Chapter 14 Chapter 14 The battle between the "Sward" and the tugboat

I didn't close my eyes all night, and my thoughts were always with this small wooden barrel.How many times I seem to see it hit the rocks, anchor in the bay, stop around some hole...a cold sweat runs through my body...finally, the keg goes through the tunnel...over the channel...the low tide The sea washed it into the middle of the sea... Great God!If the tide carries it back to the entrance, and then into the interior of the Cup-Covered Island, ... if I ever see it... I got up when the morning light appeared, and I walked towards the beach... I look at the surface of the lake... there is nothing floating on the calm surface of the lake.

During the next few days they continued to dig the tunnel by the known method. At four o'clock in the afternoon on September 23, the engineer Sokol had the last rock blown up.The connection between the inside and the outside of the cave has been established, although this is just a narrow narrow path that must be bent over and back to pass.But it is enough.Outside, the opening was concealed among the rocks of the seashore, and it was very easy to plug it if necessary. Needless to say, from this day forward, the passage will be closely guarded.No one can get in or out of the cave through it unless they are allowed to... so escape from it is impossible.

—September 25. ——Today, in the morning, the tugboat drove from the bottom of the lake to the surface of the lake.Earl Atticus, Captain Spard and the crew moored by the pier.They began to unload the cargo brought back by the "Aiba".I saw little packets of supplies for the Isle of the Covered Cup, boxes of meat and cans, casks of wine and schnapps,—and, besides, several parcels for Thomas Roche.Meanwhile, sailors unloaded various parts of the missile. Thomas Roche watched from the sidelines.His eyes shot bright flames.He picked up a part, examined it carefully, and nodded with satisfaction.I saw that his joy was no longer expressed through the broken language, and there was no trace of all the former nursing home patients in him.I even secretly wondered whether this partial insanity, which was considered incurable, was completely cured? ...

Finally, Thomas Roche boarded the special boat on the right lake, accompanied by the engineer Sokol, and the workers came to his laboratory.Within an hour, all the cargo on the tugboat was transported to the opposite shore. Gail Karaj and Engineer Sokol spoke only a few words.Later, the two met again in the afternoon.Walked in front of Bihaifu and talked for a long time. When they had finished speaking, they made their way to the passage, and slipped in, with Captain Spard following behind.If only I could enter the tunnel with them! ... How I wish I could breathe, if only for a moment, the fresh air of the Atlantic, the wind blowing into the cup-covered island is very feeble! ...

——From 26th October to 10th October. —Fifteen days have passed.Under the command of engineers Sokol and Thomas Roche, they began to adjust the missiles.Then, start installing the transmitter mount.These are some tripods with plucking machines, the tilt of which can be exchanged, on the platform of the tester submarine "Aiba". At this time, the submarine must be level with the water. It is easy to install them. Therefore, Gael Karaj can become the king of the sea as long as he owns a sailboat! ... No warship can pass through the danger zone without the Aiba staying out of range of its missiles! ……what!I hope my note can be picked up... I hope people know about the bandit cave on the island of Cup Covered...if not destroy it, at least cut off its supply...

—October 20. — This morning, to my great surprise, I discovered that the tug was not at its usual berth.I remember they replaced the battery last night; but I guess that's to keep it in good shape.Now that the new channel is ready to pass.If it departs, it is also sailing in the nearby sea city.Because the parts and materials that Thomas Roche needs are all available on the "covered cup" island. However, it is still autumnal equinox time.Bermuda's seas are often hit by storms.The wind roared, unstoppable.A strong airflow pours in from the "crater" on the top of the "covered cup" island.The spacious cave is filled with swirling mist, mixed with raindrops, and the sea is also turbulent, with rushing waves sweeping across the rocks on the shore.

But is it certain that the sailboat has left the bay of Cup Covered Island? ...Facing the sea with violent waves, even with the help of a tugboat, isn't it still too small to resist the wind and waves with its volume? ... On the other hand, for a tugboat, although it does not have to be afraid of wind and waves at sea, because it sails in calm water thousands of meters below the sea surface, how can it sail without the company of a sailboat? ... I don't know what caused the submarine to leave the island. — the time away will be long because it did not return that day. This time, Engineer Sokol remained on the "Cupped" island.Only Gail Caraj, Captain Spud and the tugboat and the crew of the Eba left the island...

In this colony of lifers, life continues on its usual level of humdrum.Much of my time was spent in the hut, brooding, hoping, despairing, thinking of the little cask thrown in the capricious waves, while hope faded every day.Keeping records, maybe they'll survive my death... Thomas Roche, I think, has been in the lab-making deflagration substances.I'm still obsessed with the idea, even though he won't sell the liquid's ingredients for any price...but, I also know he won't hesitate to use his invention to serve Gail Karaj. When I walk around Behev, I usually come across Engineer Sokol.This guy always acted like he wanted to talk to me...in a slightly disrespectful tone, of course.

We talked about some things—but little about my situation, which I refrained from reproaching because it was useless and would only invite me to fresh ridicule. —October 22. —Today, I thought it necessary to ask Engineer Sokol whether the sailboat had gone out to sea with the tugboat. "Yes, Mr. Simon Hart," said he, "though the weather on the high seas is dreadful, downright bad, there is no need to worry about our Alba! . . . " "Is it going away for a long time?..." "We'll see it in forty-eight hours... Count Atticus decided to make one last trip before the winter storm completely seals off the sea."

"Is it a pleasure trip, ... or a business trip? ..." I asked. Engineer Sokol smiled and said to me: "A business trip, Mr. Hart, a business trip! When the missiles are installed, the weather will improve again, and we're going to attack..." "Assault on hapless ships..." "It's unlucky...it's also loaded with a lot of cargo!" "What a robbery, I really hope you don't get away with it forever!" I exclaimed. "Calm down. My dear colleagues, don't get mad! ... You know that no one can discover our secret dwelling on the 'Cupped Cup' island, no one can unravel the secret! ... Besides, with these simple to use, With powerful missiles, we can easily destroy passing ships in a certain area around the island..."

"But there is one condition," I said, "Thomas Roche must sell you the components of the deflagration substance, just like he sold you 'Lightning'..." "The matter is done, Mr. Hart, and I must reassure you of your apprehension." If there had been a hint of hesitation in Engineer Sokol's tone, I would have found his words to be discredited, but his tone was so decisive that I could not help thinking that the misfortune had already happened and was irreparable. —October 25. —I have just been involved in a dreadful adventure and narrowly escaped death! ...Today, I was able to resume writing the diary that had been interrupted for two days. It was a miracle! ...with a little more luck, I might have been saved! ...I may now be in one of Bermuda's ports, St. George's or Hamilton's...The secret of the "Cupped" island will be revealed...No sailing ship subject to all national orders will be able to show up in any port , the supply of the "Cupped Cup" island will be interrupted... Gael Karaj and the bandits will die of starvation! ... What happened is this: On the evening of October 23rd, at about eight o'clock, I left the house with an unspeakable anxiety, as if I had a premonition of some serious event.In vain I sought a little peace in my sleep.Unable to sleep, I walked out. The weather must have been terrible outside Cup Covered.The strong wind blows in from the "crater", setting off big waves on the lake. I walked towards the shore of the lake in Bihaifu. At this time, there was no one around, and the air was cold and humid. All the "hornets" in the "hive" have curled up in the corners of their respective "hives" and fell asleep. A pirate guarded the entrance to the passage, although the passage's exit by the sea was blocked as a precaution.From where the pirate was standing, he couldn't see what was happening by the lake.In addition, I saw only two lamps lit on the left and right sides of the sea lake, so the stone forest was dark. I was still walking in the shadows when a man passed me. I think it was Thomas Roche. Thomas Roche walked slowly, pensive and silent as usual, but he kept imagining and thinking. Wouldn't this be a good time to talk to him, to tell him the truth of what he didn't know? ...he didn't know...he must not know in whose hands he had fallen...he couldn't have guessed that Count Atticus was none other than the pirate Gail Carage...he couldn't have guessed that he'd revealed part of his invention to Who... should tell him he'll never enjoy the millions they're paying him... like me, he's not free to leave the prison of Cup Covered Island... yes! ...I want to call out his humanity!Tell him that if he fails to keep the last secret, he will bear the responsibility for the disaster... When I was thinking a lot, suddenly someone grabbed me tightly from behind. Two people grabbed my arms and a third stood in front of me. I want to shout. "Keep quiet!" the man said to me in English. "Aren't you Simon Hart?" "How do you know?..." "I saw you coming out of your house..." "who are you?……" "Lieutenant Davin of the British Navy, officer of the HMS Stendhal, stationed in Bermuda." I was too excited to speak. "We're here to rescue you from Gail Carage, and take away the French inventor Thomas Roche..." Captain Davin said again. "Thomas Roche..." I stammered. "Yes...someone picked up a note with your name on the sand in Port St. George..." "Installed in a small wooden barrel, Captain Davin... I threw it into the lake..." "Inside it was a note telling us that the island of 'Covered Cup' was a sanctuary for Gail Calage and his gang...Gail Calage abducted you from the Sanitarium in the guise of Count Atticus and Thomas Roche..." "Ah! Captain Davin..." "Now, we can't waste time... we must take advantage of the darkness..." "One more thing, Captain Davin...how did you get into the 'Cupped' island?..." "With the submarine 'Sward', which has been conducting experiments in Port St. George for six months..." "A submarine?..." "Yes...it's waiting for us at the foot of this rock." "Where...where! Where is the Karaj submarine?..." "It's been three weeks..." "Gael Karaj isn't on 'Cupped' Island?  …" "Not here, but he'll be back soon..." "It doesn't matter!" said Captain Davin. "We're not looking for Gail Karage...our mission is to take Thomas Roche, and you, Mr. Hart...if we don't take the two of you Ship, the 'Sward' will not leave Sea Lake!... If it doesn't return to Port St. George, it means I've failed...they'll start all over again..." "Where is the Sward, Captain? . . . " "Here...in the dark of the beach, where others can't see. According to your guidance, my crew and I found the entrance of the underwater tunnel, and the 'Sward' passed through it smoothly... Ten It came out on the lake a few minutes ago... two of my men accompanied me to the shore...we saw you coming out of the house you marked on your map...do you know where Thomas Roche is ?..." "Just a few steps away...he just passed by here and walked towards the laboratory..." "God bless, Mr. Hart!" "God bless, Captain Davin!" The captain, two crew members and I took the path by the lake.I saw Thomas Roche more than ten meters away. I jumped on him, gagged him before he yelled, tied him up before he could resist, and carried him to the berth of the "Sward" place, and all this is done within a minute. The "Sward" is a submarine weighing only a dozen tons--hence, its size and power are far smaller than those of the pirates.The batteries of the two generators, which had been charged twelve hours earlier in St. George's Harbor, were running, and the generators started the propellers.But, in any case, the "Sward" was enough to get us out of prison and set us free--I never believed that I would ever be free! ... finally got Thomas Roche back from Gail Caraj and Sokol ... these bastards can't use his invention anymore ... nothing prevents the ships from approaching the island, landing, forcing the passage, Destroy the pirates... We met no one as the two crew members carried Thomas Roche.We are inside the "Sward"...the hatch is closed...the storage tank is filled with water...the "Sward" is submerged...we are saved... Waterproof panels divide the "Sward" into three compartments.The first compartment, containing the batteries and machinery, extends from the barrow to the stern.The second compartment is the cockpit. In the middle of the submarine, a lens-shaped glass periscope is installed above. The light of the signal light is emitted from the periscope, so that the submarine can navigate underwater.The third cabin is in the bow, where Thomas Roche and I are. Needless to say though the gag was taken out for my companion.But he's still tied up, and I doubt he understands what's going on... We set off hastily, and, if everything goes well, we hope to reach Port St. George this evening...   I pushed open the door on the partition and went into the second cabin where Captain Davin was.He was standing by the helmsman. In the stern cabin, three other crew members, including the mechanic, were waiting for the captain's order to start the thrusters. "Captain Davin," I said, "I see no harm in Thomas Roche being alone... May I help you find the mouth of the tunnel..." "Yes . . . please stay with me, Mr. Hart." It was exactly eight thirty-seven.Lights from periscopes dimly illuminate the waters where the Sward is moored.From the shore where it is moored, it is necessary to cross the entire lake.Finding the mouth of the tunnel, though not impossible, was certainly difficult.Although we had to drive along the steep lake shore it was not impossible to find the mouth of the tunnel, even in a relatively short time.The submarine will then move slowly through the tunnel to avoid hitting the rock wall before the Sward will surface and head for Port St. George. "How deep are we? . . . " I asked the captain. "At 4.5 meters." "There is no need to sink any further," I said. "We are on the central axis of the tunnel, as I have observed at low tide at the equinox." "Excellent!" said the captain. yes!Well, it seems as though Heaven spoke the words through the mouth of the officer...he couldn't have chosen a better man to execute his will! I looked at the captain by the light of the signal lamp.He was thirty years old, calm, calm, with a resolute countenance, a natural British officer who did not change his face after Mount Taishan collapsed—he still maintained the calmness of the "Standarven", with rare composure and even Commanded the submarine with machine-like precision. "While going through the tunnel," he said to me, "I estimate it to be over forty meters long..." "Yes... from one end to the other, Captain Davin, it is more than forty meters long." This figure is indeed more accurate, because the channel dug to the sea is only about 30 meters long. The mechanic was ordered to start the propeller. The "Sward" moved forward very slowly so as not to hit the rocks on the lake shore. Sometimes, it was so close to the shore that a black shadow loomed at the end of the beam of the signal light.The helmsman adjusted the direction.However, if navigating a submarine in the middle of the ocean is no easy feat, navigating the bottom of this lake is even harder! After driving for five minutes, the "Sward" was four or five meters underwater and had not yet reached the tunnel entrance. At this time, I said: "Captain Davin, perhaps we should go back to the surface and accurately identify the position of the rock wall where the tunnel entrance is located. Wouldn't it be more sensible?" "I thought so too. Mr. Hart, if you could point out exactly--" "I can." "Great." Out of caution, the signal lights were turned off, and the water was suddenly dark.According to the order received, the mechanic started the water pump, and the "Sward" with power suspended gradually rose to the surface of the water. I stayed where I was so I could make out the mouth of the tunnel with the help of the periscope. Finally, after rising another foot, the "Sward" stopped. On this side, by the light of the shore, I recognized the rock face of Bihifu. "Your opinion?..." Captain Davin asked me. "We're too far north...the mouth of the tunnel is west of the cave." "Is there no one on the shore?..." "No." "Excellent, Mr. Hart. We'll stay on the surface. Then you'll steer the Sward to the mouth of the tunnel, and then she'll go down..." This was the best idea, the pilot steered the "Sward" away from the river bank (it was too close to the river bank), so that she was farther away from the central axis of the tunnel.The handle of the boat was raised slightly, and the submarine was driven in the right direction by the propeller. When we were only a dozen meters away from the tunnel entrance, I ordered to stop.After cutting off the current, the "Sward" stopped.Open the water tank, fill it with water, and slowly sink to the bottom. At this moment, the signal light of the periscope was turned on, and the light fell on the gloomy rock wall to reveal a black hole, from which the light of the signal light was not reflected: "There...there...is the tunnel!" I said loudly. Isn't this the door for me to escape from this prison? ...isn't freedom waiting for me on the high seas? ... The "Sward" slowly drove towards the entrance of the tunnel... what! . . . What a terrible misfortune, how can I bear this blow? ...How can my heart not be broken? ... From the end of the tunnel came a dim light, not twenty meters away, coming towards us, probably from the periscope of Gael Karage's submarine. "Tugboat!..." I yelled, "Captain...the tugboat has returned to Cup Covered Island!" "Back!" Captain Davin ordered. The "Sward" stepped back when it was about to enter the tunnel. Maybe, we were lucky enough to avoid it, as the captain quickly turned off our signal lights, maybe Captain Spud and his mates didn't see the "Sward",...perhaps, he'll get out of the way for the tugboat... …maybe its dark figure blends in with the lake water, making it illegible…maybe the tugboat won’t see it as it goes by! ...and when it returned to berth, the "Sward" sailed again... into the tunnel... The propeller of the "Sward" rotated counterclockwise, and we retreated to the south shore of the lake... After a while, the "Sward" could stop... no! ...Captain Spud has seen a submarine preparing to go through the tunnel, and he is going to hunt it down the bottom of the water...What will happen to such a weak boat if it is attacked by Gail Karage's powerful tugboat Woolen cloth? ... Captain Davin said to me: "Go back to Thomas Roche's cabin, Mr. Hart... close the door while I close the door to the aft cabin... If they come near us, the Sward may be able to stay In the water……" I squeezed the captain's hand tightly, he was still calm in the face of danger, I went back to the bow, stayed with Thomas Roche... I closed the door and waited in the dark. I feel or feel that the "Sward" is dealing with the tugboat. It moves, turns, and sinks: for a while, it moves suddenly to avoid the impact of the tugboat, for a while, it rises to the surface, and for a while, it sinks to the bottom of the lake. .Can we imagine the battle between these two ships in the muddy water, like two sea beasts with different strengths? Minutes passed... I wondered in my mind if the chase wouldn't stop, if the Sward couldn't enter the tunnel... The two ships collided...I felt the collision was violent...but I couldn't help but have illusions—the Sward's port side was hit by a tug...However, perhaps her hull survived Can you afford this blow? ...even if that wasn't the case, maybe the lake just flooded into one compartment? ... Immediately there was a second impact, this time the "Sward" was thrown back violently.It's as if it's being lifted by the tugboat's bow angle as it turns.Sawed out of it, so to speak.However, I felt it stand upright, the bow rush up, and then, be overloaded with water in the stern compartment.It sinks completely... Suddenly Thomas Roche and I fell on top of each other before we could grab hold of the bulkhead... Finally, with the final blow there was the sound of the hull being torn apart, and the bottom of the "Sward" Severely damaged, gradually stopped moving... Since then, what has happened? . . . I don't know anything because I'm unconscious. I just learned that a long time has passed since then.I just remember the last thought that crossed my mind was: "If I die, at least I will be buried with Thomas Roche and his secrets..." The pirates of Cup-Covered Island will not escape punishment for their crimes.