country of Greenland."
Siddall jumped up unconsciously.
"Possession of the Bolide! . . . " he cried: "You are mad, my good sir!"
"Why am I mad?" replied Herr de Schneck in a icy tone. "This bolide fell on the territory of Greenland. Since it belongs to no one, it belongs to the State of Greenland."
"You're talking nonsense," Zephyrán Sidal protested, growing more vehement. "First of all, the Bolide did not land on Greenland's territory, but on my territory, because the country of Greenland has indeed sold this land to me and received cash. Besides, the Bolide has an owner , and this master is me."
"you?……"
"It's me."
"What qualifications do you have?"
"What qualifications, what qualifications, my dear sir. Without me, this bolide would still be in the sky. You, Mr. Representative, will find it very difficult to find it. Since it is in my house, and I brought it down from the sky again, how could it not be mine?"
"What do you mean? . . . " M. de Schneck insisted.
"I mean, I brought it down from the sky. Besides, I gave solemn notice to the International Congress, which seemed to be in Washington. I thought my telegram would stop it. "
M. de Schneck looked suspiciously at his counterpart. Was he dealing with a madman or a joker?
"Sir," he answered, "I was at the International Congress, and I can assure you that it was still in session when I left Washington. I can also assure you that what I said to you I don't know anything about that telegram."
M. de Schneck was telling the truth.His ears are not very good.The telegram had been read out in public, according to the custom of any decent and respectable Parliament, but there was such a row in private conversation that he did not hear a word.
"Anyway, I'm telegraphing," said Zephyrán Sidal firmly, beginning to lose his temper. "Whether it arrives or not, it doesn't change my rights in the slightest."
"Your rights? . . . " asked M. de Schneck in reply.This unexpected argument made him angry too. "What formal request do you dare to make to take possession of this meteor?"
"No, but I may be making trouble for myself!" exclaimed the playful Siddharth:
"A bolide worth sixty billion billion francs!"
"So what?...It is a priceless treasure, and it must be mine."
"It's yours! . . . Just kidding . . . more gold for one person than everyone else in the world! . . . It's unbearable."
"I don't know what is tolerable or not," Zephyrán Sidal yelled angrily, "I only know one thing, that Bolide is mine!"
"Then we shall see," concluded M. de Schneck sarcastically. "For the moment, please bear with me, and let us continue on our way."
After finishing speaking, the representative touched the brim of his hat lightly.So, under his signal, the native guide started walking again. Mr. De Schneck followed his footsteps, and the three thousand tourists followed suit, following Mr. De Schneck's footsteps.
Zephyrán Sidal stood still with his long legs straight, watching helplessly as the group of people passed by, as if he was not there.He was furious that he could break into his house without his permission, and in such a way that it was almost like an occupation in an occupying country!To fight for his rights!This is too much.
However, there was nothing to be done with such a large crowd, so when the last outsider had passed, he had to retreat towards his hut.However, if he was conquered, he would not be convinced. He lost his temper as he walked.
"Damn it...Damn it!" He yelled and gesticulated like a signal.
But the crowd was rolling, hurrying after the guide.The guide finally stopped at the tip of the island, unable to go any further.
Mr. de Schneck and Mr. Walff immediately followed, followed by Mr. Forsyth and Dr. Huddleson, Francis and Jenny, Omicron, Mr. Seth Stanford and Arcadia Walker At last, ma'am, a whole host of troublemakers who flock this shore of the Baffin Sea from flotillas.
Yes, couldn't go any further.The heat was unbearable, and it was almost impossible to walk any further.
Besides, there is no need to take this step, the golden ball is not more than four hundred meters away, and everyone can see it, just as Zephyrin Sidal and Mr. Leger looked at it an hour ago. like.It is no longer as radiant as it was when I traveled through space, but its brilliance is still so bright that it is difficult to open the eyes.In short, although it was impossible to catch a meteor when it was traveling in the sky, it is equally difficult to catch it now when it is resting on the ground.
The coast of this place is raised in a circular shape, and this is a rock called "Unalak" in the soil.This round rock overlooks the sea and terminates in a sheer cliff thirty meters above sea level.The bolide fell on the edge of this plateau.A few meters to the right, and it would sink into the abyss at the foot of the cliff.
"Oh, so!" Francis Gordon could not help whispering, standing twenty paces away, "it landed on the bottom..."
"So it's not easy to get it back," continued Mrs. Arcadia Walker.
"Ah! Mr. de Schneck hasn't got it yet," reminded Mr. Seth Stanford, "only the Greenland government has put it in the vaults."
Indeed, sooner or later it will be put in, but it is just a matter of patience, just wait for it to cool down, and the cold winter in the Northland will not take long before it will cool down.
Mr. Dean Forsyth and Dr. Sidney Hudson remained motionless.They were fascinated by the great nugget that burned their eyes.Both were going on like hell, and both had to back off, like that quick-tempered Omicron who was so close to being roast beef.Four hundred meters away, the temperature still reached fifty degrees Celsius.The heat from the meteor made the air unbreathable.
"But it's finally...here...staying on an island...not at the bottom of the sea...for everyone it's not gone...it's in the hands of the wealthy nation of Greenland!...wait... …Just wait. …”
That's what the good-for-nothings say over and over again, they're all held back by the suffocating heat around the corner of the cliff.
Yes, wait...but for how long?Bolide won't cool down for a month or two, right?Such a large pile of metal blocks, with such a high temperature, will be scorching hot for a long time.Everyone has seen those meteorites that are much smaller than it.
Three hours passed and no one wanted to leave the grounds, did they want to wait there until they could get close to it?However, it will not be today, nor will it be tomorrow, and must go back to the ship, unless they camp here and bring some provisions.
"Mr. Stanford," said Mrs. Arcadia Walker, "do you think it only takes a few hours for this glowing nugget to cool down?"
"Not for hours, not for days, Mrs. Walker."
"Then I'm going back to the Oregon, if not later."
"You're quite right," replied Mr. Seth Stanford. "I'll follow your example and head for the Mozick. I think it's time for lunch."
It is the most sensible thing to do.This sensible course, however, Francis Gordon and Jane could not get Mr. Dean Forsyth and Mr. Sidney Hudson to adopt.
The stream of people drifted away, and the last one was De Schneck.He, too, decided to return to the Ubernivik dock, but the two eccentrics still insisted on staying there, alone with their meteor.
"Will you come, Daddy?" asked Jenny Hudson for the tenth time at about two o'clock in the afternoon.
The answer was that Dr. Hudson had taken twelve steps forward, but he had to hurry back.It was as if he had risked himself upon the blazing furnace; Mr. Dean Forsyth, who had rushed forward in his footsteps, had to withdraw with equal haste.
"There, my uncle," continued Francis Gordon in his turn, "well, Mr. Hudson, it's time to get back to the ship. . . If you keep staring at it, you will swallow it with your eyes, and that won’t satisfy your hunger.”
But all this persuasion is in vain!At night, when they collapsed from exhaustion and hunger, they were willing to leave the venue, but they made up their minds to come back the next day.
On the next day, from one o'clock, they were indeed back here again, but this time they ran into fifty armed men--the whole army of Greenland, who were responsible for maintaining order around the meteor worth billions of gold. of.
Against whom is the Greenlandic government taking such precautions?Was it against Zephyran Sidal?If so, fifty people would be too much.What's more, the bolide itself can defend itself, and its unbearable heat can keep the most daring guy away hundreds of meters away.
From the first day to now, I can't move forward by almost one meter.If things go on like this, how many months will it take for Mr. de Schneck to truly represent Greenland in possession of this priceless treasure!
No matter what happens to it, let someone guard it.When it comes to 5788 billion, you can never be too cautious.
At the request of M. de Schneck, a steamer at anchor departed in order to telegraph this important news to the world.In this way, after forty-eight hours, the fall of the bolide will be known to every family and the world.Wouldn't this upset Mr. Legere's plans?Absolutely not. The Atlantic had set sail twenty-four hours earlier, and the clipper was evidently much stronger, so the banker was thirty-six hours earlier, a period long enough to make his financial venture a complete success.
If the Greenlandic government was relieved by the presence of fifty guards, how relieved was it that afternoon when it found seventy guarding the shooting star?
At noon, a cruiser moored at Ubernivik.Ahead, on one of its sharp corners, a star-spangled flag of the United States of America waved in the wind.The cruiser had hardly dropped anchor when twenty men disembarked.They were now encamped around Bolide, under the command of a midshipman.
Mr. de Schneck was conflicted when he learned of the increase in the number of people maintaining order. If he was satisfied to know that the precious bolide was so zealously guarded, then these heavily armed American sailors were in the middle of the war. Landing on the land of Greenland inevitably made him anxious.He confided this feeling to the midshipman, who gave him no information.He came here at the orders of his superiors, without asking more questions.
So, from the next day, Mr. de Schneck decided to go to the cruiser to complain about his grievances. However, when he wanted to carry out this plan, he was faced with a double task.
The second cruiser, the British warship, arrived the night before, and the captain, learning that the meteor had fallen, imitated his American counterpart and sent twenty sailors ashore.The sailors, led by yet another Naval Academy cadet, hurried to the south-northeast of the island.
M. de Schneck really didn't know what to do.What does all this mean?His bewilderment and panic grew, and that afternoon a third cruiser with the tricolor arrived.Two hours later, twenty French sailors, under the command of a junior naval officer, also went to stand guard around Bolide in turn.
The situation is bound to intensify, and it is impossible to stop here.On the night of the 21st, the Russian cruiser arrived suddenly.This is the fourth one.Then, during the daytime on the 22nd, only a Japanese ship, an Italian ship and a German ship arrived one after another.On the 23rd, an Argentine and a Spanish cruiser arrived a little ahead of the Chilean ship.Immediately after the Chilean ship were two other ships, one Portuguese, the other Dutch.
On August 25, sixteen warships formed an international squadron such as had never been seen in the extreme north seas before Ubernivik. The "Atlantic" came to dock again, carefully leaning sideways in the middle of the fleet.Each warship sent 20 people to land under the leadership of an officer. At this time, 320 sailors and 16 officers of various nationalities were trampling on the land of Greenland.Fifty soldiers in Greenland, brave as they are, cannot defend their country.
每只船都带来自己的一套新闻，这些新闻从其实际效果来说都是不能令人满意的，如果说国际代表大会始终驻在纽约的话，那它继续开会，也始终徒有形式而已。那以后，发言全是外交辞令……而外交却暂且（咱们私下说说）是从属于大炮的。大家在外交使团中的讨论坚定有力，而且不无火药味儿。
随着舰只的相继到达，传来的消息就更加使人不安。虽说没有一点确切的消息，但是传说纷纷，在那些参谋部和各船的全体船员中间不胫而走，而在各国占领军之间，关系正日益紧张。美国的海军准将曾首先邀请他的英国同行赴宴。这位英国人还礼回请，并借此机会向法国巡洋舰舰长表示了衷心的敬意，凡此种种礼尚往来之举，现在已经终止。他们各自驻屯在自己船上，窥伺时机，以便看风使舵。那乍起的几丝风儿，似乎正是暴风雨的先驱。
在这期间，泽费兰·西达尔怒气未平，他成天骂声不绝，弄得勒格尔先生的耳朵都耷拉下来了。他想尽办法叫他的教子恢复理智，却都白费力气。
“我亲爱的泽费兰，你该知道，”他对他说道，“德·施奈克先生是对的，要让单独一人随意支配如此巨大的金额是办不到的，因此，有人干涉是很自然的事。不过，你让我来处理此事吧。待到头几阵激动情绪平静下去以后，就将轮到我出来干涉了。对于我们事业的正义性完全不予理睬，我认为这也是办不到的，我总会得到某些东西，这是不成问题的。”
“某些东西！”西达尔又大叫起来。“啊！我才看不上您的某些东西呢。您想叫我把这块黄金变成什么？我，我难道需要黄金？”
“那么，”勒格尔先生反问道，“那你干吗这么激动呢？”
“因为火流星是我的。人家要把它拿走，这使我非常气忿，我决不会容忍他们这么干。”
“你有什么办法与全世界作对呢，我可怜的泽费兰？”
“我要是有办法的话，我就会干的，不过，且慢！……当初那个什么代表野心勃勃，表示要拿走我的火流星，固然可恶，而今天又怎么说呢？……现在这么多国家，全都是贼。它们之间眼看要自相残杀，人们都这么认为。……见它的鬼，我让火流星留在原地，居然会没干好事！我本来觉得把它弄下来挺滑稽，是个挺有趣的试验。要是早知道！……这些一文不名的穷鬼，眼下就要为这亿万黄金互相厮杀！……您想说什么都行，这真是越来越可恶了！”
西达尔沉溺于这种情绪之中。
不管怎样，他生德·施奈克先生的气可不对，那个倒霉代表，用一句俗话来话，他可真是惶惶不可终日。对格陵兰领土的侵犯弄得他不知如何是好，而且在他看来格陵兰共和国的惊人财富已有累卵之危。但是怎么办呢？他能把那三百二十个外国水兵连同他自己的五十个人一起扔到海里去吗？他能用炮轰、用鱼雷袭击，使周围那十六个装甲的庞然大物沉到海底去吗？
显然不行，他做不到。然而，他所能做的，至少他该做的，就是代表他的国家来抗议这种侵犯国土的罪行。
有一天，英国和法国的两个舰长以普通游客的身分一道上了岸，德·施奈克先生抓住这个机会，要求他们作出解释，并向他们提出半官方的抗议。这种抗议虽有外交上的节制，却并不排斥其强硬激烈的性质。
英国的海军准将作了答复。“德·施奈克先生，”他大致讲了这么几句话：“您激动是不对的，停在这儿的军舰的舰长只不过是奉各自的海军部的命令行事。他们无权讨论，也无权解释这些命令，只能执行这些命令。不过，可以预料的是，这种国际性登陆的目的无非只是维持秩序而已，并无其他用意。事实上，好事者云集此地为数众多，但是，可以预料，拥来的人数无疑还会更多。再说，德·施奈克先生也应该冷静些。问题正在研究中。各国的权利都会得到尊重，这是无可怀疑的。”
“完全正确。”法国舰长赞同地说。
“既然所有的权利都得到尊重，那么我就要行使我的权利。”突然有个人物毫不客气地介入了这场讨论。
“请问贵姓？……”那位海军准将问。
“迪安·福赛思先生，威斯顿天文学家，真正的火流星之父及其合法的主人。”这位插话者自命不凡地回答，而德·施奈克先生则在微微地耸动肩膀。
“噢！好极了！”海军准将说：“久仰大名，福赛思先生……不过，当然罗，倘若您有权利的话，为什么您不能让它们发挥作用呢？”
“权利！……”这时第二个插话者叫了起来，“那么我的权利又怎么说？难道不是我，西德尼·赫德尔森博士，我一个人，第一个让全世界注意到这个流星的吗？”
“您！……”迪安·福赛思先生指责着，突然转过来，仿佛叫毒蛇蜇了下似的。
"I."
“您这个郊镇的蹩脚医生，竟妄想贪天之功为己功！”
“就像您这种外行人一样。”
“您这个吹牛大王，连在望远镜里朝哪边看都不知道！”
“您这个嘻嘻哈哈的家伙，您从来没见过望远镜。”
“我外行！……”
“我，蹩脚医生！……”
“我还没外行到撕不下一个骗子的画皮！”
“我并没蹩脚到无法叫你承认是个贼。”
“太不像话！”迪安·福赛思先生口吐白沫，仿佛喉咙被卡住了似的，用一种嘶哑的声音喊道：“你当心点，先生！”
两个对手捏紧拳头，横眉怒目，摆出一副斗殴的架势。要是弗郎西斯和珍妮没冲进这两个斗士之间，这场争吵很可能不会有什么好下场。
“舅舅！……”弗郎西斯喊着，用一只有力的手拉住了迪安·福赛思先生。
“爸爸！……我求求您，……爸爸！……”珍妮泪流满面地哀求着。
“这两个暴跳如雷的人是谁哪？”泽费兰·西达尔问塞思·斯坦福先生。他无意间站在斯坦福先生的身旁，离那个滑稽悲剧的场面不远，他正在看热闹呢。
在旅客中，自然不大讲究那套社交界的礼仪。一个素昧平生的人不大客气地问他，斯坦福先生也就不客气地回答。
“您又不是没听说过迪安·福赛思和西德尼·赫德尔森博士。”
“威斯顿那两个天文爱好者吗？”
"Not bad."
“他们曾发现刚才掉在这儿的那个火流星吗？”
“就是他们。”
“他们这样吵架，要争个什么呢？”
“他们达不成协议，究竟谁先发现火流星。”
“妙。”他说。
“他们两人都要求火流星的所有权。”塞思·斯坦福先生又说。
“借口偶然在天上看到过它？”
"That's it."
“真是厚颜无耻，”泽费兰·西达尔说，“可是，这个小伙子和这个姑娘，他们又在里头干什么？”
塞思·斯坦福先生挺殷勤地对这个局势作了一番解释。他讲了由于种种什么原因，这对未婚夫妻不得不放弃拟议中的婚事；又由于什么荒唐的妒忌心，引起了不共戴天之仇，使两家断了交，并破坏了他们感人的爱情。
西达尔的心被震惊了。他带着注视自然现象的神情，望着被弗郎西斯拉住的迪安·福赛思先生和珍妮小姐。她这时正用纤弱的双臂抱着她那怒冲冲的爸爸。塞思·斯坦福先生一讲完故事，泽费兰·西达尔没道一声谢，便大叫起来：“这回可太不像话了！”于是便迈开大步走了。这位讲故事的人冷冷地看着这个怪人走远，随即把他丢在脑后，并回到了阿卡狄娅·沃克太太身边。在这一番短短的对话中，阿卡狄娅·沃克太太没有在场，而是破例地被撇在一边。
泽费兰·西达尔怒不可遏，粗暴地用手打开了他那小木屋的门。
“我的叔叔，”他对勒格尔先生说。他这种刻薄的称呼使勒格尔先生不禁惊跳起来，“我说这可太可恶了。”
“又怎么啦？”勒格尔先生问。
“当然是火流星喽！总是这该死的火流星！”
“火流星干什么来的？”
“它正在糟蹋地球呢，这可一点不假。它作恶多端，数都数不清了。它把那些人都变成盗贼还不够，又到处散布争端和战乱，大有血洗世界的危险。还不止这些。它不是还拆散未婚夫妻吗？您去瞧瞧那个小姑娘，您将会给我带来一些新闻的。她简直叫石头见了都要掉泪。这一切实在是太可恶了。”
“什么未婚夫妻？你说的是哪个姑娘？这又是什么新起的怪念头呀？”勒格尔先生目瞪口呆地问道。
泽费兰·西达尔不屑作答。
“是呀，太可恶了，”他激烈地宣称。“啊！这样下去简直不行。我就要让大家都和睦相处，言归于好。简直太不像话！”
“你要干什么蠢事，泽费兰·西达尔？”
“当然，并不复杂！我即将把他们的火流星扔到海里去。”
勒格尔先生不禁蹦了起来。一阵强烈的激动使他脸色发白，使他的心都要停止跳动了。不一会儿，他想到用发怒来叫西达尔服从，他可以用一些话威胁他，恫吓他，尽管他无力付诸实行。于是他便大大地逞了一下威风。他这个人应该是什么都干得出来的。
“你不能这么干，泽费兰，”勒格尔叫道。
“我偏要这么干。什么都拦不住我。我，我简直够了，我马上就动手。”
“可是，倒霉鬼，你就不想一想……”
勒格尔先生陡地刹住话头。他的脑袋瓜里直冲冲地冒出了一个天才的思想，它像闪电般突如其来，并且叫人眼睛都发花了。只要一会儿工夫，这员金钱战役中的猛将就能看出谁强谁弱。
“不管怎么都行！……”他喃喃地说。
重新努力思索之后，他发现自己的计划其妙无比。于是他对泽费兰·西达尔说：
“我不再跟你顶牛下去了，”他直截了当地说，俨然是个匆忙的、抢时间的人。“你要把火流星扔到海里去吗？好吧。不过，你能不能暂缓几天呀？”
“我非要缓几天不可，”西达尔大声说。“我得改一改我的机器，以便适应我要它干的新活儿。改装工作得五六天。”
“那么要推迟到九月三日喽。”
"yes."
“好极了，”勒格尔先生说。他走出门，一溜烟似的奔向乌贝尼维克，这时他的教子正在着手工作。
勒格尔先生毫不耽搁地叫人把他送上“大西洋”号，而这只船的烟囱顿时就黑烟滚滚，冲天而起。两个钟头以后，这位船主回到了岸上，而“大西洋”号却又飞也似的溜走，消失在天际。
正如一切天才的东西一样，勒格尔先生的计划是极其简单的。
对于勒格尔先生来讲只有两个解决办法，但二者必居其一：要么向国际联军揭露他的教子，叫他无法行动；要么听之任之。勒格尔先生采取了第二个办法。
要是走第一着，他照理可以指望有关政府会感激他，这个无价之宝，多亏他的干预而得救，他无疑会分得一份儿。然而，多大的一份呢？很可能只是一丁点儿。何况金潮涌来之后，势必引起黄金跌价，这个份额就更少得可怜了。
相反，倘若他守口如瓶，那就不但会消除作孽的金块所带来的种种祸端，杜绝那像洪水猛兽般遍及全球的浩劫，而且还可避免个人的种种麻烦，甚至反而会发一笔大财。五天之间，就他一个人知道这个秘密，要从中取利可便当得很。因此，他只要借重“大西洋”号另发一份电报就行了。这份电报的译文是这样的：德劳特街：“惊人之举在即，速购金矿，数量不限。”
这个命令会顺利执行的。此刻，火流星一定已尽人皆知，金矿股票想必已大跌特跌，几乎近于零。人家无疑会不管价值相当与否就以微不足道的价格抛售金矿，相反地，一旦得悉这场冒险壮举的结局时，可热闹了！那时金矿便会迅速回涨到原先的市价，而它们的走运的买主就会大发其财了。
我们马上便可断言，勒格尔先生眼力可真准。电报发到了德劳特街，当天在交易所里，有人便准时地执行了他的指示。勒格尔银行以现金和赊欠方式买进了市场上抛售的全部金矿。第二天又买进了同样多的数字。
两天之间这家银行获得了特大丰收！几乎一文不值的金矿，其证券每张只卖几个生丁！往日里十分兴旺的金矿现在竟跌到两三个法郎，头等的金矿都跌到十或十二个法郎。这家银行不论好坏一概收了进来。
四十八小时以后，这场大抢购的风声开始传遍世界各地的交易所，并引起了某种骚动。勒格尔银行是一家以嗅觉敏锐著称的字号，总不至于轻举妄动，扑在一项特殊的有价证券上，其中总有什么文章，这是普遍的反映。于是，行情又显著回升。
Too late.已经捞完了。罗伯特·勒格尔先生当时已拥有地球上半数以上的金矿生产。这些大事正在巴黎进行的时候，泽费兰·西达尔却利用一些零件在改造他的机器。这些零件都是他临行前随身带来的。在机器内，他按复杂的电路，把一些电线纵横交错地连接起来。在外部，在两个新的反光镜的中心，加上几个奇形怪状的灯泡。在预定的日期，九月三日，大功告成。于是，泽费兰·西达尔便宣布一切准备就绪，可以行动了。
这回，他的教父在场，破例地当了他的洗耳恭听的听众。这是他发挥其演说才能的唯一机会，他是不会轻易放过的。“我的机器，”他说着关上了电路，“并没有什么神秘或魔幻之处，它只不过是个转换器而已。它按通常的形式接收电流，并使它转变成一种高级形式（此形式是我发现了的）。您看到那个像个小疯婆似的旋转着的灯泡吗，它就是我用来吸引火流星的。这灯泡位于反光镜的中心，借助反光镜把一种特殊性质的电流送到太空之中。这种电流我美其名曰螺旋形中性电流。正如它的名儿所表明的，这种电流是螺旋式地活动的。另外，它还具有另一种功能，它能猛烈地排斥触及它的任何物体。它的全部螺旋线圈构成一个中空的圆柱体。圆柱体里的空气和其他任何物质一样，被驱逐一空，成为'真空'。我的叔叔，您可懂得这个词的意义：真空？在茫茫太空之中，到处充满着某种物质，而我这无形的圆柱体就像螺丝似的紧紧旋在大气里面。在短促的瞬间，它成了宇宙中唯一的真空点，您是这样想的吗？这一刹那是很短的，比闪电还要短促，而这个唯一的'绝对空虚'点，就是那种滚滚急浪式的不灭的能外溢的出口。这种能被禁锢在地球上，凝聚在物质的沉重的链环之中。因此，我的作用只不过是扫除障碍罢了。”
勒格尔先生因为休戚相关，十分用心地倾听着这离奇的讲解。“唯一有点儿微妙的东西，”泽费兰·西达尔接下去说，“就是调整螺旋形中性电流的波长。假如它能及到某个要接受其作用的物体，它就予以排斥，而不是吸引。因此，在该物体与这种电流之间相隔一定距离时，就得把电流断掉。不过，要尽可能隔得近一些，使得释放出来的能辐射到它邻近的地方。”
“可是，要叫火流星滚到海里，就得推它而不是拉它。”勒格尔先生反驳道。
“这话也对也不对，”泽费兰·西达尔回答说。“您听我讲，叔叔，我了解我们与火流星之间的距离。精确地说，是五百十一米四十八厘米。因此，我正在调整我的电流作用所及的距离。”西达尔边说边摆弄着一个联入电路的安在电源和机器之间的变阻器。
“这下弄好了，”他又说，“现在电流在离火流星东北凸面不到三厘米的地方断掉了，因而释放的能产生着强烈的辐射，集中在火流星的这一面。然而，这也许还不足以推动这样一个紧紧粘合在地面上的庞然大物。为了谨慎起见，我将使用其他两个附加的方法。”
西达尔把手插进机器内部，两只新灯泡中的一个马上开始发出猛烈的噼噼啪啪的声响。
“您将看到，叔叔，”他以评论的方式说道，“这只灯泡不像另一只那样转动。因为它具有另一个性质的作用。它所散发的气味也是特别的。我称它为直线中性电流，以区别于前面的那一种。这种直线电流的波长不需要调整。假如我把它投射在挡着电流的那个流星的西南凸面上的话，它会在无形之中跑到无垠的宇宙里去。我可不劝您站在这道电流的通道上。要不，您就会像那些运动迷所说的那样，狠狠地摔上一跤，运动员正是这样锻炼出来的。不过，言归正传吧。这种直线电流究竟是什么呢？不是别的，它像螺旋形电流，像其它任何电流，像声、热，甚至像光一样，只不过是一种简化到最低限度的物质原子的移转而已。当我告诉您，这时候，这些原子正在敲打那金块的表面，并以每秒七亿五千万的数量嵌入金块之中，您就会知道这些原子是多么渺小了。由此看来，这是一种真正的炮击。投射物分量过轻，却由无限大的数量和速度予以抵偿。把这种推力和作用于流星另一面的引力加在一起，就可以取得令人满意的结果了。”
“但是火流星却呆着不动。”勒格尔先生又顶了一句。
“它会动的，”泽费兰·西达尔从容地断言。“稍微耐心一点。再说，这儿是个起加快作用的玩艺儿，我用这第三个反光镜，发出其它定向原子弹。这些原子弹不是投在火流星本身，而是投在海洋那一面的托住流星的土地上。您即将看到这块地逐渐土崩瓦解，再加上重力作用，火流星便会滑上那道斜坡。”
泽费兰·西达尔将胳膊插入机器里，第三个灯泡也依次发出了噼噼啪啪的响声。
“瞧吧，叔叔，”他说。“我相信我们就要笑了。”
Notes:
Notes: