Chapter 19 Chapter 2 Past and Present
"Then let me tell you the story of Dr. Antekit first. His story begins when Count Mathias Sandov jumped into the Adriatic Sea.
"During the last barrage of bullets from the police, I jumped into the sea and was safe. The night was dark and no one saw me. The tide carried me to the sea, and I couldn't even get back to shore, and I didn't want to go back. I would rather be buried at the bottom of the sea than be taken to Piscino and shot again. If I die, it's over; Nothing can prevent me from accomplishing the cause of justice. This is what I swore to Earl Zatmar, to your father, and to myself to accomplish... and must accomplish!"
"Just cause?" asked Pierre.His eyes lit up when he heard this unexpected word.
"Yes, Pierre, you will know this cause in time to come. For it was to get you into it that I rescued you from the Laguez cemetery! You are a dead man like me! I, too, am still alive!"
Hearing these words, Pierre seemed to have returned to the time when his father was shot and killed on the Pissino Castle fifteen years ago.
"At that time, before me," went on the doctor, "was the vast sea leading to the coast of Italy. In spite of my powers, I could not swim to the other shore. Unless, God forbid, I encountered a floating object, or It happened that a foreign ship took me aboard, or I would have died. But when a man is in a desperate situation, he becomes so powerful that, if he can, he struggles desperately to survive."
"At first, I dove repeatedly to avoid the last bullets. Then, when I was sure I would no longer be seen, I floated and swam out to sea. My thin, close-fitting clothing did not hinder me much. I swim."
"It was about half past nine in the evening. I estimate that I have been swimming away from the coast for more than an hour. At this time, I slowly moved away from the port of Rovinj, and the last light of the port gradually disappeared from my sight. "
"Where am I going to swim? What is my hope? No, I have no hope, Pierre, but I feel in me an indomitable force, an extraordinary strength of will. What I am trying to save is no longer my own life, but my future career! If a fishing boat passes by here at this time, I will immediately take refuge in the water! On this Austrian coastline, I may encounter unknown How many traitors are ready to betray me for a bounty! How many more Carpenas will I meet before I meet the first Andrea Ferjato!"
"An hour passed, and a small boat suddenly appeared in the dim night. It came from a distance from the sea and sailed towards the coast with full sail. I was lying on the water exhausted, and I was instinctively turning over and diving. Seeing that this is a fishing boat sailing towards the port of Istria, be vigilant immediately!"
"I was keeping an eye on the boat. One of the crew members yelled in Dalmatian to turn the boat around. I immediately dived into the water, and the people on the boat didn't see me, but turned and drove back over my head. "
"I couldn't hold it any longer, so I surfaced to take a breath, and then continued to swim west."
"The night is getting deeper and the sea is calm. I can only let the long waves on the bottom of the sea lift me to the surface."
"So I swam and rested, and another hour passed after I was far from the shore. I was determined to achieve my goal, regardless of the long way ahead. It took fifty miles to cross the Adriatic. Yes! I must Swim over it! Oh, Pierre, only after such a test can we know how great a person's ability is! Only then can we know what a huge energy a person can produce in us when his spirit and body are combined!"
"I went on like this for another hour. There was no one on the waters of the Adriatic. The last flock of seabirds had flown away to seek their nests among the rocks on the edge of the cliff. Only pairs of silver Gulls or seagulls passed over my head, squawking."
"As much as I try to drive away fatigue, my hands are getting heavier and my feet are getting heavier. My fingers are spread out and it takes a lot of effort to hold them. My head is heavy, like It was tied to my shoulder like an iron ball, and gradually I couldn’t keep my head out of the water.”
"A kind of hallucination hit me, my mind was full of threads, in a mess, and I kept getting some strange thoughts. I felt that even if there were some sounds and lights not far from me, I couldn't hear them clearly. I can’t see clearly. Now there is something new.”
"It must have been near midnight when there was a low rumbling sound in the distance—I could barely make out what it was. A flash of light made me close my eyes involuntarily. I tried to lift At first, it was only half out of the water. Then I started looking around."
"I'm telling you these details, Pierre, because you must know them and know me!"
"I know all about you, doctor, all about you!" said the young man. "Do you think my mother has never told me who Count Matthias Sanddorf is?"
"She knew Mathias Sandov, it's true, Pierre, but she didn't know Dr. Antekyte! And you're supposed to know him! Listen to me!"
"The sound I heard was from a large ship, which was sailing eastwards towards the coast of Italy. The bright light I saw was the white light of the ship. The light hung from the stays of the fore-mast I came aboard, indicating that it was a steamboat. I soon saw her bearing lights, red on port and green on starboard. I saw both lights at the same time, showing that the ship was coming towards me."
"It's a matter of success or failure. Since this steamboat is coming from the direction of Trieste, it is most likely an Austrian vessel. Asking her for help is tantamount to throwing myself into the trap of the Rovigno police! I decided not to." Go to it for help, but make sure to take advantage of the great opportunity that lies ahead."
"It's a high-speed steamboat, and it's coming towards me like a huge monster. I can see the white waves rolling up at the bow. In two minutes, it will cut through the waves and rush towards me."
"It is indeed an Austrian steamer, I have no doubts about it. Its probable destination, or at least stops at the port of Bryn's West and Oronto, is of little importance; It will reach its destination in less than twenty-four hours."
"I made up my mind and waited for it to come. In the darkness, I decided that I would not be found, so I floated in the direction that this huge monster was heading. At that time, the speed of the ship was slow, and the hull swayed slightly on the rolling waves."
"Finally the steamboat came up to me. The bow of the boat was more than twenty feet high. I was immediately surrounded by the foam of the bow, but luckily I didn't hit it. The long hull rubbed against my body, and I desperately used my hands. Staying on the hull to get myself out of the hull. All of this happened within a few seconds. When I saw the high stern of the ship clearly, I was in danger of being smashed into meat by the propeller. Grab the rudder."
"Fortunately, the steamboat was fully loaded, and the propeller was deep in the water. If the propeller was close to the water, I could not break free from the eddy it created, and it was impossible to catch the rudder. Like all steamboats, this boat has two hanging from the stern. The chain, attached to the rudder. I grabbed a chain and climbed up, out of the water, to the mooring hook, and I squeezed down near the rudder... I was safe."
"Three hours later, it was daylight. I calculated that if the steamer anchored at Bryn's West or Ottoran, I would have to endure this for another twenty hours. I was hungry and thirsty, but above all, I would not let Those on board saw me from the deck or from the dinghy attached to the stern. Apparently I could be seen from the boats passing by the steamer. But the boats encountered that day were few and far from us. , can't see me clinging to the rudder chain."
"The blazing sun quickly dried the clothes I took off. I kept at my waist the three hundred florins presented by André Fercharto. This money will give me some security when I go ashore. Guarantee, then I have nothing to fear. In a foreign country, Count Matthias Sanddorf has no need to fear the Austrian police, where political prisoners are not extradited. But for me, salvation is not enough, I want to let It is believed that I am dead. It must not be known that Piscino's last fugitive has set foot on Italian soil."
"As I wished. The day passed safely. Night fell. About ten o'clock in the evening, there was a star that dimmed and brightened regularly in the south-west direction, and that was the lighthouse of Bryn's Westport. sailing into the port."
"So before the pilot got on board, about two miles from the pier, I wrapped my clothes in a ball, tied them around my neck, cast off the rudder chain, and quietly dived into the water."
"A minute later, there was no sign of the steamboat, only a whistle echoed in the sky."
"After another half an hour, I swam through a section of calm sea and arrived at a calm beach. I went ashore without anyone noticing, hid among the rocks, and put on my clothes again. Excessive fatigue Temporarily warding off the hunger, I hid in a rocky depression covered with dried seaweed and fell asleep."
"After dawn, I entered Brin's West City and found a simple hotel to stay in. Before making a new life plan, I am here to wait for the outcome of these events."
"Pierre, two days later I learned from the newspapers that Trieste's treason case was closed. It is said that the police searched in vain for Count Sandov's body. People thought I was dead." —as my two companions, Ladisla Zatmar and your father Étienne Bathory, were shot to death at Piscino!"
"I, dead?...No, Pierre, they will see whether I am dead or not!"
Pierre listened greedily to the doctor's stories.This story that happened deep in the tomb moved him deeply.Yes, Count Matthias Sanddorf said so!Facing Pierre who resembled his father, Count Sandov's usual indifference gradually disappeared, and he completely opened his heart to Pierre.For so many years, he has been keeping deep in his heart and never revealing to outsiders, but now he has told Pierre the truth!But nothing was said about what Pierre was anxious to know, and what he expected Pierre to help!
What the doctor has just told about his bold crossing of the Adriatic is completely true and accurate.Just when everyone thought he was dead, that's how he arrived in Brin's West safe and sound.
However, Brin's West must be left immediately without delay.This is a transit port city, people can come here to take a boat to the Indian Ocean, or disembark here to go to Europe.Except for one or two days a week when a steamer arrives, usually from the Peninsula and Orient Company, the city is a ghost town.Here, the fugitives of Piscino Castle are likely to be recognized.Of course, the doctor has already put life and death aside, the important thing is to make people believe that he is definitely dead.
On the second day after arriving in Bryn's West, the doctor began to think about this problem.He strolled at the foot of the dais with the Cleopatra columns, where the ancient Appian Way began.While walking, the doctor was thinking that a new life plan had been made, and he was going to the East to hunt for treasures to get rich and gain power through wealth.But aboard a liner bound for the coast of Asia Minor, crammed among passengers of various nationalities, did not suit him.He needed a more stealthy means of transport, but that wasn't available in Breen's West.So that night, he took the train to Otranto.
In less than an hour and a half, the train arrived at the station.This seaport city is located on the mouth of the Adriatic Sea, on the gorge of Otranto.From a map, Italy is shaped like a boot into the Mediterranean Sea, and Otranto is just on the heel of the boot.In this almost deserted port, the doctor negotiated the price of the boat with the owner of a three-masted ship.This was a merchant ship preparing to leave for Izmir, and the ship was carrying Albanian foals. Since no buyers could be found in Otranto, the owner resold these foals.
The next day the three-masted ship went to sea.The doctor saw that the lighthouse on Cape Santa Maria di Leuca at the tip of the Italian peninsula was slowly sinking below the horizon, and the Himala Mountains on the opposite side of the east coast of Italy were gradually disappearing in the sea mist.After several days of safe sailing, the three-masted ship bypassed Mata Harbor Island at the southern tip of Greece and arrived at the port of Izmir.
The doctor gave Pierre a succinct account of the journey, and how he had learned through the newspapers that his little daughter had died unexpectedly, leaving him alone!
The doctor continued: "I have finally set foot on the land of Asia Minor, and will live here incognito for several years. When I was young, I studied medicine, chemistry and other natural sciences in Hungarian institutions of higher learning—your father also These academies taught and were famous - and now I live on that knowledge."
"Fortunately, I achieved unexpected success. In the first seven or eight years, I practiced medicine in Izmir and gained a high reputation. Through several accidental diagnosis and treatment, I talked to some areas with backward medical skills. Then, I left the city. Like the old gentleman, I practiced medicine while spreading medical skills, and learned the treatments of Brahmin scholars in Asia Minor and India that I didn't know. In various provinces, stop here and stay there, people in Karahisa, Binder, Adana, Aleb, Tripoli and Damascus have invited me to make outpatient visits. His wealth grows with his prestige."
"But that's not enough, I need unlimited power like a rich Indian maharaja. Science creates wealth."
"In the city of Homs in northern Syria, a man was dying of a chronic disease. At that time, no doctor could diagnose the disease or prescribe the right medicine. The patient's name was Farat, and he was a dignitary of the Ottoman dynasty. He was only forty-five years old at the time, and his family was rich enough to allow him to enjoy the joys of the world, so he especially cherished his own life."
"Farat heard people talk about my medical skills, because I was famous at that time. He sent me to Homs to diagnose him, and I was invited to go."
"'Once,' he said to me, 'if you will save my life, I will give you half of my fortune.'"
"'Keep your half!'" I answered him: "'If God is willing, I will cure you!'"
"I studied this patient who the doctors thought was hopeless. All the doctors said he had at most a few months to live. I was lucky enough to be diagnosed. I stayed with him for three months, The results of the treatment were carefully observed. The patient recovered quickly. When he rewarded me, I agreed to accept only what I thought was due. Then I left Homs."
"Three years later, Farat was killed on a hunt. He had no father, no immediate family, and he designated me in his will as the sole heir of his entire estate. The value of this estate is immeasurable, at least fifty million furo Lin (about 125 million francs)."
"It has been thirteen years now since the fugitives of Piscino took refuge in these provinces of Asia Minor. Doctor Antegitus became a legend here, and his fame spread to Europe. I obtained the effect I expected. From now on, I can realize my long-cherished wish."
"I decided to go back to Europe, at least to some coast of the Adriatic. I traveled all over the coast of North Africa, and bought a large island called Antekyt at a high price. It was rich enough for a small All the material needs of the immigrant. On this island, Pierre, I am the king, the absolute master, a king without subjects, and yet have a body of men who serve me faithfully. And once the military works on the island are completed , will have a formidable fortification. It has long-distance transportation to connect all parts of the Mediterranean Sea, and a fleet of small and fast ships. I can even say that this fleet will turn the Mediterranean Sea into my territorial waters!"
"Where is Antekyte?" asked Pierre.
"Near Siirt Bend. This bay is sunken into the African continent, between Tripolitania and Cyrene, where the Regency ruled. The north wind blows from the sea into the depths of the bay, causing huge waves, even modern The ships here are also in danger of being swallowed. Therefore, this bay has been a dangerous place since ancient times, and it is daunting."
Indeed, Antakit is just north of the Sylt Islands.Many years ago, the doctor traveled all over the coast of Cyrenaica, the ancient port of Sulsa in Cyrenaica, the area of Balche, and the old Putolemais, Bereus, Adrianopolis All cities replaced.All in all, all these cities were jointly administered by the five city-states of Greece, Macedonia, Rome, Persia, and Arabia in ancient times. Today they belong to the Arabs and become the territories of Tripoli.Where there are patients seeking medical treatment, there are doctors. Therefore, he took the opportunity to travel to many archipelagos off the coast of Libya, such as: the sister islands of Printiny, Pharos and Antirods, Enasiput, Dandariene, Bigos, Prades, Iros, Iphares, Pontiennes, Blanche, and lastly the Silts.
Thirty miles south-west of Benghazi County in the Gulf of Sylt, which is the nearest point to the coast, is Antakit Island, which attracted the doctor's attention.The island is so called because it is located in front of the other Siirt or Gilt Islands.The doctor envisioned that one day he would turn this island into his own territory and take full ownership of it, so he named himself Doctor Antaijit.Since then, the name has been widely spread to the three continents of Europe, Asia and Africa.
There are two important reasons why the doctor made this choice: first, Antakit Island is quite large-eighteen nautical miles in circumference, which is enough to accommodate all the people the doctor intends to take in; The eight-hundred-foot-high conical hill overlooks the sea off the coast of Cyrenaica.The island is also irrigated by rivers, and the products are rich and diverse, which can meet the material needs of thousands of residents.Second, the island sits on the edge of a storm-ravaged bay, deep in the bay.In prehistoric times, the heroes of ancient Greece had misfortune here.Those ancient Roman writers, Apollonius de Rhodes, Virgil, Propes, Seneca, Valerus, Flagus, Lycan, and many others were not so much poets. Said geographers, such as: Polybus, Sallust, Stralau, Meura, Pliny, Procope, they - retting to describe this "attractive" Siirt Sea, and at the same time Point out the dangers encountered by the Argonauts.
Dr. Antaiket was so fond of the island that he bought it all for a sum of money and released it from all feudal obligations.After the certificate of transfer of the island was approved by the Sultan with full authority, the owner of Antekyte Island had full sovereignty.
The doctor has lived on the island for three years.Attracted by the high salary and happy life promised by the doctor, about 300 European families and Arabs settled here, forming a small immigrant settlement of nearly 2,000 people.They were neither slaves nor subjects, but loyal companions to their leader, who made this corner of the earth their new home.
Gradually, a formal administration was established, and the island was guarded by a militia, with officials elected from among persons of influence, but who had little chance of exercising their functions.After that, the most famous shipyards in Britain, France, and the United States built wonderful small ships, steamboats, steam engine yachts, two-masted ships, and the "Electricity" that can sail quickly on the Mediterranean Sea according to the drawings sent by the doctor.At the same time, the construction of bright and dark fortresses began on Antaijit Island.Despite the doctor's repeated urging due to major reasons, the project has not been completed for a long time.
Is there still a terrible enemy to come to Antakit in the Gulf of Sylt?exactly.This is a terrible order, a gang of pirates.Seeing a foreigner establish an immigrant colony off the coast of Libya, the pirate gang is jealous and hateful.
This order is headed by Sidi Muhammad bin Sanusi.In this year (1300 Hijri), the activities of this sect were unprecedentedly rampant. Judging from the territory, its sphere of influence already included three million believers.Its Islamic schools, counties and activity centers are distributed in Egypt, the Eurasian territory of the Ottoman Empire, the Baerai and Dubu areas, Eastern Sudan, Tunisia, Algeria, Morocco, the independent Sahara, and even Western Sudan.The vast majority of its followers live in Tripolitania and Cyrenaica, thus constituting a lasting bond to the European settlements of North Africa, to lovely Algeria, which will be the richest and most powerful in the world, and especially to the island of Antakit. threaten.Therefore, it is a prudent move for the doctor to concentrate all modern defense methods to defend the island.
That was what Pierre Bathory learned from the doctor's account.Through the conversation, he will also learn more about the situation.Pierre was taken to Anteget Island in the depths of the Silt Bay, a place that is little-known in Europe, but his mother and Sawa Doronta, whom he missed day and night, lived hundreds of nautical miles away. Laguz outside.
Then, the doctor made a few supplementary sentences, explaining his later life.While making deployments to protect the safety of the island, he ordered everyone to level the land and develop resources to meet the material and spiritual needs of the immigrants on the island.He kept inquiring about the family situation of his old friends, including the mother and son Bathory and Paulic who had left Trieste and settled in Lajuz.
Only then did Pierre know why the "Savareina" arrived at Laguz amidst the public's curiosity, why the doctor wanted to visit Mrs. Bathory, and why Mrs. Bathory refused the grant behind her son's back ; and how, later, when Pierre was in a state of magnetic hypnosis in the tomb, the doctor rescued him.
"You, my child," continued the doctor, "yes! You have lost your mind and thought of committing suicide! . . . "
"Suicide!" Upon hearing this, Pierre was so angry that he stood up suddenly and shouted: "You actually believe that I committed suicide?"
"Pierre...maybe you are desperate for a while..."
"Desperate, yes! I was desperate then!... I even believed that after I got your promise without asking, I was abandoned by you, my father's friend! Desperate, yes, I am still Despair! . . . But God does not let the despairing man die! . . . but he lives .
"No...not revenge, but punishment!" The doctor replied: "But Pierre, who stabbed you?"
"A man whom I hate," said Pierre; "I happened to meet him that night on a deserted road in the walls of La Gouz! Perhaps this man thought I was going to rush forward and wrestle with him! . . . but he struck first! . . . he stabbed me .
Pierre could not go on.The thought of the scoundrel who was now Sharapova's husband made his mind flutter, and he closed his eyes as if his wounds were reopening, as if life had left his body.
After a while, the doctor revived him again and regained consciousness.The doctor looked at him and murmured:
"Sarkani... Sarkani!"
Pierre had just suffered a mental blow, and he should have had a rest, but he insisted on refusing.
"I don't rest!" he said. "You just told me the beginning of the story about Dr. Antegitus since Count Matthias Sandov jumped into the Adriatic..."
"That's right, Pierre."
"You have to tell me something I don't know about Count Matthias Sandov!"
"Do you still have the strength to listen to me?"
"Please speak!"
"Well!" replied the doctor, "it would be better to tell you now all the secrets you have a right to know, to let you know all the terrible things that have happened in the past, and never to mention them again! Pierre , you think I abandoned you because I left Gravosa! . . . Listen to me! . . . Then you will judge!"
"You know, Pierre, before the execution, my companions and I prepared to escape from Pissino Castle. However, when Ladisla Zatmar was about to join us at the cornerstone of the main tower, He was caught by the guards. Your father and I were swept away by the rapids of the Kobe Deep and the guards failed to catch us."
"When we miraculously got rid of the swirl of the Fuiba underground river and landed on the banks of the Lyme River, we were discovered by a mean guy. At that time, the government had just offered a reward for our heads, and this guy didn't hesitate betrayed us. We were found in the house of the fisherman who took us in as he was about to cross the Adriatic. Your father was arrested and brought back to Pissino Castle. I also Fortunately, I escaped! You know all this. Now I will tell you what you don't know.
"Before this Spaniard named Carpena gave the tip-off that led to the arrest and death of the fisherman Andrea Ferjato a few months later--two fellows had betrayed Trier The secret of the Sturt uprising."
"What are their names?" Pierre exclaimed.
"Let me first tell how their treachery was discovered!" said the doctor.
So he quickly related what happened in the cell of the main tower, how an acoustic phenomenon made him hear the traitor's name.
"I want to know their names, doctor!" cried Pierre again. "You will not refuse to tell me their names!"
"I'll tell you!"
"What are their names?"
"One of them is the spy who broke into Ladisla Zatmar's house! That is, he wants to kill you! He is Sakani!"
"Saccani!" cried Pierre.He suddenly felt refreshed and took a step closer to the doctor. "Saccagni! . . . the villain! . . . so you knew him before! . . . and you, Étienne Bathory's companion, you, who volunteered to protect his son, you, to whom I confide my love Secret man, you have encouraged this wretch to enter Silas Dronta's house! You could have turned him away with a single word! . . . You were silent and tolerant. Such crimes... yes! such crimes! . . . You have delivered the unfortunate girl into the hands of this Saccani!"
"Yes, Pierre, that's what I did!"
"Why is that?"
"Because she can't be your wife!"
"She! . . . she! . . . "
"Because it would be an intolerable crime if Pierre Bathory married Mademoiselle Dronta!"
"But why? . . . why?" Pierre was extremely annoyed.
"Because Saccani has an accomplice! ... Yes! He had an accomplice in the plot to kill your father! ... And this accomplice ... you should know by now! ... He is Terry Este's banker, Silas Dronta!"
Hearing this, Pierre suddenly realized! ...his lips twitched, unable to speak.If he hadn't been dazed with fear, he would have collapsed long ago.His pupils gradually grew larger, as if his vision was a bottomless and dark abyss.
It's just a matter of seconds.At this juncture, the doctor was terrified, and thought that this terrible operation would kill the patient!
However, Pierre Bathory was also a tough guy.He finally controlled the anger in his heart, and tears rolled down his eyes! ... Then, he slumped down on the chair and let the doctor hold his hand.
"Pierre," said the doctor, in a soft and deep voice, "we are both dead to the world! Now I am alone in the world, without friends or children! . . . Will you be my child?"
"I will! . . . father! . . . " replied Pierre.
Indeed, it was this father-son bond that held them close together.
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