Captain Grant's Children

Chapter 53
He seemed so brave.Glenarvan asked him hastily: "Is Paganel down there?"

"Paganel is down there?" the child asked, rather surprised. "Isn't he below to meet us?" "No! What? He's not with you?" "No, Robert," answered Mary.Glenarvan still felt very strange: "Didn't you run with him at the time? I thought you two were together."

"No, I didn't see him. Where did he go?" Robert seemed anxious after hearing everyone's words.

At this time the major said: "We must go now! Don't hesitate for a moment! Anyway, Paganel is not here, let's get out of here!" And everyone began to plan how to escape.

Below the temple is a cliff, about 20 feet high.Below the cliff is a big slope, and then to the foot of the mountain, from which you can escape into the valley.

In order to ensure that everything was safe and that no accidents happened, they followed Robert out silently.

There was a cave just outside the hole that was dug out.Everyone hides in the cave before sliding down the cliff.

John was the last one to climb out of the temple.Taking advantage of the situation, he pushed all the clods and stones out of the hole upside down, and then grabbed a straw mat to cover the hole.In this way, as long as it is seen from the temple, there are almost no flaws exposed.

The rope brought by Robert is an important tool for everyone to slide down the steep wall smoothly, thanks to his scheming.

Tie the other end of the rope to the rock.John first pulled the rope to try the maximum weight bearing-this is very necessary, if the rope breaks, not only will people be thrown to death, but even the entire operation will be wasted.

After this, John said calmly: "This rope can bear the weight of two people at most. Let's try to loosen the rope as much as possible when we get down. Sir and Madam please get down first." Having said this, he turned to the Sir and his wife and said, "Once you go down, shake the rope three times immediately, we have this cue before going down!"

"I'll show you the way first. I know there's a deep pit at the bottom of the slope, which can be used as a cover..." Robert volunteered.

Glenarvan shook the child's hand, and said kindly: "Well, come down, my child!" Robert slipped down the rope smoothly and immediately. One minute later, the rope shook three times, and it seemed that the brave and strong boy had reached the foot of the mountain.Immediately afterwards, Sir and Lady grabbed the rope and slid down.There is a gray line in the eastern sky, but the night is quite thick in the early morning, and the biting cold wind makes people shiver all over.At this moment, Mrs. Helen also showed an unprecedented level of energy.

After the two successfully reached the bottom of the cliff, the Sir gently embraced his wife, and stepped back cautiously—about to go down the hill.

A few nocturnal birds were alarmed, and they uttered a series of calls, which caused crisp echoes in the night sky amidst the darkness of the night.

Sir moved slowly, one step at a time, one step at a time, almost supporting his wife, walking at a very difficult speed.I saw his one hand and two feet firmly grasping and kicking the vegetation, branches and stones on the hillside with all his strength.A little inattentively, a moving rock was kicked down, and the rolling sound resounded through the sky.

Jazz broke out in a cold sweat from fright.But at this moment, a deep voice came from above: "Don't move!"

Glenarvan stopped immediately, put his arm around his wife, and firmly grasped the thick grass stalk with the other.Mrs. Helen didn't dare to vent her anger.

What has actually happened?It turned out that when Wilson heard some strange movements outside the temple, he hurriedly pushed aside the straw mat and entered the temple.He had just seen a Maori soldier walking towards the temple, so he ran to tell John.Then John hurriedly stopped the Jazz and his wife again.

I saw that the Maori soldier stood still when he was two steps away from the entrance of the temple.He twisted his neck and strained his ears to listen to the voices in the temple—it seemed that his vigilance was quite high, and he had keenly heard the suspicious movement from inside just now.

He stood there for a full minute without moving, his eyes fixed on the temple door.

A short 1 minute is longer than an hour for the fugitives!
The Maori soldier shook his head and went back. He carried some firewood and added it to the fire.By the light of the fire, he could clearly see the expression on his face—very calm and indifferent.Afterwards, he looked up at the dawn in the sky, and lay down straight again to warm his cold hands and feet.

"It's all right," Wilson said in a low voice.After listening to John, he then issued an order for Jazz to continue down the hill.Sir and lady followed the rope and followed the terrain until they reached the narrow road where Robert was waiting at this moment.The rope swung three more times.

John and Mary slid down smoothly without any mistakes on the way.

Five six minutes later.All the people on the top of the mountain glide over the cliff and down the slope very smoothly.At the edge of the deep pit, everyone gathered together and began to flee into the valley.

Everyone tried their best to run at their fastest speed, of course it can be said that they were running in small steps.They are not so much fighting for time as they are fighting for life.

They tried their best to avoid the places where people lived, picked a hidden path, and rushed straight to the deep mountain.Because they were unfamiliar with the road and the sky was dark, everyone stumbled and stumbled along the way, and sometimes even rolled and crawled. No one cared about the embarrassing posture at this time. It was important to escape!Only living is their only purpose at this moment.

It was about 5:[-] in the morning.The eastern sky gradually turned gray and white, revealing a light blue color above the large swaths of clouds and mist.The rolling hills and peaks also show vague outlines.Before long, the sun will be out.

Everyone's mood at the moment is free and unrestrained - when the sun comes out, it is impossible for them to be killed by the Maori, and their successful escape plan will deal a heavy blow to this man-eating tribe.

However, it cannot be accurately said that they have been brought safely.Because no one can be sure whether they have escaped from the jurisdiction of the aborigines at this time.

We must now run as fast as we can.Mrs. Helen and Mary's physical strength has been exhausted, and they are almost dragged, dragged, supported, and supported by everyone to walk forward; fortunately, these two women have extremely strong confidence and perseverance, and at the same time they are surrounded by people. With the great help of Glenarvan and John.

Robert, on the other hand, was a little gleeful; yes, his rescue plan was successfully carried out, which should be something to be thankful for.He is full of cells at the moment, excitedly opening the way for everyone.

Wilson and Murady took the initiative to cut off the rear for everyone.Holding our breath, we ran for another half an hour.

The sun is about to jump out of the morning mist, and every inch of land and everything on the earth is dyed with morning light.

Alas, it would be great if Paganel was in the team now!He can point out the correct path and destination to everyone in time!At this moment, everyone misses him especially, and worries about his life or death.

They kept running eastward, that is, they were running uphill.No matter where you go, just stay away from the Maori cottage.At this point, their position was more than 500 feet above Lake Daubo.

The cold has soaked every inch of their skin, and the morning air makes people shudder.Front, back, left, and right, there are many mountains and mountains, and they have entered the mountains.

Glenarvan has no more thoughts in his mind now, he only wants to escape from the tiger's mouth as soon as possible, so as not to let his companions enter the wolf's den again.For the time being, I will run to the deep mountains and hide, and I will slowly find a chance to go out later.

The red sun burst out.It sprinkled thousands of rays of light on the earth and mountains, and also on those who were forced to flee for their lives.

In an instant, roars rose to the sky—it was the roaring anger of hundreds of shouts.Sweeping from the bottom of the mountain, it exploded in the morning light, shaking the thick fog and shaking the earth.

The mountain fog blocked the sight of Glenarvan and his companions, and they couldn't see clearly what was happening in the cottage below them for a while.But they can imagine for themselves: the cry must have come from there, and the Maori there must be excited at this time.Yes, there is no doubt that these cannibalistic aborigines will not let it go.The sun is slowly rising, and the clouds and mists are slowly transpiring.After a while, they could see clearly what was happening 300 feet below: the Maori in the cottage came out, barking and cursing, chasing after them like a pack of wild dogs.The captives have been seen by the Maori.

The louder and fiercer roar exploded again, washing away the mist and chill in the rising sun, making people tremble uncontrollably.Yes, in addition to the yelling of the Maori, there is also the barking of the vicious dog; this is enough to be called the real heinous.

Faced with this pursuit, who else can escape?

(End of this chapter)