The fifteen-year-old captain is abbreviated to read. Foreign literature abridged. All works of the school curriculum in a brief summary. Negoro's dark personality

One of the most outstanding novels of the great French writer Jules Verne was first published in 1878. The adventure novel was filmed several times: in 1945 (USSR), in 1974 (co-production of Spain and France) and in 1986 (USSR, the film was called “Captain of the Pilgrim”).

The schooner-brig Pilgrim, intended for whaling, sets sail from the port of Auckland. The schooner is led by an experienced captain Gul, who has several sailors under his command. The youngest of them is 15 years old. Cook Negoro is on the team. In addition, on board is Mrs. Weldon, the wife of the owner of the ship with her five-year-old son Jack, nanny Nan and the Weldon relative cousin Benedict. The schooner is heading to San Francisco.

After a few days of travel, Mrs. Weldon's son notices an overturned ship in the ocean. As it turned out, this ship is called "Waldeck". It could not continue its journey due to a hole in the bow. The passengers of the Pilgrim found five blacks on the Waldeck. All of them were free citizens of America, but lived for some time in New Zealand, where they worked on plantations under contract. On the way to America, the Waldeck collided with another ship. Suddenly, all crew members disappeared. Five friends were doomed to starvation.

The crew of the Pilgrim takes on board the passengers of the Waldeck. A few days later, the dark-skinned Hercules, Austin, Tom, Actaeon and Bath managed to come to their senses. In addition to the five blacks, a dog named Dingo was found on the Waldeck. The only surviving passengers of the lost ship claim that their captain found the animal off the coast of the African continent. For some unknown reason, Dingo, from the first minutes of his stay on the Pilgrim, begins to show aggression towards the cook Negoro. On the dog’s collar you can see 2 letters: “C” and “B”.

The adventure begins...

Several more days of travel passed. The sailors of the Pilgrim and Captain Gul transfer to the boat and go to catch a whale that was spotted not far from the ship. The leadership of the Pilgrim is entrusted to the youngest sailor of the team, Dick Sand. Gul and five sailors die in a fight with a whale. Dick is forced to take over as captain for the remainder of the voyage. Despite the fact that the young captain is quite brave and courageous, he lacks some navigational knowledge. Dick can't navigate by the stars. Sand can only find out the location of the schooner by using the lot and a compass.

Negoro took advantage of the young captain's inexperience. He broke one compass and disabled the lot. Then the insidious cook changed the readings on the second compass. As a result, the Pilgrim arrived on the shores of Angola, where the ship washed ashore. All passengers survived. Negoro, taking advantage of the general turmoil, leaves the travelers. Dick goes in search of some settlement and meets the American Harris. A new acquaintance assures Dick that the travelers are in Bolivia. Harris invites travelers to his brother's hacienda, where the Pilgrim's passengers can find shelter. In fact, the American lures travelers deep into the tropical forest.

On the way to the hacienda, Tom and Dick realized that they were on the African continent. When Harris notices that his deception has been revealed, he immediately hides in the forest. The reader then watches the meeting between the American and Negoro. From a conversation between old friends, it becomes clear that the ship's cook is a secret agent of the slave traders. Its main task is to supply living goods to those who sell them. Negoro has been engaged in his trade for several years. The authorities of Portugal, where the cook was from, sentenced the secret agent to life in hard labor. However, Negoro did not stay in hard labor for long. He managed to escape and get a job on the Pilgrim. The secret agent dreamed of returning to Africa. Circumstances worked out in the best way for Negoro.

After numerous adventures and escape from slavery, almost all the heroes find themselves together again. Only Nanny Nan did not survive. The mystery of the mysterious letters “C” and “B”, which turned out to be initials, is also revealed. Dingo's owner's name was Samuel Vernon. Cook Negoro contributed to his death.

Having met his master's killer again, Dingo throws himself on his neck and tries to gnaw his throat out. The secret agent managed to kill the dog, but he himself also could not escape retribution and died. The travelers were able to safely reach California. The Weldon couple redeem Austin, Tom, Actaeon and Bath who were enslaved and accept Dick into their family. The young man receives the necessary education and becomes the captain of one of his adoptive father's ships.

Dick Sand was left an orphan at an early age. The main character of the novel was found on the street by a random passer-by, after whom the boy was later named. Diku's surname was given in memory of the place where he was discovered.

Little Dick was precocious and already at the age of four he learned to count, write and read. At the age of eight, the boy went to work as a cabin boy. He managed to prove himself well on the ship. The owner of the ship, Weldon, decided to send Dick to school. Then the young man became a sailor on the Pilgrim.

During the journey described in the novel, Dick Sand was also able to show his best side. A difficult childhood and the endurance gifted by nature tempered the young captain. Dick had to take the place of the deceased Ghoul and make his own decisions. The ability to not get lost in an unfamiliar environment allowed Sand not only to survive, but to receive the most desired reward - the family he never had.

Author's philosophy

Readers of different ages may be interested in completely different things in the same novel. Teenagers 12-16 years old are only interested in adventure. A fifteen-year-old boy, the same age as them, finds himself face to face with severe trials, from which he emerges victorious.

Features of Jules Verne's style
More mature readers will be able to see in the novel the worldview of its author. Jules Verne puts events first in his works. That is why the writer’s philosophy often goes unnoticed and fades into the background.

In fact, adventure is only the background against which the development of interpersonal relationships occurs. Everyday life is not capable of revealing the character of people living by inertia. Finding himself in an unusual and dangerous environment, a person will definitely show his true colors.

Denying racism and slavery, Jules Verne agrees with another great writer of the 19th century - Mark Twain. It is no coincidence that Hercules can be seen among the positive characters. The main villain turns out to be a native of Portugal. It is also no coincidence that people of the white race fall into slavery. The author invites whites to be in the place of blacks and feel everything that black slaves have to go through. Verne sees no difference between the two skin colors. The superiority of one color over another is nothing more than a stereotype. If the oppression of blacks seems logical to a white American, then the enslavement of whites seems no less logical to the indigenous people of the African continent.

Jules Verne

"Captain at fifteen"

On January 29, 1873, the schooner brig Pilgrim, equipped for whaling, set sail from the port of Oakland, New Zealand. On board are the brave and experienced captain Gul, five experienced sailors, a fifteen-year-old junior sailor - orphan Dick Sand, the ship's cook Negoro, as well as the wife of the owner of the Pilgrim, James Weldon - Mrs. Weldon with her five-year-old son Jack, her eccentric relative, whom everyone calls " Cousin Benedict,” and the old black nanny Nan. The sailboat is on its way to San Francisco with a call at Valparaiso. After a few days of sailing, little Jack notices the Waldeck ship overturned on its side in the ocean with a hole in the bow. In it, the sailors discover five emaciated blacks and a dog named Dingo. It turns out that the blacks: Tom, a sixty-year-old man, his son Bath, Austin, Actaeon and Hercules are free citizens of the United States. Having completed their contract work on the plantations in New Zealand, they returned to America. After the Waldeck collided with another ship, all crew members and the captain disappeared and they were left alone. They are transported aboard the Pilgrim, and after a few days of careful care they fully regain their strength. Dingo, according to them, was picked up by the captain of the Waldeck off the coast of Africa. At the sight of Negoro, the dog, for some unknown reason, begins to growl ferociously and expresses its readiness to pounce on him. Negoro prefers not to show himself to the dog, who apparently recognized him.

A few days later, Captain Gul and five sailors, who dared to go on a boat to catch a whale that they spotted a few miles from the ship, die. Dick Sand, who remained on the ship, takes over the functions of captain. The blacks are trying to learn the sailor's craft under his leadership. For all his courage and inner maturity, Dick does not have all the knowledge of navigation and can only navigate the ocean using a compass and a lot that measures the speed of movement. He doesn’t know how to find a location using the stars, which is what Negoro takes advantage of. He breaks one compass and, unnoticed by everyone, changes the readings of the second. Then it disables the lot. His machinations contribute to the fact that instead of America, the ship arrives at the shores of Angola and is thrown ashore. All travelers are safe. Negoro quietly leaves them and goes in an unknown direction. After some time, Dick Sand, who went in search of some settlement, meets the American Harris, who, in cahoots with Negoro, his old acquaintance, and assuring that the travelers are on the shores of Bolivia, lures them a hundred miles into the tropical forest, promising shelter and care at his brother's hacienda. Over time, Dick Sand and Tom realize that they somehow ended up not in South America, but in Africa. Harris, having guessed about their insight, hides in the forest, leaving the travelers alone, and goes to a pre-arranged meeting with Negoro. From their conversation, it becomes clear to the reader that Harris is engaged in the slave trade; Negoro was also familiar with this trade for a long time, until the authorities of Portugal, where he is from, sentenced him to lifelong hard labor for such activities. After staying on it for two weeks, Negoro ran away, got a job as a cook on the Pilgrim and began to wait for the right opportunity to get back to Africa. Dick's inexperience played into his hands, and his plan was carried out much sooner than he dared to hope. Not far from the place where he meets Harris, there is a caravan of slaves that is going to the fair in Kazonda, led by one of their acquaintances. The caravan is camped ten miles from the travelers' location, on the banks of the Kwanzaa River. Knowing Dick Sand, Negoro and Harris correctly assume that he will decide to take his people to the river and go down to the ocean on a raft. That's where they plan to capture them. Having discovered Harris' disappearance, Dick realizes that there has been a betrayal and decides to follow the bank of the stream to a larger river. On the way, they are overtaken by a thunderstorm and a fierce downpour, from which the river overflows its banks and rises several pounds above ground level. Before the rain, travelers climb into an empty termite mound, twelve feet high. In a huge anthill with thick clay walls they wait out the thunderstorm. However, having got out of there, they are immediately captured. The blacks, Nan and Dick are added to the caravan, Hercules manages to escape. Mrs. Weldon and her son and cousin Benedict are taken away in an unspecified direction. During the journey, Dick and his black friends have to endure all the hardships of traveling with a caravan of slaves and witness the brutal treatment of slaves by soldier guards and overseers. Unable to withstand this transition, old Nan dies along the way.

The caravan arrives at Kazonde, where the slaves are distributed among barracks. Dick Sand accidentally meets Harris and, after Harris, deceiving him, reports the death of Mrs. Weldon and her son, in despair he snatches a dagger from his belt and kills him. The next day there is to be a slave fair. Negoro, who saw from afar the scene of the death of his friend, asks permission from Alvets, the owner of the slave caravan and a very influential person in Kazonda, as well as from Muani-Lung, the local king, for permission to execute Dick after the fair. Alvets promises Muani-Lung, who is unable to go without alcohol for a long time, a drop of fire water for every drop of a white man’s blood. He prepares a strong punch, sets it on fire, and when Muani-Lung drinks it, his completely alcohol-soaked body suddenly catches fire and the king rots to the very bones. His first wife, Queen Muana, arranges a funeral, during which, according to tradition, numerous other wives of the king are killed, thrown into a pit and flooded. In the same pit there is also Dick tied to a post. He must die.

Mrs. Weldon with her son and cousin Benedict, meanwhile, also live in Kazonda outside the fence of the Alvets trading post. Negoro holds them hostage there and wants a ransom of one hundred thousand dollars from Mr. Weldon. He forces Mrs. Weldon to write a letter to her husband, which should contribute to the implementation of his plan, and, leaving the hostages in the care of Alvets, he leaves for San Francisco. One day, Cousin Benedict, an avid insect collector, is chasing a particularly rare ground beetle. Chasing her, he, unbeknownst to himself, breaks free through a mole hole running under the walls of the fence and runs two miles through the forest in the hope of catching the insect. There he meets Hercules, who has been next to the caravan all this time in the hope of helping his friends in some way.

At this time, a long rainfall begins in the village, unusual for this time of year, which floods all the nearby fields and threatens to leave the residents without a harvest. Queen Muana invites sorcerers to the village so that they can drive away the clouds. Hercules, having caught one of these sorcerers in the forest and dressed in his outfit, pretends to be a mute sorcerer and comes to the village, grabs the astonished queen by the hand and leads her to the Alvets trading post. There he shows with signs that the white woman and her are to blame for the troubles of her people. child. He grabs them and takes them out of the village. Alvets tries to detain him, but gives in to the onslaught of savages and is forced to release the hostages. Having walked eight miles and finally freed from the last curious villagers, Hercules lowers Mrs. Weldon and Jack into the boat, where they are amazed to discover that the sorcerer and Hercules are one person, see Dick Sand, saved from death by Hercules, cousin Benedict and Dingo. The only things missing are Tom, Bath, Actaeon and Austin, who had previously been sold into slavery and driven away from the village. Now travelers finally have the opportunity to go down to the ocean on a boat disguised as a floating island. From time to time Dick goes ashore to hunt. After a few days of travel, the boat sails past a cannibal village located on the right bank. The savages discover that it is not an island, but a boat with people, floating along the river after it is already far ahead. Unnoticed by the travelers, the savages along the shore follow the boat in the hope of prey. A few days later, the boat stops on the left bank so as not to be pulled into the waterfall. The dingo, as soon as it jumps onto the shore, rushes forward, as if sensing someone’s scent. Travelers stumble upon a small shack in which already whitened human bones are scattered. Nearby, on a tree, two letters “S” are written in blood. IN.". These are the same letters that are engraved on Dingo's collar. Nearby is a note in which its author, the traveler Samuel Vernon, accuses his guide Negoro of mortally wounding him in December 1871 and robbing him. Suddenly Dingo takes off and a scream is heard nearby. It was Dingo who grabbed the throat of Negoro, who, before boarding the ship to America, returned to the scene of his crime to get from the cache the money he had stolen from Vernon. Dingo, whom Negoro stabs before dying, dies. But Negoro himself cannot escape retribution. Fearing Negoro's companions on the left bank, Dick crosses over to the right bank for reconnaissance. There, arrows fly at him, and ten savages from the village of cannibals jump into his boat. Dick shoots the oar, and the boat is carried towards the waterfall. The savages die in it, but Dick, who took refuge in a boat, manages to escape. Soon the travelers reach the ocean, and then, without incident, on August 25 they arrive in California. Dick Sand becomes a son in the Weldon family, by the age of eighteen he completes hydrographic courses and prepares to become a captain on one of James Weldon's ships. Hercules becomes a great friend of the family. Tom, Bath, Actaeon and Austin are redeemed by Mr. Weldon from slavery, and on November 15, 1877, four blacks, freed from so many dangers, find themselves in the friendly arms of the Weldons.

On January 29, 1873, the schooner Pilgrim set sail from Auckland, New Zealand, under the leadership of Captain Gul. His team includes 5 experienced sailors, 1 junior sailor Dick Sand, cook Negoro. On the ship were the owner's wife Mrs. Weldon and 5-year-old son Jack, his cousin Benedict and nanny Nan, who were sailing to San Francisco. A few days later they see a wrecked ship and rescue 5 blacks and the dog Dingo. The African Americans turn out to be free US citizens who were returning home after working in New Zealand, but they were rammed by another ship. Dingo, seeing Negoro, began to react aggressively to him. Those rescued said that the dog was found off the coast of Africa.

Having noticed a whale not far from the ship, Captain Gul and the sailors set out to catch it and die. The functions of the ship's captain are taken over by 15-year-old Dick Sand. Negroes are learning to be sailors. But the young man is poorly versed in navigation, having only the skills of orienteering using a compass and a lot. Cook Negoro does everything to make the ship go off course. The ship washes up on the shores of Angola. But the young captain does not know how to read the starry sky and does not know where they are. Meanwhile, the cook disappears in an unknown direction. While exploring the territory, Dick meets Harris, who convinces him that the travelers have ended up in Bolivia and invites him to his brother’s house. But the young man did not know that his new acquaintance was a friend of Negoro and a slave trader and was luring them far into the forest. After some time, Dick and Tom realized that they were in Africa, but by that time Harris had already abandoned them in the tropics, heading to meet Negoro.

It turns out that the cook had also trafficked people in the past and for this he was sent by the Portuguese authorities to lifelong hard labor, but two weeks later he escaped from custody and was looking for an opportunity to return to Africa. Their mutual acquaintance, a slave trader, not far from the meeting place, was leading a caravan with people to a fair in Kazonda and had to stop at the Kwanza River. The attackers hoped that Dick and his men would raft down the river and be captured. At this time, the 15-year-old captain moves along the stream to reach a deep riverbed, but the travelers are caught in a thunderstorm. To protect themselves from the overflowing river, they hide in a huge anthill, and after a thunderstorm they are captured. One of the blacks, Hercules, manages to escape, but the fate of the wife and son of the ship's owner remains unknown. Enslaved people are in difficult conditions, overcome many difficulties along the way, Nan Nan cannot stand it and dies.

In Kazonda, Harris informs Dick about the death of Mrs. Weldon and Jack, for which the 15-year-old boy kills the villain. Seeing the death of his friend, Negoro asks local influential people to execute Dick. But Hercules saves the young man from death. Meanwhile, the family of the ship's owner is being held hostage by Negoro, who hopes to obtain a ransom for them. Cousin Benedict accidentally finds a way out of captivity and meets the escaped Hercules, who disguises himself as a sorcerer and convinces Queen Muanu to give him the white woman and child, because they bring disaster to the tribe. They disguise the boat as an island and sail along the river. Along the way, the dog Dingo shows them the place of his owner's death and gnaws at Negoro, who came looking for the stolen money. The travelers manage to reach California, where Mr. Weldon adopted Dick and made him captain of one of his ships.

At this time, a long rainfall begins in the village, unusual for this time of year, which floods all the nearby fields and threatens to leave the residents without a harvest. Queen Muana invites sorcerers to the village so that they can drive away the clouds. Hercules, having caught one of these sorcerers in the forest and dressed in his outfit, pretends to be a mute sorcerer and comes to the village, grabs the astonished queen by the hand and leads her to the Alvets trading post. There he shows with signs that the white woman and her are to blame for the troubles of her people. child. He grabs them and takes them out of the village. Alvets tries to detain him, but gives in to the onslaught of savages and is forced to release the hostages. Having walked eight miles and finally freed from the last curious villagers, Hercules lowers Mrs. Weldon and Jack into the boat, where they are amazed to discover that the sorcerer and Hercules are one person, see Dick Sand, saved from death by Hercules, cousin Benedict and Dingo. The only things missing are Tom, Bath, Actaeon and Austin, who had previously been sold into slavery and driven away from the village. Now travelers finally have the opportunity to go down to the ocean on a boat disguised as a floating island. From time to time Dick goes ashore to hunt. After a few days of travel, the boat sails past a cannibal village located on the right bank. The savages discover that it is not an island, but a boat with people, floating along the river after it is already far ahead. Unnoticed by the travelers, the savages along the shore follow the boat in the hope of prey. A few days later, the boat stops on the left bank so as not to be pulled into the waterfall. The dingo, as soon as it jumps onto the shore, rushes forward, as if sensing someone’s scent. Travelers stumble upon a small shack in which already whitened human bones are scattered. Nearby, on a tree, two letters “S” are written in blood. IN.". These are the same letters that are engraved on Dingo's collar. Nearby is a note in which its author, traveler Samuel Vernon, accuses his guide Negoro of mortally wounding him in December 1871 and robbing him. Suddenly Dingo takes off and a scream is heard nearby. It was Dingo who grabbed the throat of Negoro, who, before boarding the ship to America, returned to the scene of his crime to get from the cache the money he had stolen from Vernon. Dingo, whom Negoro stabs before dying, dies. But Negoro himself cannot escape retribution. Fearing Negoro's companions on the left bank, Dick crosses over to the right bank for reconnaissance. There, arrows fly at him, and ten savages from the village of cannibals jump into his boat. Dick shoots the oar, and the boat is carried towards the waterfall. The savages die in it, but Dick, who took refuge in a boat, manages to escape. Soon the travelers reach the ocean, and then, without incident, on August 25 they arrive in California. Dick Sand becomes a son in the Weldon family, by the age of eighteen he completes hydrographic courses and prepares to become a captain on one of James Weldon's ships. Hercules becomes a great friend of the family. Tom, Bath, Actaeon and Austin are redeemed by Mr. Weldon from slavery, and on November 15, 1877, four blacks, freed from so many dangers, find themselves in the friendly arms of the Weldons.

The schooner "Pilgrim" hunts whales. But there are also passengers on the schooner: this is the wife of the owner of the Pilgrim with her five-year-old son Jack. They sail to America to see Mr. Weldon there - husband and father. Cousin Benedict is with them - he is only interested in entomology (the science of insects).

The travelers met an abandoned ship at sea, where there were living creatures: a Dingo dog and five blacks. The huge black man Hercules became a good friend to everyone, especially little Jack.

During a whale hunt, a boat with a captain and crew dies. Cabin boy Dick Sand takes control of the ship. A smart guy would have managed it, but the court cook Negoro ruined the compass. This cook is very suspicious. Here is the dog, who has made friends with everyone, growls and barks at Negoro.

Finally we reached the shore. Travelers think they are in South America. Negoro says that he is familiar with this continent. If they reach any city, contact Mr. Weldon, and he will save everyone. And strange things happen. The vegetation is not American, little Jack cannot see the promised hummingbird, cousin Benedict is glad that he saw an African insect in America. Suddenly everyone saw giraffes - but these animals are not found on the American continent.

The company meets a noble-looking gentleman named Gerris. He says they ended up in Bolivia. Invites everyone to his hacienda (estate), where everyone can relax and wait for news from Mrs. Weldon's husband. It was a trap. Gerris and Negoro are in cahoots. And the continent is not America at all. This is Africa!

Gerris and Negoro only care about money. They are thieves. Blacks are sold into slavery. Only Hercules managed to escape. Gerris forces Mrs. Weldon to write a letter to her husband. He and Negoro lured a woman and her son to take a considerable ransom. A faithful wife is afraid that her husband will also be lured into a trap and will demand something completely incredible.

A woman with her son and cousin were settled among black savages.

Cousin Benedict is allowed to wander without protection, because they are considered a man out of his mind.

An entomologist really only sees his insects. Suddenly some strong hand grabbed him and dragged him somewhere. The disappearance of the cousin forced increased security for mother and son.

A big celebration took place in an African village. At such holidays, everyone waits for the arrival of the forest spirit - the sorcerer "mganga". He usually appears all painted with amazing colors, in a strange outfit. And then he appeared! It was a giant. He danced, jumped, shouted furiously, throwing up his spear, and chose two victims: Mrs. Weldon and her son.

No one dared to oppose him. He shouldered the victims and disappeared into the thicket. The woman lost consciousness. Jack beat the monster with his small fists.

It turned out that the one who stole Benedict and Mrs. Weldon and their son was not a sorcerer at all, but good Hercules, grateful for his salvation at sea. The black giant also managed to save Dick Sand. A small group makes their way to the sea to board some kind of ship. By chance they meet Negoro. Duc and Hercules do not have time to do anything: Dingo rushes at the insidious cook and gnaws his throat.

Unfortunately, before his death, the scoundrel managed to plunge a dagger into the faithful dog, and the dog died. It turned out that when Negoro killed Dingo's first owner, Sam Vernon, for money.

Finally, everyone who escaped was lucky to reach America. So Mrs. Weldon became for the eldest son, Hercules - for a faithful friend. And the blacks who were sold into slavery were subsequently found and redeemed by Mr. Weldon.

A feast was held in honor of the travelers' return. The first toast was to Dick Sand, the fifteen-year-old captain!

The novel “The Fifteen-Year-Old Captain” by Verne was written in 1878. This is a story about the exciting adventures of a young sailor who took responsibility for the fate of the crew of the whaling ship Pilgrim. We recommend reading the summary of “The Fifteen-Year-Old Captain” chapter by chapter and part by part. A retelling of the book will be useful both for the reading diary and in preparation for a literature lesson.

Main characters of the novel

Main characters:

Dick Sand is a fifteen-year-old sailor, a brave and determined young man.
Mrs. Weldon is the wife of the ship owner, a brave, persistent woman.
Jack is Mrs. Weldon's little son.
Benedict is Mrs. Weldon's cousin and an avid entomologist.
Tom, Bath, Hercules, Austin, Actaeon - blacks rescued from a sunken ship.
Negoro is a slave trader hiding from the authorities, a vile and cruel person.

Other characters:

Nan is Jack's elderly nanny.
James Weldon is a wealthy shipowner.
Captain Gul is the captain of the whaling ship Pilgrim.
Harris is a slave trader, Negoro's accomplice.
Antonio Alvets is the owner of a slave caravan.
Muani-Lunga is the old king of Kazonde.
Muana is the first wife of Muani-Lung, Queen of Kazonde.

J. Verne “The Fifteen-Year-Old Captain” very briefly

The plot of the work takes place in 1873. The schooner Pilgrim sets sail for America. The captain and sailors die while hunting whales. Now the schooner is led by junior sailor Dick, who could only navigate by compass. This plays into the hands of the criminal Negoro. He purposefully breaks all the compasses and instead of America, the ship sails to the shores of Africa. Negoro finds himself in his native land and immediately disappears.

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.

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.

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. This man was robbed and killed by Negaro, who returned to the place again to collect the stolen money. Negaro didn't get away with it that 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.

Read also: Verne's novel "" was published in 1968. To better prepare for a literature lesson, we recommend reading a chapter-by-chapter summary of “The Children of Captain Grant,” which will also be useful for the reader’s diary. This is a classic example of the travel novel genre, in which the main characters' sea voyages are closely intertwined with their adventures on land.

A condensed retelling of "The Fifteen-Year-Old Captain"

15 year old captain Jules is correct in abbreviated form:

The sailboat is on its way to San Francisco with a call at Valparaiso. After a few days of sailing, little Jack notices the Waldeck ship overturned on its side in the ocean with a hole in the bow. In it, the sailors discover five emaciated blacks and a dog named Dingo. It turns out that the blacks: Tom, a sixty-year-old man, his son Bath, Austin, Actaeon and Hercules are free citizens of the United States. Having completed their contract work on the plantations in New Zealand, they returned to America.

After the Waldeck collided with another ship, all crew members and the captain disappeared and they were left alone. They are transported aboard the Pilgrim, and after a few days of careful care they fully regain their strength. Dingo, according to them, was picked up by the captain of the Waldeck off the coast of Africa. At the sight of Negoro, the dog, for some unknown reason, begins to growl ferociously and expresses its readiness to pounce on him. Negoro prefers not to show himself to the dog, who apparently recognized him.

For all his courage and inner maturity, Dick does not have all the knowledge of navigation and can only navigate the ocean using a compass and a lot that measures the speed of movement. He doesn’t know how to find a location using the stars, which is what Negoro takes advantage of. He breaks one compass and, unnoticed by everyone, changes the readings of the second. Then it disables the lot. His machinations contribute to the fact that instead of America, the ship arrives at the shores of Angola and is thrown ashore.

All travelers are safe. Negoro quietly leaves them and goes in an unknown direction. After some time, Dick Sand, who went in search of some settlement, meets the American Harris, who, in cahoots with Negoro, his old acquaintance, and assuring that the travelers are on the shores of Bolivia, lures them a hundred miles into the tropical forest, promising shelter and care at his brother's hacienda. Over time, Dick Sand and Tom realize that they somehow ended up not in South America, but in Africa.

Harris, having guessed about their insight, hides in the forest, leaving the travelers alone, and goes to a pre-arranged meeting with Negoro. From their conversation, it becomes clear to the reader that Harris is engaged in the slave trade; Negoro was also familiar with this trade for a long time, until the authorities of Portugal, where he is from, sentenced him to lifelong hard labor for such activities. After staying on it for two weeks, Negoro ran away, got a job as a cook on the Pilgrim and began to wait for the right opportunity to get back to Africa.

Dick's inexperience played into his hands, and his plan was carried out much sooner than he dared to hope. Not far from the place where he meets Harris, there is a caravan of slaves that is going to the fair in Kazonda, led by one of their acquaintances. The caravan is camped ten miles from the travelers' location, on the banks of the Kwanzaa River.

Knowing Dick Sand, Negoro and Harris correctly assume that he will decide to take his people to the river and go down to the ocean on a raft. That's where they plan to capture them. Having discovered Harris' disappearance, Dick realizes that there has been a betrayal and decides to follow the bank of the stream to a larger river. On the way, they are overtaken by a thunderstorm and a fierce downpour, from which the river overflows its banks and rises several pounds above ground level.

Before the rain, travelers climb into an empty termite mound, twelve feet high. In a huge anthill with thick clay walls they wait out the thunderstorm. However, having got out of there, they are immediately captured. The blacks, Nan and Dick are added to the caravan, Hercules manages to escape.

Mrs. Weldon and her son and cousin Benedict are taken away in an unspecified direction. During the journey, Dick and his black friends have to endure all the hardships of traveling with a caravan of slaves and witness the brutal treatment of slaves by soldier guards and overseers. Unable to withstand this transition, old Nan dies along the way.

Alvets promises Muani-Lung, who is unable to go without alcohol for a long time, a drop of fire water for every drop of a white man’s blood. He prepares a strong punch, sets it on fire, and when Muani-Lung drinks it, his completely alcohol-soaked body suddenly catches fire and the king rots to the very bones. His first wife, Queen Muana, arranges a funeral, during which, according to tradition, numerous other wives of the king are killed, thrown into a pit and flooded. In the same pit there is also Dick tied to a post. He must die.

One day, Cousin Benedict, an avid insect collector, is chasing a particularly rare ground beetle. Chasing her, he, unbeknownst to himself, breaks free through a mole hole running under the walls of the fence and runs two miles through the forest in the hope of catching the insect. There he meets Hercules, who has been next to the caravan all this time in the hope of helping his friends in some way.

He grabs them and takes them out of the village. Alvets tries to detain him, but gives in to the onslaught of savages and is forced to release the hostages. Having walked eight miles and finally freed from the last curious villagers, Hercules lowers Mrs. Weldon and Jack into the boat, where they are amazed to discover that the sorcerer and Hercules are one person, see Dick Sand, saved from death by Hercules, cousin Benedict and Dingo.

The only things missing are Tom, Bath, Actaeon and Austin, who had previously been sold into slavery and driven away from the village. Now travelers finally have the opportunity to go down to the ocean on a boat disguised as a floating island. From time to time Dick goes ashore to hunt. After a few days of travel, the boat sails past a cannibal village located on the right bank. The savages discover that it is not an island, but a boat with people, floating along the river after it is already far ahead.

Unnoticed by the travelers, the savages along the shore follow the boat in the hope of prey. A few days later, the boat stops on the left bank so as not to be pulled into the waterfall. The dingo, as soon as it jumps onto the shore, rushes forward, as if sensing someone’s scent. Travelers stumble upon a small shack in which already whitened human bones are scattered.

Nearby, on a tree, two letters “S” are written in blood. IN.". These are the same letters that are engraved on Dingo's collar. Nearby is a note in which its author, traveler Samuel Vernon, accuses his guide Negoro of mortally wounding him in December 1871 and robbing him. Suddenly Dingo takes off and a scream is heard nearby. It was Dingo who grabbed the throat of Negoro, who, before boarding the ship to America, returned to the scene of his crime to get from the cache the money he had stolen from Vernon.

Dingo, whom Negoro stabs before dying, dies. But Negoro himself cannot escape retribution. Fearing Negoro's companions on the left bank, Dick crosses over to the right bank for reconnaissance. There, arrows fly at him, and ten savages from the village of cannibals jump into his boat. Dick shoots the oar, and the boat is carried towards the waterfall. The savages die in it, but Dick, who took refuge in a boat, manages to escape.

Soon the travelers reach the ocean, and then, without incident, on August 25 they arrive in California. Dick Sand becomes a son in the Weldon family, by the age of eighteen he completes hydrographic courses and prepares to become a captain on one of James Weldon's ships. Hercules becomes a great friend of the family.

Tom, Bath, Actaeon and Austin are redeemed by Mr. Weldon from slavery, and on November 15, 1877, four blacks, freed from so many dangers, find themselves in the friendly arms of the Weldons.

Read also: Science fiction novels “The Mysterious Island” and “” by Jules Verne are among the most famous. “20,000 Leagues Under the Sea,” written in 1870, tells the story of the fictional Captain Nemo and his submarine Nautilus, according to one of his passengers, Professor of the Natural History Museum Pierre Aronnax. On our website you can read a summary of “Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea” for the reader’s diary in parts.

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 captain and teach the sailor craft to the rescued blacks. 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.