The Mysterious Island Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea by Captain Grant's Children

Chapter 161 The Mysterious Island (46)
In their opinion, Ayrton must have been caught by the pirates on the spot and killed by them, and these villains may also plan to attack "Lincoln Island" in the dark!
In this way, half an hour passed in extreme anxiety.At this moment the firing ceased, but Ayrton and Pencroft did not return for a long time.What is the situation now?Has the island been taken over?Are they supposed to save Ayrton and Pencroft?But what kind of rescue?At this time, the tide was rising, and the strait was impassable.The canoes are not here either!It is not difficult to imagine the anguish of Cyrus Harding and his companions under such circumstances!

At around 12:30 in the middle of the night, a canoe carrying two people finally landed in the anticipation of everyone.Ayrton had been lightly wounded in the shoulder, but Pencroft was unharmed.They were warmly welcomed by their friends.

Everyone immediately hid in the safe "chimney".There, Ayrton told the whole story, and also said that he was going to implement the plan to bomb the ship.

Everyone held out a hand to Ayrton, who had made it known how critical the situation was on the island.The pirates have been alarmed, they know that "Lincoln Island" is inhabited.They would land fully armed and without moral scruples.It is conceivable that once the immigrants fall into their hands, they will not even think about surviving.

"Well, we are willing to sacrifice to defend our homeland, but we will not sacrifice in vain!" said the reporter.

"Let's go back to the Chimney, and be on high alert," said the engineer.

"Have we any chance of escape, Mr. Cyrus?" asked the sailor.

"Yes, Pencroft."

"Really? Six against fifty!"

"Yes! Maybe six people...but that's not counting..."

"Who doesn't count?" asked Pencroft.

Cyrus didn't answer, just pointed to the sky.

Bombardment of Granite Palace

The night passed without incident.The immigrants, who have always maintained a high level of vigilance, never left the "chimney" outpost.The pirates were also silent and did not try to land.After the last shots at Ayrton were heard no more were heard, and it was not known whether the boat was still on shore or not.Anyway, no one knows what the real situation is like, so just think that it is fighting against an overly powerful opponent, so it quietly lifts the anchor and slips away.

But the situation was not as imagined. When the morning just arrived, an indistinct thing appeared in front of the immigrants through the morning fog. It was the "Endeavour".

The engineer said to everyone: "Let me tell you what we should do. We must use the current mist before it dissipates. With it, the pirates will not easily find us, and our actions will not cause them Attention. The most important thing is to convince these criminals that there are many residents on the island who can mount enough resistance. So we have to divide into three groups, the first group guards the 'chimney' here, and the second group guards 'Grateful' River' estuary, the remaining third group stood on the island to prevent or even delay the pirates' landing. We had four rifles and two carbines, which allowed each of us to have a weapon, and we also There is plenty of powder and ammunition, no need to worry about that. As for the guns on that ship, even the cannon, we have nothing to fear, the rocks will provide us with cover. If you shoot at the windows, the pirates won't be firing there. Remember that the shells will cause irreparable damage. The fear is that eventually there will be fighting. Given their numbers, their landing must be prevented At this time, try not to expose yourself. If you really want to fight, you can take continuous shooting regardless of ammunition, but you must hit accurately. Looking at the current situation, each of us must kill at least six to eight enemies. To destroy them!"

When analyzing the situation, Cyrus Harding's voice was very calm, as if he was directing a project, not a battle of life and death.Everyone agreed with his proposal, and no one even raised an opinion.Afterwards, everyone arrived at their respective posts according to his arrangement before the fog cleared.

Pencroft and Neb immediately went to the "Granite Palace" to retrieve enough ammunition.The two excellent marksmen, Jardine Splain and Ayrton, were assigned two precision carbines, with a range of nearly a nautical mile.The remaining four guns were divided between Cyrus Harding, Pencroft, Neb, and Harbert.

Their posts are arranged as follows:
In charge of the "chimney" were Cyrus Harding and Herbert, who were to control the great stretch of sand at the foot of Granite House;

Hiding among the rocks at the mouth of the Thanksgiving River were Jardine Splain and Neb.Now all the suspension bridges on the "Grateful River" have been raised, and no one can pass over them.So as long as they can prevent someone from driving a small boat through the river mouth and landing on the opposite bank;
The last two were Ayrton and Pencroft, who intended to cross the channel in canoes, and occupy two outposts on the island.Once the personnel are dispersed in this way, the shooting locations will be more scattered, which will give the criminals the illusion that there are many residents on the island resisting and the defense is very tight.

If Ayrton and Pencroft could not stop the pirates as they made their landing, they should have returned to the shore in their canoes, to aid where the situation was still more critical.

The migrants shook hands one last time before separating to their respective posts.Pencroft showed enough self-control in embracing his child, Harbert, to hold back his emotions!After saying goodbye to each other, they parted.

It took only a short time for Cyrus Harding and Harbert to disappear on one side of the rock, and the reporter and Neb on the other side, and they circled behind the rock and took cover respectively. Five minutes later, Ayrton and Pencroft also passed quickly through the channel, and as soon as they landed on the island, they quickly hid themselves in the depression on the east coast.

Their actions went undetected and the pirates knew nothing about it.For they could hardly see the brig in the mist.

It is 06:30 in the morning.

Soon, the fog near the top gradually dissipated, and the ship's masthead was exposed.After a while, a large swirl of fog rolled over the sea.Then the sea breeze also blew up, and the mist was quickly blown away.

The Endeavor was fully revealed, at two anchors, with her north-south orientation so that her port quarters faced the island.Not more than 1.25 nautical miles from the shore, which was exactly as Cyrus Harding had reckoned.

From the ship's gaff flew the ominous black flag.

Through the telescope, the engineer saw that the four cannons that made up the ship's artillery had been aimed at the island.It appeared that they would open fire at the first signal.

But the "Endeavour" did not move at all.He saw thirty or so pirates walking up and down the deck.A few more were on the poop, and a couple of fellows by the mainmast were watching the island intently through binoculars.

It seems that Bob Harvey and his crew may not have figured out what happened on the ship that night.As soon as they realized that the half-naked man had opened the door of the powder magazine, they exchanged fire with him.The man shot them six times, killing one of them and wounding two more.I don't know the condition of that person, was he injured?Did you swim back to shore?Where did he come from?What are you going to do on board?Was it really going to blow up their ship, as Bob Harvey thought?These questions make criminals unable to figure out what to do.But they finally understood one thing, that is, the unnamed island before their anchorage was inhabited, and it was not a deserted island.There may also be a large group of immigrants on the island who will defend it to the death.The strange thing is that no sign of any residents has been found so far.Not on the high ground, nor on the beach, the whole coastal area is like a wasteland.There is no sign that there are people living here. Could it be that the residents have fled to the island?

The leader of the pirates probably thought so, and maybe he had to make a cautious judgment on the situation. Before issuing the order to enter the island, he must observe the situation on the island clearly.

Four and a half hours had passed, and there had been no sign of an attack or landing on board.This shows that Bob Harvey is still hesitating.Even the best binoculars failed to spot any settlers hiding behind rocks.He may not have noticed the greenery and creeping vines, but they concealed the windows of Granite House, highlighted the bare stone walls, and formed a sharp contrast with the rocks.

Who could have imagined it?On that hill, in the granite of the highlands, there was a dwelling hidden there.From Cape Claw to Cape Jaw, and even around United States Bay, few could possibly have told him that the island was or might be taken.

Just at eight o'clock, the colonists noticed movement on the Endeavor.Someone pulled the tackle on the ship's frame, and a small boat had launched into the sea. There were seven people on board, all armed with guns.One man was at the helm, four were paddling, and the remaining two were squatting on the bow while observing the situation on the island and ready to shoot at any time.

It seems that their purpose is not to actually land, but to conduct a preliminary investigation, because if they are going to land, it is impossible for only a few people to come.

The pirates had already seen that there was a small island in front of the coast as a cover, and a strait half a mile wide separated them.Cyrus Harding, observing the direction in which the boat was traveling, soon ascertained that its purpose was not to cross the channel, but to approach the island.Indeed, the pirates were justified in being so cautious.

Pencroft and Ayrton, who had each hid in a hollow in the rock, saw the boat coming straight towards it, and waited patiently for the boat to come within range.

The advancing boat appeared to be very cautious, and the frequency of paddling was long at intervals.Meanwhile, the convict in the bow was measuring the depth of the channel made by the Thanksgiving River with a sounding line.This illustrates Bob Harvey's intention to keep the sailboat as close to shore as possible.Scattered among the shrouds were some thirty pirates, watching every movement of the ship and noting the shore navigational signs that would bring them safely ashore.

The boat stopped suddenly when it was only two chains away from the island.Those at the helm began to look for the best place to land.

Suddenly, there were two gunshots.A small puff of smoke rose from the rocks of the island.The helmsman and the surveyor fell in the boat, being struck by Ayrton's and Pencroft's bullets at the same time.

Immediately after the gunshot, there was a more violent explosion.A bright puff of steam rose from the side of the ship, and the top of the rocks which sheltered Ayrton and Pencroft were struck by shells.Fragments of rock were thrown in all directions, but luckily the two shooters escaped unharmed.

There was a sound of cursing from the boat, and the boat resumed its journey.One of the helmsman's companions took his place, and the oarsmen, without hesitation, rowed furiously.

It was thought that the boat should turn back, but instead it followed the shore of the island, so as to round the southern headland.The pirates paddled desperately to make the boat move forward rapidly to avoid the attack of flying bullets.

In this way they advanced to five chains from the coastal depression, which is the terminus of the headland.Under the cover of heavy artillery fire, the boat took a semicircular course, rounded the back of the headland, and then they sailed towards the mouth of the "Grateful River".

Obviously, their intention was to enter the strait, and then raid the immigrants defending the island from the back.As long as they are under the fire of the boats and sailing ships, it will be extremely disadvantageous no matter how many people are defending.

In this way a quarter of an hour passed, during which time the boat kept going in this direction.There was a deathly silence all around, and the air and water were completely calm.

Though Pencroft and Ayrton knew they might be bypassed, they still held their post.Maybe it's because they don't want to reveal their position yet, which attracts the attack from the "Endeavour" artillery fire, or maybe they believe in their companions.For at the mouth of the estuary there were Neb and Jardine Splain in defense, and Cyrus Harding and Harbert in the Chimney.

Twenty or ten minutes after the first burst of gunfire, the boat approached the "Grateful River", and the boat was less than two chains away from the "Grateful River".The sea tide rises very fast, which is caused by the narrowness of the strait.The criminals on board felt themselves being swept toward the "Grateful River," and only by rowing furiously could they stay in the strait.Now they were within range of the mouth of the "Grateful River".So two bullets saluted them, and two more fell in the hold.Neb and Spline are really hitting the nail on the head.

Immediately a second shell was fired from the sailboat at the post exposed by the smoke from the guns.

The end result was just chipping off a corner of the rock, which was completely useless.

Now there are only three people left on board.With the help of the tide, the boat shot like an arrow through the channel, and passed Cyrus Harding and Herbert.But they thought it was not within the range of the gun, so they didn't shoot to block it.After that, the pirates circled the headland on the north side of the island and began to try to return.

Now, the immigrants should be satisfied.The pirates really got off to a bad start.Four people have been seriously injured and may even be dead.And none of them were injured, nor was a single bullet wasted.If they continue to fight in this way, if they still try to land again with a small boat, then they are very likely to be wiped out one by one.

They finally understood what a correct deployment the engineers had made.Perhaps the pirates already thought that they were fighting a large number of well-armed opponents, and it was difficult for them to win.

After battling the current for half an hour, the boat was able to return.When the wounded returned to the ship, there was confusion on board, and three or four more shells were fired, amid terrible cries, but to no avail.

At this moment, some other criminals who were mad with anger, maybe the criminals who were still drunk last night had already jumped into the boat, there were about a dozen of them.A small boat was also lowered into the sea, with eight people in it.They cooperated with each other, and when the first boat sailed to the island to expel the immigrants, the second boat could take the opportunity to forcibly seize the mouth of the "Grateful River".Pencroft and Ayrton's situation immediately became very dangerous, and they realized that it seemed time to return to the real land.

Instead of retreating immediately, they waited for the first boat to come within range, and before retreating they deftly fired two rounds, again causing confusion among the crew.When they evacuate the post, they will inevitably be attacked by the enemy.They flew across the island and jumped into the canoe.When the second boat had just reached the headland on the south side of the island, it crossed the channel and ran into the "chimney" to hide.

As soon as they joined Cyrus Harding and Harbert, the island was occupied by pirates, and the pirates in the first boat were searching for their traces around the island.

Almost at the same time, gunshots rang out from the post on the "Grateful River", and the second boat was quickly approaching the "Grateful River".Two of the eight men were climbing up the post and were killed by Jardine Splane and Neb.The boat rushed to the reef at the mouth of the "Grateful River" irresistibly, and was smashed to pieces.

The six remaining survivors, holding their weapons above their heads to keep them from getting wet, landed on the right bank of the river.As soon as I landed, I found that I was too close to the sentry post, so I ran desperately towards the headland, trying to escape out of range.

Here is the situation: twelve criminals have come to the island, some of them may have been wounded, but they still have a boat to use.On "Lincoln Island," six convicts landed.But they could not cross the river, because all the bridges were hoisted, so it was impossible for them to reach the "Granite Palace".

"All right!" said Pencroft, rushing into the "chimney." "All right, Mr. Cyrus! What else do you have in mind?"

"I was thinking that the fighting should take a new form. Because there is no way those criminals would be stupid enough to continue fighting us under such unfavorable conditions!" replied the engineer.

"They don't always make it through the Channel," said the sailor. "The carbines of Mr. Ayrton and Mr. Splain are there to stop them. You know the carbines have a range of more than a nautical mile!"

"I hope," replied Harbert, "but what will two carbines do to the cannon of a ship?"

Pencroft replied, "Hello! Hasn't the ship yet entered the Channel?"

Said Cyrus Harding: "But what if it does come?"

"I don't think that's possible, because I'm afraid it will sink by running aground!"

"It is possible. The convicts will enter the channel at high tide, and run the risk of being stranded at low tide. Our post will be overwhelmed by their artillery at that time," said Ayrton.

"To hell with them!" cried Pencroft. "It's broken! Those rascals seem to be ready to weigh anchor."

"Maybe we can only be forced to hide in 'Granite Palace'?" Hubbert asked.

"Don't worry, wait!" replied Cyrus Harding.

"What about Neb and Mr. Splain? . . . " said Pencroft anxiously.

"They'll join us in due time. Get ready, Ayrton, it's time for you and Spline to shoot."

(End of this chapter)