Do you believe that a raft can cross the Pacific Ocean?
This is a true story. The protagonist is Heyer Dahl, the author of one of the books "Raft heavy ocean" that the poet Haizi brought with him when he died.
In distant South America, there was once a mysterious Inca civilization. This distant civilization, which believes in the sun god, has been explored by Western countries since its conquest by the Spanish explorer Pizarro in the 16th century. Across the sea from the sea, on the island of Fatucheva in polynesia, there has always been a story: Tiki, a chieftain from the East, crossed the ocean on a raft to the island and led his people to open up the wilderness and breed. Heyerdahl, an anthropologist who was on the island at the time, was fascinated by the mysterious legend and began to think about the origins of Polynesia. He found the stone statue of Tiki standing on the island, which resembled the giant monolith he had seen in the ancient cultural relics of South America. The species and morphology of animals and plants in South America are indeed similar to those of Fatuhiwa. So, is it possible that Tiki arrived in Polynesia from the coast of South America and crossed the Pacific Ocean on a raft?
This may seem ridiculous, but when you think about it, it's intriguing. Heyerdahl had studied Inca legends and remembered an ancestor named Kondiki, whose people were almost completely annihilated in a battle, and only he and his cronies fled across the ocean on rafts to the Pacific coast. Could Kontiki be Tiki? Can a south-American waterproof balsa really make a raft and allow him to reach the other side of the Pacific unscathed?
He did not hesitate—intense curiosity prompted him to try to verify the veracity of this hypothesis and to publish his views in academia. A stone stirs up a thousand layers of waves. Many people think he is crazy and can subvert conventional wisdom based on legends and speculation alone? Anthropologist sir Peter Barker published Primer on Polynesian Anthropology, openly attacking the doctrine that Polynesian history originated in the Americas. Danish newspapers carried a headline with the headline "Kontici Expedition, a Hoax." Heyerdahl was even personally attacked by newspapers, and his head was ugly as a bearded evil man. To this end, he was discredited in academia and became an "academic madman".
Heyerdahl believed that the only way to test historical knowledge was practice. Even if it is difficult, he will not hesitate to try it himself. He began to raise rafts for the sea. According to his estimates, the raft team could not have more than six members, each of whom must have great skill, experience and perseverance in ocean voyages. To do this, he brought in the scientist Bante, the engineer Hermon, the painter Eric, the radio communicator Nott and Tolstein.
Their first task was to make rafts suitable for ocean voyages. According to records, the ancient South Americans sailed on rafts tied to local lightweight logs. The wood is not available in the market, but grows in densely forested swamps in the Andes. Without further ado, they rushed to Ecuador, the country where balsa wood is produced, to search. Wood merchant Gustav recommended the jungle town of Kvedo to Heyerdahl. But it was the rainy season, and ecuador's mountains were swampy, and Cravedo was in the center of the swamps. Climbing along the Andes is undoubtedly a life of nine deaths. If the freighter were to fly directly into the alpine plains, it would only be able to reach the capital Quito, which would still have to cross the jungle and risk falling into a swamp and being shot by the poisonous arrows of the Indians. When they were at a loss, they paid a hard visit to the U.S. consul in Eritrea, and through the consul's introduction, persuaded the U.S. embassy to send a special car through the jungle to send them to Kwedo. With the help of local lumber merchants, they tied nine intact logs with ropes to make the main structure of the raft, and made their own cabins, decks, masts, and purchased fresh water, fruit, vegetables and grain. Heyerdahl named the raft "Kontiki".
The news that the raft was about to go to sea shocked the world. Foreign naval experts who heard the news sneered at Heyerdahl: "If your parents hear the news of your death in the future, they will be very sad." ”
Gossip can't undo their ambitions. Heyerdahl believed that the ancient Indians could go out to sea on rafts, and they could too. On April 27, 1947, the Kondiki was finally launched. In order to avoid the dense area of the shoreline route, the Kontiki was initially dragged by tugboats. Who knew that soon after leaving the shore, it encountered a wave of headwaters, and a section of the tow rope suddenly cracked. The raft fell with the waves, and several members of the team were turned upside down and almost fell into the sea, and their heads were covered with slippery jellyfish. They held the tugboat to death with bamboo poles and oars before they could barely control the raft. After the tugboat left, Bante looked at the chart and found that the raft had left the continent 50 nautical miles. However, there was no route in this position, and rescue was difficult, which meant that the six of them could only rely on each other for their own blessings.
First, they face the problem of maneuvering the rudder paddle. The raft was made entirely according to the descriptions of the Indians, and none of the six members had any experience in manipulating them. They must always keep the stern wind to sail fully, otherwise once the wind sweeps from the side, it will cause the raft to yaw or even capsize. When the waves came, they had to exert all their strength to stabilize the rudder and keep the blade upright in the water, but the fingers suffered. In order to solve this problem, they thought of using a piece of wood to tie it horizontally to the rudder oar, using the principle of leverage to save strength; and then tied a rope to the paddle, and the rope was pulled to the sides of the raft, and the handle of the lever was fixed in the paddle frame bolt. To conserve their strength, they decided to take turns at the helm for two hours at a time, with the rest resting for three hours.
The rough tide came, the logs began to absorb water, displace, and the ropes were worn. To that end, Eric overhauled the raft sooner or later; Bante made daily hydrological and meteorological observations; Nott and Tolstein were responsible for reporting observations by radio to the Washington Meteorological Bureau; and Heyerdahl was obsessed with writing logbooks and expedition reports.
The journey is hard, but there are also joys. In early May, the sea began to calm down. The vast expanse of the blue sea and the blue sky of gulls and herons are fascinating. Dolphins, bass and pilot fish are inseparable companions, accompanying them through countless lonely days and nights. Barnacles climbing onto the raft and squid that fall onto deck provide them with inexhaustible food. Once, a flock of flying fish jumped onto the deck, and they used the flying fish as bait and caught the sailfish and ate them for several days. On calm days, they kayak and watch the waves under the stars and the shimmering plankton. Eric even made a diving basket for curious team members to dive into the sea for entertainment. This kind of wandering life made them temporarily forget the hustle and bustle of the city.
One day, they vaguely felt a huge animal following under the raft, and at first they did not pay attention. At that time, Knott was washing his pants with seawater when a huge and ugly face suddenly appeared on the surface of the sea. The monster's head was wide and flat, the corners of its mouth had long tentacles, and its huge dorsal fin struck a high splash of water. Knott exclaimed, "Shark! "Everybody recognizes that this is a whale shark – the largest fish in the world. The daring Eric excitedly picked up the harpoon and stabbed it into the cartilage on the top of the whale shark's head. The whale shark was quickly enraged, flew out of the sea, and plunged into the sea again, and the rope tied to the harpoon broke in response. Several people at the front of the raft were overturned and slightly injured. Fortunately, the whale shark did not retaliate, and they were able to escape.
Months-long voyages, extremely arduous. Ants often burrow into sleeping bags, disturbing them all night. Fresh water begins to stink and spoil over time, causing them severe diarrhea. On the night of July 2, they encountered one of the fiercest sea storms of the trip. The waves rolled the raft high, and the raging waves threw the raft out. Tolstein, who was operating the radio, was shaken down, and the sea began to seep through the logs. The bamboo mat on the starboard side of the foredeck cracked and the sea flooded into the raft. The team members were awakened one after another, unable to get dressed, and urgently repaired the raft with materials. Although they struggled to align the stern of the boat in the direction of the wind, the wind quickly changed its trajectory, and the raft swayed and rotated uncontrollably. To protect the radio equipment, they scrambled to bundle up the scattered cargo and tied the sails to the trusses. The salty waters splashed them from head to toe. After the danger was eliminated, they found themselves naked and shivering with cold. On July 21, another test came. The fierce wind on the surface of the sea blew the sleeping bag down, and Hemen reached out to pick it up, stepped on the air, and fell into the water. The roaring waves swept him farther and farther away, engulfing his faint cries for help. Tolstein tries to release the lifeboat, but Hermon does not grasp the rope. Heyerdahl and Banter hurriedly dropped their rubber boats, while Knott and Eric threw out their life belts. Hermon tried to grab it, but the strap was blown back to the raft by the wind. At this time, Nott was in a hurry, using a rope to connect himself to the rubber boat, and then grabbed the life belt and plunged into the sea. When he appeared on the surface of the sea, Hermon was gone! The people on the raft were anxious and shouted his name in unison. After a few minutes, Knott finally confirmed Hermon's position and swam toward him, dragging him hard, and the two of them pulled on the lifeguard together and slowly swam back to the rubber boat. The companions hurriedly pulled up the rope of the rubber boat and rescued the two of them on the raft.
No amount of hardship or hardship could shake The Konticki's conviction to continue its quest for a route to Polynesia. On July 31, Hermon woke up Heyerdahl in his sleep, his fingers far away. The place he was pointing to was on the eastern horizon, the morning light was faint, and a dark shadow loomed on the sea level, it was land! At this time, it had taken more than three months since the six-man raft expedition. An excited Heyldal woke everyone up and ordered the raft to go full speed. Through the compass, they discovered that this was Pukapuka Island in the South Pacific. Soon, the raft reached the nearby island of Angletau and entered the heart of Polynesia. They finally proved to the academic community and the world that the ancient Indians could cross the Pacific Ocean and reach Polynesia on rafts!
Heyerdahl's lone raft voyage shocked the world. He not only proved the origin of Polynesian civilization, but also announced to the conservative academic community of the time that the practice of true knowledge was revealed. The academic value of this voyage was shocking, and Heyerdahl was awarded a gold medal by the Royal Geographical Society of Scotland and the Philadelphia Geographical Society.
Today, although more than half a century has passed since this feat recorded in history, it is still like a beacon, guiding the direction for scholars to explore true knowledge and pursue truth. These fearless navigators should not be forgotten by us. They enlighten future generations with life and death adventures: blooming the splendor of life is the most gorgeous curtain of life.
Citations:
[1] Lone Raft Chongyang[M].Chengdu: Sichuan Literature and Art Publishing House, 2020
Shanglin. "The Lone Raft And the Ocean" recreates the voyage of history[J].National Humanities and History,2013,(81):98-102.
Image source: "Lone Raft Heavy Ocean" movie, network
About the Author:
Yu Tianli graduated with a master's degree in finance. He has won the silver medal of the first Lu Xun Essay Award in Zhejiang Province, the first prize of the "My West Lake Memory" Global Essay Contest, and the ninth batch of members of the "New Lotus Project" talent pool in Zhejiang Province. He is currently a member of the Zhejiang Writers Association, the Zhejiang Miscellaneous Literature Society, and the Zhejiang Provincial Prose Literature Society. He has published a collection of essays, "Tea as Wine" and "Plain Hand Tuning".