Chapter 132 Above the Sea
The merchant Alger only stayed in Torpoint for one night, and left early the next morning with his companion and the little girl.
Along with him, apart from the newly joined Maca, there is also the nobleman from France, Mr. Vincent.
Maca noticed that the timid little girl seemed to be looking for opportunities to talk to him, but Alger was very cautious, and there was no chance for them to talk yet.
Seeing that the little girl behaved quite abnormally, Maca became more and more sure of her own judgment.
Soon, they came to the pier and approached some connected ships.
"Come on, get on the boat, kid!" Argel greeted kindly.
Maca pretended to be unfamiliar with stepping on the boarding boards, and followed Alger unsteadily to board the largest ship. Behind him was the young lady, she pulled the little girl up as well.
Sailing is a very boring thing. Perhaps at first, you will be attracted by the magnificent sea, lying on the railing of the ship and looking at the distant sky.
But trust me, you'll lose interest in it all within a few days.
Maca is very used to sailing, so he naturally wouldn't look around curiously—what's more, he's here for "work" this time.
This is a cargo ship, but the "cargo" this time is obviously a living creature... No, there are already two of them now, Alger arranged Maca and the little girl in the cargo hold.
The cargo here has been unloaded, except for some waterproof tarpaulins, there is only a small pile of empty wooden boxes left in the cargo hold.
Maca and the little girl sat on a wooden box respectively, and they were "accompanied" by two men who were walking with them.
It wasn't to prevent them from escaping, of course—there was an ocean where they could run—it was just to keep them separated, lest the little girl say things she shouldn't have said to Maca.
In fact, the little girl knew what they were doing; and she herself was the first item in the business.
Maka sat on the wooden box bored, chatted a few words with the two men casually, trying to extract some useful information from them... Or, he just wanted to amuse himself.
In some intentional or unintentional conversations and observations, Maca found that they all seemed a little absent-minded. Although the two men looked at the two of them honestly, they showed no determination for what they were doing.
To put it bluntly, they were just ordinary caravan crew members before, and this is really the first time they have done this kind of work.
"Sir, I think..." Maca opened her eyes wide, making herself appear innocent, "I miss my father..."
"Hmm... child, I mean," the man looked awkwardly at the door of the cargo hold, the blue sky outside formed a stark contrast with the depression inside, "well... we will help you go home, Then you can see your father."
The other man seemed to talk less. He lowered his head and looked at the floor, wondering what he was thinking.
"Oh—I think so," Maca nodded, "Thank you, you are all good people! Mom always said that people who like to help others are good people!"
"... can I have some water to drink?"
Maca was chatting with the two men when suddenly the little girl sitting not far away spoke.
This was the first time Maca heard the little girl's voice. Although it was still sweet, it was a little hoarse—she seemed indeed thirsty.
The man who had been silent all this time took a water bottle from his waist and handed it to the little girl.
Maca noticed that the little girl seemed a little disappointed, it seemed that she probably wanted to lure someone away. But this little trick fell through in an instant.
Maca shook her head secretly, thinking that the little girl might be quite smart when she grows up,
There should also be a lot of courage - but now it is far from enough.
Even if you can divert people away, you can only divert one person, which is useless.
"This... Have you ever drank it?" The little girl suddenly pursed her lips, showing a reluctant look.
"We are on a boat, and it belongs to everyone except 'people'." The man frowned, "If you don't want to drink, don't drink it!"
This man is obviously not as talkative as the one just now. Although he doesn't talk much, it's not because he's introverted or honest.
After being yelled at by him, the little girl couldn't help shrinking back, not daring to say anything more.
"Give me a sip too!" Maca said suddenly.
After waiting for the girl to drink a few sips, he reached out and asked for the water bottle, and drank quite a bit unceremoniously.
"Save it!" The man snatched the kettle with a fierce look on his face.
"Hey! Don't scare the children..." Another man pushed him, then turned his head and said, "The fresh water on the boat is limited, and it's a habit to drink sparingly when sailing at sea."
"Oh, sorry... I see." Maca nodded obediently, expressing her understanding.
Time passed day by day, and during the long sailing journey, Maca gradually became acquainted with the man who spoke better. And until one day, the other party casually mentioned something to Maca...
"...It's time to dock tomorrow," he said, and after thinking for a while, he added, "We need to replenish fresh water and food, and she should also get off the boat."
He pouted his lips towards the little girl, but he didn't say much, but his expression looked a little worried.
"Then when can we get to London?" Maca asked, blinking.
"Oh—well, soon." The man grinned at him, but the smile was stiff no matter how you looked.
"I want to drink some water, and then I should go to bed... Can you tell me a story today?" Maca said innocently.
The other party asked for the kettle for him, handed it to him, and said, "Of course! What do you want to hear today?"
"I fell asleep before I finished listening to the 'Sea Wizard' story yesterday, can you continue telling me..."
Not long after, Maca curled up in the slightly damp quilt and fell asleep listening to the man's monotonous story. On the other side, the little girl still couldn't sleep. She turned sideways, looking at the clear starry sky outside, and the tears in her eyes dripped helplessly onto the pillow.
"Let's rest too! We can go ashore tomorrow to relax..."
"Be more careful on the shore!"
"Oh... yes, indeed..."
Both of them drank a few sips of water, and then one of them dozed off while leaning against the deck at the door; while the other, that is, the man who didn't talk much, was still sitting on the box, taking turns to watch as usual. the first half of the night.
It has to be said that Alger's arrangements are quite cautious - even if these are just two children, the rules cannot be changed, so it is right to be careful.
However, the kettle that Maca touched was not easy to drink.
Not to mention the one who was sleeping, even the man who was on duty at night fell on the board of the ship not long after.
Maca also kindly reached out to help him, lest he fall over and make too much noise.
"Aren't you asleep?" Maca quietly got up and asked the little girl softly.
The little girl was obviously taken aback by him—she didn't expect that Maka, who had been ignoring her all this time, would actually talk to her in the dead of night.
She turned her head abruptly, and then looked at the man who had fallen on the board in surprise. At this time, her face was still full of tears.
"what's your name?"
Maca, who was inspecting the two men, turned her head, smiled at her, and asked a casual question as if looking for something to say.
"I'm Sarah...you...what have you done?"
"It's nothing," Maca said, "I'm here to save you, understand?"
"...you know?" the girl asked in surprise.
"Hush! Be quiet... I do know, but it's probably not as clear as you imagined." Maca finished checking the two men, then turned sideways to look outside the door, "Where did they snatch you from?" of?"
"Norwich..."
"Just know the place..." Maca nodded, and then said, "You wait here——they won't wake up suddenly, and we can go back after I finish my work."
"Go back? How to go back?" Sarah asked suspiciously, "We are still on the boat..."
"do not worry."
Maca said, and went to the deck lightly...
When Maca circled around and came back, he immediately greeted Sarah and walked to the side of the boat.
On the deck next to the side of the ship, two crew members were lying there, and not far away, an escape boat outside the side of the ship could be seen that had been put on the sea.
"Can you climb a rope?"
Maca asked tentatively, but the answer he waited for was a natural "no".
Fortunately, he was already prepared.
"Put this on, and come with me..." Maca handed Sarah a life vest, and after she put it on, it led her up to the railing.
Sarah thought he would have some good ideas! However……
"Remember, don't scream! If other crew members hear it, we won't be able to escape!" Maca warned in a low voice.
"Huh? Oh..."
"Remember! Don't scream!"
After exhorting again, Maca reached out and pushed without hesitation, and Sarah fell into the sea with a plop.
She still yelled, but Maca's order worked, the yelling was not loud, and she choked it back after half a yell.
For Sarah, the failure to escape is obviously much more terrifying than the sea water.
After Sarah went down, Maca slid along the rope to the escape boat. He quickly dragged Sarah onto the boat, then picked up the oars and started paddling.
It's not far from the coast here, but Maca didn't choose the same direction as the cargo ship—he rowed along the vertical direction of the cargo ship's route, getting farther and farther away, and finally disappeared on the dark sea.
"Why did you push me down like that!" Sarah, who had been holding back for a long time, finally couldn't help asking.