Chapter 18 Chapter 3 Domiega Island

When the three-masted sailing ship sailed out of Point Pitre Bay, a slight easterly wind blew up on the sea, which was very favorable for the ship to sail in the direction of Dominican Island, which was located more than a hundred nautical miles to the south.With its full sails, the Ingenuity flits like a seagull on the sparkling blue sea.With this sea breeze, the Spirit can complete this voyage in a day and a night.But the barometer is slowly rising, which indicates that the sea will become calmer and calmer.The sailing time will be doubled. The Ingenuity was a satisfying sailing vessel, commanded, as it were, by an experienced and skillful captain, and a crew who had withstood every test.Therefore, the situation that Mr. Henry Baron hopes to happen is simply impossible.Even in bad weather, Harry Markle is not afraid to hit the rocks in the bay when sailing out to sea.And these students don't need to be reluctant to part with the owner of the Rose Cross Manor.

In view of the rising atmospheric pressure, the speed of sailing must have been slow, but at least the anchor was lifted out to sea under very smooth conditions. The Spirit left Pointe Pitre and headed south.The boat passed the Saintes Islands, where there was a 300-meter-high hill overlooking the entire Saintes Islands, the fortress surrounding the hill, and the French flag waving in the wind on the top of the hill was clearly visible.The Saintes Islands are always on the defensive, like a castle jutting forward, defending Guadeloupe and its surroundings from this side. Of all these students, Tony Raynor and Magnu Anders always stood out from the crowd when they were doing things on board.They could be on watch like real sailors, even at night, and it didn't matter what the leader, Mr. Pattenson, was always worried about these two bold and reckless boys.

"I entrust them to you, Captain Paxson..." He repeatedly emphasized to Harry Markle: "You have to think carefully about what to do if something happens to them...As soon as I saw them climbing up the mast, I feel like they are going to be... how should I put it?" "Thrown down by the sails..." "Yes, yes...that's what it means. They will be thrown down by the violent up and down. If they fall into the sea! . . . You must consider the responsibility on my shoulders, captain!" When Harry Markle said that he would not let them act rashly and that his responsibility was no less than his, Mr. Pattenson thanked him excitedly, but that did not make the fake Paxon's indifferent attitude one iota. Change.

Mr. Pattenson endlessly exhorted the young Swede and the French, to whom they replied: "You needn't be afraid, Mr. Pattenson...we'll hold on tight..." "If you let go, you will fall..." "De brancha in branchame degringolat atque facit pouf! Just like Virgil said!..." exclaimed Tony Renault. "The poets of Mandu have never written such rhyming poems!..." Mr. Pattenson raised his hand and retorted. "They should have written a poem like that," retorted the unprincipled Tony Reynolds, "with a beautiful ending: atque facit pouf!"

The two boys burst into laughter. However, the venerable steward could rest easy, Tony Reynolds and Magnu Anders were as brave as young squires in the palace and as deft as monkeys in the mountains.Besides, John Carpenter has been watching them just worried that their scholarship will disappear with it.Besides, any accident would have left the Spirit stranded somewhere in the Antilles, which should not have happened, and if either of these two lads broke an arm or a leg, it would delay departure. On the other hand, it should be noted that the crew rarely interacted with the students, and the students even noticed that the crew often kept them at arm's length, unwilling to become intimate with them.As a rule, sailors are more than happy to do so.Only Vaja and Coty spoke to them regularly, and Harry Markle forced the others to be cautious.Indeed, Roger Hinsdal and Louis Clodiron were sometimes amazed at this attitude of theirs.More than once they had observed the crew members fall silent when they approached them.In short, the situation was like this, and they could not have any suspicions.

As for Mr. Pattenson, he was unaware of any of this.He thought the trip was going on satisfactorily - which it wasn't - and he was grateful to be able to walk the deck with ease. The sea has been calm all the time, and it was only around five o'clock in the morning on August 24 that the Spirit arrived at Dominican Island with the help of the breeze blowing from the northwest. The capital of the colony was called Rozzo (City of Reeds), a city of about 5,000 inhabitants, located on the east side of the island.The high ground on the island provides protection from the constant strong winds, but the harbor is not strong enough to withstand the heaving waves, especially at high tide, and it is not safe to stop the boat here.There is a danger of anchoring the ship here, and the crew must be ready to change the anchorage at the first sign of bad weather.

Since the Ingenuity will probably stay in Dominica for several days, it is not unreasonable for Harry Markle to be reluctant to let the ship berth in Rozo City (Reed City).In the same direction, at the tip of the island, there is an ideal anchorage.Portsmouth anchorage, where the ship has no fear of the hurricane, nor of the cyclones which so often plague these seas. Eighteen years ago, John Howard was born in this city. After finishing fourth in the competition, he went to another developing city, which would become an important trading center in the future. It would be a Sunday when the students set foot on Dominica, assuming they arrived on November 3, the anniversary of Christopher Columbus' discovery of the island in 1493.To celebrate this holy day, the great navigator named this place Dominica on his little clipper ship.

Since the island of Dominica is 754 square kilometers, it is twelve French guri (one hundred li is about four kilometers) long and six French guli wide.Then, it became an important British colony.It now has 30,000 inhabitants who replaced the Caribs when it was conquered.At the beginning, although the land on the island was fertile, the water resources were abundant, and the timber forests for construction were lush, the Spaniards had no intention of setting up camp here. Like its West Indian sisters, Domiega fell successively to several European powers.At the beginning of the sixteenth century it was occupied by France.Early settlers introduced coffee and cotton here. In 1622 they numbered 349, plus 338 African slaves.

At first, the French lived in harmony with the Caribs, whose total number did not exceed a thousand people.These aborigines are strong, industrious and simple. They are not that kind of Indian race, but the Indian race living in Guyana, which is located in the northern part of South America. It should be noted that throughout the Antilles the language of the women is absolutely different from the language of the men, these are two dialects, one is Aronaco spoken by the women and the other by the men They speak Garibalian.These natives are cruel and indifferent by nature.Despite their religious beliefs, they have an irrefutable reputation as cannibals, and the Caribbean name may be synonymous with cannibals.This, of course, is why we can forgive the Spanish conquistadors for their brutality against them.

Since these Caribs were fond of traveling long distances in canoes which they had hewn from tree trunks with axes to attack the inhabitants of the various islands of the archipelago, and since the Indians in the northern regions of South America were often the chief victims of their brutality, Therefore, they must be eliminated.Since the discovery of the Antilles, this race has been almost wiped out from south to north.Only a few remain in Martinique and St. Vincent.Those living on the Dominican island were not wiped out, but their number was reduced to just over thirty families. If the Europeans vowed to eradicate these Caribs, they would never refuse to use them to fight on their behalf.The English and the French took advantage of their pugnacious nature on several occasions, making them accomplices to each other's attacks, although they later eliminated them.

In short, in the first years after the conquest, Dominica attracted the covetedness of the colonists and the attention of the pirates, which gave it a considerable importance in the colony. The French established the first institutions and facilities on Dominica, and after the French, the island fell under British rule, followed by the Dutch.Thus, Roger Hinsdale, John Howard, Huber Perkins, Louis Clodiron, Tony Reynolds, and Albertus Lewin could all claim the island in the name of their respective ancestors. Sovereignty, while their ancestors were killing each other two or three centuries ago. In 1745, war broke out between Britain and France, and Dominica fell into British hands.The French government made every effort to protest and demand the return of the colony, expending a lot of human and material resources, but in vain.Even with the signing of the Paris Agreement, the French government failed to exercise sovereignty over the island, and Dominica was still occupied by Great Britain. However, the French government is unwilling to stop there. In 1788, the Governor of Martinique, the Marquis of Bouna, led a naval column to the sea and captured the city of Rozzo (the city of Reeds), which he occupied until 1783.However, the strength of the British seems to be stronger, and the island of Dominica has once again permanently returned to the rule of the Kingdom of Great Britain. Please rest assured that the young British, Dutch and French award-winning students on the Spirit are not here to repeat old wars, nor to demand the return of the island's sovereignty to their countries.Mr. Horatio Pattenson was a man of the order, and although he was an Anglo-Saxon, he had no intention of getting involved in such matters.Otherwise, such problems risk destabilizing the balance in Europe. For more than six years after leaving Portsmouth, John Howard and his family lived with the Earl of Runcastle in Manchester. The memory of Dominica was still fresh among young lads, and John Howard was twelve years old when Mr. and Mrs. Howard gave up the colony without leaving a relative on the island.He would not, therefore, find a brother on the island, as Nils Albert had at Saint-Thomas, nor an uncle, as Louis Clodiron had at Guadeloupe.And here he might run into an old friend of their family, who might welcome the students of the Antilles High School warmly. Indeed, if there were no friends, at least there were people with whom Mr. Howard had business relations.This son of his, upon his arrival in Portsmouth, was determined to make a visit which had been haunting his heart.The visit would not have been so cordially received by Mr. Christian Albert of St. Thomas, nor by Mr. Henri Baron of Guadeloupe, but John Howard and his fellow students They will be received by an honest couple. In Portsmouth, an elderly black woman, who had worked as a domestic servant for the Howards, still lives with her elderly husband, and it is she who manages and arranges the simple life of the Howards every day. Who will be overjoyed and overjoyed?And who would be thrilled to see the big guy they used to hold in their arms again?That must be Kate Grinder.Neither her husband nor she herself expected the visit... Little did they know that the Spirit was docked at Dominica, or that little John was on board, and John could not wait to visit them. As soon as the Spirit cast anchor, the students immediately went ashore.They stayed in Dominica for forty-eight hours, and they had to go back to the ship every night. The tour was limited to around the city, and a small boat went to the shore to pick them up and back to the ship. In fact, Harry Markle would prefer to do so to avoid contact with the people of Portsmouth, and there is nothing more worrisome in a British port than any other, except to go through customs formalities.Perhaps among the people encountered was someone who knew Captain Paxson or one of the sailors in the crew.Harry Markle moored the Spirit a certain distance from the shore and prohibited the crew from going ashore.Besides, he had no intention of replenishing his supplies, except flour and fresh meat.He took these measures to be as cautious as possible. John Howard's memory of Portsmouth is quite accurate, and he is fully capable of serving as a guide to his classmates.The classmates were also very clear; his wish was first to hurry to visit the old Grindel couple in their cottage.Thus, as soon as they landed, they made their way straight across the city to the country town. The walking distance was not long, and after a quarter of an hour, they came to a simple hut.The appearance of the hut is clean and tidy, surrounded by a garden full of fruit trees, and behind it is a feeding ground, where poultry are looking for food. The old man was working in the garden, and the old lady was in the house, and when she came out, John Howard opened the fence door and went in. Kate couldn't help but let out a cheer when she recognized the child she hadn't seen in six years.Although the years have passed for more than six years, she recognized John, the eldest son of the Howard family, at a glance. This is not only what ordinary eyes can do, but also contains a fiery heart that thinks day and night. "It's you . . . it's you, John!" she repeated over and over, pulling the young man tightly into her arms. "Yes...it's me...my good Kate,...it's me!" Then the old man spoke: "Could it be John? You're mistaken! It's not him, Kate." "No! It's him..." "Yes...it's me!" Could there be anything more gratifying than this!John's classmates surrounded the two old men...and hugged them. "Yes..." Tony Renault said repeatedly, "It's us, don't you recognize it?..." Should make everything clear and tell them why the Ghost came to Dominica... just for the old black woman and her husband.This is the first visit for them.Mr. Horatio Pattenson couldn't hide his excitement, and came over to shake hands with the two old people warmly! ... He has grown up! ……he's changed! ... what a handsome boy! ... She recognized him right away! ...and the old man is still hesitating, is it him? ... she pulled him into her arms ... tears of joy and excitement welled up in her eyes.It is necessary to tell her about the situation of Howard's whole family, the situation of his father, mother, brothers, and sisters! ...all are very nice.How often do people talk about Kate and her husband?Neither of them has ever been forgotten.John Howard presented them with exquisite gifts specially brought for them.In short, John Howard called upon the two good fellows every morning and evening while the Spirit was at anchor, and parted at last over a small glass of taffia and rum. After several excursions around the city of Portsmouth, John Howard took his fellow students to the foot of Mount Diabloudan, and they ascended to the top.There you can have a panoramic view of the whole island.When the leader of the tour, Mr. Pattenson, was sitting on the top of the mountain exhausted, he felt that it was time to quote a passage from Virgil's agricultural poem: "uvelut stabuli custos in montibus olim considit scopu1o." Unless Mr. Pattenson is not standing on a real mountain and he is not a shepherd, un custos stabuli, as the wry Tony Reynolds reminded him, his quote is unlikely to be accepted. From the top of Diabloudan Mountain, you can have a panoramic view of an intensively cultivated field.This land guarantees a large fruit trade, not to mention a large supply of sulfur for the island.Coffee cultivation is now showing a clear upward trend and will likely become the main wealth of Dominica. On the second day, the young travelers visited the city of Rozzo (Reed City) with a population of 5,000. The city's commerce is not very developed, but the appearance of the city is pleasing to the eye.The city was once brought to a standstill due to excessive plundering by the British government. As you know, the next day, the twenty-sixth of August, was fixed for the departure of the Spirit.So John Howard went to see old Lady Kate for the last time the previous afternoon, when the young tourists were making their last walks along the coast north of the city. He was walking along a street leading to the shore when a man in his fifties approached him.This is a retired seaman. He pointed to the Spirit moored in the middle of the port and said to John Howard: "It's a pretty ship, young sir, and one sight is enough for a sailor." "As a matter of fact," replied John Howard, "she is not only a handsome ship, but a very good one. She has just completed her voyage from Europe to the Antilles with good success." "Yes, I know that... I know that," replied the seaman, "as I know that you are Mr. Howard's son, and that old Mrs. Kate and her husband were servants in your house..." "You know them? . . . " "We are neighbours, Mr. John." "That's great, I'm going to say goodbye to them now, because we're leaving tomorrow..." "Tomorrow?...Are you leaving tomorrow?..." "Yes, we will also visit Martinique, Saint Lucia, Barbados..." "I know, I know... Tell me, Mr. John, who is commanding the Spirit?" "Captain Paxon." "Captain Paxon? . . . " repeated the sailor, "ah! I know him . . . I know him . . . " "You know him? . . . " "Can I still recognize him? . . . I think so! We've sailed the Southern Seas together in the Northern Red Land. It was about fifteen years ago... He was only first mate, Is he a man in his forties? . . . " "About, about forty years old," replied John Howard. "A bit short and stocky?..." "No! He's tall and strong..." "Auburn hair?..." "Uh... no! Black hair." "Is that strange? . . . " said the sailor, "but when I think of him, it's as if I saw him . . . " "Then," continued John Howard, "since you know Captain Paxson, go and meet him. . . "That's exactly what I'm about to do, Mr. John." "To see you, it's best to go today, or even immediately... The Spirit will leave early tomorrow morning..." "Thank you for your suggestion, Mr. John. Of course, I will not let the Spirit go to sea without visiting Captain Paxson." The two parted, and John Howard walked towards the residential area high in the city. The sailor, on the other hand, jumped into a skiff, and had him taken aboard the barque. It was a rather dangerous affair for Harry Makeyon and his crew on board, and since they had sailed together for two years, the seaman, Ned Brar, must have known Captain Paxson.When he stood in front of Harry Markle, it was clear that the man bore no resemblance to the chief mate on board the Northern Red Land in the past.What would he say, what would he think? Coty was walking on deck when the sailor came to the gangway, and he asked: "Ah! what do you want, man? . . . " "I want to see Captain Paxson." "Do you know him?..." Coty asked hurriedly, keeping his vigilance the whole time. "Yes, I know him...we have sailed the southern seas together..." "Ah! Is that so? . . . Then, what can you do with Captain Paxon? . . . " "Say a few words with him before he goes off. . . . It's always nice to see you all again, isn't it, man? . . . " "You're right!" "Then, I'm on board..." "Captain Paxon is not on board at the moment..." "Then I'll wait for him..." "It's no use...he probably won't be back until late at night..." "No luck!" said the sailor. "Yes, you are out of luck!" "Then...tomorrow...before the Spirit weighs anchor..." "Maybe, if you insist..." "Of course, I must see Captain Paxson. I think if he knows that I am here, he will definitely want to see me..." "I believe..." Coty replied teasingly. "Will you tell him, man, that Ned Brar . . . Ned Brar of the Northern Red Soil came to say hello to him." "It must be done..." "So...see you tomorrow?..." "See you tomorrow!" Ned Brar pushed back the boat and went back to shore. As soon as he was gone, Coty came to Harry Markle's cabin and told him what had just happened. "Obviously, the sailor knows Captain Paxson..." he said, "he'll be back tomorrow morning." Coty added. "He'll come tomorrow! . . . We're not here anymore . . . " "The Spirit doesn't leave until nine o'clock tomorrow, Harry..." "Leave when it's time to go..." Harry Markle replied, "Don't confide a word about this to the students..." "Of course, Harry, anyway, it would do us little good to get out of these waters too soon, and I might lose my share of the bonus..." "Be careful and endure for another half a month, that's enough!" It was half-past ten at night when Mr. Horatio Pattenson and his pupils returned to the ship.John Howard has also said his final goodbyes to old Lady Kate and her husband.It is believed he was warmly embraced by Mrs Kate and her husband and brought back their best wishes for John and his family. Exhausted by a long day of sightseeing, the students felt an urgent need to lie down on their slings and rest.As they made their way to their respective cabins, John Howard asked if a sailor named Ned Brar had been there, and said that this man was eager to reconnect with Captain Paxson. "Yes... he was," Coty replied, "but the captain was at the Maritime Office ashore..." "Then this Brar will definitely come again tomorrow, is it before the departure of the Spirit?..." "Yes, we have made an appointment." Coty lied. A quarter of an hour later, there was thunderous snoring in the rest cabin, one after another. This group of people who were sleeping soundly due to exhaustion had never been heard before. Mr. Pattenson's baritone-like snoring was particularly loud. When, therefore, at about three o'clock in the morning, the Spirit weighed anchor and sailed out of Portsmouth harbour, none of the party heard the sound of the ship. Six hours later, when the students returned to the deck, the boat was five or six nautical miles away from Dominica, and Magnu Anders and Tony Raynor shouted: "What?...We, have already set off?..." "You lifted the anchor and went to sea without waking us up?..." Tony Renault continued. "I'm worried about changes in the weather," Harry Markle argued, "I want to take advantage of the wind blowing from land..." "Why!" said John Howard, "how that honest Brar wants to see you, Captain Paxson..." "Yes... Brar... I remember, we sailed together," Harry Markle replied, "But I can't wait!" "Poor man," said John Howard, "this will surely hurt him. Besides, I don't know if he'll recognize you. . . brown beard..." "An old chap with no memory!" Harry Markle responded casually. "We'd better not have any accidents!" Coty whispered in the captain's ear. "Yes," interjected John Carpenter, "it's to be extra careful . . . even to be on the lookout!"