| 1 |
Where did I put it? Where could it only be? Oh, I am sorry! Did I bump into you? I am just looking for my hat. Nevermind, I will just buy a new one. But wait, where is my purse? |
| 2 |
I was a bit distracted. Do you see those birds on the railing? I have not seen them here in this time of the year before. Fascinating! Please tell your employees not to scare them away. |
| 3 |
Now I will just make a few notes about this exciting observation and I won’t bother you anymore. Please, just go back to your business. You were busy loading up these rocks, right? |
| 4 |
It seems I will have to impose on you some more. The captain of my ship has unexpectedly fallen ill. You were recommended as his replacement. Let’s just find an empty bench and have a chat. |
| 5 |
The ship HMS Beagle is already waiting in port ready to sail out. Wait... I will be with you in a second. I just need to find my geology toolkit. These tools are priceless for me. |
| 6 |
So where was I... We will be sailing on a survey voyage on the HMS Beagle mapping the coast of South America and other places. We will be carrying some special equipment, you must be careful with that. |
| 7 |
Captain FitzRoy promised to join us for lunch if his health allows it. He will fill you in on the details. I am just a naturalist here to observe the nature and collect samples for further research. |
| 8 |
I hope all your questions were answered by captain FitzRoy. He has already hired a crew but if you wish to take your sailors instead, I am sure he would not object. |
| 9 |
Let’s go to the market and buy the food supplies for the voyage, salted meat, grains, fresh water. I will join you if you don’t mind. The preparations for the voyage are so exciting! |
| 10 |
The time to start the voyage is here. Unfortunately, I received word that the fitting out of the ship is not finished yet. Maybe we could help speed up the work somehow. |
| 11 |
The ship is ready yet the strong western winds are still keeping us moored in the port. We must wait here anyway, so I can show you some of my work. Let’s go to a dig site I have been working on. |
| 12 |
We have found some interesting petrified snails here. I hope to discover similar fossils around the globe. But let me tell you it was no easy feat to get funding for this voyage. |
| 13 |
The winds have calmed down. I think we can set sail. |
| 14 |
There is nothing quite like the feeling of standing on the prow of the ship when she sails onwards. But it seems to me too few of your sailors are on deck. Are they still sleeping off celebration? |
| 15 |
I have constructed a plankton net to be towed behind the ship. I am curious what kinds of creatures are living on the open sea. We might even catch us some dinner with it. |
| 16 |
Truly fascinating! There are so many kinds of water creatures living here. I would never have guessed. Come, take a look! I will just have to store them in some boxes and research them closely at home. |
| 17 |
We have arrived at our first stop, the Canary Islands. But I have bad news. They won’t let us disembark due to the cholera outbreak in England. I have at least requested some supplies to be delivered. |
| 18 |
The next stop will be on the Cape Verde Islands. I hope this time we will be able to get on land so I can collect some geological samples. |
| 19 |
We will set up a survey station on this smaller island. I can collect sea animals from the tide pools and look for more interesting samples inland. You can set up the survey station on that hill. |
| 20 |
Have you already set up the survey station? Come, bring the equipment from the ship and I will help you with the installation. There is a good place at the top of this hill. |
| 21 |
I have collected some interesting animals on the shore. Come look at this amazing octopus. It changes colors like a chameleon. There are also many different kinds of fish I never saw before. |
| 22 |
Are we already done with all the necessary measurements? Good. Then let’s send the men to collect the equipment and we can move on. More fascinating things await us. |
| 23 |
Now we are heading for the coast of Brazil. I have noticed we are running low on fresh water. Let’s prepare the empty barrels so we can have them filled once we arrive in the city of Salvador. |
| 24 |
I have planned for you several surveys, they may take a month or two. I would like to do some research on shore. I will take just a few cans of food, that’s all I need. |
| 25 |
You are back already! There are some wonderfully preserved fossils I excavated outside the city. I will show them to you once we are on the ship. But now help me carry my tools aboard. |
| 26 |
I had not enough time to excavate all the fossils. I need you to take some of the larger rocks aboard too. I will work on them while we sail along the coast. This is really important for science, trust me. |
| 27 |
Have you heard of Patagonia? That land is a treasure trove for a geologist like me. I will find local guides to help me travel there. Are you interested in joining us? Then take some food and let’s go. |
| 28 |
Have you seen how the gauchos caught that ostrich with the rope? Their aim is astounding. I can’t wait to taste the meat. Do we have some bread left? |
| 29 |
Look at this skull! It must have been some animal related to the rhino. There must be the whole skeleton buried nearby. But without some help, we will be digging here for a month searching for it. |
| 30 |
With the help of your men we had it excavated in no time. And now that I see the whole skeleton this does not seem like a rhino. Let’s pack it into boxes and carry it to the ship. |
| 31 |
Oh, I forgot to pay the Gaucho guides. They are looking somewhat angry. Can you pay them? I wouldn’t risk them trying their hunting skills on us. |
| 32 |
Our guides want to express their gratitude by sharing one last meal with us. This is a grilled armadillo. Have a taste and then bring some fish we can put on the grill. Some things were not meant to be eaten. |
| 33 |
Our next stop will be at the southern tip of South America. Tierra del Fuego is the homeland of three of our crewmembers. They will be remaining here as missionaries. |
| 34 |
Could our three civilized companions really come from this savage tribe? Hard to believe. We could build a camp here and stay for a while. |
| 35 |
We were away for just a few days and all our things are gone. Could the locals have taken it? There! He has one of our chronometers. We must get them back! They are essential for the survey work. |
| 36 |
Let’s pack all we can still use and move on. It seems our three local missionaries fell right in among their kin. We can leave them here and continue our voyage. |
| 37 |
If we had another ship, it would speed up the survey work. We could repurpose an old vessel. Let’s go to Falkland Islands and visit a shipyard there, it should have what we need. |
| 38 |
There is an old fishing schooner for sale. Some planks on the hull are rotten, but after we outfit it with a new copper bottom, it will serve our purpose splendidly. Let’s name it Adventure. |
| 39 |
It’s time we headed to the Pacific. I have one special place in mind where I would like to stop, the Galapagos Islands. But first, let’s have a taste of this new kind of fish I have seen in the waters here. |
| 40 |
The Galapagos are volcanic islands. I am hoping I will get to see an active volcano there and collect a lot of volcanic rocks. I know you must concentrate on the survey work but you could help me a bit. |
| 41 |
I am so excited I can hardly wait until we lower the anchor. First, we will have to build a survey station on the island. Your sailors can help us with that. Then I can start my research. |
| 42 |
Do you see that giant tortoise? Looks like a creature from a time long past. It seems friendly, I hope it doesn’t bite. Let’s lure it with some sugarcane so we can observe it from close up. |
| 43 |
I have also noticed many interesting kinds of birds. That one seems to be some sort of mockingbird. I will try to catch a few. Do we have crates or cages where I could keep them? |
| 44 |
There are so many interesting animals and plants. I think I will need your help collecting the specimens. Take a toolkit and come with me. I will show you what I need you to do. |
| 45 |
We can't live only from geology samples. Let's go into the city and buy fresh supplies of food and water. I don’t mind having a taste of the local fauna but we don’t want to become poachers. |
| 46 |
The tortoises are stunning, the birds charming but I can’t help but find these iguanas repulsive. Such slimy dark creatures. They look like they popped out of that oil pond. Wait, there is oil here. |
| 47 |
It’s time we moved on. Get all the sailors aboard and set the course for Tahiti. What are you looking at? Yes, I took a small tortoise with me. Don’t worry, I won’t eat her. She will be my silent companion. |
| 48 |
We made only a short stop at Tahiti to refill our food supplies. Now we are headed for Australia. There are animals that can be found nowhere else. I hope we will find a platypus. |
| 49 |
My dream came true! We found a platypus and I have a full notebook of notes on this fascinating creature. There is still work ahead of us but a glass of wine to celebrate won’t hurt anyone. |
| 50 |
It’s been almost five years since we left home. What we found together is the basis for something groundbreaking. |
| Final |
Thank you for your help. Don't forget your reward, captain. |