Золотой жук. Уровень 1 / The Gold-bug

One evening, a single cloud in the sky attracted my attention. It was of unusual color and it was the first cloud we saw since our departure from Batavia. I watched it carefully until sunset. Then it spread all at once to the eastward and westward and left a narrow strip of vapor in the sky. Then I noticed an unusual dusky red color of the moon and the peculiar character of the sea. The water was rapidly changing and seemed more than usually transparent.

As night came on, every breath of wind died away. The air now became very hot and calm.

A long hair, which I held between the finger and thumb, hung without making the slightest move. However, the captain saw no indication of danger and ordered to remove the sails and let go the anchor. The crew stretched themselves deliberately on deck. I went below, and a heavy feeling of something bad coming developed in my chest. Indeed, the weather signaled Simoom[23 - Simoom – Самум, песчаный ураган]. I told the captain my fears; but he paid no attention to what I said.

I could not sleep so I went on desk. As I placed my foot on the upper step of the companion-ladder, a loud, humming noise startled me; the ship started shaking. Before I even realized, a wild wave knocked me off[24 - knocked me off – сбила меня с ног]. It swept the entire decks from stem to stern. Although the ship was completely waterlogged[25 - waterlogged – затоплен водой], after a minute it rose from the sea. It shacked for a while and finally righted[26 - righted – выровнялось].

By some miracle, I survived. I was jammed in between the sternpost and rudder. With great difficulty, I stood up and looked dizzily[27 - dizzily – растерянно] around. We were immersed in the whirlpool of a foaming ocean. After a while, I heard the voice of an old Swede, who shipped with us when we leaved port. I hallooed to him and he came to me. We soon discovered we were the only survivors; the wave swept all on desk overboard, the captain and mates were dead too for water flooded their cabins.

No one could help us to save the ship.

We were paralyzed by the momentary expectation of going down. Our rope broke at the first breath of the hurricane and the framework of our stern was shattered. We believed that a great wave would finally destroy our poor ship but it did not happen.

For four days and nights, waves carried us down the coast of New Holland.