Readers of this novel easily remember its summary. The Fifteen-Year-Old Captain is written in simple and vivid language. It captures the special entrepreneurial spirit of the 19th century, a century of discoveries and inventions. Perhaps only Jules Verne could do that.

Flight to San Francisco

The great Frenchman wrote practically about his contemporaries. Judge for yourself: the schooner-brig "Pilgrim" leaves the New Zealand port of Ocleanda on January 29, 1873, and the book itself was published in 1878. Her route, according to the original plan, runs across the Pacific Ocean through the Chilean seaport of Valparaiso and ends in San Francisco.

The ship belongs to a wealthy man, James Weldon. The voyage is whaling, the ship is led by an experienced captain Gul, under his command are five sailors, cabin boy Dick Send and cook Negoro.

There are also passengers on board. This is the wife of the owner of the ship - Mrs. Weldon, his five-year-old son Jack, the boy's nanny - an elderly black woman Nan and, finally, an eccentric entomologist who is the uncle of the boy, whom everyone refers to as "Cousin Benedict".

Unexpected fellow travelers

About the restless, adventure-filled voyage of the Pilgrim, a brief summary follows. "Fifteen-year-old captain" from the first chapter introduces intrigue into the plot. Five-year-old Jack Whalon is the first to notice an overturned ship in the distance and informs others about it. The wrecked ship "Waldeck" is doomed. On board - Negro Americans left in a hurry in their cabin by an escaped crew. They return home after completing contract work on a New Zealand plantation. There are five of them: old man Tom with his son Bat, as well as young people Actaeon, Hercules and Austin. With them is a large dog Dingo, picked up by the captain of the Waldeck somewhere in Africa. Moreover, the dog, apparently, knows Negoro, since it shows aggression towards him.

Trouble

Soon, disaster strikes on the Pilgrim - five sailors and the captain die, having gone on a boat for a whale. Further, a brief summary testifies to the strength of the spirit of Dick Send, an orphan, a junior sailor. The fifteen-year-old captain (that's how old Dick was), without hesitation, takes command of the ship.

However, his knowledge of navigation is clearly not enough. He knows how to choose the direction with a compass and measure the speed of movement with the help of a lot. How to determine his location, using the stars, he does not know.

The dark personality of Negoro

The Portuguese Negoro (we will learn about this a little later) is an escaped convict. He was sentenced by the authorities of his country for the slave trade, but he escaped and wants to get back to Africa in order to continue to engage in the same criminal business. That is why Negoro got a job as a cook on the departing ship "Pilgrim". The death of the captain and experienced sailors significantly increased the chances of the convict to quickly end up in Africa. To do this, it was only necessary to deceive Dick Send, sending him instead of the Pacific to the Indian Ocean.

Further, a brief summary tells us about the implementation of the criminal plan. The fifteen-year-old captain is really disoriented. After all, one compass was broken by the criminal, and the second one shows south instead of the north direction. This trick - "taming the compass needle" - was performed by the convict Negoro, who was familiar with navigation firsthand, by placing an ax under the device. The ship instead of San Francisco is approaching the coast of Angola.

On the coast of Angola

"Pilgrim" is thrown ashore by the waves. Negoro is in secret.

However, further trials and challenges await Dick Send. He is met here by Negoro's accomplice American Harris, who convinces travelers that they are in Bolivia. The classic gang of villainous slave traders brings intrigue to the further narrative (summary testifies). The Fifteen-Year-Old Captain (Chapter 2) begins with the fact that, as an imaginary guide, he tricks travelers (with the promise of shelter and rest from his brother) a hundred miles deep into the African forest. The joint criminal plan of Negoro and Harris is to sell some of the travelers into slavery, and to receive a generous ransom of -100,000 dollars for the relatives of the rich Weldon. Not far from the place where Harris sent Dick Send with fellow travelers, a caravan with slaves, led by Negoro's acquaintance Alvets, stopped.

Travelers guess the deception

The villains act in a coordinated manner, they succeed in almost everything (as evidenced by the summary). The fifteen-year-old captain, however, begins to suspect Harris of lying. Travelers led by him (supposedly through the Bolivian selva) notice circumstances that do not at all identify their location with South America. Approaching the riverbed, they alarmed several hippos resting in shallow water, as well as giraffes (the latter, due to the fact that they were at a considerable distance, were mistaken for ostriches). One day, Cousin Benedict was almost stung by a fly that looked like a tsetse fly. As an entomologist, he immediately asked the appropriate questions. Moreover, the lenses of the scientist's glasses soon turned out to be completely broken, someone stepped on them. After all, even in the absence of experienced trackers among the Americans, they quickly navigated and learned along the way. This command intelligence of theirs just emphasizes the summary. The “fifteen-year-old captain” (Jules Verne) gradually brings the imaginary guide - the liar Harris, to whom distrust is growing, to He is also forced to flee after the travelers discover a terrible find associated specifically with the cannibalism of Africa - severed hands.

Captivity

Dick Send tracks down Negoro and Harris and overhears their conversation, suggesting a criminal conspiracy. Realizing themselves in danger, they try to get out of the forest, but they are vigilantly watched by slave traders. One morning, after spending the night in a termite mound that protects from tropical rain, travelers are captured on a tip from these two scoundrels by thugs from a caravan of slaves. Moreover, Hercules manages to escape from these robbers.

A brief summary tells us about the long difficult journey of the captives. Captain Fifteen (Jules Verne) describes their humiliation and suffering on their way to Angola's infamous slave market, Kazonda. An elderly black woman, the nanny of five-year-old Jack, Nan, dies on the route of this difficult campaign. However, several travelers who are caught and destined for ransom by the scoundrels (Mrs. Weldon, her son and cousin Benedict) are transported by Negoro in more comfortable conditions.

Kazonda. Punishment to the villain

Slaves who arrived in Kazonda are placed in barracks. Dick Send worries about the fate of Mrs. Weldon and her son. Those are transported separately and placed in the trading post of the caravan master, Weldon. Having met the deceiver Harris in Kazenda, he tries to ask him about it. However, the villain, having decided to mock the guy, deceives him, saying that they are dead. However, he does not expect that he is saying this to an already adult man who has matured in difficult circumstances, as evidenced by the next episode (more precisely, its very brief content). The fifteen-year-old captain draws Harris's knife and fatally stabs him. Travelers have one less dangerous enemy.

Negoro wants Dick Send to be executed

The murder of his associate in dark deeds is watched by Negoro from afar. He decides to destroy Dick Send. To do this, he only has to agree with his human trafficking partner, who has influence in the slave market, Alvets. The fifteen-year-old captain, they decide, will be publicly executed as soon as the slave sale is completed. To implement this plan, Alvets must obtain formal permission for this execution from the ruler of the Angolan tribe of natives, Muani-Lungu.

Alvets had experience in settling such cases. He knew the fee that Muani-Lungu would charge for permitting a public ritual murder. It is enough to present the leader with a punch in an amount equivalent to the amount of blood in the body of the unfortunate victim. The native king, dependent on alcohol, is a pitiful sight. He was an alcoholic at the last stage.

Unsightly death of a leader

Alvets succeeds, and even at the best price, to sell all the dark-skinned slaves. However, Negoro hopes for even more earnings than the owner of the caravan (a rich ransom in the amount of a fortune - $ 100,000). Therefore, he keeps Mrs. Weldon, her son Jack, who is seriously ill with malaria, and their cousin Benedict under round-the-clock security in a separate house.

Negoro also succeeds, by deceiving Mrs. Weldon with the news of the alleged death of Dick Send, to get a ransom letter written by her hand. However, the villains fail to immediately initiate the execution of the former cabin boy.

The further summary of the story looks tragicomic. The fifteen-year-old captain actually receives a reprieve, but now they are not going to destroy him alone. Events took a different turn because of ... the joy of the huckster Alvets from the profits. To celebrate, the slave trader Alvets decided to offer Muani-Lung a punch in the most presentable, burning form. However, he did not take into account that he was dealing with a complete alcoholic. When the leader touched the bowl with his lips, his body, alcoholized by many years of outpourings, flared up, and the leader burned out in a matter of minutes.

The savages now had no time for the execution of some pale-faced boy there, because the funeral of the leader was coming! Instead of a separate execution of the former cabin boy "Pilgrim", a mega-execution of all his wives (except for his beloved) and slaves, including Dick, was planned.

The real hero is Hercules. The rescue

The above is a summary of the "Fifteen-year-old Captain" chapter by chapter, as you noticed, it completely falls under the genre of a Robinsonade novel with a happy ending. It seems that not only circumstances, but nature itself helps our travelers.

The Negro Hercules, who escaped from the slave traders, is hiding in the neighborhood of the Alvets trading post, waiting for the moment to help his comrades. And then there is an accident that activates his actions. Eccentric cousin Benedict, not understanding how, chasing a butterfly net with a butterfly net, suddenly finds himself free. There he meets Hercules, and he has a plan to save his friends. Now the mighty Negro knows where Mrs. Weldon and her son are. undergoes famine due to the flooding of fertile lands by rains. Superstitious people are looking for the cause of trouble in evil witchcraft.

Desperate natives called in a powerful sorcerer from a neighboring village to "solve the issue". Hercules, having tied up a real cleric and disguised himself in his outfit, presents himself as a mute sorcerer. He comes to the dowager queen (the former beloved wife), without further ado takes her by the hand and leads to the Alvets estate. He is followed by a crowd of fanatics who believe the sorcerers unquestioningly. To the Queen, he shows the cause of all misfortunes - a white woman and her son. It becomes clear to everyone: only by taking them outside the village and performing the ritual of killing the infidels, the sorcerer will return fertility to the earth.

Hercules, taking advantage of the status of Mgannga's sorcerer, thus manages to take out Mrs. Weldon, her son Jack, cousin Benedict and Dick Send in a boat. Alvets, whom Negoro instructed to guard the hostages, turned out to be powerless in front of a crowd of fanatics. Travelers are saved.

Fifteen-year-old captain leads friends to freedom

Unfortunately, the Negroes, friends of Hercules, have already been sold and taken by buyers.

Travelers, hoping to return to America, float along the river to the ocean, disguising the boat as a floating island, hiding from the eyes of cannibals. The roar of a waterfall is heard ahead, and Dick Send stops the boat on the left bank. Suddenly, Dingo rushed forward, following the trail. Travelers for the dog came to the dugout, where, restless, lay the remains of the owner of Dingo - Samuel Vernon, treacherously killed by his guide - Negoro. Next to the body were the last notes of a mortally wounded man containing this accusation. Suddenly, the travelers heard the growl of a dog and the cry of Negoro, they intertwined in their last duel. The convict mortally wounded the dog with a knife, and the dog tore his throat.

Negoro, to his misfortune, came to the hut to take money from the hiding place. He needed them for a trip to America for a ransom from Mr. Weldon.

Meeting at home

Then the travelers happily reach the coast of the Indian Ocean and on August 25, 1874 they sail to the California coast. Does J. Verne's Fifteen-Year-Old Captain have life-affirming content? Grateful Mr. Weldon adopts Dick Senda, gives him a proper maritime education, and he becomes a captain on the ship of his named father. An orphan acquires a family! Hercules, on the other hand, enters Mr. Weldon's house as a true friend of the family.

Four blacks, satellites of Hercules, Mr. Weldon manages to redeem from slavery, and those (Tom, Bath, Austin and Acteon) sail in November 1877 from Africa to the hospitable house of Weldon.

Conclusion

Jules Verne, "Fifteen-year-old Captain" ... The summary does not convey all the charm of this work, it must be re-read in its entirety. The novel can be interpreted in different ways. Like Robinsonade. As an example for young men - be courageous and take responsibility. As an example of maintaining human relations in the most difficult situation. Everyone finds something of their own in this novel ... Of course, he is most loved among children and youth. This fascinating book has been popular for the third century and attracts readers.

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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Jules Verne

"Captain at fifteen"

On January 29, 1873, the schooner brig Pilgrim, equipped for whaling, sets sail from the port of Oakland, New Zealand. On board are the brave and experienced 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 calls " cousin Benedict," and the old Negro nurse Nan. The sailboat is on its way to San Francisco with a stop at Valparaiso. After a few days of sailing, little Jack notices the Waldeck ship capsized on its side in the ocean with a hole in the bow. In it, the sailors discover five emaciated blacks and a dog named Dingo. It turns out that the Negroes: Tom, a sixty-year-old man, his son Bat, Austin, Actaeon and Hercules are free citizens of the United States. Having completed work on a plantation contract in New Zealand, they returned to America. After the Waldeck collided with another ship, all the crew members and the captain disappeared and they were left alone. They are transferred aboard the Pilgrim, and after a few days of careful care, they are fully restored to their strength. Dingo, according to them, the captain of the Waldeck picked up off the coast of Africa. At the sight of Negoro, the dog, for some unknown reason, begins to growl ferociously and expresses its readiness to pounce on him. Negoro prefers not to show himself to the dog, which, apparently, recognized him.

A few days later, Captain Gul and five sailors who dared to set off on a boat to catch a whale, which they saw a few miles from the ship, die. Dick Send, who remained on the ship, takes over as captain. Negroes are trying under his leadership to learn the sailor's craft. With all his courage and inner maturity, Dick does not have all the navigational knowledge and knows how to navigate the ocean only by a compass and a lot that measures the speed of movement. He does not know how to find a location by the stars, which is what Negoro uses. He breaks one compass and imperceptibly changes the indications of the second one. Then disables the lot. His intrigues contribute to the fact that instead of America, the ship arrives on the shores of Angola and is thrown ashore. All travelers are safe. Negoro quietly leaves them and leaves in an unknown direction. After some time, Dick Sand, who went in search of some settlement, meets the American Harris, who, being in collusion with Negoro, his old acquaintance, and assuring that the travelers are on the shores of Bolivia, lures them a hundred miles into the rainforest, promising shelter and leaving on the hacienda of his brother. Over time, Dick Send and Tom realize that they somehow ended up not in South America, but in Africa. Harris, having guessed about their insight, hides in the forest, leaving the travelers alone, and goes to a pre-arranged meeting with Negoro. From their conversation, it becomes clear to the reader that Harris is engaged in the slave trade, Negoro was also familiar with this trade for a long time, until the authorities of Portugal, where he comes from, sentenced him to life imprisonment for such activities. After staying on it for two weeks, Negoro escaped, got a job as a cook on the Pilgrim and began to wait for the right opportunity to get back to Africa. Dick's inexperience played into his hands, and his plan was carried out much sooner than he dared hope. Not far from the place where he meets Harris, there is a caravan of slaves, which goes to Kazonda to the fair, led by one of their acquaintances. The caravan is encamped ten miles from the whereabouts of the travelers, on the banks of the Kwanza River. Knowing Dick Send, Negoro and Harris correctly assume that he will decide to take his people to the river and go down to the ocean on a raft. That's where they intend to capture them. Having discovered the disappearance of Harris, Dick realizes that a betrayal has taken place, and decides to walk along the bank of the stream to a larger river. On the way, they are overtaken by a thunderstorm and a fierce downpour, from which the river overflows its banks and rises several pounds above ground level. Before the rain, travelers climb into an empty termite mound, twelve feet high. In a huge anthill with thick clay walls, they wait out a thunderstorm. However, having got out of there, they are immediately captured. Blacks, Nan and Dick are attached to the caravan, Hercules manages to escape. Mrs. Weldon with her son and cousin Benedict are taken away in an unspecified direction. During the journey, Dick and his friends have to endure all the hardships of the transition with a caravan of slaves and witness the brutal treatment of guards and overseers with slaves. Unable to withstand this transition, old Nan perishes along the way.

The caravan arrives at Kazonda, where the slaves are distributed among the barracks. Dick Send accidentally meets Harris and, after Harris, deceiving him, reports the death of Mrs. Weldon and her son, in desperation snatches a dagger from his belt and kills him. The slave fair is to take place the next day. Negoro, who saw from afar the scene of the death of his friend, asks permission from Alvets, the owner of the caravan of slaves and a very influential person in Kazonda, as well as from Muani-Lung, the local king, permission to execute Dick after the fair. Alvets promises Muani-Lung, unable to do without alcohol for a long time, a drop of fiery water for every drop of white man's blood. He prepares a strong punch, sets it on fire, and when Muani-Lung drinks it, his thoroughly alcoholized body suddenly catches fire and the king rots to the very bones. His first wife, Queen Muan, arranges a funeral, during which, according to tradition, numerous other wives of the king are killed, thrown into a pit and flooded. In the same pit there is also Dick tied to a post. He must die.

Meanwhile, Mrs. Weldon and her son and cousin Benedict also live in Kazonda outside the fence of the trading post of Alvets. Negoro holds them hostage there and wants a ransom of one hundred thousand dollars from Mr. Weldon. He forces Mrs. Weldon to write a letter to her husband, which should contribute to the implementation of his plan, and, leaving the hostages in the care of Alvets, departs for San Francisco. One day, Cousin Benedict, an avid insect collector, is chasing a particularly rare ground beetle. Pursuing it, he imperceptibly for himself through a mole-hole, passing under the walls of the fence, breaks free and runs two miles through the forest in the hope of still grabbing the insect. There he meets Hercules, who has been next to the caravan all this time in the hope of helping his friends in some way.

At this time, a long downpour, unusual for this time of year, begins in the village, which floods all nearby fields and threatens to leave the inhabitants without a crop. Queen Muan invites sorcerers to the village so that they drive away the clouds. Hercules, having caught one of these sorcerers in the forest and disguised himself in his outfit, pretends to be a mute sorcerer and comes to the village, grabs the astonished queen by the hand and leads her to the trading post of Alvets. There he shows with signs that the white woman and her are to blame for the troubles of her people. child. He grabs them and takes them out of the village. Alvets tries to detain him, but succumbs to the onslaught of savages and is forced to release the hostages. After walking eight miles and finally freeing himself from the last curious villagers, Hercules lowers Mrs. Weldon and Jack into the boat, where they are amazed to find that the sorcerer and Hercules are the same person, they see Dick Send, saved by Hercules from death, cousin Benedict and Dingo. Only Tom, Bat, Actaeon and Austin are missing, who were sold into slavery and stolen from the village even earlier. Now travelers finally have the opportunity to go down to the ocean on a boat disguised as a floating island. From time to time Dick comes ashore to hunt. After a few days of travel, the boat sails past the village of cannibals, located on the right bank. The fact that it is not an island that floats along the river, but a boat with people, the savages discover after it is already far ahead. Unnoticed by travelers, savages along the shore pursue the boat in the hope of prey. A few days later, the boat stops at the left bank, so as not to be drawn into the waterfall. Dingo, barely jumping ashore, rushes forward, as if smelling someone's footprint. Travelers stumble upon a small shack in which already whitened human bones are scattered. Nearby on a tree, two letters “S. V.". These are the same letters that are engraved on the Dingo's collar. Nearby is a note in which its author, the traveler Samuel Vernon, accuses his guide Negoro of mortally wounding him in December 1871 and robbing him. Suddenly, Dingo takes off, and a scream is heard nearby. It was Dingo who grabbed the throat of Negoro, who, before boarding the steamer to America, returned to the scene of his crime in order to get from the hiding place the money he had stolen from Vernon. Dingo, whom Negoro stabs with a knife before dying, dies. But Negoro himself cannot escape retribution. Fearing on the left bank of Negoro's satellites, Dick is sent for reconnaissance to the right bank. There, arrows fly at him, and ten savages from the village of cannibals jump into his boat. Dick shoots through the oar, and the boat is carried to the waterfall. The savages die in it, but Dick, hiding in a boat, manages to escape. Soon the travelers reach the ocean, and then without incident on August 25 they arrive in California. Dick Send becomes a son in the Weldon family, by the age of eighteen he completes hydrographic courses and is preparing to become a captain on one of James Weldon's ships. Hercules becomes a great family friend. Mr. Weldon ransoms Tom, Bat, Actaeon, and Austin from slavery, and on November 15, 1877, four Negroes, freed from so many dangers, find themselves in the friendly embrace of the Weldons.

On January 29, 1873, the schooner Pilgrim set sail from New Zealand's Oceanand under the leadership of Captain Gul. His team includes 5 experienced sailors, 1 junior sailor Dick Send, cook Negoro. The owner's wife, Mrs. Weldon, and 5-year-old son Jack, his cousin Benedict and nanny Nan were on the ship, who were sailing to San Francisco. A few days later they see a wrecked ship and rescue 5 blacks and a Dingo dog. African Americans turn out to be free US citizens who were returning to their homeland after working in New Zealand, but they were rammed by another ship. Dingo, seeing Negoro, began to react aggressively to him. Rescued said that the dog was found off the coast of Africa.

Noticing a whale not far from the ship, Captain Gul and the sailors swim to catch and die. The functions of the ship's captain are taken over by 15-year-old Dick Send. Negroes learn sailor business. But the young man is poorly versed in navigation, having only the skills of orienting by compass and lot. Kok Negoro does everything to make the ship go astray. The ship is washed ashore in Angola. But the young captain does not know how to understand the starry sky and does not know where they are. Meanwhile, the cook disappears in an unknown direction. Exploring the territory, Dick meets Harris, who convinces him that the travelers have ended up in Bolivia, and invites him to his brother's house. But the young man did not know that the new acquaintance is a friend of Negoro and a slave trader and lures them far into the forest. After some time, Dick and Tom guessed about their presence in Africa, but by that time Harris had already abandoned them in the tropics, heading to meet Negoro.

It turns out that the cook in the past also trafficked in people and for this he was sent to life hard labor by the Portuguese authorities, but two weeks later he escaped from custody and was looking for an opportunity to return to Africa. Their mutual acquaintance, a slave trader not far from the meeting point, led a caravan of people to the fair in Kazonda and was supposed to stop at the Kwanza River. The attackers hoped that Dick and his people would float down the river and be captured. At this time, the 15-year-old captain is moving along the stream to go to a deep channel, but a thunderstorm catches the travelers. To protect themselves from the overflowing river, they hide in a huge anthill, and after a thunderstorm they are captured. One of the blacks, Hercules, manages to escape, and the fate of the wife and son of the owner of the ship remains unknown. Enslaved people are in difficult conditions, they overcome many difficulties along the way, the nanny Nan cannot stand it and dies.

In Kazonda, Harris informs Dick about the death of Mrs. Weldon and Jack, for which the 15-year-old youth kills the villain. Seeing the death of his friend, Negoro asks for Dick's execution from local influential people. But Hercules saves the young man from death. Meanwhile, the ship's owner's family is being held hostage by Negoro, who hopes to ransom them. Cousin Benedict accidentally finds a way out of captivity and meets the escaped Hercules, who disguises himself as a sorcerer and convinces Queen Muanu to give him a white woman and child, because they bring disaster to the tribe. They disguise the boat as an island and float down the river. On the way, Dingo's dog shows them the place of his master's death and kills Negoro, who came to collect the stolen money. The travelers manage to get to California, where Mr. Weldon adopted Dick and made him the captain of one of his ships.

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". We recommend reading the summary of "Fifteen-year-old Captain" in chapters and parts. Retelling the book will be useful both for the reader's diary and in preparation for a lesson in literature.

The main characters of the novel

Main characters:

Dick Sand is a fifteen-year-old sailor, a brave and determined young man.
Mrs. Weldon is the wife of the owner of the ship, a brave, persistent woman.
Jack is Mrs. Weldon's little son.
Benedict is Mrs. Weldon's cousin and a passionate entomologist.
Tom, Bath, Hercules, Austin, Actaeon - Negroes rescued from a sunken ship.
Negoro is a slave trader hiding from the authorities, a vile and cruel person.

Other characters:

Nan is Jack's elderly nanny.
James Weldon is a wealthy shipowner.
Captain Ghoul is the captain of the whaling ship Pilgrim.
Harris is a slave trader and Negoro's accomplice.
Antonio Alvets is the master of the slave caravan.
Muani-Lunga is the old king Kazonde.
Muana is the first wife of Muani-Lung, Queen Kazonde.

J. Verne "Fifteen-year-old captain" very briefly

The plot of the work takes place in 1873. Schooner "Pilgrim" goes to America. The captain and sailors die while hunting whales. Now the schooner is in charge of the junior sailor Dick, who could only navigate by a compass. This plays into the hands of the criminal Negoro. He deliberately breaks all the compasses and instead of America, the ship sails to the shores of Africa. Negoro finds himself in his native land and immediately disappears.

Blacks and Dick are captured, only Hercules was lucky, he managed to escape. Mrs. Weldon, her son and cousin are taken the other way. The criminals have other plans for them. Negaro wants a huge ransom for them from Weldon. Dick and his friends are going through a lot of pain during the passage of the caravan.

Dick meets Geriss. He hates him for betraying them. Taking the opportunity, the young man grabs a knife and kills his enemy. Negaro witnesses the death of his comrade and wants to deal with Dick.

A slightly strange cousin of Mrs. Weldon wants to catch a rare insect and does not even notice how he finds himself outside the territory in which he is kept with his sister and nephew. He is met by Hercules. A brave black youth dresses up as a sorcerer. Queen Muan invites sorcerers to influence the weather, as lately it has been constantly raining, which will adversely affect the harvest.

The chief sorcerer reports that the woman with the boy is to blame. Takes Mrs. Weldon and Jackson and moves away. After that, the woman discovers that it is their savior Hercules. He saves Dick, but does not have time to rescue his brothers and father, who have already been sold into slavery.

The fugitives disguise the boat and sail for several days. After some time, travelers stop at the shore, as there is a waterfall ahead. On this island are the remains of Samuel Verny. This man was robbed and killed by Negaro, who returned to the place again to collect the stolen money. Negaro didn't get away with it that easily.

The passengers of the boat escaped. Dick was adopted by the Weldons, by the time he comes of age, he is taking sailing courses and is ready to serve as a captain. Black friends were bought out by mistel Weldon.

See also: The novel "" Verne was published in 1968. For better preparation for the literature lesson, we recommend reading the summary of “Captain Grant's Children” chapter by chapter, which is also useful for the reader's diary. This is a classic example of the travel novel genre, in which the protagonists' sea journey is closely intertwined with their adventures on land.

Condensed retelling of "The Fifteen-Year-Old Captain"

15-year-old captain Jules is correct in abbreviated form:

The sailboat is on its way to San Francisco with a stop at Valparaiso. After a few days of sailing, little Jack notices the Waldeck ship capsized on its side in the ocean with a hole in the bow. In it, the sailors discover five emaciated blacks and a dog named Dingo. It turns out that the Negroes: Tom, a sixty-year-old man, his son Bat, Austin, Actaeon and Hercules are free citizens of the United States. Having completed work on a plantation contract in New Zealand, they returned to America.

After the Waldeck collided with another ship, all the crew members and the captain disappeared and they were left alone. They are transferred aboard the Pilgrim, and after a few days of careful care, they are fully restored to their strength. Dingo, according to them, the captain of the Waldeck picked up off the coast of Africa. At the sight of Negoro, the dog, for some unknown reason, begins to growl ferociously and expresses its readiness to pounce on him. Negoro prefers not to show himself to the dog, which, apparently, recognized him.

With all his courage and inner maturity, Dick does not have all the navigational knowledge and knows how to navigate the ocean only by a compass and a lot that measures the speed of movement. He does not know how to find a location by the stars, which is what Negoro uses. He breaks one compass and imperceptibly changes the indications of the second one. Then disables the lot. His intrigues contribute to the fact that instead of America, the ship arrives on the shores of Angola and is thrown ashore.

All travelers are safe. Negoro quietly leaves them and leaves in an unknown direction. After some time, Dick Sand, who went in search of some settlement, meets the American Harris, who, being in collusion with Negoro, his old acquaintance, and assuring that the travelers are on the shores of Bolivia, lures them a hundred miles into the rainforest, promising shelter and leaving on the hacienda of his brother. Over time, Dick Send and Tom realize that they somehow ended up not in South America, but in Africa.

Harris, having guessed about their insight, hides in the forest, leaving the travelers alone, and goes to a pre-arranged meeting with Negoro. From their conversation, it becomes clear to the reader that Harris is engaged in the slave trade, Negoro was also familiar with this trade for a long time, until the authorities of Portugal, where he comes from, sentenced him to life imprisonment for such activities. After staying on it for two weeks, Negoro escaped, got a job as a cook on the Pilgrim and began to wait for the right opportunity to get back to Africa.

Dick's inexperience played into his hands, and his plan was carried out much sooner than he dared hope. Not far from the place where he meets Harris, there is a caravan of slaves, which goes to Kazonda to the fair, led by one of their acquaintances. The caravan is encamped ten miles from the whereabouts of the travelers, on the banks of the Kwanza River.

Knowing Dick Send, Negoro and Harris correctly assume that he will decide to take his people to the river and go down to the ocean on a raft. That's where they intend to capture them. Having discovered the disappearance of Harris, Dick realizes that a betrayal has taken place, and decides to walk along the bank of the stream to a larger river. On the way, they are overtaken by a thunderstorm and a fierce downpour, from which the river overflows its banks and rises several pounds above ground level.

Before the rain, travelers climb into an empty termite mound, twelve feet high. In a huge anthill with thick clay walls, they wait out a thunderstorm. However, having got out of there, they are immediately captured. Blacks, Nan and Dick are attached to the caravan, Hercules manages to escape.

Mrs. Weldon with her son and cousin Benedict are taken away in an unspecified direction. During the journey, Dick and his friends have to endure all the hardships of the transition with a caravan of slaves and witness the brutal treatment of guards and overseers with slaves. Unable to withstand this transition, old Nan perishes along the way.

Alvets promises Muani-Lung, unable to do without alcohol for a long time, a drop of fiery water for every drop of white man's blood. He prepares a strong punch, sets it on fire, and when Muani-Lung drinks it, his thoroughly alcoholized body suddenly catches fire and the king rots to the very bones. His first wife, Queen Muan, arranges a funeral, during which, according to tradition, numerous other wives of the king are killed, thrown into a pit and flooded. In the same pit there is also Dick tied to a post. He must die.

One day, Cousin Benedict, an avid insect collector, is chasing a particularly rare ground beetle. Pursuing it, he imperceptibly for himself through a mole-hole, passing under the walls of the fence, breaks free and runs two miles through the forest in the hope of still grabbing the insect. There he meets Hercules, who has been next to the caravan all this time in the hope of helping his friends in some way.

He grabs them and takes them out of the village. Alvets tries to detain him, but succumbs to the onslaught of savages and is forced to release the hostages. After walking eight miles and finally freeing himself from the last curious villagers, Hercules lowers Mrs. Weldon and Jack into the boat, where they are amazed to find that the sorcerer and Hercules are the same person, they see Dick Send, saved by Hercules from death, cousin Benedict and Dingo.

Only Tom, Bat, Actaeon and Austin are missing, who were sold into slavery and stolen from the village even earlier. Now travelers finally have the opportunity to go down to the ocean on a boat disguised as a floating island. From time to time Dick comes ashore to hunt. After a few days of travel, the boat sails past the village of cannibals, located on the right bank. The fact that it is not an island that floats along the river, but a boat with people, the savages discover after it is already far ahead.

Unnoticed by travelers, savages along the shore pursue the boat in the hope of prey. A few days later, the boat stops at the left bank, so as not to be drawn into the waterfall. Dingo, barely jumping ashore, rushes forward, as if smelling someone's footprint. Travelers stumble upon a small shack in which already whitened human bones are scattered.

Nearby on a tree, two letters “S. V.". These are the same letters that are engraved on the Dingo's collar. Nearby is a note in which its author, the traveler Samuel Vernon, accuses his guide Negoro of mortally wounding him in December 1871 and robbing him. Suddenly, Dingo takes off, and a scream is heard nearby. It was Dingo who grabbed the throat of Negoro, who, before boarding the steamer to America, returned to the scene of his crime in order to get from the hiding place the money he had stolen from Vernon.

Dingo, whom Negoro stabs with a knife before dying, dies. But Negoro himself cannot escape retribution. Fearing on the left bank of Negoro's satellites, Dick is sent for reconnaissance to the right bank. There, arrows fly at him, and ten savages from the village of cannibals jump into his boat. Dick shoots through the oar, and the boat is carried to the waterfall. The savages die in it, but Dick, hiding in a boat, manages to escape.

Soon the travelers reach the ocean, and then without incident on August 25 they arrive in California. Dick Send becomes a son in the Weldon family, by the age of eighteen he completes hydrographic courses and is preparing to become a captain on one of James Weldon's ships. Hercules becomes a great family friend.

Mr. Weldon ransoms Tom, Bat, Actaeon, and Austin from slavery, and on November 15, 1877, four Negroes, freed from so many dangers, find themselves in the friendly embrace of the Weldons.

See also: The science fiction novels "The Mysterious Island" and "" by Jules Verne are among the most famous. “20,000 Leagues Under the Sea” was written in 1870 and tells about the fictional Captain Nemo and his submarine “Nautilus” from the words of one of his passengers, Professor of the Museum of Natural History Pierre Aronax. On our website you can read the summary of "Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea" for the reader's diary in parts.

The plot of the "Fifteen-year-old captain" by chapters

"Fifteen-year-old captain" summary with a description of each chapter:

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

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

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

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

Chapter 12

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

Chapter 15. Harris

Chapter 16

Chapter 17

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

Chapter 2. Harris and Negoro

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

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

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

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

Chapter 16

Chapter 17

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."

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.

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.

Schooner "Pilgrim" hunts whales. But there are also passengers on the schooner: this is the wife of the owner of the Pilgrim with her five-year-old son Jack. They are sailing to America to see Mr. Weldon, her husband and father. Cousin Benedict is with them - he is only interested in entomology (the science of insects).

Travelers met an abandoned ship at sea, where there were living creatures: a Dingo dog and five blacks. The huge Negro Hercules became a good friend to everyone, especially to little Jack.

While hunting for a whale, a boat with a captain and crew perishes. Young Dick Sand takes over the ship. A smart guy would have done it, but Negoro's forensic cook messed up the compass. This cook is very suspicious. Here is the dog, he made friends with everyone, growls and barks at Negoro.

Finally we got to the shore. Travelers think they are in South America. Negoro says that he is familiar with this continent. Here they will get what city, they will contact Mr. Weldon, and he will save everyone. And strange things happen. The vegetation is not American, little Jack cannot see the promised hummingbird, Cousin Benedict rejoices that he saw an African insect in America. Suddenly everyone saw giraffes - but there are no such animals on the American continent.

The company meets a noble-looking gentleman named Harris. He says they ended up in Bolivia. He invites everyone to his hacienda (estate), where everyone can relax and wait for news from Mrs. Weldon's husband. It was a trap. Harris and Negoro are in a conspiracy. And the continent is not America at all. This is Africa!

Harris and Negoro only care about money. They are thieves. Blacks are sold into slavery. Only Hercules managed to escape. Harris forces Mrs. Weldon to write a letter to her husband. He and Negoro lured a woman with a son to take a considerable ransom. A faithful wife is afraid that her husband will also be lured into a trap and demand something completely unbelievable.

A woman with a son and a cousin settled among Negro savages.

Cousin Benedict is allowed to roam without guards, as they consider her husband out of his mind.

The entomologist really only sees his own insects. Suddenly, a strong hand grabbed him and dragged him where he was. The disappearance of a cousin forced the protection of mother and son to be strengthened.

There was a big celebration in the African village. On such holidays, everyone is waiting for the arrival of the forest spirit - the sorcerer "Mganga". He usually appears all painted with strange colors, in a strange outfit. And here he is! It was a giant. He danced, jumped, shouted furiously, tossing spears, and chose two victims for himself: Mrs. Weldon and her son.

Nobody dared to resist him. He shouldered the victims and disappeared into the thicket. The woman lost consciousness. Jack beat the monster with his small fists.

It turned out that the one who stole Benedict and Mrs. Weldon with her son was not a sorcerer at all, but kind Hercules, grateful for his salvation at sea. The black giant also managed to save Wild Sand. A small group makes their way to the sea to board which ship. By chance they meet Negoro. Dick and Hercules do not have time to do anything: Dingo rushes at the insidious cook and gnaws his throat.

Unfortunately, before his death, the villain managed to plunge a dagger into the faithful dog, and the dog died. It turned out that when Negoro killed Dingo's first owner, Sam Vernon, for money.

Finally, everyone who escaped was lucky to get to America. Dick became Mrs. Weldon for her eldest son, Hercules for a true friend. And the blacks were sold into slavery, subsequently found and bought by Mr. Weldon.

A feast was held to celebrate the return of the travelers. The first toast was to Wild Sand, a fifteen-year-old captain!

Flight to San Francisco

Unexpected fellow travelers

Trouble

The dark personality of Negoro

On the coast of Angola

Travelers guess the deception

Captivity

Kazonda. Punishment to the villain

Negoro wants Dick Send to be executed

Unsightly death of a leader

The real hero is Hercules. The rescue

Fifteen-year-old captain leads friends to freedom

Meeting at home

Conclusion

main characters

Other characters

Part one

Chapter 1. Schooner-brig "Pilgrim"

Chapter 2. Dick Sand

Chapter 3

Chapter 4 Rescued from the Waldeck

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9. Captain Sand

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

Chapter 13 Land!"

Chapter 14

Chapter 15. Harris

Chapter 16

Chapter 17

Chapter 18

Part two

Chapter 1

Chapter 2. Harris and Negoro

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

Chapter 13

Chapter 14

Chapter 15

Chapter 16

Chapter 17

Chapter 18

Chapter 19 V."

Chapter 20

Conclusion

Novel test

Retelling rating

"Captain at fifteen"

The main characters of the novel

J. Verne "Fifteen-year-old captain" very briefly

Condensed retelling of "The Fifteen-Year-Old Captain"

The plot of the "Fifteen-year-old captain" by chapters

Read also