Chapter 16 Chapter 4 From March 26th to April 8th

The captives were very disturbed when they saw the tragic death of the two poor blacks. They learned from Gary.Kiriel walked out there. After this disturbing meeting, the unexpected awaited them: the door of the house was no longer closed, and they were free to go for a walk on the veranda, which seemed to be their communal room.At one end of it was a staircase leading to the platform of the quadrangler above.They are allowed to use the platform, and they often spend their evenings together here, taking satisfaction. In this case, their lives are not bad.Studios, porches, and balconies make for a veritable mansion.If it had not been for the locked door at the end of the veranda without stairs, and the sentry outside the door, it would have been impossible to imagine that these people were imprisoned.Chu Mugeng was in charge of doing chores, and he worked very hard.But he only appeared to clean the room and deliver meals, and the prisoners would not see this villain at other times.The villain was to blame in part for their disaster.

They often get together during the day and walk on the veranda.Every day when the sun goes down, climb to the upper platform.Chu Mugeng usually sent meals there. The four-cornered fort was built in the west of the palace.Two sides tower above a wide terrace, and the other two sides, one overlooking the square between the palace and the factory, and the other on the steep bank of the Red River, are some thirty meters high. Escape is impossible.No one wants to escape Gary.Kiriel's watchful eyes slipped from the palace.If there is a way to get from the four-cornered fort to the balcony below, there is no way out.Because Gary.There was a constant stream of Kiriel's advisors, jovial lads, and black guards.Even in the square below, there is also no way, because it is surrounded by impassable walls.The only possible way out was the Red River, but the captives had no boats and could not descend the thirty-meter wall.

Standing on the platform, they could see the water of the Red River flowing quietly.Upstream and downstream, both disappeared into two rows of woods planted ten years ago.Except for the park, which was blocked by the palace, almost the whole of Blackland was vividly remembered.The captives saw its three semi-circular blocks separated by high walls, the white residents of the east and west blocks, and the countless blacks in the middle block.Every day at dawn, these black people almost all went out to the fields. Their eyes stayed above the factory. However, from the outside, they couldn't recognize the second small town that was within Blackrant but seemed to have nothing to do with it.Chu Mugeng could only tell them that this was indeed a factory.

Among the captives, the one who can enjoy more freedom is Jeanna.Buxton.Chu Mugeng according to Gary.Kiriel's order declared that she could move freely within the confines of the palace and the square without any restrictions, except that crossing the Red River was forbidden.However, Jana.Buxton did not appreciate the privilege.She felt that she should not be treated better than her friends in need.So, she is still willing to be a prisoner.This made Chu Mugeng puzzled. It's not good for you to stay in the cell, he said: If you marry the master, you can bail out Dubabu. Jeanna listened but was indifferent.

When the captives were not assembled in the verandah or on the terrace of the quadrangler, they each pursued their own amusement.And whenever they get together, they always discuss their situation and talk about Gary who impressed them deeply.Kyriel. Who is this guy?asked Balsac once. He's an Englishman, Jeanna.replied Buxton, and his tone of voice proved it beyond doubt. Even an Englishman, Barsac went on, but that doesn't mean much.Either way, he's an amazing character.To build such a city within ten years, to turn the desert into fertile fields, and to fill the dry riverbeds of all ages with running water can only be done by a genius who has mastered profound scientific knowledge.

In my opinion, he is a madman.Amijay.He has forgotten us now, said Floras, but he may order us to be executed in a minute. However, Floras's bleak assessment of the outlook did not materialize.Within a week after that, nothing new happened.On April 3, however, two events of a completely different nature occurred.At about three o'clock in the afternoon, the missing Mary suddenly appeared before the captives, much to their delight.The black girl was so happy and excited that she jumped at Jana.Buxton.It turned out that she had just come here on foot with those of Rufus's troops who hadn't returned by air vehicle.The captives did not ask her about the situation in Tongale, because judging from her sad expression, she would not know any news about Tongale.

Two hours after Mary's arrival, Chu Mugeng appeared in the veranda, looking very excited.He announced: Gary.Kiriel ordered his fiancée, Mademoiselle Morena, to be brought to him. The captives unanimously refused, so Chu Mugeng had no choice but to return.So they told Gary.Kiriel discussed this decision tensely to decide the countermeasures.In the end it was agreed that Jeanne could not leave them under any circumstances. Thank you, my friends.Jana.Buxton said, thank you for your concern for me, but don't think that I am defenseless against this beast. You have all been searched carefully. They probably think that this kind of vigilance is superfluous for a woman. I still have one weapon.Jeanna showed everyone the dagger strapped to her waist from her brother's grave, and you can rest assured that I will use it if necessary.

She had just hidden the dagger when Chu Mugeng ran back with a dejected expression.It turned out that Gary.After listening to Morna's answer, Kiriel became mad with anger, and once again ordered Morna to come to him immediately, otherwise all the captives would be hanged at once. In this case, it is too late to hesitate.Regardless of the objections of her companions, Jeanna decided to compromise, and her companions tried their best to stop it, but it was useless.Under Chu Mugeng's call, several blacks appeared in the veranda, dragging the men away, and Ranna.Buxton was taken away.In the three hours since she left, time seemed very long, her companions, especially de.Sun Berlin, feeling particularly disturbed.Samblin even wept sadly.

How about it?When she reappeared at the door, everyone cried out in unison. Everything is going smooth.replied the girl, trembling all over. What does he want you to do? He just wants to see me.He was drunk when I went, told me to sit down, and made a compliment.He said he was interested in me, and boasted about his authority and property.I listened calmly and reminded him that it was only a week since we were given a month to think about it.Strangely enough, the guy wasn't angry, and I felt somehow in control of the madman.He assured me that the original one-month period had not changed, but that I would spend a few hours with him every afternoon.

Then you must go back, my poor boy, cried Sunberling in despair. That is impossible.Jeanna said, but judging from today's situation, I don't think there is much danger.After seven o'clock, he was very drunk.It was my business to fill his pipe, and keep pouring his wine till the beast snores.At this time, I can come back. From this day on, Jana.Buxton arrives at Gary at three o'clock every afternoon.Kiliel went there and didn't come back until eight o'clock.The way to spend this time is almost cookie-cutter.Jeanna tried to keep him with his advisors, and he gave them orders with extraordinary intelligence.There is nothing special about these instructions, and most of them are about the management of cities and farmland.If not for Gary.Kiriel sometimes whispered to a certain advisor and gave secret instructions. It seems that there is no mystery in Blekrant's management.His consultation with the advisers lasted until four o'clock, and then the advisers left, leaving Gary alone with Janna.Kyriel's side.Then, Gary.Kiriel disappeared through a small door.He will not give anyone the key to the door.Where did he go?Jana didn't know.

Not long after he had left, a strange sound reached Jeanna: it seemed that someone was groaning in the distance.The groaning lasted for about a quarter of an hour and then stopped.Then Gary.Kiriel also came back full of spirits, and Zhanna filled him with cigarettes and poured him wine until he was completely drunk. After three days of this, Jeanna could not stand the mysterious moans.In order not to hear it, Jeanne walked about the palace, and the servants of the palace and the merry lads on duty got used to her and even treated her with a little respect. Every night when GaryWhen Kiriel was completely drunk and under Jeanna's control, the girl could kill him with a dagger without difficulty.But she thought it shameful to attack a defenseless person.Besides, what was the use of killing him?Gary.After Kyriel's death, there's a bunch of bad guys called advisors, and the beastly Black Guard, and the dubious denizens of the entire Blekrant.After his death the situation of the captives was unlikely to improve.On the contrary, it can get worse.Perhaps he was the only man in the city who, at certain times, had shown an extraordinary intellect to understand the benefit to his captives by tolerating them.She discussed this idea with her companions, and they all agreed. Since Ranna.Buxton can gain the trust of the devil, can he further hold himself in his hands?The captives who were hostages in turn took their opponents as hostages, and could then negotiate on an equal footing. Unfortunately, there are many insurmountable obstacles to realize this scheme.There are hordes of servants in the palace and sentries standing in the verandah, it is impossible to take Gary.Kyriel took control.Even though the captives overcame this first difficulty, the inhabitants of Blackland broke away from Gary.Will Kiriel agree to work with them after his reign?Even, even if a peaceful agreement is reached with them, what is the next step? In addition to these difficult-to-achieve plans, Jeanna.Buxton still had her own thoughts, which she did not speak out to her fellow sufferers.She told Gary.Kiriel was very curious about what he was doing in the little door, and he felt infinite sympathy for the distant moaning.Whenever Gary was drunk.When Kiriel was unconscious, she tried several times to steal his key and go inside the small door to see what happened, but she never made up her mind so much. The 8th of April arrived, and at nine o'clock in the evening on this day, all the prisoners, including Mary, gathered on the platform of the Four Corners Castle to greet Jeanne.Buxton inquired about the afternoon, which was the same as usual. Dark clouds are gathering, and a heavy rain is coming.The night was pitch black, and you couldn't see your fingers on the platform.Suddenly, something fell on the stone slab of the platform, and the prisoners stopped talking in surprise.What was it that fell on the platform in the dark of night?Where did it come from? Amijay.Floras was the first to recover.He groped in the dark for a while, and finally found the mysterious shell.But it turned out to be a stone tied with a rope, and the other end of the rope went over the railing, apparently leading to the Red River. What does it mean?Could it be a scam?Perhaps the captives had a message from an unknown friend in Blacklandt?To solve this mystery, the only way is to pull the rope up.To do this, Floras had to ask Dr. Sadore for help.The thin rope slipped between his fingers, and a heavy object was hanging from the lower end. When he pulled it up, it turned out to be a thick rope.After pulling the thick rope up to about thirty to thirty-five meters, it stopped moving.They hesitated for a moment: what should we do? Tie the rope and talk.Amijay.In this way, Floras suggested, it would be possible to know the purpose of the person who threw the rope up. So that's what I did.The other end of the rope was pulled down immediately, and a person climbed up the rope.The captives all leaned over the railing and looked down, and soon saw the shadow of a person.In an instant, the uninvited guest climbed the railing and sprang before the astonished captives. East Galle!Everyone shouted in a low voice.