Un capitaine de quinze ans. English Read online

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  Dick Sands the Boy Captain by Jules Verne

  [Redactor's Note: _Dick Sands the Boy Captain_ (Number V018 in the T&Mnumerical listing of Verne's works) is a translation of _Un capitainede quinze ans_ (1878) by Ellen E. Frewer who also translated otherVerne works. The current translation was published by Sampson & Low inEngland (1878) and Scribners in New York (1879) and was republishedmany times and included in Volume 8 of the Parke edition of _The Worksof Jules Verne_ (1911). There is another translation published byGeorge Munro (1878) in New York with the title _Dick Sand A Captain atFifteen_.

  This work has an almost mechanical repetiveness in the continuingdescription of the day after day trials of sailing at sea. Thus theillustrations, of which there were 94 in the french edition, are allthe more important in keeping up the reader's interest. The titles ofthe illustrations are given here as a prelude to a future fullyillustrated edition.]

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  DICK SANDS

  THE BOY CAPTAIN.

  BY

  JULES VERNE.

  TRANSLATED BY

  ELLEN E. FREWER

  ILLUSTRATED

  1879

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  CONTENTS.

  PART THE FIRST

  I. THE "PILGRIM" II. THE APPRENTICE III. A RESCUE IV. THE SURVIVORS OF THE "WALDECK" V. DINGO'S SAGACITY VI. A WHALE IN SIGHT VII. PREPARATIONS FOR AN ATTACK VIII. A CATASTROPHE IX. DICK'S PROMOTION X. THE NEW CREW XI. ROUGH WEATHER XII. LAND AT LAST XIV. ASHORE XV. A STRANGER XVI. THROUGH THE FOREST XVII. MISGIVINGS XVIII. A TERRIBLE DISCOVERY

  PART THE SECOND

  I. THE DARK CONTINENT II. ACCOMPLICES III. ON THE MARCH AGAIN IV. ROUGH TRAVELLING V. WHITE ANTS VI. A DIVING-BELL VII. A SLAVE CARAVAN VIII. NOTES BY THE WAY IX. KAZONDE X. MARKET-DAY XI. A BOWL OF PUNCH XII. ROYAL OBSEQUIES XIII. IN CAPTIVITY XIV. A RAY OF HOPE XV. AN EXCITING CHASE XVI. A MAGICIAN XVII. DRIFTING DOWN THE STREAM XVIII. AN ANXIOUS VOYAGE XIX. AN ATTACK XX. A HAPPY REUNION

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  LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS

  Number Title

  I-01-a Cousin Benedict

  I-01-b Captain Hull advanced to meet Mrs. Weldon and her party

  I-02-a Negoro

  I-02-b Dick and Little Jack

  I-03-a Negoro had approached without being noticed by any one

  I-03-b The dog began to swim slowly and with manifest weakness towards the boat

  I-04-a Mrs. Weldon assisted by Nan and the ever active Dick Sands, was doing everything in her power to restore consciousness to the poor sufferers

  I-04-b The good-natured negroes were ever ready to lend a helping hand

  I-05-a "There you are, then, Master Jack!"

  I-05-b Jack cried out in the greatest excitement that Dingo knew how to read

  I-05-c Negoro, with a threatening gesture that seemed half involuntary, withdrew immediately to his accustomed quarters

  I-06-a "This Dingo is nothing out of the way"

  I-06-b Occasionally Dick Sands would take a pistol, and now and then a rifle

  I-06-c "What a big fellow!"

  I-07-a The captain's voice came from the retreating boat

  I-07-b "I must get you to keep your eye upon that man"

  I-08-a The whale seemed utterly unconscious of the attack that was threatening it

  I-08-b The boat was well-nigh full of water, and in imminent danger of being capsized

  I-08-c There is no hope

  I-09-a "Oh, we shall soon be on shore!"

  I-09-b "Oh yes, Jack; you shall keep the wind in order"

  I-10-a All three of them fell flat upon the deck

  I-10-b Jack evidenced his satisfaction by giving his huge friend a hearty shake of the hand

  I-10-c A light shadow glided stealthily along the deck

  I-11-a For half an hour Negoro stood motionless

  I-12-a Under bare poles

  I-12-b Quick as lightning, Dick Sands drew a revolver from his pocket

  I-12-c "There! look there!"

  I-13-a "You have acquitted yourself like a man"

  I-13-b They both examined the outspread chart

  I-13-c The sea was furious, and dashed vehemently upon the crags on either hand

  I-14-a Surveying the shore with the air of a man who was trying to recall some past experience

  I-14-b Not without emotion could Mrs. Weldon, or indeed any of them, behold the unfortunate ship

  I-14-c The entomologist was seen making his way down the face of the cliff at the imminent lisk of breaking his neck

  I-15-a "Good morning, my young friend"

  I-15-b "He is my little son"

  I-15-c They came to a tree to which a horse was tethered

  I-16-a The way across the forest could scarcely be called a path

  I-16-b Occasionally the soil became marshy

  I-16-c A halt for the night

  I-16-d Hercules himself was the first to keep watch

  I-17-a "Don't fire!"

  I-17-b A herd of gazelles dashed past him like a glowing cloud

  I-17-c A halt was made for the night beneath a grove of lofty trees

  I-18-a "Look here! here are hands, men's hands"

  I-18-b The man was gone, and his horse with him!

  II-02-a They were seated at the foot of an enormous banyan-tree

  II-02-b Both men, starting to their feet, looked anxiously around them

  II-02-c Dingo disappeared again amongst the bushes

  II-03-a "You must keep this a secret"

  II-03-b "Harris has left us"

  II-03-c The march was continued with as much rapidity as was consistent with caution

  II-04-a It was a scene only too common in Central Africa

  II-04-b Another brilliant flash brought the camp once again into relief

  II-04-c One after another, the whole party made their way inside

  II-05-a Cousin Benedict's curiosity was awakened

  II-05-b The naturalist now fairly mounted on a favourite hobby

  II-05-c "My poor boy, I know everything"

  II-06-a They set to work to ascertain what progress the water was making

  II-06-b All fired simultaneously at the nearest boat

  II-06-c The giant clave their skulls with the butt end of his gun

  II-07-a The start was made

  II-08-a If ever the havildar strolled a few yards away, Bat took the opportunity of murmuring a few words of encouragement to his poor old father

  II-08-b The caravan had been attacked on the flank by a dozen or more crocodiles

  II-08-c The creature that had sprung to my feet was Dingo

  II-08-d More slaves sick, and abandoned to take their chance

  II-09-a Adjoining the commercial quarter was the royal residence

  II-09-b With a yell and a curse, the American fell dead at his feet

  II-10-a Accompanied by Coimbra, Alvez himself was one of the first arrivals

  II-11-a The potentate beneath whose sway the country trembled for a hundred miles round

  II-11-b Alvez advanced and presented t
he king with some fresh tobacco

  II-11-c The king had taken fire internally

  II-12-a "Your life is in my hands!"

  II-12-b All his energies were restored

  II-13-a Friendless and hopeless He contented himself with the permission to go where he pleased within the limits of the palisade

  II-13-b "I suppose Weldon will not mind coming to fetch you?"

  II-14-a Dr. Livingstone

  II-14-b With none to guide him except a few natives

  II-14-c "You are Dr. Livingstone, I presume?"

  II-15-a The insufferable heat had driven all the residents within the depot indoors

  II-15-b Before long the old black speck was again flitting just above his head

  II-15-c For that day at least Cousin Benedict had lost his chance of being the happiest of entomologists

  II-16-a The entire crowd joined in

  II-16-b "Here they are, captain! both of them!!"

  II-17-a Hercules could leave the boat without much fear of detection

  II-17-b It was caused by a troop of a hundred or more elephants

  II-18-a He stood face to face with his foe

  II-18-b Instantly five or six negroes scrambled down the piles

  II-19-a Upon the smooth wood were two great letters in dingy red

  II-19-b The dog was griping the man by the throat

  II-19-c The bullet shattered the rudder-scull into fragments

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