Chapter 26 Chapter Eleven Brave Escape

Evans' arrival was a surprise.The children froze for a moment, and then in a rush, they all rushed towards him as if he had been sent to rescue them. Evans was about twenty-eight or twenty-eight years old, broad-shouldered, with a firm gait, piercing eyes, slightly sparse eyebrows, and an intelligent, compassionate face; It hasn't been scratched since the shipwreck. Once Evans entered, he quickly closed the door.He listened carefully, but did not hear any movement outside.He just walked to the center of the hole, and then looked at the group of little guys around him. "All boys!" he said, "only boys!"

Suddenly his eyes lit up. "Kate!" he exclaimed. "What! Kate alive?" He grabs her hand, as if to make sure it's really her. "Yes, alive as you are, Evans, God saved you, saved me, and sent us to help these children." The sailor looked around at the children, who had gathered around the hall table. "Fifteen," he said, "and only five or six can protect themselves. But it doesn't matter." "Are we in danger of being attacked, Mr. Evans?" Bryant asked. "No, boy. Not yet, at least." There is no need to exaggerate the eagerness of the children to hear the sailor's story, especially after the boat arrived on the island.They will not want to go to sleep until they hear these vital things.But Evans had to get off his wet clothes before eating.He swam in from the river, his clothes were soaked, and he was tired and hungry.Because he hasn't eaten for 12 hours, and he hasn't closed his eyes since morning.

Bryant immediately took him to the storage room.Gordon put on a suit of clothes for him at once, and Moko put some cold game, biscuits, and fresh tea on the table.A quarter of an hour later, Evans sat down at the table and began to describe what had happened since his arrival on the island. "Just a few minutes before the boat touched shore," he said, "five people, including myself, jumped onto the reef and no one was seriously injured. Easy job, but we made it out safely in the end. Two of us were missing - Forbes and Peake, who had been on board and perhaps washed over again. As for Kate, I thought she was Drowning in the sea and never seeing her again. It took us quite a while to find the boat when we got to shore, it arrived at about 7 o'clock, but we didn't find it until almost 12 o'clock, we first Walk along the coast."

"Severnbank," Bryant told him, "here's the name some of us gave to that ship when we found it, before Kate told us it was lost." "Before?" Evans looked surprised. "Yes, Mr. Evans," said Donagan. "We were there on the night of the accident, and your two companions were lying on the beach, but after daylight, when we were going to bury their bodies, we found that they had died. Gone." "I see what's going on," said Evans, "we thought Phoebes and Peake were drowned and gone to heaven, and there were two less rascals. But they were just thrown some distance by the boat, and There Walston and others found them and brought them back to consciousness. To their delight, but to our misfortune, the ship's storage boxes were neither damaged nor fell into the sea. The Severn The stores, powder, five guns, and provisions which they had hastily thrown aboard the ship while it was on fire were carried overboard. We thought the second wave would wreck the ship. When it was all over, we left the place, Going east along the coast, a short time later a man, I think it was Locke, said we hadn't found Kate. Woolston replied, 'She was carried off by the waves, just out of a load!' Which made me think of Kate's They were glad to get rid of her when they were useless. If I was no longer useful, they would have done me too. But where were you, Kate?"

"I was near the ship, between the ship and the sea," replied Kate, "right where the ship left me. They couldn't see me, but I heard all that Walston and the others said As soon as they were gone, I got up. I was afraid of falling into the hands of Walston again, so I ran in the opposite direction. After 36 hours, I was found by these brave boys and taken to the French Cave , I was half starved to death." "French hole," Evans repeated. "That's the name we gave the hole," Gordon said, "in honor of a shipwrecked Frenchman who lived here for several years before us."

"Frenchman's Cave, Severnbank?" said Evans. "I think you've got a lot of fun naming all the places on the island!" "Yes," Sauvis said, "they're all interesting names, and there are others, Family Lake, Southern Wilds, Zeeland River, Trapwood, and so on." "Great! Great! You can tell me about this later, maybe tomorrow. Now I'll go on with my story. Did you hear anything outside?" "No." Moko said.He was still on guard at the gate. "Very well," said Evans, "and then, an hour after we left the ship, we came to a grove of trees, where we camped. The next day and the next few days we were back where the ship wrecked, and we wanted to repair Repair it. But we don't have any tools but an ax. With an ax alone, we can't replace the damaged strake to make it more or less weatherproof. Besides, the place is not very suitable for repairs .So we set out to find another camp in a slightly drier place where we could get enough game to feed our stomachs, and at the same time it was on the river."

"Donghe." Sovis interrupted him. "Even if it's the East River," Evans agreed, "there's a pretty big bay there." "Deception Bay!" said Jenkins. "Even if it is Deception Bay!" Evans laughed, "There is a place that can barely be called a small harbor among a pile of rocks." "Xiong Yan." This time it was Costa who interjected. "Well, that's Bear Rock, my boy," Evans nodded, "and it won't be hard to find a place to camp there. If we can get the boat there, maybe we can fix it in time. So we went there, though It has entered more than half of the water in the boat, but we still towed it to the small port, where the boat is still parked."

"The boat is still in Bear Rock?" Bryant asked. "Yes, boy, and I think it's still possible to fix it, given the tools." "We have tools, Mr. Evans," Donagan interrupted again. "So Walston wondered when he would accidentally find people living on the island and guess who those people were." "How did he do it?" Gordon asked. "Eight days ago," said Evans, "Wolston and all of us, for I have never been left behind, scouted the woods. After walking three or four hours along the east bank, we came to a large lake There was a stream running out of the lake. We found a curious contraption that had washed ashore. You can imagine our amazement. It was a frame made of sticks, and it was still attached?"

"Our kite!" exclaimed Donagan. "Our kite!" cried Bryant, "it fell in the lake and was blown there by the wind." "Oh, it's a kite, isn't it?" said Evans. "We didn't think about it that way. I can tell you, it gave us a lot of trouble. Anyway, we knew it couldn't have grown by itself." .There is no doubt that this thing must have been made by an islander. It also means that there must be someone on the island! Who? That's what Walston wants to know. As for me, I have made up my mind from the day of the murder. Run away. Who lives on the island? Not even the wildlings are more ruthless than the scoundrels of the Severn. But from that moment on, I have been watched by them day and night."

"How did they find the Frenchman's Den?" asked Baxter. "I was going to say," Evans replied, "but before I do, tell me what that big kite you're for. Is that a signal?" Gordon told the sailors what they had done, their past goals, how Bryant put his life at risk for everyone's safety, and how he found out all about Walston on the island. "You're a brave kid," Evans said, shaking Bryant's hand affectionately. Then he went on: "You know, since then, Walston has only been troubled by one thing, and that is who inhabits the island. If it's the natives, can he communicate with them? If it's the dead , did they have the tools we needed? If so, he would not refuse their help in repairing the boat. So we started looking, needless to say, very cautiously. We moved slowly and carefully searched the lake. Right bank, to the southernmost corner. But we saw no one, and heard no sound."

"That's because," Bryant explained, "we've been staying in the French cave, and we've been ordered not to fire a shot under any circumstances." "But we found you," Evans said. "How did we find it? On the night of the 23rd, one of us saw the Frenchman's Cave on the south shore of the lake. As luck would have it, for a split second there was a light Straight toward the cliff, perhaps the light that came in when you opened the door. Next morning Walston went out to scout, and till night he hid in the tall grass only a few yards from the creek." "We know," Bryant interjected. "How do you know?" "Gordon and I found a fragment of a pipe. Kate recognized the pipe as Walston's." "Exactly!" said the sailor. "Wolston lost his pipe when he went out, and complained a lot about it when he came back. So you understand that we already know about your little estate. And he's hiding in the tall grass. I saw you running across the stream when I was in the middle of the river. It was easy for seven big men to subdue these children. He returned to camp and told his companions what he saw. I happened to overhear him and Bran I learned about their plans to take the Frenchman's lair through their conversation." "A bunch of devils!" cried Kate. "They don't spare the little ones." "Yes, Kate, they treated the captain and passengers of the Severn just as badly. What a bunch of devils! You can call them devils! And they're at the helm of the worst Walston. I hope the fellow escapes He will not get the punishment he deserves." "About 12 hours ago, with Woolston and the others out and just Forbes and Locke watching over me, I ran away while they weren't looking. To get rid of those bastards, or more to get off to a good start, I ran some distance beforehand. About ten o'clock I began to run seriously. As soon as they saw me start to run away, they gave chase. They had guns in their hands, but I had nothing but a sailor's knife. " "They chased me all day. I slanted through the woods and came to the left bank of the lake. I had to go around the south end of the lake. For I overheard that your camp was on the bank of a river that flows westward. I've never run like that in my life. Those guys run as fast as I do, but their bullets fly faster than I do. Sometimes the bullets whiz past me. You know, I know their secret! If Let me run away and I'll tip you off and if they don't have a gun I'll stop and wait for them with a knife. Yeah, I'd rather die than go back, but, I want them to be there in the dark Stop chasing before." "It's impossible. I ran around the lake and along this bank, and found Phoebes and Locke following me. Then came the heavy rain, which made it harder for me to run. For the blinding lightning The pursuers saw me. At last I reached the small river. If I could see the rascals across the river, I thought I was safe. So I ran as hard as I could, and jumped into the river, when I saw a bright light in the sky There was a flash of lightning, and immediately I heard a shot." "We heard that shot," Donagan interrupted. "Obviously heard!" said Evans. "A bullet grazed my shoulder. I jumped into the river, and with a few strokes of my arm, I swam this way and hid in the bushes. Locke And Phoebes yelling at each other from the opposite bank, 'Did you hit him?' 'I think so!' 'Then he must have sunk!' 'Yes, dead! Dead!' 'Good job! ' And off they go. Luckily, they'll think I'm going to die before long. Die! I'm out of the bushes and up the edge of the cliff. I hear the dog barking, and I yell, The door opened, and I came here to help you clear these villains off the island." He spoke with such vigor that the children were on their feet, ready to take what he had to say. The boys then told Evans everything that had happened in the past 20 months.How sailing ships left New Zealand, crossed the Pacific, and were wrecked on islands; how they found the shipwrecked French; how they lived and worked in French caves; expeditions and expeditions in the warm season, studies and work in the winter; a life of safety and security , until Walston and his accomplices came to the island. "For twenty months," Evans asked, "have you not seen a boat?" "Not one," Bryant replied. "Did you send a signal?" "Yes, there is a mast on the top of the cliff." "Did no one see it?" "No," Donagan replied, "but we took it down six weeks ago so it wouldn't come to Walston's attention." "Well done, boys, but now he knows where you are, so you must guard day and night." "Why?" Gordon exclaimed suddenly, "must we treat them as villains instead of faithful friends? We would be glad if they came to our aid. Our colony is not indestructible! Now a There's a fight coming and everyone is involved. Nobody knows how it will turn out." "My children, God has always protected you," Kate said, "and God will not abandon you now. This man was sent here to help you." "You can depend on me, children, and I depend on you. And I promise you, we'll keep it well guarded." "But," said Gordon, "wouldn't it be possible to avoid a war if Walston agreed to leave the island?" "What do you mean, Gordon?" Bryanton asked. "I mean if they can fix that boat, he and his gang will go away! Don't you, Mr. Evans?" "certainly." "Well, if you negotiate with them and give them the tools they need, won't they accept the terms? I know it's disgusting to negotiate with the murderers on the Severn, but to get rid of them, to avoid a It's worth the bloody melee that might result. What do you say, Mr. Evans?" Evans listened intently. Gordon's suggestion showed that his thoughts were realistic, and that he was a person who could calmly look at problems from all aspects.He thought he was right, that he was the real leader of the colony, and that what he said deserved serious consideration. Evans replied, "Anything is worth doing to get rid of these rascals. If they'll agree to go, it's better to fix their ship than to have an unsettled war. But we can trust Waugh Alston? Would he think that you have accumulated a lot of money from wrecked ships? Believe me, gangsters only return evil for good. There is no place for gratitude in their hearts! Negotiating with them is just putting yourself leave their fate in their hands.” "No," Baxter and Donagan yelled. "No!" Bryant said. "We will never negotiate with Walston and his associates." "Besides," Evans added, "they want more than tools, they want ammunition! They've got enough ammunition to attack you, that's true; but if they're going anywhere else, they need ammunition. More. They don't just ask for it! They take it! Will you give it to them?" "Of course not," Gordon cried. "Well, they will definitely seek a solution by force. This will only delay the war by one step, but the situation will be even more unfavorable to you." "You're right, Mr. Evans," Gordon agreed. "Then let's go on the defensive and play by the book!" "That's for the best. Plus, there's a reason I'm in line with everyone else." "What is it?" "Look, you know, Walston can't leave the island without a boat." "Yes," Bryant said. "I am sure the boat can be repaired. Walston has only temporarily given up repairing the boat because of lack of tools." "If it wasn't for that, he'd probably be gone before then," Baxter said. "As you said, boy. Now, if you help Walston fix the ship, even if he doesn't come to plunder the French lair, he won't bother you and go away." "So, what will he do?" Sovis asked. "Hey," Evans said, "how do you leave if the boat isn't there?" "What!" exclaimed Gordon, "are you sure the boat will take us off this island?" "yes." "Back to New Zealand? Across the Pacific?" Donagan asked. "The Pacific? No, boys, just somewhere not too far from here. There we can bide our time back to Oakland." "Really?" Bryant asked. "How is that possible," asked Baxter, "how can that little boat carry us hundreds of miles?" "A few hundred miles?" cried Evans. "Only thirty miles, you know." "Then the island is not surrounded by the sea?" Donagan asked. "Westside yes," said Evans, "but east, south, and north are just a few hours' strait across." "So we're not wrong to think there's land nearby?" Gordon asked. "Yes," replied Evans, "there is a fairly large landmass to the east." "Yes!" said Bryant, "I saw a white spot and a blinding light to the east." "A white dot you mean? That's a glacier. A blinding light? That's a fire from a volcano. The volcano is marked on the map. Do you know where you are?" "On an isolated island in the Pacific Ocean," Gordon said. "On an island, but not an island! It belongs to one of the innumerable archipelagos off the coast of South America! You have named the headlands, bays, and creeks here, and I think you must have named this island too, you call it what?" "Charman Island, follow the name of our school," Donagan said. "Charman's Isle!" repeated Evans, "well, now it has two names; for it was originally called Hanover Isle!"