I stepped on the ground and felt an indescribable impression. Ned Land tried to kick the ground with his foot, as if he wanted to possess it. actually,

lt; Pgt; Chapter 21 Two Days on Land

lt; Pgt;

lt; Pgt; I stepped on the ground , feeling an indescribable impression, Ned Land tried to kick the ground with his foot, as if he wanted to possess it. In fact, we had been "passengers of the Nautilus"—actually prisoners of the captain of the Nautilus, according to Captain Nemo—for only two months.

lt;Pgt; A few minutes later, we were only within gunshot range from the island shore. The land is almost entirely formed by reef-building coral deposits, but some dry rapids are interspersed with granite remnants, indicating that the island was formed in the primitive Archaic period. The entire skyline is covered by an admirable curtain of forest. Many tall trees - some of which have trunks as high as two hundred feet - are connected to each other by kudzu vines, which look like natural hammocks swaying in the gentle breeze. These are albizia trees, fig trees, firebird trees, chestnut trees, hibiscus trees, banda trees, and palm trees, with lush branches and leaves mixed together. Under the green holes of these trees, and at the feet of their tooth-shaped trunks, clusters Many orchids, legumes, and ferns.

lt;Pgt;However, Canadians do not pay attention to the beautiful varieties of Papua native plants. He puts aside the beautiful ones and pursues the practical and useful ones. He saw a coconut tree, broke down several coconuts from the tree, split them, and we drank the juice and ate the meat with satisfaction, which just showed our appreciation for the home-cooked meals on board the Nautilus. dissatisfied.

lt;Pgt; "It's delicious!" Ned Land said.

lt;Pgt; "It tastes wonderful!" Conseil replied.

lt;Pgt; "I think," said the Canadian, "you, Nemo, won't object if we take these fruits back to the ship, right?"

lt;Pgt "I don't think he will object," I replied, "but he will definitely not eat it." "He deserves to be unhappy!" Conseil said.

lt;Pgt;　"We can eat more!" Ned Land replied, "because that way there will be more leftover."

lt;Pgt;　"I Let me tell you something, Master Ned Land," I said to the harpooner, who was about to hit another coconut tree, "coconuts are delicious, but don't fill the boat with them right away. , it would be a smart idea to first check if there are other things produced on the island, something delicious and useful, such as fresh vegetables, which will definitely be welcomed in the kitchen of the Nautilus."

lt;Pgt; "Sir, you are right," Conseil replied, "I propose to divide our boat into three parts, one for fruits, one for vegetables, and one for game. But until now, even game I haven't seen the shadow yet."

lt; Pgt; "Consell, you shouldn't be disappointed in anything," the Canadian replied.

lt;Pgt; "Then, let's keep walking," I said, "but we have to keep our eyes peeled and look around. Although there seems to be no one living on the island, there are probably some strangers. They The views on the nature of pigs may be different from ours! Muscle

lt;Pgt; "Hee: Hee! Ned Land made strange noises and moved the gums of his upper and lower jaws in a meaningful gesture.

lt;Pgt; "Ned Land, what's the matter with you——" Conseil shouted.

lt;Pgt;　"Really," replied the Canadian, "now I begin to understand the allure of the taste of human flesh!"

lt;Pgt;　"Ned! Ned! "What are you talking about?" Conseil asked, "You are a human-eating animal! If I live in the same cabin with you, my life will be unsafe!" Was half of your body bitten off?"

"My good friend Conseil, I like you very much, but I won't eat you until it's critical."

lt;Pgt; "I can't believe this -" Conseil replied, "Hurry up and hunt! I must catch some game to satisfy the appetite of this cannibal. Otherwise, one morning, sir All he could see was that his servants were serving him piece by piece. When we were joking with each other and exchanging some opinions, we walked under the gloomy dome of the forest. In two hours, we traveled in all directions.

lt;Pgt; Accidents fulfilled our wish and enabled us to find many edible plants, one of which is the most useful product in the tropics and became a valuable thing that we did not have on board. food. I am talking about the bread tree. There are many such trees on Gueboroa Island. I paid special attention to the one without kernels, which is called "lima" in Malayalam.

lt;Pgt;What distinguishes this tree from other trees is its straight trunk, which is forty feet high. The top of the tree is very beautiful, ring-shaped, composed of broad leaves with many ear beads. In the opinion of a biologist, it fully shows that it is a "breadfruit tree". Fortunately, this tree has already been found in the Mascarene Islands. The transplant was successful. Among the green bushes, thick spherical fruits hang down, about one decimeter in size, with an uneven appearance, like a hexagon. This is a useful plant gifted by nature to areas where wheat does not grow. It does not require cultivation and produces breadfruit for people eight months of the year.

lt;Pgt; Ned Land was familiar with these breadfruits. He had eaten it before on many of his travels, and he knew how to prepare this delicious treat. So seeing these fruits immediately aroused his appetite, and he couldn't bear it anymore.

lt;Pgt; "Sir," he told me, "if I don't try this bread tree noodles, I will be really anxious to death!"

lt; Pgt; "Try it, good friend Ned Land, you can taste it as you like. We are here to gain experience, so let's give it a try."

lt; Pgt; Not a lot of time," the Canadian replied.

lt;Pgt;So he took a fire mirror and used the sunlight to light the dry branches, and the fire burned brightly. At this time, Conseil and I picked the best fruits from the bread tree. Some are not yet mature enough, with a thick skin covered with a layer of white flesh, but little fiber. Most of the others have turned yellow and sticky, just waiting for someone to pick them.

lt;Pgt; These fruits do not have kernels. Conseil gave Ned a dozen or so. Lan, he cut them into thick slices and put them over the red fire. As he sliced ??them, he always said: "Look, sir, how delicious this bread is." !"

lt;Pgt;"Especially since we haven't had bread for a long time!" said Conseil.

lt;Pgt; The Canadian added: "It can even be said that this is not an ordinary bread, but a delicious pastry. Sir, have you never eaten it?"

lt;Pgt;　"I've never eaten it, Ned."

lt;Pgt;　"Then, get ready and try this unique thing. If you eat it, don't ask for it. If so, then I am not the number one harpooner in the world. ·

lt;Pgt; After a few minutes, the red part of the fruit was completely burnt, and white vermicelli appeared inside. The soft and tender bread crumbs taste like lettuce.

lt;Pgt; I must admit that this bread is delicious and I like to eat it.

lt;Pgt; "It's a pity that such a good dough cannot stay fresh for a long time," I said/thinking that there is no need to take it back to the ship for storage."

lt;Pgt; "Really, sir!" cried Ned Land, "you are saying this as a biologist; but I am acting as a baker. Conseil, you Go pick these fruits and we can take them with you when we go back. "How do you make these fruits?" I asked the Canadian.

lt;Pgt; "Use the starch paste of this fruit to make dough, which can be stored for a long time without spoiling. When I want to eat it, I bake it in the galley on the ship, although there are some It’s sour, but you must think it’s delicious.”

lt;Pgt;　"Something short, Professor," the Canadian replied, "more fruits, at least some vegetables!"

lt;Pgt;　"We Go looking for fruits and vegetables."

lt;Pgt; When we finished picking breadfruit, we went looking for ways to enrich our "above ground" lunch.

lt;Pgt;Our search was not in vain, and by around noon, we got a large number of bananas. This delicious product of tropical places is available all year round. The Malayans call them "pisang", which means they are eaten raw and do not need to be cooked. Along with the bananas, we get the giant yak fruit with a spicy flavour, the sweet mango and the unbelievably large pineapple. It took us a lot of time to pick fruits this time, but the results were very good and there is nothing to regret.

lt;Pgt; Conseil always followed Ned Land. The harpooner walked in front. When he walked through the woods, he was skillful and could always pick delicious fruits to enrich the stored food.

lt;Pgt; Conseil asked: "My good friend Ned Land, we have nothing to lose anymore, right?"

lt;Pgt; "Well!" Canada The man said impatiently.

lt;Pgt;　"What! Aren't you satisfied yet?"

lt;Pgt;　"All these plants do not constitute a formal meal," replied Ned Land , "That's the last dish of the whole meal, that's the snack after the meal. But where is the soup? Where is the meat?"

lt;Pgt;"That's right," I said, "Ni. "Sir," the Canadian replied, "not only has the hunting not ended, but it has not yet begun. Be patient!" You must be able to meet some feathered animals. If there is not one here, there must be one in another place..."

lt;Pgt; "If you can't meet it today, you can definitely meet it tomorrow," Concei Er added, "Because we shouldn't go too far. I'm going to propose going back to the boat." "What! We're going back!" Ned Land shouted. .

lt;Pgt; "We must go back before night comes." I said.

lt;Pgt; "What time is it now?" the Canadian asked.

lt;Pgt; "It is at least two o'clock in the afternoon." Conseil replied.

lt;Pgt; "Time flies on earth so quickly!" Master Ned Land said with a regretful sigh.

lt;Pgt; "Let's go." Conseil replied.

lt;Pgt; We walked back from the forest, and we got new food, because we temporarily picked vegetable palm fruits. This fruit must be picked from the top of the tree. I recognized it. It is the adzuki beans called "Abulu" by the Malayans, and the best quality taro.

lt;Pgt;When we got to the boat, we brought back too many things. But Ned Lan felt that his food was not enough. Lucky for him, he got something else. As we got into the boat he saw several trees, twenty-five to thirty feet high, of the palm tree type. These trees are as useful and valuable as the breadfruit tree, and are one of the most useful products of Malaya. This is a sago tree, a plant that grows without planting. Like the mulberry tree, it reproduces and grows naturally without artificial effort due to its own twigs and seeds.

lt;Pgt;Ned Land knew how to deal with these trees. He took out his axe, swung it, and soon chopped down two or three sago trees to the ground. Judging from the white powder sprinkled on the leaves, these trees were very mature.

lt;Pgt; I watched him cutting down trees, not so much from the perspective of a hungry man, but rather from the perspective of a biologist. He peeled off a layer of skin one inch thick from each trunk. Under the skin was a long fiber network of knotted knots, with a fine powder like a gelatinous film sticking to it. This powder is sago, which is the main food of Melanesian residents.

lt;Pgt; At this moment, Ned Land was just cutting the trunk into pieces, just like he was cutting wood for burning, preparing to extract the powder on the trunk in the future, and let the powder pass through a thin cloth to make it Separate it from the fiber, let it dry in the sun, let the water vapor dry, then put it in the mold and let it solidify.

lt;Pgt;At five o'clock in the afternoon, we loaded up our treasures and left the coast of the island. Half an hour later, our boat was alongside the Nautilus. . When we got to the boat, no one came out. This giant steel plate cone seemed to have been neglected and abandoned. After we brought the food up, I went down to my room. I saw that dinner was already laid out in the room. I ate and then went to sleep.

lt;Pgt; The next day, January 6, there was no news on the ship. There was no sound or life inside. The boat was still parked beside the Nautilus, where we had left it yesterday. We decided to go to Gueboroa Island again. Ned. Lan hoped that he would have better hunting luck today than yesterday, and he wanted to take a look at another part of the woods.

lt;Pgt;When the sun rose, we were already on the boat. The small boat was pushed by the waves hitting the island shore, and it didn't take long to reach the island.

lt;Pgt;We got out of the boat and onto land. I wanted the Canadians to lead the way by intuition or better, so we followed Ned Land, his long legs walking We move very quickly, often leaving us far behind.

lt;Pgt;Ned Land walked westward for a while along the coast, waded through some rapids, and reached a high plain, edged by admirable woods. Some green crows are flying around near the water, but they don't let people get close to them and fly away when people come. Owing to their vigilance, I understood that these birds knew how to deal with us bipeds, and I concluded that, if the island was uninhabited, it was at least frequented by strangers.

lt;Pgt;After passing through a quite vast grassland, we came to the edge of a small forest. There were many birds flying and singing in the forest, which looked full of life.

lt;Pgt; "These are just birds," said Conseil.

lt;Pgt; "But there is something edible in there too!" the harpooner replied.

lt;Pgt;　"No, good friend Ned," Conseil replied, "because I saw only some parrots there."

lt;Pgt;　　,' "My good friend Conseil," Ned Land replied solemnly, "to a man who has nothing else to eat, a parrot is as good as a pheasant." "

lt;Pgt;"Besides,,, I said, "This kind of bird is well cooked and well worth using the knife and fork."

"

lt;Pgt;" Just like this, under the thick leaves of the forest, a large group of parrots are flying between the branches. As long as they are carefully educated, they can speak human language. At present, they I just accompany all the female parrots of various colors, chattering endlessly: there are colorful parrots with a serious look, as if they are thinking about some philosophical issues; there are bright red parrots, and Garouchi parrots that make a sound when flying. The electric room looks like a piece of red yarn floating with the phoenix; there are Papuan cherry geese dyed in the most beautiful sky blue, as well as a variety of beautiful and lovely birds, but generally speaking, they are inedible.

lt;Pgt;But a bird that is endemic to this place, which never crosses the border between the Aru Islands and the Papua Islands, I did not see among this group of birds for the time being. The bird was kept, but soon I was able to appreciate it. After passing through a not very dense jungle, we came to a plain with many piles of trees. There are many gorgeous birds flying in the sky. Their long feathers make them fly against the phoenix. Their undulating flight, their graceful curves in the air, and their bright and dazzling colors attract and confuse people. Eyes. It was not difficult for me to recognize them.

lt;Pgt; "Puervous birds, Wushuang birds!" "I shouted.

lt; Pgt; "Farieres, rectal suborders. " Conseil replied.

lt;Pgt; ""Is it a genus?" Ned Land asked.

lt; Pgt; "I don’t think so, Master Ned Land. But I will rely on your good skills to kill one of the most beautiful and lovely things produced in the tropics!"

p>

lt;Pgt;　"I'll give it a try, Professor, although I'm used to using a harpoon, so I'm a little worse with a gun."

lt;Pgt; This kind of blackbird is a Malayan. An important trade to the Chinese; the Malayans used various methods to capture this bird, none of which we can use. They either placed the snares on the tops of tall trees where the unparalleled birds like to live, or used strong sparrow glue to make them sticky and immovable. They even put poison into the springs where the birds often drank. As for us now, the only solution is to shoot them while they are flying. We rarely get a chance to hit them. Sure enough we did waste some ammunition.

lt;Pgt; By about eleven o'clock, we had passed through the first layer of mountains that form the center of the island, but still gained nothing. There was a rumbling in our bellies, and hunger was tormenting us. Hunters believe that their hunting will be fruitful, but if they are wrong, they will not get any prey. Fortunately, Conseil fired twice and obtained his lunch quarry quite by accident. He shot down a white dove and a bobwhite. They hurriedly plucked their feathers, hung them on a fork, and roasted them over a bright fire of dry wood. While these interesting animals were roasting, Ned Land prepared the breadfruit. After a while, all the white pigeons and ringdoves were eaten, even their bones. Everyone said they were delicious. These birds are accustomed to eat a lot of nutmeg, so that their meat is like adding spices, making it a green and delicious dish.

lt;Pgt; "It tastes like a hen that grew up on mushrooms," Conseil said.

lt;Pgt; "Ned, are we short of something now?" I asked the Canadian.

lt;Pgt; "One less four-legged prey, Mr. Aronnax." Ned Land replied, "All these pigeons and ringdoves are just snacks and snacks. Therefore, As long as I haven't caught an animal with ribs and meat, I can't be satisfied."

lt;Pgt;"Ned, if I don't catch an unparalleled bird, I can't be satisfied either."

lt;Pgt; "Then let us continue hunting," Conseil replied, "but towards the sea. We have reached the first slope of the ridge, and I want to return to the forest area. It's better.

lt;Pgt; Conseil is very knowledgeable, so we followed his advice.

After walking for an hour, we arrived at a forest of actual sago trees. Some harmless snakes escaped beneath our feet. The unparalleled bird flew away when it saw us approaching. When I was very disappointed and couldn't catch them, Conseil, who was walking in front of me, suddenly bent down, shouted a cry of victory, and approached me holding a very beautiful and unparalleled bird.

lt;Pgt; "Okay! You succeeded! Conseil." I shouted.

lt;Pgt; "Sir, I dare not accept it. You are overestimating it." Conseil replied.

lt;Pgt;　"If Sir examine it carefully, you can see that I really don't have much merit."

lt;Pgt;　"Conseil, why? What? "

lt;Pgt; "Because the bird is as drunk as a quail."

lt;Pgt; "Drunk?"

lt ;Pgt; "Yes, sir, it was eating beans under the tree. I caught it under the tree when it was drunk. My good friend Ned, please take a look at this gluttonous, over-willful creature. What a terrible result!”

“Weird nonsense!” the Canadian replied, “I just drank some gin in the past two months, so there’s no need to blame me!”

lt;Pgt; I then examined this strange bird. Conseil was not mistaken. Wushuangwu was intoxicated by Doukou juice, making it limp and weak. It cannot fly and has difficulty walking. But I don't need to worry about it, just let it sleep well in its drunken sleep.

lt;Pgt;This unique bird is one of the most beautiful of the eight species of unique birds found in Papua and neighboring islands. This is the "big jade" unparalleled bird, the rarest one. It is three meters long, with a relatively small head and small eyes, just near the mouth. Its beak is yellow, its paws and nails are brown, its wings are purple with vermilion at the tips of its wings, its head and back of its neck are light yellow, its throat is emerald, and its belly and chest are chestnut. Therefore, it looks It looks like a very gorgeous combination of various colors. Moreover, there are two horn-shaped fluffy green balls rising from the tail, which are connected with very delicate and light slender feathers, like long hanging belts. All these completely beautify the entire image of this strange bird, so The local people poetically called it the "Bird of the Sun".

lt;Pgt; I very much hope to take this beautiful unparalleled bird back to Paris and give it to the Botanical Garden, because there is no living incomparable bird in the garden.

lt;Pgt; "Is this bird really rare?" asked the Canadian, using a tone that did not estimate the prey from an artistic point of view.

lt;Pgt; "Very Rare, my honest companion, and especially very rare to catch alive. Even in death, these birds remain important objects of trade. So the Master thought of making fake ones, just like making pearls and diamonds. "

lt; Pgt; "What! Conseil shouted, "Is anyone making a fake incomparable bird?" "

lt; Pgt; "Yes, Conseil. "

lt; Pgt; "So, sir, do you know how the natives are made? "

lt; Pgt; "I know. When the phoenix rises in the east, the Wushuang bird takes off the beautiful feathers around its tail. Biologists call these shed feathers aileron feathers. The bird forgers gathered these feathers and cleverly mounted them on poor parrots that had been killed and plucked beforehand. Then they glued the joints of the fur together and painted the body of the bird. They then sent these novel creations to museums and bird lovers across Europe.

,,

lt;Pgt;" Good Ned Land said, "Although these are not the body of the bird, they are always the feathers of the bird. If the bird is not used for food, I think there is no harm in it. ! "

lt;Pgt;Although my desire was satisfied by catching this unparalleled bird, the desire of Canada: the great hunter has not yet been satisfied. By luck, at about two o'clock, Ned· Lan shot a fat wild boar in the forest, which was a kind of pig that the natives called "Bali Otang". This pig arrived just at the time when we were pursuing the meat of the real four-legged beast, so it was very popular and was kept. Ned Land was very proud of his accuracy. The wild boar fell to the ground and died.

The Canadian cut off six or seven pieces from the pig. The loin meat was going to be roasted for dinner in the evening. He peeled off its skin, opened its belly, and cleaned out its internal organs. Then it went hunting again, and this time the hunting showed the achievements of Ned Land and Conseil. Sure enough, this time. While searching the bushes, a pair of friends chased away a large group of kangaroos. They stretched out their elastic legs and jumped away. Although these animals jumped and walked fast, the electric bombs had already escaped before they could escape. Caught up with them.

lt;Pgt; "Ah! "Professor," Ned Land shouted, his enthusiasm for hunting became feverish, "what a delicious game, especially when cooked!" What a rare treat on board the Nautilus! Two! Three! Five are on the ground! I'm so happy to think that when we're going to eat all this meat, those stupid things on board won't be able to taste any scraps of meat:"

lt;Pgt; I think this Canadian, in his overjoyment , If he hadn’t said so much, he might have slaughtered the entire group of kangaroos! He stopped after only about a dozen of them. “This type of kangaroo is the first order of abdominal mammals. "Consell said. These kangaroos are short in stature and are a type of rabbit kangaroo. They usually live in tree holes and run very fast. Although they are not big, their meat is very delicious and they are regarded as a treasure.

lt;Pgt; We were very satisfied with the results of our hunt, and the happy Ned Land proposed that he should return to this charming island tomorrow and hunt down all the four-legged animals that could be eaten. But he planned this and did not expect the unexpected incident." At six o'clock in the afternoon, we returned to the beach. Our dinghy was still parked in the same spot. The Nautilus looked like a long rock: it appeared in the sea two miles offshore.

lt;Pgt;Ned Land did not delay at all and immediately prepared the important matter of dinner. The loin meat of the "Balio Tang" wild boar is roasted over a red fire. Soon it emits a very fragrant smell, and the air is filled with fragrance! ...

lt;Pgt; I feel that I am on the same path as the Canadians. Facing these fresh barbecued meats, I also became very happy! Please forgive me, just as I forgave Master Ned Land, for exactly the same reason!

lt;Pgt; The dinner was really delicious. With the addition of two mountain doves, the menu of this special restaurant is even richer and more perfect. We had a great time eating sago noodles, breadfruit, some mangoes, six or seven pineapples and a drink made from coconut fruit. I also believe that my loyal companions have lost even the necessary clarity of mind.

lt;Pgt; "How about we not go back to the Nautilus tonight?" said Conseil.

lt;Pgt; "Shall we never go back?" Ned Land said.

lt;Pgt;At this moment, a stone fell at our feet, immediately interrupting the harpooner's proposal.