Chapter 4 Chapter 4 Captain Dog

April 5th is the day of departure.It was somewhat reassuring that the doctor was admitted on board.Wherever the venerable scholar suggested to go, people followed.But most of the sailors were not worried, but Shandon was afraid that some people would desert, so that the ship would be short-handed, and he was eager to go to sea.The coast is gone, and the boat sets off. Dr. Crawford's cabin was at the bottom of the poop, which took up the whole of the rear of the ship.The captain's and mate's cabins were on the opposite side, facing the deck.The captain's quarters, mysteriously closed, were furnished with all manner of implements, furniture, nautical clothing, books, and alternative clothing and supplies, as specified in a detailed inventory.On the orders of a stranger, the key to this room was given to him in Lubeck, and he alone could enter it.

This detail offended Shandon and robbed him of many opportunities as a commander.As for his own cabin, he had made it perfectly suitable for the intended voyage, knowing well the requirements of polar expeditions. The mate's quarters were situated on the lowest deck, forming a wide corridor for the sailors; one felt very comfortable there; such conveniences are seldom encountered in any other ship.It was cared for like a precious commodity; a cauldron took center stage in the public hall. Dr. Crawburn himself took responsibility; he had occupied his cabin since February 6, the day after the March's launch.

The happiest animal, he said, is the snail who can make its own shell at will; I am a snail of knowledge with all my heart. There is no doubt that his room is well-arranged as a shell that he cannot leave for long.The doctor organizes his scientific supplies with the pleasure of a scholar or a child.His books, his botanical atlas, his notebooks, his precision instruments, his physical instruments, his sets of thermometers, barometers, hydrometers, spectacles, compasses, sextants, maps, charts, small glasses Bottles, powders, a very complete set of travel phials, all in such order that the British Museum would be ashamed.This six-square-meter space holds endless treasures; the doctor can become a doctor, mathematician, astronomer, geographer, botanist or shellfish at any time without leaving his seat.

Admittedly, he's proud of these contraptions and is happy in his floating palace, which could be stuffed with three of his skinniest friends.And these people soon swarmed and became in the way, and even such a good-natured man as the doctor, in spite of the example set by Socrates, finally said: My house is so small, I hope God doesn't fill it with friends! To complete the description of the Forward, it would be necessary to add that the Great Dane's den was built under the window of the mysterious dwelling; but its savage occupants loved to roam the mid- and cargo-holds; it seemed impossible Domesticated, no one can understand its strange nature, especially at night, people will hear it let out a mournful howl, echoing eerily from cabin to cabin.

Is it mourning the absence of its master?Does it instinctively feel a dangerous journey?Does it foresee danger?The sailors agreed with one another that this was the last reason, and joked about it, and they all seriously believed that the dog was a beast reincarnated from the devil. Payne was quite a rough fellow, and one day he rushed to hit it, only to have the misfortune of falling around the winch corner and falling horribly on his head.It was agreed that the accident had occurred in the consciousness of the wonderful beast. Clifton, the most superstitious member of the crew, made the unusual remark that when the dog was in the poop, he always went with the wind; later, when the ship was out at sea tackling , the strange beast changed places every time it turned, like the captain of the Vampire, and kept his course.

Dr. Crowburny's gentleness and touch were enough to tame a tiger, but it was useless to try to win the dog's favor; The brute was not a hound of any kind.The people on board finally had to call him the captain, and he seemed to know the daily affairs of the ship like the back of his hand.The dog clearly had seafaring experience. Thus it was understood that the bosun's joke in reply to Clifton's friend was understood.And the claim wasn't so flimsy; more than one repeated it with a laugh, expecting to see the dog someday take human form and command the ships with a voice that shook the earth.

If Richard.Sandon was not affected by similar thoughts, nor was he without apprehension, and on the eve of departure, on the evening of April 5th, he discussed the subject with the doctor, Wall, and Mr. Johnson in the poop conference room. The four tasted a tenth of a grog.It was doubtless their last drink, for according to the requirements of Aberdeen's letter, no one on board, from the captain to the fireman, was strictly forbidden to drink, that is to say, they could not get wine, beer, Hard alcohol, unless you are sick and have a doctor's prescription. But since an hour the conversation has turned to departure.If the captain's instructions had been followed through, Sandon would have received a letter the next day containing his final instructions.

If this letter, said the commander, does not tell me the captain's name, at least tell us where the ship is going.Otherwise, where would the ship go? It is true, replied the doctor impatiently, that if I had been you, Sandon, I would have set off without the letter; the letter would surely follow us, and I am right. Do you hesitate?doctor!But where are you taking the boat, please? Drive to the North Pole, obviously!There is no doubt about it, nothing to worry about. Nothing to worry about!Wall retorted, why not go to Antarctica? Antarctica, cried the doctor, impossible!Would the captain think of crossing the Atlantic in this boat!Think about it.My dear Wall.

The doctor can find out the answer for you.said the latter. Go north, went on Sandon, but, tell me, doctor, to Spitsbergen?Or go to Greenland?To the Labrador Islands, or to Hudson Bay?If all roads can reach the same goal, that is, the insurmountable ice floes, there are many roads, and I really don't know whether to choose this one or the other.Can you give me a definitive answer, doctor? No, replied the latter, who was very sorry for being speechless, but anyway, in a word, what do you do if you don't get your letter? I do nothing, I wait. Are you not leaving?Croubney yelled, waving his glass desperately.

Yes, for sure. That would be wiser, answered Mr. Johnson slowly, and the doctor was circling the table now, because he couldn't sit still, yes, it was wiser, but too long a wait would have bad consequences: first , the season is good; to go north, we should take advantage of the thaw to cross Davis Strait; besides, the crew will grow more and more concerned that our men's friends and companions will let them leave the Forward, and they will treat us Adverse effects occur. It should be added, James.Wall went on to say that if there was a feeling of fear among our sailors, they would desert one by one, and I don't know, Commander, if you can reorganize your fleet.

But what to do?cried Shandon. You mean, countered the doctor, to wait, at least until tomorrow before despairing.The captain's promise has hitherto been fulfilled without incident; there is no reason to believe that we will not be informed of our destination when necessary; and I have not for a single moment doubted that we shall be sailing the Irish seas to-morrow; therefore, I My friends, I offer one last toast to our delightful voyage, which started off a bit unbelievable, but with sailors like you, success is guaranteed. So the four clinked glasses for the last time. Now, Commander, Mr. Johnson went on, if I had one piece of advice for you, it would be to make all preparations before departure and to reassure the crew of what you are doing.To-morrow's letter or not, get ready to sail, don't light the fire; the wind tends to be steady; there's nothing so labor-saving as sailing with a crosswind; get the navigator on board, and at high tide, get out of the quay, in the Anchor outside Birkenhead Headland; our people have no more contact with land, and if this diabolical letter comes at last, it will find us there or elsewhere alike. Well said, my honest Johnson!said the doctor, stretching out his hand to the aged sailor. Just do what he says!Shandon replied. Everyone went back to their rooms, sleeping hard, waiting for the sun to come up. The next day, the first letters were distributed in the city, none of which was addressed to Richard.Commander Shandon's. Nevertheless, he made ready to set off; the word spread quickly in Liverpool, as it was seen, that the crowds were rushing to the docks in the new Port of Princes. Many of them came to the ship, some to hug his companion for the last time, some to say goodbye to friends, some to have a last look at this strange ship, some to know where the voyage was heading, and people whispered , Seeing that the commander is more silent and cautious than before. He has his reasons for doing so. The clock struck ten, then eleven.At low tide about one o'clock in the afternoon, Shandon stood high on the forecastle, looking anxiously at the crowd, trying to read the secret of his fate in some one's face.But in vain, the sailors on the Vanguard carried out his orders silently, never taking their eyes off him, waiting for the failed communication. Mr. Johnson finished his preparations for sailing.The sky was overcast, and the sea was rough outside the dock; the wind was blowing hard from the southwest, but it was an easy start from the Mersey. At noon there was still no movement, and Dr. Croubney walked up and down restlessly, squinting, gesticulating, and impatient for the sea.He said it with some Latin grace.He was overwhelmed and overwhelmed.Shandon bit his lips tightly, bleeding. At this moment Johnson came up to him and said: Commander, if we're going to take advantage of the low tide, we shouldn't waste time, we'll have to leave the pier in an hour. Sandon took a last look around him, and then at his watch.The time for delivering the letter at noon has passed. Set off!he said to the boatswain. Everyone on the road!shouted the latter, ordering the spectators to leave the deck of the Vampire. There was a commotion in the crowd, and men began to jump on the gangway, back to the dock, and the men on board let go of the last anchors. But the confusion caused by the jostling and shoving of the sailors, who showed little respect for the curious beings, was mixed with the howling of the dogs.The animal jumped over the dense crowd of spectators and jumped to the forecastle ahead, its sound was dull. People dodged it when they saw it, it jumped up the poop, and the unthinkable happened, but thousands of witnesses saw it, and the dog captain had a letter in his teeth. a letter!cried Shandon, but is he on board? He had been on the ship, no doubt, but he was not, Johnson replied, pointing to the empty deck after the intruder had gone. captain!captain!it's here!cried the doctor, and he wanted to take the letter, but the dog threw his hand away with a great leap.It seemed that it was going to deliver the letter to Sandon himself. Here it is, Captain!the latter shouted. The dog approached; Sandon took the letter without difficulty, and Captain Dog barked three times in the deep silence of the ship and the quay. Shandon took the letter and did not open it. You can read the letter!read the letter!shouted the doctor. Shandon looked.There was no date or location on the envelope, just the following: Richard.Commander Shandon personally launched on the forward ship Sandon opened the letter and read: You headed towards the Cape of Good Hope, and you reached that place on April 20th. If the captain is not on board, you cross the Davis Strait and up the Baffin Sea to Melvey Sound. Captain of the March K． Z. Sandon carefully folded the concise letter, put it in his pocket, and gave the order to set off.His voice resounded in the east wind, with a certain solemn meaning. The Forward was soon out of the pier.A pilot from Liverpool led the way, and his dhow followed at a distance, down the current of the Mersey.Crowds flocked to the outer pier of Victoria Dock for one last glimpse of the peculiar ship.The two tower-masts, fore- and mizzen-sails were soon up, and the _Horror_ set sail, and, worthy of her name, she rounded Birkenhead and made full steam ahead on the Irish Sea.