第二十一章 The Island of Tiboulen
This excerpt opens Chapter 21: The Island of Tiboulen, following Edmond Dantès immediately after his escape from the Château d’If, as he travels aboard a merchant tartan bound for Leghorn.
Dantès Secures Crew Passage and Provisions
Dantès negotiates with the ship’s captain to join the crew for the voyage, agreeing to accept the same provisions and wages as the other sailors. Jacopo, the sailor who rescued Dantès, provides him with a shirt and trousers, and Dantès receives bread and rum after going 40 hours without food or drink. The captain and crew are surprised by Dantès’ demonstrated intelligence and physical vigor.
Dantès Identifies Château d’If Escape Alarm
While aboard the tartan, Dantès notices a small white cloud atop the Château d’If’s bastion and hears a faint gunshot. He correctly identifies this as the prison’s escape alarm, fired after a prisoner broke out of the facility. The captain briefly harbors suspicion of Dantès, but Dantès’ calm composure while drinking rum allays any doubts.
Dantès Assumes Helm to Watch Marseilles
Pretending to be fatigued, Dantès requests to take over the helm from the steersman, a request the captain approves. This placement lets Dantès keep his eyes fixed on Marseilles as the ship sails away from the port.
Dantès Confirms 14 Years of Imprisonment, Swears Vengeance
Dantès asks Jacopo for the current date, and learns it is 28 February 1829, exactly 14 years to the day after his arrest (he was 19 when he was imprisoned, and is now 33). He briefly mourns the likelihood that his beloved Mercédès believes him dead, then renews his oath of implacable vengeance against Danglars, Fernand, and Villefort, the three men who orchestrated his unjust imprisonment.
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