Chapter 5 chapter Five

"You're here at last, Captain?" "As soon as you call, my friend..." "Not necessarily without delay!" "It's time to run." "Really! I thought you came on the 'Lovely Amelie'!" The barge "Amelie" was of course much slower than a fast sea-going ship.Gilda didn't mind or be surprised by such barbed words.He knew his neighbor's disposition, he had already gotten used to it, what else could he not tolerate! Antiphere gave him a finger, and he squeezed it gently with his big thumb and index finger. "Oh, don't push so hard, hell! You always squeeze so hard!"

"Excuse me... I didn't mean to..." "Okay! Unlucky me!" Antiphere made a gesture and invited his friend to sit at a table in the middle of the room. The captain of the barge obeyed and sat down on the chair he pointed to, with his legs bent, his feet turned out, and a wide handkerchief spread on his knees. It was a cotton handkerchief with small blue and red flowers on it, and embroidery on each corner. with an anchor. At the sight of the anchor, Antiphere shrugged his shoulders sharply... An anchor the length of a barge!Why not embroider a barge mast! "Would you like to drink, captain?" he said, taking out two glasses and a bottle of brandy.

"I never drink, my friend." Antiphere still filled the two small goblets.According to the old habit, he drank his own glass and then went to drink that of his good friend. "Now let's talk." "About what?" replied the barge owner, who knew why he had come here. "What are you talking about, Captain? What do you say? Not..." "Yes! Latitude again. Have you found that bearing?" "Found it? Just kidding, how do you want me to find it?... You can find it by listening to those two women gossip...just now..." "It's Nanon and my sweet Enochat!"

"Oh! I know... you're always against me defending them, but that's not the point... It's been 8 years since my father Thomas died, and it's been 8 years, and the issue hasn't moved a step... Somehow there must be an end Bar!" "I..." said the captain with a wink, "I think the end is to leave the matter alone..." "Really, shipowner! What about my father's dying order? . . . That will is sacred!" "Too bad your good father didn't say more!" "He didn't say much because he didn't know much! Damn it! Will I die at my deathbed with no progress?"

Gilda Tregman was on the point of replying that it was likely, even going so far as to say that he hoped so.But he didn't say it, so as not to add fuel to the flames of his pushy friend. It happened suddenly a few days before Thomas Antifil's death. In 1854, the old sailor was seriously ill and thought it was time to tell his mysterious story to his son. Fifty-five years ago, in 1799, on the day Napoleon shot the prisoners of the Jaffa War, Thomas Antiffel was on a Near Eastern merchant ship sailing along the coast of Palestine.A dying victim hides beside a rock, death threatens him.During the night, the French sailors found him, took him aboard, treated his wounds, and after two months of painstaking treatment, he was finally restored to health.

The rescued prisoner of war introduced himself to his savior, saying that his name was Kamilke, an Egyptian.When he took his leave, he assured the good people of Saint-Malo that he would not be ungrateful and would repay him in due time. After parting, Thomas Antiffel continued on his voyage, more or less thinking about the promises made to him.Then I just stopped thinking about it.Because, in his view, that promise will never be fulfilled. As the years passed, the old sailor retired and returned to St. Malo to teach his son Pierre how to sail. In June 1842 he suddenly received a letter.At that time, he was 67 years old.

Where did this letter in French come from? ...from Egypt according to the postmark.What is written in it? ...It turns out that there are only a few words: "Captain Thomas Antiffel, please keep this latitude in mind: 24°59' north latitude. The longitude is not available, and will be informed later. Don't forget, don't miss it, this is a huge treasure, latitude and longitude, one day It will be priceless gold, diamonds and jewels, with which the Jaffa prisoners would like to repay the captain for saving his life." The signature of this letter is double K written consecutively.

This letter aroused the reverie of the good-hearted Thomas.After 43 years, what does Kamilke remember?How much time he spent!Undoubtedly, obstacles of various kinds prevented him from reciprocating as expected.Because the political situation in Syria was finally stabilized only after the signing on July 15, 1840. Now Thomas Antifel is the owner of a latitude, which is a point on the globe through which the wealth of Governor Camilque is hidden. ...Maybe it's just a few million dollars.But the letter stated that it must be kept strictly confidential.So he didn't tell anyone, including his own son.He expected the messenger to bring him that longitude one day.

He waited and waited for 20 years. If he didn't see the governor's messenger until his deathbed, would he take this secret to his grave? ……No!He didn't think so.He wants to tell this secret to someone who can replace him-that person is his son: Pierre Servan Marlowe.So when the 81-year-old sailor felt deeply that he would not live for a few days in 1854, he told Pierre the governor's intentions without hesitation.And let him swear—just like others told him, never forget that latitude, treasure the letter signed with double K, and wait for the arrival of the messenger with confidence.

Soon, the old sailor passed away.Relatives mourned him, all who knew him missed him, and he was buried in his own cemetery. People knew Maester Antiphere, and the revelation of such a secret to him, what effect it would have on his spirit, on his little delusions, aroused a strong desire in his whole body.In his opinion, the value of the treasure would be 10 times greater than the millions his father estimated.He imagined that Governor Kamilk was like the rich man in "One Thousand and One Nights".The treasure was like gold and precious stones buried in Ali Baba's cave.However, he is impetuous and nervous by nature, and he can't be as tight-lipped as his father, who has kept everything for 12 years, and he doesn't want to know what happened to the double K signer?All this, the son can't do it at all. In 1858, during a voyage in the Mediterranean, he stopped in Alexandria, and he tried his best to find out the whereabouts of the governor.

Is there really someone? ... Well, since my father has his own handwritten letter, is there any doubt about it? Is he still alive now? …This is what his son cares about the most, and the result he got disappointed him. Kamilke has been away from home for nearly 20 years, and his whereabouts are currently unknown. This was a terrible blow to Antiphere, but he was not discouraged.Even so, it can be asserted that in 1842 he was alive.That letter is proof.Perhaps due to unexplainable reasons, he left his motherland, but as long as the time comes, his messenger will definitely bring the anxious longitude.Now that the father has passed away, it is only natural for the son to come forward to greet him.So Antiffel returned to St. Malo, although this time he paid the price, and he said nothing to anyone. But how boring is it to have nothing to do all day and always be entangled in one thought? 24 degrees 59 minutes is like a nasty fly flying around!At last he could bear it no longer, and told the secret to his sister, niece, nephew, and Gilda Tregoman.The secret, therefore, at least in part, was soon spread throughout the city, even beyond Saint-Servan and Dinard.We all know that a huge and inconceivable wealth will fall into the hands of Antipher one day, which should be a sure thing.However, no one ever came to tell him: "This is the longitude you've been waiting for." Years passed without the Governor nor the messenger showing up.Not a single foreigner crossed the threshold of his house at all.This is the root cause of Antigpher's frequent tantrums.The family no longer believed in the matter, and the letter was merely a reassurance.Gilda had already had an opinion. He just thought that his friend was too naive.For this reason, it caused embarrassment among the companions sailing in the inland river.But Pierre Servant Marlowe believed so firmly that no one could shake his conviction.It seemed that he was already in control of this huge treasure, and he would not listen to any dissenting opinions. Anyone who had the slightest dissent would cause an uproar. So that evening, the captain of the barge, sitting before his brandy-filled glass, made up his mind not to offend the neighbor by causing an explosion in the powder magazine. "Well," said Antiphere, looking at him, "you don't seem to understand? Please answer me directly! In short, the owner of the "Amelie" ship has never taken a position... Between the two banks of the Rance River, There is no need to measure the altitude, observe the sun, moon and stars..." By citing various basic practices of nautical science, Pierre obviously wanted to show that the experience of the captain of the barge sailing on the inland river is far behind him, the boss of the ship sailing on the offshore. The good-natured Tregoman just smiled, without arguing, and looked at the flowered handkerchief lying on his knees. "Hey! Do you hear that, Captain Barge?" "Listen, friend." "Okay! Let's just say, do you know exactly what latitude is?" "Know a little bit." "Latitude is a circle parallel to the equator, divided into 360 degrees, or 21660 minutes, which is equivalent to 1,000,00280 seconds, did you know that?" "How could I not know?" replied Gilda Tregoman, smiling. "An arc of 15 degrees is equivalent to an hour, an arc of 15 minutes is equivalent to a minute, an arc of 15 seconds is equivalent to a second..." "Do you want me to recite it for you again?" "No, that's not necessary. Hey! I know the latitude of 24 degrees 59 minutes. But on this parallel circle, there are 360 ​​degrees—do you hear that? 360 degrees! There are 359 degrees that I can ignore! But, there is one thing I I still don't understand it, I only really understood it when someone sent me the longitude that intersects with it, that's where, there are... so many francs... Don't laugh at me..." "I'm not laughing, friend!" "Yes, millions of my treasures. I have the right to dig them up when I know where they are hidden..." "Well," replied the captain of the barge mildly, "you must wait patiently." "Patience, patience! . . . What are your veins?" "I think it's sugar and nothing else," replied Gilda Tregoman. "And me! It's liquid mercury, it's alive, it's nitrates in my blood...I can't calm down...I'm upset, I'm on pins and needles." "You need to calm down!" "Sedation?... You forgot, my father died in 1854, and now it's 1862, and he got the secret in 1842, almost 20 years! We haven't solved the mystery yet." "Twenty years!" grumbled Gilda. "How time flies! I was still in command of the Lovely Amelie..." "Who told you that?" cried Antiphere. "Is it the 'Amelie', or the unfortunate 'Latitude'?" Under the blinking eyelids of the captain of the barge, he quickly waved the yellowed letter signed by Kamilk. "Yes, . . . the letter . . . the damned letter," he went on, "the damn letter, I want to burn it to ashes . . . " "That might be wise..." the barge captain ventured. "Hey!...Captain Tregoman," Antifil immediately retorted, his eyes burning and his voice deafening, "I won't allow you to say that again in the future." "Never again." "If I can't think about it for a while, forget the promise to my relatives, and really burn this letter that means the lordship, if you don't stop me..." "I will stop you, my friend, I will stop you..." replied Gilda hastily. Maestro Antiphere was so excited that he touched the barge captain's glass with a glass of brandy, and said: "I wish you good health, shipowner." "Good health to you!" replied Gilda, raising his glass to eyebrow height, and then setting it down on the table. "Pierre Servant Marlote was lost in thought, chewing a small stone, ruffling his hair with his hands, cursing under his breath, and sighing. Suddenly he folded his arms again and gazed at his friend." "24 degrees 59 minutes north latitude, at least you know where this annoying guy should pass?" "Why don't I know?" replied the barge captain.He has learned this little geography lesson hundreds of times. "That's not true, ship owner, people don't really know many things!" He opened the atlas, turned to the page, and there was a globe spread out on it. "Look!" he said, in a tone that was decisive and unrecognizable. Gilda Tregoman watched. "Look, this is Saint-Malo, isn't it!" "Yes, here is the Rance River..." "It's nothing to do with the Rance, don't mess with me! . . . Look, down to twenty-four degrees down the meridian of Paris." "I'm watching!" "Through France, Spain...into Africa...through Algeria...to the Chapin, (aka the Tropic of Cancer)...there...above..." "I see." "Well, we've reached that famous latitude." "Yes, here we are." "Now we go east... Europe, the Red Sea... round Arabia over Mekk... while we salute the king of the Kingdom of Muscat...then... India... Bombay, Calcutta, and on The South China Sea, Taiwan, the Pacific Ocean, the Hawaiian Islands... have you followed me?" "Follow!" Tregoman replied, wiping his sweat with his large flowered handkerchief. "Okay, now you're in America, Mexico... the Gulf of Mexico, you're near Havana... you cross the Straits of Florida... you roam the Atlantic... you sail up the Canary Islands, you get to Africa... you go north on the Paris meridian... in At 24 degrees north latitude, you circled the globe, and now you're back in Saint-Malo." "Oh!" said the easy-going river captain. "Now," said Antiphere, "we have crossed two continents, three oceans, and thousands of islands. Captain, can you tell me where the billions of treasures are hidden?" "I don't know..." "Don't worry, I'll know..." "Yes, will know, as a messenger..." Antiffire held up the glass of wine that the captain of the "Dear Amelie" hadn't finished. "I wish you well!" he said. "Good health to you!" replied Gilda, clinking the empty glass with his friend's. Just after ten o'clock, there was a strong knock on the street door. "Is the longitude sender here?" cried the nervous Saint-Malo. "Oh!" his friend exclaimed suspiciously. "Why not?" cried Antiphere, seeing his cheeks turn purple. "Yes! Why not?..." replied the easy-going captain, who even had to pose to meet the messenger who brought the good news. Suddenly there was a shout from downstairs.It was the cry of Nanon and his daughter, who must have been cheering the arrival of the governor's envoy! "It's him...it's him!" the two women repeated. "He?...He?..." said Antipher. He walked to the stairs, and suddenly, the door opened. "Good night, uncle, good night!" A voice full of joy and happiness, but made his uncle very angry. "He" is Jewell.He didn't lose his name, and he didn't miss the Nantes train.he shouted. "Admitted, uncle, take it!" "Admitted!" they repeated again. "Take... what?" the uncle asked. "Ocean-ocean captain, the highest score admission." Since his uncle didn't respond, he threw himself into Tregoman's arms, and the old man hugged him tightly, making Jeweler so overwhelmed that he couldn't breathe. "He's choking, Gilda!" cried Nanon, watching. "I just touched him!" the former captain of the "Amelie" replied with a smile. At this moment, Jeweler gasped for a while, regained his senses, and turned to his uncle who was pacing up and down: "Now, when will the marriage be arranged, uncle?" "What marriage?" "The marriage between me and my Enochat," replied Jewell, "hasn't it already been decided?" "Yes... it's settled," Nanon confirmed. "Unless I become an ocean-going captain, Ainokat won't want me..." "Ah, my Jewell!" answered the girl, offering him her hand.Even the kind old man felt that what was stretched out was not just a hand, but a sincere heart of the girl. Antiphore remained silent, as if he was discerning something. "Uncle, what do you think?" the young man insisted.There he stood, imposing, with a radiant handsome face and a happy gleam in his eyes. "Uncle," he said again, "didn't you say that you can only make this marriage after you pass the exam, and when you come back, you can determine the date of marriage?" "I think you did, my friend!" the barge owner ventured. "I have been admitted," repeated Jewell, "and now I am back... If you have no objection, Uncle, we will be married at the beginning of April..." Pierre Servan Marlowe jumped up. "In 8 weeks, why not 8 days... 8 hours... 8 minutes?..." "Oh! my dear uncle, if it were possible, it would be all right, it's not what I asked for..." "Hey! It takes time to prepare and buy something," Nanon explained. "Yes, I'll make some new clothes too, so I can be their bridesmaid," said old Gilda. "Okay... April 5th?" asked Jewell. "That's it..." Antiphere said helplessly. "Ah! my good uncle," cried the girl, throwing her arms about his neck. "Ah! my dear uncle," cried the boy also. The young man kisses his uncle on one cheek, the girl kisses his uncle on the other... "That's it." Uncle said, "We will be married on April 5th....But, there must be a condition..." "No conditions..." "One condition?" cried Gilda Tregoman, fearing that his friend might be out of control. "Yes! One condition..." "Tell me, uncle, what's the condition?..." Jeweler asked, his brows began to frown. "That is, between now and April 5th, I have not received that longitude..." Everyone breathed a sigh of relief. "Good! Good!" Everyone said in unison. Indeed, it is unreasonable to refuse this uncle's request.What's more, he has been waiting for the messenger for 20 years, how could it be possible for the messenger to arrive before the wedding date of the two young people? Liberation", an ultimatum jointly presented to the Deputy Shah, prompting him to surrender to the Sultan.