Chapter 25 Chapter Ten In the Mist

Half past eleven at night. If the night had not been so dark and the fog so thick, one might have seen the lights hanging from the forestays of that ship a mile or two away. But nothing could be seen, neither shadows of boats nor flickering lights on the sea.Will Meads was sure the stalled ship was still north.The boat was going in this direction, at least it was guaranteed that it would get farther and farther away from the Spirit. The thick fog that filled the night made the escape more difficult.However, when there is no wind, the sea is as flat as a mirror.Half an hour to that ship if Will Meads is in command!

But now the fugitives can analyze the whole tragedy from before to after, and the ending of this tragedy is unexpected. "So," said Huber Perkins, "it was the bandits on the Hurley that took the Spirit! . . . " "While they were being searched for in the harbour," added Niels Alber, "they were already in Falmar Bay! . . . " "So," Albert Bass Lewin reminded, "they know that the Spirit is about to set sail, and there are only the captain and sailors on board..." "There is no doubt," replied Roger Hinsdal, "that the day of departure is given in the papers as the thirtieth of June, and the day before that they escaped from Queenston Gaol . . . It was a success! . . . "

"Then," said Axel Wickburn, "it was the night before we embarked that the unfortunate Captain Paxon and his crew were surprised, massacred, and thrown into the In the sea..." "Yes," said John Howard, "apparently the body of one of them was found washed up on the beach, so that people in Barbados were notified..." "Remember this bold Markle!..." exclaimed Tony Raynor, "didn't he tell the captain of the Essex that he lost a man in the bay... Didn't he also say that poor Bob was killed Stabbed. This may well have been done by the gang of robbers on the Hurley Fat!... The damn fellow! I hope he can be brought to justice again... Sentenced... Hanged... His Help people with him!"

As the boat heads north, the students on the Spirit express their ignorance of the circumstances surrounding the death of Captain Paxson and his crew.When they arrived on board, Harry Markle and his cohorts were already on board. At this time, Huber Perkins asked a question like this: "Why didn't the Spirit not sail away before we got there?  …" "Because there was no wind," replied Louis Clodijon, "and, if you recall carefully, it was as calm as today for two days... During our voyage from Brittore to Cork, there was no wind in the sky." A breeze... Apparently, he too would like to set sail at once, but he can't..."

"Therefore," said Roger Hinsdal affirmatively, "the wretched fellow decided to go out himself... He became Captain Paxson, and the others became sailors of the Spirit..." "Unbelievable, for the past two months," Tony Renault said loudly, "we have lived among a bunch of bastards... robbers, murderers, they are really cunning, and they pretend to be honest..." "That's right!" said Albertus Lewin, "but they never made us feel any favors..." "Even that Coty, with all the kindness he put on to us, didn't make any good impression on us! . . . " said Axel Wickburn.

"And that Harry Markle was even worse, he didn't give us a good opinion of Captain Paxson!" Huber Perkins added. Will Miz had been listening to their arguments.They had nothing more to say to each other.They all recalled with shame and anger the compliments they had given to the captain and the sailors, and how grateful they had been to the rascals, and how Mrs. Karen Seymour had given the murderers a bounty... … Was it not Mr. Pattenson who overused these tributes in his rhetoric, which recalled his habitual hyperbole. But at this time, the team leader Pattenson neither recalled the past, nor recalled the words he had said in order to show his respect to the captain.He sat in the boat, just listening to the discussions of the people around him.If he thought of anyone, it was probably Mrs. Pattenson...

In fact, he thought nothing of it. Well, the last question was raised, and everyone's answer to it is reasonable. In addition, this answer is also reasonable. After taking the students from Antilles Secondary School on board, why didn't Harry Markle dump them at the beginning of the voyage to get back to the South Seas? ... To this question, Louis Clodiron gave the following answer: "I think this Harry Markle was going to kill us as soon as the Spirit sailed out into the open sea. But, because there was no wind in the sea, he had to sail along the coast, and he also learned that each of us must be in the middle of the sea. Barbados got a bounty, and with an unimaginable audacity, he sailed the Spirit to the Antilles..."

"Yes," said Will Miz, "that's the reason, his attempt to keep the money for himself, that saved your lives, young gentlemen . Keep it," he whispered, because the situation was getting dire.But he was reluctant to show his concern. In fact, for nearly an hour the boat had been drifting in the mist.Although it sailed towards the direction of the night before, it did not meet the big ship. But, without a compass in his hand, and not even being able to rely on starlight to guide his way, Will Miz took far longer than he needed to get close to the ship.What if the ship had missed them? ...To return, is it east or west? ... Could this be sailing to the side of the Spirit again? ... Wouldn't it be better to wait out at sea until the fog lifts ... or the sun rises, which is four or five hours later? …At that time, the boat may encounter that ship. Even if it was discovered by the Spirit, Harry Markle would not dare to follow them, otherwise the situation for him and his accomplices may become worse...

Indeed, since then, who knows if a little breeze would have sent the Spirit heading southeast?So Will Miz now understands why Harry Markle was headed in this direction in the first place.Unfortunately that ship could easily go in the opposite direction as well.At daybreak, it was never seen again.At that time, was the boat with eleven people only at the mercy of the wind and the sea? ... In any case, Will Miz wanted to keep the ship as far away from the Spirit as possible. After one o'clock in the middle of the night, nothing happened.A strong feeling of uneasiness arose spontaneously in the hearts of individual escapees.When we set off, everyone was full of hope, thinking that they would be safe and sound in half an hour.But now two hours have passed, and they are still looking for the ship in the dark night.

When others complained and were discouraged, Louis Clodiron and Roger Hinsdale showed strength and together they encouraged their classmates. Will Miz backed them up saying: "Hopefully, young friends," he repeated, "the wind is not blowing. The ship should still be there . . . We shall find the ship when the fog clears at dawn, and our The boat will be a long way from the Spirit. Just a few paddles to get to that ship!" However, Will Miz was also very anxious, and although he would not reveal the slightest, he also thought about the unexpected situation that might happen.

Shouldn't he be worried that some robber might find out that the passengers had escaped?Shouldn't it be worrying what Harry Markle is doing against them?Shouldn't it be a concern that Harry Markle will get on another boat with a few guys? ... In short, it's all possible.Wouldn't the wretch not want to recapture the fugitives, since the calm prevented the Spirit from sailing out of these waters?Had he not been in danger of being pursued by that ship once the wind had filled the sails?That ship was faster and stronger than the Ingenuity, and its captain probably knew about the Ingenuity. Therefore, Will Meads had been listening to the small sound from the sea, and sometimes he thought he heard the sound of oars not far away, which seemed to indicate that the boat on the Spirit was chasing them. So he asked not to row any more, and the boat came to a standstill, just bobbing gently with the waves.Silent, terrified listening to the voice of John Carpenter or someone else coming through the fog. . . . After another hour, Louis Clodijon and his classmates took turns holding the oars in order to stay put, and Will Miz didn't know which direction to go, so he didn't want to go any further.Also, the most important thing is not to get too far away from that ship when the sun comes up, and maybe give it a signal if it re-starts, maybe try to catch up directly. During the autumnal equinox in the second half of September, the sky is not yet bright until six o'clock in the morning.Indeed, from five o'clock, if the fog began to lift, the ship would certainly be visible within three or four nautical miles. So what Will Meads hopes, like Roger Hinsdale, Louis Clodiron, and the undaunted Tony Raynor, is that if the fog clears before dawn, the boat must stay clear of the Spirit. . "Under the action of the wind," he added, "if the Spirit is gone, the other ship will be gone as well, and there will be nothing but the endless sea around us!" But would it be possible to sail to some port in the Antilles in this over-laden, deckless boat, with the impossibility of hoisting a large sail, which would be overturned by a small wave? ... Weir Meads reckoned that during this first day of voyage, the Spirit had sailed about sixty nautical miles southeast of Barbados.Sixty nautical miles, even with a sail and smooth sailing, the boat would take forty-eight hours to cover this distance! ... There was no provision, no fresh water, and no food on board! ... After dawn, the first thing you will face is hunger and thirst!How to solve these problems? ... An hour later, most of the young lads were lying down on the boat stools and falling asleep from extreme fatigue and an overwhelming need for sleep.If Louis Clodijon and Roger Hinsdal could hold on, unless they didn't sleep through like the rest of the schoolmates, the night seemed long and difficult. Therefore, only Will Miz would be awake, who would know.Did he not despair in the face of such unfavorable circumstances and bad luck? ... In fact, there would be no need for paddling if it were not for holding the tide and waiting for the fog to clear or day to break. However, some intermittent winds seemed to be blowing through the mist, although the sea was immediately calm again.But there are indications that the wind will pick up again towards dawn. Just after four o'clock, there was a collision.The front of the boat did touch lightly against an obstacle which could only have been the hull of a ship. Could this be the ship that the fugitives had been searching for for so long? ... Some were already awake, others were called up by their classmates. Will Miz held an oar against the side of the ship.As the boat drew closer to the stern of the larger ship, Will Meads touched the iron ornaments on the helm. The boat was under the stern ledge, and since the fog was still relatively heavy, the boat probably went unnoticed by the watch. Suddenly, Will Miz's hand grabbed a cable, which was about 1.5 meters high, hanging from the stern of the boat. Will Miz recognized the cable... This was the cable he himself had cut when he left, and the ship was the Clever! ... "Smart!" he repeated with a desperate gesture. After a whole night of drifting like this, bad luck brought them back to the Spirit, and they were about to fall into the hands of Harry Markle again! Everyone was petrified, and tears were streaming from their eyes. However, is there no time to escape?Is it no longer possible to search for that ship? ...the dawn has emerged from the east...five o'clock is approaching...you can already feel some morning breeze... Suddenly, the fog rose upwards, and the sea was clear.The field of vision can reach three or four nautical miles... The visible cabin sailed eastward on the first breeze... Now all hope of taking refuge in that ship had to be given up... However, no sound has been heard on board the Spirit.There is no doubt that Harry Markle and his crew are still fast asleep, the sailors on watch have not even noticed that the wind has picked up, and the sails are swaying blindly at the mast. Well, since the students have no other hope of salvation, they must become masters of the Ghost! After conceiving a bold plan of action, Will Meads is ready to execute it.He whispered what he wanted to do in a few words.Louis Clodieron, Tony Reynolds, Roger Hinsdal all got it.Since no one saw the boat go out and come back, this was the only chance. "We listen to you, Will Miz..." Magnu Anders said. "When do you want to do it?" asked Louis Cloduillon. At dawn, before those people woke up, a surprise attack was launched on the Spirit, and Harry Markle was locked in his cabin and the crew in the crew cabin.Then, with the help of the young lads, Will Meads sailed or returned to the Antilles.Or go after the sailboat they missed. The skiff glided noiselessly along the bottom of the ship, and came to rest beside the side plating on the port side which held the mainmast shrouds.With the help of metal fittings and claw irons on the hull, it is easy to step over the railing and step onto the deck.Near the mizzenmast, the climb is more difficult due to the height of the poop. Will Miz climbed first.As soon as his head came out of the bulwark, he stopped and motioned to the people below not to move. Harry Markle has just stepped out of his cabin and is checking the weather.The sails on the mast rattled as he called the crew to get ready to sail. The gang was still asleep and no one answered him, so he headed for the crew quarters. Will Miz watched his every move until he disappeared under the canopy. It's time to act, and of course it's best to keep Harry Markle in too, or there might be a fight.The sound of the struggle could have been heard by those on the foredeck.Once everyone is imprisoned in the crew quarters, they can be barred until they reach the Antilles.If the trade winds kept blowing, we could be back in Barbados in thirty-six hours. Will Miz jumped on deck, followed by the young lads, and tied the boat, leaving only Mr. Pattenson below.They crawled forward so as not to be seen and heard. It took them only a few seconds to reach the canopy of the crew cabin.The hatch door was closed from the outside and covered with the thick tarpaulin used to protect the cabin in bad weather.Finally, use heavy logs to secure the four sides.It wasn't until then that Harry Markle figured it out, but his men were all taken captive. Now it was only necessary to take care of these wretched creatures, and deliver them to the ships they met on the way, or to the first port in the Antilles where the Spirit would berth. It was getting brighter.The lingering mist rises to the sky, and under the faint morning light, the distant sea horizon becomes clearer and clearer. At the same time, the wind increased slightly, but the wind was erratic, and the sails moved with the wind, so that the Smart had to stay where it was. Will Miz's wish came true.He and his young companions now control the Spirit. As for the ship they had intended to seek refuge in, it had sailed five or six nautical miles to the east, and it would soon disappear.