in search of the castaways-第53章

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or　shedding　blood；　and　many　a　time　they　have　found　in　them　faithful　allies　in　repelling　the　attacks　of　evil…disposed　convicts　far　more　cruelly　inclined。〃　〃You　hear　what　Monsieur　Paganel　tells　us；　Mary；〃　said　Lady　Helena　turning　to　the　young　girl。　　〃If　your　father　is　in　the　hands　of　the　natives；　which　seems　probable　from　the　document；　we　shall　find　him。〃　〃And　what　if　he　is　lost　in　that　immense　country？〃　asked　Mary。　〃Well；　we'll　find　him　still；〃　exclaimed　Paganel；　in　a　confident　tone。　〃Won't　we；　friends？〃　〃Most　certainly；〃　replied　Glenarvan；　and　anxious　to　give　a　less　gloomy　turn　to　the　conversation；　he　added　〃But　I　won't　admit　the　supposition　of　his　being　lost；　not　for　an　instant。〃　〃Neither　will　I；〃　said　Paganel。　〃Is　Australia　a　big　place？〃　inquired　Robert。　〃Australia；　my　boy；　is　about　as　large　as　four…fifths　of　Europe。　　It　has　somewhere　about　775；000　HECTARES。〃　〃So　much　as　that？〃　said　the　Major。　〃Yes；　McNabbs；　almost　to　a　yard's　breadth。　　Don't　you　think　now　it　has　a　right　to　be　called　a　continent？〃　〃I　do；　certainly。〃　〃I　may　add；〃　continued　the　SAVANT；　〃that　there　are　but　few　accounts　of　travelers　being　lost　in　this　immense　country。　Indeed；　I　believe　Leichardt　is　the　only　one　of　whose　fate　we　are　ignorant；　and　some　time　before　my　departure　I　learned　from　the　Geographical　Society　that　Mcintyre　had　strong　hopes　of　having　discovered　traces　of　him。〃　〃The　whole　of　Australia；　then；　is　not　yet　explored？〃　asked　Lady　Helena。　〃No；　madam；　but　very　little　of　it。　　This　continent　is　not　much　better　known　than　the　interior　of　Africa；　and　yet　it　is　from　no　lack　of　enterprising　travelers。　　From　1606　to　1862；　more　than　fifty　have　been　engaged　in　exploring　along　the　coast　and　in　the　interior。〃　〃Oh；　fifty！〃　exclaimed　McNabbs　incredulously。　〃No；　no；〃　objected　the　Major；　〃that　is　going　too　far。〃　〃And　I　might　go　farther；　McNabbs；〃　replied　the　geographer；　impatient　of　contradiction。　〃Yes；　McNabbs；　quite　that　number。〃　〃Farther　still；　Paganel。〃　〃If　you　doubt　me；　I　can　give　you　the　names。〃　〃Oh；　oh；〃　said　the　Major；　coolly。　　〃That's　just　like　you　SAVANTS。　　You　stick　at　nothing。〃　〃Major；　will　you　bet　your　Purdy…Moore　rifle　against　my　telescope？〃　〃Why　not；　Paganel；　if　it　would　give　you　any　pleasure。〃　〃Done；　Major！〃　exclaimed　Paganel。　　〃You　may　say　good…by　to　your　rifle；　for　it　will　never　shoot　another　chamois　or　fox　unless　I　lend　it　to　you；　which　I　shall　always　be　happy　to　do；　by　the　by。〃　〃And　whenever　you　require　the　use　of　your　telescope；　Paganel；　I　shall　be　equally　obliging；〃　replied　the　Major；　gravely。　〃Let　us　begin；　then；　and　ladies　and　gentlemen；　you　shall　be　our　jury。　Robert；　you　must　keep　count。〃　This　was　agreed　upon；　and　Paganel　forthwith　commenced。　〃Mnemosyne！　　Goddess　of　Memory；　chaste　mother　of　the　Muses！〃　he　exclaimed；　〃inspire　thy　faithful　servant　and　fervent　worshiper！　Two　hundred　and　fifty…eight　years　ago；　my　friends；　Australia　was　unknown。　Strong　suspicions　were　entertained　of　the　existence　of　a　great　southern　continent。　　In　the　library　of　your　British　Museum；　Glenarvan；　there　are　two　charts；　the　date　of　which　is　1550；　which　mention　a　country　south　of　Asia；　called　by　the　Portuguese　Great　Java。　　But　these　charts　are　not　sufficiently　authentic。　　In　the　seventeenth　century；　in　1606；　Quiros；　a　Spanish　navigator；　discovered　a　country　which　he　named　Australia　de　Espiritu　Santo。　　Some　authors　imagine　that　this　was　the　New　Hebrides　group；　and　not　Australia。　　I　am　not　going　to　discuss　the　question；　however。　　Count　Quiros；　Robert；　and　let　us　pass　on　to　another。〃　〃ONE；〃　said　Robert。　〃In　that　same　year；　Louis　Vas　de　Torres；　the　second　in　command　of　the　fleet　of　Quiros；　pushed　further　south。　But　it　is　to　Theodore　Hertoge；　a　Dutchman；　that　the　honor　of　the　great　discovery　belongs。　　He　touched　the　western　coast　of　Australia　in　25　degrees　latitude；　and　called　it　Eendracht；　after　his　vessel。　　From　this　time　navigators　increased。　In　1618；　Zeachen　discovered　the　northern　parts　of　the　coast；　and　called　them　Arnheim　and　Diemen。　　In　1618；　Jan　Edels　went　along　the　western　coast；　and　christened　it　by　his　own　name。　　In　1622；　Leuwin　went　down　as　far　as　the　cape　which　became　his　namesake。〃　And　so　Paganel　continued　with　name　after　name　until　his　hearers　cried　for　mercy。　〃Stop；　Paganel；〃　said　Glenarvan；　laughing　heartily；　〃don't　quite　crush　poor　McNabbs。　　Be　generous；　he　owns　he　is　vanquished。〃　〃And　what　about　the　rifle？〃　asked　the　geographer；　triumphantly。　〃It　is　yours；　Paganel；〃　replied　the　Major；　〃and　I　am　very　sorry　for　it；　but　your　memory　might　gain　an　armory　by　such　feats。〃　〃It　is　certainly　impossible　to　be　better　acquainted　with　Australia；　not　the　least　name；　not　even　the　most　trifling　fact〃　〃As　to　the　most　trifling　fact；　I　don't　know　about　that；〃　said　the　Major；　shaking　his　head。　〃What　do　you　mean；　McNabbs？〃　exclaimed　Paganel。　〃Simply　that　perhaps　all　the　incidents　connected　with　the　discovery　of　Australia　may　not　be　known　to　you。〃　〃Just　fancy；〃　retorted　Paganel；　throwing　back　his　head　proudly。　〃Come　now。　　If　I　name　one　fact　you　don't　know；　will　you　give　me　back　my　rifle？〃　said　McNabbs。　〃On　the　spot；　Major。〃　〃Very　well；　it's　a　bargain；　then。〃　〃Yes；　a　bargain；　that's　settled。〃　〃All　right。　　Well　now；　Paganel；　do　you　know　how　it　is　that　Australia　does　not　belong　to　France？〃　〃But　it　seems　to　me〃　〃Or；　at　any　rate；　do　you　know　what's　the　reason　the　English　give？〃　asked　the　Major。　〃No；〃　replied　Paganel；　with　an　air　of　vexation。　〃Just　because　Captain　Baudin；　who　was　by　no　means　a　timid　man；　was　so　afraid　in　1802；　of　the　croaking　of　the　Australian　frogs；　that　he　raised　his　anchor　with　all　possible　speed；　and　quitted　the　coast；　never　to　return。〃　〃What！〃　exclaimed　Paganel。　　〃Do　they　actually　give　that　version　of　it　in　England？　　But　it　is　just　a　bad　joke。〃　〃Bad　enough；　certainly；　but　still　it　is　history　in　the　United　Kingdom。〃　〃It's　an　insult！〃　exclaimed　the　patriotic　geographer；　〃and　they　relate　that　gravely？〃　〃I　must　own　it　is　the　case；〃　replied　Glenarvan；　amidst　a　general　outburst　of　laughter。　　〃Do　you　mean　to　say　you　have　never　heard　of　it　before？〃　〃Never！　　But　I　protest　against　it。　　Besides；　the　English　call　us　'frog…eaters。'　Now；　in　general；　people　are　not　afraid　of　what　they　eat。〃　〃It　is　said；　though；　for　all　that；〃　replied　McNabbs。　　So　the　Major　kept　his　famous　rifle　after　all。

CHAPTER　V　THE　STORM　ON　THE　INDIAN　OCEAN

Two　days　after　this　conversation；　John　Mangles　announced　that　the　DUNCAN　was　in　longitude　113　degrees　37　minutes；　and　the　passengers　found　on　consulting　the　chart　that　consequently　Cape　Bernouilli　could　not　be　more　than　five　degrees　off。　They　must　be　sailing　then　in　that　part　of　the　Indian　Ocean　which　washed　the　Australian　continent；　and　in　four　days　might　hope　to　see　Cape　Bernouilli　appear　on　the　horizon。　Hitherto　the　yacht　had　been　favored　by　a　strong　westerly　breeze；　but　now　there　were　evident　signs　that　a　calm　was　impending；　and　on　the　13th　of　December　the　wind　fell　entirely；　as　the　sailors　say；　there　was　not　enough　to　fill　a　cap。　There　was　no　saying　how　long　this　state　of　the　atmosphere　might　last。　But　for　the　powerful　propeller　the　yacht　would　have　been　obliged　to　lie　motionless　as　a　log。　　The　young　captain　was　very　much　annoyed；　however；　at　the　prospect　of　emptying　his　coal…bunkers；　for　he　had　covered　his　ship　with　canvas；　intending　to　take　a