Maria Beyond the Sea

Drunken Tub

Now, it all makes sense. In Maria's head, Sakharine was hiding something. That's why he and her would transfer to multiple ships and pay the captain them to be quiet. What for? And what was Sakharine hiding? Could it be something to do with the little ship she saw? Or was there something else?

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The Captain's distress suddenly turned to rage. Locking eye contact with Tintin, he delivered his words in a low, gruff voice, 'Nobody takes my ship'.

'You're the Captain?' Tintin asked in surprise.

Maria couldn't believe it either: she began to think. She wanted to ask this stranger some questions, like how does he know Sakharine and why is he locked here? However, it was clear to see that the Captain had little interest to be in a hot seat.

'Course I'm the Captain', he replied sarcastically, 'who else can I be? I've been locked in this room for days. With only whiskey to sustain my mortal soul'. As he poured another glass, the Captain didn't release Tintin walking toward the door.

The young journalist had found it while he was communicating with him. Tintin then tired to open it, in an attempt to escape. To his surprise, he was successful.

Both the Captain and Maria were surprised too. The Captain nearly dropped his glass when he saw the open door but Maria stood still as a statute.

'I assumed that was locked', the Captain said.

'Well it is not', Tintin answered. He walked over to Maria and took her by the hand. 'Now you must excuse us. If they find me here with Maria, they will kill me. They may also kill Maria too. We have to keep moving and try to find a way out of this drunken tub'.

'Tub!' Cried the Captain.

But Tintin didn't listen. He gently closed the door in front of the Captain's face before moving along with Maria by his side. They were just about to move along when they were spotted – by a crew member who was carrying a tray with another bottle of whiskey. In a flash, the man dropped the tray and launched himself at Tintin, pushing him to one side. Then, he grabbed Maria and made an attempt to drag her back. Tintin managed to stop him by tugging on his jumper. However, the crew member wasn't going to give up Maria. Still holding her, he defended himself by punching, shoving, and kicking Tintin on the chest and genitals. Maria screamed in horror, as she tired to free herself from the man's grasp. The man still grabbed onto her; he was stronger than she was – and she knew it. While she was struggling to free herself and help her new friend, Maria could hear a loud cry:

'TUB!'

Suddenly, the cabin open swung open. The crew member turned around to face a tall, fierce Captain. He saw that the pair were in danger – but it didn't take long for him to act. Straight away, the Captain punched the individual in the head. The crew member suddenly lost his grip and Maria found herself on the floor, rolling away from the men. The Captain then forced the door onto the crew member, hitting him in the face. Then, Tintin and the Captain knocked in with a single blow, leaving him unconscious. Maria saw the figure and in fright, she jumped up and ran toward Tintin and the Captain.

In a rush, Tintin grabbed Maria in her tracks and began to search for any injuries on her forehead. 'Nothing broken, I hope?' he asked.

She shook her head; the pair thanked the Captain for rescuing them.

'Pleasure', he replied. 'I would do anything to help'.

The two men exchanged hands with each other. When it was Maria's turn, she looked puzzled.

'Don't tell me you don't know how shake hands', the Captain said, surprisingly.

'She's shy', Tintin replied.

Maria smiled; she was relieved that Tintin was able to help her. But she was determined to try. Slowly she took her hand and gently shook it with the Captain's. 'My name is Maria', she said, 'and this is Tintin'.

'Haddock. Archibald Haddock'.

Tintin froze. Maria and Captain Haddock didn't notice the questionable expression on his face; Tintin was well aware of that. He didn't mind. However, he desperately wanted to ask Captain Haddock some questions.

'There's a life boat on deck', he instructed. 'Follow me'.

Maria and the Captain started to make their way off the ship with Tintin trailing behind them. He was still in deep thought but when he asked a question out loud, the pair of them turned around to face him: 'Wait a second, did you say Haddock?'