in search of the castaways-第63章

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had　224　inhabitants。　To…day　the　province　of　Victoria　numbers　550；000。　Seven　millions　of　vines　produce　annually　121；…　000　gallons　of　wine。　There　are　103；000　horses　spreading　over　the　plains；　and　675；272　horned　cattle　graze　in　her　wide…stretching　pastures。〃　〃Is　there　not　also　a　certain　number　of　pigs？〃　inquired　McNabbs。　〃Yes；　Major；　79；625。〃　〃And　how　many　sheep？〃　〃7；115；943；　McNabbs。〃　〃Including　the　one　we　are　eating　at　this　moment。〃　〃No；　without　counting　that；　since　it　is　three　parts　devoured。〃　〃Bravo；　Monsieur　Paganel；〃　exclaimed　Lady　Helena；　laughing　heartily。　〃It　must　be　owned　you　are　posted　up　in　geographical　questions；　and　my　cousin　McNabbs　need　not　try　and　find　you　tripping。〃　〃It　is　my　calling；　Madam；　to　know　this　sort　of　thing；　and　to　give　you　the　benefit　of　my　information　when　you　please。　You　may　therefore　believe　me　when　I　tell　you　that　wonderful　things　are　in　store　for　you　in　this　strange　country。〃　〃It　does　not　look　like　it　at　present；〃　said　McNabbs；　on　purpose　to　tease　Paganel。　〃Just　wait；　impatient　Major；〃　was　his　rejoinder。　　〃You　have　hardly　put　your　foot　on　the　frontier；　when　you　turn　round　and　abuse　it。　Well；　I　say　and　say　again；　and　will　always　maintain　that　this　is　the　most　curious　country　on　the　earth。　　Its　formation；　and　nature；　and　products；　and　climate；　and　even　its　future　disappearance　have　amazed；　and　are　now　amazing；　and　will　amaze；　all　the　SAVANTS　in　the　world。　　Think；　my　friends；　of　a　continent；　the　margin　of　which；　instead　of　the　center；　rose　out　of　the　waves　originally　like　a　gigantic　ring；　which　encloses；　perhaps；　in　its　center；　a　sea　partly　evaporated；　the　waves　of　which　are　drying　up　daily；　where　humidity　does　not　exist　either　in　the　air　or　in　the　soil；　where　the　trees　lose　their　bark　every　year；　instead　of　their　leaves；　where　the　leaves　present　their　sides　to　the　sun　and　not　their　face；　and　consequently　give　no　shade；　where　the　wood　is　often　incombustible；　where　good…sized　stones　are　dissolved　by　the　rain；　where　the　forests　are　low　and　the　grasses　gigantic；　where　the　animals　are　strange；　where　quadrupeds　have　beaks；　like　the　echidna；　or　ornithorhynchus；　and　naturalists　have　been　obliged　to　create　a　special　order　for　them；　called　monotremes；　where　the　kangaroos　leap　on　unequal　legs；　and　sheep　have　pigs'　heads；　where　foxes　fly　about　from　tree　to　tree；　where　the　swans　are　black；　where　rats　make　nests；　where　the　bower…bird　opens　her　reception…rooms　to　receive　visits　from　her　feathered　friends；　where　the　birds　astonish　the　imagination　by　the　variety　of　their　notes　and　their　aptness；　where　one　bird　serves　for　a　clock；　and　another　makes　a　sound　like　a　postilion　cracking　of　a　whip；　and　a　third　imitates　a　knife…grinder；　and　a　fourth　the　motion　of　a　pendulum；　where　one　laughs　when　the　sun　rises；　and　another　cries　when　the　sun　sets！　Oh；　strange；　illogical　country；　land　of　paradoxes　and　anomalies；　if　ever　there　was　one　on　earththe　learned　botanist　Grimard　was　right　when　he　said；　'There　is　that　Australia；　a　sort　of　parody；　or　rather　a　defiance　of　universal　laws　in　the　face　of　the　rest　of　the　world。'〃　Paganel's　tirade　was　poured　forth　in　the　most　impetuous　manner；　and　seemed　as　if　it　were　never　coming　to　an　end。　The　eloquent　secretary　of　the　Geographical　Society　was　no　longer　master　of　himself。　　He　went　on　and　on；　gesticulating　furiously；　and　brandishing　his　fork　to　the　imminent　danger　of　his　neighbors。　But　at　last　his　voice　was　drowned　in　a　thunder　of　applause；　and　he　managed　to　stop。　Certainly　after　such　an　enumeration　of　Australian　peculiarities；　he　might　have　been　left　in　peace　but　the　Major　said　in　the　coolest　tone　possible：　〃And　is　that　all；　Paganel？〃　〃No；　indeed　not；〃　rejoined　the　Frenchman；　with　renewed　vehemence。　〃What！〃　exclaimed　Lady　Helena；　〃there　are　more　wonders　still　in　Australia？〃　〃Yes；　Madam；　its　climate。　　It　is　even　stranger　than　its　productions。〃　〃Is　it　possible？〃　they　all　said。　〃I　am　not　speaking　of　the　hygienic　qualities　of　the　climate；〃　continued　Paganel；　〃rich　as　it　is　in　oxygen　and　poor　in　azote。　There　are　no　damp　winds；　because　the　trade　winds　blow　regularly　on　the　coasts；　and　most　diseases　are　unknown；　from　typhus　to　measles；　and　chronic　affections。〃　〃Still；　that　is　no　small　advantage；〃　said　Glenarvan。　〃No　doubt；　but　I　am　not　referring　to　that；　but　to　one　quality　it　has　which　is　incomparable。〃　〃And　what　is　that？〃　〃You　will　never　believe　me。〃　〃Yes；　we　will；〃　exclaimed　his　auditors；　their　curiosity　aroused　by　this　preamble。　〃Well；　it　is〃　〃It　is　what？〃　〃It　is　a　moral　regeneration。〃　〃A　moral　regeneration？〃　〃Yes；〃　replied　the　SAVANT；　in　a　tone　of　conviction。　　〃Here　metals　do　not　get　rust　on　them　by　exposure　to　the　air；　nor　men。　　Here　the　pure；　dry　atmosphere　whitens　everything　rapidly；　both　linen　and　souls。　The　virtue　of　the　climate　must　have　been　well　known　in　England　when　they　determined　to　send　their　criminals　here　to　be　reformed。〃　〃What！　do　you　mean　to　say　the　climate　has　really　any　such　influence？〃　said　Lady　Helena。　〃Yes；　Madam；　both　on　animals　and　men。〃　〃You　are　not　joking；　Monsieur　Paganel？〃　〃I　am　not；　Madam。　　The　horses　and　the　cattle　here　are　of　incomparable　docility。　　You　see　it？〃　〃It　is　impossible！〃　〃But　it　is　a　fact。　　And　the　convicts　transported　into　this　reviving；　salubrious　air；　become　regenerated　in　a　few　years。　Philanthropists　know　this。　　In　Australia　all　natures　grow　better。〃　〃But　what　is　to　become　of　you　then；　Monsieur　Paganel；　in　this　privileged　countryyou　who　are　so　good　already？〃　said　Lady　Helena。　　〃What　will　you　turn　out？〃　〃Excellent；　Madam；　just　excellent；　and　that's　all。〃

CHAPTER　X　AN　ACCIDENT

THE　next　day；　the　24th　of　December；　they　started　at　daybreak。　The　heat　was　already　considerable；　but　not　unbearable；　and　the　road　was　smooth　and　good；　and　allowed　the　cavalcade　to　make　speedy　progress。　In　the　evening　they　camped　on　the　banks　of　the　White　Lake；　the　waters　of　which　are　brackish　and　undrinkable。　Jacques　Paganel　was　obliged　to　own　that　the　name　of　this　lake　was　a　complete　misnomer；　for　the　waters　were　no　more　white　than　the　Black　Sea　is　black；　or　the　Red　Sea　red；　or　the　Yellow　River　yellow；　or　the　Blue　Mountains　blue。　However；　he　argued　and　disputed　the　point　with　all　the　_amour　propre_　of　a　geographer；　but　his　reasoning　made　no　impression。　M。　Olbinett　prepared　the　evening　meal　with　his　accustomed　punctuality；　and　after　this　was　dispatched；　the　travelers　disposed　themselves　for　the　night　in　the　wagon　and　in　the　tent；　and　were　soon　sleeping　soundly；　notwithstanding　the　melancholy　howling　of　the　〃dingoes；〃　the　jackals　of　Australia。　A　magnificent　plain；　thickly　covered　with　chrysanthemums；　stretched　out　beyond　the　lake；　and　Glenarvan　and　his　friends　would　gladly　have　explored　its　beauties　when　they　awoke　next　morning；　but　they　had　to　start。　　As　far　as　the　eye　could　reach；　nothing　was　visible　but　one　stretch　of　prairie；　enameled　with　flower；　in　all　the　freshness　and　abundance　of　spring。　The　blue　flowers　of　the　slender…leaved　flax；　combined　with　the　bright　hues　of　the　scarlet　acanthus；　a　flower　peculiar　to　the　country。　A　few　cassowaries　were　bounding　over　the　plain；　but　it　was　impossible　to　get　near　them。　　The　Major　was　fortunate　enough；　however；　to　hit　one　very　rare　animal　with　a　ball　in　the　leg。　This　was　the　jabiru；　a　species　which　is　fast　disappearing；　the　gigant