Chapter 23 Chapter 8 Late Night Comes

The first morning of the return flight passed like this.Life on board returned to its usual routine.The sea is sunny and sunny, and this monotonous life can only be broken by small stories that rarely happen at sea. As usual, the lunch prepared by the crew was placed in the dining room of the cabin, and all the students gathered there to eat under the leadership of Mr. Pattenson. As usual, Harry Markle had meals delivered to his cabin. This seemed somewhat strange to Will Meads, as it was customary on commercial ships for the captain to dine in the mess room. Will Meads tried in vain to talk to John Carpenter or to the rest of the crew, and he felt nothing of the camaraderie so easily formed among sailors.

Since he was going to serve on the "Alissa Warden", the first mate on the "Smart" should treat him quite equally. After dinner, Will Miz came out on deck with the young lads, and they welcomed him so warmly. Throughout the afternoon, there was no shortage of entertainment of all kinds.The sea is breezy, and the sailboat is moving at a medium speed.Fishing lines were thrown into the sea from the height of the poop building. The students devoted themselves to the fishing activities with great concentration, and the fishing activities were very effective. Tony Reynolds, Magnu Anders, Nils Alber and Axel Wickburn worked enthusiastically and enthusiastically with Will Miz, a master fisherman with great skill.

Will Miz knew the job of the crew like the back of his hand, and Harry Markle and the boatswain saw and took his wit and intelligence to heart. The fishing activity went on for several hours.We caught good quality tuna and even a very large sturgeon, a fish whose females can weigh hundreds of kilograms and lay millions of eggs in the Atlantic and Mediterranean. We also caught several hake that trailed behind the boat in schools, swordfish, and a few electric eels, which lay flat like snakes and often swim out to American waters. Before Will Miz could stop him, Mr. Horatio Pattenson recklessly grabbed one of the electric eels with one hand, and the electric eel it released shot into the cockpit.

Everyone hurried over to help him up, and it took him a while to recover. "It's dangerous to touch those guys..." Will Miz reminded him. "I see...but it's too late," Mr. Pattenson replied, stretching his arms in bouts of numbness. "Anyway," exclaimed Tony Raynor, "this electricity is very good for rheumatism." "That's great, I have rheumatism myself, so at the end of the voyage my rheumatism will be cured!" The most interesting thing for students is to encounter three or four whales. Whales were uncommon in the Antilles, nor were whalers accustomed to regard this place as a hunting ground.

"Whaling is mostly done in Pacific waters," Weir Meads said, "either in the north in the wide Gulf of British Columbia, where the whales give birth, or in the south, off the coast of New Zealand..." "Have you ever hunted whales? . . . " asked Louis Cloduillon. "Catched, for a whole season, aboard the 'Wrangell' in Belfast, round the Kuril Islands and the Sea of ​​Okhotsk. Should be equipped with canoes, nets, hooks and harpooners. When alone It is very dangerous for the wooden boat to be dragged by the whale out of sight of the people on the big boat, and this kind of hunting has a lot of casualties."

"Is it worthwhile?..." Nils Alber asked. "It's a good deal, and it's not a good deal," replied Will Meads. "As much as cunning is needed, luck is more important. How many times have you struggled and failed to catch a whale!" Also, the whales just spotted were panting at least three miles from the Spirit, but it was impossible to get any closer.The students feel very sorry.Even with full sail a barque cannot keep up with them.The whales were swimming fast to the east, and it was difficult for a small canoe to catch them. The sun slowly sank to the horizon and the gentle breeze calmed the sea.

The clouds in the west were thick and blue-gray, hanging motionless in the sky, and if the wind came from that side it would be a squall before a thunderstorm, and it would not last long.On the contrary, the thick fog that rises into the sky continues to accumulate, and the night will become dark. What is worrying is that there are lightning and thunder in the sky, and the air is stuffy, as if the sky is burning. While everyone was fishing, Harry Markle had a small boat lowered into the sea because a few fish were so heavy they couldn't be hauled directly onto the boat. The sea was calm and the boat hadn't been hoisted up and put back in place, no doubt Harry Markle had his reasons for keeping it down there.

The Spirit hoisted all sails to take advantage of the dying breeze.Will Meads thought the captain would use the other side of the ship and steer the ship to the northeast as soon as the wind picked up.But all day long, in vain anticipation of the captain's order to turn the ship around, he could not understand Harry Markle's intentions. The sun had gone behind the clouds, which were thickly covering the last of its rays.Night is coming soon.Dusk near the Tropic of Cancer is very short. Is Harry Markle going to keep all the sails on the boat like this until dawn?Will Miz doesn't think that's right.Thunderstorms may appear suddenly, but you must know that thunderstorms are extremely violent and swift in this sea area!

If a ship suddenly enters these seas, it will not have time to untie the backhorn and get back the sails, but it may be dragged into the fierce waves, and the mast must be snapped to get out again. A prudent seaman, therefore, will not be ignorant of what dangers he faces, unless the weather is absolutely certain.But it would be safer to leave only the second tier, foresail, mizzensail and jib. At nearly six o'clock Harry Markle went up to the poop, where Mr Pattenson and his pupils were assembled, and ordered the canopy to be put up, which every evening attention was paid to him, and then he Looking at the sky for the last time, he said:

"Tighten the topsail and the third sail!" John Carpenter immediately communicated the order, and the crew complied. Needless to say, Tony Raynor and Magnu Anders would climb up the shrouds of the mainmast with agility and agility, as is customary, which always aroused both admiration and concern for the leader... and at the same time, a great regret that he could not like them. This time, Will Miz climbed with them, as deftly as they were.Almost at the same time they climbed the crossbar of the mainmast.Together the three fastened the third tier of sail. "Come on, young gentlemen," he told them, "be careful, even when the ship is not moving..."

"We're holding on," Tony Raynor replied. "If we fall into the sea, it will cause Mr. Pattenson a lot of pain!" When the topsail was fastened, three men were sufficient to fasten the three-tier sail to the yard, which had been lowered from the mainmast. Meanwhile, the sailors were doing the same on the foresail, and then the spinnaker, jib and mizzen were all brought in. Now there were only two second-sails, fore-sail, mizzen-sail and jib-sail, which the last breeze was just barely raising. Relying on the eastward tide, the sailboat moved forward slowly, until the sun rose, and it could only travel a small distance. Harry Markle won't panic if a thunderstorm does arrive. In a moment's work they were able to bring in the fore-sail and two tweezers. As Ver Miz descended from the mast with Tony Raynor and Magnu Anders, he took a look at the compass illuminated by the cockpit lights. Since the morning, the Spirit has traveled more than fifty nautical miles to the southeast.This time, he thought the captain would head the other way, northeast. Harry Markle spotted his "passenger" and showed some surprise at seeing him still on his original course.But Will Miz was a very disciplined man, and he didn't take the liberty of saying anything about it. Coty was at the helm as Will Miz cast a last glance at Roggin.Will Miz looked at the sky and went to the mainmast and sat down. At this moment, Coty approached Harry Markle, not afraid of being overheard, and said to him: "The Miz doesn't seem to think we're on a normal course... Well, tonight, we'll throw him and those guys overboard, and if the sharks can leave their arms and legs, there's nothing stopping these guys Swim back to Liverpool!" Shameless probably said something ridiculous as he walked away laughing wildly, Harry Markle stopping him with a look. John Carpenter came over. "Harry, are we still towing that boat astern? . . . " he asked. "Yes, John, it will work for us..." Supper was not ready until six-thirty that night, and on the table was the day's catch, which Ranya Coker had cooked deliciously. Mr Pattenson said he had never eaten anything better...especially tuna, and expressed hope that young anglers would catch some more on their cruises. After supper they all went up to the poop, where they intended to wait until nightfall had fully fallen before returning to their respective cabins. The sun hidden behind the clouds has not disappeared from the horizon, and it will take more than an hour for the sky to completely darken. However, at this time Tony Raynor confirmed that a sailboat was spotted in the east direction, and almost at the same time, he heard Will Miz say: "Directly forward on the port side of the ship." All eyes are on this side. A galleon, with two-treaks and low sails, appeared four miles to windward.There was no doubt that there was still a slight breeze and a full crosswind where the ship was traveling, and it was now heading head-on towards the Spirit. Louis Clodijon and Roger Hinsdal retrieved their small telescopes and observed the approaching sailing ship as it sailed northwest. "The damn ship!" John Carpenter muttered to Harry Markle. "In an hour, it's coming up next to us! . . . " The boatswain's thought had just occurred to Coty and the others.If the wind had ceased altogether, the two ships would have remained in this calm state all night, perhaps half a mile or a quarter of a mile apart! …However, if Harry Markle was thankful he didn't kill the students off the coast of Ireland, that's no longer the case.The money given by Mrs. Karen Seymour is on board, and near this ship, can their evil plan still be carried out? ... "What luck!" continued John Carpenter. "It seems we'll never get rid of these boarders? . . . Should we have to wait until the next night? . The ship took advantage of the last breeze to approach the Spirit.But the breeze was about to stop. This is a large three-masted sailing ship, and its destination may be some island in the Antilles, or some port in Mexico. As for the nationality of the ship, it is difficult to ascertain, for no flag of nationality was hung on the gaff of her cockpit, but from her construction and rigging she seemed to be an American ship. "It doesn't appear to be overloaded..." Magnu Anders reminded. "As a matter of fact," replied Will Miz, "I'm sure it's an empty ship." Three quarters of an hour later the ship was within two nautical miles of the Spirit. It's the current that's pushing the ship in that direction, so Harry Markle is hoping it will outsmart the Ingenuity.From one to five in the morning, they could carry out their plans as long as it was five or six miles away, beyond which they couldn't hear any cries. Half an hour later, when the last twilight of sunset had completely disappeared, there was not a breath of wind at sea.The two ships were less than half a nautical mile apart. Near nine o'clock, Mr. Pattenson said in a weary voice: "Friends, let's go, don't you want to go back to the cabin?..." "It's still early...Mr. Pattenson," replied Roger Hinsdal. "Nine o'clock in the evening and seven o'clock in the morning is too long, Mr. Pattenson," continued Axel Wickburn. "You'll be as fat as a monk when you get back to Europe, Mr. Pattenson," Tony Raynor said aloud, curling his arms in a circular arc around his stomach. "Please don't worry about this." The leader retorted, "I can always control my fat and thin properly." "Mr. Pattenson, do you know the health motto left by the ancient sages?" Louis Clodiron said again. So he began to recite the first two lines of the two lines of the Salina school: "sex horas dormire, sat est..." "Juveni senique..." Huber Perkins then rolled his back. "Septem pigro..." John Howard chimed in. "Nulli concedimus octo!" Roger Hinsdal recited the closing sentence. To Mr. Pattenson's delight, he heard the Latin quotations from these award-winning students one after another, and it was useless to persuade them to go back.At any rate, he longed to go back to sleep, and replied: "You stay on the poop and breathe the night air if you like... But I... I'm sleepy... I'm more sleepy than anyone else, I'm going to bed..." "Good night, Mr. Pattenson!" The leader went down on deck to his cabin.As soon as he fell asleep on the bed, he opened the porthole to let the cool wind blow in. After saying the following words to himself, he fell into a deep sleep. "Rosani...letorum...angelum!" Louis Clodiillon and his schoolmates remained outside for another hour.They talked about their travels in the Antilles, recalled one or another of the scenes they had experienced, and even imagined how happy they would be when they got home, telling their families what they had done during the whole trip. and everything seen. During this time, Harry Markle hung a white light on the backstays of the Spirit, and the captain of the unnamed ship also hung a white light on his forestays. It was safe and necessary to do so in the darkness of night.Because the forward and reverse currents at sea may cause the ships to collide with each other.From the poop they could see the swaying signal lights of the ship, which was still rocking from side to side in the heaving waves. This time, Tony Raynor was determined not to exceed the six hours of sleep recommended by the Salina School. If the ship was still near the Spirit, everyone would raise the signal flag and ask about its nationality. Nearly ten o'clock, all the students went back to the cabin and fell into sweet dreams.Only Will Miz was still walking on deck. The young sailor was full of thoughts and imaginations, he thought of Barbados...he would not return there for three or four years...he thought of his mother, and he would not see her again for a long time...he Thinking of the merchant ship, the Alisa Warden, to which he was going, and the position he was going to hold on the ship... He thought of this trip, which for him was the first time he had crossed these seas. travel…… Then, he thought of the Spirit ship he had caught on the way...he thought of these boys, he had such a good impression of them...Tony Raynor and Magnu Anders were interested in sailing And took a special interest in him. Then, he thought of the crew on the Spirit, and this Captain Paxson. People had an involuntary dislike for him. It seemed that these crew members did not welcome him very much! ...And he never thought they would be like this, so where did this unfavorable impression come from? ... Filled with apprehension and apprehension, Will Meads strolled from poop to poop, where some of the sailors lay along the bulwarks, and others talked in low voices. Seeing that nothing could be done tonight, Harry Markle told the sailors to call him if the wind picked up, and returned to his cabin. John Carpenter and Wagga were on watch on the poop, watching the dim light of the three-masted ship.A faint mist began to rise.A crescent moon hung in the sky, the sky full of stars appeared and disappeared in the mist, and the thick night enveloped everything around. Therefore, it is possible that the ship near the Ingenuity may not be seen again before long.But now it's still there... If the shouts are heard, the people on board can lower their boats, and maybe take a few dead? ... There were about twenty-five or thirty crew members on this ship... how would they come to support if there was a fight? ...under the circumstances, Harry Markle's waiting is justified...He said this: If you can't do it tonight, you can do it tomorrow...As the Spirit sails southeast the farther and farther away from the Antilles Islands, the chances of encountering other ships are less and less.Indeed, if the trade winds picked up during the day, Harry Markle would probably have turned the ship around and headed northwest, and that might not arouse Will Meads' suspicions too much. While John Carpenter and Wagga were talking on the poop, two men were talking on the port side by the forecastle. Those two were Coty and Ranya Kirk, and they were seen hanging out together a lot.Because Coty is always wandering around the kitchen trying to get some goodies the chef left him. Here is what they said, and probably what their associates talked about.They can't wait to become masters of the Spirit. "Obviously, Harry is being too cautious in this matter, Coty..." "Perhaps, Cork, he may be right! . . . If we're sure we'll surprise them when they're asleep, we'll be able to kill them before they can yell. . . . " "Cut it down with a large kitchen knife in the neck, and it will make you a little embarrassed when facing the call for help..." "Maybe, Lanya, but they're going to try to fight back!  … Wouldn't this damn ship come closer in the fog? ... Once one of these lads jumped into the sea, he'd be able to Swim up to that boat, and the captain of that boat will quickly send two dozen men aboard the Spirit! We're outnumbered to resist, so we're cornered, and they'll take us back to the Antilles, and , and bring it back to England from there!... This time, the police will keep us well in jail... Do you know what's waiting for us, Ranya?..." "Looks like a ghost, Coty! . . . After so much good luck, this boat has brought me such bad luck on the way! . . Hours of strong winds and we can go five or six nautical miles." "The wind may come before dawn," Coty said, "but we have to be wary of that Will Miz, I don't think he's the kind of person who can be subdued suddenly..." "I'll fix him," said Ranya Coke, "wherever he is, in the cabin or on deck! . . Throw him overboard..." "Did he walk on the deck just now? . . . " asked Coty. "I didn't see him again..." replied Cork, "at least he wasn't in the poop?..." "He's not there, Ranya... just John Carpenter and one of our guys down there..." "So Will Miz is back in the lounge too..." Lanya Coker replied, "If the damn ship isn't there, it might be time...in just a few minutes with a student on board There is no more..." "Since there's nothing to do, let's go to bed," Coty said finally. They went to their respective cabins, leaving two men on watch on the foredeck. Will Miz hid under the forecastle where no one could see, and heard the conversation just now.Now he knows it all...he knows who owns the ship...he knows the captain is Harry Markle...he knows these scumbags are going to throw the students overboard...if it wasn't for the calm Put that ship in front of the Spirit, and the heinous crime has been accomplished!