Captain Grant's Children

Chapter 43 The only way out

The raft was finally finished.On February 2th, at 5:8 am.

10 O'Clock.The wind was blowing from the west, and the waves were beating the raft lightly, so that the tide was rising.

"Everyone is ready!" I saw John said. "Ready! Captain!" Wilson reported. "Get on the raft!" John ordered.I saw the raft started to drift by the wind and tide!The captain stood on the raft, directing the advance.Although it is only 9 nautical miles to the other side.However, the raft was going too slowly.If you have a small boat and a few good oars, you can reach the shore in less than three hours.

John's heart was looking forward to a successful landing.Because if all goes well, the raft will be docked at 3 p.m.

About 4 nautical miles before the walk is still very smooth.With the captain's experience and strength, coupled with skill.By noon, there were only 5 nautical miles to go.Looking far away, you can already see the blurred outlines of trees on the hills on the bank.The sky was so clear that there wasn't even a speck of cloud.It was already 12:30.

Paganel pointed to the sea to show that the tide had completely covered the reef. "There's still a rock out there!" said Lady Helene. "Where?" asked Paganel. "There!" Mrs. Helen replied, pointing to a black spot about 1 nautical mile ahead.

Paganel immediately sighed: "Oh, no! Let's see clearly, don't run into it."

After observing the direction of the reef, John issued an order: "Wilson, let's go around it!" The raft traveled half a mile in half an hour.

"Good! Captain!" replied the sailor, steering the wheel.What is strange is that the so-called black spot in front does not seem to be submerged at all, but is still lying on the waves.Doubt suddenly arose in John's heart, and he took Paganel's binoculars to watch the black spot. "That's not a rock! It looks like something floating in the sea!" John told everyone. "Could it be the broken mast of the Macquarie?" Mrs. Helen speculated.

"Impossible, impossible, the broken mast will not drift so far." Glenarvan also expressed his opinion.

"Ouch! I see it! It's a boat!" exclaimed John.

"It's the canoe of the Mercalli?" asked Glenarvan.

"Yes! That's it! I recognize it, it's turned over now!" cried John. "Ah? Could it be that their boat capsized and they all drowned? It's too tragic!" Madam Helen said with emotion.

"That's right! Ma'am." John replied, "It's so dark, and there are so many hidden reefs, and the waves are so big, can there be a way to survive? It's like an egg hitting a rock!"

"It's pathetic enough!" Mary sighed.After that, no one spoke again.

"That little boat, we can still use it after picking it up!" Glenarvan said suddenly.

"Yes!" John agreed with the suggestion, "Wilson, head towards the boat!" Two hours later, the raft reached the boat.Mulla carefully hauled the boat over to the side of the raft. "Is it empty?" John asked.

"Empty! Only, the side is cracked and useless, Captain," replied the sailor.

"Is it okay to make do with it?" asked MacNabbs. "No! It's all rotten!" "Oh, what a coincidence! If it works, we can go directly to Oakland in a boat..." Paganel muttered. "You don't want to think about this good thing! Let's go ahead on the raft! Don't waste time!" John said.

"Listen to you, John," said Glenarvan. "Keep going, Wilson!" ordered the young captain, "face the shore!" In this way, the raft traveled another two nautical miles.The wind has quietly stopped.Immediately afterwards, the ebb tide was about to begin.

The raft was almost motionless. "Broken down!" John immediately gave an order.Mulla carried out the order immediately.But the raft retreated about four meters, and the anchor cable was stretched very tightly.The sail was rolled up immediately.

So the raft has to wait for the next high tide.And there are only the last 3 nautical miles left on the land, which is already far away.

However, John doesn't plan to act at night - he is afraid of danger. For everyone's safety, he has to wait until 5 o'clock tomorrow morning.This is truly a hopeful and unattainable moment for everyone.

At this time, the sea was surging, one wave after another, even one wave higher than the other, rushing towards the coast as if prepared.

Glenarvan was a little puzzled, and asked John why he didn't ride the wave and go on.

"You may be mistaken, but it's actually an optical illusion, a so-called illusion! Watching the waves move, they don't actually move half an inch forward. If you don't believe me, try throwing a small piece of wood. It floats around but doesn't move forward. Stand still! At present, we can only wait patiently!" John explained.

"Let's have dinner first! We'll talk when we're full!" the major suggested.So, Aubine served dinner to his companions.The content of the dinner was that he distributed a few pieces of dried meat and a dozen large biscuits.Of course, as Secretary-General, he expressed his apologies.However, the people on the raft ate with gusto.The raft swayed non-stop in the waves, as if hitting a hard reef and bumping.The anchor cable was pulled tight, making a terrible noise.The captain ordered the anchor cable to be lowered every half hour.It was a wise move, for once the anchor cable broke, the raft would drift out to sea.The people on the raft waited anxiously for the night to pass quickly.Some dozed off constantly because of fatigue, while others were so anxious that they couldn't close their eyes.This difficult moment made everyone listless.

The sky slowly dawned, the tide began to rise again, and the sea breeze was blowing.At 6 o'clock in the morning.John seized this favorable moment and gave the order to weigh the anchor.

at 9 o'clock.The raft was just one nautical mile from shore.Another difficult problem appeared in front of everyone: how to dock?Because the beach near here is so steep and slippery, it's almost impossible to get close!At present, I can only use the power of the high tide to float towards the shore, and there is no other better way.

10 O'Clock.The raft stopped.How to do it?The captain was very anxious now, because he was so anxious that he couldn't drop the anchor. The anchor was gone; and the shore was already in front of everyone's eyes.And John fidgeted like an ant on a hot pan, his hands trembling involuntarily.Others also have the feeling of a hundred claws scratching their hearts.well!

Suddenly the raft began to tremble.What a crooked shot!The raft was knocked on the sand and held there securely.God help these suffering people, and this beach is only 200 meters away from the shore.

It's really too late, but it's fast then.Glenarvan, Robert, Wilson, and Mullardi jumped into the water quickly, and soon tied the raft to the nearby reef.After that, Helen and Mary were lifted up by everyone, and they were picked up and sent off with each other, and they were passed to the shore without even getting their shoes and socks wet.Immediately afterwards, the men moved weapons and food to the shore.In any case, we finally reached land.

(End of this chapter)