- Summary
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- Jules Verne
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- Captain at fifteen
Year: 1878 Genre: novel
Main characters: junior sailor Dick, the slave trader and cook, Mrs. Weldon and the dog Dingo
During a whale hunt, the captain and sailors of the schooner Pilgrim died. The ship was led by 15-year-old captain Dick Sand. On board was the criminal Negoro, who took advantage of the young sailor's inexperience and led everyone into a dead end. Instead of America, the travelers ended up in Africa, where almost everyone ended up in a slave caravan. The brave black man Hercules saves his friends, but his relatives have already been sold before this moment. Mr. Weldor redeems Hercules' loved ones from slavery. Dick adopts. He is completing a navigator's course and is ready to become a professional captain.
The work teaches that all people are absolutely equal regardless of race, skin color, social status and religion.
Read the summary Jules Verne The Fifteen-Year-Old Captain
The plot of the work takes place in 1873. The schooner Pilgrim sets sail for America. Present on the ship are the brave captain Gul, sailors, 15-year-old sailor Dick Sand, the wife of the schooner owner with her little son and cousin, the cook Negoro and the elderly nanny Nun. Some time later, a five-year-old boy discovers an overturned ship with five black people inside. Then it turned out that the ship was shipwrecked, and this family miraculously managed to survive. Among them was an elderly man and his four sons, as well as the dog Dingo, who took a dislike to the cook from the very beginning. Negoro tried not to be near the dog, who recognized him.
A couple of days later, the captain and the sailors decided to continue the whale hunt. They die. Now the schooner is led by junior sailor Dick, who could only navigate by compass. This plays into Negoro's hands. He purposefully breaks all compasses and leads all travelers to a dead end. Instead of America, the ship sails to the shores of Africa. Negoro finds himself in his native land and immediately disappears. Dick Sand and his travelers are met by the American Harris, who collaborates with Negoro. He claims that the ship's passengers are in Bolivia and leads them deep into the forest. Soon Dick and old Tom realize that this is not America, but Africa.
Gerris guesses that the travelers have realized something is wrong and is hiding. He arrived at the appointed meeting place with Negoro. From their conversation, it becomes clear that the American is involved in the slave trade and Negoro previously collaborated with him until he was detained and sentenced to hard labor. A couple of weeks later, he escaped and ended up on the ship Pilgrim, where he got a job as a cook. In Africa, he killed one person, Dingo’s owner, which is why the dog reacted to Negoro the way he did. He, in turn, took advantage of the inexperience of the fifteen-year-old captain and led the schooner to his native shores. Near the meeting place of Negaro and Gerris there is a caravan of slaves who are being led to the fair.
The slave traders hope that Dick will lead his travelers to the river, where they will trap them. The blacks and Dick are captured, only Hercules was lucky and managed to escape. Mrs. Weldon, her son and cousin are led away in another direction. The criminals have other plans for them. Negaro wants to get a huge ransom from Weldon for them. Dick and his friends endure severe torment during the passage of the caravan. Old lady Nun can't stand it and dies.
Dick meets Geriss. He hates him for betraying them. Taking this opportunity, the young man grabs a knife and kills his enemy. Negaro witnesses the death of his comrade and wants to deal with Dick. He negotiates with old acquaintances Alvets, who leads a caravan of slaves and Muani-Lung, so that they order the execution of Dick Send.
Mrs. Weldon's slightly strange cousin wants to catch a rare insect and doesn't even notice how he finds himself outside the territory in which he is kept with his sister and nephew. Hercules meets him. A brave black youth dresses up as a sorcerer. Queen Muana invites sorcerers to influence the weather, since lately there have been constant rainfalls that will adversely affect the harvest. The chief sorcerer reports that the woman and the boy are to blame. Takes Mrs. Weldon and Jackson and leaves. After this, the woman discovers that this is their savior Hercules. He saves Dick, but does not have time to rescue his brothers and father, who have already been sold into slavery.
The fugitives disguise the boat and sail for several days. After some time, the travelers stop at the shore, as there is a waterfall ahead. On this island are the remains of Samuel the Faithful, Dingo's master. This man was robbed and killed by Negaro, who returned to the place again to collect the stolen money. The dog grabbed his throat and was killed with a knife. But Negaro didn’t get away with it so easily.
The boat's passengers were saved. Dick was adopted by the Weldons; by the time he came of age, he was taking sailing courses and was ready to serve as a captain. Black friends were bought by Mistel Weldon.
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Read summary Fifteen-year-old captain. Brief retelling. For a reader's diary, take 5-6 sentences
The plot of "The Fifteen-Year-Old Captain" in chapters
“The Fifteen-Year-Old Captain” summary with a description of each chapter:
Part one
Chapter 1. Schooner-brig "Pilgrim"
In February 1973, the Pilgrim "was equipped in San Francisco for a whale hunt in the South Seas." It belonged to “the wealthy Californian shipowner James Weldon,” who entrusted the command of his schooner to Captain Gul. Under the command of the captain “there were five experienced sailors and one newcomer.” In addition, he was forced to take on board passengers - Mrs. Weldon, her five-year-old son Jack and cousin Benedict, the old black nanny Nan.
Chapter 2. Dick Sand
All the sailors of the Pilgrim “knew each other for a long time” and got along well with each other, and only the Portuguese Negoro did not really like the captain, who “did not have time to make inquiries about the past of the new cook.”
The youngest and most inexperienced sailor on the ship was a fifteen-year-old orphan boy, Dick Sand. But, despite his age, he was distinguished by his intelligence and courage, and “was already able to make decisions and bring to the end everything that he had deliberately decided on.”
Chapter 3. Wrecked ship
After several days of sailing, the crew of the Pilgrim noticed a “vessel overturned on its side” with a hole in the bow. Captain Gul decided to explore it, and on board the sunken ship the sailors found five blacks and a dog dying of thirst.
Chapter 4. Rescued from the Waldeck
The unfortunates were transferred aboard the Pilgrim, where they received proper care. It turned out that the blacks - old Tom, his son Bath, as well as Hercules, Austin and Actaeon - were not slaves, but free citizens of America. Their ship was struck by some unknown ship and disappeared.
Chapter 5. “C” and “B”
Another creature rescued from the sinking ship was a large dog named Dingo, whose collar was engraved with two letters - "C" and "B". “Dingo soon became the favorite of the whole crew,” and only Negoro he hated fiercely for an unknown reason. The cook tried not to show himself to the dog, who apparently recognized him.
Chapter 6. Whale on the horizon
After some time, the sailor on watch noticed a whale on the horizon. It was “a very large specimen of minke whale.” The sailors began to lively discuss their future prey - “the whole crew passionately wanted to hunt.”
Chapter 7. Preparations for the hunt
Despite the great risk, the whalers could not miss the opportunity to catch a giant sea animal and “fill the hold of the ship - the temptation was great.” Together with five sailors, he boarded the boat, leaving Dick Sand “as his deputy for the duration of the hunt.”
Chapter 8. Stripe
Experienced whalers began to hunt minke whales. They managed to wound him with a harpoon, but the unexpectedly wounded whale, “hitting the water with force with its fins, rushed at the people.” The enraged whale crushed the boat with a powerful blow of its tail and “in its death throes furiously beat its tail on the water” - none of the whalers managed to survive.
Chapter 9. Captain Sand
“A ship that has lost its captain and sailors” could easily become a weak-willed toy of currents and winds. Of the entire crew, only fifteen-year-old Dick Sand remained alive, and “this boy was now supposed to replace the captain, the boatswain, and the entire crew.” The young man decided to take on the functions of a captain and teach the rescued blacks the sailor's craft. They happily agreed to help him.
Chapter 10. The next four days
Everyone had one desire - to quickly get to “some other port on the American coast.” Dick knew how to use a compass and a lot, but “the young captain did not yet know how to make astronomical observations” that influenced the location of the ship. Suddenly, “there was a problem with the compass that was in the captain’s cabin” - it fell off the hook and fell to the floor. There was still one more compass left to work, but the insidious Negoro also spoiled it - so the “Pilgrim” strayed from the intended course.
Chapter 11. Storm
A week later, the sky became cloudy, a strong wind rose - everything foreshadowed the beginning of a storm. “The ship held up well in the waves” and continued to move forward confidently. Thanks to the efforts of Negoro, the lot was disabled, and “Dick Sand lost the ability to determine the speed of the ship.”
Chapter 12. Island on the horizon
On the same day, “a hurricane, the most terrible form of storm, broke out,” and did not stop for a week. According to Dick's calculations, they should have already reached the shores of America. He became more and more confident that the navigation instruments had been deliberately damaged by someone. Suddenly, the outline of land appeared overboard - it was an island.
Chapter 13. “Earth! Earth!"
Dick was sure that they had seen Easter Island, and he directed the ship along the correct course, as it seemed to him. Soon everyone noticed land, but there was “no human habitation, no port, no river mouth where the ship could find a safe refuge.” At the sight of the shore, Dingo “howled long and plaintively.”
Chapter 14. What to do?
After seventy-four days of sailing, the Pilgrim was thrown ashore and smashed on the reefs. Fortunately, no one was hurt. Dick Sand could not understand where they ended up. Meanwhile, Negoro quietly left the detachment, hiding in the thicket of the forest. It soon became clear that he was the first to arrive on the destroyed ship and seized all of Mrs. Weldon's money.
Chapter 15. Harris
After some time, the heroes met an American named Harris. He assured the travelers that they had been shipwrecked off the coast of Bolivia. Mr. Harris suggested that they take a break from the unrest at his brother's hacienda, which required crossing the rainforest.
Chapter 16. On the road
Having collected food supplies and necessary things, the small detachment set off. This transition was especially interesting for cousin Benedict, an entomologist, who began to enthusiastically study local insects.
Chapter 17. One Hundred Miles in Ten Days
Dick and his dark-skinned friends were surprised that during the hike they did not meet a single familiar tree or animal, but Mr. Garris managed to dispel their doubts. When Cousin Benedict cried out in pain at night, he found out that he had been bitten by a tsetse fly. The entomologist was very pleased with his discovery, since “not a single scientist has ever found tsetse in America.”
Chapter 18. Terrible word
The detachment made its way through the forest for twelve days, covering over a hundred miles during this time. Gradually, Dick began to discover the truth, “which became more and more clear and undeniable every hour” - they were in equatorial Africa, a country of “slave traders and slaves.”
Part two
Chapter 1. Slave trade
The Pilgrim crashed off the coast of Angola. This was one of the most dangerous regions of Equatorial Africa, where cannibalistic savages still lived, local tribes were constantly at odds, but the worst thing was that the slave trade was in full swing here.
Chapter 2. Harris and Negoro
Harris, who had left the detachment by that time, met with Negoro. From their conversation it became clear that these were old friends who lived in the slave trade. They agreed to wait for the slave caravan “to capture Dick Sand and his companions.”
Chapter 3. A Hundred Miles from the Shore
Dick Sand realized that Negoro was the culprit of their troubles, and Harris was his accomplice. Only one thing remained unclear - “what are these scoundrels up to?” The young man planned to return to the coast as quickly as possible and “and reach the nearest Portuguese trading post,” where they would be safe. To do this, it was necessary to find a river and go down to the ocean on a raft.
Chapter 4. Along the difficult roads of Angola
On the way, the friends were overtaken by a terrible thunderstorm and heavy rain. They managed to hide from bad weather in an empty termite mound.
Chapter 5. Lecture on termites given in a termite mound
Taking advantage of the opportunity, Cousin Benedict gave his friends an informative lecture about the builders of this impressive structure - termites.
Chapter 6. Diving bell
At night, water began to flow into the termite mound - “due to heavy rain, the river overflowed its banks and overflowed across the plain.” Dick compared their shelter to a diving bell, in which the air is under high pressure. To escape, the friends cut through the top of the termite mound and got out to freedom.
Chapter 7. Camp on the shores of Kwanzaa
Noticing a native camp nearby, the friends hurried towards them. However, this was a slave caravan, driving slaves to “the main market for black goods.” Once in the camp, “Dick Sand and his companions immediately turned into slaves.” Mrs. Weldon, Jack and cousin Benedict were immediately separated, Dick was disarmed and taken under guard, and the blacks were added to the caravan.
Chapter 8. From Dick Sand's notebook
The strong man Hercules miraculously managed to escape, and his friends, shackled, were jealous of him - “he was free and could fight for his life.” Dick was entirely occupied with thoughts of Mrs. Weldon and little Jack. Old lady Nan was among the exhausted slaves who were hacked to death with axes.
Chapter 9. Kasonde
Only “half of the total number of captured slaves” reached Kazonda, the largest slave market. The slaves were distributed among cramped barracks. The owner of the caravan, Antonio Alvets, was especially pleased with the young and strong blacks from America - he could demand a high price for them. From Harris, Dick learned about the death of Mrs. Weldon and Jack. “In a fit of uncontrollable anger,” the young man killed the traitor.
Chapter 10. Fair
Alvets wanted to immediately execute Dick, but Negoro asked him to be patient for a while. On the day of the fair in Kazonda, Alvets brought out all his slaves for sale. Tom, Bath, Actaeon and Austin were very lucky, and “they were sold into one hand.”
Chapter 11. Royal Punch
In the midst of the fair, “His Majesty Muani-Lunga, King of Kazonde” appeared, looking more like a decrepit gorilla. He was accompanied by numerous wives and a retinue of flatterers. Alvets, knowing about the local king’s addiction to alcohol, invited him to drink a strong punch. When the old drunkard drank the flaming drink, “his majesty, thoroughly intoxicated, burst into flames” and died on the spot.
Chapter 12. The King's Funeral
Muani-Lung's first wife, "Queen Muana was to inherit the royal throne." She hastened to organize her husband's funeral and consolidate her position. A large pit was dug, where, according to the old tradition, the remaining wives of the king were thrown. According to Negoro's plan, the tied Dick was to be thrown there, and then the pit was to be flooded with water.
Chapter 13. At the trading post
Harris lied that Mrs. Weldon, Jack and Cousin Benedict were dead - they were in Kazonda, alive and unharmed. Negoro placed them at the Alvets trading post in the hope of receiving a large ransom for them. He told Mrs. Weldon to write a letter to her husband, with whom he was going to San Francisco.
Chapter 14. News of Doctor Livingston
Having accidentally overheard Alvetz's conversation with his guest, Mrs. Weldon learned that “perhaps help is approaching, which seems to be sent by Providence itself.” The famous traveler Dr. Livingstone "will probably arrive at Kazonda with his escort in the next few days." However, these plans were not destined to come true - the doctor died on the eve of his visit.
Chapter 15. Where the manticore can lead
Having received a letter from Mrs. Weldon, Negoro set off. Meanwhile, Benedict, who had been freely hunting for insects all this time, in pursuit of a rare ground beetle, found himself outside the walls of the trading post. Unbeknownst to himself, he traveled a couple of miles in the hope of catching an insect.
Chapter 16. Mgannga
A period of prolonged rains began, threatening to flood all the fields. Queen Muana decided to seek help from Mgannga, a famous sorcerer from Northern Angola. It turned out to be Hercules in disguise, who made it clear to the queen that the white woman and her child were to blame for all the troubles. He took them with him, and even Alvets could not stop him from doing this.
Chapter 17. Downstream
Hercules brought his “trophies” to the boat, where Dick Sand, Benedict and Dingo, whom he had saved, were located. All that was missing were Tom, Bath, Austin and Actaeon, who were driven out of the village towards the Great Lakes. Having disguised the boat as a floating island, the friends began to go down “down the river to the ocean coast.”
Chapter 18. Miscellaneous Events
During their rafting, travelers occasionally went ashore to hunt. The area seemed uninhabited, but one day they sailed past the village, and it was only by miracle that the savages did not notice them. The friends were forced to moor to the shore as the river rushed down in a “rapid, majestic waterfall.”
Chapter 19. “S. IN."
As soon as he was on the shore, Dingo rushed forward, picking up someone's trail. A smart dog led travelers to a miserable shack in which human bones lay. Nearby on the tree were visible “two large half-erased red letters” - S. V. Dick found out that the deceased was the traveler Samuel Vernon, who became a victim of the treacherous guide Negoro.
Suddenly, “a terrible scream was heard from outside” - it was Dingo who attacked Negoro, who, before sailing, returned to the scene of his crime to take Vernon’s money from his hiding place. Negoro mortally wounded the dog, but he “squeezed his jaws with all his might” and gnawed the throat of his old enemy.
Chapter 20. Conclusion
A real gift of fate for travelers was a meeting with a trade caravan that belonged to Portuguese merchants. In complete safety they reached the port, where they boarded a ship and arrived safely in America. Dick Sand became Weldon's adopted son, and Hercules became a great friend of the family. The young man “graduated with honors from hydrographic courses” and was preparing to become a captain. The general joy was overshadowed only by thoughts of the bitter fate of dark-skinned friends. However, thanks to Mr. Weldon's connections, all four blacks were returned to their homeland.
Conclusion
With his work, Jules Verne sought to show that any person, regardless of class and the thickness of his wallet, is capable of achieving great heights through work, courage and kindness.
Main characters
Dick Sand is a fifteen-year-old boy, an orphan, actually adopted by Mr. Weldon. In a critical situation, he becomes the captain of the ship, and later - the leader of travelers in trouble. The young man shows the qualities of a real man: courage, bravery, courage and willingness to bear responsibility for the people who have trusted him.
Mrs. Weldon is the wife of Mr. Weldon; a selfless woman who, despite her status as a “hostess,” willingly shares all the hardships of a dangerous journey.
Benedict is Mrs. Weldon's cousin, an entomologist. An eccentric, absent-minded scientist, constantly thinking only about insects and not paying attention to anything else.
Negoro is a Portuguese slave trader, a very dangerous criminal.
Hercules is a black, free US citizen. A very strong man who saved half of the travelers from slave captivity.
Dingo is the dog of the deceased traveler Samuel Vernon, who accidentally ended up with the captain of the Pilgrim.
Proverbs for the work:
Difficult is not impossible.
The skillful and courageous are not afraid of difficulties.
It's hard to learn, but it's easy to fight.
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