Chapter 12 Chapter 12 Pamotu Three Weeks
Indeed, it would be ungrateful for the Quartet to thank Callistus Membal for bringing them to Model Island (though insidiously).No matter what means he uses!What's wrong with Callistus Membalt's visit to the City of Billions for the sake of a few Parisian artists, and he's a welcome, hospitable, and generously paid guest here!However, Sebastian Zorno is still picking his nose and eyes all day long, what can he do?After all, one cannot turn a prickly hedgehog into a fluffy kitten.However, Yvernay, Pancina, including Frascoran, have long since rejoiced, and they simply cannot imagine anything better than this fairy-like life.It's not dangerous or tiring, and it's great to take a walk on this breathtaking Pacific Ocean!Due to the constant change of places, the climate is almost constant, always so pleasant, so beautiful!Also, no matter how the two camps on the island fight, they have nothing to do with them.They were the acknowledged masters of music on Machine Island, treated as honored guests by the Tanktons and other dignified families on the port side, and redoubled by the Coverleys and other noble families on the starboard quarter; His municipal aides, Captain Simcoyer and his officers at the Observatory, and Colonel Stuart and his soldiers, greeted them with smiles and hospitality; In religious celebrations, it is indispensable to invite them to play music to add to the fun; whether they go to the port, go to the factory, or go among the civil servants and workers, the people they meet are all friendly and enthusiastic.Let me ask every sane man, under these circumstances, can our countrymen miss the days when they roamed about in the cities of the United States?Who would be hard on themselves and not envy them?
"You'll kiss my hand!" the steward had said when he first spoke to them.
Of course they didn't, and never would, and that's because a man's hand should never be kissed.
One day Athanaz Doremi, the lucky man (if you may call it that) among men, said to them:
"I have been on the model island for almost two years. If someone guarantees that I will still be alive in the world after 60 years, I hope I can stay on the island for these 60 years. Otherwise, my life will be in vain..."
"You still want to live to be 100 years old, can you survive it!" Pancina said after taking over.
"Hey! Mr. Pancina, believe me, I will live to be 100 years old! Why do you think that people will die on the model island?"
"Because people die everywhere."
"Sir, it won't happen here, just like heaven doesn't kill people!"
Having said that, what else is there to say?Still, even on this charming island, a few people die every now and then.On these occasions, the island steamer carried the body to the remote Bay of Madeleine, where it was buried in a cemetery.Apparently, in the underworld, people are doomed not to have everything they want and be extremely happy all the time.
However, there are always a few black spots in the sky of Model Island.It should even be recognized that these black spots are gradually forming dark clouds with lightning and thunder, which may soon explode violently and cause a mighty storm.The intensification of this regrettable feud between Tanken and Coverly is a cause for concern.Their respective supporters are always in step with them.Will the people of these two districts fight one day?Could it be said that there will be riots, turmoil and radical changes in the cities of billions?Does the municipality have enough strength, and does the island governor have a strong hand, and can the two families on the machine island coexist peacefully? ... Everyone has no bottom in their hearts.Anything can happen in a situation where both sides put their own vanity above all else.
Ever since the scene when they crossed the equator, these two leading figures in the city of billions have openly opposed each other.Their relatives and friends support them separately.All communication between the two districts is suspended.They saw each other from a distance and hurriedly avoided each other. If they met unexpectedly, both of them would stare fiercely and make aggressive gestures.There has even been news that that person and a few people from the port side area are about to start a business, and they have already asked the Model Island Company to approve them to build a large factory, and then bring in 100,000 pigs, slaughter them in the factory, After pickling, it is sold to various islands in the Pacific Ocean...
In short, everyone believed that Tanken Hall and Coverley Hall were two powder magazines.Just a flash of sparks is enough to make them explode, and even the model island will not be able to get rid of it.Besides, everyone must not forget that this is a machine island, which is currently floating on the unfathomable and vast ocean.Of course, to be precise, this so-called explosion is nothing more than a major conflict of ideas.But the final result is likely to be that the rich and powerful decide to move out of the island.This will jeopardize the future of Model Island, especially, it is very likely to cause huge financial losses to the Model Island company!
All this is at the crux of all kinds of dangerous disputes, not to mention the material damage caused by this conflict.What's more, who knows how serious the material loss will be?
Indeed, if the authorities had not been completely blinded by the false sense of security, they should have kept tabs on Captain Sarol and his Malays who had been treated so warmly after being rescued!It is not because these people have any suspicious plans all day long, they are quiet, solitary, isolated from the outside world, enjoying a life of comfort and ease (a life that they returned to savage New Heb) Will definitely miss after Reedes!).So is there reason to doubt them?There is also no.But if anyone is more vigilant, he can notice that this group of people keeps walking around every corner of the model island.They are always studying the city of billions, knowing the layout of each street, the location of tall buildings and hotels, and seem to be trying their best to draw an accurate floor plan.One can meet them while walking in the park or walking through the fields.They frequently went to the port or starboard port to observe the arrival and departure of ships. They often walked around the shore of the island under the guard of the customs police day and night, explored the shore of the island, and visited the two forts set up at the front and rear of the island.But on the other hand, isn't it natural?What better way for these idle Malays to pass the time than wandering around?Should it be said that there is something wrong with it?
During this time, Captain Sim Coyer commanded the model island to gradually advance slowly to the southwest.Since becoming a wandering islander, Yvernay seems to have changed completely, completely fascinated by this voyage.Pancina and Frascolan were also infected by him.What a wonderful time they had at the Entertainment City!During this period, they held a concert every half a month. Usually, people competed for unimaginably high prices to invite them to attend the party.Every morning, through the newspapers of Billion City (with the latest news by cable and the regular news of the last few days by steamer) they were kept acquainted with all the science, art, and politics of the old and new continents. thing.When it comes to politics, it should be realized that the existence of such a mobile island, which has the Pacific Ocean as its roaming ground, has been vehemently denounced by all parties in the British press.However, no matter in Model Island or in the Bay of Madeleine, people dismissed these criticisms at all.
It should be mentioned here that a few weeks ago Sebastian Zorno and his companions learned from the foreign news columns that their sudden disappearance had already appeared in various newspapers in the United States.The famous "Quartet" is so popular in the United States, and those who have not yet had the privilege of hearing them play are so looking forward to it, it is impossible for them to disappear without causing an uproar.Santiago, who did not see them on the agreed date, panicked and immediately sounded the alarm.After many investigations, people finally found out that these French artists were lured to Machine Island near the coast of Baja California, and they were sailing in the Pacific Ocean at the moment.Since, however, they themselves did not protest the matter, there was no exchange of diplomatic notes between the Model Island Company and the United States.Later, when the "quartet" wants to, they can reappear in successful theaters, and they will still be welcome.
Everyone understands that the cellist is not unwilling to protest, but the two violinists and one viola just couldn't make him do what he wanted. No regrets!
In addition, our players have written many times to their homes in France since they were forced to stay on the island.Their families are relieved and often write to them.Their correspondence was as regular as the postal link between Paris and New York.
On the morning of September 17, Frascolan sat in the library of the Entertainment City.At this time, the model island was sailing to the Pamotu Islands, and he naturally thought of checking the map of this archipelago.He opened the atlas, and as soon as his eyes fell on this piece of water in the Pacific Ocean, he couldn't help crying out alone:
"There are thousands of black spots! How can Captain Simkoyer cope with sailing among such a mess of islands!... After entering this pile of large and small islands, Captain Simkoyer will never be able to find them. There are hundreds of islands! . . . They are like a pile of pebbles in a pond! . . . He will run aground, and run aground, and his machine will not be caught on this spit , on that promontory! . . . At last we must live forever in this archipelago more crowded than our Morbihan in Brittany!"
The clear-headed Frascolan was right.Morbihan has only 365 islands, as many as innumerable in a year, yet in the Pamotus it would not be too much to double that number.The sea area where the archipelago is located is scattered with dots of coral reefs, which form a ring that tightly wraps the archipelago in the middle.According to Eliezer Leclue, this circle of coral reefs is no less than 2600 kilometers.
When looking at a map, one cannot fail to be amazed that a ship, let alone a sea machine such as Model Island, dare to venture across the archipelago.Between 17° to 28° south latitude and 134° to 157° west longitude, from Mataiwa to Pitcairn Island, there used to be an estimated 700 islands in this area, and there are actually thousands of islands, large and small. indivual.
It is not surprising, therefore, that the archipelago has thus been given various descriptive names, such as the "Danger Islands" and "Bad Sea."Because the phenomenon of abusing geographical names of multiple islands is particularly prominent in the Pacific islands, the Pamotu Islands are also known as Bass Islands, Tuamotu Islands (meaning "far away island"), Southern Islands, Black Night archipelago and mysteriously.As for Pamotu or Pamotu, the name means "surrender". The name was protested at the Congress of the Islands in Papeete, the capital of Taiti, in 1850. In 1852, the French government took this protest into consideration and chose "Tuamotu" among all the names. However, in this article, we are best to use the more familiar name-"Pamatu". .
However, however dangerous the voyage across the archipelago was, Captain Sim Coyer did not hesitate.He knows the waters like the back of his hand, and everyone can rely on him completely.He steers his island as easily as a boat.He could make Shimahara turn around on the spot, as easy as turning a small boat with an oar.Frascoland can rest easy on the model island: the capes of the Pamotus do not even scratch the edge of its steel frame.
On the afternoon of the 19th, the observatory watchman pointed out that the first group of islands in the Pamotu archipelago appeared 12 miles away.In fact, the islands are very low-lying.Although several are more than 40 meters above sea level, 74 of them are less than 1 meter above sea level, and, unless there is almost no tide, they will be submerged twice a day and night.As for the rest, there are only atolls surrounded by a few rocks, coral reefs where no grass grows, and scattered reefs that run in line with the archipelago.
Model Island approached the archipelago from the east in order to drop anchor at Ana Island.The island was originally the capital of the archipelago until a terrible hurricane destroyed part of the island in 1878, after which the capital was relocated to Fakarava.The hurricane claimed the lives of a large number of residents on the island, and even the island of Kaukura was damaged.
The model island first encountered Ouachitahi Reef, which was determined to be 3 miles from the island.Due to the influence of currents and the coral reefs extending to the east, this piece of water is the most dangerous of the Pamotu Islands, so extra care needs to be taken when driving.Ouachitahi is just a coral mound flanked by three wooded islets, the northern one housing the main village of Ouachitahi.
On the second day, Akiti Island can be seen.The reef is covered with purslane, a yellowish creeper and hairy borage.It differs from other islands in that it does not have an inner lagoon.The reason why it can be seen from a considerable distance is that its altitude exceeds the average altitude of the archipelago.
The island I saw the next day was slightly larger, and it was called Amanu Island.On the northwest shore of the island, there are two water channels connecting its lagoon with the sea.
Hundreds of millions of people visited the archipelago in the first year, and at this time they just want to wander around in the archipelago and enjoy the beautiful scenery when passing by.However, Pancina, Frascolin and Yvernay really wanted to stop here, even if it was just a few days, so that they could take the opportunity to check out the islands created by the hard work of coral polyps and That is to say, it is not a naturally formed island... just like a model island...
"It's just," Captain Sim Coyer reminded, "our island can be moved at will..."
"It's too casual, it doesn't stop anywhere!" Pancina said faultingly.
"It stops at Howe, Ana and Fakarava, and then you'll have plenty of time to go around the islands, gentlemen."
After answering each question concerning the formation of these islands, Captain Ethel Simcoyer endorsed the generally accepted statement that in this part of the Pacific the seabed must have gradually declined for 30 meter.On top of the underwater rock formations, phytozoans and coral polyps find fairly solid foundations on which to build their coral structures.Due to the labor of these ciliates, their buildings gradually rise up layer by layer, and if the sea water is too deep, they are powerless.These masterpieces of theirs rose above the water to form the archipelago.The islands can be categorized as palisades, fringes and atolls, that is to say atolls – an Indian name for a type of coral island with an inner lagoon.Subsequently, the debris washed away by the high waves formed a layer of humus between the island and the lake.The wind brought some seeds, and vegetation appeared on these coral atolls.Influenced by the tropical climate, the calcareous shore is covered with vegetation, covered with clusters of shrubs and trees.
"Who knows?" Yvernay predicted enthusiastically, "Whether this piece of land submerged in the Pacific Ocean will one day resurface because of these countless small insects invisible to the naked eye? Then there will be a railway linking the old and the new world, with express trains belching white smoke, on the waters where sailing ships and steamships now sail."
"Nonsense... My old chap, you've lost your mind again!" retorted the impudent Pancina.
As Captain Sim Coyer said, Model Island stopped before coming to Howe on 23 September.Because of the deep water in this area, it can get very close.The small boat carried several tourists to the island through the water channel hidden in the coconut grove on the right.It was necessary to walk five miles to reach the great village on the top of the hill.There are only two to three hundred residents in the village, and most of them are hired by some companies in Taiti to fish Jiangtiao.It is rich in pandanus and amyrtle, which are the earliest trees in the area. Now sugar cane, pineapple, taro, coconut and tobacco grow on the land of the island, especially coconut. Many coconut trees.
It can be said that this "divine tree outside the sky" can grow vigorously without any effort.Its fruit is the daily food of the indigenous people.Its nutritional value is much higher than the fruit of the dew tree.Aborigines fed coconut to their pigs and poultry, and also fed it to dogs.Dog steak and loin are local favourites.Also, coconut meat can be extracted from the very precious coconut oil.The coconut meat is scooped out, shredded, dried in the sun, and squeezed with a rather rudimentary mechanism.Large quantities of copra are shipped to the mainland where factories can process it more efficiently.
It is impossible to get a full and correct view of the inhabitants of Pamotu on Howe, where there are so few natives.But in Ana Island, it is much more convenient, and the "quartet" can have an exact understanding of them. On the morning of September 27, Model Island arrived at Ana Island.
Only when the distance is very close can we see the lush and beautiful appearance of Ana Island, which is overgrown with trees.One of the largest islands in the archipelago, Ana Island is 18 miles long and 9 miles wide with a stony coral foundation throughout.
It is said that in 1878, a hurricane swept the island, which forced the capital of the Pamotu Islands to be moved to Fakarava.The influence of the tropical climate here is very obvious, and although the disaster could be speculated years in advance, it still did not survive.In fact, Ana Island has now regained its former vitality, with 1,500 residents currently living on the island.Still, it pales in comparison to its rival, Fakarava.This is because the position it occupies is less important than the latter.The inner lake of Ana Island is only connected to the sea by a narrow channel.Due to the high water level of the inner lake, streams of water rushing from the inside to the outside are formed on the channel, which makes the connection between the inner lake and the sea extremely inconvenient.On the island of Fakarava, the situation is completely opposite. The inner lakes on the island are connected to the sea by a spacious water channel from the south to the north.However, although the main coconut oil market has moved to Fakarava Island, the scenery on Ana Island is more beautiful, so it has always been favored by tourists.
As soon as the model island found the best location near Ana Island, a large number of hundreds of millions of city residents boarded the island by boat.Sebastian Zorno and his companions took the lead and were the first to land.The cellist finally decided to travel.
They first went to the village of Tuahora after studying the formation of the island (as all the islands in this archipelago were formed).Here the calcareous coast, or ring (whatever you want to call it), is 4-5 meters wide, very steep on the side facing the coast, and a very gentle slope along the inner lake.The circumference of the lake is about 100 miles, as large as the lakes on the islands of Railoa and Fakarava.Thousands of coconut trees are lined up on the circular belt.They are the main, but not the only, wealth of the island.Aboriginal huts are hidden under the dense foliage.
A blindingly white gravel road cuts through the village of Tuahora.Since Ana Island lost its status as the capital of the Pamotu Islands, the French Residents have not lived there.However, his former residence still exists, protected by an ordinary wall around the house.A small detachment commanded by a naval sergeant was stationed in the village.Above the barracks flew the French tricolor.
The houses in Tuahola Village are really good, and people can't help but boast a few words.They are no longer thatched huts, but comfortable and clean small mud huts with enough furniture inside.Most houses are built on coral foundations.The roof is covered with dew leaves, and the doors and windows of the house are made of this precious wood.Around the house, there are rows of vegetable fields everywhere.They are all filled with humus soil by the indigenous people.The idyllic scenery of rows of rows covered with yellow and green leaves and white stems is indeed very attractive.
Moreover, although these natives belonged to the less conspicuous category, with darker complexions, more rigid facial expressions, and less agreeable characters than the Marquesas, they were still the middle-American of the Oceanians. typical.Furthermore, they were intelligent and industrious workers, perhaps more resistant to the tendencies of physical degradation that threatened Pacific dwellers.
As Frascolan noted, the main industry of the islanders was the extraction of coconut oil, and coconut trees were thus abundantly planted in the palm groves of the archipelago.The tree regenerates as easily as the coral mass on the surface of the atoll grows.But they also have predators, and a few Paris tourists have seen that for real.
That day, the four artists were lying on the beach of the inner lake, the turquoise water of the lake formed a huge contrast with the blue sea around the island.Suddenly, there was a rustling sound in the grass.The sound first caught their attention, and then terrified them.
what did they seeIt turned out to be a huge crustacean.
They jumped up quickly, and then kept their eyes on the animal.
"The ugly one!" cried Yvernay.
"It's a crab!" said Frascolin.
It was indeed a crab.The crab, known to the natives as "bilgo," abounds on the islands in this area.Their two front paws form a pair of tough pincers or scissors, which they use to peel coconut shells - their preferred food.These "bilgos" live in deep caves.Their burrows are dug close to the roots of the trees, the holes are very deep, and they are covered with the fibers of the outer layer of the coconut shell they collected as bedding.They often come out at night to look for coconuts that have fallen from the trees, and they even climb up the coconut trees to drop the coconuts to the ground.The crab that frightened the four artists, as Pansina said, must have been starving to leave its dark habitat at noon in the scorching sun.
No one moved it, and everyone watched what it wanted to do with strong curiosity.I saw it go straight to a coconut among the thorns; when it got there, it used its pincers to tear off the outer skin of the coconut bit by bit, and then, when the hard shell of the coconut was completely exposed, it aimed at the coconut point and bit by bit. Knock and punch to get to the crust.After the hard shell was opened, the "Bilgo" used its two thin-tipped hind claws to dig out the coconut meat from the shell.
"It is certain that nature created this 'bilgo' by letting it open the coconut shell." Yvernay said.
"Then nature created the coconut shells to feed 'Bilgo'," added Frascolan.
"Well, what do you think if we do the opposite and don't listen to nature's way, that is, don't let this crab eat that coconut, or let that coconut be eaten by this crab? So?" Pancina suggested on a whim.
"Let's not bother it, everybody," pleaded Yvernay, "we Parisians don't even think badly of a 'Bilgo' when we're out and about!" Everyone agreed with him.At this moment, the crab (who had doubtless given His Highness an angry look just now) sent a grateful glance to the first violin of the "Quartet".
After the model island stayed in front of Ana Island for 60 hours, it set sail and continued northward.Under the infallible command of Captain Sim Coyer, it penetrated deep into the sea area dotted with large and small islands, passing through it along the channel.Needless to say, under such circumstances, the residents of Hundred Million City almost all flocked to the shore, especially the area near the former fort.Small and large islands, to be precise, seem to be green flower baskets floating on the water, flashing past one after another.People seem to be in a canal flower market in the Netherlands.Many canoes meander on the water near the two harbors.But they are not allowed to enter the port, and the customs police have been given express orders to do so.Numerous local women swam over to Active Island as they sailed up close to the stony coral cliffs off the coast.They cannot ride in the same boat as the men, because these small boats are taboo for women in the Pamotu Islands, and women are forbidden to ride them.
On October 4, Model Island stopped at the mouth of the water channel south of Fakarava Island.Before the boat had left the shore to take the tourists to Fakarava, the French consulate on the island arrived at the starboard harbour, and the island's consul ordered him to come to the town hall.
The meeting took place in a warm and friendly atmosphere.Cyrus Picktaff had the air of an official--which was his special use for such occasions.The resident officer was an elderly officer in the Marine Corps, and he was also as formal as the island consul.It is simply impossible to imagine how solemn, serious, decent and "stiff" the meeting between the two parties was.
After the meeting, the resident officer was allowed to tour the city of billions, and Callistus Menbal was of course honored to undertake the task of accompanying him.Being French, the Parisians and Atanaze Dorémy were willing to accompany the resident with the steward.It was a joy to this honest man to be in the company of several of his countrymen.
The next day, the Island Consul went to Fakarava Island to pay respects to the old officer. Naturally, the two replayed the play of the previous day, but with the roles reversed. After the "Quartet" went ashore, they went straight to the residence of the stationed official.The garrison mansion is a very simple house, where a small detachment of 12 retired sailors is stationed, and the flagpole in front of the house is flying the French flag.
Although Fakarava Island has long been the capital of the Pamotu Islands, we have said that it cannot be compared with Ana Island.Although the main village on the island is also hidden under the shade of trees, its scenery is far less beautiful than that of Ana Island.Besides, the residents of the island are not so reclusive.In addition to the coconut oil processing industry (because the processing center is on Fakarava Island), the people here are also engaged in the collection of pearl mussels.They often take the Jiangyan obtained from it to the neighboring Taowu Island for trading, because it specializes in mother-of-pearl processing.Those natives are brave divers, they can dive into the water twenty or thirty meters deep without hesitation.They are used to bearing such great water pressure, and they can hold their breath underwater for more than a minute without feeling uncomfortable.
Some of the clam pickers were allowed to sell the scorpions or pearls they collected to the rich owners of the city of billions of dollars.Of course, the rich women in the billion city do not lack jewelry, but it is not easy to get these unprocessed natural products.The opportunity was rare, and the goods were sold out immediately. Of course, these clam pickers also took the opportunity to sell them for a high price.It was evident that, since Mrs. Tanken had bought a pearl of great value, Mrs. Coverley's could never have bought one cheaply.Fortunately, the two are not looking at the same pearl, so they don't need to compete to buy it, otherwise they don't know how high the price will be.Seeing this, other people also followed the example of their friends and bought one after another. As a result, that day, to paraphrase the nautical language, the people of Fakarava Island "followed the tide".
Ten days later, on the morning of October 13, the "Pearl of the Pacific" set sail as soon as the sky was bright.On the way out of the capital of the Pamotu archipelago, it reached the western edge of the island.The waters here are dotted with large and small islands, reefs and atolls, and their density is incredible, but Captain Simkoye didn't pay attention to them at all.Under his command, the model island was safe and sound, sailing smoothly out of the waters known as the Bad Sea and onto the vast sea of the Pacific Ocean.Between the Pamotu Islands and the Society Islands is a great expanse of Pacific waters measuring four degrees wide.Propelled by 10 million horsepower, the model island headed southwest to the charming Tahiti Island.There have been picturesque praises for this island.
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