Chapter 9 Chapter 9 The Hawaiian Islands
In this part of the Pacific Ocean, there is an undersea mountain range.A body of water up to 4,000 meters deep separates it from the rest of Oceania.In case the water is emptied one day, everyone will find that this mountain range extends from west-northwest to east-southeast, with a total length of about 3,600 kilometers.Only eight peaks of the range are now above water: Nihau, Kauai, Oahu, Molokai, Lanai, Maui, Kaluhani, and Hawaii.These eight islands of varying sizes make up the Hawaiian Islands, or the Sandwich Islands.Their rocky reefs are scattered westward into the tropics.
Let Sebastian Zorno mutter and complain, anyway, like a cello in a case, he is completely indifferent to all the wonders and wonders of nature, Pancina, Yves Ernay and Frascolin both commented in this way.They were right.
"Honestly," said one, "I wouldn't be displeased to visit these Hawaiian islands! Since we're going to be sailing the Pacific so long, we'd better make some memories for the future!"
"To add," said another, "the natives of the island might show us the Bunny, the Sioux, or any other over-cultured Indian in the Far West, and I'd rather Would love to meet some real savages...a few savages who eat human flesh."
"Do those Hawaiians still eat human flesh?" asked a third.
"I hope," Pansina replied solemnly, "it was their grandparents who ate Captain Cook. Just imagine, since the grandparents tasted the famous navigator, what if the grandchildren forget the human flesh?" The taste is simply too unreasonable!"
Admittedly, "His Royal Highness" speaks too presumptuously when speaking of the famous British sailor who discovered the archipelago in 1778.
After this small talk, our artists have only one thing on their minds, that is, they hope to meet some real aborigines in this unexpected sailing life, instead of exhibiting in the training garden Specimens of that kind, and, at any rate, were encountered where they were born and bred, not in man-made surroundings.Several artists couldn't bear it any longer, wishing they could get there soon.Every day they looked forward to the signal from the lookout at the observatory to see the high mountains of the Hawaiian Islands.
On the morning of July 6, the long-awaited signal was finally sent.The news spread all over the island immediately, and the following announcement recorded by the telex machine was printed on the bulletin board of the entertainment city:
"The model island has seen the Hawaiian Islands."
In fact, Model Island is 200 kilometers away, but on a clear day, the highest peaks in the Hawaiian Islands, those with a height of more than 4,200 meters, are still clearly visible even at this distance.
Captain Ethel Simcoyer commanded Machine Island and approached Oahu from the northeast.The island's capital is Honolulu, which is also the capital of the entire archipelago.In terms of latitude, Oahu is the third island from north to south.To the northwest of it are the islands of Nihau and Kauai, which resemble a huge cattle ranch.Oahu is not the largest island in the Hawaiian archipelago. Its area is only 1680 square kilometers, while the area of Hawaii Island is 10414 square kilometers.As for the other islands, the combined total area is only 3812 square kilometers.
Needless to say, since the model island sailed, the relationship between several artists and the main officials on the island has been quite good.Whether it is the island governor, the captain and Colonel Stewart, or the chief engineer Watson and Samwart, all the people are scrambling to entertain them warmly, and they are extremely thoughtful, lest they be neglected.They frequented the observatory and enjoyed spending hours on the platform of the tower.Over time, everyone gets used to it.No one was therefore surprised that Yvernay and Pancina, the most enthusiastic of the Quartet, were there again on this day.At about 10 o'clock in the morning, the elevator took them to what "His Royal Highness" called "mast top".
Captain Ethel Simcoyer was already there.Seeing the two friends approaching, the captain handed over the glass, and called their attention to a point in the misty lower south-west horizon.
"That's Mauna Loa on the island of Hawaii," he said, "or Mauna Kea. They're two magnificent volcanoes that erupted twice in 1852 and 1855 and covered 700 square feet of the island with lava flows. meters of land. In 1880, the crater erupted another 700 million cubic meters of volcanic material!"
"It's amazing!" Yvernay exclaimed, "Mr. Captain, do you think we are lucky to see such a volcanic eruption?"
"Mr. Yverney, I don't know that," replied Ethel Simcoyer. "Volcanoes don't obey orders."
"Oh! Just this one time, and some protection, isn't it?..." Pansina added, "If I'm as rich as Mr. Tanken or Mr. Coverley, I'll just spend a fortune." Buy it and spray it once..."
"Well, we'll talk to them later," the captain replied with a smile, "I believe that they will try their best to please you, even if they know it's impossible."
Next, Pancina asked how many people live on the Hawaiian Islands.The captain told him that there were about 200,000 people on the island at the beginning of this century, and it is estimated that it has dropped to half of its original number.
"Wow! Mr. Simkoyer, 100,000 savages is still enough! As long as there are a few brave cannibals left, and if they still maintain this taste, not too many, each of them will eat a lot of food in one bite." Eat up all the hundreds of millions of city dwellers on Model Island!"
This isn't the first time Machine Island has sailed close to the Hawaiian Islands.It had been here last year, because the climate here is good for health.In fact, before European doctors sent their patients here to breathe the fresh air of the Pacific Ocean, some patients in the United States came here to recuperate.Why don't you come?Now Honolulu is only 25 days away from Paris at most, and importantly, the oxygen that is inhaled into the lungs here every day cannot be breathed at all elsewhere.
On the morning of July 9, Model Island was only a stone's throw away from the archipelago.Oahu is clearly visible 5 miles to the southwest.The top of the island reveals the peaks of two high mountains.Towering on the eastern side of the island is Diamond Hill, an extinct volcano that has been dormant for many years, overlooking the mooring grounds of Hougang at the foot of the mountain.Another conical mountain is called "five-flavored wine glass" by the British.As the captain said, such a huge basin, even if it was filled with brandy or gin, would be drunk without even frowning.
Machine Island runs between Oahu and Molokai.It is like a merchant ship running under the action of the rudder, relying on the propulsion force of the left and right side screw propellers to constantly change its position.After bypassing the headland in the southeast of Oahu, the floating machine island stopped 2,000 meters from the coast due to the large draft.In order for the island to turn around, it must be anchored at a sufficient distance from the land.In fact, strictly speaking, it does not "drop anchor", that is to say, it does not use an anchor, because it is impossible to drop anchor at sea with a water depth of 100 meters or even more than 100 meters.Therefore, the island is still controlled by the machine that steers it forward or backward during the mooring period, so that it stops there as motionless as the eight main islands of the Hawaiian archipelago.
The "Quartet" looked out over the rolling archipelago in front of them.From the sea, you can only see large tracts of woods on the island, small citrus forests and other beautiful tropical plants.On the west side of the island, a small inner lake is surrounded by a densely arranged reef belt.This lake is called Pearl Lake, and the old crater formed the lake bottom plain today.
The scenery of Oahu is quite beautiful.In fact, those cannibals really have nothing to complain about on the stage where they have repeatedly made "military exploits".How Pansina wished to meet some of them!As long as they retain their cannibalistic nature, "His Royal Highness" will have nothing else to ask for...
At this moment, he suddenly cried out:
"My God, what is that?"
"What do you see?" Frascoran asked.
"Over there...there are several bell towers..."
"Yes, there are towers and... the walls of the palace!" replied Yvernay, observing.
"In this kind of place, it is impossible for people to eat Captain Cook!"
"We're not in Hawaii!" Sebastian Zorno said with a shrug. "The captain must have gone the wrong way!"
"It must be so!"
No!The captain was not mistaken at all.There was Oahu, and that city, stretching for several square kilometers, was Honolulu.
Hi!It's a good time now, it's not what they thought at all.How much has changed in the archipelago since the discovery of the great English navigator!The missionaries had competed religiously and dedicatedly here.The Methodist, Anglican, and Catholic clergy, competing for influence, did much to civilize and triumph over the former Kanak idolatry.In the end, not only did the local languages die out under the heavy invasion of Anglo-Saxon languages, but the archipelago gradually became dominated by Americans, Chinese and Portuguese.The Americans and the Chinese, mostly recruited, subsisted on the land and gave rise to a semi-Chinese race; the Portuguese came later, after the establishment of sea communication with Europe in Hawaii Just got here.Although the local natives died in large numbers due to the incoming plague, some can still be seen, which can still satisfy the curiosity of our four artists.However, they are no longer the kind of savages who eat human flesh. "
"Ah, unfortunate vernacular," exclaimed the first violinist, "what hand has scratched you from the palette of modernity?"
right!It is the natural laws of time, of civilization and of progress, which have almost completely obliterated this character.But the reality must be admitted, although it cannot but be said to be a bit regrettable.With this in mind, Sebastian Zorno and his partners boarded a motorized boat from Model Island and crossed the long line of rocks to land on the edge of the island.
Between the two rows of barrier fences that meet at a sharp angle, there is a harbor, and the stepped mountain behind it protects it from the strong wind. Since 1794, the submerged reef that protects the harbor from the long waves of the open sea has grown by a meter.But the water is still deep enough for merchant ships with a draft of 18 to 20 feet to dock at the pier.
"I've been fooled!... I've been fooled!" Pansina kept muttering, "It's a pity. I imagined it was so good, but it's not like that when I travel."
"It's better to stay at home!" The cellist answered with a shrug.
"No!" Yvernay retorted loudly, still full of energy, "come to visit this artificial island in the Oceanian archipelago, what can it compare to?"
But while the moral state of the Hawaiian Islands has sadly changed, to the great disappointment of our artists, the climate here is quite satisfactory.Although the archipelago lies in the region known as the Atami, the air and climate of this place are among the healthiest in this part of the Pacific Ocean.Although it is said that when the trade winds blowing from the northeast do not prevail, the temperature remains high, but when the anti-trade winds blowing from the south breed a violent storm called "kuas" in this area, Hono The average temperature in Lulu does not exceed 21 degrees Celsius.Therefore, complaining about the bad climate at the edge of the tropics is probably hard to justify.Therefore, the residents here have never complained about the climate. As we just said, American patients come to this archipelago one after another to recuperate.
In any case, as they go deeper, the "quartet" gradually lifts the mysterious veil on this island, and their original beautiful illusions are also shattered... just like fallen leaves in the bleak autumn wind. wind away.They kept saying they were cheated, but this time they could only blame themselves, who let them find it?
"It's all about Callistus Membal, who's tricked us again!" Pancina asserted.He remembered what the steward had said to them about the Hawaiian Islands, the last stronghold of the native savages in the Pacific.
But when they lashed out at the steward, he replied:
"What can I do, dear friend?" he said, blinking his right eye. "It's changed so much since I've been here that I don't even recognize it!"
"You liar!" Pancina said to the steward, and hit him lightly on the stomach casually.
All you can be sure of is that something has changed on the island, and it has changed with unimaginable speed.Not long ago, the people of the Hawaiian Islands lived under a constitutional monarchy established in 1837.This form of government has two chambers, the House of Lords and the House of Representatives.The House of Lords is elected only by landowners, and its members serve a term of 6 years. The House of Representatives is elected by all citizens who can read and write, and its members serve a term of 2 years.Each house consists of 24 members, who discuss state affairs with the royal cabinet composed of 4 advisers to the king.
"So," said Yvernay, "there was a king here before! Besides, he was a constitutional king, not the kind of guy with feathers on his head, even if a foreigner came to him, he had to be respectful." That monster that salutes!"
"I'm sure," Pancina asserted, "that His Majesty doesn't even have a nose ring...and he's got a whole mouthful of false teeth fitted by the best doctors in the New World!"
"Alas! Civilization... Civilization!" the first violinist sighed repeatedly, "Those Kanaks, when they captured the captives, they ate them on the spot, what use is there to have a mouthful of beautiful teeth!"
Forgive these fantasists for seeing things in this way!good!Honolulu had a king, or at least a queen.Her name was Lilio Calani, and she was long gone.Back then, in order to protect the rights of her son Yadi, she had resolutely opposed Princess Kaiulani's ambition to covet the Hawaiian throne.To make a long story short, for a long time, the political situation in the archipelago was volatile, and the whole situation was exactly the same as that of European and American countries.Wouldn't this kind of infighting, one might ask, lead to the effective intervention of the military on the island of Hawaii to oust the Queen in a military coup and thus start a bloody new era?No doubt not.Because the army on Hawaii Island is full of soldiers, there are only 250 conscripts and 250 volunteers.A mere 500 people cannot overthrow a regime—at least, in the Pacific Ocean.
But don't forget, the British are there, and they are very concerned about this matter.It seems that Princess Kaiulani has won the sympathy of the United Kingdom.On the other hand, the Japanese government is also eyeing, ready to step in and put the archipelago under its own protection. For this reason, it has even counted a large number of coolies hired on the island to engage in plantation as supporters.So what about the Americans, what will happen to them?This was the question Frascolin had asked Callistes Membal when he spoke of the intervention of the army.
"Americans?" replied the steward. "They don't care much about the protection of the archipelago. As long as there is a shipping station in the Hawaiian Islands, which can accommodate cruise ships on the Pacific route, they will be satisfied."
However, in 1875, King Kamehameha, who was visiting President Grant in Washington, handed over the islands to the United States, making them a protectorate of the United States.But 17 years later, it was decided to restore Queen Liliu Kalani. At that time, a republic headed by Sanford Dole had been established on the Hawaiian Islands, so this matter aroused strong opposition in both countries.
Besides, nothing in the world can change what is written in black and white in the book that determines the fate of people, ancient or modern, so the Hawaiian Islands have been under the leadership of Mr. Dole since July 4, 1894. officially became a republic.
The model island stayed in the Hawaiian Islands for ten days.Many residents of Billion City used this time to visit Honolulu and several nearby islands.The Coverleys and Tanken families, as well as everyone who could be counted as a person in Billion City, took a boat to the shore pier every day.On the other hand, although this is the second time Machine Island has appeared in this part of the Hawaiian Islands, Hawaiians still can't get enough of Machine Island, and they come in droves to see this amazing guy.Speaking of which, Cyrus Picktaff's police took no pleasure in admitting outsiders to the island, and whenever night fell they checked to see if the visitors had returned to their own island before the appointed time.Thanks to these security measures, it is very difficult for outsiders to stay on the "Pearl of the Pacific" without permission, and such permission is not easy to obtain.After all, there are only good non-governmental relations between the two islands, without any official exchanges.
"Quartet" takes several very interesting walks.Our Parisians love the natives here.Their features are distinct, with brown hair and expressions that are both gentle and somewhat haughty.Although these Hawaiians have implemented a republic, perhaps they still have some nostalgia for the unrestrained primitive life of the past.
"We live in a region where even the air is free," they have a saying.Now, however, they themselves are no longer free.
In fact, after Kamehameja conquered the archipelago and overthrew the constitutional monarchy established in 1837, each island was governed by a dedicated governor.Although a republic is currently in effect, the archipelago is still divided into counties.
"Hey," said Pancina, "it'll be the sheriff, magistrate, and councilor if there's another '' to be added!"
"Forget it, I'm going back!" Sebastian Zorno said dissatisfied.
If he goes home without even appreciating the main attractions of Oahu, he is very wrong.Although there are not many varieties of plants in those scenic spots, the scenery is really great.Coconut trees and other palm trees stand tall and straight along the coast, as well as breadfruit trees, oil-pressing tung trees, castor beans, mandalas, and indigo trees.Under the nourishment of high mountains and flowing water, the green carpet in the valley is covered with a kind of green grass called "Monavia" everywhere. Countless small shrubs grow as tall as trees, dotted with quinoa and giant asparagus. Branch's "Hara Pop".The forest area stretches from the foot of the mountain to the hillside at an altitude of 2000 meters. In the forest, there are tall and straight arhats, huge sorrel and vines. These vines are intertwined with each other, like piles of snakes coiled around Among the lush green foliage.As for the indigenous crops that can be traded and exported, there are rice, coconut and sugar cane.The products of each island are transported to Honolulu for collection, and then sent to the United States together, which makes the sea shipping between the islands very frequent.
As for animals, there are fewer types.If the Kanaks are gradually being assimilated by the more civilized races, the animals here have not changed in the slightest.The domestic animals are only pigs, chickens and goats; if there are not a few wild boars, there are almost no wild animals; there are a lot of mosquitoes, and it is really not easy to avoid being bitten; apart from mosquitoes, the most common ones are scorpions in addition, there are various harmless lizards; other oviparous animals, some birds that never sing, and the Pacific "drapani" bird.The feathers of this bird are black and yellow, and Kamehameha's famous cloak is made of this yellow feather, which was made through the hard work of nine generations of local people.
The population of the island is considerable, and they imitate the United States everywhere, and have stepped into today's civilized society.Various societies have been established on the island, the compulsory education school opened has won an award at the 1878 Exposition, several libraries have a rich collection of books, and several newspapers are issued in English and Kanak.None of this comes as a surprise to us Parisians, since most of the island's leading figures are Americans, and their language circulates like their currency.It's just that those big shots are happy to hire Chinese from the "Celestial Empire" to serve them.This is the opposite of what is done in the American West, where these horrible people are boycotted and called "Yellow Peril".
It goes without saying that since Model Island arrived before the eyes of Oahu's capital, the boats in the harbor have often been full of curious people circling the Machine Island.On this sunny day, the sea is so calm, and there is nothing more enjoyable than traveling in a small boat for 20 kilometers away from this steel coast 200 meters away.Of course, there were some customs policemen up there watching closely with wide-eyed eyes.
Among the cruise ships that come and go, a light ship is the most noteworthy.It circles around the machine island every day.This is a small Malay two-masted sailboat with a square stern. There are about a dozen men on it. The captain looks mighty and powerful.Although the ship came every day and refused to leave, the island governor never took it seriously.In fact, those people have been constantly observing the corners and corners of the machine island, from one port to another, examining the layout of the machine island along the coast.But having said that, even if they have bad intentions, what can those dozen of them do to the tens of thousands of people on Model Island?Therefore, no matter whether it came in during the day and left at night, or spent the night at sea, people didn't care what the boat was doing. Of course, no one asked Honolulu's shipping management department about it.
On the morning of July 10, the "Quartet" said goodbye to Oahu.At dawn, the model island set sail under the drive of high-power propellers.After making a 180-degree turn on the spot, it turned around and headed southwest, preparing to go to other islands in the Hawaiian Islands.To do this it needs to cross obliquely the equatorial tide, which runs from east to west, and goes against the current that runs northward along the archipelago.
For the enjoyment of port-side coast residents, Model Island ventures into the waters between Molokai and Kauai.Kauai is one of the smallest islands in the archipelago, and a volcano as high as 1800 meters dominates the whole island.A few wisps of smoky black steam are slowly spewing out from the volcano named Nihao.The island is surrounded by a steep coral coast with rows of sand dunes piled up on it. The raging waves crashed against the shore violently, sending out a metallic roar that echoed in the air for a long time.As night fell, Machine Island was still driving in this narrow strait, but with Captain Sim Coyer in command, there was nothing to worry about.The brig had followed Machine Island since it left Oahu harbor, and was lost to the lookout sailors when the last rays of the setting sun disappeared behind the hills of Lanai.Whatever it is, everyone repeats again and again, what's so great about such a Malay boat outcropping, why bother?
The next day, after daylight, the lookout saw the boat as a small white speck in the northern sky.
During the day, Machine Island sails between Kaluhani and Maui.The capital of Maui is Lahaina, which is also a port for mooring whaling ships. The area of Maui is second only to the island of Hawaii and ranks second in the archipelago.The Harihara Mountain on the island is also known as the "Sun Palace". It is as high as 3,000 meters, and the peak of the mountain pierces the clouds as if it is stretching towards the radiant sun.
The next two days were spent sailing along the coast of the largest island of Hawaii.As we have said, the mountains on this island are the highest in the archipelago.The island was first discovered by Captain Cook, and in commemoration, he named the island Sandwich.At first, Captain Cook was welcomed onto the island by the aborigines as a god, and a year later, in 1779, he was brutally killed in Kirakikua Bay on the island.Hilo, the seat of its capital, is on the east coast of the island and is not visible from this side.This big island has a 57-kilometer-long railway line, which is mainly used to transport food. The "Quartet" can see the billowing white smoke from the locomotive from a distance...
"That's what was missing!" Yvernay exclaimed.
The Pearl of the Pacific left the waters the next day as the brig rounded the headland at the end of the island of Hawaii at the foot of Mauna Loa.The volcano is majestic and tall, with 4,000-meter-high peaks reaching straight into the clouds.
"Wow," said Pancina at this moment, "we've been screwed!"
"That's right," Yvernay continued, "It would have been nice to have come here 100 years ago. But in that case, we wouldn't be able to sail on the Island of Machines!"
"What does that matter! All I see now are natives with their coats turned up and their collars turned up, not the savages with feathers on their heads that the slippery Callistus told us, God made a mistake! I really do Pity it wasn't in Captain Cook's time!"
"If that's the case, what will those cannibals do if they eat your 'His Royal Highness'?" Frascolan reminded.
"Then... once in my life...someone takes a fancy to my body...and I'm willing to be eaten!"
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