Looking to the west, there are mountains and ridges. The sun is setting behind the mountains and the weather is fine.On the sea to the north of the east, you can see that the water and the sky are connected together, and a few clouds reflect the sunset, which will soon disappear in the twilight; in the high latitude area of ​​50 degrees in the southern hemisphere, the dusk is quite dragged long. As the sun was sinking so that only the upper edge was visible, a cannon shot rang out from the deck of the signal ship San Fe, and at the same time the flag of the Argentine Republic, waving in the wind, was hoisted on the masthead.

At the same moment, a beam of light shone from the newly built lighthouse a stone's throw from Elgau Harbour, where the San Fe was moored.The two lighthouse keepers and a group of workers assembled on the shore, and the crew of the San Fe also assembled at the bow, cheering to the first light in the distance, and so for most of the day. Two more shots of cannon answered the cheers of the crowd, which echoed repeatedly in the neighbourhood.Then the flag on the Messenger was lowered, as is required on all warships, and silence returned to Starn Island; the island lies where the Atlantic and Pacific currents meet.

The workers got on board immediately, and only the three lighthouse keepers remained ashore. One of the three guards was on duty in the lookout room.The other two did not go back immediately, but chatted as they walked along the shore. "Fasquiz," said a young man inside, "the letter ship is leaving tomorrow." "Yes, Philippe," replied Fasquez, "may it arrive safely with the wind and the wind." "It's a long way, Fasquez." "Same as when I came, Philip." "You say that!" Philip laughed. "Boy," Fasquez retorted, "sometimes it takes longer to go back than to come, unless the wind is particularly favorable. But a boat is well steered if it has a good engine. Fifteen hundred miles is nothing!"

"And, Fasquez, Captain Rafaya knows this way well." "It's a straight road, man. He's driven south all the way here, and now he's going back, just go north; as long as the wind keeps blowing from the land, there's coast cover along the way, like driving up a river Same." "But this river has only one side," Philip replied. "It doesn't matter so long as the bank is suitable, and it's always suitable as long as the wind is fair." "Indeed," agreed Philip, "but if the wind changes..." "Oh, that's bad luck, Philip, I hope the San Fey doesn't run into her. She'll make fifteen hundred miles and come back in a fortnight. But if the wind turns east ..."

"It can't find a safe haven, either on the land side or on the sea side." "Yes, boy. There's nowhere to hide, neither in Tierra del Fuego nor in Patagonia. It compelled her to go out to sea so as not to run aground." "But Fasquez, it seems to me that the fine weather here will not change in any case." "I see it the same way, Philip. The sunny season is about to begin. It's about a month away, so it must be." "The completion of this project is on schedule," Philippe said. "I know, boy, I know: it's just the beginning of December. To the sailors, it's like the beginning of June in the northern hemisphere. Before that, the weather is really bad, and the south-west wind blows at random, and it blows at random. Blow a ship to pieces; from then on the weather gets better! As soon as the San Fey comes into the harbor, let her blow it, storms, hurricanes, whatever. Our island is not afraid of sinking, and neither will this lighthouse!"

"I'm sure, Fasquez. Wait until the letter ship returns to report the situation on our side, and then come back with relief supplies..." "Three months, Philip." "It'll see that the island is all right," replied Fasquez; rubbing his hands, and taking a long draw from his pipe, a puff of smoke wrapped him up, "You know, boy, we're not on a boat , to be blown here and there by the tempest; or if it were a ship, this ship is fast tied to the tail of America, and will never pull its anchor. I confess that the sea around here is very Fierce. Cape Horn has a bad reputation, that's true! I also admit that the number of ships sunk on Staten Island is beyond count, and pirates are going to make a fortune. There is no place like Staten Island. Even better. But all that will change now, Philip! There's a lighthouse here on Staten Island; and no hurricane, blowing from every direction at once, can't blow out its light! Those The ship will count on it to find its way in time, and follow its light to find its way, and even in the darkest night, it will never run into the rocks of the Cape of the Holy Sword, or Cape Ego, or Cape Pharos. .It's all because of you and me and Maurice to take care of this lamp, and take good care of it!"

Fasquez talked with such cheerful confidence that he cheered up his companion.Take Philip as an example, living on this deserted island for several months, without even having the opportunity to communicate with relatives and friends, until the day when someone replaces the three of them will count. What a happy thing. Fasquez concluded by saying: "You know, boy, for forty years I've been on the run, the seas of the Old World and the New World, from porter, apprentice, sailor to ship's mate. Well, now I've Retirement is approaching, and nothing could be more satisfying than being a lighthouse keeper; and what a lighthouse it is! A lighthouse in the sky!"

In all fairness, the lighthouse was built on this remote desert island, so far away from all inhabited and human-inhabited land, it is indeed worthy of such a title. "I say, Philip," went on Fasquez, tapping his pipe with the palm of his hand, "what time do you change shift with Maurice?" "ten o'clock." "Very well; then I will replace you at two o'clock in the night, and watch you till dawn." "By the way, Fasquez. So it's best for the two of us to go to bed for now." "Then go to bed, Philip, go to bed!" Fasquez and Philip went back to the small yard outside the lighthouse together, went into the dormitory, and closed the door behind them.

The night was very quiet, and just after dawn, Fasquez put out the lights on the tower that had been on for twelve hours. Generally speaking, the tides in the Pacific Ocean are not very violent, especially those along the coasts of America and Asia washed by this ocean; . The big ebb tide starts at six o'clock in the morning, and the letter ship should sail out at dawn if it wants to take advantage of the ebb tide.But everything on board was not ready yet, and the captain didn't plan to sail until evening. The San Fe is a warship of 200 tons, with 150 horsepower, belonging to the Argentine Navy; the ship is commanded by a colonel and captain, and there is also a captain officer, and fifty crew members, including the first mate, The second officer, including the second officer, has always been used to patrol the coast from the south of the Brada River to the Ramer Strait on the Atlantic Ocean.When the story in this book begins, nautical engineers have not yet been able to create high-speed ships such as cruisers and mine boats.The Santa Fe could therefore only reach a speed of nine knots at most; but this speed was sufficient for patrolling the coasts of Patagonia and Tierra del Fuego, where there are only fishing boats.

This year, in order to build a lighthouse at the throat of the La Mer Strait, the Argentine government specially sent the San Fe to preside over the construction of the lighthouse.All the builders and building materials were loaded on the San Fe; the work, which had been conceived by a talented engineer in Buenos Aires, was successfully carried out according to his plans. The San Fe has been at anchor in Elgow Bay for three weeks so far.Captain Lafaya brought to shore enough food for the new lighthouse guards for four months, and he was relieved to see that there would be no lack of anything during the period until someone came to take over.Now he is going to pack the workers sent to Starn Island.If it weren't for some unforeseen events that delayed the completion date, the Saint Fe would have returned to its home port a month ago.

But Captain Lafaya had nothing to worry about during his stay in this harbor;Only the storm blowing from the sea side will make him anxious, but the weather this spring is very sunny, and now it will be summer again, and I dare say that there will be nothing on the road except for a little wind and waves when crossing the Strait of Magellan. Something to worry about. It was seven o'clock in the morning, and Captain Rafaya and Captain Rigal left their cabins on the poop and came to the deck.The sailors had scoured the deck, and the residue of the sweep was running down the scuppers.The mate was giving orders to clear the decks in preparation for sailing in time.Although there was still time to do it in the afternoon, the sail had been taken out of the box; the water pipes, the compass box and the cupronickel on the large window were all polished, the large canoe had been hoisted on the davits, and the small canoe was still in the water for current use. As the sun rose, the flag was hoisted on the ship. Three quarters of an hour later, the bow bell rang four times, and the patrol changed. The two officers had breakfast together, and went up to the poop to look at the sky; the wind from the land had blown almost all the clouds from the sky; and they ordered the mate to row them ashore. The captain planned to make a final inspection in the morning, to see the lighthouse and surrounding areas, the dormitory of the lighthouse staff, the storage of food and fuel, and finally to check whether the machines were in good condition, so as to be at ease. When he landed, the captain accompanied him to the small yard outside the lighthouse. The two were a little bit reluctant to leave the three lighthouse staff who were going to live a lonely life on Starn Island. "It is a great pity," said the captain, "but we must remember that these friends have always lived a hard life, and most of them have been sailors for many years. From their point of view, service at the lighthouse is quite comfortable." "Indeed," replied Ricard, "but it is one thing to guard a lantern by the sea, where people come and go a lot, and to keep in touch with the land easily; to live on a deserted island, where ships are barely visible, And it couldn't be farther away, but that's another matter." "I agree with you, Ligal. But after three months, someone will come to change the shift. The first three months that Fasquez, Philip and Maurice guard are the most peaceful time." "That's true, Captain; they won't have to suffer through that dreadful winter at Cape Horn." "It's really terrible!" The captain agreed with him. "A few years ago, we once crossed the strait, went to Fuego and Desolation Island, and passed through Cape Virgo to Cape Tianzhu; But enough is enough. But anyway, we lighthouse workers still have a strong building that cannot be destroyed by a storm, and their food and coal supplies will not be lacking, even if it takes an extra two months, we leave They were safe and sound when they were, and we shall find them safe and sound when we come back; and if the air here is cold, it is at least fresh, for it is at the mouth of the Atlantic and the Pacific. And, Ricard, Another point can be said that when the Admiralty calls on its subordinates to guard the Dabian Lighthouse, there will be many people to choose from.” The two officers were approaching the courtyard, where Fasquez and his companions were waiting for them.The door was already open, after the two returned the military salute to Fasquez and others.Just stand down. Captain Lafaya first inspected them from bottom to top, seeing that they were wearing large sailing boots and oilskin caps, and then spoke to them. "Did you have nothing to do last night?" he asked the lead watchman. "Nothing, Captain," Fasquez replied. "Didn't you see a ship at sea?" "No; the weather is clear enough to see lights at least four miles away." "Is there anything wrong with the light?" "Not at all, until dawn." "Don't you feel too cold in the observation room?" "I don't think so. The house is very comfortable, and the double-glazed windows above the windows completely block the cold wind." "We want to inspect your dormitories and lights." "As you please, Captain," Fasquez replied. The dormitory of the lighthouse personnel is just below the lighthouse, the walls are thick enough to withstand the storms of the Strait of Magellan, and the two officers inspected the various rooms. In the latitudes close to the Antarctic, the power of the blizzard is very terrifying. Between these rooms is a walkway that ends in a door that leads into the lighthouse. "Let's go up to the tower," said Captain Rafaya. "As you like," Fasquez added. "You can come with us." Fasquez beckoned to his two companions to stay at the entrance of the passage, then he pushed open the door of the stairwell, and the two officers followed him in. The narrow spiral staircase is not dark, and each floor is illuminated by window openings.There are ten window openings in total.The stairs are all stone steps, and the stone slabs are built into the walls. The three of them walked up to the observation room, and the tower lights and lighting equipment were installed on the upper floor of the observation room.The two officers sat down on bent stools nailed against the wall.Through the four small windows in the room, you can see the sky in any direction. Seagulls, frigate birds, and albatrosses flew past the tower with their powerful wings. Although the wind outside was not strong, it was quite strong at such a high place, but it still couldn't cover up the neighing of the birds. Captain Rafaya and the captain climbed up the escalator to the platform around the tower light, intending to have a more comprehensive view of the whole island and the surrounding area. The southwestern part of the island is desolate, and the sea is also desolate; their eyes can scan from the northwest to the south without any obstacles, until they are almost to the northeast, this arc It was cut off by the peak of the Holy Sword Enjiao.Below the lighthouse is the Elgo Bay, and the sailors of the San Fe on the shore come and go very lively.None of the shadows of sails or traces of smoke can be seen on the sea, only a boundless ocean. The two officers remained on the lighthouse platform for a quarter of an hour before descending; Fasquez followed and escorted them aboard. After lunch, Captain Rafaya and Captain Rigal came ashore again.They planned to spend the rest of the time before sailing for a walk along the northern coast of the bay.Several times in the daylight the captain had taken the boat down the creek below the lighthouse; and no pilot was employed--and there was certainly no pilot on Staten Island.But for the sake of prudence, he never forgot to re-survey this strange or unfamiliar area. The two officers walked all the way, crossed the narrow isthmus that connects the Cape of the Holy Sword with the rest of the island, and surveyed the coast of the deep-water port called the Bay of the Holy Sword.This bay is on the other side of the Cape of the Holy Sword and becomes a subsidiary part of the Elgow Bay. "This port of Excalibur is wonderful," said the captain. "There is deep water everywhere, and it can hold even the largest ships. It is a pity that it is very difficult to get in. If you want to light a lamp here, it is the faintest The lights are also fine, and they are lined up with the lighthouse in Elgow Bay, so that it will help those ships in distress to come here to take shelter from the wind." "And after the ship leaves the Strait of Magellan, it can be used as a port." Rigal said. At four o'clock the two officers came back again.After saying good-bye to Fasquez, Philip, and Maurice, they embarked; Fasquez and others remained on the shore waiting to sail. At five o'clock, the pressure in the boiler on the Xinbao ship began to rise, and a large amount of black smoke was spewed out from the chimney. At a quarter to five, the captain ordered the sailors to prepare to weigh anchor and adjust the engines.Excess steam is released from the exhaust pipe. The captain stands at the bow and directs all the arrangements.After a while, the anchor was raised and pulled until it was hooked in front of the anchor post. The San Fe began to move, and the three lighthouse men gave their final salute.At this time, no matter what Fasquez thought, his two partners were very excited when they watched the letter ship leave. I feel reluctant. The Santa Fe sailed northwest along the coast of Elgow Bay at a moderate speed.Before eight o'clock she was out to sea, rounded Cape Sanchouan, and left the channel to the west at full steam.When it was dark, from the deck, the light of the lighthouse in the sky was already like a star on the horizon.

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