Chapter 26 Chapter 11 Master of the Ship

It is all due to the courage and determination of Will Miz that the situation has turned so completely.It now seemed that good luck had turned on the side of the good men, and bad luck on the part of the rascals, whose evil attempt to kill the students and Will Meads the next night had failed them. On the contrary, if they can't take back the Spirit again, they will be handed over to the police when the ship arrives at a certain port in the Antilles or America, and the heinous gangsters will be severely punished... Will they be able to take back the Spirit again? ... There was no doubt that all ten of them were shut up in the crew cabin, ten strong-bodied men against whom Will Miz and his companions had no upper hand.After destroying the bulkhead separating the bilge from the crew quarters, wouldn't they climb up to the deck again through the hatch? ...they will definitely do everything in their power to regain their freedom...

Will Meads first thanked God while begging him to continue to protect them. Young people also prayed with him.This is a pious and trustworthy man.The good seaman deals neither with the ungrateful nor with the irreligious.A wave of heartfelt gratitude welled up from the hearts of the students. As for Mr. Horatio Pattenson, he was assisted on deck, and he had not recovered from his torpor.He thought he was under the influence of a nightmare, and he got into his cabin again.Five minutes later, he fell asleep soundly. It was getting brighter and brighter, and the sun had risen from behind the thick cloud stretching from northeast to southeast.Will Meads prefers skies washed by fog.He feared that the wind would not blow all the way up this way, but in the opposite direction, and the weather conditions indicated a strong wind, which he could not have mistaken with a seaman's instinct.

Herein lies the problem: if the trade winds prevailed, it would be extremely advantageous for the Spirit to sail quickly westward toward the Antilles. However, before setting sail, one should wait to see which direction the wind blows, as the intermittent wind has not allowed sailing to be carried up to now. Neither in the east nor in the west did the sea turn green.There were slight ripples on the sea surface, causing the ship to shake visibly from side to side. However, it is important that the voyage be completed in the shortest possible timeframe.The bilge and pantry contained weeks' worth of supplies, and the students were not worried about lack of food or fresh water.

To be honest, if the sea is still calm or bad weather delays the Spirit's voyage, how to provide food for these captives? ...there is no food stocked in the crew quarters...from this first day, Harry Markle and the others will be hungry and thirsty.If they were given food and water through the hatches, wouldn't they climb the deck through it? So, can Will Meads see that the voyage might be extended.Besides, wouldn't it be possible for the Spirit to cross the eighty miles separating it from the West Indies in twenty-four or thirty-six hours? ... Originally, it was necessary to solve the problem of feeding the prisoners without delay.An unexpected incident brought this problem to a close.Even if the Spirit sailed for several more weeks, their food would not be a problem.

About seven o'clock, while Val Meads was making various preparations for sailing, Louis Clodiron's shouts interrupted his work. "Help me! . . . help me! . . . " Will Miz rushed over, and the young man was pressing down on the hatch with all his strength to stop the gangsters who tried to open it and escape from it.Harry Markle and the others had occupied the lower deck after knocking open the partition of the crew cabin, and they were trying to rush out through the hatch, and if Louis Clodijon hadn't spotted it in time and stopped them, their Attempts will succeed. Will Miz, Roger Hinsdal and Axel Wickburn immediately ran to his aid.The hatch coaming was reinforced again, and several iron bars were pressed horizontally on it.This makes it impossible to pry it open again.We even took precautions against the front hatch that might be used by gangsters.

After this, Will Meads went back to the aft hatch and yelled, "Listen, people inside, watch what I say!" There was no echo from the crew cabin. "Harry Markle, I'm speaking to you now!" Upon hearing this, Harry Mayer knew that his identity had been revealed.In any case, the students already know everything.They must have known of his plan, too. The only answer Will Miz got was an obnoxious yelp.He continued: "Harry Markle, listen up, your accomplices listen up...we're armed...I'll smash the head of the first of you out of the cabin!" The young lads took their guns from the poop racks, and from that moment they were on guard day and night, ready to fire at anyone who appeared through the hatch.

The captives had no chance of escape, but they now at least occupied the hold, with meat, biscuits, beer, brandy, and gin.Will Harry Markle be able to keep them in check if they drink without restraint? ... In short, these damned fellows had no illusions about Will Miz.Harry Markle knew that the Spirit was only seventy or eighty miles from the Antilles.With strong winds, it could return to one of the islands in less than two days.Also, in these ship-frequented waters the Spirit would encounter many ships, and Will Miz would definitely want to get in touch with them.At any rate, therefore, the robbers of the Helifa, who had escaped from Queenston's prison, had only to await the punishment of their crimes, either in another ship, or in some port in the Antilles.

So Harry Markle presumably understands that he has no chance of being rescued... Will he be able to save his mates and become master of the ship again? ... All hatches and crew compartments are securely sealed.There is no connection between the deck and the bilge.As for cutting through the hull above the waterline, destroying the thick bulkheads and strong ribs, or drilling through the deck, how can you do it without tools? . . . and besides, such work cannot be done without attracting attention .Penetrate the watertight bulkhead of the store room, and pass through a panel to gain access to the store room forward of the poop... on the other hand, if the students only had food from this store room, it would be enough for them to feed them for eight to ten days Yes, and fresh water in deck barrels.However, forty-eight hours earlier, in a moderate wind, the Spirit would have reached an island in the Antilles.

But there was no change in the weather, and the ship could have sailed west because it was farther north.At dawn, the trade winds blew. Waiting for the wind to blow, Huber Perkins and Axel Wickburn stood guard near the rear hatch, while the others gathered around Will Meads, waiting to carry out his orders. Will Miz said at this time: "What we should do now is to return to the Antilles within the shortest possible time..." "There," Tony Raynor replied, "we're turning these damned bastards over to the police . . . " "Let's think about ourselves first," Roger Hinsdal reminded very practically.

"When will the Spirit arrive?..." Magnu Anders asked. "Tomorrow afternoon, if the weather is in our favour," said Will Miz loudly. "Do you think the wind can blow this way? . . . " asked Huber Perkins, pointing to the east. "I hope so, that the wind blows for thirty-six hours straight... We know what to expect in stormy weather..." "Which way are we going? . . . " asked Louis Clodiron again. "west." "Surely we can get to the Antilles? . . . " asked John Howard again. "Yes," Will Miz said firmly. "From Antigua to Tobago, the islands are distributed within four hundred nautical miles. No matter which island we go to, we will be rescued..."

"Of course," said Roger Hinsdale loudly, "whether it's French, British, Danish, or Dutch, unless it deviates from the course due to headwinds and arrives at a port in the Guyana Islands or the United States..." "Well, hell," retorted Tony Raynor, "we always end up somewhere in North and South America between Cape Horn and New England..." "Actually, Mr. Tony," said Will Meads at last, "as long as the Spirit doesn't stand still! . . . May the wind blow up quickly, and God bless us with a fair ride!" It is not enough to have a favorable wind, the important thing is that the wind cannot blow too violently.Will Meads thought it a serious and difficult task to steer the Ingenuity with these young, amateurish lads who knew little about sailing, and who had only sailed the ship from Europe to the Antilles. Saw it a little bit during the voyage.What would Will Meads do if he needed to turn the bow quickly with the wind, if a hurricane might snap the mast, and he needed to run around the sides and reef the sails? ...Whirlwinds and storms often visit this sea area, how to guard against all possible accidents? ... Harry Markle, maybe counting on Will Miz to get in trouble.He thinks Will Miz is just a sailor, smart and energetic, but he can't take an accurate course!If the situation became critical, if the west wind threw the Smart back into the depths of the ocean, if the storm frightened him, if the ship was in distress, wouldn't Will Miz turn to Markle and his companions for help? ?And then... These will never happen!With the help of his young students, Will Meads will be able to handle anything...he will keep only sails that are easy to handle, even if it delays the arrival of the Spirit...would rather sink the ship than ask these thugs Call for help, fall into their hands again! Besides, we are not in this situation yet.So what is Will Miz begging for? …Thirty-six hours, forty-eight hours with moderate winds blowing from the east, and seas suitable for navigating… So are you expecting too much from this sea area that is always blown by trade winds? ... It was nearly eight o'clock, and the poop cabin and the two hatches, fore and aft, were kept under strict watch, and the gang of sailors were heard walking up and down the bottom of the cabin, shouting angrily, cursing and invective viciously.However, there is nothing to be afraid of with these helpless guys. Tony Reynolds suggested that it was time for breakfast. After a night of fatigue and restlessness, everyone began to feel very hungry.Breakfast was pantry food, biscuits, fresh meat.Tony Leno went to the kitchen to fry eggs for everyone, where there were all kinds of kitchen utensils.There was also whiskey or gin and water in the pantry.The first meal restored the children's physical strength and refreshed their spirits. Mr. Pattenson had finished his portion. Usually he is really a talkative person, but now he is very quiet.He understood everyone's current situation, and the danger and seriousness of this situation made him feel that everyone was serious. Near 8:30, good luck came, and the wind seemed to be blowing slowly from the east.Two nautical miles on the port side, the sea broke in waves, white foam rolling up and down.The vast sea is empty, and there is not a single ship on the distant horizon. Will Miz decided to get ready to set sail.He didn't want to use topsails and third galleons in case the wind picked up.Second, mizzen, jib and jib are sufficient for speed.Since these sails were still attached to the rigging, it was only necessary to untie them towards the wind, draw them down taut, and hitch them to the side of the boat.The Ingenuity will head west. Will Meads called the young lads over, explained what was to be done, and assigned tasks to each.After telling Louis Clodijon how to steer, Tony Renault and Magnu Anders followed him up the mast.These two are more used to doing this kind of thing than their classmates. "Everything will be fine..." Tony Leno added, he was naturally confident that he could achieve great things. "I hope so too, God help us," Will Miz said. It only took a quarter of an hour for the three-masted ship's sails to be stretched out, and it tilted slightly, sailing forward with full backside wind, leaving a white trail behind it. Until one o'clock noon, there was a steady breeze, none of the intermittent winds that Will Meads had feared.However, after that, a bluish-gray cloud gradually formed in the west, which was a sign of an approaching thunderstorm... "What do you think of the weather, Vail? . . . " asked Roger Hinsdale. "Not the weather I'd hoped for...I have a feeling there's going to be thunderstorms, at least windy..." "Will the wind blow from here?" "We'll do what it blows!" replied Will Miz. "We tackled and waited for the trade winds to blow again. As long as the sea conditions are not too bad, we will get out of danger... The important thing is to see the land, and if it is three days instead of two, then we will have to resign ourselves... . . . five or six miles from the Antilles, we were bound to meet the pilots, and they would come to our ship, and in a few hours the Spirit would drop anchor." However, despite Will Miz's predictions, the wind died down to the east.In the afternoon, the Spirit was shaken very badly by the headwind coming from the west, and the wind finally came from the west. Therefore, it is necessary to stay as far as possible to avoid being towed to the open sea.The boat was easy to manoeuvre, with Tony Raynor in the cockpit, hands on the wheel, without having to change the dropsail.Will Meads and the others tauted the mast jib, mizzensail's lower jib, splitsail, foresail, and jib, and the Spirit sailed quickly to starboard in a northeasterly direction. Needless to say, Harry Markle and his mates, locked in the bilge, were also aware of the headwinds pulling the ship away from the Antilles.This happens to work in their favor. It was nearly six o'clock in the afternoon when Will Meads decided that the Spirit had gone northeast enough to take better advantage of the current.Therefore, he decided to sail the ship in a zigzag direction to the southwest. Of all the maneuvers, the one that worried Will Meads most was the upwind maneuver.Upwind operation requires fairly precise movements on the mast crossbar.Of course, the "Smart" can indeed sail with the wind, but it may make the voyage longer, and needless to say, it may encounter the impact of rough seas.Fortunately, the waves are not very rough at this time.Everyone tightened the foremast sail, and then loosened the lower back horn in due course.The foresail and twine are full wind from starboard.The stern was slightly off, and there was a brief hesitation, but the sails on the ship were quickly re-tightened, and the ship was now heading southwest. "Well done...well done...young gentlemen!" exclaimed Will Miz when the operations were complete. "You're acting like real sailors..." "It's the captain's command!" Louis Clodiron replied on behalf of all the students. Harry Markle and John Carpenter and the others would no doubt be furious if they knew the Spirit was heading back! A quick dinner and a few cups of tea prepared by Tony Reynolds were made. After dinner, Mr. Pattenson hurried back to his cabin.Because it is really useless for him to stay on it. At this time, Will Meads assigned the night watch to Louis Clodiron and his schoolmates. Five people remained on deck to watch while the other four returned to the cabin to rest.Shifts change every four hours.Before dawn, if the boat needs to turn around, everyone will come back to help. In addition, during the watch, they have to closely monitor the movement of the poop hatch and the front and rear hatches. After the arrangement was settled, Roger Hinsdal, Nils Alber, Albertus Lewin, and Louis Clodijon returned to the cabin and lay down on their respective bunks with all their clothes on.Magnu Anders was at the helm, following the instructions given to him by Will Meads.Tony Raynor and Huber Perkins stood in front of the boat.Axel Wickburn and John Howard stayed at the foot of the mainmast. Will Meads walked up and down the deck, watching everything, loosening or tightening the lower corners as the wind demanded.When the wheel needs a strong and experienced hand, he steers.In short, as the case may be, he is the captain, the bosun, the top-handler, the helmsman, and the common sailor. Shifts alternate as planned.Those who have slept for a few hours to replace the students on the fore and aft decks. As for Will Miz, he intended to stand till morning. The whole night was uneventful, the thunderstorm that had threatened danger was gone, and the wind was still blowing gently.There is therefore no need to reduce the sail, which is difficult to maneuver in the dark of night. As for whether there was anything wrong in the bilge and crew cabins, there were vicious shouts and shouts from drunks from time to time.Neither Harry Markle nor his accomplices made any attempt to recapture the ship, knowing that such an attempt, even in the middle of the night, would fail. At dawn, the Spirit tackled westward.So how many nautical miles is the ship from the Antilles, and how many nautical miles has it traveled? ... About ten or twelve nautical miles to go! ...