Chapter 11 chapter Ten

In the evening, they saw the island where Captain Nichols planned to spend the night.The entire island is conical, with many trees at the top, which looks like the mountains in Piero della Francesca's paintings.Turning around the island, they saw the anchor point recorded in the navigation guide.It's a small, well-sheltered harbor with crystal clear water, and when you look out, the gorgeous coral clumps on the bottom of the sea come into view.The fish shuttled among them, just like the natives in the jungle skilfully go to and from the dense forest.There was a schooner moored on the shore, which surprised the doctor and his party.

"What's that?" asked Fred Black. Blake's eyes were filled with anxiety.It was indeed a strange thing to find a sailing ship moored as they sailed into this quiet little harbor sheltered by green hills on such a cool night.It stood there quietly, with the sails furled.This mooring spot is small and lonely, and now such a boat is parked, it looks a bit gloomy.Captain Nichols raised his binoculars to watch it. "It's a pearling ship, from Darwin Harbour. I don't know what to do here. There are many such ships around the Aru Islands." They saw the crew of the big ship looking at them, one of whom was white.Then a skiff was lowered from the schooner.

"Here they come," said the captain. They cast anchor, the skiff was rowing towards them, the two captains shouted greetings to each other, and the captain of the schooner boarded Captain Nichols' sloop.He is Australian.He said the Japanese divers on his ship were sick, so they were going to a small Dutch island to find a doctor. "We happen to have a doctor on board," said Captain Nichols, "and he's aboard our ship." The Australian then asked Dr. Saunders if he would come over to see the sick sailor.The Australian didn't drink, so they poured him a cup of tea.After drinking tea, the doctor followed him into the boat.

"Do you have any Australian newspapers?" asked Fred. "There is only one communiqué, and it was also a month ago." "It's okay, it's already new to us." "No problem, I'll ask the doctor to bring it back." It didn't take long for the doctors to diagnose that the crew member had severe dysentery.He was very ill, and the doctor gave him an injection and told the captain that there was no good way to do it now, but to find a way to make him quieter. "These damned Japanese are so weak. So he can't do anything during this time?"

"yes." They shook hands, and the doctor went back into the boat, and a native Australian rowed away with the doctor. "Wait a minute, I forgot to give you the newspaper." The Aussie slipped into the cabin and was presently out with a copy of the Sydney Gazette.He threw the newspaper into the boat. Captain Nichols and Fred were playing cribbage when the Doctor re-boarded the Fenton.The sun is gradually setting, and various colorful colors are clearly reflected on the calm sea, including blue, green, orange-red, and soft purple.These colors blend together lightly, gentle and slender, showing a sense of tranquility.

"Healed him?" asked the captain indifferently. "He was very ill." "Is this a newspaper?" Fred asked. He took the newspaper from the doctor and paced forward. "Playing cribbage?" Nichols asked. "Not playing." "I play with Fred every night. He's so lucky. I don't want to tell you how badly I lost. It won't always be like this. I'm sure I'll be lucky soon." Saying that, he Shout out to Fred, "Keep playing, Fred!" "Wait a minute." The captain shrugged. "Not polite at all, just looking at his paper, isn't it?"

"And it's an old paper from a month ago," said the doctor. "How long has it been since you left Thursday Island?" "We didn't go to Thursday Island." "Oh!" "Can I have a drink? Will it make me sick?" "It's fine." The captain gave a cry, and Tom Uub brought two cups and a little water.Nichols fetched some whiskey.The sun had gone down, and night moved softly over the still water.It was very quiet all around, only the occasional sound of fish jumping out of the water.Tom Uub brought a hurricane lantern and put it in the deckhouse, then went down to the cabin and lit the smoking signal there.

"I wonder what your young friend is looking at." "You mean when it's so dark?" "Maybe he's thinking about something he's just seen." But when Fred finally sat down and resumed the game he had just interrupted, it seemed to the doctor that he looked very pale in the flickering light.He didn't have the newspaper in his hand, so the doctor went to look for it where he had just read it, but couldn't find it, so he asked Akai to look for it elsewhere on the ship.As for himself, he stood in the dark and watched the two players playing cards.

"Fifteen points, two points. Fifteen points, four points. Fifteen points, six points. Fifteen points, eight points. Adding six points is fourteen points, plus the last head, a total of seventeen points .” "God, what luck are you doing!" The captain was a man who couldn't afford to lose, and a frozen and cold expression appeared on his face.Every time he turned over a card, the thief's eyes would glance at the card face full of sarcasm.But Blake was calm and unhurried, with a smile on his lips.The hurricane lamp shone on his face, and the faint light outlined his smooth outline from the darkness, and his slender eyelashes also cast shadows on his cheeks.He is not only a handsome young man, but also has a kind of tragic beauty in him, which touches people's hearts.At this time Akai came over and reported that the doctor did not find the newspaper.

"Fred, where did you put that bulletin?" asked the doctor. "My servants couldn't find it." "Not here?" "No, we've all looked for it." "Then how would I know where it went! Have you both looked for it?" "Did you throw it into the sea after reading it?" asked the captain. "Me? Why should I throw it into the sea?" "If you didn't throw it away it must be somewhere on the boat," said the doctor. "One more hand," growled the captain, "I've never seen anyone play so well!"