Chapter 7 Chapter 7 Fohiba Rapids

It was about eleven o'clock in the evening, and the clouds rolled over, and the heavy rain, accompanied by large hailstones, poured down, crackling like machine-gun bullets on the surface of the Foiba water and hitting the adjacent rocks.The firing from the windows of the main tower had ceased.What's the use of spending so many bullets shooting jailbreakers?The Fohiba Rapids are just corpses, if at all. As soon as Sandov dived into the rapids, he suddenly felt that the water was deep and the current was unstoppable, and then he was sucked into the abyss.In an instant, the bottom of the abyss filled with intense lightning became pitch black, and the rumbling thunder disappeared, only the roar of the torrent was deafening.It turned out that he was taken into a water hole where even outside light could not enter.

"Help me!" The call was not far away, it was from Bathory.The icy water had just revived him, but he had no strength to swim to the surface, and was about to sink, and would have drowned if a strong arm hadn't caught him. "Here I am... Étienne! You have nothing to fear!" Sandov supported his companion with one hand and paddled with the other. The situation is critical.After being electrocuted, Bathory became a quadriplegic and could hardly control himself.Although the burnt hands were obviously improved after being exposed to cold water, they still had no strength to swim.Unless he was swallowed by water, Sandov would never abandon his companions for a moment, but he couldn't even protect himself at this moment.

In which direction does the torrent flow?Where does it go?Which river does it flow into?Which sea?I don't know at all.Even if Sandov knew that the river was the Fuiba, the situation was not optimistic.Because people don't know where the torrent is going.In any of the tributaries on the Easterly peninsula, there is not a single sealed empty bottle, because the sealed empty bottles thrown by people at the mouth of the cave were either smashed in the black hole or carried into the depths of the formation by the rapids. ditch. The torrent carried the prison escapers forward, and the great current speed made it easier for them to float on the water.Bathory was unconscious, motionless like a zombie, lying in Sandov's arms.The earl felt that he was going to be exhausted, but he still hit the water hard.They may hit the rocks on the sides of the cave or the hanging rocks on the roof at any time.The normal water flow hits the sharp turn of the rock wall and becomes a countercurrent, and countless countercurrents form a vortex, which is especially dangerous to fall into.How many times have Sandov and his companions been swayed by this overwhelming vortex, sucked into this liquid sucker, and then thrown like stones on a catapult to the periphery of the vortex, until the vortex stopped and they were freed. .They are in constant danger of being swallowed up.Half an hour passed, and Sandov's strength was superhuman, and he was not yet exhausted.Fortunately, his companion was almost unconscious.Otherwise, there would be an instinctive struggle; Sandov would have to use his strength to stop him from struggling.At that time, either Sandov was forced to abandon him, or the two died together.

In any case, this situation cannot continue.Sandov's strength was obviously weakened. Sometimes he lifted Bathory's head out of the water, but his own head was submerged in the water. He suddenly had difficulty breathing, panting, and felt suffocated. His head also sank into the water.Despite the turbulent rush of the underground river, the sound was alarming, and the water was stronger in some narrow areas, but he always managed to find a way to catch Bathory again. Before long Sandov was exhausted and Bathory's body was finally free from his grasp.With the last of his strength he tried to catch him again--but, finding him no more, he sank into the deep water of the rapid.

Suddenly, a violent impact cut his shoulder.Instinctively, he reached out and grabbed a tuft of tree roots dangling in the water.This is the root of a tree trunk that goes down with the rapids.Sandov held him firmly and rose to the surface.Then, holding on to the roots with one hand, he looked for his companions with the other. After a while, he grabbed one of Bathory's arms, and desperately pulled him up the trunk, and then climbed up himself, and the two were temporarily out of the danger of drowning.Since then, their fate has been linked with the drifting tree trunks in the Pico Rapids.

Sandov lost consciousness for a moment.After waking up, the first thing I thought of was to try not to let Bathory slide down the tree trunk.Out of caution, he sat behind Bathory to support him.After sitting down, he stared ahead, and once there was light shining into the cave, he used the light to check the situation of the exit of the underground river.But there was nothing to suggest that they were nearing the mouth of this endless underground river. However, the situation of the jailbreakers has finally improved.This tree trunk is about ten feet long, and its roots are attached to the water surface so that the trunk will not suddenly turn over.Despite the ups and downs, unless there is a violent collision, the tree trunk can maintain balance on the water surface. Its speed is difficult to estimate, about no less than twelve kilometers per hour, which is equivalent to the flow speed of a torrent.

Count Sandov regained his composure completely.With Bathory's head on his lap, he tried to give Bathory artificial respiration.He could hear his heart beating, but his breathing was weak.He mouth to mouth, blowing into his lungs.The suffocation has not yet caused irreparable damage to his organs, and the effect of artificial respiration is remarkable!Bathory quickly moved slightly, his lips parted slightly, his breathing became thicker, and finally blurted out a few words: "My wife! . . . my son! . . . Matthias! . . . " All his life he lived with them. "Etienne, do you hear me? . . . do you hear me?" Sandov asked.Pico had to shout as the torrent roared.

"I heard... I heard you! Speak, Speak! Put your hand in mine!" "Etienne, we're in no danger at the moment. We're riding on a tree trunk... Where will it take us? We don't know. But with it, at least we won't sink!" "Matthias, what about the main tower?..." "We're so far from it! They probably thought we were dead. Surely they're not going to come after us here! Whether the current is going to the sea or the river, we're going to get out, and get out alive!" "But Ladislas!" murmured Bathory. Sandov was silent. What could he say?Zatmal presumably failed to escape after yelling urgently from the window.

Bathory's head fell back again, and he was limp and numb.Sandov looked after him, ready for any eventuality.He was even prepared to abandon the trunk if it hit an unavoidable obstacle in the dark. At about two o'clock in the morning, the speed slowed down significantly, the river surface began to widen, and the water flow between the two walls was unimpeded. The end of the underground river was probably not far away. But as the river widens, the vaults get lower and lower.As soon as Sandov reached out, he could touch the irregular lava hanging above his head.Sometimes he heard a grinding sound: the upper end of an upright tree brushed lightly against the roof of the cave.From this point, the trunk lost its balance, changed direction, and shook violently.It was lying sideways, rolling and spinning in the water, and Sandov was worried that it might fall from the tree trunk.

This danger has occurred many times and has been avoided one by one.But there was another threat: the ever-lowering roof of Pico Cave.Sandov is dispassionately analyzing its consequences.As soon as his hands hit a ledge, he had to throw back to avoid bumping his head.If the roof of the cave is lower, should he dive into the water again?He can try it, but how to support his companion underwater?If the roof of the cave is getting closer and closer to the water surface in this long underground river, is there any possibility of getting out alive?No.Maybe after a narrow escape, death is still inevitable!

For all his energy, Sandov was worried.He knew that the last moment of death was near.The friction between the roots of the tree and the lava on the top of the cave became more and more intense. Sometimes the trunk of the tree was deeply submerged in the water, and did not come out of the water at all. "But the entrance of the cave will not be far away!" Sandov thought to himself.He tried his best to peer ahead in the darkness, to see if there was a dim gleam of light coming through the hole.Maybe it's late at night, and the outside of the cave is no longer dark?Perhaps lightning illuminated the night sky outside the cave?If so, there will be a ray of light refracted through the river, because here, the water of the Fuiba River tends to overflow the cave. But there is no light!It was still pitch black, and the river was still roaring, and even the splashes of foam were black. Suddenly, a very serious collision happened, and the front end of the trunk hit a huge hanging rock on the roof of the cave.Due to the reaction, the trunk turned upside down.Sandov refused to let go, he desperately grabbed the tree root with one hand, and hugged his companion who was about to be swept away by the water with the other.Then, the two sank in a wave that hit the roof of the cave.It lasted about a minute, and Sandov felt that he was hopeless. He instinctively held his breath, trying to save what little air he had in his lungs. A flash of lightning pierced the night sky, followed by a roar of thunder. Although Sandov had his eyes closed in the water, he suddenly felt a bright light in front of him. Finally, I saw the light! Sure enough, after flowing out of the dark cave, the Fuiba River resumed its open channel.Sandov looked left and right, anxious.At this moment, he could see clearly that the river was running between two high mountain ridges. The prison breakers continued to drift in the whirlpool along with the torrent.The boundless sky finally appeared above their heads, and it was no longer a low cave roof full of hanging rocks that might break their heads at any time. However, another drowning brought Bathory back to life, and he managed to hold Sandov's hand.The Count leaned over him and said, "Saved!" really?Where does the Fuiba River flow, where does it flow, and when can it throw away the trunk and not know, can it be said that it is saved?However, he was so refreshed that he stood upright on the tree trunk and yelled three times in a loud voice: "Saved! Saved! Saved!" Who can hear his words?On the jagged cliffs, except for stones and layers of weathered rocks, there is no humus, not even much soil for thorns to grow, so where will there be people?Hidden behind the tall banks is a wilderness.The Foiba River flows through this desolate country like a canal imprisoned between the granite walls.Not a single brook flows along its way, not a single bird skims its surface, not a single fish swims in its too swift waters.Here and there were great boulders out of the water, with dry tops and not a single drop of water, showing the crest once formed by the recent storm; what a ferocious river it had become, when usually the Foyer was nothing but a mountain It's just a ditch. Count Sandov watched and listened, Bathory half lying in his arms. At this time, there was an explosion in the distance from the southwest. "What sound," thought Sandov, "is it the opening of the port? If so, the coast is not far from us! Which port is it? Trieste? No, it is the east, The sun is about to rise over here! Could it be the port of Pula at the southern end of Istria? But it..." Immediately after the second cannon fire, there was the third. "Three shots?" Count Sandov said to himself. "I'm afraid it is a signal to prohibit ships from going out to sea? Is this related to our prison escape?" His worries are by no means superfluous.It is certain that strict measures were taken by the authorities to prevent the escapees from escaping, and men were sent to a ship on the coast to pursue them. "God bless now! Only God can bless us!" Sandov murmured. The tall and straight cliffs on both sides of the Fuiba River began to become shorter, and the river surface became wider and wider. Because of the twists and turns of the river, the line of sight could only reach a few tens of feet away, and it was impossible to determine the direction or see the surrounding environment. The bed of the river is wide, the banks are silent and desolate, and the flow of the river slows down.A few trees uprooted upstream, drifting downward at a slower pace.It was a chilly June morning, and the escapees were soaked and shivering, and they had to find a hiding place until the sun rose to dry their clothes. It was five o'clock, and the last hills had been left behind, and the long, low banks of the river lay before them on a stretch of bare flat land.The Foiba River is about half a mile wide, from which it empties into a vast still water lake, the Bay Lagoon to be exact.In the distance to the west, there are several small boats, some are still moored in the lake, and some have set sail in the first breeze, which seems to indicate that this lagoon is a vast water surface sunken into the coast, and the sea is not far away, and the sailing boats are about to arrive. to go to sea.But to go to these fishermen and ask for refuge, I'm afraid it's an inadvertent move.If you believe them, if you are recognized as a jailbreaker, wouldn't you be thrown into a trap and handed over to the Austrian military police who hunted them around? The tree trunk hit a pile of brambles above the water on the left bank of the lagoon, and stopped suddenly, Sandov was at a loss.The roots of the tree trunk are tightly wrapped around this pile of thorn bushes, like a rowboat tied to a cable.The count stepped onto the beach carefully, first of all he wanted to see if he was found.look around.Not a single commoner, fisherman or other, was to be seen in this part of the lagoon.However, within two hundred steps, someone on the beach caught a glimpse of them. Thinking that he was safe, Sandov walked to the side of the tree trunk, hugged his companion in his arms, and put him on the beach.He had no idea where he was or where to go. In fact, the waters of the Fuiba estuary are neither lagoons nor ordinary lakes, but a trumpet-shaped estuary, which the locals call the Lyme estuary.It flows into the Adriatic Sea through a narrow opening between Osla and Rovigno on the west coast at the southern tip of the peninsula.Unbeknownst to people at the time, the water in this estuary was the monsoon flood that flowed through the Pico Deep. A few steps from the shore, there is a hunter's hut.Sandov and Bathory took a few breaths, then hid in the hut, took off their wet clothes, and hung them outside.In strong sunlight, it doesn't take long for the clothes to dry.They waited in the hut.The fishing boats on the open water had just left the Lyme, and as far as their eyes could see, the sand was deserted. Then the man who had been watching them stood up, approached the hut for a look, and disappeared around the corner of the low cliff to the south. Three hours later, Mathias Sandov and his companions retrieved their clothes.Although their clothes were not yet dry, they had to start. "We can't stay here for too long," Bathory said. "Do you feel that you have strength in your body to go on the road?" Sandov asked him. "I'm mostly hungry!" "Let's try and go to the coast first! Maybe we'll have a chance of getting something to eat there, and maybe we'll get into a boat! Come, Étienne!" And they left the hut.It was evident that they were extremely weak, not so much from fatigue as from hunger. At noon, five or six pedestrians appeared on the road.Sandov, out of caution, did not want to be seen.As luck would have it, there was a fence about fifty paces to the left, in which stood an abandoned farmhouse.Unnoticed, Sandov and his companions hid in a dark storage room.Even when pedestrians stop at the farmhouse, they can hide until dark without being discovered. These pedestrians are farmers and salt pan workers.Some drove a flock of geese, and it was obvious from a glance that they were going to a market in a town or village near the Lyme River.Regardless of gender, they are all dressed in Easterly fashion, wearing jewelry, medals, gem pendants on earrings, crosses on their chests, and gold and silver embroidery on their clothes, which are shining. The clothes of the salt workers are relatively simple. With a stick and a bag on your back, walk towards the adjacent saltworks, perhaps as far as the Staron or the great saltworks of Pirano in the west. Several salt workers walked to the front of the abandoned farmhouse, stayed for a while, and simply sat down at the door.They chatted loudly, quite lively, and talked about things that concerned them. The two fugitives leaned in a corner, listening.Maybe these people learned about the escape and would talk about it, maybe Sandov could learn from their mouths where they were in Eastland. Not a word was said about the situation.Helpless, had to make some simple guesses. "Since the locals haven't mentioned our prison escape, it means they don't know about it yet," Sandov said. "This shows that we are far away from the castle. Due to the rapid flow of the water, we drifted in the underground river for six hours, so we stayed away from the castle. This is not surprising," Bathory replied. "Yes! That's right." And two hours later, some salt workers passed by the wall and talked about their encounter with a detachment of gendarmes at the city gate. which city? ...they did not name them. This worries the two fugitives.The gendarme came everywhere, probably on order, to hunt them down.They decided to hide in the farmhouse until dark.Hunger tormented them, but they dared not leave their hiding places, so they had to bear it. At about five o'clock in the afternoon, the hoofs of a small troop of cavalry sounded on the road. At this time, Sandov, who had climbed to the door of the wall to observe the situation, hurried back to his companion and dragged him to the darkest corner of the storage room.They hid together under a pile of thorns, motionless. Under the leadership of the captain, the six gendarmes went eastward all the way up the slope.The captain ordered to stop here, the two gendarmes and the captain jumped off the saddle horse, and the other gendarmes stood by on horseback. The four gendarmes continued to run uphill to the distance. The captain and two gendarmes tied their horses to the dilapidated fence outside the wall, and then sat down to chat.The fugitive hiding in the depths of the storage room could hear clearly. "Yes, we are going back to the city tonight. We need to ask the higher-ups for instructions on how to act tonight. Maybe Trieste will send a telegram with new instructions." The captain was answering a question from a gendarme. "I am really afraid that when we pursued the fugitives, they had fled to the mouth of the estuary beyond the Bay of Quarnero," said the second gendarme. "Possibly, because they believe it's safer there than here," replied another gendarme. "If they flee there, they will inevitably be discovered." The captain retorted, "The coast of the whole province, from south to north, has already laid a net!" "I think the salt pans of Pirano and Capo Destria are also being searched. The fugitive can hide there more easily and get a boat to cross the Adriatic to Rimini. Or Venice." "Nonsense! They ought to be in their cells!" said one of the gendarmes tactfully. "Yeah, even if we can't find any corpses in Piko Abyss tonight, we will catch them sooner or later! Now, people may all be dead, we shouldn't be here, it's so hot. It's so hard!" The first A gendarme added. "Who says he's not dead?" the captain went on. "The Fuiba River may have been executed. When the flash flood broke out, the prisoner chose this way to escape from Pissino Castle. It can't be worse!" It turned out that the Fuiba River was the river that washed Sandov and his companions down!Bissino Castle is the place where they were detained and tried after they were arrested!That is where they are to be executed!Sandov is no stranger to the city of Piscino. So much for the gendarmes.From these few words, the fugitives learned everything they needed to know. The captain stood up and paced back and forth along the fence of the wall.Looking forward to the gendarme returning to join him at the farmhouse.Two or three times he went into the dilapidated house and inspected the rooms, more out of suspicion than out of professional habit.He walked all the way to the door of the storage room. If it wasn't for the darkness inside, the fugitive would have been discovered by him.He even went indoors, and the scabbard touched the pile of thorns, but not the man crouched within.At this moment, Sandov and Bathory were flustered and anxious, and their emotions were indescribable.But they also made up their minds that if the captain of the gendarme touched them, they would risk their lives, fall on him, seize the weapon when he was not prepared, and kill his two gendarmes, or they would die. Just at this moment, someone outside called the captain.The four gendarmes sent out to search returned, accompanied by another. This man was a Spaniard who worked in a nearby saltworks.He was on his way back to the city when the gendarmes met him.He said he had traveled all over the area between the city and the salt pans, and the gendarmes decided to bring him back to the captain for questioning.The man did not refuse, and followed them back together. Once in front of the captain, the captain asked him if he had noticed two strangers in the saltworks. "No, captain," said the man, "but this morning, an hour after I left town, I saw two men disembarking on the Lyme from a distance." "Two people, what did you say?" the captain asked. "Two people. But in this place, people think that the execution was carried out in Piscino Castle this morning, and the news of the escape has not yet spread. I don't particularly care about these two people. Now that you ask me, I think I get it. They're fugitives, that's for sure." "What's your name?" asked the captain of the gendarmerie. "Carpena, I am a saltworks worker here." "Do you still recognize those two people you saw on the Lyme beach this morning?" "Probably recognize it!..." "Then, you go to the city to declare and wait for the dispatch of the police station!" "As ordered." "Whoever finds the fugitive will receive five thousand florins as a reward, you know?" "Five thousand florins!" "Who hides fugitives, goes to jail!" "You told me that!" "That's right." The Spanish report caused the gendarme to leave immediately.The captain ordered all to mount.Although night was falling, they set out to search the banks of the Lyme carefully.Carpena immediately set out on the road into the city, thinking that if he caught the fugitive, he would be rewarded with a large reward.The source of this bounty is the property of Earl Sandov. At half past eight, when night fell over the land, Sandov and his companions left the farmhouse and headed west to the Adriatic coast. Nearly half past nine, the outline of a city appeared faintly less than a mile away. On a high ground formed by a huge rock, a series of buildings were built on top of each other.The city overlooks the sea, and below it lies a port recessed into the coast.Above the city, a huge clock tower towered high, growing taller in the darkness. Sandov decided not to go into town.Two strangers make an appearance in town, and it's quick to get noticed.Whenever possible, go around the wall and go to some promontory by the sea. Little did they know that when the two fugitives made such a plan, they were already being followed from a distance by the man who saw them on the Lyme River Beach.This person is Carpena.What he said to the captain of the gendarmerie was heard by the fugitives.When Carpena returned home, unable to resist the temptation of the bounty, he went out of the gate again to inspect the road.Coincidentally, he was lucky to have spotted the fugitive's whereabouts as soon as he left the house. Almost at the same time, a group of military police came out of the city gate, and they were about to block the way of the fugitives.The fugitive hurried to the side of the road, followed the city wall of the port, and hurried towards the coast. On the seashore, there are common fishermen's houses with closed doors and small windows with lamps inside.If Sandov and Bathory can't find a hiding place.If people refuse to receive them, it's over.Seeking refuge here is obviously desperate.But now, there is no longer any hesitation. They ran towards the house and stopped at the door.There was a man in the room, busy darning fishnets by the light. "My friend, would you please tell us the name of this city?" Count Sandov asked. "Rovigno." "Your name?" "Fisherman Andrea Ferharto." "Fisherman Andrea Ferharto, do you agree to our staying here for the night?" Ferharto looked at the people who came, and when he walked to the door, he saw a group of gendarmes at the corner of the port wall, and he guessed who asked to stay overnight.And he knew that if he hesitated, they were finished. "Come in," he said. But the two fugitives were in no hurry to cross the threshold of the fisherman's house. "My friend," said Sandov, "five thousand florins will be given to the fugitives of Pissino Castle!" "I know." "Whoever harbors fugitives goes to jail!" "I know." "You can send us to..." "I told you to come in, so come in!" replied the fisherman. When the gendarme was about to pass by Ferjato's house, he had already closed the door.

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