Chapter 17 Chapter 17 Swimming Night Attack

Small fishing boats galloped across the water.Emotional and angry, Radko rowed the oars more frantically than ever.Driven by anger and desire for revenge, he has already surpassed the limits of his body. He only rests for a moment every night. When he is exhausted, he falls straight on the deck and falls asleep. Open your eyes, it's like being woken up by a bell, and then put into the hard work again. Dragosh witnessed his tenacious pursuit of the enemy, and couldn't help admiring him. He couldn't imagine such a tenacious perseverance in a person's body. However, he did see this miracle in a person.A man draws superhuman energy from the deepest despair.

The detective, not wanting to disturb the unfortunate navigator in the slightest, kept quiet without saying a word.What had to be said had been said to him by the detective when they left Ruse.In advance, when the boat left the shore, Dragos made the necessary explanations to the navigator.He told him who he was; and then Dragos briefly explained why he was traveling in this ship, and that it was nothing more than to hunt down the Danube robbers, whose leader was generally believed to be Radko of Ruse. The navigator listened nonchalantly, looking very impatient. What does it matter to him?He had only one thought, one purpose, one hope: Nadya!

So when Dragos talked about the young woman, the navigator began to listen attentively. Dragos told him that from Ticha's mouth, Nadya had been caught by the bandits on the barge. Now heading downstream, the barge was commanded by the leader of the bandit, whose real name was not Radko, but Striga. Hearing this name, Radko couldn't help roaring. Striga!he yelled, gripping the oar handle with convulsive hands. He didn't have to ask any more.Since then, he has been sailing the boat with one heart, without interruption, without rest, with his brows furrowed and his eyes wide open, his whole soul has been galloping forward towards the goal.This goal, he concluded, was within his reach.why?He couldn't tell, anyway, he was sure of it, for sure!The flat-bottomed barge that imprisoned Nadia, even if it was among a thousand boats, he could recognize it at a glance.How do you recognize it?He also had no idea.He would recognize it anyway.This is indisputable and there will be no question.Now, he finally understands.When he was imprisoned on the boat, why did he always feel that he knew the guard who was in charge of serving him food; why the vaguely heard voice would cause a strong echo in his heart.It turned out that the guard was Ticha; the one who spoke was precisely the voice of Striga and Nadya, and the cry from the night sky was Nadya's helpless cry for help in a desperate situation!Why didn't he stop then?At this moment, how remorseful and guilty he felt in his heart!

When he fled from the barge, he had no idea that he was abandoning the one he loved the most.Therefore, he only glimpsed the shadow of the floating prison in the dark night.But it doesn't matter, this is enough, once the barge appears in his field of vision, deep in his heart, there will definitely be a mysterious voice reminding him to pay attention. In fact, Radko's wish is not as difficult to realize as others imagine.Because there were very few boats traveling on the Danube, it was unlikely that Radko would mistakenly identify the barge.After passing Orshova, the number of barges continued to decrease, and after Ruse, there were even fewer, and most of the largest ships were moored in the city of Silistri in Bulgaria.The small fishing boats reached the city after sailing for twenty-four hours, and thereafter there were only two self-propelled barges on the river, and the rest were almost all steamers.

In the vicinity of Ruse, the surface of the Danube is already very wide, the riverbed is more than eight kilometers wide, and the left bank stretches endless swampland.Downstream the river is even wider, and between Silistri and Braila it is even twenty kilometers wide.Such a wide water surface is almost like an ocean, and the storms come and attack, and the raging waves almost never calm down.Flat-bottomed barges can't stand the big waves, and they dare not venture here. Radko was, by God's help, a fine, calm day.The small boat he was driving was small in size and not suitable for sailing. As long as the wind was a little stronger, he had to take shelter in the river bend on the bank.

Dragosh was sincerely concerned about the anxieties of his traveling companions, while at the same time he was looking for his own purpose; looking at the vast and desolate river, he could not help being confused.Could Ticha provide him with false information?All the barges were mooring, and he feared that Striga's barges would have to be moored like the others.He became more and more uneasy, and finally asked Radko: Can the barge go out to sea? Yes, replied the navigator, this is rare, but it can be seen occasionally. Have you ever driven one yourself? Have driven a few times. What should I do when it's time to unload?

There are some small harbors on the other side of several estuaries, where the barges are moored, and the steamer will come to pick up the cargo. Haikou, do you mean that there are several branches flowing into the sea? There are mainly two main streams that flow into the sea, Radko replied, the one to the north is called the Kilia, and the one to the south is called the Sulina.The mouth of the Sulina River is the largest estuary to the sea. Will this throw us off the hook?Dragos asked. No, the navigator said with certainty that those illegally smuggled ships would go through the Sulina main stream, so we will take the northern tributary.

Dragosh was still skeptical of this answer.You go through this main stream, and the bandits can escape through the other.what else can we do?It's just a matter of luck, because you won't be able to monitor all the estuaries at the same time.Radko seemed to read what was on his mind, so he added some explanations to convince him. In addition, on the other side of the mouth of the Kilia River, there is a small harbor where barges can transfer goods.Ships at the mouth of the Sulina River must unload at the seaside Sulina Port.Further south, the main St. George's, though the widest of the tributaries, is only barely navigable.So you don't have to worry about anything going wrong.

On the morning of October 14th, that is, four days after setting sail from Ruse, the small fishing boat finally entered the Danube Delta.The boat passed on the left side of the Sulina River and went straight into the Kilia channel.At noon they passed Izmail, the last larger city along the coast.Early the next morning, they will enter the Black Sea. Can we catch Striga's barge before reaching the Black Sea?There is little indication of this.Since they left the main stream, the river has been so lonely.Looking around, I can no longer see a sail, and there is no light smoke.Strong unease tormented Dragos.

As for Radko, even if he was a little worried, he didn't show it.He always bent over and rowed, focused on driving along the channel, and relentlessly pushed the fishing boat forward.Only with years of accumulated experience can he walk freely between the shallows and swamps. His dogged perseverance and extraordinary courage should be rewarded.Just before five o'clock in the afternoon, a barge finally came into his sight.It is moored more than ten kilometers downstream of Kilia Castle.Radko stopped the oars, picked up a telescope, and examined the barge carefully. is it!He put down the binoculars and said in a low voice.

Are you sure? Unmistakable, Radko decided, I recognized Jakub.Ogur, he is a skilled navigator in the town of Ruse, and he is dedicated to working for Striga. He must be on this barge. What shall we do?Dragos asked. Radko didn't answer immediately, he was thinking. We must go back to Kiria, and even get Izmail, before we can find reinforcements.said the detective. The navigator shook his head in disapproval of the idea. It will take a long time to return to Izmail against the current, even to retreat to Kiria.And the barge kept going, and once it was out to sea, it was never to be found again.No way, let's stop here and wait until it gets dark.I have an idea, in case my plan fails, we will follow the barge far behind, find out where it is anchored, and then go to Sulina for help. At eight o'clock in the evening, it was completely dark.Radko let the boat drift down the current to a place more than 200 meters away from the barge, and dropped anchor quietly.Then, without any explanation, he took off his clothes and jumped into the water.Dragos watched all this in amazement. Radko paddled with his strong arms, and swam straight towards the shadow of the barge, visible in the darkness, until he was in front of it, but always at a sufficient distance so as not to be seen; , he turned back and approached the barge against the current.The water was moving fast, but at last he caught hold of the broad stern rudder.He listened intently, the water flowing past the side of the boat, like the vibrating sound of silk, almost covered up a dance music faintly passed to his ears.It turned out that above his head, there was a person humming softly. Radko grasped the sticky plank of the hull with his hands and feet, and slowly raised his head to the rudder board. At this moment, he recognized that person was Yaku Bo.Augur. It was very quiet on board.There was no sound in the deckhouse either.Ivan.Striga is probably hiding there.The five crew members lay on the deck at the bow, chatting leisurely, their conversations mingling into a vague hum.There is only Yakub at the stern.Augur alone.He climbed onto the roof of the deck cabin, sat on the tiller, hummed a familiar little song, and enjoyed the silence of the night as the ship swayed. The singing suddenly disappeared.Two iron hands tightly strangled the singer's neck, and he swayed above him, just falling onto the rudder board.is he deadHands and feet were hanging down, and the body was unconscious, like a piece of soft cloth clothes hanging on both sides of the narrow rudder spine.Radko let go, grabbed the big man's belt, then gradually reduced the pressure on the rudder plate from his knees, slowly slid his body down, and finally slipped back into the water quietly. No one on the barge was aware of the attack.Striga did not come out of the cabin, and the five people on the front deck were still chatting leisurely. At this moment Radko swam to the boat.When I came back, I was more strenuous than when I went. In addition to going upstream, I had to support Ogul's body.Even if this guy is not dead, there are not many breaths left.The cold swishing water did not revive him, and he did not move.Radko began to worry about whether he had hit too hard just now. It took five minutes to swim from the small boat to the barge, but it took more than half an hour to cover the same distance back, and Radko was lucky not to get lost in the darkness. Help me, he finally returned to the boat and hurriedly said to Dragosh that he got one. With Dragosh's help, he forcefully lifted Ogul over the side and into the boat. is he deadRadko asked. Dragos leaned over the captive. No, he replied, still angry. Radko breathed a sigh of relief in satisfaction, and immediately took up the oar and rowed against the current. Listen to me, tie him up, tie him up tight, he said, rowing, if you don't want him to slip away from you when I get you ashore. You mean we split up?Dragos asked. Yes, Radko replied, I will go back to the barge after you land, and tomorrow I will try to get on the barge. Go up in broad daylight? Yes, I have my own ideas.Don't worry, at least for a while, I'm safe. Later, when we approach the Black Sea, there will be no guarantee that nothing will happen.At that point, it's all up to you.I'll try to stall for as long as I can, though. Count on me?What can I do? Bring some men to support me. I'll do my best, don't worry.Dragos enthusiastically agreed. I'm not worried, but you might run into some trouble.Do your best, that's all.Please bear in mind that the barge will weigh anchor tomorrow at noon, and will be out to sea around four o'clock in the afternoon if it is sailing normally.You act according to this time. Why don't you go with me?Dragos asked, worried for him. Because you're afraid you won't be able to make it in time, the Striga buys time and can get away.It is impossible to stop them from reaching the sea without me, with me on the barge, even if your reinforcements are late.However, if you come too late, I will most likely not survive. The navigator's words were irrefutable, and Dragos understood that no matter what he did, he would not change his mind, so he stopped insisting on his own opinion. So the boat sailed to the shore.Yakubo, still unconscious.Ogul was lifted to the ground. Serge.Radko immediately turned around and pushed the boat away from the shore.The small fishing boat disappeared into the night.