The schooner "Pilgrim" moves towards San Francisco. There are a lot of people on board, among them Captain Gul, five experienced sailors, a fifteen-year-old junior sailor - the orphan Dick Send, the ship's cook Negoro, as well as the wife of the owner of the Pilgrim, James Weldon, Mrs. Weldon with her five-year-old son Jack, her eccentric relative, whom everyone called "Cousin Benedict", and the old nanny Negro Nun.
On the way, they pick up five emaciated blacks: Tom, Bat, Austin, Actaeon and Hercules, and the dog Dingo. Their boat collided with another vessel, causing their vessel to malfunction. The sailors from the Pilgrim were leaving these people, and for some reason Dingo, at the sight of the cook Negoro, showed a grin, as if he knew him.
Some time later, Captain Gal and five other sailors die on a whale hunt. The authority of the captain of the Pilgrim dares to take the fifteen-year-old youth Dick Send.
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But due to the inability to use navigation, the ship lands not in America, but in Africa, which the guy does not suspect.
Kok Negoro disappears unnoticed by everyone when the ship was washed ashore. As it turned out later, he enters into an agreement with his old friend Harris. It consisted in the fact that Harris tells the arriving sailors that they are on the shores of Bolivia, although they were in Africa.
As it turned out, Negoro and Harris had known each other for a long time, when Negoro was involved in the slave trade. Kok was sentenced to life imprisonment, but he was able to escape and got a job on the Pilgrim brig.
Harris led the sailors deep into the rainforest, but the deceived began to guess that they were far from America, they realized that Africa was around them. Dick Send regards the disappearance of Harris as a betrayal, who disappeared with Negoro, in turn, wants to grab Dick Send, blacks, Nun, Mrs. Weldon with her son, and cousin Benedict.
Dick Send and his people decide to swim across the river on a raft, but the river suddenly bursts its banks and the travelers are forced to hide in a termite mound. But, when they left there, the Negroes, Dick and Nun were taken prisoner by the head of the slave caravan, who was an acquaintance of Harris, Mrs. Weldon and her son were taken away to no one knows where. Later, Nun dies, unable to withstand the transition of the camp, and Dick, having heard from Harris that Mrs. Weldon and her son died, kills him, but Dick did not know that it was a lie. Negoro, in turn, wants to take revenge on Dick for his friend, so he asks permission to kill Dick Send from Alvets, the owner of the slave caravan and a very influential person in Kazonda, as well as from Muani-Lung, the local king. Later, Muani-Lunga burns to the ground, after drinking the punch that Alvets prepared for him.
Dick is about to be executed. On the day of Muani Lung's funeral, he is tied to a pole and hung over a boiling pit, in which, according to tradition, all the wives lie, except for the one who arranged the funeral.
At this moment, Mrs. Weldon with her son and cousin Benedict are held hostage by Negoro, who wants to get a large ransom for them from Mr. Weldon. But this intention was not destined to come true.
Negoro travels to San Francisco and leaves the hostages in Alvec's care. Cousin Benedict was very fond of insects, and when he enthusiastically ran after one of the flying specimens, he suddenly found himself free. There he meets Hercules, who was able to escape even before his brothers were captured. Hercules figures out how to help his friends and brothers. When it rained for a long time in the village, the wife of the deceased Muani-Lungi, Queen Muana, calls the sorcerer who pretends to be Hercules. The guy, being supposedly a mute sorcerer, shows with signs that the captives are the culprits of the rains. In general, he saved Dick Send from death, Mrs. Weldon, her son, cousin Benedict and the dog Dingo, but he could not save his brothers, since they managed to be sold into slavery. Then all the surviving prisoners go on a boat disguised as a floating island, go down the river, but it so happened that they are sailing through the island of cannibals. Travelers stop on the opposite bank so as not to fall into the waterfall. There they discover human bones, a note, and an inscription in blood on wood, "S. V.". Suddenly, Dingo takes off, and a human cry is heard not far away. The dog grabbed the throat of Negoro, who once killed the owner of Dingo Samuel Vernon, and now he came to take the money hidden in a cache, after which he wanted to leave for America. Negoro kills the dog with a knife, and he himself dies from the bite.
Captain Fifteen was written by Verne in 1878. This is a story about the exciting adventures of a young sailor who took responsibility for the fate of the crew members of the whaling ship "Pilgrim".
main characters
Dick Sand- a fifteen-year-old sailor, a brave and determined young man.
Mrs Weldon- the wife of the owner of the ship, a brave, persistent woman.
Jack Mrs. Weldon's little son.
Benedict Mrs. Weldon's cousin, a passionate entomologist.
Tom, Bat, Hercules, Austin, Actaeon- Negroes rescued from a sunken ship.
Negoro- a slave trader hiding from the authorities, a vile and cruel person.
Other characters
Nan Jack's elderly nanny.
James Weldon- Wealthy shipowner
Captain Ghoul- captain of the whaling ship "Pilgrim".
Harris- slave trader, Negoro's accomplice.
Antonio Alvec- owner of a slave caravan.
Muani Lunga- the old king Kazonde.
Muana- the first wife of Muani-Lung, Queen Kazonde.
Summary
Part one
Chapter 1. Schooner-brig "Pilgrim"
In February 1973, the Pilgrim "was equipped in San Francisco to hunt whales in the South Seas." It belonged to the "wealthy Californian shipowner James Weldon", who entrusted the command of his schooner to Captain Gul. Under the command of the captain "there were five experienced sailors and one novice." In addition, he was forced to take on board passengers - Mrs. Weldon, her five-year-old son Jack and cousin Benedict, the old nanny Negro Nan.
Chapter 2. Dick Sand
All the sailors of the Pilgrim "knew each other for a long time" and got along well with each other, and only the Portuguese Negoro did not really like the captain, who "did not have time to make inquiries about the past of the new cook."
The youngest and most inexperienced sailor on the ship was a fifteen-year-old orphan boy, Dick Sand. But, despite his age, he was distinguished by intelligence and courage, and "already make decisions and bring to the end everything that he deliberately decided on."
Chapter 3
After a few days of sailing, the Pilgrim team noticed a “capsized vessel” with a hole in the bow. Captain Gul decided to explore it, and on board the sunken ship, the sailors found five blacks and a dog, dying of thirst.
Chapter 4 Rescued from the Waldeck
The unfortunate were transferred aboard the Pilgrim, where they received proper care. It turned out that the Negroes - old Tom, his son Bat, as well as Hercules, Austin and Actaeon - were not slaves, but free citizens of America. Their ship was pierced by some unknown ship and disappeared.
Chapter 5
Another creature rescued from a sinking ship was a large dog named Dingo, on the collar of which two letters "C" and "B" were engraved. "Dingo soon became the favorite of the entire crew", and only Negoro he fiercely hated for an unknown reason. Cook tried not to show himself to the dog, who, apparently, recognized him.
Chapter 6
Some time later, the sailor on duty noticed a whale on the horizon. It was "a very large minke whale specimen". The sailors began to lively discuss their future prey - "the whole team passionately wanted to hunt."
Chapter 7
Despite the great risk, the whalers could not miss the opportunity to catch a giant sea animal and "fill the ship's hold - the temptation was great." Together with five sailors, he plunged into the boat, leaving Dick Sand "his deputy for the duration of the hunt."
Chapter 8
Experienced whalers began to hunt minke whales. They managed to injure him with a harpoon, but the unexpectedly wounded whale "strongly hitting the water with its fins, rushed at people." The enraged whale crushed the boat with a powerful blow of the tail and “in its death throes, furiously beat the water with its tail” - none of the whalers managed to survive.
Chapter 9. Captain Sand
"A ship that has lost its captain and sailors" could easily become a weak-willed toy of currents and winds. Of the entire team, only fifteen-year-old Dick Sand survived, and "this boy was now to replace the captain, the boatswain, the entire crew." The young man decided to take on the functions of a captain and teach the sailor's craft to the rescued blacks. They gladly agreed to help him.
Chapter 10
Everyone had one desire - to quickly get "to some other port on the American coast." Dick knew how to use a compass and a lot, but "the young captain did not yet know how to make astronomical observations" that influenced the location of the ship. Suddenly, "there was a misfortune with the compass, which was in the captain's cabin" - he fell off the hook and fell to the floor. One more compass remained working, but the insidious Negoro also spoiled it - so the Pilgrim lost its intended course.
Chapter 11
A week later, the sky was overcast with clouds, a strong wind rose - everything foreshadowed the beginning of a storm. "The ship kept well on the waves" and still confidently went forward. Thanks to the efforts of Negoro, the lot was disabled, and "Dick Sand lost the ability to determine the speed of the ship."
Chapter 12
On the same day, "a hurricane broke out - the most terrible form of a storm", and did not stop for a week. By Dick's calculations they should have reached the shores of America by now. He became more and more confident that the navigational instruments were deliberately damaged by someone. Suddenly, the outlines of land appeared overboard - it was an island.
Chapter 13 Land!"
Dick was sure they had seen Easter Island, and steered the ship on what he thought was the right course. Soon everyone noticed the land, but there was "no human habitation, no port, no mouth of the river, where the ship could find a safe haven." At the sight of the shore, Dingo "howled long and plaintively."
Chapter 14
After seventy-four days of sailing, the Pilgrim was washed ashore and smashed against the reefs. Luckily, no one was hurt. Dick Sand couldn't figure out where they were. Meanwhile, Negoro quietly left the squad, hiding in the thicket of the forest. It soon became clear that he was the first to be on the wrecked ship and seized all of Mrs. Weldon's money.
Chapter 15. Harris
After some time, the heroes met an American named Harris. He assured the travelers that they were wrecked off the coast of Bolivia. Mr. Harris invited them to take a break from their troubles at his brother's hacienda, which involved crossing the rainforest.
Chapter 16
Having collected food supplies and necessary things, a small detachment set off. This transition was of particular interest to Cousin Benedict, an entomologist who began to study the local insects with enthusiasm.
Chapter 17
Dick and his dark-skinned friends were surprised that during the trip they did not meet a single familiar tree or animal, but Mr. Harris managed to dispel their doubts. When Cousin Benedict cried out in pain at night, he found out that he had been bitten by a tsetse fly. The entomologist was very pleased with his discovery, as "no scientist has yet found tsetse in America."
Chapter 18
The detachment made its way through the forest for twelve days, covering more than a hundred miles in this time. Gradually, Dick began to discover the truth, "which every hour became more and more clear and indisputable" - they were in equatorial Africa, the country of "slave traders and slaves."
Part two
Chapter 1
The Pilgrim crashed off the coast of Angola. It was one of the most dangerous areas of Equatorial Africa, where savage cannibals still lived, local tribes were constantly at enmity, but the worst thing was that the slave trade was in full swing here.
Chapter 2. Harris and Negoro
Harris, who by then had left the unit, met with Negoro. From their conversation it became clear that these were old friends who traded in the slave trade. They agreed to wait for a slave caravan in order "to capture Dick Sand and his companions."
Chapter 3
Dick Sand realized that Negoro was the culprit of their troubles, and Harris was his accomplice. Only one thing remained incomprehensible - “what were these scoundrels up to?”. The young man planned to return to the coast as soon as possible and "and reach the nearest Portuguese trading post", where they would be safe. To do this, it was necessary to find a river, and go down to the ocean on a raft.
Chapter 4
On the way, a terrible thunderstorm and heavy rain overtook friends. They managed to hide from bad weather in an empty termite mound.
Chapter 5
Taking advantage of the opportunity, Cousin Benedict gave his friends an informative lecture about the builders of this impressive structure - termites.
Chapter 6
At night, water began to arrive in the termite mound - “due to a downpour, the river overflowed its banks and spilled over the plain.” Dick compared their shelter to a diving bell in which the air is under great pressure. To save themselves, the friends cut through the top of the termite mound and got out to freedom.
Chapter 7
Noticing the camp of the natives not far away, the friends hurried to them. However, it was a slave caravan that drove slaves to "the main market for black goods." Once in the camp, "Dick Sand and his companions immediately turned into slaves." Mrs. Weldon, Jack and Cousin Benedict were immediately separated, Dick was disarmed and taken under guard, and the Negroes were attached to the caravan.
Chapter 8
The strong man Hercules miraculously managed to escape, and his shackled friends envied him - "he was free and could fight for his life." Dick was entirely occupied with thoughts of Mrs. Weldon and little Jack. Old Nan was among the exhausted slaves who were hacked to death with axes.
Chapter 9
In Kazonda - the largest slave market - only "half of the total number of captured slaves" reached. The slaves were divided into cramped barracks. The owner of the caravan, Antonio Alvets, was especially pleased with the young and strong Negroes from America - he could demand a high price for them. From Harris, Dick learned of the death of Mrs. Weldon and Jack. "In a fit of uncontrollable anger," the young man killed the traitor.
Chapter 10
Alvets wanted to immediately execute Dick, but Negoro asked him to be patient a little. On the day of the fair in Kazonda, Alvets brought all his slaves for sale. Tom, Batu, Actaeon and Austin were very lucky, and "they were sold into one hand."
Chapter 11
In the midst of the fair, "His Majesty Muani-Lunga, King Kazonde" appeared, more like a decrepit gorilla. He was accompanied by numerous wives and a retinue of flatterers. Alvets, knowing about the addiction of the local king to alcohol, invited him to drink a strong punch. When the old drunkard drank the flaming drink, "his thoroughly alcoholized majesty ignited" and died on the spot.
Chapter 12
Muani-Lung's first wife "Queen Muan was to inherit the royal throne". She hastened to organize her husband's funeral and secure her position. A large pit was dug, where, according to the old tradition, the rest of the tsar's wives were thrown. According to Negoro's plan, the bound Dick was also to be thrown there, after which the pit was to be flooded with water.
Chapter 13
Harris lied that Mrs. Weldon, Jack, and Cousin Benedict were dead—they were in Casonda, safe and sound. Negoro placed them in the trading post of Alvets in the hope of getting a large ransom for them. He told Mrs. Weldon to write a letter to her husband, with whom he was going to go to San Francisco.
Chapter 14
Having accidentally overheard a conversation between Alvets and his guest, Mrs. Weldon learned that "perhaps help is approaching, which seems to be sent by Providence itself." The well-known traveler Dr. Livingston "will probably arrive in Kazonda with his escort in the next few days." However, these plans were not destined to come true - on the eve of his visit, the doctor died.
Chapter 15
Having received a letter from Mrs. Weldon, Negoro set off. Meanwhile, Benedict, who all this time freely hunted for insects, in pursuit of a rare ground beetle, found himself behind the walls of the fence of the trading post. Unbeknownst to himself, he covered a couple of miles in the hope of catching an insect.
Chapter 16
A period of prolonged rains began, threatening to flood all the fields. Queen Muana decided to seek help from Mgannge, a famous sorcerer from Northern Angola. It turned out to be a disguised Hercules, who made it clear to the queen that a white woman and her child were to blame for all the troubles. He took them away with him, and even Alvets could not prevent him from doing so.
Chapter 17
Hercules brought his "trophies" to the boat where Dick Sand, Benedict and Dingo, who had been saved by him, were located. All that was missing was Tom, Bath, Austin and Actaeon, who were driven from the village towards the Great Lakes. Having disguised the boat as a floating island, the friends began to descend "along the river to the ocean coast."
Chapter 18
During their rafting, travelers from time to time went ashore to hunt. The area seemed uninhabited, but one day they sailed past the village, and it was only by a miracle that the savages did not notice them. Friends were forced to land on the shore as the river rushed down "a swift, majestic waterfall."
Chapter 19 V."
As soon as he was on the shore, Dingo rushed forward, taking someone's trail. The clever dog led the travelers to a miserable shack containing human bones. Nearby, “two large half-erased red letters” were visible on the tree - S. V. Dick found out that the deceased was the traveler Samuel Vernon, who fell victim to the insidious guide Negoro.
Suddenly, "a terrible cry came from outside" - it was Dingo who attacked Negoro, who, before sailing, returned to the scene of his crime to take Vernon's money from the cache. Negoro mortally wounded the dog, but he "clenched his jaw with the last of his strength" and gnawed the throat of his old enemy.
Chapter 20
A real gift of fate for travelers was a meeting with a trade caravan that belonged to Portuguese merchants. In complete safety, they reached the port, where they boarded a steamer and arrived safely in America. Dick Sand became Weldon's adopted son, and Hercules became a great friend of the family. The young man “graduated with honors from hydrographic courses” and was preparing to become a captain. The general joy was overshadowed only by thoughts of the bitter fate of black friends. However, thanks to the connections of Mr. Weldon, all four Negroes were returned to their homeland.
70s of the 19th century. The schooner "Pilgrim", designed to fight whales, leaves one of the New Zealand ports. On the ship, captained by Captain Ghoul, are five sophisticated crew members and young Dick Send, who serves on the ship as a junior sailor.
The boy is only 15 years old, he is an orphan, but he diligently masters the profession of a sailor, and the captain is usually pleased with him. This time, Mrs. Weldon, the wife of the owner of the schooner, her little son Jack, and a strange, eccentric relative of a woman named Benedict, are also following home with the Pilgrim. For all who stay on the schooner, food is prepared by a cook of Portuguese origin, Negoro, a reserved and gloomy person, although he does an excellent job with his duties.
Shortly after sailing, the sailors notice a ship nearby, apparently wrecked. In the hold of this ship, the sailors discover five people with black skin, who have already reached the maximum degree of exhaustion, the oldest of which is Tom. It is this old man who tells the story of his comrades, they happened to work for hire in New Zealand for some time. Upon returning home to the American continent, their steamer experienced a collision with another ship, its entire crew disappeared, and only a dog with the nickname Dingo remained with the black Americans. Thus, new passengers appear on the Pilgrim, to whom everyone is very warm and friendly, but for some reason the dog always strives to bite Negoro, and the cook prefers not to run into her at all.
After a few days of peaceful and calm sailing, a real disaster happens. Captain Gul and all the sailors die while chasing the whale, Dick Send is forced to take full responsibility for those remaining on the schooner, although the guy still does not yet have all the knowledge and skills necessary for this. However, the dark-skinned comrades in misfortune are eager to help him in every possible way, and Dick firmly believes that he will be able to lead the ship to the right place.
However, the unprincipled cook Negoro, who makes his own plans, uses the young captain's inexperience in the most dishonorable way. He disables the compasses, and as a result, the Pilgrim lands not on the American, but on the African coast, although none of those who disembarked from the ship suspect this. Travelers meet with a certain Mr. Harris, who invites them to his brother's hacienda, where, according to him, they will definitely be provided with shelter and food, and later they will be helped to return home.
But in fact, Harris acts in collusion with the cunning Portuguese, being an equally hardened scoundrel. He deftly lures naive travelers more than a hundred miles deep into the "black" continent, but at this moment both Dick Send and old Tom are already irrefutably aware of the deception. Moreover, they are convinced that Harris is engaged in the slave trade, Negoro also earned his living in this dishonest trade for a long time, for which he was sentenced to life hard labor. However, the Portuguese still managed to escape and got a job on the Pilgrim schooner, intending to return to Africa sooner or later, which happened due to Dick's lack of professionalism.
The travelers' attempt to escape from the people who betrayed them is unsuccessful, they are immediately captured, and black Americans are attached to the slave caravan. Mrs. Weldon, her son and Uncle Benedict are separated from them, only the strongest and tallest guy from Tom's group named Hercules manages to escape.
When the caravan arrives in a large enough city where the unfortunate slaves are put up for sale, Harris informs Send that members of the shipowner's family have died, although this is not true. Dick, in desperation, snatches a dagger from his enemy and immediately stabs him. Negoro asks the local king, who has almost lost his mind due to incessant drinking, to execute the young man, and he without hesitation gives the appropriate permission.
Meanwhile, the wife of the owner of the Pilgrim, her son and an elderly relative live in Kazonda as hostages, Negoro intends to get a solid ransom for them from her husband, Mrs. Weldon, but the woman does not agree to his arrival in Africa, absolutely not trusting her dishonest jailer. It is the absent-minded Benedict, chasing another exotic butterfly, who accidentally meets the dark-skinned Hercules, who has long been looking for a way to help his companions.
Having learned where Mrs. Weldon and her child are, Hercules, pretending to be a sorcerer, penetrates the trading post and makes it clear to the savages gathered around that he needs to take the white woman and her baby out of there. After escaping, they find themselves in a boat, where the boy and his mother are surprised to see Dick, whom they also thought was dead. However, Hercules managed to save him from execution at the very last moment, when the young man had already lost all hope.
After a while, the boat stops at the shore, and the dog Dingo hurriedly runs to a certain place. It turns out that it was here that the body of the traveler Vernon once remained, near which there is a note accusing Negoro, who was his guide, that it was he who robbed and killed the researcher. At this moment, the Portuguese himself appears, Dingo clings to the throat of the culprit in the death of his master. The villain kills the dog, but he himself dies.
Dick and his comrades, eluding the aggressive locals, get to the ship, which delivers them to California. After that, in the Weldon family, Sendu is treated like a son, the young man continues to diligently study the sailor's trade in order to take command of one of his adoptive father's ships in the future. Four dark-skinned US citizens who remained in Africa, Mr. Weldon also eventually finds and redeems from captivity, then they come to their impatiently waiting friends.
Captain Fifteen was written by Verne in 1878. This is a story about the exciting adventures of a young sailor who took responsibility for the fate of the crew members of the whaling ship "Pilgrim".
main characters
Dick Sand- a fifteen-year-old sailor, a brave and determined young man.
Mrs Weldon- the wife of the owner of the ship, a brave, persistent woman.
Jack Mrs. Weldon's little son.
Benedict Mrs. Weldon's cousin, a passionate entomologist.
Tom, Bat, Hercules, Austin, Actaeon- Negroes rescued from a sunken ship.
Negoro- a slave trader hiding from the authorities, a vile and cruel person.
Other characters
Nan Jack's elderly nanny.
James Weldon- Wealthy shipowner
Captain Ghoul- captain of the whaling ship "Pilgrim".
Harris- slave trader, Negoro's accomplice.
Antonio Alvec- owner of a slave caravan.
Muani Lunga- the old king Kazonde.
Muana- the first wife of Muani-Lung, Queen Kazonde.
Part one
Chapter 1. Schooner-brig "Pilgrim"
In February 1973, the Pilgrim "was outfitted in San Francisco to hunt whales in the South Seas." It belonged to the "wealthy Californian shipowner James Weldon", who entrusted the command of his schooner to Captain Gul. Under the command of the captain "there were five experienced sailors and one novice." In addition, he was forced to take on board passengers - Mrs. Weldon, her five-year-old son Jack and cousin Benedict, the old nanny Negro Nan.
Chapter 2. Dick Sand
All the sailors of the Pilgrim "knew each other for a long time" and got along well with each other, and only the Portuguese Negoro did not really like the captain, who "did not have time to make inquiries about the new cook's past."
The youngest and most inexperienced sailor on the ship was a fifteen-year-old orphan boy, Dick Sand. But, despite his age, he was distinguished by intelligence and courage, and "already make decisions and bring to the end everything that he deliberately decided on."
Chapter 3
After a few days of sailing, the Pilgrim team noticed a “capsized ship” with a hole in the bow. Captain Gul decided to explore it, and on board the sunken ship, the sailors found five blacks and a dog, dying of thirst.
Chapter 4 Rescued from the Waldeck
The unfortunate were transferred aboard the Pilgrim, where they received proper care. It turned out that the Negroes - old Tom, his son Bat, as well as Hercules, Austin and Actaeon - were not slaves, but free citizens of America. Their ship was pierced by some unknown ship and disappeared.
Chapter 5
Another creature rescued from a sinking ship was a large dog named Dingo, on the collar of which two letters "C" and "B" were engraved. "Dingo soon became the favorite of the entire crew", and only Negoro he fiercely hated for an unknown reason. Cook tried not to show himself to the dog, who, apparently, recognized him.
Chapter 6
Some time later, the sailor on duty noticed a whale on the horizon. It was "a very large minke whale specimen". The sailors began to lively discuss their future prey - "the whole team passionately wanted to hunt."
Chapter 7
Despite the great risk, the whalers could not miss the opportunity to catch a giant sea animal and "fill the ship's hold - the temptation was great." Together with five sailors, he boarded the boat, leaving Dick Sand "his deputy for the duration of the hunt."
Chapter 8
Experienced whalers began to hunt minke whales. They managed to injure him with a harpoon, but the unexpectedly wounded whale “strike the water with its fins with force and rushed at the people.” The enraged whale crushed the boat with a powerful blow of the tail and "in its death throes, violently beat the water with its tail" - none of the whalers managed to survive.
Chapter 9. Captain Sand
"A ship that has lost its captain and sailors" could easily become a weak-willed toy of currents and winds. Of the entire crew, only fifteen-year-old Dick Sand survived, and "this boy was now to replace the captain, the boatswain, the entire crew." The young man decided to take on the functions of a captain and teach the sailor's craft to the rescued blacks. They gladly agreed to help him.
Chapter 10
Everyone had one desire - to quickly get to "some other port on the American coast." Dick knew how to use a compass and a lot, but "the young captain did not yet know how to make astronomical observations", which influenced the location of the ship. Suddenly, "there was a misfortune with the compass, which was in the captain's cabin" - he fell off the hook and fell to the floor. One more compass remained working, but the insidious Negoro also spoiled it - so the Pilgrim lost its intended course.
Chapter 11
A week later, the sky was overcast with clouds, a strong wind rose - everything foreshadowed the beginning of a storm. "The ship kept well on the waves" and still confidently went forward. Thanks to the efforts of Negoro, the lot was disabled, and "Dick Sand lost the ability to determine the speed of the ship."
Chapter 12
On the same day, "a hurricane broke out - the most terrible form of a storm", and did not stop for a week. By Dick's calculations they should have reached the shores of America by now. He became more and more confident that the navigational instruments were deliberately damaged by someone. Suddenly, the outlines of land appeared overboard - it was an island.
Chapter 13 Land!"
Dick was sure they had seen Easter Island, and steered the ship on what he thought was the right course. Soon everyone noticed the land, however, there was "no human habitation, no port, no mouth of the river, where the ship could find a safe haven." At the sight of the shore, Dingo "howled long and plaintively."
Chapter 14
After seventy-four days of sailing, the Pilgrim was washed ashore and smashed against the reefs. Luckily, no one was hurt. Dick Sand couldn't figure out where they were. Meanwhile, Negoro quietly left the squad, hiding in the thicket of the forest. It soon became clear that he was the first to be on the wrecked ship and seized all of Mrs. Weldon's money.
Chapter 15. Harris
After some time, the heroes met an American named Harris. He assured the travelers that they were wrecked off the coast of Bolivia. Mr. Harris invited them to take a break from their troubles at his brother's hacienda, which involved crossing the rainforest.
Chapter 16
Having collected food supplies and necessary things, a small detachment set off. This transition was of particular interest to Cousin Benedict, an entomologist who began to study the local insects with enthusiasm.
Chapter 17
Dick and his dark-skinned friends were surprised that during the trip they did not meet a single familiar tree or animal, but Mr. Harris managed to dispel their doubts. When Cousin Benedict cried out in pain at night, he found out that he had been bitten by a tsetse fly. The entomologist was very pleased with his discovery, as "no scientist has yet found tsetse in America".
Chapter 18
The detachment made its way through the forest for twelve days, covering more than a hundred miles in this time. Gradually, the truth began to open up to Dick, "which every hour became more and more clear and indisputable" - they were in equatorial Africa, the country of "slave traders and slaves".
Part two
Chapter 1
The Pilgrim crashed off the coast of Angola. It was one of the most dangerous areas of Equatorial Africa, where savage cannibals still lived, local tribes were constantly at enmity, but the worst thing was that the slave trade was in full swing here.
Chapter 2. Harris and Negoro
Harris, who by then had left the unit, met with Negoro. From their conversation it became clear that these were old friends who traded in the slave trade. They agreed to wait for a slave caravan in order "to capture Dick Sand and his companions".
Chapter 3
Dick Sand realized that Negoro was the culprit of their troubles, and Harris was his accomplice. Only one thing remained incomprehensible - “what were these scoundrels up to? ". The young man planned to return to the coast as soon as possible and "and reach the nearest Portuguese trading post", where they would be safe. To do this, it was necessary to find a river, and go down to the ocean on a raft.
Chapter 4
On the way, a terrible thunderstorm and heavy rain overtook friends. They managed to hide from bad weather in an empty termite mound.
Chapter 5
Taking advantage of the opportunity, Cousin Benedict gave his friends an informative lecture about the builders of this impressive structure - termites.
Chapter 6
At night, water began to arrive in the termite mound - “due to a downpour, the river overflowed its banks and spilled over the plain.” Dick compared their shelter to a diving bell in which the air is under great pressure. To save themselves, the friends cut through the top of the termite mound and got out to freedom.
Chapter 7
Noticing the camp of the natives not far away, the friends hurried to them. However, it was a slave caravan that drove slaves to "the main market for black goods." Once in the camp, "Dick Sand and his companions immediately turned into slaves." Mrs. Weldon, Jack and Cousin Benedict were immediately separated, Dick was disarmed and taken under guard, and the Negroes were attached to the caravan.
Chapter 8
The strong man Hercules miraculously managed to escape, and his shackled friends envied him - "he was free and could fight for his life." Dick was entirely occupied with thoughts of Mrs. Weldon and little Jack. Old Nan was among the exhausted slaves who were hacked to death with axes.
Chapter 9
In Kazonda - the largest slave market - only "half of the total number of captured slaves" reached. The slaves were divided into cramped barracks. The owner of the caravan, Antonio Alvets, was especially pleased with the young and strong Negroes from America - he could demand a high price for them. From Harris, Dick learned of the death of Mrs. Weldon and Jack. "In a fit of uncontrollable anger," the young man killed the traitor.
Chapter 10
Alvets wanted to immediately execute Dick, but Negoro asked him to be patient a little. On the day of the fair in Kazonda, Alvets brought all his slaves for sale. Tom, Batu, Actaeon and Austin were very lucky, and "they were sold into one hand."
Chapter 11
In the midst of the fair, "His Majesty Muani-Lunga, King Kazonde", who looked more like a decrepit gorilla, appeared. He was accompanied by numerous wives and a retinue of flatterers. Alvets, knowing about the addiction of the local king to alcohol, invited him to drink a strong punch. When the old drunkard drank the flaming drink, "his thoroughly alcoholized majesty ignited" and died on the spot.
Chapter 12
Muani-Lung's first wife "Queen Muan should have inherited the royal throne." She hastened to organize her husband's funeral and secure her position. A large pit was dug, where, according to the old tradition, the rest of the tsar's wives were thrown. According to Negoro's plan, the bound Dick was also to be thrown there, after which the pit was to be flooded with water.
Chapter 13
Harris lied that Mrs. Weldon, Jack, and Cousin Benedict were dead—they were in Casonda, safe and sound. Negoro placed them in the trading post of Alvets in the hope of getting a large ransom for them. He told Mrs. Weldon to write a letter to her husband, with whom he was going to go to San Francisco.
Chapter 14
Accidentally overhearing a conversation between Alvets and his guest, Mrs. Weldon learned that "perhaps help is approaching, which seems to be sent by Providence itself." The well-known traveler Dr. Livingston "will probably arrive in Kazonda with his escort in the next few days." However, these plans were not destined to come true - on the eve of his visit, the doctor died.
Chapter 15
Having received a letter from Mrs. Weldon, Negoro set off. Meanwhile, Benedict, who all this time freely hunted for insects, in pursuit of a rare ground beetle, found himself behind the walls of the fence of the trading post. Unbeknownst to himself, he covered a couple of miles in the hope of catching an insect.
Chapter 16
A period of prolonged rains began, threatening to flood all the fields. Queen Muana decided to seek help from Mgannge, a famous sorcerer from Northern Angola. It turned out to be a disguised Hercules, who made it clear to the queen that a white woman and her child were to blame for all the troubles. He took them away with him, and even Alvets could not prevent him from doing so.
Chapter 17
Hercules brought his "trophies" to the boat where Dick Sand, Benedict and Dingo, who had been saved by him, were located. All that was missing was Tom, Bath, Austin and Actaeon, who were driven from the village towards the Great Lakes. Having disguised the boat as a floating island, the friends began to descend "down the river to the ocean coast."
Chapter 18
During their rafting, travelers from time to time went ashore to hunt. The area seemed uninhabited, but one day they sailed past the village, and it was only by a miracle that the savages did not notice them. The friends were forced to land on the shore as the river rushed down "a swift, majestic waterfall".
Chapter 19 V."
As soon as he was on the shore, Dingo rushed forward, taking someone's trail. The clever dog led the travelers to a miserable shack containing human bones. Nearby, “two large half-erased red letters” were visible on the tree - S. V. Dick found out that the deceased was the traveler Samuel Vernon, who fell victim to the insidious guide Negoro.
Suddenly, "a terrible scream came from outside" - it was Dingo who attacked Negoro, who, before sailing, returned to the scene of his crime to take Vernon's money from the cache. Negoro mortally wounded the dog, but he "clenched his jaw with the last of his strength" and gnawed the throat of his old enemy.
Chapter 20
A real gift of fate for travelers was a meeting with a trade caravan that belonged to Portuguese merchants. In complete safety, they reached the port, where they boarded a steamer and arrived safely in America. Dick Sand became Weldon's adopted son, and Hercules became a great friend of the family. The young man "graduated with honors from hydrographic courses" and was preparing to become a captain. The general joy was overshadowed only by thoughts of the bitter fate of black friends. However, thanks to the connections of Mr. Weldon, all four Negroes were returned to their homeland.
Conclusion
With his work, Jules Verne sought to show that any person, regardless of class and the thickness of the wallet, is able to achieve great heights through work, courage and kindness.
After reading the brief retelling of "The Fifteen-Year-Old Captain," we recommend that you read the novel in its entirety.
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Retelling rating
Average rating: 4.7. Total ratings received: 271.
One of the most outstanding novels of the great French writer Jules Verne was first published in 1878. The adventure novel was filmed several times: in 1945 (USSR), in 1974 (co-production of Spain and France) and in 1986 (USSR, the film was called "Pilgrim's Captain").
The schooner-brig "Pilgrim", designed for whaling, sets sail from the port of Auckland. The schooner is led by an experienced captain Gul, who has several sailors under his command. The youngest of them is 15 years old. The team consists of cook Negoro. In addition, on board is Mrs. Weldon, the wife of the owner of the ship with her five-year-old son Jack, Nan's nanny and cousin Benedict, a relative of the Weldons. The schooner heads to San Francisco.
A few days later, Mrs. Weldon's son notices an overturned ship in the ocean. As it turned out, this ship is called "Waldeck". It could not continue on its way due to a hole in the nose. The passengers of the Pilgrim found five Negroes on the Waldeck. All of them were free citizens of America, but lived for some time in New Zealand, where they worked on a plantation under contract. On the way to America, the Waldeck collided with another ship. All of a sudden, all the crew members were gone. Five friends were doomed to starvation.
The crew of the Pilgrim takes the passengers of the Waldeck aboard. A few days later, dark-skinned Hercules, Austin, Tom, Actaeon and Bat managed to recover. In addition to five blacks, a dog named Dingo was found on the Waldeck. The only surviving passengers of the lost ship claim that their captain found the animal off the coast of the African continent. For some unknown reason, Dingo, from the very first minutes of his stay on the Pilgrim, begins to show aggression towards Negoro's cook. On the dog's collar, you can see 2 letters: "C" and "B".
Adventure begins...
A few more days passed. The sailors of the "Pilgrim" and Captain Gul change to a boat and go to catch a whale, which was seen not far from the ship. The leadership of the Pilgrim is entrusted to the youngest sailor of the team - Dick Sand. A ghoul and five sailors die in a fight with a whale. Dick is forced to take over as captain for the remainder of the voyage. Despite the fact that the young captain is quite bold and courageous, he lacks some navigational knowledge. Dick doesn't know how to navigate by the stars. Sand can find out the location of the schooner only by lot and compass.
Negoro took advantage of the young captain's inexperience. He broke one compass and disabled the lot. Then the insidious cook changed the readings on the second compass. As a result, the Pilgrim arrived at the shores of Angola, where the ship washed ashore. All passengers survived. Negoro, taking advantage of the general turmoil, leaves the travelers. Dick goes in search of some settlement and meets the American Harris. A new acquaintance assures Dick that the travelers are in Bolivia. Harris invites travelers to his brother's hacienda, where the passengers of the Pilgrim can find shelter. In fact, the American lures travelers deep into the rainforest.
On the way to the hacienda, Tom and Dick guessed that they were on the African continent. When Harris notices that his deceit has been exposed, he immediately hides in the woods. The reader then observes the meeting between the American and Negoro. From the conversation of old friends, it becomes clear that the ship's cook is a secret agent of the slave traders. Its main task is to deliver a living commodity to the one who sells it. Negoro has been engaged in his craft for more than a year. The authorities of Portugal, where the cook was from, sentenced the secret agent to life imprisonment. However, Negoro did not stay in hard labor for long. He managed to escape and get a job on the Pilgrim. The secret agent dreamed of returning to Africa. Circumstances worked out in the best way for Negoro.
After numerous adventures and escape from slavery, almost all the heroes find themselves together again. Only Nan's nanny couldn't survive. The secret of the mysterious letters "C" and "B", which turned out to be initials, is also revealed. The owner of the Dingo was named Samuel Vernon. Cook Negoro contributed to his death.
Having again met with the killer of his master, Dingo throws himself on his neck and tries to gnaw through his throat. The secret agent managed to kill the dog, but he himself also could not escape retribution and died. The travelers were able to safely reach California. The Weldons redeem Austin, Tom, Actaeon, and Bath, who have fallen into slavery, and take Dick into their family. The young man receives the necessary education and becomes the captain of one of the ships of his adoptive father.
Dick Sand was orphaned early. The protagonist of the novel was found on the street by a passerby, in whose honor the boy was subsequently named. Dick's surname was given in memory of the place where he was discovered.
Little Dick was developed beyond his years and already at the age of four he learned to count, write and read. At the age of eight, the boy went to work as a cabin boy. On the ship, he managed to prove himself well. The owner of the ship, Weldon, decided to send Dick to school. Then the young man became a sailor on the Pilgrim.
During the journey described in the novel, Dick Sand was also able to show his best side. A difficult childhood and the endurance gifted by nature hardened the young captain. Dick had to take the place of the deceased Ghoul and make his own decisions. The ability not to get lost in an unfamiliar environment allowed Sand not only to survive, but to receive the most coveted reward - a family that he never had.
Philosophy of the author
Readers of different ages in the same novel may be interested in completely different things. Teenagers aged 12-16 are only interested in adventure. A fifteen-year-old boy, their age, finds himself face to face with severe trials, from which he emerges victorious.
Features of Jules Verne's style
More mature readers will be able to see the worldview of its author in the novel. Jules Verne puts events in the first place in his works. That is why the philosophy of the writer often goes unnoticed and fades into the background.
In fact, adventure is only the background against which the development of interpersonal relationships takes place. Everyday life is not capable of revealing the character of people living by inertia. Once in an unusual and dangerous environment, a person will definitely show his true face.
Denying racism and slavery, Jules Verne is in solidarity with another great writer of the 19th century, Mark Twain. It is no coincidence that among the positive characters you can see Hercules. The main villain is a native of Portugal. It is also not accidental that the people of the white race fall into slavery. The author invites whites to be in the place of blacks and feel everything that black slaves have to go through. Vern sees no difference between the two skin colors. The superiority of one color over another is nothing more than a stereotype. If the oppression of blacks seems logical to a white American, then the enslavement of whites seems no less logical to the indigenous inhabitants of the African continent.
