The story is titled "Icelandic Monsters," and no one will believe it.It doesn't matter, I still think it is necessary to make it public.Believe it or not, just listen to it! This entertaining and thrilling adventure story begins in the De Soracion Islands.I am afraid no more suitable location could have been conceived.The name of the island was given to it by Captain Cook in 1779.I have spent a few weeks there, and from what I have seen and heard I can say with certainty that the dismal name given to it by the famous English navigator is fully justified, "Desolate Isles," the name of the island. Suffice it to say it all.

This group of islands is located at 49° 54' south latitude and 69° 06' west longitude.I know that in the gazetteer it is generally referred to as the Kerguelen Islands.It is so called because the islands were first discovered in the southern Indian Ocean by the French Baron Kerguelen in 1772.On that voyage, of course, the commodore thought he had discovered a new continent near the edge of the Antarctic ocean.On his next expedition, he had to admit his mistake.This is nothing but an archipelago, with a total of more than 300 large and small islands, located on the vast and uninhabited ocean, and the Antarctic storm almost never stops hitting it.Believe me, believe me, "Desolate Isles" is really the only proper name for this group of islands.

However, the islands are inhabited, and the main core of Kerghren's population consists of several Europeans and Americans.On the 2nd of August, 1839, since I had been in Christmas-Harburg for two months, the number had increased by a single digit.I came here this time to conduct geological and mineral research.Now that the work is over, I just bide my time and prepare to leave. Christmas Harbor is located on the largest island in the archipelago.The island covers an area of ​​4,500 square kilometers, equivalent to half the size of Corsica.The port of Christmas Harbor is quite safe and reliable, and it is free and convenient to berth. Ships can berth at four depths of water.In the north, the 1,200-foot-tall Table Mountain towers over Cape François.Basalt cuts the tip of the cape into a wide arc.After driving past Cape François, please look around!You will see the narrow bays and the islets of stars within the bays, standing proudly against the winds from the east and west.In the depths of the bay, the silhouette of Christmas-Harburg is outlined.Get your ship straight in on the starboard side.After entering the berth, the vessel can berth with only one anchor.As long as the bay is not frozen by solid ice, turning around is very convenient.

There are hundreds of other fjords in the Kerguelen Islands.The coastline twists and turns, especially between the north and the southwest, like the bottom edge of a poor girl's skirt.Islands of all sizes are dotted all over.The soil is of volcanic composition, consisting of quartz mixed with bluish stones.When summer comes, green moss, gray lichen, various flowering plants, and strong and thorny saxifrage grow.Only one small shrub grows, a cabbage of such a bitter taste that it cannot possibly be found in any other country. This is just the place for a giant penguin or any other penguin colony.Numerous colonies of penguins live in this sea area.This kind of clumsy waterfowl is yellow and white all over, with its head held up and back, its wings are like the sleeves of a robe, just like a group of Taoist priests, walking one file at a time along the beach.

It should be added that the Kerghlen Islands also provide ample habitat for fur seals, long-nosed seals and elephant seals.Hunting these amphibians has considerable income and can provide sources of goods for certain commercial sectors, thus attracting a large number of ships. On this day, I was walking in the port, and the owner of the hotel where I was staying came up to talk to me.He said: "If I'm not mistaken, Mr. Georyn, you're starting to feel like you're living forever?" The innkeeper is an American, tall, with a big arm and a round waist. He has settled in Christmas-Harburg Port for more than 20 years.His inn is the only one in this port.

"Uncle Atkins, as long as you don't feel unhappy, I will answer you, it is indeed a long time!" "Where!" retorted the honest fellow, "you would imagine that I have become as accustomed to clever answers of this kind as the rocks of Cape François are to the rough waters of the sea!" "And you hold up like a rock..." "Undoubtedly! The day you disembarked at Harburg at Christmas-Harburg and lodged in the Fenimore Atkins Hotel with the 'Green Heron' sign, I thought to myself: within a week, at the most within half a Months and my guests will be bored and regret ever setting foot in the Kerguelens!"

"No, Uncle Atkins, I never regret anything I've done!" "What a fine habit, sir!" "Besides, I have traveled all over the archipelago, and observed strange things, and benefited greatly. I have traversed vast undulating fields, divided by peat bogs, and covered with hard moss; I shall bring back Strange mineral and geological specimens. I participated in your seal hunting activities here. I watched your penguin colony and saw the penguins and albatrosses. Cooking. When the appetite is good, this dish is quite delicious. In short, I have received a wonderful reception at the "Green Heron", and I can't thank you enough... However, if I am not mistaken, the Chilean three-masted ship It's been two months since the Penus sent me to Christmas-Harburg in the middle of winter..."

"So you look forward," cried the innkeeper, "to your hometown, Mr. Georyn, which is mine; "Of course, Uncle Atkins, because I have been traveling around the world for almost three years... sooner or later, I must stop and put down roots..." "Yes! Yes! Once the roots are planted," the American said, blinking, "there will be branches and leaves in the end!" "It makes sense, Uncle Atkins! However, there is no one in my family, and it is very likely that my family's hereditary family will be cut off when it comes to me. I am 40 years old, and how can I have whimsical ideas to grow branches and leaves! My dear boss , you did. You are a tree, and a towering tree..."

"An oak, even a verdant oak, if you will, Mr. Georin." "You are right in obeying the laws of nature! But since nature has given us legs to walk..." "Nature has also given us the ability to sit down!" Fenimore Atkins replied tactfully with a good-natured laugh, "so I sat comfortably at Christmas-Harburg. My wife, Betsy, has given birth to more than ten sons to me. In the future, the sons will give birth to grandchildren. Grandchildren and grandchildren are like kittens..." "Are you never going back to your hometown again? . . . " "What are you going back to do, Mr. Georin? What can I do? . . . poor! . . . Here, in these wild islands, I have never had a moment of sorrow, and my family and I can live comfortably Life."

"There is no doubt about it, Uncle Atkins, I congratulate you, you are very happy... However, it is not impossible for a desire to sneak into your heart one day..." "Desire to move, Mr. Georin! . . . Come on! I told you, I am an oak tree. An oak tree has taken root so deep that its trunk is buried in Kerguelen Among the quartz of the archipelago, try to move this tree!" The venerable American was thoroughly attuned to everything here.The vagaries of the archipelago's climate provided him with vigorous training.Hearing him say these words makes people feel so happy!He and his family live here like penguins live in colonies.The mother was a brave, fat woman; the sons were all strong and strong, and they never knew what a sore throat and a distended stomach were.Hotel business is booming. The Blue Heron had a good number of customers, from ships, whalers, and others, who stopped in the Kerguelen Islands.The inn provided them with suet, fat, pitch, barley flour, spices, sugar, tea, canned food, whiskey, gin, schnapps, etc.You can only use your efforts in vain to find a second hotel in Christmas-Harburg.As for the sons of Fenimore Atkins, they were carpenters, sailmakers, fishermen.When the warm season comes, they catch amphibians in the deep sea everywhere the animals pass.They were brave and upright men who, to put it bluntly, obediently obeyed their fate...

"All in all, Uncle Atkins," I said to him, "I've been very lucky to have come to the Kerguelens. I'll leave with fond memories... but, to make my way home, I won't unhappy..." "Well, Mr. Georin, be patient!" said the philosopher to me. "Never hope or hasten the moment of parting. Besides, don't forget that the fine weather will return soon...in five years' time." Six weeks..." "But so far," I cried aloud, "mountains and plains, rocks and beaches, are covered with so much snow that the sun is powerless even to disperse the mist on the horizon..." "That's wrong, Mr. Georin! Under the white shirt, you can already see the green weeds crawling out!...Look carefully..." "Let me take a closer look, and sure enough!...Let's be honest, Atkins, are you sure that ice will not block your harbor here in August? August here is equivalent to February in our northern hemisphere..." "Certainly so, Mr. Georin, but I say to you again, be patient! It's been a warm winter this year . . . Boats will be out on the east or west seas soon. For the fishing season is upon us." "By God, I hope God hears you, Uncle Atkins. May God bring the schooner 'Hallebrena', which will be here soon!  … " "Captain Lan Guy," pleaded the innkeeper, "is an Englishman, but a good-hearted seaman.--There are good men everywhere!--He's stocked up at the Blue Heron." "You think the 'Halle Breenne' . . . " "Certainly around Cape François within a week, Monsieur Georin. Otherwise, Captain Lan Guy is gone. If Captain Lan Guy is gone, it's probably the Hallebrena Sunk between the Kerguelens and the Cape of Good Hope!" At this point, Uncle Fenimore Atkins made a wonderful gesture to show that this possibility does not exist at all.Then he left me and walked away. I fervently hope that the prophecy of the innkeeper will become a reality as soon as possible, and I really feel that the days are like years.According to him, the signs of the warm season have already appeared - the so-called "warm" is of course for this sea area.Although the geographic location of the main island is comparable in latitude to Paris in Europe and Quebec in Canada, it is, however, in the southern hemisphere.It is well known that due to the elliptical orbit of the earth and the sun occupying a source of radiation, the southern hemisphere is colder in winter and hotter in summer than the northern hemisphere.What is certain is that the severe winter season in the Keregrens is horrendous due to snowstorms, with the sea frozen for months, although the temperatures are not particularly cold - the average temperature is two degrees Celsius in winter and seven degrees Celsius in summer , similar to the situation in the Falkland Islands or Cape Horn. Needless to say, during the severe winter period, not a single ship called at Christmas-Harburg and other ports.At the time of which I speak ships are still few and far between.As for the sailing ships, for fear of being blocked by ice, they all went to the west coast of Chile in South America or Africa to find a port. The most common situation was to go to Cape Town on the Cape of Good Hope.Several skiffs, some held shut by the solid sea, some heeled on the beach, were covered with frost up to the mast crowns.This is the whole scene of Christmas-Harburg sea unfolding in front of my eyes. Although the temperature range is not large, the Kerguelen Islands have a humid and cold climate.The archipelago is often hit by strong north or west winds, mixed with hail and heavy rain, especially in the west.Towards the east, the sky is clearer, although the sun is half-obscured by clouds and mist.On this side, the snowline on the round summit remains at fifty dewaz above sea level. After two months in the Kerguelens, I was just waiting for the time to set off on the schooner Halle Brena.The enthusiastic innkeeper raved about the ship in front of me, both in its approachability and its seamanship. "You will never find a better ship!" he said to me repeatedly from morning to night. "Among the captains engaged in ocean voyages in the UK, no one can compare in bravery and professional skills. To my friend Lan Guy! . . . If he had been more talkative and more open, he would have been perfect!" I resolved to follow Uncle Atkins's orders and to book a seat as soon as the brig berthed at Christmas-Harburg.After six or seven days of anchorage, the ship will sail on to the Tristan da Cunha Islands, where it will load tin ore and copper ore. My plan is to spend a few weeks in the warmer season on Tristan da Cunha.From there I'm going to head back to Connecticut.I have not forgotten to leave room for chance in artificial forecasts.As Edgar Allan Poe said, it is wise to "always take into account the unforeseen, the unexpected, the unimaginable", "sideways, insignificant, accidental, Accidental facts deserve to be given great leeway, and chance should constantly be the stuff of rigorous calculation." The reason I quote our great American writer is that, in spite of my practical mind, serious character, and natural lack of imagination, I still have a great admiration for this poet of genius who describes the strange behavior of human beings. Now, let's get back to the "Hallebrenner", or rather me, about possible boarding opportunities at Christmas-Halburg.I don't need to worry about getting frustrated, disappointed on this issue.At that time, the Kerghren Islands were visited by a large number of ships every year-at least five hundred.The capture of cetaceans has been so successful that it has been deduced that one elephant seal can provide a ton of oil, which is equal to the oil production of a thousand penguins.In recent years, only a dozen ships have docked in this archipelago, and the overfishing has greatly reduced the number of whales.That's exactly what happened. So, even if the "Halle Brenale" missed the appointment, and Captain Lan Guy did not come to shake hands with his friend Atkins, there was no need to worry.I would easily find an opportunity to leave Christmas-Harburg. Every day, I walk around the port.The sun is starting to get a little stronger.Rocks, mountain platforms or volcanic rock pillars gradually take off their white winter clothes.Clusters of wine-red moss grew on the beach perpendicular to the basalt cliffs.On the ocean, 50 to 60 yards of kelp meanders and flutters in the wind, like a ribbon.On the plain, near the depths of the bay, several grasses raised their heads shyly. Among them were the flowering plant Lira, native to the Andes Mountains; the second was the grasses of the Tierra del Fuego flora; there was also the only one growing in the local soil The small bush, which I have already mentioned, is a giant cabbage prized for its antiscurvy properties. As for terrestrial mammals--aquatic mammals abound in this area--I have hitherto encountered no amphibians or reptiles.Only a few insects—butterflies or otherwise—have no wings.If there are wings, I am afraid that before they can be used in the future, they will be swept by the strong air currents to the surface of the rolling waves. Once or twice I have been in a sturdy dinghy.The fishermen drove the small boats to advance against the wind and waves.Gusts of sea wind beat against the rocks of the Kerguelen Islands, crashing like catapults.You can even try to travel across the ocean to Cape Town on this ship.If you spend more time, you might be able to reach that harbor.Please rest assured, I absolutely do not want to leave Christmas-Harburg like this... No!I am waiting for the brig "Hallebrena". The Hallebrena will not be late. In the course of my roaming, I covered the various bays.I was surprised to find that the scenery varies from place to place along the coast.This weather-beaten coast, this strange and incomprehensible skeleton, entirely volcanic, pierces the white winter shroud and reveals the bluish limbs of the skeleton... My innkeeper, at home in Christmas-Harburg, is quite content with his life.Although he gave me wise advice, sometimes I still get anxious!This shows that in this world, there are still very few people who become philosophers because of the practice of life.In Fenimore Atkins, the muscular system is far more developed than the nervous system, and it is possible that he has more instinct than intelligence.These people are more capable of fighting against adversity. In the final analysis, it is likely that they have a greater chance of encountering luck in this world. "Where's the Halle Brenad? . . . " I asked every morning. "The Halle Brena, Mr. Georin?" the innkeeper answered me in an affirmative tone. "Surely today. Not today, but tomorrow! . . . There must be a first day, yes. No? On the second day, the national flag of Captain Lan Guy was waving in the wind over the Christmas-Harburg Freeport!" Of course, in order to expand the field of view, just climb the Tebull Hill.Climb to a height of 1,200 feet above sea level, and you can see as far as 34 to 35 nautical miles away.Even through the mist, maybe you can see the brig twenty-four hours in advance?However, from the slope to the peak, it is still covered with thick snow, as if wearing a bloated winter coat.I'm afraid only a lunatic would think of climbing a mountain! Sometimes I run on the beach, scaring many amphibians into scurrying into the newly thawing water.Penguins are bulky and indifferent.When I approached, it remained motionless.If they weren't so stupid, I'd really like to talk to them, but of course only in their loud, deafening language!And the black petrels, black and white fulmars, grebes, terns and muscovy ducks all fled away with flapping wings. One day, I had the opportunity to watch an albatross take off.The penguins send him off with their best chants - like a friend who is about to go away and may leave them forever.The albatross is a powerful bird that can fly two hundred miles without rest.The speed is also extremely fast, and it can travel through distant spaces within a few hours.I had a chance to watch an albatross take off. This albatross stands on a high rock at the end of Christmas-Harburg Bay, standing still and looking at the sea.The turbid waves hit the shore, hit the reef forcefully, and broke into thousands of waves. Suddenly, the big bird spread its wings and soared high, its claws were closed, and its head was stretched forward vigorously, like the bow of a ship.It screamed, and in an instant, it became a black spot high in the sky and disappeared behind the fog barrier in the southern sky.