yǎn jiǎng zài rè liè de zhǎng shēng zhōng jié shù héng héng jiè shào fú gé sēn · fú gé sēn bó shì héng héng “ Excelsior ” héng héng bó shì de fēng mào héng héng chè tóu chè wěi de sù mìng lùn zhě héng héng“ lǚ xíng zhě jù lè bù” de wǎn yàn héng héng bù shī shí jī de pín pín zhù jiǔ
1862 nián 1 yuè 14 rì， huá tiě lú guǎng chǎng 13 hào， lún dūn huáng jiā dì lǐ xué huì de yī cì huì yì shàng， tīng zhòng rú yún。 xué huì zhù xí fú lǎng xī sī ·M×× jué shì zài xiàng tā kě jìng de tóng xíng men zuò yīcháng zhòng yào de xué shù bào gào。 tā de huà cháng cháng bèi zhèn zhèn zhǎng shēng dǎ duàn。 jué shì zuì hòu yòng jǐ jù kāng kǎi jī 'áng de huà jié shù liǎo zhè cì shǎo yòu de dòng rén yǎn jiǎng。 zhè jǐ jù huà zhōng yáng yì zhe wú bǐ bǎo mǎn de 'ài guó zhù yì：
“ yīng guó yī zhí lǐng xiān yú shì jiè gè guó（ yīn wéi dà jiā yǐ zhù yì dào， guó jiā de qián jìn zǒng shì yòu qián yòu hòu）， zhè wán quán shì yīng guó lǚ hángjiā zài dì lǐ tàn xiǎn zhōng de dà wú wèi jīng shén suǒ zhì（ quán chǎng fā chū zàn tóng shēng）。 fú gé sēn · fú gé sēn bó shì， jiù shì yīng guó guāng róng 'ér nǚ zhōng de yī wèi。 tā shì bù huì gū fù zǔ guó de zhòng tuō de（ sì chù xiǎng qǐ fù hé shēng： bù huì de！ bù huì de！）。 zhè cì cháng shì jiǎ rú chéng gōng（ huì chéng gōng de！）， jiù néng bǎ wǒ men zài fēi zhōu dì tú xué fāng miàn língsan de jī běn zhī shí bǔ chōng wán zhěng， shǐ zhī chéng wéi yī tǐ。 bù guò rú guǒ shī bài liǎo（ jué bù huì！ jué bù huì！）， zhì shǎo yě jiāng zuò wéi rén lèi zuì dà dǎn de shè xiǎng zhī yī 'ér yǒng cún（ quán chǎng kuáng rè dùn zú）！”
“ wū lā！ wū lā！” zhè fān liáo rén xīn dòng de huà shǐ dé qún qíng jī fèn， qí shēng gāo hū。
“ wú wèi de fú gé sēn wàn suì！” yī wèi jí dù dòng qíng de tīng zhòng bù yóu dì hǎn jiào dào。
rè qíng de huān hū shēng sì qǐ， zhòng rén yì kǒu tóng shēng dì fā chū fú gé sēn de míng zì， zhěng gè huì yì tīng bèi zhèn dé dǒu dòng qǐ lái。 wǒ men yòu chōng fēn lǐ yóu xiāng xìn， jīng guò yīng guó rén de sǎng mén hū hǎn， fú gé sēn zhè gè míng zì jiāng gèng shòu rén zūn jìng liǎo。
zhè 'ér xǔ duō rén céng shì dà dǎn de tàn xiǎn jiā。 hàodòng de tiān xìng shǐ dé tā men duō me xiǎng zǒu biàn shì jiè de wǔ dà zhōu！ bù guò tā men suī rén shù zhòng duō， què dū lǎo liǎo， pí bèi liǎo。 suǒ yòu de rén zài ròu tǐ shàng、 jīng shén shàng huò duō huò shǎo dì táo tuō guò yī cì cì sǐ wáng de wēi xié： hǎi shàng shī shì、 huǒ zāi、 yìn dì 'ān rén de zhàn fǔ、 yě rén de gùn bàng、 kù xíng、 bō lì ní xī yà rén ① de bǔ shí。 bù guò， dāng fú lǎng xī sī ·M×× jué shì yǎn jiǎng shí， tā men de xīn réng rán jìn bù zhù dì pēng pēng tiào qǐ lái。 yào zhī dào， zhè chǎng yǎn shuō kěn dìng shì lún dūn huáng jiā dì lǐ xué huì yòu shǐ yǐ lái zuì wéi jīng cǎi de。
① zhōng tài píng yáng de qún dǎo， yì wéi“ duō dǎo qún dǎo”， zhù yào bāo kuò xià wēi yí qún dǎo， tānɡ jiā qún dǎo děng。
dàn shì zài yīng guó， rè qíng bù jǐn jǐn tíng liú zài kǒu tóu shàng。 yòng tā zhù zào qián bì bǐ“ huáng jiā zào bì chǎng” de zhù bì jī lái dé hái yào kuài。 huì yì guò chéng zhōng， lì jí biǎo jué tōng guò liǎo gěi fú gé sēn bó shì yī bǐ cù jìn huó dòng jīn， qiě shù mù gāo dá 2500 yīng bàng（ jí 62500 fǎ láng）。 zhè me yī dà bǐ kuǎn zǐ qià qià shuō míng zhè xiàng shì yè yòu duō me zhòng yào。
yī wèi xué huì chéng yuán xiàng zhù xí dǎ liǎo gè zhāo hū， xún wèn shì fǒu néng bǎ fú gé sēn bó shì zhèng shì jiè shào gěi dà jiā。
“ bó shì zài tīng hòu dà jiā de fēn fù。” fú lǎng xī sī ·M×× jué shì dá dào。
“ ràng tā jìn lái！ ràng tā jìn lái！” rén men gāo hū，“ yīnggāi qīn yǎn jiàn jiàn zhè wèi jié chū、 yǒng gǎn de rén！”
“ zhè gè tàn xiǎn zhù zhāng lìng rén nán yǐ zhì xìn， yě xǔ zhǐ shì piàn piàn wǒ men bà liǎo！” yī wèi shēn tǐ zhòngfēng de lǎo chuán cháng shuō。
“ yě xǔ， fú gé sēn bó shì gēn běn jiù bù cún zài！” yī gè rén 'è yì dì jiào dào。
“ nà jiù gāi bǎ tā xū gòu chū lái！” zhè gè yán sù de xué huì zhōng yī wèi 'ài kāi wán xiào de huì yuán dá dào。
“ qǐng fú gé sēn bó shì jìn lái bā。” fú lǎng xī sī ·M×× jué shì shuǎng kuài dì shuō。
yú shì， bó shì zài léi míng bān de zhǎng shēng zhōng cóng róng bù pò dì bù rù dà tīng， sī háo bù lù shēng sè。
zhè shì wèi sì shí suì zuǒ yòu de nán zǐ， zhōng děng shēn cái， tǐ gé píng cháng， guò yú hóng rùn de miàn róng xiǎn lù chū duō xuè zhì de tè zhēng。 tā shén sè zhèn dìng， xiàngmào duān zhèng， liǎn shàng cháng zhe yī gè dà bí zǐ。 rén lèi jù lún chuán tóu bān de zhè gè bí zǐ jiù xiàng tiān shēng wéi tàn xiǎn 'ér shēng de。 cí xiáng de yǎn jīng lǐ shǎn shuò zhe yǒng gǎn， gèng duō shì zhì huì de guāng máng， tā de róng mào chǎn shēng yī zhǒng qiáng dà de mó lì。 tā de shuāng bì hěn cháng， shuāng jiǎo yǐ dà bù hángjiā tè yòu de píng wěn láo láo dì cǎi zài dà dì shàng。
bó shì de zhěng gè wài mào xiǎn lù chū 'ān jìng yǔ yán sù。 tā zěn me néng shì nà zhǒng gān zuì wú zhī de qī piàn gòu dāng de rén ní， shuídōu bù huì duì tā yòu zhè zhǒng xiǎng fǎ。
yīn cǐ， zhí dào fú gé sēn bó shì yòng yǒu hǎo de shǒu shì qǐng dà jiā 'ān jìng shí， jiào hǎo shēng hé zhǎng shēng cái píng xī xià lái。 tā xiàng wèitā zuò zì wǒ jiè shào zhǔn bèi de 'ān lè yǐ zǒu qù， suí hòu， zhàn zài nà 'ér yī dòng bù dòng， mù guāng jiǒng jiǒng yòu shén dì níng shì huì chǎng。 zhǐ jiàn tā jǔ qǐ yòu shǒu， shí zhǐ zhǐ xiàng kōng zhōng， zhāng kāi kǒu， zhǐ shuō liǎo yī gè zì：
“ Excelsior！”
jué liǎo！ wú lùn bù lài tè① hé kē bù dēng ② guó huì shàng de yì wài zhì xún， hái shì pà sī dùn gōng jué wéi jiā gù yīng guó qiào bì hǎi fáng gōng shì shēn qǐng tè bié zī jīn， dū cóng wèi huò dé guò rú cǐ huān yíng。 qí rè liè chéng dù chāo guò fú lǎng xī sī ·M×× jué shì de yǎn jiǎng， shèn zhì gèng gāo。 bó shì biǎo xiàn dé jì gāo shàng、 wěi dà， yòu qiān xū、 shěn shèn。 tā gāng cái shuō liǎo yī gè hěn hé shí yí de zì：
① 1811 héng 1889， yīng guó zì yóu dǎng de jiā， yǐ xióng biàn zhù chēng。
② 1804 héng 1865， yīng guó jiā， xià yuàn yì yuán。
“ Excelsior ③！”
③ lā dīng yǔ， yì sī shì gāo shàng de， bù duàn xiàng shàng de。
lǎo chuán cháng zhé fú liǎo， zhuǎn 'ér jiān jué dì zhàn dào zhè wèi wài lái rén yī biān。 tā qǐng qiú bǎ fú gé sēn de yǎn shuō“ wán zhěng dì” kān dēng zài“ theProceedingsoftheRoyalGeographicalSocietyofLondon”《 lún dūn huáng jiā dì lǐ xué huì huì bào》 shàng。
zhè wèi bó shì dào dǐ shì hé xǔ rén？ tā dǎ suàn tóu shēn yú shénme shì yè？
nián qīng de fú gé sēn， fù qīn shì yīng guó hǎi yùn yè yī míng zhèng zhí de chuán cháng。 zài fú gé sēn hěn xiǎo de shí hòu， chuán cháng jiù ràng 'ér zǐ gēn tā yī tóng tǐ yàn tā nà zhǒng zhí yè shēng yá zhōng wēi xiǎn de zī wèi hé mào xiǎn de lè qù。 zhè gè kě 'ài de hái zǐ sì hū cóng lái bù zhī dào hài pà， hěn kuài jiù xiǎn shì chū tóu nǎo líng huó， shàn yú sī kǎo， wú bǐ zhōng qíng yú kē xué shì yè de cháng chù。 cǐ wài， tā hái biǎo xiàn chū liǎo bǎi tuō kùn jìng de fēi fán cái zhì。 tā cóng wèi bèi nán zhù guò， shèn zhì chū cì yòng chā zǐ chī fàn shí jiù xiǎn dé hěn lǎo liàn。 dà jiādōu qīng chǔ， yī bān shuō lái hái zǐ men hěn shǎo yī kāi shǐ jiù huì yòng chā zǐ de。
duì mào xiǎn hé háng hǎi tàn xiǎn zhī lèi shū jí de yuè dú hěn kuài rán qǐ liǎo tā de huàn xiǎng。 tā zhí mí dì guān zhù qǐ shí jiǔ shì jì chū qī de nà xiē zhòng yào fā xiàn。 tā mèng xiǎng huò dé méng gē · pà kè①、 bù lǔ sī②、 kǎ yé③、 lè wǎ yáng huò dé de nà zhǒng róng yù。 nǎ pà huò dé shǎo xǔ sài 'ěr kòu kè ④ nà zhǒng lǔ bīn xùn shì de róng yù， tā jué dé yě bù huài。 tā yǔ sài 'ěr kòu kè yī qǐ zài hú 'ān · fèi 'ěr nán dé sī dǎo shàng dù guò liǎo duō shǎo shí guāng 'ā！ tā cháng cháng zàn chéng zhè wèi bèi pāo qì de shuǐ shǒu de kàn fǎ， yòu shí yě duì tā de jìhuà hé shè jì tí chū yì yì。 nián qīng de fú gé sēn rèn wéi， rú guǒ huàn liǎo tā， tā huì cǎi qǔ bié de zuò fǎ， nà yàng huò xǔ gèng hǎo， qǐ mǎ gānde bù huì lài！ rán 'ér， shì qíng míng bǎi zhe， rú guǒ huàn liǎo tā， jué bù huì duǒ bì kāi nà gè lìng rén fēi cháng kuài lè de xiǎo dǎo de。 zài nà 'ér， tā huì kuài huó dé xiàng yī gè méi yòu chén mín de jūn wáng ……。 jí shǐ jiào tā dāng hǎi jūn bù dà chén， yě jué bù lí kāi！
① 1771 héng yuē 1806， sū gé lán tàn xiǎn jiā， céng dào ní rì 'ér hé tàn xiǎn， zhe yòu《 fēi zhōu nèi dì lǚ xíng》 yī shū。
② 1730 héng 1794， sū gé lán tàn xiǎn jiā， 1790 nián chū bǎn《 ní luó hé yuán tóu tàn xíng jì》。
③ 1799 héng yuē 1838， fǎ guó tàn xiǎn jiā， fǎng wèn tíng bā tú kè hòu shēng hái de dì yī wèi 'ōu zhōu rén。
④ 1676 héng 1721， sū gé lán shuǐ shǒu， hǎi dào， yīn yǔ chuán cháng zhēng chǎo 'ér zài hú 'ān · fèi 'ěr nán dé sī qún dǎo zhōng de mǎ sà tiě lā dǎo dòu liú liǎo 5 nián。 tā shì dí fú suǒ zhe《 lǔ bīn xùn piào liú jì》 zhōng zhù rén gōng de yuán xíng。
kě yǐ xiǎng xiàng dé dào， fú gé sēn nián qīng shí dài zài shì jiè gè dì jìn xíng mào xiǎn huó dòng qī jiān， tā de zhè xiē qīng xiàng fā zhǎn dào liǎo shénme dì bù。 fú gé sēn de fù qīn shì wèi yòu jiàn shí de rén， zì rán bù huì hū lüè fā zhǎn hái zǐ mǐn jié de zhì lì。 tā ràng 'ér zǐ rèn zhēn xué xí liǎo shuǐ wén xué、 wù lǐ xué hé lì xué， cǐ wài， yòu fù dài ràng tā xué liǎo yī diǎn 'ér zhí wù xué、 yī xué hé tiān wén xué fāng miàn de zhī shí。
kě jìng de chuán cháng qù shì shí， fú gé sēn · fú gé sēn 22 suì， dàn shì yǐ jīng zhōu yóu liǎo shì jiè。 tā céng jiā rù guò mèng jiā lā gōng chéng bīng bù duì， ér qiě zài hǎo duō cì zhàn dǒu zhōng lì gōng。 rán 'ér， tā duì zhè zhǒng jūn rén shēng huó bìng bù mǎn yì。 tā bù yuàn yì zhǐ huī bié rén， yě bù xǐ huān bié rén duì tā yāo sān hē sì。 tā tí chū liǎo tuì yì。 ér hòu， tā biān dǎ liè， biān cǎi jí zhí wù， chóngxīn dēng chéng qù yìn dù bàn dǎo běi fāng lǚ xíng。 cóng jiā 'ěr gē dá dào sū lā tè， tā chuān yuè liǎo zhěng gè bàn dǎo。 duì tā lái shuō， zhè bù guò shì lǚ xíng 'àihào zhě de yī cì píng cháng sàn bù 'ér yǐ。
zài sū lā tè， wǒ men kàn jiàn tā dòng shēn qù liǎo 'ào dà lì yà。 1845 nián， tā zài nà lǐ cān jiā liǎo sī tè 'ěr tè① chuán cháng de yuǎn zhēng tàn xiǎn duì， zhè zhī tàn xiǎn duì shòu wěi tuō xún zhǎo rén men cāi xiǎng cún zài yú xīn hé lán② zhōng bù de nà gè nèi lù hǎi。
① 1759 héng 1869， ào dà lì yà tàn xiǎn jiā， zhe yòu《 shēn rù 'ào dà lì yà nán bù de liǎng cì tàn xiǎn》 hé《 ào dà lì yà zhōng bù tàn xiǎn jì》。
② ào dà lì yà de jiù míng。
fú gé sēn · fú gé sēn zài 1850 nián qián hòu fǎn huí yīng guó， ér qiě bǐ yǐ wǎng rèn hé shí hòu dū gèng zháomó yú lǚ xíng tàn xiǎn。 tā yòu qù yuǎn zhēng duì péi tóng mài kè · lǔ 'ěr chuán cháng yī qǐ cóng bái lìng hǎi xiá huán rào měi zhōu dà lù dào dá fèi 'ěr wéi 'ěr jiǎo③。 zhè cì yuǎn zhēng zhí dào 1853 nián cái gào jié shù。
③ wèi yú xīn xī lán。
bù guǎn shénme yàng de láo dùn kùn kǔ， wú lùn qì hòu rú hé 'è liè， fú gé sēn de tǐ zhì jū rán bù kě sī yì dì dǐ dǎng dé zhù。 shèn zhì zài yī wú suǒ yòu de zuì 'è liè huán jìng zhōng， tā yě néng shēng huó dé yōu rán zì dé。 tā shì nà lèi dì dào de lǚ xíng jiā： wèi kě yǐ rèn yì shōu suō、 kuò zhāng； tuǐ kě yǐ 'àn lín shí chuáng pū de cháng duǎn quán qū shēn zhǎn； bái tiān suí shí kě yǐ rù shuì， wǎn jiān suí shí néng xǐng lái。
yīn cǐ， wǒ men fā xiàn zhè wèi yǒng bù zhī pí juàn de lǚ xíng jiā， zài shī lā jīng tè wèi tè xiōng dì de péi tóng xià， cóng 1855 dào 1857 nián fǎng wèn liǎo de zhěng gè xī bù dì qū， bìng qiě dài huí yī xiē xī qí de rén zhòngxué fāng miàn de guān chá bào gào， yě jiù bùzúwèi guài liǎo。
zài zhè jǐ cì lǚ yóu qī jiān， fú gé sēn · fú gé sēn chéng liǎo《 měi rì diàn xìn bào》 zuì huó yuè、 zuì yǐn rén zhù mùdì tōng xìn yuán。 zhè jiā bào zhǐ hěn piányí， yī biàn shì jiù néng mǎi yī fèn。 gāi bào de rì fā xíng liàng suī gāo dá 14 wàn fèn， bù guò jǐn miǎnqiǎng mǎn zú shù wàn dú zhě de xū yào 'ér yǐ。 suǒ yǐ， jìn guǎn fú gé sēn bó shì bù shì rèn hé xué zhě tuán tǐ de chéng yuán， jì bù shì lún dūn、 bā lí、 bólín、 wéi yě nà huò shèng · bǐ dé bǎo huáng jiā dì lǐ xué huì chéng yuán， yě bù shì lǚ xíng zhě jù lè bù de chéng yuán， gèng bù shì huáng jiā gōng yì xué huì chéng yuán（ tā de péng yǒu tǒng jì xué jiā kē kè bó 'ēn shì gāi huì tóu miàn rén wù）， tā de míng zì réng rán wéi rén shú zhī。 yòu yī tiān， tā de zhè wèi xué zhě péng yǒu dòu tā xínkāixīn， shèn zhì yào tā jiě dá zhè me yī gè wèn tí： yǐ zhī bó shì huán rào dì qiú zǒu guò de lǐ shù， yóu yú bàn jìng bù tóng， wèn tā de tóu bǐ jiǎo duō xíng duō shǎo lǐ lù？ huò zhě shuō yǐ zhī bó shì de jiǎo hé tóu jīng guò de lǐ shù， jīng què suàn chū tā de shēn gāo， wù chā bù chāo guò 1 fǎ cùn（ 1 fǎ cùn yuē hé 2.25 háo mǐ）。 dàn shì， fú gé sēn duì nà xiē xué zhě tuán tǐ zǒng shì jìng 'ér yuǎn zhī。 yīn wéi tā shì mái tóu shí gān、 bù yuàn duō yán de rén， tā rèn wéi bǎ shí jiān yòng yú tàn suǒ hé fā xiàn bǐ zhēng lái lùn qù、 gāo tán kuò lùn qiáng dé duō。
jù shuō， yī tiān yī wèi yīng guó rén tè yì lái rì nèi wǎ guān shǎng rì nèi wǎ hú。 tā shàng liǎo yī liàng lǎo shì mǎ chē， zhè zhǒng chē xiàng gōng gòng mǎ chē yī yàng， zuò wèi zài chē nèi de liǎng cè。 wú qiǎo bù chéng shū， wǒ men zhè wèi yīng guó rén qià qià bèi 'ān pái zuò zài bèi duì hú de yī cè。 chē wěn wěn dì rào hú yī juàn， zhè qī jiān tā shèn zhì jiù méi xiǎng dào niǔ huí tóu qù qiáo yī yǎn， zuì hòu， jìng rán hái gāo gāo xīng xīng dì lí kāi rì nèi wǎ hú huí lún dūn liǎo。
fú gé sēn bó shì zài lǚ xíng qī jiān què huí guò tóu， ér qiě hái bù zhǐ yī cì。 zhèng yīn wéi rú cǐ， tā cái kàn dào liǎo xǔ duō dōng xī。 zài shuō， zhè yě shì tā de tiān xìng suǒ zhì。 wǒ men yòu chōng fēn lǐ yóu xiāng xìn tā yòu diǎn sù mìng lùn sī xiǎng。 qí shí tā jiù shì wèi chè tóu chè wěi de sù mìng lùn zhě。 tā xiāng xìn mìng yùn， shèn zhì xiāng xìn tiān yì。 tā jué dé zì jǐ yǔ qí shuō shì bèi xī yǐn， dǎo bù rú shuō shì bèi mǒu zhǒng lì liàng qū shǐ， qù lǚ xíng hé zhōu yóu shì jiè de。 jiù xiàng yī liàng huǒ chē tóu， bù shì zì jǐ yǐn zhe zì jǐ zǒu， ér shì dào lù lǐng zhe zǒu。
“ wǒ shì bù gǎn lù de， shì lù zài gǎn wǒ。” tā cháng cháng zhè yàng shuō。 suǒ yǐ， nán guài tā nà me zhèn jìng dì miàn duì huáng jiā xué huì de zhǎng shēng liǎo。 tā méi yòu sī háo 'ào qì， yě méi bàn diǎn xū róng。 tā bù zài yì zhè xiē xiǎo shì。 tā rèn wéi gěi fú lǎng xī sī ·M×× jué shì tán de zhè gè jiàn yì hěn píng cháng， yīn cǐ， yā gēn 'ér jiù méi fā jué zì jǐ jìng yóu cǐ yǐn qǐ jù dà bō lán， chéng liǎo fēng yún rén wù。
huì yì jié shù hòu， yòu rén péi tóng bó shì lái dào pà 'ěr mǎ 'ěr dà jiē de“ lǚ xíng zhě jù lè bù”。 zài nà lǐ， dà jiā wèitā jǔ bàn liǎo yīcháng shèng dà de yàn huì。 cóng fàn zhuō shàng yú de dà xiǎo kě kàn chū bèi yāo de rén wù hé děng zhòng yào。 yóu qí shì bān dào yán xí zhōng de nà tiáo xún yú， shēn zǐ jīhū yǔ fú gé sēn · fú gé sēn běn rén yī yàng cháng。
rén men tòng yǐn zhe gè zhǒng fǎ guó pú táo jiǔ， wéi zài fēi zhōu dà lù tàn xiǎn 'ér xiǎng yòu shèng yù de lǚ xíng jiā men pín pín jǔ bēi zhì yì。 wèitā men de jiàn kāng 'ér gān， wèitā men de róng yù 'ér hē。 rén men shèn zhì 'àn zhào lǚ xíng jiā men míng zì de zì mǔ shùn xù（ zhè kě shì dì dì dào dào yīng guó huà de） yǐ cì zhù jiǔ： ā bā dí、 yà dāng sī、 yà dāng sēn 'ān dé sēn、 wéi……①。 zuì hòu， wéi fú gé sēn · fú gé sēn bó shì jǔ bēi。 hòu zhě yì yù yòng tā fēi tóng xún cháng de cháng shì， bǎ qián miàn zhè xiē zhù míng lǚ xíng jiā de láo dòng chéng guǒ huì chéng yī tǐ， bǔ chōng wán bèi yòu guān fēi zhōu dà fā xiàn fāng miàn de xì liè cái liào。
① yuán zhe cǐ chù liè jǔ liǎo jìn yī bǎi 'èr shí gè lǚ xíng jiā de míng zì， běn wén shěng lüè。
OR,
JOURNEYS AND DISCOVERIES IN AFRICA BY THREE ENGLISHMEN.
COMPILED IN FRENCH
BY JULES VERNE,
FROM THE ORIGINAL NOTES OF DR. FERGUSON.
AND DONE INTO ENGLISH BY
"WILLIAM LACKLAND."
PUBLISHERS' NOTE.
"Five Weeks in a Balloon" is, in a measure, a satire on modern books of African travel. So far as the geography, the inhabitants, the animals, and the features of the countries the travellers pass over are described, it is entirely accurate. It gives, in some particulars, a survey of nearly the whole field of African discovery, and in this way will often serve to refresh the memory of the reader. The mode of locomotion is, of course, purely imaginary, and the incidents and adventures fictitious. The latter are abundantly amusing, and, in view of the wonderful "travellers' tales" with which we have been entertained by African explorers, they can scarcely be considered extravagant; while the ingenuity and invention of the author will be sure to excite the surprise and the admiration of the reader, who will find M. VERNE as much at home in voyaging through the air as in journeying "Twenty Thousand Leagues under the Seas."
CONTENTS.
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CHAPTER FIRST.
The End of a much-applauded Speech.--The Presentation of Dr. Samuel Ferguson. --Excelsior.--Full-length Portrait of the Doctor.--A Fatalist convinced. --A Dinner at the Travellers' Club.--Several Toasts for the Occasion
CHAPTER SECOND.
The Article in the Daily Telegraph.--War between the Scientific Journals.-- Mr. Petermann backs his Friend Dr. Ferguson.--Reply of the Savant Koner. --Bets made.--Sundry Propositions offered to the Doctor
CHAPTER THIRD.
The Doctor's Friend.--The Origin of their Friendship.--Dick Kennedy at London. --An unexpected but not very consoling Proposal.--A Proverb by no means cheering.--A few Names from the African Martyrology.--The Advantages of a Balloon.--Dr. Ferguson's Secret
CHAPTER FOURTH.
African Explorations.--Barth, Richardson, Overweg, Werne, Brun-Rollet, Penney, Andrea, Debono, Miani, Guillaume Lejean, Brace, Krapf and Rebmann, Maizan, Roscher, Burton and Speke
CHAPTER FIFTH.
Kennedy's Dreams.--Articles and Pronouns in the Plural.--Dick's Insinuations. --A Promenade over the Map of Africa.--What is contained between two Points of the Compass.--Expeditions now on foot.--Speke and Grant.--Krapf, De Decken, and De Heuglin
CHAPTER SIXTH.
A Servant--match him!--He can see the Satellites of Jupiter.--Dick and Joe hard at it.--Doubt and Faith.--The Weighing Ceremony.--Joe and Wellington. --He gets a Half-crown
CHAPTER SEVENTH.
Geometrical Details.--Calculation of the Capacity of the Balloon.--The Double Receptacle.--The Covering.--The Car.--The Mysterious Apparatus.--The Provisions and Stores.--The Final Summing up
CHAPTER EIGHTH.
Joe's Importance.--The Commander of the Resolute.--Kennedy's Arsenal. --Mutual Amenities.--The Farewell Dinner.--Departure on the 21st of February.-- The Doctor's Scientific Sessions.--Duveyrier.--Livingstone.--Details of the Aerial Voyage.--Kennedy silenced
CHAPTER NINTH.
They double the Cape.--The Forecastle.--A Course of Cosmography by Professor Joe.--Concerning the Method of guiding Balloons.--How to seek out Atmospheric Currents.--Eureka
CHAPTER TENTH.
Former Experiments.--The Doctor's Five Receptacles.--The Gas Cylinder.-- The Calorifere.--The System of Manoeuvring.--Success certain
CHAPTER ELEVENTH.
The Arrival at Zanzibar.--The English Consul.--Ill-will of the Inhabitants.--The Island of Koumbeni.--The Rain-Makers.--Inflation of the Balloon.--Departure on the 18th of April.--The last Good-by.--The Victoria
CHAPTER TWELFTH.
Crossing the Strait.--The Mrima.--Dick's Remark and Joe's Proposition.--A Recipe for Coffee-making.--The Uzaramo.--The Unfortunate Maizan.-- Mount Duthumi.--The Doctor's Cards.--Night under a Nopal
CHAPTER THIRTEENTH.
Change of Weather.--Kennedy has the Fever.--The Doctor's Medicine.--Travels on Land.--The Basin of Imenge.--Mount Rubeho.--Six Thousand Feet Elevation.--A Halt in the Daytime
CHAPTER FOURTEENTH.
The Forest of Gum-Trees.--The Blue Antelope.--The Rallying-Signal.--An Unexpected Attack.--The Kanyeme.--A Night in the Open Air.--The Mabunguru.--Jihoue-la-Mkoa.--A Supply of Water.--Arrival at Kazeh
CHAPTER FIFTEENTH.
Kazeh.--The Noisy Market-place.--The Appearance of the Balloon.--The Wangaga. --The Sons of the Moon.--The Doctor's Walk.--The Population of the Place.--The Royal Tembe.--The Sultan's Wives.--A Royal Drunken-Bout.-- Joe an Object of Worship.--How they Dance in the Moon.--A Reaction.-- Two Moons in one Sky.--The Instability of Divine Honors
CHAPTER SIXTEENTH.
Symptoms of a Storm.--The Country of the Moon.--The Future of the African Continent.--The Last Machine of all.--A View of the Country at Sunset.-- Flora and Fauna.--The Tempest.--The Zone of Fire.--The Starry Heavens.
CHAPTER SEVENTEENTH.
The Mountains of the Moon.--An Ocean of Venture.--They cast Anchor.--The Towing Elephant.--A Running Fire.--Death of the Monster.--The Field Oven.--A Meal on the Grass.--A Night on the Ground
CHAPTER EIGHTEENTH.
The Karagwah.--Lake Ukereoue.--A Night on an Island.--The Equator. --Crossing the Lake.--The Cascades.--A View of the Country.--The Sources of the Nile.--The Island of Benga.--The Signature of Andrea Debono.--The Flag with the Arms of England
CHAPTER NINETEENTH.
The Nile.--The Trembling Mountain.--A Remembrance of the Country.--The Narratives of the Arabs.--The Nyam-Nyams.--Joe's Shrewd Cogitations.-- The Balloon runs the Gantlet.--Aerostatic Ascensions.--Madame Blanchard.
CHAPTER TWENTIETH.
The Celestial Bottle.--The Fig-Palms.--The Mammoth Trees.--The Tree of War. --The Winged Team.--Two Native Tribes in Battle.--A Massacre.--An Intervention from above
CHAPTER TWENTY-FIRST.
Strange Sounds.--A Night Attack.--Kennedy and Joe in the Tree.--Two Shots. --"Help! help!"--Reply in French.--The Morning.--The Missionary.--The Plan of Rescue
CHAPTER TWENTY-SECOND.
The Jet of Light.--The Missionary.--The Rescue in a Ray of Electricity.--A Lazarist Priest.--But little Hope.--The Doctor's Care.--A Life of Self-Denial. --Passing a Volcano
CHAPTER TWENTY-THIRD.
Joe in a Fit of Rage.--The Death of a Good Man.--The Night of watching by the Body.--Barrenness and Drought.--The Burial.--The Quartz Rocks.--Joe's Hallucinations.--A Precious Ballast.--A Survey of the Gold-bearing Mountains. --The Beginning of Joe's Despair
CHAPTER TWENTY-FOURTH.
The Wind dies away.--The Vicinity of the Desert.--The Mistake in the WaterSupply.--The Nights of the Equator.--Dr. Ferguson's Anxieties. --The Situation flatly stated.--Energetic Replies of Kennedy and Joe. --One Night more
CHAPTER TWENTY-FIFTH.
A Little Philosophy.--A Cloud on the Horizon.--In the Midst of a Fog.--The Strange Balloon.--An Exact View of the Victoria.--The Palm-Trees.--Traces of a Caravan.--The Well in the Midst of the Desert
CHAPTER TWENTY-SIXTH.
One Hundred and Thirteen Degrees.--The Doctor's Reflections.--A Desperate Search.--The Cylinder goes out.--One Hundred and Twenty-two Degrees.-- Contemplation of the Desert.--A Night Walk.--Solitude.--Debility.--Joe's Prospects.--He gives himself One Day more
CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVENTH.
Terrific Heat.--Hallucinations.--The Last Drops of Water.--Nights of Despair. --An Attempt at Suicide.--The Simoom.--The Oasis.--The Lion and Lioness.
CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHTH.
An Evening of Delight.--Joe's Culinary Performances.--A Dissertation on Raw Meat.--The Narrative of James Bruce.--Camping out.--Joe's Dreams.--The Barometer begins to fall.--The Barometer rises again.--Preparations for Departure.--The Tempest
CHAPTER TWENTY-NINTH.
Signs of Vegetation.--The Fantastic Notion of a French Author.--A Magnificent Country.--The Kingdom of Adamova.--The Explorations of Speke and Burton connected with those of Dr. Barth.--The Atlantika Mountains.--The River Benoue.--The City of Yola.--The Bagele.--Mount Mendif
CHAPTER THIRTIETH.
Mosfeia.--The Sheik.--Denham, Clapperton, and Oudney.--Vogel.--The Capital of Loggoum.--Toole.--Becalmed above Kernak.--The Governor and his Court. --The Attack.--The Incendiary Pigeons
CHAPTER THIRTY-FIRST.
Departure in the Night-time.--All Three.--Kennedy's Instincts.--Precautions.-- The Course of the Shari River.--Lake Tchad.--The Water of the Lake.--The Hippopotamus.--One Bullet thrown away
CHAPTER THIRTY-SECOND.
The Capital of Bornou.--The Islands of the Biddiomahs.--The Condors.--The Doctor's Anxieties.--His Precautions.--An Attack in Mid-air.--The Balloon Covering torn.--The Fall.--Sublime Self-Sacrifice.--The Northern Coast of the Lake
CHAPTER THIRTY-THIRD.
Conjectures.--Reestablishment of the Victoria's Equilibrium.--Dr. Ferguson's New Calculations.--Kennedy's Hunt.--A Complete Exploration of Lake Tchad.--Tangalia.--The Return.--Lari
CHAPTER THIRTY-FOURTH.
The Hurricane.--A Forced Departure.--Loss of an Anchor.--Melancholy Reflections.--The Resolution adopted.--The Sand-Storm.--The Buried Caravan.-- A Contrary yet Favorable Wind.--The Return southward.--Kennedy at his Post
CHAPTER THIRTY-FIFTH.
What happened to Joe.--The Island of the Biddiomahs.--The Adoration shown him.--The Island that sank.--The Shores of the Lake.--The Tree of the Serpents.--The Foot-Tramp.--Terrible Suffering.--Mosquitoes and Ants.-- Hunger.--The Victoria seen.--She disappears.--The Swamp.--One Last Despairing Cry
CHAPTER THIRTY-SIXTH.
A Throng of People on the Horizon.--A Troop of Arabs.--The Pursuit.--It is He.--Fall from Horseback.--The Strangled Arab.--A Ball from Kennedy.-- Adroit Manoeuvres.--Caught up flying.--Joe saved at last
CHAPTER THIRTY-SEVENTH.
The Western Route.--Joe wakes up.--His Obstinacy.--End of Joe's Narrative. --Tagelei.--Kennedy's Anxieties.--The Route to the North.--A Night near Aghades
CHAPTER THIRTY-EIGHTH.
A Rapid Passage.--Prudent Resolves.--Caravans in Sight.--Incessant Rains.-- Goa.--The Niger.--Golberry, Geoffroy, and Gray.--Mungo Park.--Laing.-- Rene Caillie.--Clapperton.--John and Richard Lander
CHAPTER THIRTY-NINTH.
The Country in the Elbow of the Niger.--A Fantastic View of the Hombori Mountains.--Kabra.--Timbuctoo.--The Chart of Dr. Barth.--A Decaying City.-- Whither Heaven wills
CHAPTER FORTIETH.
Dr. Ferguson's Anxieties.--Persistent Movement southward.--A Cloud of Grasshoppers.--A View of Jenne.--A View of Sego.--Change of the Wind.-- Joe's Regrets
CHAPTER FORTY-FIRST.
The Approaches to Senegal.--The Balloon sinks lower and lower.--They keep throwing out, throwing out.--The Marabout Al-Hadji.--Messrs. Pascal, Vincent, and Lambert.--A Rival of Mohammed.--The Difficult Mountains. --Kennedy's Weapons.--One of Joe's Manoeuvres.--A Halt over a Forest
CHAPTER FORTY-SECOND.
A Struggle of Generosity.--The Last Sacrifice.--The Dilating Apparatus.--Joe's Adroitness.--Midnight.--The Doctor's Watch.--Kennedy's Watch.--The Latter falls asleep at his Post.--The Fire.--The Howlings of the Natives.--Out of Range
CHAPTER FORTY-THIRD.
The Talabas.--The Pursuit.--A Devastated Country.--The Wind begins to fall.--The Victoria sinks.--The last of the Provisions.--The Leaps of the Balloon.--A Defence with Fire-arms.--The Wind freshens.--The Senegal River.--The Cataracts of Gouina.--The Hot Air.--The Passage of the River
CHAPTER FORTY-FOURTH.
Conclusion.--The Certificate.--The French Settlements.--The Post of Medina.-- The Battle.--Saint Louis.--The English Frigate.--The Return to London.
1862 nián 1 yuè 14 rì， huá tiě lú guǎng chǎng 13 hào， lún dūn huáng jiā dì lǐ xué huì de yī cì huì yì shàng， tīng zhòng rú yún。 xué huì zhù xí fú lǎng xī sī ·M×× jué shì zài xiàng tā kě jìng de tóng xíng men zuò yīcháng zhòng yào de xué shù bào gào。 tā de huà cháng cháng bèi zhèn zhèn zhǎng shēng dǎ duàn。 jué shì zuì hòu yòng jǐ jù kāng kǎi jī 'áng de huà jié shù liǎo zhè cì shǎo yòu de dòng rén yǎn jiǎng。 zhè jǐ jù huà zhōng yáng yì zhe wú bǐ bǎo mǎn de 'ài guó zhù yì：
“ yīng guó yī zhí lǐng xiān yú shì jiè gè guó（ yīn wéi dà jiā yǐ zhù yì dào， guó jiā de qián jìn zǒng shì yòu qián yòu hòu）， zhè wán quán shì yīng guó lǚ hángjiā zài dì lǐ tàn xiǎn zhōng de dà wú wèi jīng shén suǒ zhì（ quán chǎng fā chū zàn tóng shēng）。 fú gé sēn · fú gé sēn bó shì， jiù shì yīng guó guāng róng 'ér nǚ zhōng de yī wèi。 tā shì bù huì gū fù zǔ guó de zhòng tuō de（ sì chù xiǎng qǐ fù hé shēng： bù huì de！ bù huì de！）。 zhè cì cháng shì jiǎ rú chéng gōng（ huì chéng gōng de！）， jiù néng bǎ wǒ men zài fēi zhōu dì tú xué fāng miàn língsan de jī běn zhī shí bǔ chōng wán zhěng， shǐ zhī chéng wéi yī tǐ。 bù guò rú guǒ shī bài liǎo（ jué bù huì！ jué bù huì！）， zhì shǎo yě jiāng zuò wéi rén lèi zuì dà dǎn de shè xiǎng zhī yī 'ér yǒng cún（ quán chǎng kuáng rè dùn zú）！”
“ wū lā！ wū lā！” zhè fān liáo rén xīn dòng de huà shǐ dé qún qíng jī fèn， qí shēng gāo hū。
“ wú wèi de fú gé sēn wàn suì！” yī wèi jí dù dòng qíng de tīng zhòng bù yóu dì hǎn jiào dào。
rè qíng de huān hū shēng sì qǐ， zhòng rén yì kǒu tóng shēng dì fā chū fú gé sēn de míng zì， zhěng gè huì yì tīng bèi zhèn dé dǒu dòng qǐ lái。 wǒ men yòu chōng fēn lǐ yóu xiāng xìn， jīng guò yīng guó rén de sǎng mén hū hǎn， fú gé sēn zhè gè míng zì jiāng gèng shòu rén zūn jìng liǎo。
zhè 'ér xǔ duō rén céng shì dà dǎn de tàn xiǎn jiā。 hàodòng de tiān xìng shǐ dé tā men duō me xiǎng zǒu biàn shì jiè de wǔ dà zhōu！ bù guò tā men suī rén shù zhòng duō， què dū lǎo liǎo， pí bèi liǎo。 suǒ yòu de rén zài ròu tǐ shàng、 jīng shén shàng huò duō huò shǎo dì táo tuō guò yī cì cì sǐ wáng de wēi xié： hǎi shàng shī shì、 huǒ zāi、 yìn dì 'ān rén de zhàn fǔ、 yě rén de gùn bàng、 kù xíng、 bō lì ní xī yà rén ① de bǔ shí。 bù guò， dāng fú lǎng xī sī ·M×× jué shì yǎn jiǎng shí， tā men de xīn réng rán jìn bù zhù dì pēng pēng tiào qǐ lái。 yào zhī dào， zhè chǎng yǎn shuō kěn dìng shì lún dūn huáng jiā dì lǐ xué huì yòu shǐ yǐ lái zuì wéi jīng cǎi de。
① zhōng tài píng yáng de qún dǎo， yì wéi“ duō dǎo qún dǎo”， zhù yào bāo kuò xià wēi yí qún dǎo， tānɡ jiā qún dǎo děng。
dàn shì zài yīng guó， rè qíng bù jǐn jǐn tíng liú zài kǒu tóu shàng。 yòng tā zhù zào qián bì bǐ“ huáng jiā zào bì chǎng” de zhù bì jī lái dé hái yào kuài。 huì yì guò chéng zhōng， lì jí biǎo jué tōng guò liǎo gěi fú gé sēn bó shì yī bǐ cù jìn huó dòng jīn， qiě shù mù gāo dá 2500 yīng bàng（ jí 62500 fǎ láng）。 zhè me yī dà bǐ kuǎn zǐ qià qià shuō míng zhè xiàng shì yè yòu duō me zhòng yào。
yī wèi xué huì chéng yuán xiàng zhù xí dǎ liǎo gè zhāo hū， xún wèn shì fǒu néng bǎ fú gé sēn bó shì zhèng shì jiè shào gěi dà jiā。
“ bó shì zài tīng hòu dà jiā de fēn fù。” fú lǎng xī sī ·M×× jué shì dá dào。
“ ràng tā jìn lái！ ràng tā jìn lái！” rén men gāo hū，“ yīnggāi qīn yǎn jiàn jiàn zhè wèi jié chū、 yǒng gǎn de rén！”
“ zhè gè tàn xiǎn zhù zhāng lìng rén nán yǐ zhì xìn， yě xǔ zhǐ shì piàn piàn wǒ men bà liǎo！” yī wèi shēn tǐ zhòngfēng de lǎo chuán cháng shuō。
“ yě xǔ， fú gé sēn bó shì gēn běn jiù bù cún zài！” yī gè rén 'è yì dì jiào dào。
“ nà jiù gāi bǎ tā xū gòu chū lái！” zhè gè yán sù de xué huì zhōng yī wèi 'ài kāi wán xiào de huì yuán dá dào。
“ qǐng fú gé sēn bó shì jìn lái bā。” fú lǎng xī sī ·M×× jué shì shuǎng kuài dì shuō。
yú shì， bó shì zài léi míng bān de zhǎng shēng zhōng cóng róng bù pò dì bù rù dà tīng， sī háo bù lù shēng sè。
zhè shì wèi sì shí suì zuǒ yòu de nán zǐ， zhōng děng shēn cái， tǐ gé píng cháng， guò yú hóng rùn de miàn róng xiǎn lù chū duō xuè zhì de tè zhēng。 tā shén sè zhèn dìng， xiàngmào duān zhèng， liǎn shàng cháng zhe yī gè dà bí zǐ。 rén lèi jù lún chuán tóu bān de zhè gè bí zǐ jiù xiàng tiān shēng wéi tàn xiǎn 'ér shēng de。 cí xiáng de yǎn jīng lǐ shǎn shuò zhe yǒng gǎn， gèng duō shì zhì huì de guāng máng， tā de róng mào chǎn shēng yī zhǒng qiáng dà de mó lì。 tā de shuāng bì hěn cháng， shuāng jiǎo yǐ dà bù hángjiā tè yòu de píng wěn láo láo dì cǎi zài dà dì shàng。
bó shì de zhěng gè wài mào xiǎn lù chū 'ān jìng yǔ yán sù。 tā zěn me néng shì nà zhǒng gān zuì wú zhī de qī piàn gòu dāng de rén ní， shuídōu bù huì duì tā yòu zhè zhǒng xiǎng fǎ。
yīn cǐ， zhí dào fú gé sēn bó shì yòng yǒu hǎo de shǒu shì qǐng dà jiā 'ān jìng shí， jiào hǎo shēng hé zhǎng shēng cái píng xī xià lái。 tā xiàng wèitā zuò zì wǒ jiè shào zhǔn bèi de 'ān lè yǐ zǒu qù， suí hòu， zhàn zài nà 'ér yī dòng bù dòng， mù guāng jiǒng jiǒng yòu shén dì níng shì huì chǎng。 zhǐ jiàn tā jǔ qǐ yòu shǒu， shí zhǐ zhǐ xiàng kōng zhōng， zhāng kāi kǒu， zhǐ shuō liǎo yī gè zì：
“ Excelsior！”
jué liǎo！ wú lùn bù lài tè① hé kē bù dēng ② guó huì shàng de yì wài zhì xún， hái shì pà sī dùn gōng jué wéi jiā gù yīng guó qiào bì hǎi fáng gōng shì shēn qǐng tè bié zī jīn， dū cóng wèi huò dé guò rú cǐ huān yíng。 qí rè liè chéng dù chāo guò fú lǎng xī sī ·M×× jué shì de yǎn jiǎng， shèn zhì gèng gāo。 bó shì biǎo xiàn dé jì gāo shàng、 wěi dà， yòu qiān xū、 shěn shèn。 tā gāng cái shuō liǎo yī gè hěn hé shí yí de zì：
① 1811 héng 1889， yīng guó zì yóu dǎng de jiā， yǐ xióng biàn zhù chēng。
② 1804 héng 1865， yīng guó jiā， xià yuàn yì yuán。
“ Excelsior ③！”
③ lā dīng yǔ， yì sī shì gāo shàng de， bù duàn xiàng shàng de。
lǎo chuán cháng zhé fú liǎo， zhuǎn 'ér jiān jué dì zhàn dào zhè wèi wài lái rén yī biān。 tā qǐng qiú bǎ fú gé sēn de yǎn shuō“ wán zhěng dì” kān dēng zài“ theProceedingsoftheRoyalGeographicalSocietyofLondon”《 lún dūn huáng jiā dì lǐ xué huì huì bào》 shàng。
zhè wèi bó shì dào dǐ shì hé xǔ rén？ tā dǎ suàn tóu shēn yú shénme shì yè？
nián qīng de fú gé sēn， fù qīn shì yīng guó hǎi yùn yè yī míng zhèng zhí de chuán cháng。 zài fú gé sēn hěn xiǎo de shí hòu， chuán cháng jiù ràng 'ér zǐ gēn tā yī tóng tǐ yàn tā nà zhǒng zhí yè shēng yá zhōng wēi xiǎn de zī wèi hé mào xiǎn de lè qù。 zhè gè kě 'ài de hái zǐ sì hū cóng lái bù zhī dào hài pà， hěn kuài jiù xiǎn shì chū tóu nǎo líng huó， shàn yú sī kǎo， wú bǐ zhōng qíng yú kē xué shì yè de cháng chù。 cǐ wài， tā hái biǎo xiàn chū liǎo bǎi tuō kùn jìng de fēi fán cái zhì。 tā cóng wèi bèi nán zhù guò， shèn zhì chū cì yòng chā zǐ chī fàn shí jiù xiǎn dé hěn lǎo liàn。 dà jiādōu qīng chǔ， yī bān shuō lái hái zǐ men hěn shǎo yī kāi shǐ jiù huì yòng chā zǐ de。
duì mào xiǎn hé háng hǎi tàn xiǎn zhī lèi shū jí de yuè dú hěn kuài rán qǐ liǎo tā de huàn xiǎng。 tā zhí mí dì guān zhù qǐ shí jiǔ shì jì chū qī de nà xiē zhòng yào fā xiàn。 tā mèng xiǎng huò dé méng gē · pà kè①、 bù lǔ sī②、 kǎ yé③、 lè wǎ yáng huò dé de nà zhǒng róng yù。 nǎ pà huò dé shǎo xǔ sài 'ěr kòu kè ④ nà zhǒng lǔ bīn xùn shì de róng yù， tā jué dé yě bù huài。 tā yǔ sài 'ěr kòu kè yī qǐ zài hú 'ān · fèi 'ěr nán dé sī dǎo shàng dù guò liǎo duō shǎo shí guāng 'ā！ tā cháng cháng zàn chéng zhè wèi bèi pāo qì de shuǐ shǒu de kàn fǎ， yòu shí yě duì tā de jìhuà hé shè jì tí chū yì yì。 nián qīng de fú gé sēn rèn wéi， rú guǒ huàn liǎo tā， tā huì cǎi qǔ bié de zuò fǎ， nà yàng huò xǔ gèng hǎo， qǐ mǎ gānde bù huì lài！ rán 'ér， shì qíng míng bǎi zhe， rú guǒ huàn liǎo tā， jué bù huì duǒ bì kāi nà gè lìng rén fēi cháng kuài lè de xiǎo dǎo de。 zài nà 'ér， tā huì kuài huó dé xiàng yī gè méi yòu chén mín de jūn wáng ……。 jí shǐ jiào tā dāng hǎi jūn bù dà chén， yě jué bù lí kāi！
① 1771 héng yuē 1806， sū gé lán tàn xiǎn jiā， céng dào ní rì 'ér hé tàn xiǎn， zhe yòu《 fēi zhōu nèi dì lǚ xíng》 yī shū。
② 1730 héng 1794， sū gé lán tàn xiǎn jiā， 1790 nián chū bǎn《 ní luó hé yuán tóu tàn xíng jì》。
③ 1799 héng yuē 1838， fǎ guó tàn xiǎn jiā， fǎng wèn tíng bā tú kè hòu shēng hái de dì yī wèi 'ōu zhōu rén。
④ 1676 héng 1721， sū gé lán shuǐ shǒu， hǎi dào， yīn yǔ chuán cháng zhēng chǎo 'ér zài hú 'ān · fèi 'ěr nán dé sī qún dǎo zhōng de mǎ sà tiě lā dǎo dòu liú liǎo 5 nián。 tā shì dí fú suǒ zhe《 lǔ bīn xùn piào liú jì》 zhōng zhù rén gōng de yuán xíng。
kě yǐ xiǎng xiàng dé dào， fú gé sēn nián qīng shí dài zài shì jiè gè dì jìn xíng mào xiǎn huó dòng qī jiān， tā de zhè xiē qīng xiàng fā zhǎn dào liǎo shénme dì bù。 fú gé sēn de fù qīn shì wèi yòu jiàn shí de rén， zì rán bù huì hū lüè fā zhǎn hái zǐ mǐn jié de zhì lì。 tā ràng 'ér zǐ rèn zhēn xué xí liǎo shuǐ wén xué、 wù lǐ xué hé lì xué， cǐ wài， yòu fù dài ràng tā xué liǎo yī diǎn 'ér zhí wù xué、 yī xué hé tiān wén xué fāng miàn de zhī shí。
kě jìng de chuán cháng qù shì shí， fú gé sēn · fú gé sēn 22 suì， dàn shì yǐ jīng zhōu yóu liǎo shì jiè。 tā céng jiā rù guò mèng jiā lā gōng chéng bīng bù duì， ér qiě zài hǎo duō cì zhàn dǒu zhōng lì gōng。 rán 'ér， tā duì zhè zhǒng jūn rén shēng huó bìng bù mǎn yì。 tā bù yuàn yì zhǐ huī bié rén， yě bù xǐ huān bié rén duì tā yāo sān hē sì。 tā tí chū liǎo tuì yì。 ér hòu， tā biān dǎ liè， biān cǎi jí zhí wù， chóngxīn dēng chéng qù yìn dù bàn dǎo běi fāng lǚ xíng。 cóng jiā 'ěr gē dá dào sū lā tè， tā chuān yuè liǎo zhěng gè bàn dǎo。 duì tā lái shuō， zhè bù guò shì lǚ xíng 'àihào zhě de yī cì píng cháng sàn bù 'ér yǐ。
zài sū lā tè， wǒ men kàn jiàn tā dòng shēn qù liǎo 'ào dà lì yà。 1845 nián， tā zài nà lǐ cān jiā liǎo sī tè 'ěr tè① chuán cháng de yuǎn zhēng tàn xiǎn duì， zhè zhī tàn xiǎn duì shòu wěi tuō xún zhǎo rén men cāi xiǎng cún zài yú xīn hé lán② zhōng bù de nà gè nèi lù hǎi。
① 1759 héng 1869， ào dà lì yà tàn xiǎn jiā， zhe yòu《 shēn rù 'ào dà lì yà nán bù de liǎng cì tàn xiǎn》 hé《 ào dà lì yà zhōng bù tàn xiǎn jì》。
② ào dà lì yà de jiù míng。
fú gé sēn · fú gé sēn zài 1850 nián qián hòu fǎn huí yīng guó， ér qiě bǐ yǐ wǎng rèn hé shí hòu dū gèng zháomó yú lǚ xíng tàn xiǎn。 tā yòu qù yuǎn zhēng duì péi tóng mài kè · lǔ 'ěr chuán cháng yī qǐ cóng bái lìng hǎi xiá huán rào měi zhōu dà lù dào dá fèi 'ěr wéi 'ěr jiǎo③。 zhè cì yuǎn zhēng zhí dào 1853 nián cái gào jié shù。
③ wèi yú xīn xī lán。
bù guǎn shénme yàng de láo dùn kùn kǔ， wú lùn qì hòu rú hé 'è liè， fú gé sēn de tǐ zhì jū rán bù kě sī yì dì dǐ dǎng dé zhù。 shèn zhì zài yī wú suǒ yòu de zuì 'è liè huán jìng zhōng， tā yě néng shēng huó dé yōu rán zì dé。 tā shì nà lèi dì dào de lǚ xíng jiā： wèi kě yǐ rèn yì shōu suō、 kuò zhāng； tuǐ kě yǐ 'àn lín shí chuáng pū de cháng duǎn quán qū shēn zhǎn； bái tiān suí shí kě yǐ rù shuì， wǎn jiān suí shí néng xǐng lái。
yīn cǐ， wǒ men fā xiàn zhè wèi yǒng bù zhī pí juàn de lǚ xíng jiā， zài shī lā jīng tè wèi tè xiōng dì de péi tóng xià， cóng 1855 dào 1857 nián fǎng wèn liǎo de zhěng gè xī bù dì qū， bìng qiě dài huí yī xiē xī qí de rén zhòngxué fāng miàn de guān chá bào gào， yě jiù bùzúwèi guài liǎo。
zài zhè jǐ cì lǚ yóu qī jiān， fú gé sēn · fú gé sēn chéng liǎo《 měi rì diàn xìn bào》 zuì huó yuè、 zuì yǐn rén zhù mùdì tōng xìn yuán。 zhè jiā bào zhǐ hěn piányí， yī biàn shì jiù néng mǎi yī fèn。 gāi bào de rì fā xíng liàng suī gāo dá 14 wàn fèn， bù guò jǐn miǎnqiǎng mǎn zú shù wàn dú zhě de xū yào 'ér yǐ。 suǒ yǐ， jìn guǎn fú gé sēn bó shì bù shì rèn hé xué zhě tuán tǐ de chéng yuán， jì bù shì lún dūn、 bā lí、 bólín、 wéi yě nà huò shèng · bǐ dé bǎo huáng jiā dì lǐ xué huì chéng yuán， yě bù shì lǚ xíng zhě jù lè bù de chéng yuán， gèng bù shì huáng jiā gōng yì xué huì chéng yuán（ tā de péng yǒu tǒng jì xué jiā kē kè bó 'ēn shì gāi huì tóu miàn rén wù）， tā de míng zì réng rán wéi rén shú zhī。 yòu yī tiān， tā de zhè wèi xué zhě péng yǒu dòu tā xínkāixīn， shèn zhì yào tā jiě dá zhè me yī gè wèn tí： yǐ zhī bó shì huán rào dì qiú zǒu guò de lǐ shù， yóu yú bàn jìng bù tóng， wèn tā de tóu bǐ jiǎo duō xíng duō shǎo lǐ lù？ huò zhě shuō yǐ zhī bó shì de jiǎo hé tóu jīng guò de lǐ shù， jīng què suàn chū tā de shēn gāo， wù chā bù chāo guò 1 fǎ cùn（ 1 fǎ cùn yuē hé 2.25 háo mǐ）。 dàn shì， fú gé sēn duì nà xiē xué zhě tuán tǐ zǒng shì jìng 'ér yuǎn zhī。 yīn wéi tā shì mái tóu shí gān、 bù yuàn duō yán de rén， tā rèn wéi bǎ shí jiān yòng yú tàn suǒ hé fā xiàn bǐ zhēng lái lùn qù、 gāo tán kuò lùn qiáng dé duō。
jù shuō， yī tiān yī wèi yīng guó rén tè yì lái rì nèi wǎ guān shǎng rì nèi wǎ hú。 tā shàng liǎo yī liàng lǎo shì mǎ chē， zhè zhǒng chē xiàng gōng gòng mǎ chē yī yàng， zuò wèi zài chē nèi de liǎng cè。 wú qiǎo bù chéng shū， wǒ men zhè wèi yīng guó rén qià qià bèi 'ān pái zuò zài bèi duì hú de yī cè。 chē wěn wěn dì rào hú yī juàn， zhè qī jiān tā shèn zhì jiù méi xiǎng dào niǔ huí tóu qù qiáo yī yǎn， zuì hòu， jìng rán hái gāo gāo xīng xīng dì lí kāi rì nèi wǎ hú huí lún dūn liǎo。
fú gé sēn bó shì zài lǚ xíng qī jiān què huí guò tóu， ér qiě hái bù zhǐ yī cì。 zhèng yīn wéi rú cǐ， tā cái kàn dào liǎo xǔ duō dōng xī。 zài shuō， zhè yě shì tā de tiān xìng suǒ zhì。 wǒ men yòu chōng fēn lǐ yóu xiāng xìn tā yòu diǎn sù mìng lùn sī xiǎng。 qí shí tā jiù shì wèi chè tóu chè wěi de sù mìng lùn zhě。 tā xiāng xìn mìng yùn， shèn zhì xiāng xìn tiān yì。 tā jué dé zì jǐ yǔ qí shuō shì bèi xī yǐn， dǎo bù rú shuō shì bèi mǒu zhǒng lì liàng qū shǐ， qù lǚ xíng hé zhōu yóu shì jiè de。 jiù xiàng yī liàng huǒ chē tóu， bù shì zì jǐ yǐn zhe zì jǐ zǒu， ér shì dào lù lǐng zhe zǒu。
“ wǒ shì bù gǎn lù de， shì lù zài gǎn wǒ。” tā cháng cháng zhè yàng shuō。 suǒ yǐ， nán guài tā nà me zhèn jìng dì miàn duì huáng jiā xué huì de zhǎng shēng liǎo。 tā méi yòu sī háo 'ào qì， yě méi bàn diǎn xū róng。 tā bù zài yì zhè xiē xiǎo shì。 tā rèn wéi gěi fú lǎng xī sī ·M×× jué shì tán de zhè gè jiàn yì hěn píng cháng， yīn cǐ， yā gēn 'ér jiù méi fā jué zì jǐ jìng yóu cǐ yǐn qǐ jù dà bō lán， chéng liǎo fēng yún rén wù。
huì yì jié shù hòu， yòu rén péi tóng bó shì lái dào pà 'ěr mǎ 'ěr dà jiē de“ lǚ xíng zhě jù lè bù”。 zài nà lǐ， dà jiā wèitā jǔ bàn liǎo yīcháng shèng dà de yàn huì。 cóng fàn zhuō shàng yú de dà xiǎo kě kàn chū bèi yāo de rén wù hé děng zhòng yào。 yóu qí shì bān dào yán xí zhōng de nà tiáo xún yú， shēn zǐ jīhū yǔ fú gé sēn · fú gé sēn běn rén yī yàng cháng。
rén men tòng yǐn zhe gè zhǒng fǎ guó pú táo jiǔ， wéi zài fēi zhōu dà lù tàn xiǎn 'ér xiǎng yòu shèng yù de lǚ xíng jiā men pín pín jǔ bēi zhì yì。 wèitā men de jiàn kāng 'ér gān， wèitā men de róng yù 'ér hē。 rén men shèn zhì 'àn zhào lǚ xíng jiā men míng zì de zì mǔ shùn xù（ zhè kě shì dì dì dào dào yīng guó huà de） yǐ cì zhù jiǔ： ā bā dí、 yà dāng sī、 yà dāng sēn 'ān dé sēn、 wéi……①。 zuì hòu， wéi fú gé sēn · fú gé sēn bó shì jǔ bēi。 hòu zhě yì yù yòng tā fēi tóng xún cháng de cháng shì， bǎ qián miàn zhè xiē zhù míng lǚ xíng jiā de láo dòng chéng guǒ huì chéng yī tǐ， bǔ chōng wán bèi yòu guān fēi zhōu dà fā xiàn fāng miàn de xì liè cái liào。
① yuán zhe cǐ chù liè jǔ liǎo jìn yī bǎi 'èr shí gè lǚ xíng jiā de míng zì， běn wén shěng lüè。
OR,
JOURNEYS AND DISCOVERIES IN AFRICA BY THREE ENGLISHMEN.
COMPILED IN FRENCH
BY JULES VERNE,
FROM THE ORIGINAL NOTES OF DR. FERGUSON.
AND DONE INTO ENGLISH BY
"WILLIAM LACKLAND."
PUBLISHERS' NOTE.
"Five Weeks in a Balloon" is, in a measure, a satire on modern books of African travel. So far as the geography, the inhabitants, the animals, and the features of the countries the travellers pass over are described, it is entirely accurate. It gives, in some particulars, a survey of nearly the whole field of African discovery, and in this way will often serve to refresh the memory of the reader. The mode of locomotion is, of course, purely imaginary, and the incidents and adventures fictitious. The latter are abundantly amusing, and, in view of the wonderful "travellers' tales" with which we have been entertained by African explorers, they can scarcely be considered extravagant; while the ingenuity and invention of the author will be sure to excite the surprise and the admiration of the reader, who will find M. VERNE as much at home in voyaging through the air as in journeying "Twenty Thousand Leagues under the Seas."
CONTENTS.
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CHAPTER FIRST.
The End of a much-applauded Speech.--The Presentation of Dr. Samuel Ferguson. --Excelsior.--Full-length Portrait of the Doctor.--A Fatalist convinced. --A Dinner at the Travellers' Club.--Several Toasts for the Occasion
CHAPTER SECOND.
The Article in the Daily Telegraph.--War between the Scientific Journals.-- Mr. Petermann backs his Friend Dr. Ferguson.--Reply of the Savant Koner. --Bets made.--Sundry Propositions offered to the Doctor
CHAPTER THIRD.
The Doctor's Friend.--The Origin of their Friendship.--Dick Kennedy at London. --An unexpected but not very consoling Proposal.--A Proverb by no means cheering.--A few Names from the African Martyrology.--The Advantages of a Balloon.--Dr. Ferguson's Secret
CHAPTER FOURTH.
African Explorations.--Barth, Richardson, Overweg, Werne, Brun-Rollet, Penney, Andrea, Debono, Miani, Guillaume Lejean, Brace, Krapf and Rebmann, Maizan, Roscher, Burton and Speke
CHAPTER FIFTH.
Kennedy's Dreams.--Articles and Pronouns in the Plural.--Dick's Insinuations. --A Promenade over the Map of Africa.--What is contained between two Points of the Compass.--Expeditions now on foot.--Speke and Grant.--Krapf, De Decken, and De Heuglin
CHAPTER SIXTH.
A Servant--match him!--He can see the Satellites of Jupiter.--Dick and Joe hard at it.--Doubt and Faith.--The Weighing Ceremony.--Joe and Wellington. --He gets a Half-crown
CHAPTER SEVENTH.
Geometrical Details.--Calculation of the Capacity of the Balloon.--The Double Receptacle.--The Covering.--The Car.--The Mysterious Apparatus.--The Provisions and Stores.--The Final Summing up
CHAPTER EIGHTH.
Joe's Importance.--The Commander of the Resolute.--Kennedy's Arsenal. --Mutual Amenities.--The Farewell Dinner.--Departure on the 21st of February.-- The Doctor's Scientific Sessions.--Duveyrier.--Livingstone.--Details of the Aerial Voyage.--Kennedy silenced
CHAPTER NINTH.
They double the Cape.--The Forecastle.--A Course of Cosmography by Professor Joe.--Concerning the Method of guiding Balloons.--How to seek out Atmospheric Currents.--Eureka
CHAPTER TENTH.
Former Experiments.--The Doctor's Five Receptacles.--The Gas Cylinder.-- The Calorifere.--The System of Manoeuvring.--Success certain
CHAPTER ELEVENTH.
The Arrival at Zanzibar.--The English Consul.--Ill-will of the Inhabitants.--The Island of Koumbeni.--The Rain-Makers.--Inflation of the Balloon.--Departure on the 18th of April.--The last Good-by.--The Victoria
CHAPTER TWELFTH.
Crossing the Strait.--The Mrima.--Dick's Remark and Joe's Proposition.--A Recipe for Coffee-making.--The Uzaramo.--The Unfortunate Maizan.-- Mount Duthumi.--The Doctor's Cards.--Night under a Nopal
CHAPTER THIRTEENTH.
Change of Weather.--Kennedy has the Fever.--The Doctor's Medicine.--Travels on Land.--The Basin of Imenge.--Mount Rubeho.--Six Thousand Feet Elevation.--A Halt in the Daytime
CHAPTER FOURTEENTH.
The Forest of Gum-Trees.--The Blue Antelope.--The Rallying-Signal.--An Unexpected Attack.--The Kanyeme.--A Night in the Open Air.--The Mabunguru.--Jihoue-la-Mkoa.--A Supply of Water.--Arrival at Kazeh
CHAPTER FIFTEENTH.
Kazeh.--The Noisy Market-place.--The Appearance of the Balloon.--The Wangaga. --The Sons of the Moon.--The Doctor's Walk.--The Population of the Place.--The Royal Tembe.--The Sultan's Wives.--A Royal Drunken-Bout.-- Joe an Object of Worship.--How they Dance in the Moon.--A Reaction.-- Two Moons in one Sky.--The Instability of Divine Honors
CHAPTER SIXTEENTH.
Symptoms of a Storm.--The Country of the Moon.--The Future of the African Continent.--The Last Machine of all.--A View of the Country at Sunset.-- Flora and Fauna.--The Tempest.--The Zone of Fire.--The Starry Heavens.
CHAPTER SEVENTEENTH.
The Mountains of the Moon.--An Ocean of Venture.--They cast Anchor.--The Towing Elephant.--A Running Fire.--Death of the Monster.--The Field Oven.--A Meal on the Grass.--A Night on the Ground
CHAPTER EIGHTEENTH.
The Karagwah.--Lake Ukereoue.--A Night on an Island.--The Equator. --Crossing the Lake.--The Cascades.--A View of the Country.--The Sources of the Nile.--The Island of Benga.--The Signature of Andrea Debono.--The Flag with the Arms of England
CHAPTER NINETEENTH.
The Nile.--The Trembling Mountain.--A Remembrance of the Country.--The Narratives of the Arabs.--The Nyam-Nyams.--Joe's Shrewd Cogitations.-- The Balloon runs the Gantlet.--Aerostatic Ascensions.--Madame Blanchard.
CHAPTER TWENTIETH.
The Celestial Bottle.--The Fig-Palms.--The Mammoth Trees.--The Tree of War. --The Winged Team.--Two Native Tribes in Battle.--A Massacre.--An Intervention from above
CHAPTER TWENTY-FIRST.
Strange Sounds.--A Night Attack.--Kennedy and Joe in the Tree.--Two Shots. --"Help! help!"--Reply in French.--The Morning.--The Missionary.--The Plan of Rescue
CHAPTER TWENTY-SECOND.
The Jet of Light.--The Missionary.--The Rescue in a Ray of Electricity.--A Lazarist Priest.--But little Hope.--The Doctor's Care.--A Life of Self-Denial. --Passing a Volcano
CHAPTER TWENTY-THIRD.
Joe in a Fit of Rage.--The Death of a Good Man.--The Night of watching by the Body.--Barrenness and Drought.--The Burial.--The Quartz Rocks.--Joe's Hallucinations.--A Precious Ballast.--A Survey of the Gold-bearing Mountains. --The Beginning of Joe's Despair
CHAPTER TWENTY-FOURTH.
The Wind dies away.--The Vicinity of the Desert.--The Mistake in the WaterSupply.--The Nights of the Equator.--Dr. Ferguson's Anxieties. --The Situation flatly stated.--Energetic Replies of Kennedy and Joe. --One Night more
CHAPTER TWENTY-FIFTH.
A Little Philosophy.--A Cloud on the Horizon.--In the Midst of a Fog.--The Strange Balloon.--An Exact View of the Victoria.--The Palm-Trees.--Traces of a Caravan.--The Well in the Midst of the Desert
CHAPTER TWENTY-SIXTH.
One Hundred and Thirteen Degrees.--The Doctor's Reflections.--A Desperate Search.--The Cylinder goes out.--One Hundred and Twenty-two Degrees.-- Contemplation of the Desert.--A Night Walk.--Solitude.--Debility.--Joe's Prospects.--He gives himself One Day more
CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVENTH.
Terrific Heat.--Hallucinations.--The Last Drops of Water.--Nights of Despair. --An Attempt at Suicide.--The Simoom.--The Oasis.--The Lion and Lioness.
CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHTH.
An Evening of Delight.--Joe's Culinary Performances.--A Dissertation on Raw Meat.--The Narrative of James Bruce.--Camping out.--Joe's Dreams.--The Barometer begins to fall.--The Barometer rises again.--Preparations for Departure.--The Tempest
CHAPTER TWENTY-NINTH.
Signs of Vegetation.--The Fantastic Notion of a French Author.--A Magnificent Country.--The Kingdom of Adamova.--The Explorations of Speke and Burton connected with those of Dr. Barth.--The Atlantika Mountains.--The River Benoue.--The City of Yola.--The Bagele.--Mount Mendif
CHAPTER THIRTIETH.
Mosfeia.--The Sheik.--Denham, Clapperton, and Oudney.--Vogel.--The Capital of Loggoum.--Toole.--Becalmed above Kernak.--The Governor and his Court. --The Attack.--The Incendiary Pigeons
CHAPTER THIRTY-FIRST.
Departure in the Night-time.--All Three.--Kennedy's Instincts.--Precautions.-- The Course of the Shari River.--Lake Tchad.--The Water of the Lake.--The Hippopotamus.--One Bullet thrown away
CHAPTER THIRTY-SECOND.
The Capital of Bornou.--The Islands of the Biddiomahs.--The Condors.--The Doctor's Anxieties.--His Precautions.--An Attack in Mid-air.--The Balloon Covering torn.--The Fall.--Sublime Self-Sacrifice.--The Northern Coast of the Lake
CHAPTER THIRTY-THIRD.
Conjectures.--Reestablishment of the Victoria's Equilibrium.--Dr. Ferguson's New Calculations.--Kennedy's Hunt.--A Complete Exploration of Lake Tchad.--Tangalia.--The Return.--Lari
CHAPTER THIRTY-FOURTH.
The Hurricane.--A Forced Departure.--Loss of an Anchor.--Melancholy Reflections.--The Resolution adopted.--The Sand-Storm.--The Buried Caravan.-- A Contrary yet Favorable Wind.--The Return southward.--Kennedy at his Post
CHAPTER THIRTY-FIFTH.
What happened to Joe.--The Island of the Biddiomahs.--The Adoration shown him.--The Island that sank.--The Shores of the Lake.--The Tree of the Serpents.--The Foot-Tramp.--Terrible Suffering.--Mosquitoes and Ants.-- Hunger.--The Victoria seen.--She disappears.--The Swamp.--One Last Despairing Cry
CHAPTER THIRTY-SIXTH.
A Throng of People on the Horizon.--A Troop of Arabs.--The Pursuit.--It is He.--Fall from Horseback.--The Strangled Arab.--A Ball from Kennedy.-- Adroit Manoeuvres.--Caught up flying.--Joe saved at last
CHAPTER THIRTY-SEVENTH.
The Western Route.--Joe wakes up.--His Obstinacy.--End of Joe's Narrative. --Tagelei.--Kennedy's Anxieties.--The Route to the North.--A Night near Aghades
CHAPTER THIRTY-EIGHTH.
A Rapid Passage.--Prudent Resolves.--Caravans in Sight.--Incessant Rains.-- Goa.--The Niger.--Golberry, Geoffroy, and Gray.--Mungo Park.--Laing.-- Rene Caillie.--Clapperton.--John and Richard Lander
CHAPTER THIRTY-NINTH.
The Country in the Elbow of the Niger.--A Fantastic View of the Hombori Mountains.--Kabra.--Timbuctoo.--The Chart of Dr. Barth.--A Decaying City.-- Whither Heaven wills
CHAPTER FORTIETH.
Dr. Ferguson's Anxieties.--Persistent Movement southward.--A Cloud of Grasshoppers.--A View of Jenne.--A View of Sego.--Change of the Wind.-- Joe's Regrets
CHAPTER FORTY-FIRST.
The Approaches to Senegal.--The Balloon sinks lower and lower.--They keep throwing out, throwing out.--The Marabout Al-Hadji.--Messrs. Pascal, Vincent, and Lambert.--A Rival of Mohammed.--The Difficult Mountains. --Kennedy's Weapons.--One of Joe's Manoeuvres.--A Halt over a Forest
CHAPTER FORTY-SECOND.
A Struggle of Generosity.--The Last Sacrifice.--The Dilating Apparatus.--Joe's Adroitness.--Midnight.--The Doctor's Watch.--Kennedy's Watch.--The Latter falls asleep at his Post.--The Fire.--The Howlings of the Natives.--Out of Range
CHAPTER FORTY-THIRD.
The Talabas.--The Pursuit.--A Devastated Country.--The Wind begins to fall.--The Victoria sinks.--The last of the Provisions.--The Leaps of the Balloon.--A Defence with Fire-arms.--The Wind freshens.--The Senegal River.--The Cataracts of Gouina.--The Hot Air.--The Passage of the River
CHAPTER FORTY-FOURTH.
Conclusion.--The Certificate.--The French Settlements.--The Post of Medina.-- The Battle.--Saint Louis.--The English Frigate.--The Return to London.
《 měi rì diàn xùn bào》 shàng de yī piān wén zhāng héng héng xué shù kān wù zhī jiān de zhēng lùn héng héng bǐ dé màn bó shì zhī chí tā de péng yǒu fú gé sēn bó shì héng héng xué zhě kē nèi 'ěr de dá fù héng héng zhòng rén fēn fēn dǎ dǔ héng héng gěi bó shì tí de gè zhǒng jiàn yì
dì 'èr tiān， 1 yuè 15 rì， zhè yī qī de《 měi rì diàn xùn bào》 zhōng kān dēng liǎo yī piān miào bǐ shēng huā de wén zhāng：
“ fēi zhōu zhōng yú yào gōng kāi tā nà liáo kuò huāng yě de mì mì liǎo。 yī wèi xiàn dài 'é dí pǔ sī① jiāng gào sù wǒ men 60 gè shì jì de xué zhě wén rén méi néng shí pò de zhè gè mí dǐ。 guò qù tàn xún ní luó hé fā yuán dì（ fontesNiliquoereres） zǒng bèi shì wéi yì xiǎng tiān kāi， yī gè shí xiàn bù liǎo de mèng。
① xī là shén huà zhōng de yīng xióng rén wù。
“ bā 'ěr tè② bó shì yán zhe dān nà mǔ③ hé kè lā pò dùn④ kāipì de dào lù yī zhí dào liǎo sū dān； lì wén sī tōng ⑤ bó shì cóng hǎo wàng jiǎo dào zàn bǐ xī yà pén dì fǎn fù jìn xíng liǎo bù qū bù náo de diào chá； bó dùn ⑥ shàng wèi hé sī pí kè ⑦ shàng wèi fā xiàn liǎo nèi lù dà hú； tā men wéi xiàn dài wén míng dǎ tōng liǎo sān tiáo dào lù。 sān tiáo dào lù de jiāo chā diǎn kě wèi shì fēi zhōu de xīn zàng。 dàn zhì jīn hái méi yòu yī wèi lǚ xíng jiā néng shè zú gāi dì qū。 wǒ men de quán bù lì liàng zhèng yìng gāi shǐ zài nà 'ér。
② 1821 héng 1865， dé guó dì lǐ xué jiā、 fēi zhōu tàn xiǎn jiā， zhe yòu wǔ juàn běn jù zhe《 zhōng běi fēi yóu jì hé fā xiàn》。
③ 1786 héng 1828， yīng guó zǎo qī tàn xiǎn jiā， céng rèn sài lā lì 'áng zǒng dū。
④ 1788 héng 1827， sū gé lán tàn xiǎn jiā， zhe yòu《 1822， 1823 hé 1824 nián běi fēi lǚ xíng hé fā xiàn jì shì》。
⑤ 1813 héng 1873， yīng guó chuán jiào shì、 tàn xiǎn jiā， zài fēi zhōu nán bù、 zhōng bù hé dōng bù lǚ xíng， chuán jiào dá 30 nián zhī jiǔ。
⑥ 1821 héng 1890， yīng guó tàn xiǎn jiā， céng fān yì《 tiān fāng yè tán》。
⑦ 1827 héng 1864， yīng guó tàn xiǎn jiā， dì yī gè fā xiàn dōng fēi wéi duō lì yà hú de 'ōu zhōu rén。
“ bù guò， zhè xiē yǒng gǎn de kē xué pān dēng zhě men wèi jìng de shì yè jiù yào yóu fú gé sēn · fú gé sēn bó shì de dà dǎn cháng shì lái wán chéng。 tā yǐ wǎng de shén qí tàn xiǎn huó dòng zǎo yǐ dé dào liǎo dú zhě men de shǎng shí。
“ zhè wèi wú wèi de fā xiàn zhě dǎ suàn chéng qì qiú yóu dōng zhì xī chuān yuè zhěng gè fēi zhōu。 jù kě kào xiāo xī， zhè cì jīng rén lǚ xíng de chū fā diǎn jiāng shè zài fēi zhōu dōng hǎi 'àn de sāng gěi bā 'ěr dǎo①。 zhì yú zhōng diǎn， zhǐ yòu shàng dì zhī dào liǎo。
① wèi yú tǎn sāng ní yà dōng běi bù， gǎng kǒu chéng shì。
“ zhè cì kē xué tàn xiǎn de jìhuà yǐ yú zuó tiān zhèng shì tí jiāo gěi huáng jiā dì lǐ xué huì。 xué huì dà huì biǎo jué tōng guò bō fā yī bǐ 2500 yīng bàng de kuǎn xiàng zuò gāi huó dòng de fèi yòng。
“ zhè cì cháng shì shì dì lǐ tàn xiǎn dà shì jì zhōng shǐ wú qián lì de， wǒ men jiāng suí shí xiàng dú zhě tí gōng xiāo xī。”
zhèng rú wǒ men suǒ liào， gāi wén yǐn qǐ liǎo jù dà fǎn xiǎng。 tā shǒu xiān jī qǐ huái yí de làng cháo： fú gé sēn bó shì bèi dàngchéng shì yī gè chún cuì xū huàn de rén wù， shì bā nà mǔ② bó shì de fā míng。 hòu zhě zài měi guó“ gōng zuò” liǎo yī duàn shí jiān， xiàn zài yòu zhǔn bèi dǎ yīng lún sān dǎo de“ zhù yì” liǎo。
② 1810 héng 1891， měi guó yóu yì jié mù yǎn chū jīng jì rén， cháng gǎo xiē xī qí gǔ guài de zhǎn lǎn、 yǎn chū děng， zì chēng“ hú zhōu wáng zǐ”。
rì nèi wǎ chū bǎn de《 dì lǐ xué huì xué bào》 èr yuè hào shàng kān dēng liǎo yī piān fēng qù de dá dú zhě xìn。 wén zhāng qiǎo miào dì xì xuè liǎo lún dūn huáng jiā xué huì、 lǚ xíng zhě jù lè bù hé nà tiáo zūn yú。
dàn shì， bǐ dé màn bó shì zài gē dá chū bǎn de“ gōng bào” zhōng fā biǎo de wén zhāng， shǐ rì nèi wǎ de zhè jiā xué kān chè dǐ bì shàng liǎo kǒu。 bǐ dé màn bó shì zì jǐ liǎo jiě fú gé sēn bó shì， ér qiě yuàn yì wèitā de yǒng gǎn péng yǒu de wú wèi cháng shì dān bǎo。
lìng yī fāng miàn， hěn kuài jiù bù kě néng zài yòuhuái yí liǎo： lǚ xíng de zhǔn bèi gōng zuò zhèng zài lún dūn jìn xíng zhe； lǐ 'áng de jǐ jiā gōng chǎng yǐ jiē dào shēng chǎn zhì zào qì qiú yòng tǎ fū chóu de dà liàng dìng dān。 zuì zhōng， bù liè diān zhèng fǔ yǔn xǔ fú gé sēn bó shì shǐ yòng《 jué xīn hào》 yùn shū jiàn。 gāi jiàn de jiàn cháng jiào pí nài tè。
suí jí， chéng qiān shàng wàn jiàn gǔ lì xìn、 hè diàn fēn zhì tà lái。 yòu guān tàn xiǎn duì jǔ dòng de xiáng qíng xì jié suí zhe zhǔn bèi gōng zuò de jìn zhǎn quán bù fā biǎo zài bā lí dì lǐ xué huì de xué bào zhōng。 zài V·A· mò 'ěr tè yī bù lún① xiān shēng zhù biān de《 lǚ xíng、 dì lǐ、 lì shǐ hé kǎo gǔ xīn nián jiàn》 zhōng dēng chū liǎo yī piān yǐn rén zhù mùdì wén zhāng。 W· kē nèi 'ěr bó shì zài《 dé guó dì lǐ xué bào》 shàng fā biǎo de yī fèn xiáng xì fēn xī bào gào， lìng rén xìn fú dì zhèng lùn liǎo zhè cì lǚ xíng tàn xiǎn de kě xíng xìng、 chéng gōng de jī huì、 kùn nán de xìng zhì hé kōng zhōng háng xíng zhè zhǒng fāng shì dài lái de zhǒng zhǒng hǎo chù。 tā jǐn jǐn duì chū fā dì diǎn tí chū liǎo pī píng。 tā zhǐ chū， cóng mǎ sū yà zhè gè 'ā bǐ xī ní de xiǎo gǎng kǒu chū fā gèng hǎo xiē。 1768 nián， zhān mǔ shì · bù lǔ sī jiù shì cóng mǎ sū yà chū fā qù xún zhǎo ní luó hé yuán tóu de。 lìng wài， tā háo wú bǎo liú dì zàn shǎng fú gé sēn bó shì de zhè zhǒng jī jí jìn qǔ jīng shén hé zhè zhǒng xiǎng dào、 zuò dào、 jué bù huí tóu de jiān qiáng yì lì。
① fǎ guó dì lǐ xué jiā， qí fù shì bā lí dì lǐ xué huì de chuàng shǐ rén hé dì yī rèn dǒng shì cháng。
《 běi měi píng lùn》 kàn dào yīng guó dé dào zhè yàng de róng yù yóu wéi bù kuài。 tā bǎ bó shì de jìhuà dàngchéng liǎo xiào huà， bìng bù huái hǎo yì dì sǒng yǒng bó shì bàn tú zhōng jìng zhí fēi dào měi guó lái。
zǒng 'ér yán zhī， cóng《 fú yīn jiào huì gōng bào》 dào《 ā 'ěr jí lì yà yǔ zhí mín dì zá zhì》， cóng《 chuán jiào nián jiàn》 dào《 chuán jiào shì xīn wén》， méi yòu nǎ jiā kē xué zá zhì bù yòng gè zhǒng xíng shì xiáng xù cǐ shì de， gèng bù yòng shuō quán shì jiè de bào kān liǎo。
zài lún dūn， shèn zhì zài quán yīng guó， rén men fēn fēn ná xià miàn de wèn tí dǎ dǔ： dì yī， fú gé sēn bó shì cún zài bù cún zài； dì 'èr， lǚ xíng huì bù huì jìn xíng； dì sān， zhè cì tàn xiǎn huó dòng néng bù néng chéng gōng； dì sì， fú gé sēn bó shì kě bù kě néng huí dé lái。 xǔ duō rén tóu xià liǎo jù 'é dǔ zhù， huó xiàng shì zài 'āi pǔ suǒ mǔ② de sài mǎ huì shàng。
② yīng guó de yī gè chéng shì， yǐ sài mǎ wén míng。
zhè yàng yǐ lái， xiāng xìn de、 bù xiāng xìn de， wài xíng、 nèi xíng， suǒ yòu de réndōu bǎ yǎn jīng dīng zhù liǎo fú gé sēn bó shì。 tā bù zì jué dì chéng liǎo zhòng rén xīn mù zhōng de yīng xióng。 bó shì lè yì tí gōng yòu guān yuǎn zhēng tàn xiǎn de xiáng xì qíng kuàng。 tā píng yì jìn rén、 chún pǔ zì rán， kě yǐ shuō shì shì jiè shàng zuì chéng kěn de rén liǎo。 bù zhǐ yī wèi dǎn dà de mào xiǎn jiā zhǎo tā máosuí zì jiàn， xiǎng yǔ tā tóng gān gòng kǔ， dàn dōubèi tā bù jiā jiě shì dì yī lǜ huí jué liǎo。
xǔ duō yán jiū qì qiú zhuànxiàng jī xiè jié gòu de fā míng jiā xiàng tā tuī jiàn zì jǐ de fā míng， dàn tā yī gè yě bù yuàn jiē shòu。 yòu rén wèn fú gé sēn bó shì shì bù shì yǐ jīng fā míng liǎo shénme xīn de zhuànxiàng xì tǒng， dàn tā gài bù huí dá。 tā gèng jiā jī jí dì máng yú tàn xiǎn de zhǔn bèi gōng zuò。
There was a large audience assembled on the 14th of January, 1862, at the session of the Royal Geographical Society, No. 3 Waterloo Place, London. The president, Sir Francis M----, made an important communication to his colleagues, in an address that was frequently interrupted by applause.
This rare specimen of eloquence terminated with the following sonorous phrases bubbling over with patriotism:
"England has always marched at the head of nations" (for, the reader will observe, the nations always march at the head of each other), "by the intrepidity of her explorers in the line of geographical discovery." (General assent). "Dr. Samuel Ferguson, one of her most glorious sons, will not reflect discredit on his origin." ("No, indeed!" from all parts of the hall.)
"This attempt, should it succeed" ("It will succeed!"), "will complete and link together the notions, as yet disjointed, which the world entertains of African cartology" (vehement applause); "and, should it fail, it will, at least, remain on record as one of the most daring conceptions of human genius!" (Tremendous cheering.)
"Huzza! huzza!" shouted the immense audience, completely electrified by these inspiring words.
"Huzza for the intrepid Ferguson!" cried one of the most excitable of the enthusiastic crowd.
The wildest cheering resounded on all sides; the name of Ferguson was in every mouth, and we may safely believe that it lost nothing in passing through English throats. Indeed, the hall fairly shook with it.
And there were present, also, those fearless travellers and explorers whose energetic temperaments had borne them through every quarter of the globe, many of them grown old and worn out in the service of science. All had, in some degree, physically or morally, undergone the sorest trials. They had escaped shipwreck; conflagration; Indian tomahawks and war-clubs; the fagot and the stake; nay, even the cannibal maws of the South Sea Islanders. But still their hearts beat high during Sir Francis M----'s address, which certainly was the finest oratorical success that the Royal Geographical Society of London had yet achieved.
But, in England, enthusiasm does not stop short with mere words. It strikes off money faster than the dies of the Royal Mint itself. So a subscription to encourage Dr. Ferguson was voted there and then, and it at once attained the handsome amount of two thousand five hundred pounds. The sum was made commensurate with the importance of the enterprise.
A member of the Society then inquired of the president whether Dr. Ferguson was not to be officially introduced.
"The doctor is at the disposition of the meeting," replied Sir Francis.
"Let him come in, then! Bring him in!" shouted the audience. "We'd like to see a man of such extraordinary daring, face to face!"
"Perhaps this incredible proposition of his is only intended to mystify us," growled an apoplectic old admiral.
"Suppose that there should turn out to be no such person as Dr. Ferguson?" exclaimed another voice, with a malicious twang.
"Why, then, we'd have to invent one!" replied a facetious member of this grave Society.
"Ask Dr. Ferguson to come in," was the quiet remark of Sir Francis M----.
And come in the doctor did, and stood there, quite unmoved by the thunders of applause that greeted his appearance.
He was a man of about forty years of age, of medium height and physique. His sanguine temperament was disclosed in the deep color of his cheeks. His countenance was coldly expressive, with regular features, and a large nose--one of those noses that resemble the prow of a ship, and stamp the faces of men predestined to accomplish great discoveries. His eyes, which were gentle and intelligent, rather than bold, lent a peculiar charm to his physiognomy. His arms were long, and his feet were planted with that solidity which indicates a great pedestrian.
A calm gravity seemed to surround the doctor's entire person, and no one would dream that he could become the agent of any mystification, however harmless.
Hence, the applause that greeted him at the outset continued until he, with a friendly gesture, claimed silence on his own behalf. He stepped toward the seat that had been prepared for him on his presentation, and then, standing erect and motionless, he, with a determined glance, pointed his right forefinger upward, and pronounced aloud the single word--
"Excelsior!"
Never had one of Bright's or Cobden's sudden onslaughts, never had one of Palmerston's abrupt demands for funds to plate the rocks of the English coast with iron, made such a sensation. Sir Francis M----'s address was completely overshadowed. The doctor had shown himself moderate, sublime, and self-contained, in one; he had uttered the word of the situation--
"Excelsior!"
The gouty old admiral who had been finding fault, was completely won over by the singular man before him, and immediately moved the insertion of Dr. Ferguson's speech in "The Proceedings of the Royal Geographical Society of London."
Who, then, was this person, and what was the enterprise that he proposed?
Ferguson's father, a brave and worthy captain in the English Navy, had associated his son with him, from the young man's earliest years, in the perils and adventures of his profession. The fine little fellow, who seemed to have never known the meaning of fear, early revealed a keen and active mind, an investigating intelligence, and a remarkable turn for scientific study; moreover, he disclosed uncommon address in extricating himself from difficulty; he was never perplexed, not even in handling his fork for the first time--an exercise in which children generally have so little success.
His fancy kindled early at the recitals he read of daring enterprise and maritime adventure, and he followed with enthusiasm the discoveries that signalized the first part of the nineteenth century. He mused over the glory of the Mungo Parks, the Bruces, the Caillies, the Levaillants, and to some extent, I verily believe, of Selkirk (Robinson Crusoe), whom he considered in no wise inferior to the rest. How many a well-employed hour he passed with that hero on his isle of Juan Fernandez! Often he criticised the ideas of the shipwrecked sailor, and sometimes discussed his plans and projects. He would have done differently, in such and such a case, or quite as well at least--of that he felt assured. But of one thing he was satisfied, that he never should have left that pleasant island, where he was as happy as a king without subjects-- no, not if the inducement held out had been promotion to the first lordship in the admiralty!
It may readily be conjectured whether these tendencies were developed during a youth of adventure, spent in every nook and corner of the Globe. Moreover, his father, who was a man of thorough instruction, omitted no opportunity to consolidate this keen intelligence by serious studies in hydrography, physics, and mechanics, along with a slight tincture of botany, medicine, and astronomy.
Upon the death of the estimable captain, Samuel Ferguson, then twenty-two years of age, had already made his voyage around the world. He had enlisted in the Bengalese Corps of Engineers, and distinguished himself in several affairs; but this soldier's life had not exactly suited him; caring but little for command, he had not been fond of obeying. He, therefore, sent in his resignation, and half botanizing, half playing the hunter, he made his way toward the north of the Indian Peninsula, and crossed it from Calcutta to Surat--a mere amateur trip for him.
From Surat we see him going over to Australia, and in 1845 participating in Captain Sturt's expedition, which had been sent out to explore the new Caspian Sea, supposed to exist in the centre of New Holland.
Samuel Ferguson returned to England about 1850, and, more than ever possessed by the demon of discovery, he spent the intervening time, until 1853, in accompanying Captain McClure on the expedition that went around the American Continent from Behring's Straits to Cape Farewell.
Notwithstanding fatigues of every description, and in all climates, Ferguson's constitution continued marvellously sound. He felt at ease in the midst of the most complete privations; in fine, he was the very type of the thoroughly accomplished explorer whose stomach expands or contracts at will; whose limbs grow longer or shorter according to the resting-place that each stage of a journey may bring; who can fall asleep at any hour of the day or awake at any hour of the night.
Nothing, then, was less surprising, after that, than to find our traveller, in the period from 1855 to 1857, visiting the whole region west of the Thibet, in company with the brothers Schlagintweit, and bringing back some curious ethnographic observations from that expedition.
During these different journeys, Ferguson had been the most active and interesting correspondent of the Daily Telegraph, the penny newspaper whose circulation amounts to 140,000 copies, and yet scarcely suffices for its many legions of readers. Thus, the doctor had become well known to the public, although he could not claim membership in either of the Royal Geographical Societies of London, Paris, Berlin, Vienna, or St. Petersburg, or yet with the Travellers' Club, or even the Royal Polytechnic Institute, where his friend the statistician Cockburn ruled in state.
The latter savant had, one day, gone so far as to propose to him the following problem: Given the number of miles travelled by the doctor in making the circuit of the Globe, how many more had his head described than his feet, by reason of the different lengths of the radii?--or, the number of miles traversed by the doctor's head and feet respectively being given, required the exact height of that gentleman?
This was done with the idea of complimenting him, but the doctor had held himself aloof from all the learned bodies--belonging, as he did, to the church militant and not to the church polemical. He found his time better employed in seeking than in discussing, in discovering rather than discoursing.
There is a story told of an Englishman who came one day to Geneva, intending to visit the lake. He was placed in one of those odd vehicles in which the passengers sit side by side, as they do in an omnibus. Well, it so happened that the Englishman got a seat that left him with his back turned toward the lake. The vehicle completed its circular trip without his thinking to turn around once, and he went back to London delighted with the Lake of Geneva.
Doctor Ferguson, however, had turned around to look about him on his journeyings, and turned to such good purpose that he had seen a great deal. In doing so, he had simply obeyed the laws of his nature, and we have good reason to believe that he was, to some extent, a fatalist, but of an orthodox school of fatalism withal, that led him to rely upon himself and even upon Providence. He claimed that he was impelled, rather than drawn by his own volition, to journey as he did, and that he traversed the world like the locomotive, which does not direct itself, but is guided and directed by the track it runs on.
"I do not follow my route;" he often said, "it is my route that follows me."
The reader will not be surprised, then, at the calmness with which the doctor received the applause that welcomed him in the Royal Society. He was above all such trifles, having no pride, and less vanity. He looked upon the proposition addressed to him by Sir Francis M---- as the simplest thing in the world, and scarcely noticed the immense effect that it produced.
When the session closed, the doctor was escorted to the rooms of the Travellers' Club, in Pall Mall. A superb entertainment had been prepared there in his honor. The dimensions of the dishes served were made to correspond with the importance of the personage entertained, and the boiled sturgeon that figured at this magnificent repast was not an inch shorter than Dr. Ferguson himself.
Numerous toasts were offered and quaffed, in the wines of France, to the celebrated travellers who had made their names illustrious by their explorations of African territory. The guests drank to their health or to their memory, in alphabetical order, a good old English way of doing the thing. Among those remembered thus, were: Abbadie, Adams, Adamson, Anderson, Arnaud, Baikie, Baldwin, Barth, Batouda, Beke, Beltram, Du Berba, Bimbachi, Bolognesi, Bolwik, Belzoni, Bonnemain, Brisson, Browne, Bruce, Brun-Rollet, Burchell, Burckhardt, Burton, Cailland, Caillie, Campbell, Chapman, Clapperton, Clot-Bey, Colomieu, Courval, Cumming, Cuny, Debono, Decken, Denham, Desavanchers, Dicksen, Dickson, Dochard, Du Chaillu, Duncan, Durand, Duroule, Duveyrier, D'Escayrac, De Lauture, Erhardt, Ferret, Fresnel, Galinier, Galton, Geoffroy, Golberry, Hahn, Halm, Harnier, Hecquart, Heuglin, Hornemann, Houghton, Imbert, Kauffmann, Knoblecher, Krapf, Kummer, Lafargue, Laing, Lafaille, Lambert, Lamiral, Lampriere, John Lander, Richard Lander, Lefebvre, Lejean, Levaillant, Livingstone, MacCarthy, Maggiar, Maizan, Malzac, Moffat, Mollien, Monteiro, Morrison, Mungo Park, Neimans, Overweg, Panet, Partarrieau, Pascal, Pearse, Peddie, Penney, Petherick, Poncet, Prax, Raffenel, Rabh, Rebmann, Richardson, Riley, Ritchey, Rochet d'Hericourt, Rongawi, Roscher, Ruppel, Saugnier, Speke, Steidner, Thibaud, Thompson, Thornton, Toole, Tousny, Trotter, Tuckey, Tyrwhitt, Vaudey, Veyssiere, Vincent, Vinco, Vogel, Wahlberg, Warrington, Washington, Werne, Wild, and last, but not least, Dr. Ferguson, who, by his incredible attempt, was to link together the achievements of all these explorers, and complete the series of African discovery.
dì 'èr tiān， 1 yuè 15 rì， zhè yī qī de《 měi rì diàn xùn bào》 zhōng kān dēng liǎo yī piān miào bǐ shēng huā de wén zhāng：
“ fēi zhōu zhōng yú yào gōng kāi tā nà liáo kuò huāng yě de mì mì liǎo。 yī wèi xiàn dài 'é dí pǔ sī① jiāng gào sù wǒ men 60 gè shì jì de xué zhě wén rén méi néng shí pò de zhè gè mí dǐ。 guò qù tàn xún ní luó hé fā yuán dì（ fontesNiliquoereres） zǒng bèi shì wéi yì xiǎng tiān kāi， yī gè shí xiàn bù liǎo de mèng。
① xī là shén huà zhōng de yīng xióng rén wù。
“ bā 'ěr tè② bó shì yán zhe dān nà mǔ③ hé kè lā pò dùn④ kāipì de dào lù yī zhí dào liǎo sū dān； lì wén sī tōng ⑤ bó shì cóng hǎo wàng jiǎo dào zàn bǐ xī yà pén dì fǎn fù jìn xíng liǎo bù qū bù náo de diào chá； bó dùn ⑥ shàng wèi hé sī pí kè ⑦ shàng wèi fā xiàn liǎo nèi lù dà hú； tā men wéi xiàn dài wén míng dǎ tōng liǎo sān tiáo dào lù。 sān tiáo dào lù de jiāo chā diǎn kě wèi shì fēi zhōu de xīn zàng。 dàn zhì jīn hái méi yòu yī wèi lǚ xíng jiā néng shè zú gāi dì qū。 wǒ men de quán bù lì liàng zhèng yìng gāi shǐ zài nà 'ér。
② 1821 héng 1865， dé guó dì lǐ xué jiā、 fēi zhōu tàn xiǎn jiā， zhe yòu wǔ juàn běn jù zhe《 zhōng běi fēi yóu jì hé fā xiàn》。
③ 1786 héng 1828， yīng guó zǎo qī tàn xiǎn jiā， céng rèn sài lā lì 'áng zǒng dū。
④ 1788 héng 1827， sū gé lán tàn xiǎn jiā， zhe yòu《 1822， 1823 hé 1824 nián běi fēi lǚ xíng hé fā xiàn jì shì》。
⑤ 1813 héng 1873， yīng guó chuán jiào shì、 tàn xiǎn jiā， zài fēi zhōu nán bù、 zhōng bù hé dōng bù lǚ xíng， chuán jiào dá 30 nián zhī jiǔ。
⑥ 1821 héng 1890， yīng guó tàn xiǎn jiā， céng fān yì《 tiān fāng yè tán》。
⑦ 1827 héng 1864， yīng guó tàn xiǎn jiā， dì yī gè fā xiàn dōng fēi wéi duō lì yà hú de 'ōu zhōu rén。
“ bù guò， zhè xiē yǒng gǎn de kē xué pān dēng zhě men wèi jìng de shì yè jiù yào yóu fú gé sēn · fú gé sēn bó shì de dà dǎn cháng shì lái wán chéng。 tā yǐ wǎng de shén qí tàn xiǎn huó dòng zǎo yǐ dé dào liǎo dú zhě men de shǎng shí。
“ zhè wèi wú wèi de fā xiàn zhě dǎ suàn chéng qì qiú yóu dōng zhì xī chuān yuè zhěng gè fēi zhōu。 jù kě kào xiāo xī， zhè cì jīng rén lǚ xíng de chū fā diǎn jiāng shè zài fēi zhōu dōng hǎi 'àn de sāng gěi bā 'ěr dǎo①。 zhì yú zhōng diǎn， zhǐ yòu shàng dì zhī dào liǎo。
① wèi yú tǎn sāng ní yà dōng běi bù， gǎng kǒu chéng shì。
“ zhè cì kē xué tàn xiǎn de jìhuà yǐ yú zuó tiān zhèng shì tí jiāo gěi huáng jiā dì lǐ xué huì。 xué huì dà huì biǎo jué tōng guò bō fā yī bǐ 2500 yīng bàng de kuǎn xiàng zuò gāi huó dòng de fèi yòng。
“ zhè cì cháng shì shì dì lǐ tàn xiǎn dà shì jì zhōng shǐ wú qián lì de， wǒ men jiāng suí shí xiàng dú zhě tí gōng xiāo xī。”
zhèng rú wǒ men suǒ liào， gāi wén yǐn qǐ liǎo jù dà fǎn xiǎng。 tā shǒu xiān jī qǐ huái yí de làng cháo： fú gé sēn bó shì bèi dàngchéng shì yī gè chún cuì xū huàn de rén wù， shì bā nà mǔ② bó shì de fā míng。 hòu zhě zài měi guó“ gōng zuò” liǎo yī duàn shí jiān， xiàn zài yòu zhǔn bèi dǎ yīng lún sān dǎo de“ zhù yì” liǎo。
② 1810 héng 1891， měi guó yóu yì jié mù yǎn chū jīng jì rén， cháng gǎo xiē xī qí gǔ guài de zhǎn lǎn、 yǎn chū děng， zì chēng“ hú zhōu wáng zǐ”。
rì nèi wǎ chū bǎn de《 dì lǐ xué huì xué bào》 èr yuè hào shàng kān dēng liǎo yī piān fēng qù de dá dú zhě xìn。 wén zhāng qiǎo miào dì xì xuè liǎo lún dūn huáng jiā xué huì、 lǚ xíng zhě jù lè bù hé nà tiáo zūn yú。
dàn shì， bǐ dé màn bó shì zài gē dá chū bǎn de“ gōng bào” zhōng fā biǎo de wén zhāng， shǐ rì nèi wǎ de zhè jiā xué kān chè dǐ bì shàng liǎo kǒu。 bǐ dé màn bó shì zì jǐ liǎo jiě fú gé sēn bó shì， ér qiě yuàn yì wèitā de yǒng gǎn péng yǒu de wú wèi cháng shì dān bǎo。
lìng yī fāng miàn， hěn kuài jiù bù kě néng zài yòuhuái yí liǎo： lǚ xíng de zhǔn bèi gōng zuò zhèng zài lún dūn jìn xíng zhe； lǐ 'áng de jǐ jiā gōng chǎng yǐ jiē dào shēng chǎn zhì zào qì qiú yòng tǎ fū chóu de dà liàng dìng dān。 zuì zhōng， bù liè diān zhèng fǔ yǔn xǔ fú gé sēn bó shì shǐ yòng《 jué xīn hào》 yùn shū jiàn。 gāi jiàn de jiàn cháng jiào pí nài tè。
suí jí， chéng qiān shàng wàn jiàn gǔ lì xìn、 hè diàn fēn zhì tà lái。 yòu guān tàn xiǎn duì jǔ dòng de xiáng qíng xì jié suí zhe zhǔn bèi gōng zuò de jìn zhǎn quán bù fā biǎo zài bā lí dì lǐ xué huì de xué bào zhōng。 zài V·A· mò 'ěr tè yī bù lún① xiān shēng zhù biān de《 lǚ xíng、 dì lǐ、 lì shǐ hé kǎo gǔ xīn nián jiàn》 zhōng dēng chū liǎo yī piān yǐn rén zhù mùdì wén zhāng。 W· kē nèi 'ěr bó shì zài《 dé guó dì lǐ xué bào》 shàng fā biǎo de yī fèn xiáng xì fēn xī bào gào， lìng rén xìn fú dì zhèng lùn liǎo zhè cì lǚ xíng tàn xiǎn de kě xíng xìng、 chéng gōng de jī huì、 kùn nán de xìng zhì hé kōng zhōng háng xíng zhè zhǒng fāng shì dài lái de zhǒng zhǒng hǎo chù。 tā jǐn jǐn duì chū fā dì diǎn tí chū liǎo pī píng。 tā zhǐ chū， cóng mǎ sū yà zhè gè 'ā bǐ xī ní de xiǎo gǎng kǒu chū fā gèng hǎo xiē。 1768 nián， zhān mǔ shì · bù lǔ sī jiù shì cóng mǎ sū yà chū fā qù xún zhǎo ní luó hé yuán tóu de。 lìng wài， tā háo wú bǎo liú dì zàn shǎng fú gé sēn bó shì de zhè zhǒng jī jí jìn qǔ jīng shén hé zhè zhǒng xiǎng dào、 zuò dào、 jué bù huí tóu de jiān qiáng yì lì。
① fǎ guó dì lǐ xué jiā， qí fù shì bā lí dì lǐ xué huì de chuàng shǐ rén hé dì yī rèn dǒng shì cháng。
《 běi měi píng lùn》 kàn dào yīng guó dé dào zhè yàng de róng yù yóu wéi bù kuài。 tā bǎ bó shì de jìhuà dàngchéng liǎo xiào huà， bìng bù huái hǎo yì dì sǒng yǒng bó shì bàn tú zhōng jìng zhí fēi dào měi guó lái。
zǒng 'ér yán zhī， cóng《 fú yīn jiào huì gōng bào》 dào《 ā 'ěr jí lì yà yǔ zhí mín dì zá zhì》， cóng《 chuán jiào nián jiàn》 dào《 chuán jiào shì xīn wén》， méi yòu nǎ jiā kē xué zá zhì bù yòng gè zhǒng xíng shì xiáng xù cǐ shì de， gèng bù yòng shuō quán shì jiè de bào kān liǎo。
zài lún dūn， shèn zhì zài quán yīng guó， rén men fēn fēn ná xià miàn de wèn tí dǎ dǔ： dì yī， fú gé sēn bó shì cún zài bù cún zài； dì 'èr， lǚ xíng huì bù huì jìn xíng； dì sān， zhè cì tàn xiǎn huó dòng néng bù néng chéng gōng； dì sì， fú gé sēn bó shì kě bù kě néng huí dé lái。 xǔ duō rén tóu xià liǎo jù 'é dǔ zhù， huó xiàng shì zài 'āi pǔ suǒ mǔ② de sài mǎ huì shàng。
② yīng guó de yī gè chéng shì， yǐ sài mǎ wén míng。
zhè yàng yǐ lái， xiāng xìn de、 bù xiāng xìn de， wài xíng、 nèi xíng， suǒ yòu de réndōu bǎ yǎn jīng dīng zhù liǎo fú gé sēn bó shì。 tā bù zì jué dì chéng liǎo zhòng rén xīn mù zhōng de yīng xióng。 bó shì lè yì tí gōng yòu guān yuǎn zhēng tàn xiǎn de xiáng xì qíng kuàng。 tā píng yì jìn rén、 chún pǔ zì rán， kě yǐ shuō shì shì jiè shàng zuì chéng kěn de rén liǎo。 bù zhǐ yī wèi dǎn dà de mào xiǎn jiā zhǎo tā máosuí zì jiàn， xiǎng yǔ tā tóng gān gòng kǔ， dàn dōubèi tā bù jiā jiě shì dì yī lǜ huí jué liǎo。
xǔ duō yán jiū qì qiú zhuànxiàng jī xiè jié gòu de fā míng jiā xiàng tā tuī jiàn zì jǐ de fā míng， dàn tā yī gè yě bù yuàn jiē shòu。 yòu rén wèn fú gé sēn bó shì shì bù shì yǐ jīng fā míng liǎo shénme xīn de zhuànxiàng xì tǒng， dàn tā gài bù huí dá。 tā gèng jiā jī jí dì máng yú tàn xiǎn de zhǔn bèi gōng zuò。
There was a large audience assembled on the 14th of January, 1862, at the session of the Royal Geographical Society, No. 3 Waterloo Place, London. The president, Sir Francis M----, made an important communication to his colleagues, in an address that was frequently interrupted by applause.
This rare specimen of eloquence terminated with the following sonorous phrases bubbling over with patriotism:
"England has always marched at the head of nations" (for, the reader will observe, the nations always march at the head of each other), "by the intrepidity of her explorers in the line of geographical discovery." (General assent). "Dr. Samuel Ferguson, one of her most glorious sons, will not reflect discredit on his origin." ("No, indeed!" from all parts of the hall.)
"This attempt, should it succeed" ("It will succeed!"), "will complete and link together the notions, as yet disjointed, which the world entertains of African cartology" (vehement applause); "and, should it fail, it will, at least, remain on record as one of the most daring conceptions of human genius!" (Tremendous cheering.)
"Huzza! huzza!" shouted the immense audience, completely electrified by these inspiring words.
"Huzza for the intrepid Ferguson!" cried one of the most excitable of the enthusiastic crowd.
The wildest cheering resounded on all sides; the name of Ferguson was in every mouth, and we may safely believe that it lost nothing in passing through English throats. Indeed, the hall fairly shook with it.
And there were present, also, those fearless travellers and explorers whose energetic temperaments had borne them through every quarter of the globe, many of them grown old and worn out in the service of science. All had, in some degree, physically or morally, undergone the sorest trials. They had escaped shipwreck; conflagration; Indian tomahawks and war-clubs; the fagot and the stake; nay, even the cannibal maws of the South Sea Islanders. But still their hearts beat high during Sir Francis M----'s address, which certainly was the finest oratorical success that the Royal Geographical Society of London had yet achieved.
But, in England, enthusiasm does not stop short with mere words. It strikes off money faster than the dies of the Royal Mint itself. So a subscription to encourage Dr. Ferguson was voted there and then, and it at once attained the handsome amount of two thousand five hundred pounds. The sum was made commensurate with the importance of the enterprise.
A member of the Society then inquired of the president whether Dr. Ferguson was not to be officially introduced.
"The doctor is at the disposition of the meeting," replied Sir Francis.
"Let him come in, then! Bring him in!" shouted the audience. "We'd like to see a man of such extraordinary daring, face to face!"
"Perhaps this incredible proposition of his is only intended to mystify us," growled an apoplectic old admiral.
"Suppose that there should turn out to be no such person as Dr. Ferguson?" exclaimed another voice, with a malicious twang.
"Why, then, we'd have to invent one!" replied a facetious member of this grave Society.
"Ask Dr. Ferguson to come in," was the quiet remark of Sir Francis M----.
And come in the doctor did, and stood there, quite unmoved by the thunders of applause that greeted his appearance.
He was a man of about forty years of age, of medium height and physique. His sanguine temperament was disclosed in the deep color of his cheeks. His countenance was coldly expressive, with regular features, and a large nose--one of those noses that resemble the prow of a ship, and stamp the faces of men predestined to accomplish great discoveries. His eyes, which were gentle and intelligent, rather than bold, lent a peculiar charm to his physiognomy. His arms were long, and his feet were planted with that solidity which indicates a great pedestrian.
A calm gravity seemed to surround the doctor's entire person, and no one would dream that he could become the agent of any mystification, however harmless.
Hence, the applause that greeted him at the outset continued until he, with a friendly gesture, claimed silence on his own behalf. He stepped toward the seat that had been prepared for him on his presentation, and then, standing erect and motionless, he, with a determined glance, pointed his right forefinger upward, and pronounced aloud the single word--
"Excelsior!"
Never had one of Bright's or Cobden's sudden onslaughts, never had one of Palmerston's abrupt demands for funds to plate the rocks of the English coast with iron, made such a sensation. Sir Francis M----'s address was completely overshadowed. The doctor had shown himself moderate, sublime, and self-contained, in one; he had uttered the word of the situation--
"Excelsior!"
The gouty old admiral who had been finding fault, was completely won over by the singular man before him, and immediately moved the insertion of Dr. Ferguson's speech in "The Proceedings of the Royal Geographical Society of London."
Who, then, was this person, and what was the enterprise that he proposed?
Ferguson's father, a brave and worthy captain in the English Navy, had associated his son with him, from the young man's earliest years, in the perils and adventures of his profession. The fine little fellow, who seemed to have never known the meaning of fear, early revealed a keen and active mind, an investigating intelligence, and a remarkable turn for scientific study; moreover, he disclosed uncommon address in extricating himself from difficulty; he was never perplexed, not even in handling his fork for the first time--an exercise in which children generally have so little success.
His fancy kindled early at the recitals he read of daring enterprise and maritime adventure, and he followed with enthusiasm the discoveries that signalized the first part of the nineteenth century. He mused over the glory of the Mungo Parks, the Bruces, the Caillies, the Levaillants, and to some extent, I verily believe, of Selkirk (Robinson Crusoe), whom he considered in no wise inferior to the rest. How many a well-employed hour he passed with that hero on his isle of Juan Fernandez! Often he criticised the ideas of the shipwrecked sailor, and sometimes discussed his plans and projects. He would have done differently, in such and such a case, or quite as well at least--of that he felt assured. But of one thing he was satisfied, that he never should have left that pleasant island, where he was as happy as a king without subjects-- no, not if the inducement held out had been promotion to the first lordship in the admiralty!
It may readily be conjectured whether these tendencies were developed during a youth of adventure, spent in every nook and corner of the Globe. Moreover, his father, who was a man of thorough instruction, omitted no opportunity to consolidate this keen intelligence by serious studies in hydrography, physics, and mechanics, along with a slight tincture of botany, medicine, and astronomy.
Upon the death of the estimable captain, Samuel Ferguson, then twenty-two years of age, had already made his voyage around the world. He had enlisted in the Bengalese Corps of Engineers, and distinguished himself in several affairs; but this soldier's life had not exactly suited him; caring but little for command, he had not been fond of obeying. He, therefore, sent in his resignation, and half botanizing, half playing the hunter, he made his way toward the north of the Indian Peninsula, and crossed it from Calcutta to Surat--a mere amateur trip for him.
From Surat we see him going over to Australia, and in 1845 participating in Captain Sturt's expedition, which had been sent out to explore the new Caspian Sea, supposed to exist in the centre of New Holland.
Samuel Ferguson returned to England about 1850, and, more than ever possessed by the demon of discovery, he spent the intervening time, until 1853, in accompanying Captain McClure on the expedition that went around the American Continent from Behring's Straits to Cape Farewell.
Notwithstanding fatigues of every description, and in all climates, Ferguson's constitution continued marvellously sound. He felt at ease in the midst of the most complete privations; in fine, he was the very type of the thoroughly accomplished explorer whose stomach expands or contracts at will; whose limbs grow longer or shorter according to the resting-place that each stage of a journey may bring; who can fall asleep at any hour of the day or awake at any hour of the night.
Nothing, then, was less surprising, after that, than to find our traveller, in the period from 1855 to 1857, visiting the whole region west of the Thibet, in company with the brothers Schlagintweit, and bringing back some curious ethnographic observations from that expedition.
During these different journeys, Ferguson had been the most active and interesting correspondent of the Daily Telegraph, the penny newspaper whose circulation amounts to 140,000 copies, and yet scarcely suffices for its many legions of readers. Thus, the doctor had become well known to the public, although he could not claim membership in either of the Royal Geographical Societies of London, Paris, Berlin, Vienna, or St. Petersburg, or yet with the Travellers' Club, or even the Royal Polytechnic Institute, where his friend the statistician Cockburn ruled in state.
The latter savant had, one day, gone so far as to propose to him the following problem: Given the number of miles travelled by the doctor in making the circuit of the Globe, how many more had his head described than his feet, by reason of the different lengths of the radii?--or, the number of miles traversed by the doctor's head and feet respectively being given, required the exact height of that gentleman?
This was done with the idea of complimenting him, but the doctor had held himself aloof from all the learned bodies--belonging, as he did, to the church militant and not to the church polemical. He found his time better employed in seeking than in discussing, in discovering rather than discoursing.
There is a story told of an Englishman who came one day to Geneva, intending to visit the lake. He was placed in one of those odd vehicles in which the passengers sit side by side, as they do in an omnibus. Well, it so happened that the Englishman got a seat that left him with his back turned toward the lake. The vehicle completed its circular trip without his thinking to turn around once, and he went back to London delighted with the Lake of Geneva.
Doctor Ferguson, however, had turned around to look about him on his journeyings, and turned to such good purpose that he had seen a great deal. In doing so, he had simply obeyed the laws of his nature, and we have good reason to believe that he was, to some extent, a fatalist, but of an orthodox school of fatalism withal, that led him to rely upon himself and even upon Providence. He claimed that he was impelled, rather than drawn by his own volition, to journey as he did, and that he traversed the world like the locomotive, which does not direct itself, but is guided and directed by the track it runs on.
"I do not follow my route;" he often said, "it is my route that follows me."
The reader will not be surprised, then, at the calmness with which the doctor received the applause that welcomed him in the Royal Society. He was above all such trifles, having no pride, and less vanity. He looked upon the proposition addressed to him by Sir Francis M---- as the simplest thing in the world, and scarcely noticed the immense effect that it produced.
When the session closed, the doctor was escorted to the rooms of the Travellers' Club, in Pall Mall. A superb entertainment had been prepared there in his honor. The dimensions of the dishes served were made to correspond with the importance of the personage entertained, and the boiled sturgeon that figured at this magnificent repast was not an inch shorter than Dr. Ferguson himself.
Numerous toasts were offered and quaffed, in the wines of France, to the celebrated travellers who had made their names illustrious by their explorations of African territory. The guests drank to their health or to their memory, in alphabetical order, a good old English way of doing the thing. Among those remembered thus, were: Abbadie, Adams, Adamson, Anderson, Arnaud, Baikie, Baldwin, Barth, Batouda, Beke, Beltram, Du Berba, Bimbachi, Bolognesi, Bolwik, Belzoni, Bonnemain, Brisson, Browne, Bruce, Brun-Rollet, Burchell, Burckhardt, Burton, Cailland, Caillie, Campbell, Chapman, Clapperton, Clot-Bey, Colomieu, Courval, Cumming, Cuny, Debono, Decken, Denham, Desavanchers, Dicksen, Dickson, Dochard, Du Chaillu, Duncan, Durand, Duroule, Duveyrier, D'Escayrac, De Lauture, Erhardt, Ferret, Fresnel, Galinier, Galton, Geoffroy, Golberry, Hahn, Halm, Harnier, Hecquart, Heuglin, Hornemann, Houghton, Imbert, Kauffmann, Knoblecher, Krapf, Kummer, Lafargue, Laing, Lafaille, Lambert, Lamiral, Lampriere, John Lander, Richard Lander, Lefebvre, Lejean, Levaillant, Livingstone, MacCarthy, Maggiar, Maizan, Malzac, Moffat, Mollien, Monteiro, Morrison, Mungo Park, Neimans, Overweg, Panet, Partarrieau, Pascal, Pearse, Peddie, Penney, Petherick, Poncet, Prax, Raffenel, Rabh, Rebmann, Richardson, Riley, Ritchey, Rochet d'Hericourt, Rongawi, Roscher, Ruppel, Saugnier, Speke, Steidner, Thibaud, Thompson, Thornton, Toole, Tousny, Trotter, Tuckey, Tyrwhitt, Vaudey, Veyssiere, Vincent, Vinco, Vogel, Wahlberg, Warrington, Washington, Werne, Wild, and last, but not least, Dr. Ferguson, who, by his incredible attempt, was to link together the achievements of all these explorers, and complete the series of African discovery.