Chapter 10 Chapter 10 Captives

Carl.The discovery of the portrait seemed to confirm Dragos' suspicions.It seems that now is the time to reveal the mystery to readers.On one point, at least, Dragos was right.That is, Elijah.Brush and Serge.Radko was literally the same person.However, Dragos blamed all the crimes of murder and robbery that have disturbed the tranquility of the Danube over the past few months, and even the recent case of robbing Earl Hagno's villa and wounding the gatekeeper Christian. My traveling companion was quite mistaken.Radko, on the other hand, had never expected such suspicions from his passenger.All he knew was that his name had been taken as the name of a murderer full of crimes, and he really couldn't understand how this misunderstanding came about.

Brush was horrified at first when he discovered this dreadful homonym, and what was worse, the man was his own countryman!However, after this instinctive fear, he immediately regained his composure. After all, what does it matter that the only thing he has in common with this bandit leader is his name?Don't do bad things, don't be afraid of ghosts knocking on the door.It wasn't him who committed the crime, so what's there to be afraid of? So, the night before, Serge.Radko (we will return to using his real name in the future.) left the fishing boat without any disturbance, and returned to Sarka as he himself said.In fact, since he left Ruse Town, he has changed his name to Elijah.Brush, settled in this small town.It was there that he waited for a long, long time for news of his beloved Nadya.

As I have already told you in the previous article, Radko could not bear the long-term hope in the end, so he racked his brains and came up with a secret way to sneak back to Bulgaria.It was by chance that he saw a newspaper "Pest︱Laurende", which was exaggerating the news that the Siegmaringen fishing competition was about to be held.After reading that report, Radko had an idea.Perhaps everyone has not forgotten that this exile was not only an expert fisherman, but also a famous navigator.So he devised a plan of action that might surprise him. Radko used his only alias in Sarka, Ilya.Brush, who joined the Danube Association, later participated in the Zigmaringen Fishing Competition, winning the championship with his fishing skills.So, Elijah.Bruce became famous all over the world.Then, he announced to everyone as much as possible that as long as conditions allowed, he would fish down the Danube until it reached the mouth of the river.Undoubtedly, this grand plan made a sensation in the world of anglers, and won a wide reputation among all classes of society for its framers.

Since then, Serge.Radko cleverly obtained a legal status, and no one would suspect him, because people usually blindly trust those stars.In this way, he really started the journey of the Danube.Of course, he sailed as fast as possible, and only spent the least amount of time fishing when he had to, so as not to miss out.Moreover, he did not forget to attract the attention of public opinion as much as possible along the way, so that his name would not be forgotten, so that he could openly disembark and return to Ruse under the cover of eminence, and move freely. This is his only purpose.In order to achieve this goal smoothly, no one should be allowed to guess his real name, and no one should be able to recognize the fisherman Elijah from his appearance.Brush is the navigator Serge.Radko.

The first point is easy to do. Once you become a famous fishing champion of the Danube Association, you just need to keep playing this role.Therefore, Serge.Radko made an oath that no matter what happened during the journey, he would tell everyone that he was Elijah.brush.Besides, it was to be expected that the journey, long as it was, would be safe, and that no accident would cause him to break his oath. As for the second point, it is even easier.The beard is shaved off with a razor, the color of the hair changes when it is dyed, and the color of the eyes cannot be seen by wearing a pair of large sunglasses. These are enough to change a person's appearance.Serge.Radko put on his disguise the night before his departure, and set out before dawn, convinced that he would not be recognized by those who did not know the truth.

In Siegmaringen, things went exactly as expected.He won the championship in one fell swoop in the competition and became the champion admired by everyone. Then he announced his plan in public, and the newspapers in the Danube River Basin made extremely favorable reports.Radko.Brush's status as a news figure was naturally beyond doubt; besides, he was even sure that, in a pinch, he would have the strong support of the members of the society scattered along the Danube.And so Radko set sail. In Ulm, he found that his little fame was powerless against an unexpected attack by the police.For the first time he felt disillusioned.Therefore, when he saw that the passenger held a legal document and the police officer seemed to be in awe of him, Radko secretly thanked himself and accepted Mr. Jaeger very willingly.Of course, when the fisherman arrives at Ruse at a later date, the fisherman will suspend his strange journey, and then the presence of a stranger will indeed be inconvenient; but things can be explained in due course.And throughout the journey, having this passenger as a talisman will greatly increase the chances of success.Serge.How strong was Radko's desire to complete the journey successfully!

When he learns that he bears the same name as a heinous criminal, and that the villain is also Bulgarian, he experiences disillusioned terror again.He must be innocent for his personal safety to be guaranteed.But when this happened, no matter how innocent he was, Radko could not deny that this phenomenon of the same name could lead to very unpleasant misunderstandings, and even the most serious troubles. If his alias was Ilya.The exposure of Bush's affairs will not only make it difficult for him to disembark at Ruse, but it may also greatly delay his arrival at his destination. Faced with these dangers, Serge.Radko was helpless.Again, if such dangers do exist, the best course of action is to avoid them.In fact, without any particular reason, it is difficult to imagine that the police would pay attention to a good and honest angler, especially one who is under the patronage of the Zigmaringen fishing competition laurels.

That day, at dusk, Radko returned to Sarka, got up and left before dawn, and no one saw him.He just hurried home to see if there was any letter from Nadya.Not a single letter from Nadya.It was very upsetting to have not heard from him for so long.Why didn't the young wife send a word for two months?What happened to her?In these turbulent years, full of all kinds of misfortunes.Even if he was lucky enough to get back to Ruse, the navigator wondered anxiously, wouldn't it be too late? This thought broke his heart, but it also inspired his fighting spirit and increased his strength. It was this thought that gave him enough courage to overcome the storm after Grand's departure; This thought made him walk fast on the way back from buying strong medicinal wine for Mr. Jaeger.

When Radko returned, he was surprised to find that the passengers were not on board.When he left there, Mr. Jagger was as bad as he could be.Although he saw the note left by Mr. Jaeger, Radko's surprise didn't diminish a bit.What reason was so urgent that Mr. Jaeger decided to leave regardless of his physical weakness?How could a Viennese citizen have any urgent affairs to attend to in this poor country far from the town?There must be a reason, but the navigator is puzzled. No matter what the reason is, Mr. Jaeger's sudden farewell is quite troublesome, because it will undoubtedly prolong the already long journey. If it were not for this unexpected event, the boat would have returned to the middle of the river. At that time, I had driven a lot of kilometers.

Radko was so anxious that he would have put aside Mr. Jaeger's entreaties, and set off at once, continuing his journey without a moment's delay.Destination Ruse attracted him like a magnet. However, the navigator backed down.He decided to wait for the passengers to return.He must fulfill his promise to the passengers.Moreover, weighing the pros and cons, I would rather lose a whole day's work than leave disputes for the future. Luckily he still had things to do, and he just took advantage of the rest of the day.This was barely enough time to put the ship's contents in order and repair the few things damaged by the storm.

Radko was the first to sort out the boxes, which he had rummaged through in the morning in vain.It wouldn't have taken much time, but just as he was packing the last box, his eyes fell on the wallet that had caught Dragosh's attention.The navigator opened the wallet like the police detective, and took out Nadya's portrait from the wallet in the same way, but the mood of the two was weird.This portrait was handed over to him tenderly by Nadya when the couple parted. For a long time, Radko stared at this kind face without blinking.Nadya!This is her, with that intoxicating expression, innocent eyes, her red lips are slightly parted, as if she is about to speak! With a sigh, he finally put the precious portrait back in his wallet, put the wallet in the case, put it away carefully, put the key in his pocket, and walked out of the cabin to do other work . But Radko was in no mood to do other work, so he stopped his hands quickly, and then simply sat on a bench with his back to the river bank, letting his eyes wander on the river.Unknowingly, his thoughts flew to Ruse, as if he saw his wife, and the small building full of singing and laughter. Of course, he didn't have the slightest regret.He has no hesitation in sacrificing his personal happiness for the motherland. If he had to do it all over again, he would do it again. However, this cruel sacrifice is so futile, what a pain it is for Radko!The uprising broke out before the time was right, and was finally suppressed because of isolation and helplessness. How many more years will the Bulgarian people groan under the iron heels of their oppressors?And can he cross the border himself?Even if you return to your motherland, can you meet your beloved one again?Wouldn't the Turkish invaders take the wives of their staunchest rebels as hostages?If so, what would they do with Nadya? Alas, what is this trivial family tragedy compared with the turmoil shaking the entire Balkan region?Compared with the disaster of thousands of people, what is the suffering of two people? !At this very moment, the entire Balkan peninsula is being ravaged by the barbaric aliens. The land is trembling under the rampant enemy horses everywhere. The flames of war are spreading in the poorest villages, bringing destruction! Currently battling the Turkish giants are two dwarfs: Serbia and Montenegro.Can these Davids defeat Goliath?Radko clearly knew how disparate the strength of the two sides in this battle was!He is full of anxiety, and hopes that the father of the Slavic nation, the Great Russian Tsar, may one day extend a strong helping hand to those oppressed sons. 【Note】David (about BC1010︱BC970), the king of Israel, was later included in the Bible. It is said that he stoned Goliath, the giant of the Philistines on the eastern coast of the Mediterranean Sea. Radko was so deep in thought that he forgot where he was.He wouldn't turn around even if a whole group passed by the river bank behind him, let alone only three people crept upriver. Although Radko didn't notice them, they saw the fishing boat as soon as they turned a corner along the river bank, and they spotted him at a glance.The three of them stopped immediately and whispered to each other. Among the three people who came, one of the readers is already acquainted.It was the one named Ticha who had appeared during the fishing boat's sojourn in Vienna.It was he and another accomplice who followed Karl.Dragosh was behind him, and the detective himself was staring at Ilya.Brush's tip.As for Brush, he acted aboveboard, going to the home of a middleman who was transporting arms to Bulgaria.It will be remembered that the two thugs tracked all the way to the boat, pinpointed the detective's floating quarters, and walked back, trying to figure out how to make good use of their unexpected discovery.Their plan is about to be put into action. The three of them lay down in the grass on the bank, watching Radko from there.The navigator was still brooding, completely unaware of their existence, not at all suspicious of disaster.However, this is a catastrophe!The three people lying in ambush in the grass were members of the Danube Gang, not ordinary bandits blocking roads and robbing in the wild mountains. Ticha was even an important member of this band of gangsters, second in stature, so to speak, to the heinous leader who brought dishonor to the navigator's name.The other two, Sacman and Zelang, are just ordinary minions with sound limbs, and it is enough to understand orders. it's him!As soon as Ticha spotted the small fishing boat moored at the bend of the river, he quickly reached out to stop the two accomplices and told them in a low voice. Dragos is him?Sackman asked. Um. Are you sure? Absolutely. But you can't see his face because his back is towards us.Zelang disagrees a bit. What does it do me to see his face?Titcha said, I don't know him anyway, I just watched him from a distance in Vienna. In this case But I remember that ship very clearly.Ticha interrupted him, that time when Radko and I were mixed in the crowd on the shore, we watched it very carefully, and I can't be wrong! all right, shall we go?one of them said. let's go.Ticha agreed, and at the same time untied a package under his arm. The navigator still didn't suspect that he was being watched, and he didn't hear the three approaching.He still didn't notice when they came softly along the thick grass by the river.He has been immersed in dreams, letting his thoughts chase the waves of the river, and rush to Najia and the motherland together. Suddenly, a mess of rope covered him at one end, blinding, suffocating and immobilizing him. He swayed, straightened his body, and struggled instinctively, but he was exhausted and couldn't get out. At this moment, he felt a heavy blow on the head, and he immediately fell into the cabin and passed out. It was a long time before he became vaguely aware that he was covered by a large fishing net called a trapeze net, which he himself had used many times for fishing. Serge.When Radko woke up from a semi-comatose state, he was no longer in the net.It is with this net that the enemy completely loses his ability to resist.At this time, he was bound back and forth countless times with a strong rope, and he could no longer move; moreover, a rag was stuffed in his mouth, which prevented him from shouting; his eyes were also covered by an opaque cloth strip, Can't see anything. Serge.Radko's first feeling after gradually waking up was extreme consternation.What happened?What does their sudden attack mean?What were they going to do with him?In a way, though, he could relax a bit.If they were trying to kill him, he would have died long ago.Since he's still alive and well, it means they don't want his life, and these attackers, whatever their purpose, are just trying to get him back. However, they did not know why they took him back, and for what purpose? It is difficult for him to answer this question!Are they thieves?Then they don't need to make a fuss, and carefully tie up the target of attack, isn't it easier and more reliable to stab him?Besides, this small boat is so crude, and there is nothing valuable in it, yet it still attracts the patronage of thieves, so these thieves are too pitiful. Are they out for revenge?This is even more impossible.Elijah.Brush never provoked right and wrong to make his own enemies.Radko's only enemies were the Turkish invaders, but they could not have known that the Bulgarian patriot had disguised himself as a fisherman.Even if they found out, Radko was not a prominent figure, and it was worth their risk, far away from the border, to travel thousands of miles to the hinterland of the Austrian Empire to kidnap him.Even if that were the case, the Turkish invaders would have been less likely to keep him than the thieves, and would have killed him long ago. Radko had to admit that, at least for a while, the truth of the kidnapping was not yet known.He was a very realistic man, who stopped wasting energy on useless guesswork, and devoted himself to the troubles that followed, while at the same time finding ways to escape at the first opportunity and regain his lost freedom. In fact, he is in a very difficult situation now, and it is impossible to have too many opportunities to escape. His whole body is tied up with ropes, and he has become stiff, unable to move at all.His eyes were tightly covered by the cloth, and it was impossible to know whether it was day or night.Radko had only to focus all his attention on his hearing, and the first thing he could feel was that he was now lying on the bottom of a boat, and it must be his own.Some strong arms were paddling furiously, and the boat was moving fast.The creaking sound of the scull in the ear of the oar and the rushing sound of the river water brushing against the side of the boat are clearly distinguishable. But in what direction is the boat heading?This was the second thing on his mind, and it did not bother Radko.Because he felt that there was an obvious difference in the water temperature between the left and right sides of his body.Moreover, every time the oars were stroked, the hull of the boat would vibrate. From this vibration, he felt that his body was lying in the direction of advancement.Just now, when the gangsters attacked him, the sun had just passed the mid-heaven, so he could easily conclude that half of his body was lying in the shadow cast by the ship's wall, and the ship was sailing from west to east, that is to say, Continue down the current, exactly the same course as it has ever been at the beck and call of its rightful owner. Those who detained him did not speak a word to each other.He heard no human voice except the groaning of the oars.This silent voyage lasted about an hour and a half, when suddenly the sun shone on his face, and Radko immediately knew that the ship was turning south.The navigator was not surprised at all, he knew the Danube very well, even the smallest bend in the river, and he knew that the ship was now sailing along the bend at the foot of the Pilisz Mountain, and it might not be long before it sailed east again. , and then turn north, so that after a certain voyage, the Danube began to flow straight down towards the Balkan Peninsula. However, the navigator was only half right.When Radko estimated that the boat had sailed into the middle of the Pilish bend, the sound of the oars hitting the water stopped abruptly.The ship was drifting forward by inertia, and suddenly, a rough voice roared. Get a boat pole, said one of the attackers.It's a pity that Radko's eyes were blindfolded and he couldn't see the speaker. Before the words were finished, the boat shook violently, and then there was a creaking sound, as if the hull of the boat lightly brushed against a hard object.Immediately, Serge.Radko was lifted and passed over several hands. Apparently the boat was alongside a much larger boat and the captive was loaded onto the other boat like a package.Radko pricked up his ears, paying close attention to the movement around him, but he still couldn't catch a single word.The gangsters said not a word, and the men who watched him gave away nothing but the feeling of a heavy breath from their gnarled hands and panting chests. Besides, Radko's body was shaking, being rambling about by these people, he didn't have the heart to think about other issues at all.He was lifted up and down the ladder, and the ladder gave him a severe scrape at the waist, and he was hit in many places, so he guessed that they let his body pass through a Narrow entrance.At last they removed his blindfold and gag, and, leaving him like a bundle, there was a dull thud as a trap door slammed on top of his head. The sound is off. Radko was knocked unconscious, and it was a long time before he came to himself.When sober, though his eyes and ears were now in use, his condition did not seem to be any better, and they thought it unnecessary to gag him, apparently because no one could hear him cry; they removed the blindfold because There was no light below, it was pitch black, even if he opened his eyes, it was in vain, and it was of no help to him.With the recovery of the sensory organs, the imprisoned person speculated that he was locked in the bilge of a ship. He tried his best, but he still couldn't find a gleam of light coming in from the cracks in the board.He couldn't make out anything.This is by no means like the darkness in the cellar, where you can always discern some faint light; but here is the absolute darkness, like the darkness shrouded in the tomb. How long has it been?Radko estimated that it should be midnight.Suddenly, there was a commotion from a distance, indistinct because of the distance.People were running, the sound of pounding footsteps gradually approaching, and the sound of a heavy package being dragged over his head.He judged that there was only a layer of floor thickness between those strange guys and him. Sound is close at hand.Now there were voices from next door, probably on the other side of one of the walls of his cell, but Radko could not guess what they were saying. Besides, the sound disappeared after a while.The poor navigator's surroundings fell into dead silence again, and the boundless darkness enveloped him. Serge.Radko fell asleep.