 Chapter 8 of Captain Antifur by Jules Verne This Libervox recording is in the public domain. Recording by Joe DeNoya, Somerset, New Jersey Chapter 8 When Captain Antifur reached the door of his house, he opened it, then through the dining room, and sitting down at the corner of the fireplace began to warm his feet, without saying a word. Edelgate and Jule were talking near the window, but he took no notice of their presence. Nanon was busy cooking in the kitchen, and he did not worry as usual by asking a dozen times, if it would soon be ready. Evidently Antifur was deep in thought, but it would not do to tell his sister and his nephew and niece what had happened at his interview with Ben Omar, the notary of Kamali Pasha. During the meal he said nothing. He even reframed from any second helpings, and contended himself with prolonging his dessert by mechanically disposing of several dozen periwinkles, which he extracted from their green shells by means of a long copper-headed pin. Several times Jule spoke to him, but he answered, not a word. Edelgate asked him what was the matter, as he did not seem to hear. Brother, what ails you? asked Nanon, and he rose to retire to his room. I've got a wisdom tooth coming through, he replied, and each of them thought it would not be too late if it could make him wise at his old age. Then, without lighting his pipe, which he was so fond of smoking night and morning on the rampart, he went upstairs without saying good night to anybody. Uncle is troubling about something, remarked Edelgate. Has he had any news, said Nanon, as she cleared the table? Perhaps we had better send for Trigamane, replied Jule. The truth is that Captain Antifur was more uneasy and anxious than he had ever been since he had been expecting the indispensable messenger. Had he not failed in presence of mind in acuteness during his interview with Ben Elmar? Had he done right in being so categorical and reserved with his fellow, instead of winning him over by discussing the main points of the business of trying to bargain with him? Had he done wisely in calling him a rascal, a crocodile, and so on? Would it not have been better without showing so much caution as to his own interests to have temporized, to have appeared disposed to hand over the letter, to have pretended to have been ignorant of its importance instead of asking 50 million francs for it? Of course, it was worth it. There was no doubt about that, but it would have been wise to have acted more circumspectly. And if the notary declined to submit to a similar reception, if he strapped up his portmanteau, left St. Molo, and returned to Alexandria, how would the problem be solved? Would Captain Antifur have to go to Egypt after his longitude? And so when he went to bed, he administered to himself quite a shower of hard knocks. He did not close his eyes during the night. The next morning he had firmly resolved to go in search of Ben Elmar, to apologize for his rudeness, to enter into an arrangement at the expense of a few slight concessions. But as he was reflecting on all this and dressing himself about eight o'clock, the bargeman gently pushed open the door of his room. The nun had sent for him, and he had come, the excellent man, himself to his neighbor's blows. What brings you here? The flood friend, said Tregomane, hoping that this maritime location would provoke a smile. The flood replied Antifur startling. Well, the ebb is just taking me out. You're getting ready to go out? Yes, with or without your permission. Where are you going? Where it suits me to go? Nowhere else, of course. But you did not wish me to know what you're going to do? I'm going to repair a mistake. And to make it worse, perhaps? This reply, although given as a general observation, made Antifur uneasy. And so he decided to let his friend know what had happened. Continuing his dressing, he told of his meeting with Ben Elmar, with a notice of attempts to gain possession of the latitude, and has offered to sell the letter for 50 millions of francs. He should have made you an offer, observed Tregomane. He had no time for I turned my back on him. In which, I was wrong. That is my opinion. And so this notary came expressly to St. Molo to try to get this letter from you. Instead of giving me the communication he ought to have done, this Ben Elmar is the messenger spoken of by Kamalik Pasha, and expected it for the last 20 years. Ah, then this matter is serious after all, Tregomane cannot help saying. The remark brought him such a terrible look and such a contemptuous epithet from Antifur that he lowered his eyes and twiddled his thumbs after crossing his hands over the vast rotundity of his corporation. A moment afterwards, Antifur had finished dressing and was picking up his hat and went the door open. Nanan appeared. What is the matter now, asked her brother? There is a stranger downstairs. He wants to speak to you. His name? Here it is. What is the card of which were these words? Ben Elmar, notary, Alexandria. The man exclaimed Antifur. Who? asked Tregomane. The Elmar in question. Ah, I like that, that he has come back as a good sign. Show him up, Nanan. But he is not alone. Not alone, exclaimed Antifur. Then who then is with him? A younger man whom I do not know and who looks like a foreigner. Ah, there are two of them. Well, we shall be two to receive them. Stop here, Tregomane. Do you wish it? An imperious gesture kept a worthy neighbor in his place. Another gesture indicated to Nanan that she was to show the visitors upstairs. A minute afterwards they had been ushered into the room, the door of which was carefully shut. If the secrets that were to be revealed were to escape, it would have to be through the keyhole. Ah, it is you, Mr. Ben Elmar, said Antifur in a careless and haughty tone. Very different to what he would have adopted had he gone to make the first advances at the hotel. Myself, Mr. Antifur. And the person who accompanies you? My head clerk. Antifur and Saouk, who was introduced on the name of Nazim, exchanged a look of indifference. Your clerk is equating with this business, asked Antifur. He is, and his assistance is indispensable to me throughout this matter. Be it so, Mr. Ben Elmar, may I ask to what I owe the honor of your visit? Another interview I wish to have with you, Mr. Antifur. With you alone, he added, casting a side look at Tregomain, whose thumbs continue to twiddle in. Guiltless Tregomain, my friend, replied Antifur. Lake captain of the barge, Charmante Amélie, who was also acquainted with this business and whose assistance is no less indispensable than that of your clerk, Nazim. It was impossible for Ben Elmar to object. Immediately the four sat down around a table in which the notary placed his portfolio. Then a certain silence reigned in the room until it pleased one or the other to speak. Antifur broke the silence by addressing Ben Elmar. Your clerk speaks French, I suppose. No, replied the notary. But he understands it? Not much. This had been agreed between Saouk and Ben Elmar, in the hope that Antifur, having no fear of being understood by the false Nazim, the words at which advantage might be taken. And now proceed, Mr. Ben Elmar, said Antifur, carelessly. Your intention is to resume the conversation that ended abruptly yesterday. Certainly. Then you have brought me the 50 millions? Let us be serious, sir. Yes, let us be serious, Mr. Ben Elmar. My friend Tregomain is not one of those who will consent to lose time in useless pleasantries. That is so, Tregomain. The bargement of more serious countenance, a more composed demeanor, and when he enveloped his nasal appendage in the folds of his flag, we mean handkerchief, never had he produced more magisterial trumpinings. Mr. Ben Elmar, I'm afraid there's been some misunderstanding between us. It is better it should end, where no good will come of it. You know who I am, and I know who you are. A notary. A notary, who was also the messenger of the deceased Kamali Pasha, expecting for the last 20 years. You'll excuse me, Mr. Antwer, but in admitting that that is so, I may say that I was not allowed to come sooner. And why? Because it is only a fortnight ago that by the opening of the will, I ascertain under what conditions your father had received this letter. Ah, the letter with the double K. We return to that, Mr. Ben Elmar. Yes, my only idea in coming to St. Mala was to put myself in communication with you. That is the only object of your journey? The only one. During this exchange of questions and answers, he would remain impassable, and did not seem to understand a word that was said. You played his game so naturally that Tregemain, who was quietly watching him, saw nothing suspicious in his behavior. Then Mr. Ben Elmar said Antwer, I have for you the most profound respect, and as you know, I would not say an unkind word to you. Really, this was sublime. What about rascal, mummy, crocodile, etc., etc.? But he continued, I cannot help observing that you just lied. Sir? Yes, lied like a steward's mate when he asserted that your journey had no other object than to know what was in my letter. I swear, said the notary, lifting his hand. Keep your hand down, old Elmar, said Antwer, waking up in spite of some good resolutions. I know perfectly well why you have come. Believe me, and on whose behalf you have come. Nobody, I assure you. So, on behalf of the deceased, Kamalik Pasha, he died ten years ago. Never mind, it is an execution of his last wishes that you were here today with Pierre Cervan Malo, son of Thomas Antwer, and your orders are not to demand a letter in question, but to give him certain figures. Certain figures? Yes, the figures of a longitude he requires for the completion of a latitude Kamalik Pasha gave twenty years ago to his good father. Well hit, said Tregomain, tranquilly shaking his handkerchief as if it were signaling to the semaphores of the coast. But the so-called clerk remained impassable, although he knew that Antwer quite understood the position. And you, Mr. Ben Elmar, have changed your errand, and have been trying to steal my latitude. Steal? Yes, steal, and probably to make use of it in a way that only I ought to do. Mr. Antwer replied, Olar, much disconcerted. Believe me, as soon as you give me this letter, I will give you the figures. Then you admit that you have them. The notary was fairly caught. Practiced as he was at Evasion, he saw that his adversary had him at his mercy, and the best thing for him to do was to submit, as had been greeted the night before between him and Saouk. And now Antwer said, Come, play fairly, Mr. Ben Elmar. You have been long enough on that tack. Try another. I will, he replied. He opened his portfolio, and drew from it a sheet of parchment, straight with lines of large handwriting. This was Camelik Posh's will, and he handed it to Antwer, who, as it was written in French, readily understood it. He read it through in a loud voice, so that Tregermain did not lose a word of what the will contained, and then drew his notebook from his pocket, so as to inscribe therein the figures indicating the longitude of the islet. And Tregermain also brought out a notebook and wrote down the figures. 54 degrees, 57 minutes, east. The will was then returned to the notary, who put in his portfolio, which was passed under the arm of Nazin, who remained seemingly indifferent to all that was going on. Although the interview had now reached a point of considerable interest for him, and Ben Elmar. Antwer, knowing both the meridian and the parallel of the islands, had only to cross these two lines to find the position. And this he was very naturally somewhat eager to do. But as he rose, there could be no mistake as to the meaning of the bow he made his visitors, and the gesture which he indicated the stares. Evidently, Saouk and Ben Elmar were invited to depart. The bargemen quietly watched the proceedings with considerable amusement. Nevertheless, neither the notary or Nazim seemed disposed to rise. It was clear that their host would put them out, but either they did not understand or did not wish to understand. Ben Elmar, who was much embarrassed, felt that Saouk was, by a look, giving his express order to ask a final question. He obeyed and said, Now that I have fulfilled the mission entrusted to me by the will of Camelink Pasha, we have only to take leave of each other politely, said Antwer, in the first train, being at 1037. 1023, since yesterday, correct, adrenaline? Yes, 1023, and I would not, my dear Mr. Ben Elmar, make you or your clerk Nazim, to express. Saouk's feet began to beat the double shuffle on the floor, and as he looked at his watch, it seemed as though he was anxious to be off. If you have any luggage to register, continued Antwer, there is barely time. Although Morso added the bargemen, as there is no end of it at this station, Ben Elmar saw that he must say something further and, half-rising, he remarked, lowering his eyes. Pardon me, but it seems to me that we have not said all we have to say. Quite the contrary, Mr. Ben Elmar, as far as I am concerned, I have nothing more to ask you. But I have a question to ask Mr. Antwer. I am surprised, Mr. Ben Elmar, but if you think so, what is it? I have given you the figures that a longitude indicated in the will of Camelik Pasha. You have, and my friend Tregerman in the eye have entered them in our notebooks. And now you have to give me those of the latitude indicated in the letter. The letter addressed to my father? The same. Pardon Mr. Ben Elmar, replied Antwer, frowning. Did you not have orders to bring me the longitude in question? Yes, and those orders I have fulfilled. With as much kindness as zeal, I admit. But as far as I am concerned, I have nowhere seen either in the will or in the letter that I should reveal to you the figures and the latitude said to my father. However, if you have any orders concerning this, we might perhaps discuss them. It seems to me, replied the notary, that between gentlemen who esteem each other, it seems wrong then, Mr. Ben Elmar, a steam has nothing to do with it, however much we may have for each other. Evidently, the irritation which was taking place of impatience with Captain Antwer would not be long in showing itself. And so, in his anxiety to avoid an explosion, Tregerman went to open the door so as to facilitate the departure of the visitors. Saouk never budged. It was, however, not his business as clerk and a foreigner, ignorant of the language, to move before his master gave him the order. Ben Elmar quitted his chair, rubbed his head, adjusted his spectacles on his nose, and in the tone of a man who does his best with what he cannot prevent, remarked, Excuse me, Mr. Antwer, you have made up your mind not to trust me. The more so, Mr. Ben Elmar, because can't believe Posh's letter required my father to keep it a profound secret, and that the secret my father also required me to keep. Well, Mr. Antwer, said Ben Elmar, will you accept good advice? What is it? Take no further steps in this matter. And why? Because you may meet on the way a certain person who will make you repent it. And who is that? Saouk, the son of Kamalaik Posh's cousin, disinherited to your advantage, and who is not of all the man, do you know his son, Mr. Ben Elmar? No, replied the note of the letter. But I know that he is a formidable adversary. Well, if you ever meet this Saouk, tell him I don't care a snap for him, nor for all the surukhary of Egypt. Nazim did not move a muscle, and then Antwer went out on the landing. Na-dan, he shouted. The note of the letter moved toward the door, and this time Saouk, clumsily upsetting his chair, followed him, not without a furious desire to kick him down stairs. The note of the letter, the note of the letter, the note of the letter, not without a furious desire to kick him down stairs. But as he was at the door, Ben Elmar suddenly stopped, and said to Antwer, you have not forgotten one of the clauses in Kamalaik Posh's will? Which is that, Mr. Ben Elmar? That which compels me to company you until you have taken possession of your legacy, of being present when the three casks are exhumed. Well, you shall accompany me, Mr. Ben Elmar. Then I must know where you are going. You will know when we are there. But if it is at the other end of the world, it will be at the other end of the world. But remember that I cannot do without my head clerk. That is as you please, and I shall be no less honored by his presence than yours. Leaning over the balusters, he shouted in the voice that Shodhi considered the interview at an end. Nanan! Nanan appeared. Shodhi's gentleman alight. Good, said Nanan. It is broad daylight. Showed him a light all the same. And thus it was that Saug and Ben Elmar were shown out of this inhospitable house, the door of which was slammed behind them. Then Captain Antwer was seized with such an attack of delirious delight as had seldom come to him before. But if he was not joyful of that occasion, when should he have been? He had it. This famous longitude so impatiently expected. He had the power to change the reality when it hitherto been but a dream. The possession of this immense fortune depended only on the haste with which he went in search of the islet where it awaited him. Four millions. Four millions, he repeated. That is to say a thousand times a hundred thousand francs at a debauchement. And then Antwer hopped on one leg, then on the other, then stooped and rose, swinging his hips and spun round like a gyroscope, and finally completed his performance with a furious hornpipe. Then he seized Tregomane and setting that massive form in motion. He worked up the dance of such impetuosity that the house shook to its foundations as he broke out in a voice that made the windows rattle. I have my long, long I have my jid, jid, tude my long, my jid, my tude I have my long, jid, tude End of chapter 8 Chapter 9 of Captain Antwer by Jules Verne This LibriVox recording is in the public domain. Recorded by Joe De Noia Somerset, New Jersey Chapter 9 While Antwer was performing in this quartet party, the no-gate and jewel had gone off to the Marie and the church. At the Marie, the clerk of the marriage department, a leather-faced old fellow engaged in the manufacture of honeymoon had shown them the notice of their bands stuck up among the other notices. At the cathedral, the vicar promised them a choral service, a dress, organ, and bells complete. How happy they were! With what impatience, ill-disguised in the part of jewel, more reserved than the part of a no-gate, did they wait for the 5th of April, the date that had been won from their uncle's hesitations? How busy they were with their preparations, their wardrobe, their furniture for the pretty room on the first floor, which the generous Tregemain embellished every day with odds and ends that during many years he had collected among the sure folk of the rants. Was he not their confidant, and could they have found it better, than in their projects? And 20 times a day, with the old bargement repeat, I would give a lot for the marriage to be over. And why, my good-gildest, the girl would ask, a little uneasy, Fred Dantifer is so singular when he gets the stride of his hobby, and goes prancing among his millions. That, too, was Jewel's opinion. When you depend on the uncle, an excellent man but somewhat unsettled, you are sure of nothing until the yes has been uttered before the Marie. And among sailor families, there is no time to lose. Either they would have to remain unmarried, or be married as soon as possible. Jewel's under orders to sail his first mate of one of the Baeliff's largest ships, and then for what months, for what years even he might be on the seas, thousands of miles from his wife and children, if God blessed their union. As a sailor's daughter, Anogade had reconciled herself to long voyages taking her husband away from her, never imagining it could be otherwise. And therefore all the more reason for them losing a day, as their lives would consist of so many during which they would be separated. It was of their future that they were talking about when they returned from their walk. To their surprise, they saw two strangers come out of the house in the Rue des Hauts Salés, and move off, gesticulating furiously. Have these people been to call on Captain Antefer? Jewel had a presentiment that something unusual had occurred. In any doubt as to this was removed when he and Anogade heard the noise and the last lines of which could be heard on the further ends of the ramparts. Had their uncle gone out of his mind? What does it matter, Aunt? asked Jewel. Your uncle is dancing, my children said then on. But he could not shake the house like this. No, that is Tregomane. What? Is Tregomane dancing too? Probably not to annoy uncle, said Anogade. The three went upstairs and very naturally supposed to enter for a gun mad when it saw him capering about and looking at the top of his voice. I have my long long I have my jid jid to and then Tregomane joining in puffing as if he were danger of a stroke of apoplexy. Oh yes, his jid his long jid to a revelation suddenly enlightened Jewel. Those two strangers who had left the house was this the untoward messenger of Camelik Pasha who had arrived at last? The young man turned pale stopping Antipher in the middle of a step. What uncle he said? Have you got it? I have it. He has it, murmured Tregomane and he sank onto a chair which being unable to oppose an impossible resistance broke to pieces beneath him. As soon as their uncle had recovered his breath Anogade and Jewel were told what had happened the day before. The arrival of Ben Omar and his clerk the attempt at extortion relative to Camelik's letter the contents of the will was buried. Captain Antipher had only to stoop to pick it up. Well uncle none of these two individuals know where the nest is they can get it before you can. Wait a minute exclaimed Antipher shrugging up his shoulders Do you think I was full enough to give them the key to the strong box? And Tregomane emphasized the question by solemnly shaking his head A strong box which holds four millions and the word millions appeared to swell on Antipher's mouth as if it would choke him. If he had expected that this decoration would be welcome with shouts of enthusiasm he was promptly undeceived. What? A shower of gold which Diney would have been jealous torrent of diamonds and precious stones pouring onto this humble house and not a hand held out for them not one to tear off the roof so as not to lose a drop of the rain of wealth yet so it was a glacial silence received the phrase stuffed with millions so triumphantly would be claimed by the author And that is it, he said looking at one after the other his sister, his nephew his niece, his friend I tell you I am as rich as Crocius that I returned from El Dorado laden with gold enough to sink me and you did not even fall in my neck and wish me joy There was no reply nothing but eyes cast down and faces turned away Well Denon? Yes brother replied Denon It is a nice little fortune A nice little fortune more than 300,000 francs to eat every day of the year and you Inogate, do you also think it is a nice little fortune? Uncle said the girl it is not necessary to be as rich as that Yes I know, I know the rest money does not make happiness is that your opinion Mr. Captain asked the uncle of his nephew My opinion replied Jewel is that the Egyptian altar has thrown the title of Pasha into the bargain for so much money and no title Ha ha Enter for Pasha said the bargeman with a chuckle Steady there in a tone of command Steady there ex-captain of the Charmante Amelie Are you trying to make fun of me? I, my worthy friend replied Charlemagne, certainly not and if you were so pleased with your millions I offer you 100 million compliments But why was it that the family received the exaltations of his chief so coldly? He might perhaps think no more of his plan of superb alliances for his niece and nephew Perhaps he would give up his idea of breaking off or at least delaying the marriage of Jewel and Inogate although his longitude had arrived before the 6th of April But there was a doubt as to this and hence the anxiety of Inogate and Jewel Nanon and Gildus Charlemagne Charlemagne resolved to give his friend an opportunity of explaining Better to know at once what was going to happen and let this terrible uncle hear reason Look here, my friends at Charlemagne, rounding his back Suppose you have these millions Suppose? Why suppose? Well, let us say you have them a good fellow like you accustomed to live in a humble way What are you going to do? Would I please? replied Antiphar, dryly You are not going to buy All Saint Molo, I imagine All Saint Molo All Saint Cervan and all Denard if it suits me and even at the ridiculous brook the rants which is no other water than what the tide chooses to grant He knew that in insulting the rants he was stinging to the quick the one who had bit up and down this charming river for twenty years of his life That may be, Sir Charlemagne, biting his lip but you cannot eat a morsel more or drink a glass more unless you buy a supplementary stomach I will buy what I like Mr. Freshwater Sailor and if anyone says no to me if I find any opposition among my own people this was addressed to the lovers I will eat my millions I will dissipate them I will turn them into smoke, into dust and Joel and the no-gate shall have none of the two each I intend one day to leave them Better say the four to both, my friend Why? Because they're going to get married This touched the burning question Hold their bargements in Antiphar and the voice of the stenter Up you go to the main royal and take a look around This was the way of sending Tregerman about his business figuratively being understood for a hoist such a mast at the top of any mast would have been impossible without the aid of a capstan Neither did Anon nor Joel nor a no-gate daring to fear in the conversation The young captain got so white that he was evidently hardly able to master his indignation But the bargement was not one to desert anybody in the open sea Approaching his friend he said However, you made a promise What promise? To consent to their marriage Yes, if the longitude did not come and as the longitude has come all the more reason for assuring their happiness Exactly and therefore a no-gate shall marry a prince if she can find one and Joel a princess there are none to marry Tregerman who could argue no more You could always find one when you have a dowry of two millions to offer Then you would better search I will search and I will find and in the Almanac de Gotha or two He meant to say Almanac de Gotha this obstinate intractable coaster possessed with the idea of mingling the blood of potentiates with the blood of the antifers but not wishing to prolong a conversation which might end badly resolved to yield no respect on this marriage question he let it be understood very clearly that he wished to be left alone in his room and not to be disturbed by anybody before dinner Tregerman judged it prudent not to withstand him and all four went downstairs they were all in despair and the girl was crying this was almost more than Tregerman could bear I don't like people to cry he said, not even when sorrow comes to them my little one But, said she all is lost Uncle will never give in this enormous fortune has turned his head Yes, said the nun into his head Jubal did not speak he strode about the room crossing and uncrossing his arms opening and shutting his hands suddenly he sling after all, he is not master I have no need of his permission to marry I am of age but a no-geat is not, said the bargeman and as her guardian, he can object Yes, and we are all dependent on him, said Anon bowing her head My advice, said Tregerman is not to impose him directly it is not impossible that this mania will pass away particularly if we seem to give in to him You ought to be right, said Anongate we shall gain more by gentleness than violence at least I hope so Besides, said the bargeman he has not got the millions yet No, said Jubal in spite of his latitude and his longitude may come to grief before he lays hands on them it will take a good deal of time A good deal, murmured the girl Yes, dear Anongate and there may be delays Ah, the confounded uncle and the confounded brutes who have come from the confounded Pasha growled anon, I should have welcomed them with the broomstick They would have managed to see him all the same, said Jewel and this Ben Omar who has a commission on the business would never have left him alone then uncle is going away, asked Anongate Probably, said Tregerman now he knows where the island is I will accompany him, said Jewel You, Jewel, exclaimed the girl? Yes, it must be so I should like to be there to prevent his committing some stupidity to bring him back if he stays away too long Well thought of, my boy, said the bargeman who knows where he may have dragged running after this treasure and asked what dangers he may be exposed Anongate felt as sad as ever but she understood him Jewel's resolve was dictated by good sense Perhaps the length of the voyage may be shortened by it The young captain did his best to console her he would write to her often he would tell her all that happened Anon would not leave her nor would Tregerman, who would see her every day who would teach her resignation Depend on me, my girl, said the bargeman much moved I will teach you not to dwell on it too much You don't know the adventures of the Charmante Amelie? No, Anongate did not know them for he had not yet dared to recount them for fear of captain Antefer Well, I will tell you them they are very interesting The time will pass Someday, we shall see our friend return with his millions under his arm or the bag empty, and our brave Jewel I will take about one jump from the house to the cathedral I will not stop you, if you like I will have a new coat made while they were away and wear it every morning Below there Bargeman The well-known voice made the whole company start He calls me, said Tregerman What does he want with you, asked Anon That is not the way he speaks when he is angry, he suggests at Anongate No, said Jewel There is more impatience than anger in the tone Tregerman, will you come? I am coming, said Tregerman and the stairs begin to groan as the bargeman went up them A minute afterwards, Antefer had pushed him across the room and locked the door Then, drawing him before the table in which the atlas was open, he held a pair of compasses out to him Like this, he said These compasses? Yes, said Antefer sharply This island, this island with the millions in it I have been trying to find its place on the map And it is not there, exclaimed Tregerman in a tone that portrayed less surprise than satisfaction Who says so, replied Antefer And why is this island not on the map? Then it is If it is I believe that it is But I am so nervous, my hands shake The compasses burn my fingers I am on the map with them And you want me to do it If you are able to Oh, said Tregerman Well, try and we shall see Hold the compasses and run the point along the 54th meridian, rather than the 55th For the island is 54 degrees 57 minutes The figures begin to trouble the worthy man's head 57 degrees 54 minutes, he repeated, bleaking his eyes No, animal, exclaimed Antefer It is the contrary Go on Tregerman put the compasses on the western side of the map No, roared his friend Not west, east Understand, you duffer, east, east, east Tregerman, deafened by these Recurrenations and objugations Was incapable of doing the work properly His eyes became veiled And amissed, drops of perspiration Rolled down his forehead, and the compasses Shook like the clapper of an electric bell Touched the 55th meridian Volciferated Antefer Begin at the top of the map And move down until you cut the 24th parallel The 24th parallel The 24th parallel, stamber Tregerman Yes, the idiot Yes, and the point where they cross Is the position of the island The position Well, go on down I am going down Oh, the noodle, you are going up The truth is that the bargeman Did not know where he was And was no fitter than his friend to solve the problem Both of them were greatly agitated And their nerves were vibrating like the strings of a double bass In the finale of an overture Captain Antefer thought he was going mad And so, doing the only thing he could He shouted for Jewel and voiced his sound As if he came through a speaking trumpet The young captain appeared almost immediately What do you want, Uncle? Jewel, where is Camelik Poshless Island? Where the longitude crosses the latitude Well, look for it That was enough for Jewel His uncle's agitation told him what had happened Taking the compasses in a hand which did not tremble He placed the point where the 55th Meridian Started from the north of the map And followed it down Tell me where it passes, Commander Captain Antefer Yes, Uncle said Jewel And thus it was he continued Franz Joseph Land in the Arctic Sea Good Barence Sea Well Novia Zemilia After Karrisee And then The north of Asiatic Russia What talent does it run through? First, the Katerenburg Then Sea of Aral Go on Kiva in Turkestan Are we getting near? Very soon Herat in Persia Is that it? Muscat at the southeast end of Arabia Leaning over the map In fact, the 55th Meridian And the 24th parallel crossed on the territory of the Sultan of Muscat In that part of the Gulf of Oman Above the Persian Gulf Separating Arabia from Persia Muscat, repeated Captain Antefer Muscat, asked Regiment Not Muscat But Muscat, Yubarji, roared his friend Shrugging his shoulders up to his ears But this was only approximate For they had as yet taken no account of the minutes You assured as Muscat Yes, Uncle, within 70 miles of it Can you get any nearer? Yes Then go on, go on Don't you see I am bursting with impatience? And a boiler worked up as he was Would have been on a point of explosion Joel picked up the compasses again And taking account of the minutes and the longitude and latitude He obtained a position so exactly That he could only be a mile or two out Well, asked Antefer Well, Uncle, it is not on the territory of Oman Well, asked Antefer Well, Uncle, it is not on the territory of the salt in the Muscat But a little to the east of it In the Gulf of Oman To be sure Why to be sure, asked Regiment Because if it is an island It cannot be on a continent, you bargeman This was said in a tone impossible to describe Tomorrow, added Antefer We will begin our preparations for departure You are right, said Joel Resolved not to withstand his Uncle We will see if there is a ship in the harbor Bound for Port Said That would be the best We have not a day to lose No, they should not steal my island from me Oh, it will take a famous thief to do it Answered Regiment And Antefer shrugged his shoulders again You will accompany me, Joel Yes, Uncle, said Joel And you too, Mr. Bargeman Me Yes, you These two words were uttered in such a commanding tone That the worthy man's head could do nothing but bow And sign of consent And yet he had reckoned on Antefer's absence To be able to console Ennogate By recounting the adventures of the Charmate of Ali On the fresh waters of the Rants End of Chapter 9 Chapter 10 of Captain Antefer By Jules Verne This loop of Vox recording is in the public domain Recorded by Joe De Noia Somerset, New Jersey Chapter 10 On the 21st of February The steamer Steersman Left St. Malo at the morning time She was a collier of 900 tons Running direct between Newcastle And Port Said But on this occasion, a slight accident to her engine Had made it necessary for her to put it to port Instead of going to Sheerborg Her captain had brought her on to St. Malo In the hope that he might see an old friend Two days afterwards, the steamer was at sea again And it put Cape Frail 30 miles behind When we called the reader's attention to her And why should we call attention to this collier more than to another? Considering that hundreds of colliers passed down the channel And that the United Kingdom sends its cult Every part of the world Why? Because Captain Antefer was on board And with him, his nephew Jules And with them, their friend Trigamane And why were they on an English steamer Instead of in a railway carriage When a man is interested in four millions Surely he would take his ease And think nothing of the expense And this, Antefer would have done Had done an opportunity offered of traveling under pleasant conditions Captain Chip, who commanded the Steersmen Was an old acquaintance of Antefer's When the Englishman put in an essay in Malo He did not fail to look up his old friend And was warmly welcome When he learned that Antefer was about to start For Port Said, he offered him passage on the Steersmen On reasonable terms She was a good ship Capable of nine knots an hour and a calm sea And taking a fortnight or thereabouts On the voyages to the far end of the Mediterranean The Steersmen, it is true Was not designed for passengers But sailors who are very difficult to please There was at least a comfortable cabin for them And they would not have to change vessels on the voyage Which was not without its advantages And it is easy to understand why Antefer had preferred it To be shown up in a railway carriage For so long a journey was not to his taste Far better in his opinion To spend two weeks on a good ship With fresh sea breezes Than six days in a rolling box Breathing smoke and dust This was also the opinion of Jewel If not that of the bargemen Whose fields of navigation had been bordered By the banks of the rants He had hoped to accomplish most of the journey by railway But his friend had decided otherwise They were in no hurry for a day or so If they arrived in a month or two The island would still be where it had been And where it was No one knew but Antefer, Jewel The treasure which had been buried for 31 years On the Deseal of the Double K Was in no danger for a few weeks more Consequently Antefer, egress you might be Had accepted Captain Chip's proposal And that is why the reader's attention Had been called to the Steersmen Captain Antefer, his nephew His friend Tregomane Provided with a good summon gold Which the bargemen wore on his belt And taken with them an excellent chronometer A sextant, a nautical almanac Besides a spade and pickaxe Took their passage on the Collier The bargemen had to overcome His repugnance at venturing on a sea voyage To brave the anger of Neptune Although he had hitherto Only replied to the enchanting smiles Of the River Nymphs And when Antefer ordered him to pack his portmanteau And deposit himself on board the Steersmen He obeyed without a murmur Touching farewells were exchanged Anagate was tenderly pressed To Jewel's heart But Anon shared her embraces Between her brother and her nephew And Tregomane took particular care Not to squeeze too tight Those who had the courage to come to his arms Promises were made that they would not be long away And that in six weeks they would be back again at St. Molo And then Millionaire or not Antefer would be persuaded to approve the marriage So, unluckily, interrupted And then the steamer went to the westward And the girl followed it with her eyes Until its masts disappeared below the horizon But had the Steersmen forgotten the two personages Who are not of minor importance Whose duty it was to follow the legatee Of Kemalik Pasha Ben Omar and Saouk were not on board Had they missed the boat By no means The fact is that it had been found impossible To persuade the Egyptian notary to embark on the steamer On the voyage between Alexandria and Marseille He had been as ill as even a notary could be And now that he was doomed to go to the Suez And he knew not where It resolved the journey on land So long as he could avoid the sea Saouk had not the least objection to this Antefer was anything but eager to secure them As traveling companions And it made an appointment to meet them At the end of the month at Suez Without saying that thence they would have to Go on to Miscot When the notary would have to brave the horrors Of the perfidious element Antefer had even added As your clients had ordered you to be present Taking up with the legacy You shall be there But if circumstances obliged us to travel together Let us keep to ourselves For I have no desire to be on intimate terms With either you or your clerk In consequence of this Ben Omar and Saouk had left Saint Mala Before the departure of the steersmen And no one regretted them The notary was not likely to miss the appointment On the one hand he was urged by the fear Of losing his commission On the other he was dominated by Saouk's He would be at the Suez first And there he would await the Antefer's arrival With impatience The steersmen ran down along the French coast Sheltered by it from the southerly winds Trigamane could but congratulate himself He resolved to make the best of the voyage By studying the manners and customs Of the different countries He would be obliged to visit But as it was the first time in his life That he had been on the sea He was afraid of being sick And it was with a curious and anxious eye He did not try to play at being a sailor The worthy man Nor braving the movements of the vessel By walking about the deck In fact his feet The customs of the level deck of his barge Seemed to fail him And he sat in the stern on a bench Grasping one of the stanchions And submitting with resignation To the pitiless pleasantries of Captain Antefer Well, bargemen, how are you? Up to the present I had nothing much to matter with me Fresh water sailing has yet We are coasting the land And you might suppose we're on a barge on the rance But we shall give the northerly winds soon And then the sea will shake its fleas And give you no time to scratch for yours Friend, I have no fleas It is a way of speaking Wait till we get out of the channel You think I shall be sick? Badly, I'm sure you will Antefer's way of consoling his friends Was peculiar Jewel tried to remove the depressing effect Of his prognostics by observing My uncle exaggerates You'll be no more sick then Than a porpoise That is all I wish, replied the bargemen Pointed to two or three of those clowns of the sea Tumbling in the vessel's wake In the evening, the steam Arounded the furthest points of Brittany As she was in the Straits of Four Under shelter of the heights of Ouson The sea was not rough Although there was a headwind The passengers went to bed between eight And nine o'clock, leaving the vessel to pass Cape St. Matthew The Gulf of Breast Duarnon S. Bay The Race of the Sin The bargemen dreamed that he was sick Under death, but fortunately It was only a dream When the morning came Although the ship was rolling from side To side, diving into the hulls Of the waves and rising on their crest To dive again, he did not hesitate To go on deck If destiny intended to close his career As a mariner by a sea voyage The least he could do was to fix the various events In his memory Behold him appearing on the deck What does he see extended on the grating Pale as death and rolling From side to side like an empty barrel And to for himself As much upset as any gentle lady Crossing from folk stone to balloon And what a string of oaths Terrestrial and maritime And how the captain swore high and low When he beheld the tranquil, fresh-colored face Of his companion, portraying not the least Sign of discomfort A thousand thunders, he exclaimed Would you believe it? Here am I, a coasting captain, yet not Having set foot on a boat for ten years Much more sick than a bargeman But I am not sick at all, said Treadomain Favoring him with one of his sweetest Smiles You are not? And why are you not? I am surprised at it But the rinse is not like the eros Not at all And you do not seem to be in the least upset I am sorry for it, if it annoys you, said Treadomain But this illness of Captain Antifor did not last long Before the Steersman had sighted came Ortegaal At the northwest corner of Spain While she was still in the Gulf of Gascony So terribly lashed by the Atlantic surges Antifor had regained both his sea legs And his sailor stomach What had happened to him Happened to many others Even to the most experienced sailors When they have been away from the sea for a time His mortification was nonetheless extreme And itself conceived considerably cool At finding that this mere freshwater sailor Had remained unaffected While he had been almost turned inside out It was a rough night During which the Steersman passed off for all And Captain Chip would have lain too Had not Antifor persuaded him to drive ahead Long delays would cause anxiety As to the catching the mail boat at Suez Which only starts once a month for the Persian Gulf The equinox was near And there was always a chance of bad weather So it was better to drive on As long as there was no obvious danger In continuing the voyage The Steersman gave a wide berth to the reefs Along the coast of Spain Vigo Bay and the three sugar lows at its entrance Were left on the port hand As was also the coast of Portugal The day afterwards The Berlings were left to starboard Those islands formed by Providence For the sight of the lighthouses Which marked the proximity of the continent For ships coming from seaward You may easily imagine that during these long hours Our friends were talking about the extraordinary voyage And its certain results Antifor had recovered completely With his legs wide apart He looked defiantly at the horizon Striding about the deck And watching the cheery face of the bargeman Which obstinately refused to appear What do you think of the ocean? There's a good deal of water in it Yes, rather more than the rinse Undoubtedly But we need not scoff at a river Which has its charm I do not scoff at it I despise it, bargeman Uncle said, Jewel You should not despise anyone A river may have its value As well as an island, added Tregomain And that the word Antifor raised his ear For he was hit in a sensitive place Certainly, he said, there are islands worth putting in In the first class Mine, for example The pronoun showed what I've been working in the Britain's mine This island in the Gulf of Oman Belonged to him by inheritance With regard to this island, Jewel Are you verifying your chronometer every day? Certainly, and I've still been seeing A more perfect instrument Daniel Sexton, it is as good As the chronometer Thank goodness, they cost enough They're going to bring us four millions Judicially insinuated Tregomain We can hardly look at their price Quite so, Mr. Bargeman But if Captain Antifor and his two companions Had reason to place implicit confidence In their instruments, they mistrusted And very justly mistrusted Ben Omar They were often talking about this And one day the uncle said to his nephew I do not like the looks of this Ben Omar At all And I shall keep a very close watch on him Who knows if we shall meet him At the Suez, asked Bargeman In the dubious tone Oh, said Antifor He will wait for us for weeks, if need be Did not the scoundrel come to see Mallow solely to steal my latitude? I think, uncle said, Jewel That you will not be far wrong In keeping an eye on these Egyptians I don't think much of the notary And I think still less of his clerk I agree with you, Jewel, out of the bargeman This Nazim is no more like a clerk Than I am There's a pity he does not speak French, said Antifor We might pump him Pump him, said Jewel If you had not got much out of the master You're not lucky to get much out of the clerk I fancy it better give a thought to the souk What souk? The son of Murad The cousin of Kamalik Pasha The man who was disinherited in favor of you I will know how to deal with him When I come across him Was not the will in proper form What can he do then, this descendant of Pasha's Whose tales I may have to cut However, uncle I care not for him more than I do for Ben Omar And if this manufacturer of contracts does not walk straight Take care, my friend, said Trigamin You cannot get rid of the notary It is his right and his duty to accompany you To follow you to the island My island Yes, your island The will expressly said so And it is a commission of one percent That is forty thousand pounds Forty thousand kicks, said Antifor Whose irascibility was increasing At the thought of the enormous amount To which Ben Omar was entitled During the night, the steersman Sighted the lights of Kadiz And passed the bay of Trafalgar And during the morning, she entered the straits of Gibraltar It was delightful traveling The passengers could not be insensible To his inexpressible charm When the ship to carry them passed inside Of the African coast Nothing could be more picturesque Nothing more varied than this panorama With its mountains in the background The many indentations of the coast The seaside towns rising unexpectedly From around the lofty cliffs In their frame of verger Did the bargeman appreciate these natural beauties As he should have done And did he compare them with those In Dinan? What did he think he saw in Oran Dominated by the cone with the ford clinging to it? Algiers Terrorists on its casbah Stora lost amid the mighty rocks Buji Philippeville Bone, half modern, half antique Hiding in the end of its bay In a word What was in the mind of Tregomane In the presence of the superb coast Unrolling before his eyes The weather continued favorably A squall occasionally And then a calm, leaving a wide Horizon clear Under such conditions Penteliara showed its slender summit An old volcano Now asleep Which will someday awake The bed of the sea hereabouts from Cape Bond to the Greek archipelago Is all volcanic Islands appeared, such as Santoran and others Which may one day form a new archipelago Joel had therefore some justification For saying to his uncle It is fortunate that Camelik Pasha Did not choose an island in these parts To bury his fortunate It is fortunate, very fortunate said Antipher And his face grew quite pale The thought that this island might have emerged From a sea incessantly troubled By subterranean forces Fortunately the Gulf of Oman Is guaranteed against eventualities of this sort Such promotions were unknown to it Whatever the island might be It would be found in its place Passing Gaza and Malta The steersmen headed straight for the Egyptian coast Captain Chib made the land at Alexandria And coasted along the network of mouths Of the Nile Spreading out like a fan between Rosetta And Demiata It was signaled off Port Said in the morning Of the 7th of March The Suez Canal was then under construction It was not opened until 1869 The steamer had consequently to stop At Port Said Antipher and his companions left Captain Chib With many expressions of gratitude for the way In which they had been treated on board And next day started by train to Suez It was a pity that the canal was not finished As a trip along it would have much Interested in the jewel And Trigamane might have fancied himself Between the banks of the rants Although the aspect of the Bitter Lakes And Ismalia is not as western as Denon Is certainly more oriental than that of Denard Would Antipher have taken much notice Of these marvels? No, neither are those due to nature Nor those due to the genius of man For him there existed in the whole world But at one point The island in the Gulf of Oman His island Which like a bright metal button Hypnotized his whole being And he would have taken in as little notice of Suez A town occupying so important a position In geographical nomenclature Had it not seen as he came out of the railway station In a group of two men One of whom greeted him with excessive salutes While the other departed not from his oriental gravity They were Ben Omar and Nazim End of chapter 10 Chapter 11 of Captain Antipher By Jules Verne This loop of Vox recording is in the public domain Recorded by Joe De Noia Somerset, New Jersey Chapter 11 Ben Omar and his clerk had kept the appointment They had taken very good care not to miss it For some days they had been at Suez And the impatience with which they had expected Antipher may be guessed At a sign from Antipher Neither Jules nor Tregomey took the slightest notice of them The three continued their conversation As if nothing could distract their attention Ben Omar came forward in the obsequious attitude Which was customary with him They seemed to be unconscious of his presence At last, sir, he ventured to say In the most amiable Tony can manage Captain Antipher turned his head Looked at him And positively did not seem to recognize him Sir, it is I It is I The notary repeated as he bowed Who, you? In this as much to say Whatever can this escape from a mummy box Want with me But it is I Ben Omar Notary of Alexandria Do you not recollect? Do we know this gentleman asked Antipher Winking at his companions as he shifted The pebble from his right cheek to his left I think I do Sir Tregomey taking pity on the notary's embarrassment It is Mr. Ben Omar Who wants at the pleasure of meeting So it is So it is replied Antipher As if he had a distant recollection of him A very distant recollection I remember Ben Omar That is it Ah, well, what are you doing here? What am I doing here? I am waiting for you Mr. Antipher Waiting for me? Certainly Have you forgotten? The appointment for us to meet at Suez? Appointment And what for asked Antipher And such a tone of surprise that the notary was completely taken aback What for? Why the will of Kamalik Pasha The millions he left you The island You mean to say my island I believe Yes, your island I see you are beginning to remember And as the will imposed on me the true obligation of I understand Mr. Ben Omar Good morning Good morning And without another word he shrugged his shoulders As an intimation for Jewel and the bargemen To follow him But as they were going away from the station The notary stopped them Where are you going to stay at Suez? He asked In some hotel I suppose Will the hotel suit you or my clerk and I have put up? Either that one or another It does not matter For the 48 hours we have to stay here 48 hours has been Omar And a tone of evident uneasiness Have you not reached the end of your voyage? Not the least in the world Replied Antipher We have got another sea passage A sea passage Exclaimed the notary turning his pales of a ship's deck Were oscillating beneath his feet A sea passage Which, if you please Will take on board the oxus Which runs to Bombay Bombay And which starts from Suez the day after tomorrow I advise you to take your passage in her As your company is forced upon us Where then is the island as the notary With a gesture of despair It is where it is Mr. Ben Omar And therefore Antipher Followed by Jewel and Tregemain Walked into the nearest hotel With their luggage Which was not extensive Was soon brought to them A minute afterwards Ben Omar had rejoined Nazim And an observer could not fail to have noticed That the so-called clerk gave him anything but a respectful welcome Ah For it had not been for that one percent Of those millions And for the fear with which Suez inspired him How gladly he would have been quitted this legatee And this will And this island In search of which he would be trotted over land Antipher was told that Suez Was a formula called Suez by the Arabs And Cleopatra is by the Egyptians But his only reply was As far as I'm concerned It makes no difference It hardly occurred to this impatient personage To visit the few mosques All buildings without anything special about them Two or three places The most curious of which was the grain market Where to look at the house facing the sea Where General Bonaparte lodged But Jewel thought that the two days Would not be better spent than exploring the town Of 15,000 inhabitants The irregular wall of which is so miserably kept up He and Trigamate spent their time Wandering about the streets and lanes And exploring the roads then Where 500 ships can find good anchorage In from 8 to 10 fathoms Well-sheltered from the north-northwest winds Which prevail all the year Around Suez had a certain amount of overseas trade Even before the canal was projected Thanks to the railway running to Cairo And his country was Andrea By its position at the end of the Gulf Which bears its name It commands the Red Sea And although its growth may be slow Its future is assured But this did not trouble Captain Antephar While his two companions were cruising about the town He hardly left the superb beach Which had been transformed into a promenade He knew he was watched It is true Sometimes it was Nazim Sometimes it was Ben Omar While keeping at a distance He pretended to take no notice of this Taking his ease on a seat Absorbed Meditative, he gazed into the horizon Out in the Red Sea And occasionally so much was he possessed With the one fixed idea Who'd fancy he saw the island His island emerged from the midst of the south By an effective mirage which is frequently produced On the extremities of these sandy beaches A marvelous phenomenon By which the eye is always deceived On the morning of the 11th of March The male steamer, Oxus Had finished his preparations for departure And taken in the cold necessary for the voyage Across the Indian Ocean In the stoppages at the regular ports We'd needn't be surprised To find the Antephar, Tregomain And Jewel were on board at Daybreak And the Ben Omar and Saouk had taken passage With them The large steamer was really a cargo boat But she had accommodations for a few passengers Most of them bound to Bombay Some of them to Aden and Muska The Oxus was under way at 11 o'clock A fresh breeze was blowing from the north northwest With a tendency to work around to the westward As the voyage would last a fortnight I went to the numerous stoppages Jewel had secured a cabin with three berths Which could be arranged either for the day's siesta Or the night's repose Saouk and Ben Omar occupied another cabin From which the notary would probably make But few and short appearances Antephar, determined to have as little intercourse As possible with them Had begun by saying to the unfortunate notary With the delicacy of a sea bear Which characterized him Mr. Ben Omar We have to travel together, it is true But let us keep our places I will go my way, and you will go yours It will be enough for you to be present To witness my taking possession When the matter is over I hope we shall have the pleasure of never meeting again Either in this world, or the next As long as the oxus was running down the gulf Sheltered by the heights of the Isthmus The navigation was as tranquil As if it was on the surface of a lake But when they got out into the Red Sea The fresh breezes from the plains of Arabia Gave her a roughish reception The consequence was a good deal of heavy rolling Which many of the passengers found discomforting Nazim did not mind it much Not that did Antephar, nor his nephew Nor Tregemain, fresh water sailor Though he might be But the notary's condition is impossible to describe He never appeared either on deck Or in a saloon Or in a dining room In the depths of his cabin His groans were heard throughout the voyage Better for him if he could have traveled as a mummy The worthy bargeman Taking pity on the poor fellow Visited him several times As might be expected from his good nature When he tried to get Antephar to sympathize with him All he received was a shrug of the shoulders Antephar could never forgive Ben Omar For having attempted to steal his latitude Well, bargeman he would say Mr. Omar is empty, eh? Almost My compliments My friend, will you not go and see him If it were only once? Yes, bargeman, yes I will go when there is nothing left of him but his skin What could be said to a man who answered like that With a burst of laughter at his own wit But if Antephar suffered no annoyance From the notary during his voyage His clerk Nazim was several times the cause Of his most justifiable irritation It was not that Nazim thrust his presence on him No Besides, what could he do For as he did not speak the same language Conversation was impossible But the so-called clerk was always there Keeping close watch on Antephar As if he had received orders to do so from his master Great would have been Antephar's delight As he was pitching him overboard Supposing that the Egyptian had been the man To submit such treatment The descent of the Red Sea was anything but pleasant Although it was not made during the intolerable heat Of the summer Then it is that the care of the boilers Can only be entrusted to Arab stokers For they alone will not cook Where eggs will cook in a few minutes On the 15th of March The oxess was running through the narrowest Portions of the Straits of Bab El-Mandeb Leaving Perim on the left And Buk on the African coast on the right The steamer entered the Gulf of Aden And headed for the port of that name Where several of her passengers were to be landed Aden, yet another key of the Red Sea Hanging from the belt of Great Britain That good housekeeper always at work With the Isle of Perim Of which she has made another Gibraltar She holds the entrance of this corridor 1800 miles long Opening out into the Indian Ocean The port of Aden may be partially silted up But it at least possesses a vast and Commodious anchorage to the east And in the west a harbor where quite a fleet Might find shelter The English had been installed there since 1823 The town itself Which was a flourishing one in the 11th and 12th centuries Was evidently designed as the Emporium of Commerce With the furthest east Captain Antford did not think it Worth while to go ashore But spent the time railing at the delay One of the most serious inconveniences of which Permit the notary to appear on deck But in what a state He had hardly enough strength enough to drag himself along Eh? Mr. Ben Omar, is that you? Asked Antford ironically Really, I should never have recognized you You will never get to the end of the voyage If I were in your place, I should remain at Aden I should like to reply to the notary In a voice that was hardly above a whisper A few days might pull me around And if you can manage to wait for the next steamer I am sorry Mr. Ben Omar I am in such a hurry to pour into your hands The splendid commission that is to come to you But I cannot possibly stop on the way Is it much farther? More than farther, answered Antford Sweeping his hand round so as to indicate a curve Of enormous diameter And thereupon Ben Omar regained his cabin Dragging himself along like a lobster And having derived but little comfort From this brief conversation The following afternoon the oxes was off again And found the Indian man And found the Indian infertility Anything but kind The goddess was ill tempered Capricious Nervous as those on board to testify Better than I seek to know what happened Ben Omar's cabin He might have been brought up on deck in a cloth And dropped into the bosom of the above mentioned goddess With a round shot at his feet And he would not have the strength to protest Against a funeral ceremony The bad weather lasted until a third day When the wind hauled to the northeastward So as to bring the steamer under the shelter Of the coast of Hadramot So it might stand the ups and downs Of the voyage without being inconvenienced But if his body did not suffer His mind could not help doing so To be at the mercy of this abdominal Frenchman To be unable to get out of him the mystery of this island To be compelled to follow him to To where? To Muscat To Surat To Bombay What this was to call Would they have to land at Muscat And cross the Strait of Ormuz Was it on one of the hundreds of islands In the Persian Gulf that Camelik had buried his treasure? This ignorance This uncertainty kept Syokin A state of perpetual exasperation He would have dragged the secret From Antiphar's very vitals, if he could Often would he catch a few words exchanged Between Antiphar and his companions As he was supposed not to know French There was no reason for there being careful But it had all ended in nothing The pretended clerk was justly regarded with suspicion Even with aversion It was with repulsion that he inspired them And the instinctive, unreasonable sentiment Was felt as much by his companions As by Antiphar himself When Syokin near them They moved away And this he noticed only too well On the 19th of March The oxes stopped for 12 hours At Brabant on the Arab coast From this point she continued along the coast of Oman So as to get up to Muscat Two days afterwards she had doubled Keep Raz El Had 24 hours later She had reached a capital of the Sultanate Captain Antiphar seemed to be nearing the end Of his voyage And it was time The nearer he drew toward his goal The more nervous, the more sociable he became All his life was centered in this island This mine of gold and diamonds Which belonged to him To him it was an Alibaba's cave Which had been transferred to him by law In the very country of the Arabian Nights Wither Kamalik Pasha's fancy had led him Do you know, said he one day to his companions That if the fortune of this worthy Egyptian Had been in ingots of gold I should have had a good deal of trouble In getting it to the same model So I should think said Jewel But, returned Tregomane Would be filled our bags, our pockets And our hat case Bargeman's notion for you He fancied he can put a million in his pocket I fancy, my friend But you have never seen a million in gold? Never, not even in a dream Do you know what it weighs? I know nothing about it Well I do, for I've had the curiosity to calculate Tell us An ingot of gold with a million Would weigh about 17,775 pounds Of our dupois And four millions would consequently weigh Over 71,000 pounds Ah, said the Bargeman You must have made it too much Do you know how many men it would take To carry those four millions? How many? Why, 323 And as we are but three You can see what our embarrassment would be When we reached my island Fortunately my treasure is chiefly composed Of diamonds and precious stones Those rites said jewel And I might add, said Trigamene That this excellent posture could not have arranged matters More conveniently Oh, these diamonds exclaimed Antipher These diamonds are easily sold among the Paris And London jewelers What a sale, my friends, what a sale Not all, though, not all You will only sell a part of them? Yes, Bargeman, yes, replied Antipher His face convulsed, his eyes glowing like fire And first I will keep one for myself A diamond worth 40 or 50,000 pounds, say And I will wear it in my shirt In your shirt, friends, said Trigamene You will be simply dazzling No one will be able to look you in the face In a no-gate she'll have another added Antipher That is a little gem to make her pretty No prettier than she is now, Jewel Hayson to remark Quite so, quite so And it shall be a third diamond for my sister Ah, good Nanon, said Trigamene Do you want somebody to come and propose for her? Antipher shrugged his shoulders This shall be a fourth diamond for you, Jewel A fine stone you can wear as a pin Thank you, uncle And you shall have a fifth old man Me? Had to be put in the figurehead of the charmante amelie No Bargeman on your finger A ring, a signet ring A diamond on my great red hands That would suit me as well as socks would a Franciscan Replied the Bargeman, extending an enormous hand Much more suited to haul the hauser Than to display diamond rings Never mind, it is not impossible That you might find some woman who would Whom would you suggest? There's a fine fat widow who keeps a grocer's shop At Saint-Servan Crocer? Crocer, exclaimed Antipher What a figure your grocer would make in our family When Enogate had married her prince And Jewel had princess There the conversation ended And the young captain would not stifle aside The thought that his uncle still encouraged These absurd dreams What would bring him back to sanity If misfortune, yes misfortune Willed that he should become possessed Of these millions on the island Positively he would go out of his mind If these last much longer Said Tregor main to Jewel when they were alone I'm afraid so said Jewel Looking at his uncle who was talking to himself Two days afterwards the oxes arrived at Muscat And three sailors extracted Ben Omar From the depths of this cabin But in what a state He was reduced to a skeleton Or rather to a mummy for the skin still Hung on the bones of the unfortunate notary End of chapter 11 Chapter 12 of Captain Antipher By Jewel's Vern This little box recording is in the public domain Recorded by Joe De Noia Somerset, New Jersey Chapter 12 When Tregor main asked Jewel to point out On the map the precise point where Muscat was situated He could not believe his eyes The ex-captain of the ranch barge Transported to this place So far, so very far To the seas of the Asiatic continent And so Jewel, we were at the end of Arabia He asked adjusting his eyeglasses Yes At the southeast extremity And what is that gulf there Finishing like a funnel That is the gulf of Oman And this other which looks like the leg Of a salt marsh That is the Persian gulf And the strait that unites them Those are the straits of Ormuz And our friend's island Wanted to be somewhere in the gulf of Oman If it is there replied the bargeman Taking care that Antipher Was not within earshot The salt net of Muscat Lying between the 53rd and 57th Meridians And the 22nd and 27th Parallels extends to About 350 miles in length And 180 in breadth To this should be added The stretch of the Persian coast From Laristan to Mogestan Another stretch of coast From Ormuz to Kistrom And certain settlements on the coast of Africa With the addition of these Its area is about the same as that of France And it has 10 millions of inhabitants Arabs Persians Jews And a large number of Negroes The sultan is consequently a sovereign Of a certain amount of importance In ascending the gulf of Oman The oxys had coasted a desolate sterile shore Bordered with high perpendicular cliffs Behind them rose a few hills About 1500 feet high The outlying spurs of the range Of Jebel-Octon Which runs up to 3000 feet It is not to be wondered that That the country is barren Of real importance Although the environs of the capital yield enough To support a population of 16,000 There's plenty of fruit Grapes, mangoes, peaches, figs Pomegranates, watermelons Citrons and lemons And dates are in profusion The date tree is the chief tree of the district Buy it The value of properties is estimated And people talk of in a state of 3 or 4,000 date trees As we do one of 200 or 300 acres There's all the more trade in the Sultanate Owing to the Sultan being not only the chief of the state And the high priest of religion But the chief merchant of the district Under his flag are 2,000 ships Whose total tonnage exceeds 37,000 And is a navy of 100 vessels Armed with several hundred guns His army consists Of 25,000 men And his revenue almost amounts to a million pounds His power is absolute In the country which was conquered by Albuquerque In 1507 And afterwards threw off the Portuguese yoke Having recovered His independence a century ago Has been supported by the English Who probably hope after the Gibraltar of Spain The Gibraltar of Aden The Gibraltar of Perim To form the Gibraltar of the Persian Gulf And finish by Gibraltarizing all the Straits of the globe Had Captain Antefer and his companions Any political object in coming to Miskat Not the least Were they interested in the country? Not at all, for their attention was concentrated On one of the islands in the Gulf But had they no opportunity Of studying the state of affairs in the Sculptnet? Yes, for their Intention was to enter into communication With the representative of France in this corner of Arabia Antefer thought it advisable To call on the agent at once The police of the country Who were well organized Would probably have their suspicions regarding the arrival Of three strangers at Miskat The plausible reason could be given for the voyage But it would never do To give the real reason The oxys was due to start for Bombay Within 48 hours Antefer, Tregemain, and Jewel Landed immediately They did not trouble themselves about Ben Omar and Nazim But left them to find out their movements And accompany them When they began their search in the Gulf Our three friends followed a guide To an English hotel across the squares And streets of this modern Babylon Their luggage followed How carefully they carried the sextant And the chronometer bought at St. Malo Particularly the chronometer Which Antefer would entrust to no one But himself By its aid, the longitude of the famous island Was to be determined With what punctuality he had wound it up Every day What precautions he had taken to save it From the shocks that might interfere with his regularity When the travelers had taken their rooms They went off to interview the consular agent Who was much surprised to see three Frenchmen Appear at his door He was a proven call Of some 50 years of age His name being Joseph Bart His business was in white and manufactured cottons In Indian shawls In Chinese silks In gold and silver embroideries All of them articles in much request Among the wealthy orientals Among Frenchmen Particularly when one of them is a native of Provence Aquains is soon made Antefer introduced himself And his companions After shaking hands and offering refreshments The agent asked his visitors the object of their voyage I do not often receive a visit from my countrymen He said And it is a pleasure to welcome you Anything I can do for you, I will We are much obliged to you Answer Antefer For you can be very useful to us In giving us some information regarding the country Is this merely a pleasure trip? Yes and no We are all of us sailors My nephew, long voyage captain Gilles de Stregemagne An old commander of the Charmante Amelie And this time, to his friend's extreme satisfaction He spoke with a barge as if we're a frigate And I am a coasting captain He added We have been sent out by an important house at St. Malo To open a branch establishment Either at Muscat Or at one of the ports in the Gulf of Oman Or in the Persian Gulf Sir, said Bard I am glad to have something to say about the matter Which would certainly add to his profits I can but approve of your plans And offer you my services towards making them successful In that case, said Jewel We would ask if our branch had to be better opened At Muscat Or at some other town on the coast At Muscat, by preference, said Bard The place is daily increasing In importance by its communications With Persia, India, Mauritius Reunion, Zanzibar And the coast of Africa And what are its exports? Dates, raisins, sulfur, fish, Copal, gum arabic, shells, rhinoceros horn Oil, coconuts, rice, millet, coffee And sweets Sweets, asked the bargeman Licking his lips with the tip of his tongue Yes, sir, replied Bard Sweets they call kuwa in this country Which are made of honey, sugar, gluten, and almonds We will taste them As much as you would like, said Antifur But let us return to the question It was not to eat sweets that we came to Muscat Once you were Bard has kindly told us the chief articles of commerce To which I should add the pearl fishery in the Persian Gulf, said the agent Which fishery is of the annual value of 320,000 pounds You should have seen the disdainful pout with which Antifur greeted this Pearls to the value of 320,000 Was but a trifle to a man who possessed 4 million pounds in precious stones True, said Bard The pearl trade is in the hands of the Hindu merchants Who will admit of no competition Not even from Muscat, asked Jewel Not even from Muscat Where the merchants are not particularly pleased That seeing strangers established themselves Jewel took advantage of this remark To give the conversation another turn As Muscat is in 50 degrees, 20 minutes east Then 23 degrees, 28 minutes north It followed that the island they were in search of was beyond it Evidently they must leave Muscat on pretense of discovering a favorable place for his imaginary branch establishment And what Jewel did was to remark that it would be wise to visit the other towns of the Sultanate Before settling on Muscat And he then asked what these towns were There is Oman, said Bard To the north of Muscat No, to the southeast And in the north, or northeast The most considerable town is Rostock On the Gulf No, in the interior And on the Gulf There is Sohar How far is that from here? About 125 miles A wink from Jewel made his uncle understand the importance of this reply Is there much trade at Sohar? A good deal The Sultan often resides there In a town such as the fancy of His Highness His Highness, exclaimed Tregomane Evidently the title sounded agreeably in the bargeman's ears Perhaps it all properly to be reserved for the Grand Turk But Bard thought otherwise His Highness is at Muscat, he added When you have decided on a town for your offices You'll have to apply for his permission Which His Highness will not, I hope, refuse us As the Antifa On the contrary, he replied the agent Be most happy, provided you pay the fees Antifa indicated by a gesture that he was prepared to pay for the privilege right royally And how do we get to Sohar as Jewel? By caravan By caravan, ejaculated the bargeman, evidently uneasy Well, said Bard, we have no railway or tramways in the Sultanate You can go with a cart or on a mule unless you prefer to walk These caravans only start at long intervals, I suppose, said Jewel Hardin, said the agent There was a very active trade between Muscat and Sohar One starts tomorrow Tomorrow, said Antifa, that will suit us splendidly Tomorrow we will caravan it The prospect of having to caravan it was evidently not pleasant to Tregomane to judge by the grimace he made But he had not come to Muscat for the purpose of throwing obstacles in the way He had to resign himself to traveling under such painful conditions But I do not see, said the bargeman, why we cannot go by water to Sohar 125 miles in a boat Why not, said Antifa, Tregomane is right We should gain time Undoubtedly, said Bard, and I should be the first to advise you to go by sea if there were not certain dangers What dangers, asked Jewel The Gulf of Oman, gentlemen, is not safe As a trading vessel with a large crew, there might not be much to fear Fear, said Antifa Fear of a few squalls? No, pirates, who were rather plentiful in the straits of Oremuz Confound it, said Antifa But to do him justice, he was only thinking of what he should do on his return to the treasure In short, our travelers resolved not to return by sea And thought it useless to go to Sohar by sea under the circumstances They would go with one caravan and return with another, and thus travel in safety Here the interview ended, the travelers promising to call on their return and report the results of their inquiries in the hope of profiting by his advice Antifa even having audacity to remark that the establishment of their branch would bring an important business by which the agency would profit Before they went away, Bard renewed his offer to introduce them to his highness and undertook to obtain an audience for such distinguished foreigners And then the said distinguished foreigners departed for their hotel Meantime in a room in the same hotel, Ben Omar and Nazim were conferring together They had arrived at Muscat, but they were still unaware of Muscat with the end of the voyage Was Antifa going further? It was for Ben Omar to know this, he had a right to know it, and he knew no more about it than Sohuk That is the consequence of having been so beastly ill said he, why could you not have been well? May your excellency be calm said Ben Omar, this very day I will see Mr. Antifa and I will learn, providing he is not going on board again Surely Antifa would not refuse to give a direct answer as to whereabouts of this island For the world distinctly stated that the executor must be present when a legacy was dug up But when the island was reached and the three precious barrels handed over, how was Sohuk to obtain possession of them? Several times the notary had asked this without receiving an answer, for the very good reason that Sohuk did not know what to say It was clear enough that he was stick at nothing and seizing on a fortune which he looked upon as his And at which Kamalik had deprived him to a stranger's advantage And this was what frightened the inoffensive, conciliatory notary who hated nothing so much as force Knowing that his excellency thought no more of a man's life than of a dry fig In any case, it was essential to follow the three Frenchmen, keep them in sight during their investigations And assist at the exhumation of the treasure, and when they had got the treasure to act according to the circumstances This being agreed upon, his excellency went out, giving the notary orders to watch for Antifa's return to the hotel This return did not take place until late in the evening Tregomain and Jewel went for a stroll in the streets of Muscat, while Antifa, in imagination, went for a walk a hundred miles or so away to the east of Sohar on the shore of his island It would have been useless to have asked him for his impression of Muscat He noticed nothing, while Jewel and the bargemen were interested in everything they saw in this very oriental town They stopped in front of the shops and gazed at the heaps of merchandise of all sorts The turbans, the belts, the woollen cloaks, the cotton claws, and the murder-bond jars resplendent with colored enamel At the sight of these fine things, Jewel thought of the pleasure his beloved Enigate would have in possessing them What a reminder it would be of this inconvenient voyage And these jewels curiously worked These articles of artistic value, would she not be all the more pleased at receiving them from the hands of her betrothed? Yes, far more so than what the diamonds promised her by her uncle This was Tregomain's idea, and he said to the young friend, We will buy that necklace for the little one, and you can give it to her when you get back When we get back, said Jewel sighing And that pretty ring, let us have ten rings, one for each for fingers Of what is my Enigate thinking, murmur Jewel Thinking, said the bargemen Why, thinking of you, of course When we are separated by hundreds and hundreds of leagues Ah, interrupted the bargemen, don't forget to buy a pot of those sweets the agent boasted about Have we better not try them before we buy? No, my boy, no, replied Tregomain I intend Enigate to have first taste And if she does not like them She will think them delicious, because it is you who have brought them from such a distance How well the excellent man knew a girl's heart, although no girl, either at St. Malo or St. Cervan or Denard Had ever thought of becoming Madame Tregomain In short, neither of them regretted their walk through the capital of the Sultanate The appearance and clunginess of which many a European city might envy With the exception, of course, of the birthplace of Antefur, which is considered one of the first cities of the world Jewel noticed, however, that there were a large number of police about who seemed to be very suspicious And that they carefully watched these new arrivals at Muscat, who had given no account of what brought them there Unlike the meddlesome police of certain European states who require passports and require answers to untimely questions These police confine themselves to following the strangers at a distance And the strangers would never be allowed to leave the Sultan's territory without the Sultan knowing why they had come there Fortunately, Captain Antefur had no suspicions of what was going on For he would have been in a terrible state of fear for the success of his adventure To take several millions away from an island in the Gulf of Oman was what his highness would never permit In Europe, the state takes half of all treasure trove In Asia, the sovereign, who is the state, does not hesitate to take the whole When Antefur returned to the hotel, he was visited by Ben Omar Opening the door just a little away, the notary put in his head and in his most insinuating tone asked May I know? What? May I know, Mr. Antefur, in what direction we are going? First to the right, second to the left, and then straight on And thereupon Captain Antefur shut the door with a bang End of Chapter 12 Chapter 13 of Captain Antefur by Jules Verne This LibriVox recording is in the public domain Recording by Joe DeNoya, Somerset, New Jersey Chapter 13 At dawn on the 23rd of March, a caravan left the capital of the Sultanate along the road by the shore It was a regular caravan, such as the bargemen had never seen Across the lands of Billette Villain So he told Jules, and Jules was in no way surprised at it In the caravan were a hundred Arabs and Hindus, and about as many beasts of burden With numbers such as these, the perils of the journey were reduced to a minimum No cause remaining for anxiety regarding land pirates, which under any circumstances Would have been less dangerous than pirates of the sea Among the natives were two or three financiers or merchants mentioned by the French agent There was no ostentation about them, and they had no thoughts for anything but the business, which took them to Sahar The foreign element was represented by the three Frenchmen and the two Egyptians The Egyptians had taken good care not to miss the departure of the caravan Antefur had let them know that he was going to start in the morning And they had made their preparations accordingly Antefur, it needs scarcely be said, did not trouble himself but Ben Omar and his clerk It was their business to follow him, and not his to take care of them He had made up his mind to appear as though he did not know them When he saw them in the caravan, he did not even honor them with a salute And under his menacing look, the bargemen dared not turn his head toward them The baggage animals were camels, mules, and asses No vehicle was possible over this rough ground, where there was no definite road And which was here and there a stretch of marsh Two sturdy mules carried the uncle and his nephew These had been obtained from the Muscat Jews at a good price, of course But for no price had it been found possible to find a mule that would carry such a weight as Gildus Tregomene And an animal of more strengthening resistance had to be provided Do you know that you are rather a nuisance, said Captain Antefur politely, as a mule after mule was tried in vain What would you have, my friend? I'm not obliged to accompany you Leave me at Muscat, where I will wait Never I cannot let myself be carried in several pieces Have you any objection to try a camel, Astuel? None at all, if you'll find a camel that will carry me That is an idea, said Antefur He would do very well in one of those camels So justly called, ships of the desert, answered Jewel Then let me have a ship of the desert, said the accommodating bargement And thus it came about that Tregomene appeared on this occasion and perched on top of a colossal specimen of one of these ruminants This in no way displeased him In his place anybody else would have been as proud If he had any feeling of this sort, he'd not show it Keeping himself busy and guiding his ship awright And saving himself from as many useless lurches as possible With the speed of the caravan increased The animal's gait would probably become rather trying But the bargement was so well developed in the critical points as to be proof against his comfort of this nature In the rear of the caravan rode Saouk on a quiet mule Near him, and doing his best to keep up with him Was Ben Omar on a donkey so small that his feet almost touched the ground Never would the notary have consented to destroy a mule There was such a risk of his falling too far Besides, these Arab mules are high spirited and capricious And require a strong hand to keep them under control The caravan would accomplish its 36 miles a day with a rest of a couple hours in the noon In four days it would reach Sohar if nothing occurred to delay it A journey of four days appeared interminable to Captain Antefer Spread out with a desire to reach his island But there his adventurous journey would be at an end And yet why did he become more nervous and more anxious as he approached the decisive moment His companions could not get a word out of him and would reduce the talking between themselves From the top of his camel, swaying from one hump to the other The bargement remarked to Jewel Between you and me, do you believe in this treasure of Camelik Pasha? Hmm, replied Jewel It certainly seems to me rather fantastic Suppose there isn't an island If there isn't an island, there won't be a treasure And my uncle will be like that famous Marseille captain who set off from Bourbon And as he cannot find Bourbon, return to Marseille It will be a terrible blow, Jewel And I'm not sure that his brain will stand it But the bargement and his young friend did not talk like this in Antefer's hearing What would have been the use of it? Nothing would have shaken the convictions of this obstinate man Never did it enter his mind to doubt that there were diamonds and other jewels of enormous value Buried by Camelik Pasha and the island whose exact position he had been informed All his anxiety was with regard to the difficulties he might meet within bringing his campaign to a successful close The outward journey was relatively easy Once at Zahar, they would procure a boat, discover the island, and dig up the three casks There was nothing in that to trouble a resolute man like Antefer What could be easier than to travel in this caravan And what could be easier than to bring the treasure from the island to Zahar But to return to Mascot, these barrels of gold and precious stones would have to be carried on camelback like all the other goods along the coast And how is this to be done without attracting the attention of the custom house without having to pay enormous duties Who could say about what the Sultan might seize upon them and declare himself absolute proprietor of all the treasures discovered on his territories Captain Antefer called it his island, but the island did not belong to him Camelik had not given it to him and undoubtedly the island belonged to the Sultan at Mascot Here were reasons enough for perplexity to say nothing of the difficulties of transport on the return The shipping of the goods in the mail boat for Suez What an absurd idea for the rich Egyptian to have buried his riches in an island in the Gulf of Oman Were there not hundreds more, thousands more scattered over the seas, amid, for instance, the innumerable islands of the Pacific Which were quite away from observation, which belonged to no one, where the legatee could have entered into possession without awakening any suspicion But so it was, and it was impossible to change it There was the island in the Gulf of Oman What a pity it was that they could not tow it to St. Molo That would have simplified matters considerably Captain Antefer then was naturally anxious and his anxiety showed itself by paroxysms of internal rage And the deplorable traveling companion he was, always muttering to himself, riding apart and giving his mule many an unmarried to cut with his whip To speak the truth it was a wonder that the two-patient animal did not kick and throw his rider Jewel guessed what was troubling his uncle, but dared not say anything Trigamane, from the height of his two-humped camel, was also aware of what was passing in his friend's mind To reason with him was out of the question All it could be done was to look at him and nod at each other significantly The first day's journey was not productive of extreme fatigue The temperature, however, was high The climate of southern Arabia, just on the topic of cancer, is very trying to Europeans A burning wind, generally from the mountains, blew across a fiery sky The sea breeze is powerless to overcome it The heights of Jebel octan rise in the west like a screen and appear to reflect the solar rays as if it were an immense receiver And when the hot season is at its height, the nights are suffocating and sleep impossible But the chief reason why there's not so much to endure in the first two days was that the caravan journeyed across the wooded plains that bordered the coast There's nothing of the eridity of the desert about the environs of Muscat Vegetation exists there in abundance Fields of millet are under cultivation when the ground is dry And fields of rice when the water pools ramify the liquid veins over the surface And there's no lack of shade under the forest of banyans And among the mimosas, which produce gum arabic, the exploitation of which is on a large scale In the evening the camp was pitched on the bank of a small river, fed by the mountains to the westward The animals were unharnessed and left to graze as they pleased, without even being hobbled, so accustomed are they to those regular halts To mention only the personages in this story, the uncle and nephew left their mules grazing on the common pasture, where Sook left his as soon as they arrived The bargements camel knelt like a musselman at the hour of prayer And Trigamena lighted, giving his mount a caress in the muzzle as he did so Ben Omar's donkey pulled up suddenly, and as the notary did not move as quickly as he might, it gave a jump and a kick, instead of flying off over its tail The notary fell full length with his face towards Mecca, but probably thought more of cursing his donkey than praying to Allah and his prophet An uneventful night was passed on the usual halting ground of the caravans A start was made as soon as it was light in the morning, and the advance towards Sohar resumed The country became more open A way to the horizon stretched vast plains where sand began to replace the herbage It seemed like the Sahara, with all its inconveniences, scarcity of water, absence of shade, fatiguing traveling For the Arabs accustomed to these caravan marches, it was but an ordinary journey They accomplished long distances in the very height of the summer during the most overwhelming temperatures, but how would the Europeans support this trial? We hasten to say that they did so without damage, even the bargemen, whose mass would have melted a few weeks later in the heat of the tropical sun Rocked by the regular swinging and elastic step of his camel, he slept in peace between the homes Firmly seated, he seemed to be so like an integral part of the animal that there was no fear of his falling He had now discovered that his obliging amount knew the difficulties of the road better than he did, and had given up attempting to guide it The Charmate Amalee did not travel more safely at the end of a tow rope along the rants Although Jewel was on the road from Muscat to Sohar, his thoughts were far away in the Breton town and the house where Anogate was expecting it The famous princess his uncle wished him to marry did not trouble him in the least Never would he have another woman than his pretty cousin Was there in all the world a duchess who could compare with her, even of the blood royal? No, and Camelike's millions could not alter this, even supposing that his adventure was not an Arabian night's dream Antifa was more anxious on the second day than on the first, and probably would be worse on the morrow He was thinking all the time how he could get the casks away, and the more he thought of it, the less he liked it And what would have been his apprehensions if he had known that in this very caravan he was being watched Yes, there was a native there, aged about 40 with a handsome face, who without awakening his suspicions was keeping him under close scrutiny The Suez steamer did not call once a fortnight at Muscat without the police taking a special interest in the event Besides the tax he took out foreigners landing in his dominions, the Sultan indulged in quite an oriental curiosity with regards to Europeans who came to visit him Nothing could be more natural than for him to find out the object of their presence in the country, and if they intended to stay When therefore the three Frenchmen appeared on the quay, and took up their quarters in the English hotel, the chief of the police did not hesitate to take them under his wise protection The Muscat police are abnormally organized as regards to the safety of the streets, and none the less so with regards to the surveillance of travelers by sea or land They never asked if their papers are in order, for every scoundrel is sure to have them all right, nor do they ask questions to which answers would be easy But they never lose sight of the newcomers, they keep them under observation, they shadow them with a discretion, a reserve, and a tact which do justice to the intelligence of these orientals Hence it came about that Antifa was under the eye of an emissary of the police, whose order was to follow him wherever he went Without ever asking a question, this policeman would succeed in finding out what these Europeans were doing in the Sultan If they found themselves in difficulties among the people whose language they did not know, he would offer his services And furnished with the information he obtained, the Sultan would prevent the departure of the visitors until nothing could be gained by keeping them any longer This arrangement would seriously interfere with Captain Antifa's plan To another treasure of such value, to bring it to Muscat, to ship it for Suez, was difficult enough But if his highness was to know all about it, the difficulty would be insurmountable Fortunately, Antifa did not know of this complication ahead The present burden of his cares was almost too much for him Never did he suspect that a policeman had his eye on him Neither had his companions noticed among the caravan this quiet, discreet Arab who watches them without saying a word to them But if this manoeuvre had escaped them, it had not escaped Suez The so-called clerk of Ben Omar spoke Arabic and had entered the conversation with several of the merchants going to Zohar These people, to whom the policeman was not unknown, made no mystery about him Suez suspected that the man was watching Antifa, and this made him uneasy If he did not want Kamalik's millions to go to Antifa, he certainly did not want them to fall into the hands of the Sultan of Muscat It is worth noting that the detective had no suspicions of the two Egyptians And never suppose that they were bound on the same errand as the three Europeans Travelers of their nationality often came to Muscat, and there was nothing to be feared from them Which shows that the police are not perfect, even in the Sultanate of His Highness After a fatiguing day broken by a midday halt, the caravan encamped at a little before sunrise by the side of a half-dry lagoon What are the natural curiosities of these parts? Here was a tree under which the whole caravan could take shelter, a shelter that would have been much appreciated during the rest at noon The rays of the sun come out of pierced a dome with these immense masses of foliage extending like a veil 15 feet above the ground A tree such as I have never seen before said Jewel when his meal stopped of itself under the first branches And such as you will probably never see again said the bargeman rising between the house of his camel which had just knelt down What do you say uncle asked Jewel? The uncle said nothing for the reason that he had seen nothing of that which had excited his nephew's surprise I fancy said Tregemagne that at St. Paul de Leon in a corner of Brittany we have a phenomenal vine which has some celebrity Quite so, but cannot be compared with this tree No, and the vine of St. Paul de Leon, extraordinary as it might be would have been a mere shrub by the side of this vegetable giant It was a banyan, a fig tree if you'd rather call it so, with a trunk that was at least a hundred feet in circumference From this trunk, like a tower, rose an enormous tenfold ramification, the branches of which crossed and intercrossed and forked and developed until they covered more than the acre An immense parasol against the solar rays, an immense umbrella against the showers, impenetrable to the fires as to the waters of the sky If the bargeman had had the time, for he had the patience, he would have given himself the satisfaction of counting the branches of this banyan How many were there? This could not but pick his curiosity, it was satisfied and in this way As he was examining the lower branches of the banyan and counting on his fingers, he heard behind him, ten thousand The words were pronounced with a strong oriental accent Jewel knew English and entered into the conversation with the Arab would have given the information The Arab was no other than the detective Finding a good opportunity for entering into communication with them, he had taken advantage of it In the course of conversation, he informed Jewel that he was employed as interpreter to the British location at Muscat And obligingly offered his services to the three Europeans Jewel thanked the native and informed his uncle that his fortune had circumstance for the negotiations at Sohar Good, good, said Antipher, arrange with the man and tell him that we will pay him handsomely On condition that we find something to pay him with, murmured the incredulous trekking But if Jewel congratulated himself on this meeting, so probably thought otherwise To see the detective in communication with the Frenchman was to inspire him with a surfeit of anxiety And he decided to watch the proceedings of his native very closely And then if Ben Omar could find out whether they were going, if Defoyage was near its end Was this island in the Gulf of Oman, the Straits of Ormuz or the Persian Gulf? Were they to seek for it along the Arabian coast or on the Persian side? How would they to begin operations and how long would these last? Was Antipher going to embark again at Sohar? I see it not though in Sohan at Muscat, it seems that the island must be beyond the Straits of Ormuz Unless, by caravan, the journey must be continued toward Charja, towards El Khalif Perhaps to Khorank at the top of the Persian Gulf? Cruel uncertainties bewildering hypotheses which ceaselessly excited Saouk And invariably reacted on the notary Is it my fault, he would repeat, if Mr. Antipher is so obstinate as to treat me like a stranger? Like a stranger? No, worse than that, like an intruder whose presence had been imposed on him by the testator Ah, without that one percent But was that one percent worth all these experiences? And when were they to end? The next day the caravan crossed an interminable plain, a sort of desert without an oasis The fatigue was extreme during this day and the two that followed, fatigue do mainly to heat The bargeman thought he was going to dissolve like one of those icebergs that drift from the northern seas to southern latitudes Without exaggeration he lost tenth of his weight, to the evidence satisfaction of his two humped mount During these days the Arab, whose name was Salik, became more closely acquainted with Jewel We may be sure that the young captain maintained a prudent reserve and did not betray any of the secrets of his uncle The search for a town on the coast favorable for the establishment of a branch business That is to say, the fable already imagined for the benefit of the French agent of Muscat Did duty again for the pretended interpreter The caravan entered so hard during the afternoon of the 27th of March, after a journey of four days and a half End of chapter 13