Chapter 6 Chapter 6 Blue Eyes

After leaving the fishing boat, Dragos came to the downtown neighborhood.He is very familiar with Regensburg, and he can walk through the streets and alleys so freely that he doesn't even need to discern the direction.The streets of the city are deserted.From time to time, there are ten-story feudal castles on both sides of the street.In the past, this city was bustling and bustling, but now there are only 26,000 people living in it, and the prosperity has disappeared. The truth is not what Brush thought, Dragosh has no plans to visit the scenic spots in the city.He didn't disembark as a tourist to go around like this.After crossing the bridge and walking not far, he came to the Church of the Dome.The tower of the church was incomplete, and the door was in the peculiar architectural style of the late fifteenth century, but Dragos only glanced at it absent-mindedly.Of course, he had no intention of visiting the Gothic chapel and the pointed-vaulted monastery in the palace of the princes of Tours and Taxis, let alone the pipe exhibition, which was a curiosity in this ancient monastery.He also didn't go to Resto, which was the former site of the House of Representatives and is now used as a city government building. The hall in the building is decorated with ancient and exquisite tapestries.The gatekeeper will also complacently introduce the torture room and the various instruments of torture to the visitors.Dragos doesn't need to tip the tour guide.Without needing a guide, he went to the post office in the city, where several letters were waiting for him.The recipient's name is represented by an agreed code.After reading the letters, Dragos didn't show the slightest change of emotion on his face, and just walked out of the post office.At this time, a man in casual clothes stopped him at the door to strike up a conversation.

Dragos and this man knew each other.The man was about to speak when Dragosh stopped him with a gesture.The meaning of this gesture is obvious, it means: don't talk here.So, the two walked towards a nearby square. Why don't you wait for me by the river?Dragosh asked when he figured no one around could hear their conversation. I'm afraid I won't meet you by the river, the man replied, besides, I know you're going to the post office Let's not talk about it now, see you anyway, Dragosh interrupted him.Anything new? No. Not even common theft? Neither in this area nor in other areas, the banks of the Danube are safe and sound.

When did you get these latest news? It was not two hours before I received a telegram from Budapest Headquarters stating that the whole of the Danube was peaceful. Dragos thought for a moment, then said: You go to the prosecutor's office for me and tell them your name is Frederick.Ullmann, ask them to tell you about any little things that happen.Then you go to Vienna. What about our people? I'm in charge of this, and I'll meet them along the way.The password for a week from today is to meet in Vienna. Don't you need to monitor the upstream coast?Ullmann asked. A local police station would suffice, Dragos replied.Moreover, we can go at the first warning.What's more, so far nothing has happened in the upper part of Vienna under our jurisdiction.Our opponents are not stupid, and they will never commit crimes far from their own territory.

Their territory?Ullman repeated.Did you get special news? In short, I have my own ideas. what idea? You are so curious!In any case, I can predict that we will meet them for the first time in the area between Vienna and Budapest. Why there and not elsewhere? Because the last crime happened in this area.One thing you must know, those guys set fire to a farmer, and when they found out, the fire was up to his knees. This further shows that they will commit crimes elsewhere next time. Why? They must feel that special precautions are in place wherever crime has occurred.Therefore, they will go to a slightly distant place to loot their homes.That's what they've done so far, never in the same place twice in a row.

They think like asses, and you, Frederick.You're imitating them, Ullmann, Dragos retorted.But it is precisely their stupidity that I want to exploit.As you probably already know, all the newspapers made similar speculations about my whereabouts. They almost all said that I had left the upper Danube, because I thought that the gangsters would not dare to venture back to commit crimes, so I went to the south of Hungary. advance.Of course you know that these reports are baseless.However, you should be sure that these self-righteous media rhetoric will not be unaffected by those involved in the crime.

What is your conclusion? My conclusion: gangsters are not going to the south of Hungary to kill themselves. But the Danube is so long, Ullman argues, that along its banks Serbia, Romania, Turkey There's a lot of fighting over there and they have nothing to gain in that area.Anyway, we'll see. Dragos was silent for a while, and then said: Are you all strictly following my instructions? Yes. Have you been monitoring the Danube? Yes, twenty-four hour surveillance. Did you find anything suspicious? Nothing suspicious was found.All punts and barges are legally licensed.Speaking of which, I have to tell you: These inspections caused an uproar, and the shipping department protested it.If you're willing to hear my thoughts, perhaps the shipping department also makes sense.Those boats had nothing to do with our raids, and those crimes didn't happen on the river.

Dragos frowned. I think it's important to check all punts, barges, and even other smaller boats, he retorted stiffly.I'll say it one last time: I don't like other people's gossip. Ullman bowed and said respectfully, I see, sir. Dragos added: I still don't know the next strategy. Maybe I will stop in Vienna, maybe until Belgrade. There is no fixed place to keep in touch. This is very important.Therefore, I also have to give me a copy of any information in the possession of agents stationed between Regensburg and Vienna. All right, sir, Ullman replied, and me?Where can I meet you next time?

A week later, in Vienna, as I have just told you.Dragos answered him. After pondering for a moment, Dragos said again: You can go, don't forget to go to the prosecutor's office, and then take the first train. Ullman took a few steps, and Dragosh called him back. You have heard of an Elijah.Bruce what?he asks. Isn't that the fisherman who goes fishing down the Danube? It was him.If you see me with him, pretend you don't know me. So the two broke up.Frederick.Ullman disappeared into Uptown while Dragos made his way to the Golden Cross Hotel, where he wanted to have dinner.

By the time Dragos took a seat in the hotel, there were already a dozen customers sitting there, chatting away.Dragos ate his dinner with gusto, but did not take part in their conversation.He is a person who is used to listening to the conversations of those around him, and this time is no exception.So he overheard a guest asking his neighbor, word for word: Hey, those notorious robbers, it seems that they haven't moved much lately? There was also no news of the famous Brush, another person replied that everyone was waiting for him to pass through Regensburg, but so far no one has been seen.

This is strange. It wouldn't be surprising if Brush and the Bandit Chief were one person. Are you kidding me? Oh who knew? Dragos looked up quickly.This was the second time he had heard such baseless speculation.He shrugged slightly, kept his silence, and continued eating.This is really nonsense.Besides, the snarky man thought he was well-informed, but he didn't even know that Brush was in Regensburg. Dragos had a good meal and walked back to the pier.He did not return to the boat immediately, but stopped for a while on an ancient stone bridge that connected Regensburg with its suburb Stadt-Amhof.Looking across the river, he saw several boats still moving forward in the afterglow of the setting sun.

When he was staring at the river in a daze, a hand suddenly put on his shoulder, and at the same time, a familiar voice said: Mr. Jaeger, you are really interested in the scenery here. Dragosh turned around and saw Brush standing in front of him, looking at him with a smile. Yes, he replied, all this on the Danube is very new and interesting, and I don't want to miss the opportunity to see it. oh!Mr. Jaeger, said Brush, you'll have more fun when we get down the Danube, where there will be more boats.Especially when you get to the iron gate, you can feast your eyes!Have you ever been to Iron Gate? No.Dragos replied. It's time for you to check it out!Brush said loudly that if there is no river in the world more beautiful than the Danube, then there is no place along the Danube more beautiful than the Iron Gate! By this time, night had fallen, and it was past nine o'clock on Brush's pocket watch. I was down there just now, on the boat, and I saw you standing here.Mr. Jaeger, he said, I came to you to tell you that we have to leave very early tomorrow, so it is best to go back early and rest. I'll go back with you, Mr. Brush.Dragos agrees. The two walked to the shore.As they rounded the bridge, Dragos asked: Mr. Brush, how is our fish doing?Are you satisfied? It should be said that I am very satisfied, Mr. Jaeger!I will not give you less than forty guilders! Including the twenty-seven guilders earned last time, the total is more than sixty-seven guilders.We've only just arrived in Regensburg!Ha ha, Mr. Brush, I'm not doing badly on this deal! I was finally convinced.Brush admitted. After a quarter of an hour, the two went to bed respectively.When the sun rose the next day, the boat had left Regensburg more than five kilometers away. In the lower reaches of the city, the scenery on both sides of the Danube is quite different.On the right bank is a fertile plain stretching as far as the eye can see, a field of rich products, dotted with farmhouses and cottages.On the left bank is a lush forest and layered hills, stretching all the way to the town of Bommerwald. Downriver, Mr. Jaeger and Brush can see the summer residences of the Princes of Tours and Taxis in the upper reaches of the town of Donaustaff, and the old castle of the Bishop of Regensburg; Savaltobek, as well as Valhalla Temple, also known as the mansion of the elect, has a building similar to the Parthenon in Athens, towering under the blue sky of the Principality of Bavaria.But it is by no means the masterpiece of the Athenians, but was built by King Louis.Inside it was used as a museum, displaying busts of the heroes of the Germanic Empire.The museum itself is far less gorgeous than the exterior decoration.It is true that Valhalla is inferior to the Parthenon in Athens, but it is superior to the temple built by the Scots on a hill called the Crone of the Mist in Edinburgh. Down the meandering course of the Danube, the distance from Regensburg to Vienna is still very far.However, on both sides of this nearly 475-kilometer-long river, there are very few large-scale towns.Only a few towns are worth mentioning: Straubing, the Bavarian barn where the boat moored on the night of August 18; Passau, where they arrived on the 20th; Passed by here during the day on the 11th.The latter two cities still have some strategic significance, but the population of these three cities is less than 20,000.Except for these three towns, the others are just insignificant settlements. In this area, although there are no masterpieces created by humans to appreciate, at least tourists can enjoy the majestic scenery on both sides of the river to relieve the boredom of the journey.The Danube already has a width of 400 meters in Straubing, and further downstream, the river narrows continuously.In the Lycian region on the right bank, the various branches of the Alps gradually rise. Passau is located at the confluence of the Danube, Inn and Ils rivers, among which the Danube and Inn rivers are among the largest rivers in Europe.After Passau, it is no longer German territory, and the right bank downstream of the city is under the jurisdiction of Austria; a few kilometers further downstream at the mouth of the Dadersbach River, the left bank also becomes the territory of the Habsburg Empire.From here to Vienna, the river bed shrinks into a canyon only 200 meters wide; sometimes the river widens suddenly, and even forms some natural lakes surrounded by islands in the river; Suddenly, the river was rushing and surging. Brush seemed to have no interest in admiring the majestic scenery in various poses and with different poses and with different expressions, but only devoted himself to speeding up the boat with all his strength.His concentration seems to be enough to explain his indifference.When navigating on the Danube, encountering dangerous shoals is commonplace, in addition to conquering more difficult difficulties.A few kilometers upstream of Passau, we will meet the challenge of the rapids of Wilschofen, and another 150 kilometers, in one of the poorest towns in Upper Austria, downstream of Glan, there is Steinjar and Werbel, two more formidable rapids. In this section of the river, the river valley becomes a narrow walkway made of cliffs, through which the rushing water cascades down.In the past, the river channel was densely covered with hidden reefs, which added to the danger of this channel, and many ships were killed and damaged here.Today, the danger is greatly reduced, because dynamite is used to blow up the most difficult reefs that densely cover the channel.Thus the turbulence calmed the anger, the eddy no longer sucked the ships violently into its belly, and disasters were less frequent.However, regardless of whether the ship is large or small, it is still necessary to drive carefully. None of this troubled Brush.He drives along the channel, avoids the rapids, and overcomes the whirlpool rapids. His agility and sophistication are really admirable.Carl.Dragos admired his proficient sailing skills, but he couldn't help but wonder how an ordinary fisherman could know the Danube river so well, and he was able to handle the dangers with ease. If Dragosh was amazed by Brush's ability, then in turn, Dragosh was also surprised by Dragosh.The fisherman admired the passenger's wide acquaintance, but he didn't know where to go.In the evening, no matter what unknown place the boat docked for the night, Mr. Jagger almost always ran into someone he knew.As soon as the boat stopped, he jumped ashore, and immediately one or two people came towards him.However, he never talked for too long.After a few words, the talkers dispersed, and Mr. Jaeger returned to the fishing boat, and the stranger also left. Elijah.Finally Bush couldn't take it anymore. Looks like your friends are everywhere, Mr. Jagger?One day, he asked. Yes, Mr. Brush, Dragosh replied, because I used to be in this area a lot. Sightseeing, Mr. Jager? No, Mr. Brush, not travel.At that time I was working for a trading company in Budapest.As a trader, not only can you go to many places, but you can also make friends. You know this. During the journey from August 18th to the 24th, only a little accident (if it can be called an accident) occurred.That day, the boat spent the night moored on the shore in the wilderness downstream of the small town of Tulln. The next day, Brush set sail before dawn as usual.This day is different from the previous days, because we will arrive in Vienna that night.So, for the first time in a week, Brush went fishing, in order not to disappoint the admirers who had gathered in the capital waiting for him!He specially announced the news of his arrival in the capital through several newspapers, and there must be many people who came. Besides, shouldn't he have thought about Mr. Jagger's interests?Mr. Jagger's interests seemed to have been too neglected by a week of busy sailing rather than fishing.Although Mr. Jaeger did not complain at all, as he promised, how could he be happy in his heart?Brush understands this.Therefore, in order to live on the surface and make Mr. Jaeger's trip worthwhile, Brush has already planned that on this last day, he only needs to sail 30 kilometers to reach his destination.So, although at a slower speed, he was able to get to Vienna early and start selling his catch. When Dragosh stepped out of the cabin in the morning, the harvest was already considerable, but Brush still wanted to continue to expand the results.Before about eleven o'clock, he caught another northern pike weighing twenty catties.This is truly a kingfish of a size that Vienna's fishing enthusiasts will pay a premium for. Buoyed by this success, Brush wanted to try his luck one last time.This time he was dead wrong, and what happened next showed it. What happened?It's a long story.The thing is this: he has always been clever, but at this time, disaster happened.From a moment of inattention, or from some other reason, he cast the line wrongly, and the hook snapped back and caught his face unexpectedly, leaving a trail of blood, and Brush uttered a cry of pain . Besides, after the fishhook plowed a bloody groove on the face, it hooked the big black sunglasses on the bridge of Bush's nose day and night, and the glasses were lifted up like a feather, a few centimeters above the water surface Quickly draw a few curves here and there. Brush restrained his angry yelling, cast a terrified glance in the direction of Mr. Jaeger, quickly snatched back the bouncing glasses, and hurriedly put them back on.Only then did he seem to breathe a sigh of relief. All this took only a few seconds, but for Dragos, this short few seconds was enough for him to discover that the captain had a pair of clear blue eyes, with piercing eyes, and he did not seem to be suffering from any eye disease. The detective could not help thinking about this strange scene, for such was his temper that he had to brood over everything that attracted his attention.Although the pair of blue eyes disappeared behind the black barrier as usual, Dragos did not stop thinking. Brush caught no more fish that day.His wound, though not serious, was excruciatingly painful; he bandaged it hastily, and carefully packed away his fishing gear.The boat went down the river, and before I knew it, it was time for lunch. The boat had just passed the foothills of Calanbec.This mountain is 350 meters above sea level, and you can have a bird's-eye view of the whole city of Vienna from the top of the mountain.Going forward, the two sides of the strait will become more and more lively, which means that a metropolis is close at hand.The first thing that came into view were villas, and they became denser and denser.Then there were factories, tall chimneys belching thick smoke, blackening the sky.After a while, Brush and his traveling companions discovered several cabs running on the shore, which gave the countryside a distinct urban imprint. Just after noon, the boat passed Nussdorf.The steamship can only berth here because of its deep draft.The fisherman's small boat does not require high water depth, and it does not carry many passengers like a large passenger ship, which must go through the canal to reach the city center. The brush is so free of movement that it can travel along the large branches of the Danube.Before four o'clock he was moored to the shore and fastened the cable to a great tree in the Platte Forest.The Prater Forest is as famous a strolling ground in Vienna as the Bois de Boulogne is in Paris. What's the matter with your eyes, Mr. Brush?At this time, Carl.asked Dragosh, who hadn't spoken since the sunglasses incident. Brush stopped what he was doing and turned to his passenger. Eye?He repeated puzzled. Yes, your eyes, Mr. Jager said, I think it's not for nothing that you wear such sunglasses! Oh, said Brush, my glasses!My eyesight is weak, and the sun hurts me, that's all. Poor eyesight?Will such bright eyes do it? After such a simple explanation, Brush tied the cable.His passengers watched him hustle and bustle with doubts on their faces.