Chapter 5 Chapter 5 Where am I?

(Records of Engineer Simon Hart) Where am I? ...what happened since I was suddenly attacked a few steps away from the small building? ... I had just sent the doctor away and was about to climb the stone steps, go back to the house, close the door, and go back to Thomas Roche. At this moment, how many people rushed towards me and knocked me to the ground? ……Who are they? ... blindfolded, I couldn't recognize them... my mouth was gagged and I couldn't call for help... I couldn't resist because they bound my arms and legs... Then I felt them lift me up Got up, carried me over a hundred steps...I was lifted...and put down...and placed on...

where? ……where? ... How is Thomas Roche now? ...Could it be that he was the target of this kidnapping and not me? ……very possible.To people, I am just a caregiver for Guyton, not engineer Simon Hart. No one has ever doubted my real identity and true nationality. Why do people kidnap a little caretaker in a nursing home? ... It was the French inventor they were going to kidnap, there was no doubt about it... Was it the purpose of taking him from the sanitarium to gain access to his secrets? ... I think Thomas Roche disappeared with me...is that so? ...yes...it could be...that's...I have no doubts about it...the outlaws who kidnapped me didn't mean to steal...otherwise, they wouldn't do it...just make me unable to call, put me Throw it in a corner among the bushes in the garden... After kidnapping Thomas Roche, I will not be locked up again... Where am I now...

Where? ...always this question, I've been baffled for hours. Anyway, it was an unusual encounter and how it turned out...I don't know...I don't even dare to predict how things will turn out.In any case, I made up my mind to keep the details of what happened every minute in my head, and when possible, write down my feelings every day with a pen... Who knows what will happen in the future, why can't I be in the new world? What if Thomas Roche's secret is finally discovered? ... If one day I am free, I should let the world know this secret and the criminals who caused such serious consequences!

I can't stop thinking about the following question, hoping that some chance chance will lead me to the answer: Where am I? ... Let's go back to the beginning of the matter. After being carried out of the sanatorium, I felt as if I had been quietly put into the seat of a slightly tilted vessel—a dinghy, perhaps. . . The boat rocked once, followed by a second shake, and I presumed that another person was on board.So is this man Thomas Roche? ... There is no need for them to gag him, blindfold him, or bind his hands and feet.He may still be in a weakened state, unable to resist, and unaware that he has been hijacked.One thing that proves my judgment right is that there is a peculiar smell of ether on my gag cloth.Yesterday, before the doctor left, he administered a few drops of ether to the patient—I remember Thomas Roche struggling desperately at the height of his attack, and a few drops of ether fell on my clothes, And it evaporates quickly.So it's no surprise that I can still smell it strongly.That's right...Thomas Roche was also in the boat, lying next to me...If I returned to the small building later, I might not find him again...

I mused... why did Count Atticus want to visit the sanatorium at an inopportune time? ... None of this would have happened if my patient hadn't seen him.He spoke to the patient about his visit which led to this unusually violent attack.The first thing to blame is the dean, he didn't pay attention to my warning... If he listened to me, the doctor would not come to see the patient, the door of the small building would be closed, and the kidnapping would not be successful... The beneficiary of the kidnapping of Thomas Roche may be someone, maybe a certain country in Europe, so there is no need to delve into it.I can rest assured of that.What I have not been able to do for fifteen months, no one else will be able to do successfully.Given the debilitating intellect of my fellow man, any attempt to gain access to his secrets would have failed.Seriously, his condition was deteriorating, and he would be completely insane, even to the hitherto unimpaired part of his sanity.

In short, there is no need to think about Thomas Roche now, but to think about my own situation. The following is what I feel. After a violent shaking, the boat began to move forward under the propulsion of the oars.After walking for a minute, there was a slight bump.No doubt the boat struck the hull of a larger ship, and stopped next to it.A tumultuous uproar ensued.Voices, commands, and operations were mixed together... I was blindfolded and heard these mixed voices for five or six minutes, but I couldn't understand anything... My only thought was that they would move me from the skiff to the big ship where it belonged, and lock me up in the bottom of the hold until the big ship was out to sea.They wouldn't have Thomas Roche and his attendants on deck when the big ship was sailing on Bomblico Sovender...

So someone grabbed me by the legs and shoulders and I was blindfolded the whole time and it didn't feel like I was lifted up to the bulwarks, instead they put me on my head...they were trying to throw me...into Water to kill a nasty witness? ...for a moment this thought flashed through my mind, and I shuddered from head to toe... I instinctively took a deep breath, my chest was full, and maybe I would be short of air soon... No!I was carefully placed on a solid wooden board, which gave me a cold feeling like metal.I lie on it.To my utter astonishment, the ropes that bound me were undone.There are no more footsteps around me.After a while, I heard the dull sound of closing the door...

Where am I... now? ...First of all, am I alone? ... I pulled the cloth strips that were in my mouth and over my eyes... It was pitch black all around, and I couldn't see my fingers.There is not even a sliver of light, even in the most tightly sealed room, the pupils can receive vague light, but here they can't even do this... I yelled...I yelled several times...no answer.My voice became very dull, as if it passed through a place where no sound could be transmitted. Also, the air I was breathing was so hot, stuffy, and heavy that it would be difficult if not impossible for my lungs to do their job without changing the air...

Once I reached out, here's what I knew by touch: This is a room with steel plates on all sides, no more than three to four cubic meters.As I ran my hands over the steel plates of the walls, I found that they were fastened with studs, like the bulkheads of a steamship. On one steel wall, I felt for a door frame, its hinges a few centimeters above the partition.This door may be opened from the outside to the inside, maybe I was brought into the room through this door. I put my ear against the door and couldn't hear anything.The silence was like deep darkness—a strange silence broken only by the sound of the metal floor when I moved.There was neither the usual muffled sound of the boat, nor the rustling of the water against the hull, nor the gurgling of the water beating gently on the hull.There was no sense of rocking either, as the tides in the Nez Bay used to throw the boat violently.

Is this room I'm locked in really on a boat? . . . Although I was carried to a small boat which sailed only a little while, am I sure it sailed on the Nez? . . . Really, why couldn't this boat get across the river without joining some larger ship that was waiting for it near the sanatorium? ... If this is the case, I may be sent to land and locked in a cave, what is impossible? . . . and that would explain why the room remained unmoved.Yet these metal partitions, the bolted steel walls, the faint smell of salt floating around me—it was the smell of the sea, the air of ships is often saturated with this smell, the nature of which I do not know. You could be wrong, it's all true...

I spent four hours in confinement.Here is my estimate.It was almost midnight.Am I going to stay like this until dawn? . . . Luckily I had dinner at six o'clock, which is the custom of the sanitarium.Instead of being tormented by hunger, I felt intensely sleepy.However, I hope I can resist the onslaught of sleep... I will not succumb to it... I should recapture something outside... what?Neither sound nor light comes through this iron box...wait! ...Maybe, some kind of sound will reach my ears, even if it is slight? . . . so all my energies are concentrated on my hearing... I am always on the lookout, - as long as I am not on land, - some movement, some swaying will eventually be felt by me... If the ship stays still Where it is, it's going to set sail right away...or...then...I don't understand why they kidnapped Thomas Roche and me... In the end...it was definitely not a hallucination...a slight sway made me feel like I was in a cradle...convinced me that I wasn't on land at all...although it wasn't obvious, bumped, went up and down...as if Glide on the water. Think calmly.The ship I was in was at anchor at the mouth of the Nez, and had been awaiting the outcome of the kidnapping, and was always ready to go.The dinghy took me to the big ship.But, I repeat, I didn't feel them lifting me over the bulwarks... Was I being handed into the ship through some porthole in the hull? ... In short, these are irrelevant!Whether they sent me to the bilge or not, I was under a floating object in constant motion... Perhaps, Thomas Roche and I will be free soon, if he is locked up as carefully as I am.When I was free, I could go on the deck of the ship as I pleased.However, it will be a few more hours, because we can't be found.Therefore, we can breathe the outside air only when the big ship sails to the open sea.If it was a sailing vessel, it had to wait for a favorable wind—the wind that blows from the land at sunrise and facilitates the boat's navigation on Lake Bombrico Sovender.If this was a steamboat... No! … On a steamship I inevitably smell the coals, the grease, and the boiler-rooms… and I also feel the movement of the propeller or the blades, the vibration of the machinery, and the stopping and stopping of the pistons… All in all, it's best to be patient.Tomorrow I can walk out of this black hole.And, even if I can't move freely, at least they will send me food.What are the signs that they want to starve me? ... Wouldn't it be more convenient to throw me into the river instead of taking me to the boat ... Once out at sea, what would they have to fear from me? ... No one will hear my shouts ... My protests are useless, much less condemnation! So what use am I to these kidnappers? ... a small custodian of the sanatorium, the nameless Guyton... it was Thomas Roche that they were going to kidnap from the sanatorium... as for me... I was kidnapped only incidentally... because I was back at that time Small building... No matter what happened, no matter who these captors were or where they were taking me, I was determined to continue playing the role of caretaker.nobody!No one would have guessed that the engineer Simon Hart was hidden under Gaidon's appearance.There are two advantages to this: first, they won't pay attention to a trivial guardian, and second, maybe I can see the inside story of this conspiracy and use it, if I can escape... Where did I go? ...before you run away, you must reach your destination.At that time, I will consider the issue of fleeing, if there is a suitable time... Before that, the most important thing is to conceal my true identity, they will not know. Now, it is absolutely certain that we are sailing.However, I need to correct my earlier opinion.wrong! ... The ship in which we are traveling is neither a steamer nor a sailing ship.There is no doubt that it is propelled forward by a powerful running machine.I have to confess that I heard no characteristic sound of a steam engine turning its screw rack or wheels, nor the vibration of cylinder pistons going back and forth in the ship.It is a continuous and regular movement, a clockwise rotation driven by an engine, and whatever it may be, one thing cannot be mistaken: what propels the ship is a special set of machinery . . . what? Maybe it's a turbine that's been talked about a lot lately?It is operated by an underwater tube, which can be used as a substitute for a propeller, and its water resistance and speed far exceed that of a propeller... In a few hours I shall know what kind of ship it is, and it appears that its internal mechanism is very harmonious. And, it had an extraordinary effect: the people on board did not feel the swaying of the ship at all.Otherwise, why would Bomberico Sovind Lake be so turbulent? ... Normally, the ebb and flow of the sea alone is enough to disturb its calm. Perhaps it was the time of low tide, I recalled, that the wind from the land died down yesterday as night fell.Insignificant!What puzzles me is that a ship driven by an engine always shakes no matter what the speed of the ship, but I can't feel the slightest shake now. Now, my mind is full of these nagging thoughts!Although the desire to sleep grew stronger, although the suffocating air made me drowsy, I was determined not to succumb to sleep.I'm going to stay there with my eyes open until dawn, although for me it's only dawn when the light from outside comes in.Maybe not only to open the hatch, but also to get out of this black cave and come to the deck... I leaned against the corner of the partition because I didn't even have a chair to sit on.But, just as my eyelids were getting heavy, and as I felt the torment of drowsiness, I stood up again.I was so angry that I beat the bulkhead hard and shouted...to no avail, my hands were blue from the bolts of the steel wall, and my shouts did not call anyone. right! ...that would be demeaning.I got myself under control and calmed down.Just now, I lost my mind and acted like a child... The fact that the ship did not shake at least proves that it has not yet reached the open sea, which is very certain.Doesn't it go up the Nez River instead of across Lake Bombrico Sovender? ……Won't!Why did it enter the hinterland of the province? ...Thomas Roche was abducted from the sanitarium because the captors intended to take him out of America—probably to a remote island in the Atlantic Ocean, or somewhere on the European continent.So our boats are not sailing on the narrow Nez River...we are sailing on the calm Bomberiko Sovender Lake. All right!When a large ship reaches the open sea, it cannot escape the rocking of the waves, which can be felt by a medium-sized ship even in calm weather.Unless it's on a cruiser or armored ship... I don't think so! At this moment, it seemed to me that ... indeed, I was not mistaken ... there was a sound in the cabin ... footsteps ... it was getting closer and closer, and it came to the partition on the hatch ... He promised it was Some of the crew... is the door finally going to open? ...I listened intently...someone was talking, I heard them talking...but I couldn't make out what they were saying...they were speaking a language I couldn't understand. ...I screamed...I shouted...no answer! So just wait, wait, wait!I kept repeating the word and it was like a hammer hammering on my head! Try to calculate how much time has passed. In short, at least four or five hours have passed since the beginning.I figured it was well past midnight.Unfortunately, my watch can't serve me in this endless darkness. If we had been sailing for five hours, the big ship would have sailed out of Bompeliko Sovender Lake by now, and whether it was going to Cape Okeri Cook or Cape Hadreth, it would be within a short distance from the shore. It's far out on the sea—at least a nautical mile away... However, I can't feel the wind and waves at sea... It's unbelievable, unbelievable... Am I mistaken? ...Have I been deceived by hallucinations? . . . Am I not imprisoned in the bilge of a ship that is sailing? ... Another hour passed, and suddenly, the vibration of the machine stopped... I clearly felt the boat stop... Did it reach the destination? ...if so, this is likely to be some port on the shore north or south of Lake Bomberico Sovender...But how is it possible to bring Thomas Roche, who was stolen from the Sanatorium, to land ? ...The hijacking may be noticed, and the hijackers will face the danger of being discovered by the federal government... And, if the big ship berths now, I'll hear the hawser wear the chain drum, and when it's pulled back into place by the hawser, there'll be a jerk, and I'll wait for it to happen... I'll make it out... a few minutes will happen within. I'm waiting...and listening... A sullen, worrying silence hung over the ship... I wondered if there were any other beings on board the ship besides myself... Now a dull, numb feeling seizes me... the air is very stale... I can't breathe... my chest seems to be crushed by an inescapable weight... I tried to resist... I couldn't... I had to lie in a corner, partly undressed, because the temperature was so hot... My eyelids were getting heavier and closing, I was getting weaker and weaker, it made I fell into a heavy, irresistible sleep... How long did I sleep? ……I have no idea.Is it night or day? ...I can't answer.However, the first thing I noticed was that my breathing was much easier.My lungs are no longer filled with carbonated air... Had the air been replaced while I was asleep? ...the compartment was opened? ...someone has entered this cramped shanty? ... Yes... I have the proof. My hand—accidentally caught something—a vessel full of liquid, the smell of which was very tantalizing.I moved it to my burning lips, I was so tormented by thirst that even the sea could satisfy me. It was a fine English ale, smooth and thirst-quenching, and I downed a full pint. But while they don't want me to die of thirst, can't they just let me die of starvation? ... No... In one corner of the wall stood a basket with a loaf of bread and a piece of cold meat in it. I ate... chewing greedily, gradually regaining my strength. Apparently, I wasn't abandoned like I feared.Someone came into this dark room, and when the door was opened, a little oxygen was let in from the outside, otherwise I would have suffocated.Then, I was brought enough food to quench my hunger and thirst until I was released. How long will this imprisonment continue? ... days ... months? ... Also, I can't count the time elapsed while I'm asleep, nor can I get an approximate estimate of what time it is.I've wound the watch, but it's not a reed watch...maybe you can tell the time by touching the hands? ... yes ... the hour hand seems to be pointing at the number eight ... morning, maybe it is! I'm pretty sure the big ship isn't moving.In the boat, no shaking could be felt - an indication that the engine was resting.And yet, time goes on and on, endless hours, and I wonder if they won't come into the room again until evening, to ventilate it, as they did last night when I slept, and bring new food... yep ...they want to use my sleep... This time, I made up my mind... I must hold on... I will pretend to fall asleep... No matter who comes in, I will force him to answer my questions!