Chapter 4 Stranded in the fourth quarter

It is now eight o'clock in the evening, and the southeasterly wind has been blowing for some time, and it beats the shore with unusual ferocity. A ship sailing in such bad weather must take risks if it wants to cross America to reach the end. Risk of capsizing and drowning. This ship is facing this kind of danger. The sound of the guns heard just now undoubtedly proves all of this. In the stormy weather, if you want to pull the full sail and sail against the wind, the ship will naturally deviate from the course and hit the reef . Half an hour later, the Indian and his son were clinging to the rocks, clasping the strands of tall grass growing in the crevices, and climbing up. At this time, Le Corgi was not alone on the top of the island. rang, and finally they joined Le Corgis.

The boat is to the west.Caloli confirmed that the gunfire was coming from that direction. The boat steers to starboard.Le Corgis agreed with this statement, for the ship was close to the headland when the first shot was fired. He couldn't get through it, Calori asserted. Yes, replied Le Corgis, why not steer left and go the other way? May not be able to steer. Very likely, but maybe no land in sight. We should point to them, light a fire, light a fire!cried Le Corgi. They suddenly became flustered, and hurried to the side of the promontory with dense bushes, picked up some tree trunks and branches and brought them back. The dry firewood that was burned was placed on the top of this huge round mountain.

Le Keji lit the lighter, lit the primer first, and then used it to set the dead leaves and branches on fire. After a while, under the strong wind, the whole haystack burned vigorously. In the blink of an eye, a pillar-like flame , soaring to the sky in a crooked manner, releasing a strong light.At the same time, billowing thick smoke drifted northward, the roar of the storm, the roar of the raging waves, and the crackling sound of burning tree knots merged together. The Promontory of Orles seemed perfectly suited to build a lighthouse here, so as to light up the pole where the two oceans lie together.It also provides the necessary conditions for safe navigation. It can be asserted that the accidents in the bay here are so frequent that if a lighthouse is installed, the disasters will be reduced sharply.

Although there is no lighthouse here at this time, the fire lit by Le Corgi and the others illuminates the top of the mountain, and the ship can be seen. At least the captain will not be unaware that he is on the top of the promontory. Guided by this fire, the ship will not yaw.It should be completely possible to enter the channel of Orle, but at this time the sky is dark and the command and operation are still brewing a terrible crisis. If the people on board don't know anything about the topography of these sea areas, it will be even worse!Driving safely in this reef-ridden area is next to impossible.

The fire was still shining in the dark, and Algie and Calori were still adding fuel, and the things that could be burned on it were ready to burn until dawn if necessary. Le Corgi stood on the top of the hill, leaning forward, trying to determine the position of the ship, but because of the darkness, his efforts were in vain. Suddenly, the rain stopped and the fog cleared, and the bright moon was in the sky immediately. He immediately took advantage of this fleeting moment to try his best to see that it was a four-masted sailing ship, which looked like a black ship on the turbulent sea. It was determined that the ship was still heading east, struggling with the wind and the waves of the sea with difficulty and danger.

There was a brief silence between gusts of wind, and at this moment, there was another catastrophic cracking sound. It turned out that the two mizzen masts near the mast base had just been broken. It's over, Callori cried. aboard!Le Corgi ordered. The three risked their lives, ran down the steep slope of the headland, and within a few minutes came to the beach, followed by the dog, and they boarded the boat together, with Algie at the helm, Le Corgi and Calori paddling. , because it was too late to untie and set sail, the boat sailed out of the small bay. Although they tried their best to raise their arms and row forward.The Veer︱Jet skiff just rowed out of the reef, and the boat seemed to be falling apart, shaking up and down, flipping from one end to the other, and sometimes, as sailors often say: the whole bow sticks out of the water , and then fell again, and the waves hit the ship like a torrential rain on the deck, causing splashes in all directions.The water came up to the stern of the boat, filling the boat so full that the boat nearly sank under the weight, so that Algie had to throw away the rudder and go to bail out with a long wooden spoon.

In any case, Weierjie got close to the ship, and now he could see its position light clearly, but what he saw was a big ship, like a big black buoy on the sea surface, rolling up and down, and the two masts were knocked down , hanging from the ropes of the mast, floated and swayed, and at the same time the foremast and mainmast also bent, forming a semicircular arc, piercing the mist. What the hell does a captain do?Le Corgi shouted, why didn't he throw off these masts, drag this tail, and think about the course here, it's impossible! Indeed, the urgent task now is to cut off the masts and the ropes hanging from the ship. It seems that the ship is in a mess, and maybe even the captain of the ship is gone. Seeing this critical moment, no one can do anything to remedy it. Measures, that's the only way to think about it.

All the crew here are not ignorant that the ship has been stranded on land and will be smashed to pieces!Orle Strait, the fire on the top of the mountain, was still blazing, and it danced in the air like a long ribbon, when a gust of wind blew by, and the blazing fire burned even more. Well, there must be no one on board!The Indian told Le Corgi that he agreed with the signs observed. In any case, it is very likely that the crew on board have abandoned the ship and fled for their lives!And at this time, he was sitting in a lifeboat, rowing to the shore with all his strength. Since, during brief lulls in the rough seas, no cries or cries for help could be heard, the ship could not have been a coffin of the dead, whose bodies would have struck the reef and been smashed to pieces .

Suddenly, the ship deviated from the course again, sailing on the starboard side, and almost sank the Veerjet boat. Fortunately, it changed direction again, and the Veiljet passed the boat dragging the mast rope. The Indians He quickly grabbed one end of the cable, wrapped it around with his hand, and tied it to the bow of the boat. Then he and his boy, followed by Le Corgi, with the dog in his arms, leaped over the bulwarks and onto the deck. However, their judgment was wrong, the ship was not abandoned, on the contrary, a group of chaotic, nearly crazy men, women and children packed the ship densely, and most of them were lying on the ground directly leading to the deckhouse. Looking at them, you can see thousands of poor people in grief. They couldn't stand up because of the bumps and shakes, and even if they stood up, they couldn't stand still because of the bumps and shakes.

In the darkness, no one noticed that two men and a child had jumped aboard their boat. Le Corgi ran towards the bottom of the boat, hoping to find the helmsman who stood firm.There is no one at the helm, no one pulling the sail, it will be pushed wherever the wind blows it. Did the captain and other officials disregard their responsibility and abandon the ship and flee for their lives in a despicable way! ? Le Corgis grabbed a sailor and asked: Where's the captain?he asked in English. The man didn't seem to realize that it was a stranger who was asking him, and just shrugged his shoulders.

Where's your captain?Le Corgi asked again. And another was tied up.said the sailor in a tone of strange indifference. It seems that the ship lost its captain, and some of the crew rebelled against the captain. Where's the first mate?Le Corgi asked. The sailor looked a little panicked and shrugged again. The first officer replied that his leg was broken, his head was blown out, and he was standing in the middle cabin. What about the second officer?Where's the boatswain?where are they all The sailor made a gesture to show that he knew nothing. So who is commanding the ship?Le Corgi shouted. you!Calori replied. Well, go to the helm.Le Corgi ordered, full rudder! Caloli and he strode to the stern, gripping the rudder tightly to turn the bow, and with a lot of effort the boat ruddered slowly to port. The full boom was at right angles to the keel, Le Corgi ordered. Due to the favorable wind, the ship has been shut down, and it is possible to reach the west of Orles by gliding at a spare speed. What is the destination of this ship?We will know later. As for the name and registry of the ship, by the dim light of the wind lamp, one can vaguely see the words "Jonathan", San Francisco, these words seen on the engine. The ship rolled and pitched violently, making steering very difficult, and all efforts were in vain.The ship had no choice but to drive slowly at the previous speed. Le Corgi and Calori had no choice but to take advantage of the last bit of light that was still burning on the top of Orle Mountain, which was estimated to last not long, and tried every means to keep the ship in the channel. Yes, it only takes a few minutes to reach the mouth of the canal. On the starboard side of the ship, Helmet Island and Orle Island echo each other. During this period, there is a vast canal.I hope that the ship can avoid hidden reefs when it enters the middle of the canal, so that it may be able to find a place sheltered from wind and waves to anchor, and then it can wait for the sun to rise safely. First, Calori was so flustered by these few that he didn't even notice a single Indian, assisted by commanding sailors, cut the shrouds and port backstays that still trailed the mast behind, and their violent collision finally It would cause the hull to be smashed to pieces. Now that the ropes have been cut and the mast floated away, part of the worry can be reduced. As for the Wer-jet, he was pulled aft by the catch to prevent possible collisions. The weather was getting worse, with huge waves crashing over the ship's bulwarks and crashing into the boat, causing some of the passengers on board to become even more uneasy.The best way is to let them take shelter in the deckhouse and the middle cabin, but it is very difficult for these poor people who are still in shock to hear clearly and understand for a while. Although the waves in the west constantly hit the sides of the hull, causing the ship to shake excessively, it still passed through the headland, brushed past the densely packed reefs, and was pulled forward to replace the triangular sail. Under the blowing of the wind blowing from Orles Island, the boat moved slowly, because the height of Orles Island can block part of the blowing wind. It was another relatively calm time when someone boarded the cab and walked up to Le Corgi and Calori who were manipulating the steering wheel. who are you?he asked. pilot.Le Corgi replied, what about you? Boatswain. Where is your officer? died! all dead? all dead. Why are you not in your post? I just woke up after being knocked unconscious by a falling mast. Oh well!You rest for a while, do this work, my partner and I, more than enough.But when you calm down, you have to gather all your men, and order needs to be restored here. Now it does not mean that they are safe and sound, but there is no danger. On the contrary, there is still a long, long way to safety!When the ship sailed to the north of the island, it was about to be violently impacted by wind and waves.This kind of wind and waves blows all the way through the strait between Orles Island and Hellscher Island. It is useless to try to avoid this passage and find another way out. Any place can make the Jonathan stop and avoid risks.The direction of the wind gradually turned to the south, and after a while, this side of the peninsula could no longer hold back the strong wind. Le Corgi had nothing to ask for, but only hoped to go westward, to the south coast of Helmet Island, where the coastline was tens of miles long, and he was blessed with a shelter from the wind. On the back of one of the capes, about It is not impossible for the Nathan to find a hiding place.Now that the weather has become calm again, Caloli wants to take advantage of this favorable wind to enter the Beager Canal. Although he almost lost control of his whole body, he still holds the rudder tightly and lets the boat cross the Strait of Magellan towards Penta︱Alras drove away. However, there are still many difficulties and dangers to reach Helmet Island!How can we avoid the dotted reefs in this sea area?Moreover, there is only one triangular sail left on board, how can we ensure that it does not deviate from the course in the darkness of night? After more than 60 minutes of thrilling and turbulent waves, the rocks at the end of Orle Island have been left far behind, and the sea waves began to violently hit the hull again. With the help of a dozen sailors, the bosun successfully installed a triangular sail on the foremast that can be used in case of storms. It took them at least half an hour to install it, and it took a lot of effort. Thoroughly raised to the top, the boat is propelled forward by momentum generated by tailwinds and headwinds.But the crew can't feel at ease just because they have all these things. They still have to work hard and do their best to look after the ship. Obviously, for a ship of this tonnage, the effect of this kind of sail is insignificant. With the current wind force, it will take at least an hour to pass the seven or eight miles of sea between the two islands. In the hours leading up to eleven o'clock, Le Corgi and Calori had begun to think that their efforts would be accomplished.But a chilling rumble instantly overwhelmed the sound of the squalling wind. On the deck a fore-mast was snapped, and a section of the main-mast fell, smashed against the bulwarks, and then disappeared without a trace. Several people were injured in this accident, as can be judged from hearing the hoarse screams.At the same time, a huge wave hit the Jonathan again, causing the ship to tilt to the point that it almost capsized. Later, it turned around, and a torrent flowed on the ship from left to right, from front to back, sweeping everything in its path like a wind and cloud. Fortunately, the wreckage of the broken mast was swept away by the wind and waves, and the ship was not injured. body. The Jonathan was riddled with holes, and has since become a broken ship that cannot control its course and drifts arbitrarily. We are screwed!a shout. No more lifeboats, another moan. Pilot's dinghy!A third hysterical voice. stop!Le Corgi ordered in an aggressive, indisputable tone. In just a few seconds, the bosun had the sailors stand up as a wall, blocking the way of these crazy passengers.They had no choice but to hope that the sailors would let loose a way. After an hour, Caloli vaguely saw a large piece of land in the northern region. What miracle made the Jonathan sail smoothly into the channel that separates Helscher Island and Helmite Island? !The raised part of Wollaston Island can be seen clearly, but the wind and waves are still there, and Wollaston Island is quickly thrown behind the starboard side of the ship What is more frightening?Is it the wind?Is it a wave?Will the Jonathan be blown east of Khost Island?Or get pushed by the waves, off course and over Khost Island from the south!In the early hours of the morning there was another formidable impact, and the ship, bobbing up and down, came to a halt, and the ship was completely aground on the starboard side! The American ship ran aground at high tide on the eastern shore of Khost Island, often mistaken for Cape Orles.