Chapter 13 Chapter Thirteen HMS Essex

Just before four o'clock in the afternoon, Tony Raynor yelled, and the yell shook the sky. The cry was not "I see land," but "I see a ship." Five or six nautical miles ahead of the port side of the Spirit, a puff of blue smoke appeared on the western horizon. A steamboat was coming, of course at high speed.Half an hour later, the hull of the ship was faintly visible, and another half hour later, it had reached the nearby waters, only a quarter of a nautical mile away from the Spirit. Passengers gathered on the after deck, exchanging observations. "This is a warship..." said one.

"You're right..." said another, "there's a pointed flag on the mainmast..." "And it's a British ship..." continued the second. "The ship's name is Essex," added the first. In fact, when the steamer is turning, the name of the ship on the ship's stern plate can be seen with a telescope. "Hi! . . . " Tony Raynor yelled, "I bet that boat is coming our way!" The frigate Essex is a ship with a draft of five or six hundred tons. It has just hoisted its flag and seems to have the intention of approaching. Harry Markle and others did not misunderstand the ship's intentions.Undoubtedly, the Essex continued to approach at a slow speed because it intended to make contact with the Spirit.

The rascals were terrified, and people saw it and took it into their hearts.It's been a few days since the express hadn't been able to reach the British Antilles; the Spirit was hijacked by Markle's criminal gang before it even set sail, the captain and crew were killed, these things happened in Queenstown, no matter what It is impossible to know that the Essex frigate could not have been ordered to catch these gangsters? ... Think about it carefully, no!This is absolutely impossible.How could Harry Markle set sail for the Antilles when Harry Markle certainly did not treat the passengers on board as kindly as he did to Captain Paxson and his crew? ...He didn't run away, but instead had the audacity to drive the Spirit to its destination? ...such a reckless move will not be tolerated.

Harry Markle waits, but with more composure than John Carpenter and Coty.If the captain of the Essex wanted to make contact with him, he would take it seriously.However, the frigate stopped, just a few chains away, and gave a signal that the Spirit must stop.The Ingenuity's yards had turned so that the sails blocked each other's movements and remained largely stationary. The Essex flew her ensign, and the Ingenuity had to fly her own ensign. Needless to say, if Harry Markle does not want to heed the orders of the state-owned steamship, the state-owned steamship will take coercive measures against him.Harry Markle knew in his heart that this was a frigate with speed and power, and it was impossible to get rid of its pursuit.It takes a few shots to kill the Spirit.

As one might expect, Harry Markle isn't thinking that way at all.If the captain of the frigate ordered Harry Markle to go to his ship, he would go with a big grin. In the eyes of Mr. Pattenson, Louis Clodijon, Roger Hinsdale, and others, it was the arrival of the Essex and the contact order from the Essex to the Spirit that had aroused their great concern. "This warship was ordered to catch up with the Spirit to pick us up and send us to an island in the Antilles as soon as possible?" It's an idea that can only come up in the mind of someone as adventurous as Roger Hinsdal.What needs to be added is that this opinion is absolutely his personal opinion.

At this moment, a small boat on the Essex had been put on the water, and two officers immediately sat on it. After a few oars, the boat came close. Two officers climbed the starboard ladder aboard the Spirit, and one of them asked: "Is the captain there?..." "Yes," Harry Markle replied. "You are Captain Paxson?..." "I am." "Is this the same ship as the last Spirit that set sail from Queenstown Wharf on June 30th? . . . " "It's the ship that set sail that day." "Are all the passengers on board the Antilles high school exam winners? . . . "

"Yes." Harry Markle pointed to Mr. Pattenson and his little traveling companions who were listening to their conversation on the rear deck. Two officers then went to find them, followed by Harry Markle.The officer who spoke first after boarding the ship was a lieutenant in the British Navy. After returning the military salute to them, he said this in a cold tone characteristic of British soldiers: "Captain Paxon, the captain of the Essex is very happy to meet with the Smart. The officers and men of our ship see that you are in good health, and we are very happy for that."

Harry Markle bowed and waited for the Lieutenant to state his reasons for visiting. "Your crossing went well." asked the lieutenant. "Then... how was the weather along the way? . . . " "Excellent," said Harry Markle, "except for a gale near Bermuda." "The strong wind delayed your voyage?..." "We had to sail against the wind and at low speed for forty-eight hours..." The lieutenant immediately turned to the passengers and asked the leader: "Mr. Pattenson...from Antilles Middle School, right?..." "It's my lord, sir." Chief Pattenson bowed politely as usual, and answered the lieutenant's question.

Then he said: "It is my honor to introduce you to my young traveling companion, and I ask you to accept my personal esteem..." "Signed: Horatio Pattenson," Tony Raynor whispered. Then, the two sides shook hands with each other, with the mechanical precision characteristic of Anglo-Saxon handshakes. The Lieutenant turned to Harry Markle and demanded to see Harry Markle's men.The lieutenant's request could not but arouse John Carpenter's great suspicion and high anxiety.Why did this officer want to see them? ... Still, Harry Markle called them on deck.After they came up, they lined up at the foot of the mainmast according to Harry Markle's order.Although the gang of robbers tried their best to look like gentlemen, the two officers probably found their expressions uneasy.

"You have only nine sailors? . . . " asked the lieutenant. "Nine," Harry Markle replied. "As far as we know, there are ten crew members on the Spirit...not counting you, Captain Paxson..." Regarding this very embarrassing question, Harry Markle took an attitude of avoiding answering at the beginning, and asked the lieutenant: "Sir...can you tell me your motive for boarding the ship?..." It was only natural that the Lieutenant should be asked what his purpose in going on board was. "Simple," said the lieutenant, "that the Spirit did not arrive in Barbados on time, and everyone is worried... In the Antilles, as in Europe, parents are concerned about the late arrival of the steamer. Mrs. Karen Seymour called the Governor , Your Excellency the Governor sent the Essex to pick up the Spirit. This is the only reason we are in this sea area. I repeat, our worries are unnecessary, we are very happy!"

Faced with this expression of concern, Mr. Horatio Pattenson could not remain silent.He solemnly thanked the Captain of the HMS Essex and his men in the name of the young students and in his own name, the illustrious Mrs Karen Seymour and His Excellency the Governor of the British Antilles. Harry Markle thought it necessary to point out to the Lieutenant that the ship's forty-eight hours late could not have caused such panic as to justify sending a frigate. "These fears are justified, in light of what I will tell you right away," replied the lieutenant. John Carpenter and Coty looked at each other, surprised.They may not be happy with Harry Markle taking the issue too far. "Did the Spirit set sail on the evening of June 30?..." "Yes." Harry Markle looked very composed. "We anchored at around 7:30 in the evening. As soon as we got out of the anchorage, the wind blew away against the wind. There was no wind. The next day, the Spirit stayed on the coast of Cape Roberkov for a whole day." "Captain Paxon," the lieutenant asked again, "the next day, a body was found washed up along the coast in this area... However, according to the buttons on the clothes of the body, the deceased was identified as a crew member of the Spirit." John Carpenter and his companions felt an involuntary heartbeat.This body can only be that of the crew member who was unfortunately killed the day before. The captain of the HMS Essex announced that the Barbados authorities had received express letters concerning the incident.It's understandable to be a little worried because I didn't see the Spirit coming. He went on to say: "Captain, you have lost one of your men..." "Yes, sir, it's Bob the sailor... the sailor fell into the sea when we were anchored in Farma Cove, and we salvaged him immediately, but we couldn't save him, and we couldn't find him." This explanation was accepted without arousing suspicion, and accounted for the lack of a sailor in the crew of the Ingenuity. Passengers were ignorant of the incident and rightfully should be surprised.Strange!A sailor had drowned before they got on board, how did they know nothing about it? ... Questioned by Mr Horatio Pattenson on the matter, Harry Markle said he hid the bad news from the travel fund students because he didn't want them to take the ship with a heavy burden of thought on their backs . This answer was more reasonable and did not elicit any other comments.When everyone was only surprised and excited, the lieutenant said: "A courier from Queenstown to Barbados states that the body found on the shore may be that of Bob the Sailor, and that it bears a scar on the chest." "A wound! . . . " shouted Louis Clodiron, while Mr. Pattenson assumed the attitude of someone who seemed to know nothing. Harry Markle has always been in control, and now he can't keep quiet, saying: "Bob fell off the foretop onto the anchor capstan, bounced off the anchor capstan again, fell into the ocean, probably got hurt on the capstan, and that's why he didn't make it to the surface. That's what we salvaged. the cause of the fruit." Both this explanation and the previous one seemed acceptable, so the lieutenant added this to his message: "It has been determined that the wound on the corpse was definitely not caused by the collision... it was cut with a machete, and the heart was cut!" These words of the Lieutenant were bound to cause another panic in John Carpenter and his companions.How things will be understood, they have no idea at all. Will the captain of the Essex order the HMS Spirit to be seized and ordered to be brought back to Barbados for an investigation that may well be against them? ...the investigation will lead to a dispute over their identities...they will be repatriated to England...this time, they will not escape punishment for their crimes...especially after the Spirit sails out of the West Indies, what they want to do I can't do my bad deeds! ... The odds continue to favor them.Harry Markle didn't even have to explain about the knife marks. Mr. Horatio Pattenson raised his hands to the sky, and asked aloud: "What! Was this unfortunate man stabbed to death with a murder weapon? . . . " The lieutenant replied thus: "The dispatch said the sailor was probably alive when he reached the coast where the escaped gangsters were hiding in Queenstown... There he fell into the hands of the gangsters and was stabbed." "It appears," said Roger Hinsdal, "that it was the work of the gang on board the Hurley. They had just escaped from prison when we got to Queenstown..." "Bastard!..." Tony Renault cursed loudly. "Mr. Lieutenant, have they not been arrested?..." "According to the latest information, no trace of them has been found," said the lieutenant. "However, it is impossible for them to leave Ireland. Sooner or later they will be captured..." "I hope so, sir," Harry Markle said, his tone never changing. John and Coty were on the foredeck again, and Harry Markle whispered to them: "It's a man, our trusted captain..." "It's true," said Coty, "wherever he leads us, we will follow him!" The two officers were entrusted with conveying the greetings of Mrs Karen Seymour to Mr Pattenson and the nine exam winners.Lady Seymour would be glad to receive them, and if they would not linger on the other islands of the Antilles which were expecting them, Lady Seymour was eager to keep them in Barbados as long as possible. Roger Hinsdale answered on behalf of his fellow students and asked the two officers to pass on Mrs. Karen Seymour their thanks for all she had done for Antilles High School.Then, Mr. Horatio Pattenson, who is well versed in oratory skills, concluded the conversation with his eloquent and impassioned speech.At the end of his speech he confused a poem by Horace with a poem by Virgil, a careless mistake so rare for a man of his size.After the two officers had said good-bye to the captain and passengers, they were led to the ladder, boarded their dinghy, and before returning to the ship, the lieutenant said: "Captain Paxson, there are only fifty nautical miles left. I think the Spirit will arrive at St. Thomas tomorrow?" "That's what I thought too..." Harry Markle replied. "We'll call you back as soon as we get to Barbados..." "Thank you, sir, and please give my regards to the Captain of the Essex." The boat turned the rudder to leave the Spirit, and in the blink of an eye, it was next to the frigate. Harry Markle and the passengers waved to the captain standing on the deck, who immediately waved back to them. As soon as the boat was hoisted onto the deck, the warship blew its whistle, and the sharp sound of the whistle resounded across the sea.The Essex turned on full steam and headed southwest.An hour later, there was no shadow of the ship, only a wisp of blue smoke drifting on the horizon. As for the Ingenuity, her yards were rounded, her sails were in the crosswind, her starboard side was caught, and she was heading for St. Mathomas. Harry Markle and his cohorts were relieved when they learned what happened to the Essex's visit.No one in Britain or the Antilles doubted that they escaped by boat, and no one doubted that the ship was the Spirit... It seemed that chance would follow them to the end! . . . They are sailing the Antilles in flagrant fashion.They will be treated with dignity.They travel from island to island without worrying that anyone will see their true colors.They will make their final leg of the adventure tour in Barbados before they sail back to Europe! ...the day after sailing, the Spirit will not be the same as the Spirit...Harry Markle will no longer be Captain Paxson, and there will be no Mr. Pattenson on board under his command, no more him Any little travel companion! ... The adventure has been successful, while the police are in vain in Ireland hunting for the pirates on board the Helifa! ... The last leg of the transatlantic voyage went well.The weather was fine and the trade wind was blowing steadily, and all the ship's sails, even the auxiliary sails, were hoisted. Mr. Horatio Pattenson had indeed worked out, and the ship sometimes pitched so badly that he felt a little uncomfortable.He could even sit down at the table to eat again, and he could spit out the cherry pit he had been holding in his mouth all by himself. "You're right . "I think so, my friend," said Horatio Pattenson. "Fortunately, I have many of these sea-sickness pills on hand, thanks to the foresight of Mrs. Pattenson, of course." Thus ended the day.When the young students did not set out, they were anxious to leave, and when they were on the road, they were very eager to arrive. They wished they could set foot on the land of the first island in the Antilles. When we approached the Antilles, there were more ships coming and going, and the steamboats and sailboats competed for the flow, making the sea lively.Ships that had crossed the Straits of Florida were making their way into the Gulf of Mexico, and those sailing out were on their long journey back to European ports.In the eyes of these young students, it is a lot of fun to signal these ships, pass them, and greet each other with the British, American, French, and Spanish flags that are common in this area! Before the sun set, the Spirit was sailing at the seventeenth parallel in the St. Thomas area, only twenty nautical miles away from St. Thomas.It's just a matter of hours to get there. The archipelago is dotted with reefs and islets, and it's not for nothing that Harry Markle wouldn't want to venture into these waters at night.On the orders of Harry Markle, John Carpenter had to reduce the number of sails.The bosun let down the topsail, topsail, gaffsail, gaffsail, and there were only two topsails, foresail, and jib left on the Spirit. The night was calm.The sea breeze has long since stopped blowing.The next day, the sun rose above the clear horizon. Near nine o'clock they heard a cry from the main-mast yoke. The yeller turned out to be Tony Raynor, and he yelled loudly and cheerfully one after another: "Land forward on the starboard side... land! Land!"