About a year and a half after that, Mr. May's Liverpool comptoir began repairing and equipping the brig Warrior for a long voyage. The ship has long since become old, and no matter how much the equipment is repaired, it is difficult to adapt it to long-distance voyages.

Wu Yongchang couldn't understand how it could be selected ahead of the other good ships of that company, but that was the case. Mr. Martin was appointed governor of the ship, supervising the captain of the ship at all times, while Luce prepared to sail with his father.

While the ship was repairing equipment, he constantly pointed out that this was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, and strongly encouraged Wu Yongchang to take advantage of this opportunity to realize his desire to travel to sea.

Luce would try to arrange a hiding place for Yongchang aboard the Warrior, which he promised would be very comfortable enough to stay in for several days, as he would not be able to show up on the ship during that time.

He said that when the ship had traveled far enough that it was impossible to consider sending it back, he could formally live in a comfortable cabin; As for his father, he would only laugh out loud at the joke.

The middle of June has finally arrived, and everything planned is ripe. One Monday morning, Yongchang went straight to Luce, who was waiting around the corner of the street.

He was supposed to hide until dark and then sneak aboard the brig, but there was a fog at the time, so they decided to get on board and hide. Luce walked to the docks, and Yongchang followed him not far behind, wrapped in a thick sailor's cloak he had brought with him to prevent him from being easily recognized.

But when they turned the second corner, a man suddenly stood in front of me, staring straight at his face, none other than Mr. Edmund, Luce's old grandfather. "Oh my gosh, little leprosy"

He was stunned for a moment before he spoke, "Yo, yo, whose dirty cloak did you put on your body?" At this critical moment, he pretended to be angry and surprised, and replied in the roughest tone imaginable—"Sir! You've mistaken someone, stop calling my new coat a dirty cloak! ”

Seeing the old gentleman's strange behavior when he was reprimanded, he almost didn't laugh out loud, but at last he could hold back.

Edmund took two steps back in shock, his face blue and then red, then he brought his glasses to his eyes, then lowered them, picked up his umbrella and rushed towards Yongchang. But he rushed halfway and then stopped suddenly, as if he had suddenly remembered something; At last he turned and staggered down the street, trembling with anger all the way, muttering to himself, "It doesn't work—the new glasses don't work—I think it's a water-soaked cannon that doesn't work." ”

After this thrilling encounter, they continued to move forward more cautiously, and finally arrived at the dock safely.

There were only one or two people working on the bow of the Warrior. At this time, the captain was busy with the company, and he would be there late, so they were not worried at all.

Luce was the first to board the side of the ship, and Yongchang followed him into the boat without anyone at work noticing.

They immediately entered the main cabin and found it empty. The cabin was furnished very comfortably, which was somewhat unusual for a broken ship.

There are four very beautiful cabins, all with spacious and comfortable berths. Yongchang also noticed that there was a large stove in the cabin, and that the floors of the master and sleeping cabins were covered with an extremely thick carpet that was expensive.

The ceiling is 7 feet high, and all in all, everything is spacious and comfortable, far exceeding Yongchang's expectations.

Luce, however, was only allowed to visit for a short time, and he insisted that he must hide as soon as possible. He led him into his cabin, which was located on the starboard side of the ship, separated only by a wall from the waterproof compartment.

As soon as he entered the cabin, he closed the door and latched it on. Yongchang had never seen such a beautiful small room. It's about 10 feet long, with only one bunk, and it's as spacious and comfortable as just mentioned.

In the corner next to the compartment there is a 4-foot square space with a table and chairs, and a row of hangers full of books, mostly about sailing and travel. There were many other small equipment in the cabin, and a refrigerator-like pantry with a whole bunch of goodies, both to eat and drink.

Then he leaned down in the same space he had just described, and pressed his finger to a spot on the side of the carpet in the corner, letting him know that there was a raised floor there. As he pressed his fingers, a slit opened on the side of the raised floor against the wall, large enough for him to reach into. Thus he opened the secret door, from which it led to the bilge behind the ship.

Then he struck a match, lit a small candle, and put the candle into a darkened lantern, and then he carried the lamp into the secret door, and told Yongchang to follow him closely.

After Yongchang went down, Luce used a nail that was driven under the trap to put the trap back in its original position, and the carpet of course returned to its original appearance, and there was no trace of movement from the cabin above.