登陆注册
5302100000055

第55章 BOOK II.(31)

"It is wonderful,"said Bearwarden,"how comparatively narrow a body of water can keep different species entirely separate.

The island of Sumatra,for instance,is inhabited by marsupials belonging to the distinct Australian type,in which the female,as in the kangaroo,carries the slightly developed young in a pouch;while the Malay peninsula,joined to the mainland,has all the highly developed animals of Asia and the connected land of the Eastern hemisphere,the narrow Malacca Strait being all that has kept marsupials and mammals apart,though the separating power has been increased by the rapid current setting through.

This has decreased the chance of creatures carried to sea on drift-wood or uprooted trees getting safely over to such a degree that apparently none have survived;for,had they done so,we may be certain that the mammals,with the advantage their young have over the marsupials,would soon have run them out,the marsupials being the older and the less perfect form of life of the two."Before leaving the beautiful sea-girt region beneath them,Cortlandt proposed that it be named after their host,which Bearwarden seconded,whereupon they entered it as Ayrault Island on the charts.After this they rose to a great height,and flew swiftly over three thousand miles of ocean till they came to another island not quite as large as the first.It was four thousand five hundred miles long by something less than three thousand wide,and was therefore about the size of Africa.It had several high ranges of mountains and a number of great rivers and fine harbours,while murmuring,bubbling brooks flowed through its forest glades.There were active volcanoes along the northern coast,and the blue,crimson,and purple lines in the luxuriant foliage were the most beautiful they had ever seen.

"I propose,"said Bearwarden,"that we christen this Sylvialand."This Cortlandt immediately seconded,and it was so entered on the charts.

"These two islands,"said Bearwarden,"may become the centres of civilization.With flying machines and cables to carry passengers and information,and ships of great displacement for the interchange of commodities,there is no limit to their possible development.The absence of large waves will also be very favourable to sea-spiders,which will be able to run at tremendous speeds.The constancy in the eruptions of the volcanoes will offer a great field to Jovian inventors,who will unquestionably be able to utilize their heat for the production of steam or electricity,to say nothing of an inexhaustible supply of valuable chemicals.They may contain the means of producing some force entirely different from apergy,and as superior to electricity as that is to steam.Our earthly volcanoes have been put to slight account because of the long intervals between eruptions."After leaving Sylvialand they went westward to the eastern of the two crescent continents.It was separated from the island by about six thousand miles of ocean,and had less width than the western,having about the proportions of a three-day crescent,while the western had the shape of the moon when four or five days old.They found the height of the mountains and plateaus somewhat less than on the eastern continent,but no great difference in other respects,except that,as they went towards the pole,the vegetation became more like that of Scotland or a north temperate region than any they had seen.On reaching latitude fifty they again came out over the ocean to investigate the speckled condition they had observed there.They found a vast archipelago covering as great an area as the whole Pacific Ocean.The islands varied from the size of Borneo and Madagascar to that of Sicily and Corsica,while some contained but a few square miles.The surface of the archipelago was about equally divided between land and water.

"It would take good navigation or an elaborate system of light-houses,"said Bearwarden,"for a captain to find the shortest course through these groups."The islands were covered with shade trees much resembling those on earth,and the leaves on many were turning yellow and red,for this hemisphere's autumn had already begun.

"The Jovian trees,"said Cortlandt,"can never cease to bear,though the change of seasons is evidently able to turn their colour,perhaps by merely ripening them.When a ripe leaf falls off,its place is doubtless soon taken by a bud,for germination and fructification go on side by side."Before leaving,they decided to name this Twentieth Century Archipelago,since so much of the knowledge appertaining to it had been acquired in their own day.At latitude sixty the northern arms of the two continents came within fifteen hundred miles of each other.The eastern extension was split like the tail of a fish,the great bay formed thereby being filled with islands,which also extended about half of the distance across.

The western extremity shelved very gradually,the sand-bars running out for miles just below the surface of the water.

After this the travellers flew northward at great speed in the upper regions of the air,for they were anxious to hasten their journey.They found nothing but unbroken sea,and not till they reached latitude eighty-seven was there a sign of ice.They then saw some small bergs and field ice,but in no great quantities.

As their outside thermometer,when just above the placid water--for there were no waves here--registered twenty-one degrees Fahrenheit,they accounted for this scarcity of ice by the absence of land on which fresh water could freeze,and by the fact that it was not cold enough to congeal the very salt sea-water.

同类推荐
  • 弥勒上生经宗要

    弥勒上生经宗要

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • An Open-Eyed Conspiracy

    An Open-Eyed Conspiracy

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 书断

    书断

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 太白阴经

    太白阴经

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 观所缘论释

    观所缘论释

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
热门推荐
  • THE ADVENTURES OF REDDY FOX

    THE ADVENTURES OF REDDY FOX

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 佛说胜义空经

    佛说胜义空经

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 秋风微凉秋叶已落

    秋风微凉秋叶已落

    古人云“天上秋期近,人间月影清”。白芷若坐在学校露台,享受着秋风对她的抚摸,自古文人多悲秋,但她却喜欢秋风喜欢得紧,因为秋风没有冬风刺骨,更是伴着股落叶的凄香,而这凄香仅属于她……
  • 清明雨

    清明雨

    自从我俩登上开往大西南的列车,在云贵川三省交界处的大山深处,我们还是最近的老乡!尽管在同事们眼里,我们就是完美的一对,可在我的心里,却拿她一直当小妹妹看待。的确,岁月的风雨,虽能使沧海变桑田,却很难抚平人们心灵的伤痕。因为我的爱情世界,仍被绣春牢牢地占领着——尽管她已成了郝运的老婆。然而,她对我纯洁无瑕的爱,她在生活上对我无微不至的关怀和体贴,就像早春的阳光与和煦的东风,渐渐融化了我冰封的爱情世界!在参加工作的两年后,我俩终于走进了婚姻的殿堂!
  • 总裁的重生腹黑妻

    总裁的重生腹黑妻

    被深爱的男友背叛,被信任的继母继妹算计,这一世的萧祁雪活得既糊涂又窝囊。临死前得知的真相像压死骆驼的最后一根稻草,滔天的恨意却终究变成无能为力…一觉醒来,竟意外地发现自己重生了!上天垂怜,给了她重活一世的机会…这一世,她不会再那么平庸地活,那些侮辱过她的人,她要将他们全部踩在脚下!且看重生后的萧祁雪如何在商界翻手为云,覆手为雨。当然,还少不了身后,那霸道又温柔的守护…
  • 逆天狂宠:妖孽殿下的小魔妃

    逆天狂宠:妖孽殿下的小魔妃

    醉倾影,现代金牌杀手,却因一串手链,穿越到了异世大陆,还成了丞相府的废柴四小姐。看她如何逆袭,走上大陆巅峰,炼丹药,收神兽,还收美男。可谁告诉她,她身边的妖孽为什么一直缠着她。。。
  • 龙姬女神

    龙姬女神

    新书【黑铁神话】,同一个故事同一个主角,发生在三千年前的事情,算是本篇的前传。推龙推蛇,推数千亿高温的太阳。推翻宙斯,是为了完成宙斯没完成的渣事。取代克洛诺斯,是为了成为比克洛诺斯更霸道的支配者。身在黑暗,向往光明。蓦然回首,我已非我。【有错别字的章节,希望大家书评提醒我一下,拜谢!】
  • 高温危机

    高温危机

    《新幻想故事选:高温危机》讲述幻想小学五年级(1)班的丁奇是个顽皮聪明的小男孩,这天他和爷爷万能博士用望远镜看传说中的九星连珠。突然看见一颗闪亮的流星落在他们家的院子里。接连几个晚上丁奇总是听到有人在哭泣,后来他果然在院子的小屋里找到了一个美丽的女孩,这个女孩抱着一个漂亮的盒子,她的名字叫潘多拉,来自远古的希腊。因为她放出了魔盒里的灾难,受到惩罚,她是在逃跑的时候被一股强大的力量吸引到这里来的。丁奇和神秘的潘多拉成了好朋友,并带她去学校,潘多拉有很多神力,让丁奇在学校里出尽风头。潘多拉的盒子能变出各种各样的东西,丁奇用这些东西对付捉弄同学,在学校里上演一幕幕闹剧。
  • 余爱绕梁

    余爱绕梁

    比时光还要强大的,是命运;比记忆还要深刻的,是爱情。霍音第一眼见到梁淮则时,有种连自己都不明白的心动,仿佛他是她上辈子就爱过的人。他有不能忘却的亡妻,有患有自闭症的儿子,他对她的另眼相待,不过是为了让她填补梁慕尧缺失的母爱。然而因着一纸婚约,朝夕相处间,沦陷其中的,又何止她一个人?当她失去的记忆被重新找回,原来一切的巧合都不是偶然。往昔的甜蜜与欺骗,如今的深情与谎言,她该如何面对依旧深爱着的梁淮则?
  • 快把爱情放进冰箱

    快把爱情放进冰箱

    身为酒店试睡员,英子菁最霸道的试睡经历,就是试了酒店集团的少东家的房间。少东家宠她宠到上天入地,英小姐却并不领情:“我的事情,你不要插手!”男人眉眼一笑,轻轻揽她入怀,指尖挑开她的樱唇:“好,我不插手……我只……”——生活不止有眼前的宠爱,还有夜晚和发糖。【【此处高亮:试睡员是酒店质量测评员,职业体验酒店房间的床铺适睡度,以及检测相关软硬件设施,然后评分以供其它顾客参考。纯洁的孩子们不要想歪了哦~~】】