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

One of them was his own son; his name was Bat (an abbreviation of Bartholomew); and there were three others, named Austin, Acteon, and Hercules.

Three years ago the five men were engaged by an Englishman who had large property in South Australia. Upon the completion of their engagement they determined to return to America. On the 5th of January, they embarked at Melbourne on board the “Waldeck.” Everything went on well for seventeen days, until, on the night of the 22nd, which was very dark, they were run into by[12 - they were run into by – на них налетел] a great steamer.

The scene was terrible; both masts were gone, and the brig completely heeled over on its side. Captain and crew disappeared. They were left alone upon a half-capsized and disabled hull, twelve hundred miles from the nearest land.

The boats were crushed in the collision, so that they had to await the appearance of a passing vessel.

For the next ten days the negroes were eating the food that they found in the stern cabin; but they were quite unable to obtain a drop of anything to drink.

Tortured with thirst, the poor men suffered agonies. On the previous night they entirely lost consciousness.

All the outlines of Tom’s narrative were fully confirmed by the other negroes.

One other survivor of the wreck was the dog who had an unaccountable dislike to Negoro.

Dingo, as the dog was named, belonged to the fine breed of mastiffs. The animal came from the coast of West Africa, near the mouth of the Congo.

The captain of the “Waldeck” get the dog two years ago. The initials S. V. were engraved upon the dog’s collar.

Dingo was very large. It was a magnificent example of his kind. Standing on hind legs, it was as tall as a man. This dog was like a panther. Its fine shaggy coat was a dark tawny colour, its long bushy tail was as strong as a lion’s. If he was angry, no doubt he became a most formidable foe.

Dingo was unsociable, but it was not savage. Old Tom said that, on board the “Waldeck,” Dingo had particular dislike to negroes; it uniformly avoided them.

The five men were profoundly grateful to their kind-hearted benefactors; poor negroes utterly resigned the hope to repay the debt which they owed their deliverers.

Chapter V

Dingo’s Sagacity

Meantime the “Pilgrim” pursued its course, it was keeping as much as possible to the east, and soon the hull of the “Waldeck” was out of sight.