Chapter 11 Chapter Eleven

The executors, the notary Bob, Omar and his trainee had arrived at the appointment a few days earlier.They are in Suez, waiting for the anxiety of the St. Malo people can imagine! Master Antifel motioned Zhu Aiqin and Tregoman to stay still, and the three pretended to be concentrating on chatting. Bob Omar came over with his customary flattery. "Finally... sir..." he ventured, trying to be kind and tactful. Antiphere turned his head and glanced at him, as if he had never known him. "Sir...it's me...it's me..." said the notary, nodding and bowing. "Who...you?"

He didn't have the nerve to say it: what does this mummy want? "It's me...Bo Omar...Notary of Alexandria...you don't know me?..." "Do you know this gentleman?" asked Pierre Servan Marlowe. He winked his eyes at his partner, while the pebbles puffed up his right cheek, and then his left cheek. "I think: . . . " Gilda felt sorry for the notary. "This is Mr. Bo Omar, whom we had the pleasure of meeting..." "That's right, it's true..." Master Antipher distinguished, as if he was recalling a long time ago. "I remember... Bo Omar... Bo Omar?"

"it is me." "So... what are you doing here?" "Why... am I here? I was waiting for you, sir." "Wait for me?" "I don't need to ask... Can you forget?... We agreed to meet in Suez?" "A date? . . . so why?" the Saint-Malo man replied with feigned astonishment that Omar almost fell for it. "Why?...Governor Kamilk's will...his legacy...the island..." "Oh! You're talking about my island." "Yes! . . . Your island, you remember! As my will requires me . . . " "Yes, Mr. Bo Omar . . . hello . . . hello!"

Without saying good-bye, he shrugged his shoulders and beckoned Jewell and the captain of the barge to follow him, but the notary stopped them as they left the station. "Where are you going to lodge?" he asked. "Any hotel," replied Maester Antiphere. "Do you like the hotel where we stayed?" "It doesn't matter which one, it's only for 48 hours anyway." "48 hours?" Bob Omar said with obvious anxiety in his tears. "Your trip isn't over yet?" "It's far away!" Master Antiphere said with a smile, "There is still a sea route..."

"A passage by sea?" cried the notary, turning pale at once, as if the deck of the ship had shaken beneath his feet. "You won't be happy that we're going to go by sea, on the liner 'Oxsu' bound for Bombay..." "Mumbai!" "The steamer departs from Suez the day after tomorrow, and since you must accompany us... I invite you to take this ship." "Where, then, is the island?" asked the notary, with a gesture of despair. "Where it is, Mr. Bo Omar." Having said that, the three of them walked to the nearest hotel.Those few pieces of luggage were also running soon.

After a while, Bo Omar found Najim.The "apprentice" was not very polite to him.what!If one percent of the 100 million francs had not belonged to him, and if he hadn't been afraid of Savuk, he would have sent the governor's will and heirs away long ago.He will not suffer this crime! If anyone had told the St. Malu that Suez was formerly called Suyes by the Arabs and Cleo Batley by the Egyptians, he would hasten to answer: "What does it have to do with me! . . . Say that." Observe a few mosques, look at a few very ordinary ancient buildings, and visit 2 to 3 squares, the most eye-catching one is probably the Liangshi Square.You can also visit the residence where General Napoleon stayed.However, Joel thought that as long as he had a general understanding of the disorganized and disrepaired city with 135,000 residents, it would be enough to use up the 48 hours of Dingbo.

Gilda Tregoman and Jewell spent their time wandering the streets, wandering the lanes, and exploring the harbour.This port, which is 10-20 meters deep, can accommodate 500 ships and is not attacked by the frequent northerly and northwesterly winds throughout the season. Before the canal was dug, the Suez port was empty at sea.At that time, transportation was mainly carried out by rail.Because the port is located in the depths of the bay, and the 180-kilometer canal was dug on the coast and the Suez Strait, it is called the Suez Canal.The city became the gateway to the Red Sea.And it has always maintained a steady upward trend.

Antiffel's attitude towards this was extremely indifferent.While his two companions wandered carelessly in the streets, he never left the beautiful seaside which had become a tourist attraction.He feels that someone is watching him.Sometimes Najim, sometimes Boo Omar.Although the two did not approach him, they kept staring at him, but he pretended not to notice at all.He sat on the bench, concentrating on it, lost in thought, looking for the horizon of the Red Sea, trying to see through the boundless sea.But sometimes, his imagination drives him to think he sees "his island" rising out of the mist to the south.However, this is nothing more than a mirage, and people's eyes always have this illusion.

In the early morning of March 11, the cruise ship "Auksu" finally completed the preparations before sailing.With enough coal, and after several regular berthings, the Indian Ocean can be crossed. It was not surprising that Maester Antifel and his two companions were on board early in the morning, followed by Omar and Savuk. Although this huge cruise ship is a cargo ship, it can also carry passengers.Most of the passengers went to Mumbai, but some disembarked in Aden and Muscat. The "Auksu" set sail at 11 am and sailed out of the long and narrow port of Suez.The voyage will take 15 days due to continuous berthing.Jeulele booked a passenger ship with three partitions, which was comfortably furnished, allowing him to take a nap during the day and rest at night.

Needless to say, the other housed Savuk and Omar.The notaries were seldom seen, and Maester Antiphere resolved not to associate with them unless it was absolutely necessary.This time "Sea Bear" declared to the important notary with his characteristic carefulness: "Mr. Omar, it's agreed, we are traveling together. However, we will go our own way, and we will not interfere with each other... You only need to be present to prove that I own the inheritance. Afterwards, we have nothing to do with each other. The human world is still in the underworld." The high coast blocked the monsoon, and the "Auksu" sailed down the bay, as calm as driving on a lake. However, when it passed the Arabian Plain, the cool wind blowing on the Red Sea greeted it very coldly. The cruise ship "Auksu".Most of the passengers were extremely disturbed by the cyclone.Neither Master Antifel, his nephew, nor Tregoman, a veteran of the Inland Sailing Club, was spared.As for the bewildered notary, there is no need to describe his embarrassment.He was only heard moaning in the corner of the Aerobot.The capable barge captain looked at him from time to time out of pity.This behavior did not come as a surprise, since his nature was extremely good.As for Antiphere, he could never forgive the man who tried to steal his latitude.When Gilda tried to make him pity the unfortunate passenger, he just shrugged.

"Well, Captain Barge," he told him, his cheeks puffed out, "is your Omar exhausted?" "almost." "congratulations!" "My friend—won't you go and see him?—just once!" "No, Captain Barge, don't look!—I'll look when there's nothing left of him!" It is impossible to reason with someone who answers questions in this tone! However, during the crossing of the ocean, the notary was out of the way, but his trainee Najim made Maester Antifel annoyed one after another.Strange, the two of them don't speak the same language, how could there be a conflict?It turned out that the "apprentice" was always spying on every move of the St. Malo people.It seemed to be a task entrusted to him by the master.How happy would Antiphere be if the Egyptian was destined to be thrown overboard! Although it is not a dog day, it is quite uncomfortable to go down the Red Sea.At that time, only Arabs could be hired as firemen, because the people there were resistant to high temperatures. On March 15, the "Auksu" sailed into the narrowest waters of the Mandeb Strait.After the cruise ship passed the British island of Pirin, three Frenchmen saluted the French flag flying on the castle of Obock in the African Sea Rock.The ship then sailed into the port of Aden, where it was to drop anchor, where some passengers would disembark. The Port of Aden is a key tied to the belt of the British Empire, one of the keys to open the Red Sea, and a good housekeeper who works tirelessly.The island of Pirin has become another port of Gibraltar, on which the British guard the gateway to the waters of the Indian Ocean.Even if the port of Aden is partially silted up, its eastern part can still accommodate a large number of ships; while its western part can accommodate an entire fleet.The British have taken root here since 1823.The current city experienced a prosperous era in the 11th and 12th centuries. The Port of Aden, which has 30,000 residents, added three more French nationals that night.During the 24-hour mooring, France also had its own representative here, the explorers of Saint-Malo. Antiphere was determined not to leave the ship.He hated the mooring and swore all the time.Because, that would give the notary a chance to be on deck.God!How did he become like this!Two legs barely dragged his body up to the observation deck. "Oh, it's you, Monsieur Bo Omar?" said Pierre Servan Marlow, mockingly and somewhat seriously. "That's right! It's you, I can hardly recognize it!... Can you persist in this trip to the end? If I were you, I would stay in Aden..." "I would like to stay! . . . " replied the poor notary, in a very weak voice, almost dying. "You may recover after a few days of rest, if you can wait for the next cruise ship..." "I'm very sorry, Mr. Omar. Why don't I want to send you the wealth you deserve! It's a pity that I can't stop halfway." "Is it still far away?" "Far away!" replied Maester Antiphere, gesturing and drawing an irregular curve. Disappointed, Bob Omar went back to his cabin, dragging his legs like a lobster. Jewell and the barge captain returned to the ship at supper.They felt no need to tell what they had seen in Aden.Antisoul was not in the mood to listen to what they had to say. In the afternoon of the second day, the "Auksu" continued to sail.Everyone is used to it, but Gilda Tregoman is full of praise for the sea god.The sea goddess is hot-tempered, willful, and nervous, and the passengers on the ship all know this. Bob Omar was helped to the deck again, wrapped in a bed sheet, and a heavy iron ball seemed to be tied to his feet, as if offerings were placed on the knees of a goddess, and he himself was powerless to resist this. Unjust funeral rites. The third day began, and the bad weather subsided when the wind turned to the westerly, and the cruiser was at last sheltered by the coast of Hadramaut. Savuk didn't feel any discomfort, although he didn't suffer much physically, but mentally it was another matter.At the mercy of the damned Frenchman, unable to get the island's secrets out of his mouth.And so had to keep following him until... until where he intended to stop! ...Maybe in Muscat Surat or Mumbai, the "Oksu" broke down? ... After a pause in Muscat, won't he continue on to the Strait of Hormuz? ... Is Governor Kamilk's treasure buried on one of the hundreds of islands in the Persian Gulf? Unaware of this, Savuk was simply in a state of restlessness.How he would have plucked this secret out of the entrails of the Saint-Malo man!How many times had he tried to catch a few words from the conversation of those three!He tried his best, pretended not to know French, ... all to no avail.And it is this "apprentice" who makes people feel disgusted, and his every move is disgusting.Both Maester Antiphere and his companions expressed this sentiment.Savuk noticed more than once that whenever he got closer, they moved away. The "Omar" stayed in Bir Ali Port for 12 hours during the daytime of March 19.From here, then, continue sailing along the coast of Oman in order to travel upstream to Muscat.Two days later, crossing Cape Hard.In another 24 hours, we will arrive at the capital of the Islamic Kingdom, and Master Antifel's destination for this trip will be reached. The closer you get to your destination, the more nervous and less social the people of Saint-Malo become.He poured his heart and soul into that long-desired island, in the gems and gold that were his.He seems to have seen Ali Baba cave, and he is the legal cave owner.It was also Kamilke's bizarre behavior that brought him to the kingdom of God. "You know," he said to his companions, "if the Egyptian's treasure..." He spoke of it as a nephew would of an inheritance from his uncle who was going to America. "If this treasure is all gold ingots, it will be really difficult, but how can it be transported to St. Malo?" "You can do it, Uncle," replied Jewell. "But," put in the captain of the barge, "we've stuffed our traveling bags, pockets, hats..." "You can figure it out!" exclaimed Antiphere, "put millions of dollars worth of gold in your pocket!" "I'm imagining, my friend..." "You must have never seen gold worth millions!" "Yes, I never saw it in my dreams!" "Do you know how much that weighs?" "I really don't know." "But I know, Captain Barge, that I calculated it out of curiosity!" "Tell me". "A million dollars' worth of gold weighs about 322 kilograms..." "Can't it be heavier than that?" Gilda asked naively. Maester Antifel gave him a sidelong glance. "That's right!" he continued, "Gold worth millions weighs 322 kilograms, but gold worth hundreds of millions now weighs 32,256 kilograms." "If you want to transport hundreds of millions of dollars of gold onto the ship, even if each person can carry 100 kilograms, do you know how much manpower is needed?" "Go on, friend." "We need 323 people. But we only have 3 people. Once we arrive on my small island, you can imagine our difficulties! Fortunately, my treasures are mainly diamonds and precious stones..." "Uncle is right." Jewell replied. "I would like to interject," said Gilda Tregoman, "that the excellent Governor of Carmilk has arranged everything so well." "Oh! those diamonds," exclaimed Maester Antiphere, "those diamonds are easy to sell in Paris and in London jewelers! . . . What a deal, my friends . . . , can’t sell them all, no, can’t sell them all!” "You only sold part of it?..." "Yes, Captain Barge, yes!" replied Antiphere, with the muscles of his face twitching and his eyes shining. "Yes! . . . First, I must keep a . . . a diamond worth a million dollars . . . pinned to my shirt." "Put it on your shirt, my friend!" said Gilda. "It'll dazzle the eyes, and I can hardly look you in the face..." "The second is for Enochate," continued Antiphere, "and see, a little stone will make her extraordinarily beautiful..." "A horse doesn't depend on its saddle and bridle, and a beautiful woman doesn't depend on its clothes. She doesn't wear jewelry, but she's still super beautiful!" Jewele said hastily. "No, my nephew,... no... the third gem is for my sister!" "Ah! good Nanon!" exclaimed Tregman, "she will be dressed up like the Madonna in the Rue Borgon! Ha ha! Do you want a man to come and propose to him again?" Maester Antiphere shrugged his shoulders, and continued: "Also, the fourth one is for you, Jewell,..." "Thank you uncle." "The fifth one is for you, my old friend!" "Me? To decorate the front of the lovely Amelie's bow with it. . . . " "No, Captain Barge, on your finger... a ring... a diamond ring..." "A diamond—on my thick finger... like a San Francisco sock might suit me better," the barge captain explained, holding out a big, thick, red hand to pull on the fiber. Pour fits very well in the hand. "It doesn't matter, Captain Barge, if you don't believe me, you can't find a woman, I'd rather..." "Whom are you talking about? My friend... there just happens to be a handsome, strong widow who keeps a grocer in Saint-Servan..." "The grocer... the grocer! . . . " cried Antiphere, "when Enochate married a prince, and Joule a princess, look, your grocer Paved..." That's the end of the conversation.However, the young captain couldn't help sighing when he thought of the absurd dreams aroused by his uncle... But how can he be guided to pure thoughts? "It is certain that as long as things progress a little, he will lose his mind, and he may go crazy!" Gilda Tregoman said to Jeweler behind his back. "It's terrible!" Looking at the uncle who was talking to himself, Jewell replied. Two days later, on March 22, the "Auksu" arrived at the port of Muscat. Three sailors pulled Bo Omar out of the corner of his cabin.what!That look!All that's left is a skeleton...perhaps more like a mummy.For the skin still clings to the frame of the ill-fated notary.