Пятнадцатилетний капитан / Dick Sand. A Captain at Fifteen. Уровень 2

Negoro came back upon deck. Every muscle of his face remained unmoved; not a gesture, not a word betrayed the least emotion.

He came to Dick Sand. Dick roused himself in an instant, and said,

“You want to speak to me?”

“I must speak either to the captain or the boatswain,” answered the man.

“Negoro,” said Dick sharply, “you know as well as I do, that they are drowned.”

“Then where am I to get my orders from?” asked the fellow insolently.

“From me,” promptly rejoined the apprentice.

“From you! From a boy of fifteen?”

“Yes, from me,” repeated Dick, in a firm and resolute voice. “From me.”

“It’s necessary to understand,” Mrs. Weldon said, “that Dick Sand is captain now. He will order, and the others must obey.”

Negoro frowned, bit his lip, sneered, and came back to his cabin.

Dick cast his eye first at the sails, then along the deck. He was conscious that the hopes of the passengers centred in himself.

Although he was satisfied of his capability, with the help of the negroes, to manipulate the sails, he could not control the ship’s course.

He needed a few more years’ experience. How to use the sextant, to take the altitude of the stars, to read the time from his chronometer; sun, moon, and planets?

Mrs. Weldon recognized the thoughts which were passing in the mind of the lad.

“The command of the ship is in your hands, Dick,” she said. “You will do your duty; and Tom, and the rest of them, no doubt, will help you.

”

“Yes, Mrs. Weldon,” rejoined Dick brightly; “and I hope I’ll make them good seamen. If only the weather lasts fair, everything will go on well enough. Will get safe ashore.”

Mrs. Weldon wanted to know about the “Pilgrim’s” present position.

“Never fear, madam,” he answered; “as we get nearer land we will see a cruiser which will put us into the right track.”

Dick went to the captain’s cabin and took the chart. According to it they were in lat.

43° 35’, S., and long. 164° 13’, W[21 - lat. 43° 35’, S., and long. 164° 13’, W. – 43° 35’ южной широты и 164° 13’ западной долготы]. The “Pilgrim” was like a microscopic infusoria on the vast surface of that sea, and hundreds and hundreds of weary miles separated the ship from the coast.

No time to lose. Dick appealed to the negroes, and explained them the difficulty of the task.