Lady Helena appeared. “Look. It was providence that sent us the document. The same providence brought you on board the Duncan. Don’t leave it.”
“Shall I say yes, my good friends? Come, now, tell me, you want me very much to stay, don’t you?” said Paganel.
“And want to stay yourself, now, don’t you, Paganel?” returned Glenarvan.
“Exactly,” confessed the learned geographer; “but I was afraid it would be inconsiderate.”
Chapter IX. Through the Straits of Magellan [42]
The joy on board was universal when Paganel’s resolution was made known.
The voyage had been made without difficulty. Everybody was full of hope, for in this search for Captain Grant, each day seemed to increase the probability of finding him. The captain was among the most confident on board, but his confidence mainly arose from the longing desire he had to see Miss Mary happy.
As for the learned geographer, he was probably the happiest man in all the southern hemisphere. He spent the whole day in studying maps, which were spread out on the saloon table. Paganel also came across a regular cargo of old books in the chief officer’s chest. They were in a very damaged condition, but among them he found a few Spanish volumes, and determined to master the language of Cervantes[43], as no one on board understood it, and it would be helpful in their search along the Chilian coast. He studied it furiously, and kept constantly muttering Spanish words. He spent his leisure hours in teaching young Robert, and instructed him in the history of the country they were so rapidly approaching.
On the 25th of September, the yacht arrived off the Straits of Magellan, and entered them without delay. This route is generally preferred by steamers on their way to the Pacific Ocean. The exact length of the straits is 372 miles.
Paganel was vexed. He insisted that Patagonia without Patagonians was not Patagonia at all.
But Glenarvan replied:
“Patience, my dear geographer. We shall see the Patagonians yet.”
“I am not sure of it.”
“But there is such a people, anyhow,” said Lady Helena.
“I doubt it much, madam, since I don’t see them.”
“But surely the very name Patagonia means ‘great feet’ in Spanish.”
“Oh, the name is nothing,” said Paganel. “And besides, to speak the truth, we are not sure if that is their name.”
“They are tall,” said Glenarvan.
“I don’t know that.”
“Are they little, then?” asked Lady Helena.
“No one can affirm that they are.”
“About the average, then?” said McNabbs.
“I don’t know that either,” said Paganel.
“But what is the truth?” asked Lady Helena.
“Just this, madame; the Patagonians have short legs, and a large bust. But the Straits of Magellan are very magnificent, even without Patagonians.”
Just at this moment the Duncan was rounding the peninsula between splendid panoramas.
Chapter X. The Course Decided
A week after they had doubled the Cape Pilares[44], the Duncan steamed into the bay of Talcahuano[45], a magnificent estuary, twelve miles long and nine broad. The weather was splendid. From November to March the sky is always cloudless, and a constant south wind prevails.
John Mangles had sailed as near the archipelago of Chiloe[46] as possible, and examined the coast, hoping to discover some traces of the shipwreck: a broken spar, or any fragment of the vessel—but nothing whatever was visible, and the yacht continued its route, till she dropped anchor at the port of Talcahuano.
Glenarvan had a boat lowered immediately, and went on shore, accompanied by Paganel.
“Let us go to the Custom-house,” said Glenarvan.
They were informed that the British Consul lived at Concepcion, an hour’s ride distant. Glenarvan and Paganel were soon within the walls of the great city. They went straight on to the house of her Majesty’s Consul, who received them very courteously. But to the question whether a three-mast vessel, called the Britannia, had gone ashore, he gave a decided negative. No report of such an event had been made to him, or any of the other consuls.
Glenarvan went back to Talcahuano, and made a thorough investigation of the whole seaboard. But it was all in vain. Lord Glenarvan returned to the yacht to report his ill success. Mary Grant and her brother could not restrain their grief. Lady Helena did her best to comfort them by loving caresses, while Jacques Paganel took up the document and began studying it again.
Glenarvan said:
“Paganel! Have we made an erroneous interpretation of the document? Have we mistaken the place where the catastrophe occurred?”
Paganel was silent.
“Besides,” said Glenarvan, “does not the word INDIEN prove we are right?”
“Perfectly so,” replied McNabbs.
“And is it not evident, then, that at the moment of writing the words, the shipwrecked men were made prisoners by the Indians?”
“My Lord,” said Paganel, “even if your other conclusions are right, this, at least, seemed to me irrational.”
“What do you mean?” asked Lady Helena, while all eyes were fixed on the geographer.
“I mean this,” replied Paganel, “that Captain Grant is now a prisoner among the Indians, and I further add that the document states it unmistakably.”
“But that is impossible,” replied Lord Glenarvan.
“Impossible! And why, my noble friend?” asked Paganel, smiling.
“Because the bottle could only be thrown into the sea just when the vessel went to pieces on the rocks, and consequently the latitude and longitude given refer to the actual place of the shipwreck.”
“There is no proof of that,” replied Paganel.
“Except this fact, my dear Paganel, that there was no sea, and therefore they could not fling the bottle into it.”
“Unless they flung it into a river which ran into the sea,” returned Paganel.
This reply was so unexpected, that it made them all completely silent for a minute. Lady Helena was the first to speak.
“What an idea!” she exclaimed.
“And what a good
The Straits Of Magellan – пролив Магеллана
Cervantes – Сервантес
had doubled the Cape Pilares – обогнули мыс Пилар
the bay of Talcahuano – бухта Талькауано
the archipelago of Chiloe – архипелаг Чилоэ
