Читать книгу The Castaways of the Flag: The Final Adventures of the Swiss Family Robinson онлайн

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On the 20th of September, about ten o’clock, much to the surprise of all, for he had not been released from arrest, Robert Borupt reappeared on the deck.

The passengers, who were all sitting together on the poop, had a presentiment that the situation, grave enough already, was about to become still more grave.

Directly Captain Gould saw the second officer coming forward he went up to him.

“Mr. Borupt,” he said, “you are under arrest. What are you doing here? Answer!”

“I will!” cried Borupt loudly. “And this is my answer!”

Turning to the crew, he shouted:

“Come on, mates!”

“Hurrah for Borupt!” sang from every part of the ship!

Captain Gould rushed down into his cabin and came back with a pistol in his hand. But he was not given time to use it. A shot, fired by one of the sailors round Borupt, wounded him in the head, and he fell into the boatswain’s arms.

Resistance was hopeless against an entire crew of mutineers, headed by the first and second officers. John Block, Fritz, Frank, and James Wolston, drawn up near Captain Gould tried in vain to maintain the struggle. In a moment they were overwhelmed by numbers, and ten sailors hustled them down to the spar-deck with the captain.