After distributing food and fresh water to the survivors on the island, Zhang Heng shifted his attention to salvaging the gold.
They did not have much time left. The navy had agreed to meet them on Parrot Island in two weeks, and half of that time had already passed. They only had about five days left. However, it was impossible for the navy to be that precise. Usually, they would return a day or two earlier.
So, the Jackdaw only had about three to four days to move the gold. They also had to leave after they were done moving the gold. They had to avoid the navy's return as much as possible, which also required time. Excluding tonight, Zhang Heng and his crew only had about two days to safely salvage the gold.
However, there was good news. The Kent, which had been idling outside the port, was now thinking about how to salvage the gold. The carpenter on board had even made a set of salvage tools.
The structure was simple. The claw hook was modified by adding two more hooks, which were tied to the front with short ropes. The hooks formed a triangle with the original hooks to increase stability. That way, they could hook the box from the bottom of the sea. Of course, even with this tool, they still needed to dive into the sea to hook the hooks onto the box.
Worden originally planned to capture the remaining pirates on the island and force them to do the job. However, Zhang Heng could not bring himself to do that. "How is it? Is it difficult?" he asked the carpenter, Guy.
"It's not difficult to make a replica. They have already measured the size. All we need to do is follow them. There are quite a number of claw hooks on the ship. I can deliver ten more sets before sunset."
"I've also chosen the crew to salvage the gold," Dufresne said. "They are the best swimmers on the Jackdaw. However, even the best of them can't stay underwater for long. The rest of them can't even swim to the box."
"That's because they waste too much energy and oxygen," Zhang Heng said. "When you dive, each of you should carry a rock. That way, you can sink to the bottom of the sea without much effort. Also, tie a rope around your waist and set the time. When the time is right, you can fish them up. That way, you can use the time you save to install the claw hooks."
As for the stress, Zhang Heng did not have a good solution. He could only let the divers overcome it themselves. Fortunately, the 20-meter depth wasn't too much of a strain on their bodies. There would definitely be adverse reactions, but it wouldn't be fatal. Of course, the crew in charge of salvaging the gold would need to be rewarded to motivate them.
Billy and Dufresne would be the ones to discuss the details. The quartermaster nodded. First, he sent someone to test the method. When the first chest of gold was successfully unearthed, it proved that the method was feasible. After that, it was time to refine the method and repeat the process. By the second night, the Jackdaw had successfully scooped up more than half of the gold.
However, the salvage operation was also in trouble. The Spanish treasure ship was quite sturdy, and it only sank after many rounds of bombardment. But inevitably, the cargo hold was also heavily bombarded. The boxes of gold were almost all moved away, and the remaining gold bars were scattered all over the place.
This part of the gold was very troublesome to collect. The tools that they had previously made could not be used, so they could only rely on their own hands to pick up the gold. Naturally, the efficiency was greatly reduced. In addition, there was a limit to the time that they could stay underwater for a day. If they were to dive too many times, it would be difficult for them to endure.
Fortunately, the pirates on the island had recovered by the second day. In order to thank the Jackdaw for rescuing them, not only did they give up their ownership of the gold, but they also agreed to help the Jackdaw salvage the gold for free. Even so, by the third night, they had only managed to salvage around 3,000 to 200 pounds of gold.
The remaining 1,800 pounds of gold were either scattered too far apart or buried under the wreckage of the sunken ship. It wasn't impossible to salvage it, but it would take a lot of time.
Zhang Heng, on the other hand, had no plans to wait any longer. The Jackdaw had been through too many battles these past few days. After escaping from Parrot Island, everyone had been holding their breaths. However, after sinking the Kent, the crew began to feel exhausted. At the same time, although they had replenished some of their gunpowder from the Kent, it was not enough to last another battle.
That was why Zhang Heng didn't want to stay any longer. He picked up Brook and the others and headed back to Nassau.
Compared to the journey to Nassau, it took them twice as long to get back. Other than avoiding the other five pirate ships, the Jackdaw also had a lot more people and cargo on board. Fortunately, the journey was smooth sailing. When they saw the stone walls and fortress of Nassau, they could finally relax.
The moment they saw land, everyone's mood changed. To the Jackdaw's crew, the journey to Nassau was full of twists and turns. However, the end result was a complete victory for the Jackdaw. Zhang Heng, as the captain, had continued his legend. In a desperate situation, the Jackdaw was the only pirate ship that managed to escape from the navy's encirclement. Not only that, but they also managed to turn the situation around, destroying the Miranda and the Kent, retrieving most of the gold. At the same time, they also rescued the remaining pirates on Parrot Island.
On the other side were the survivors of the other five pirate ships. This time, they lost completely. Not only did they get nothing, but their ship was also sunk by the navy. But compared to their dead companions, they were lucky. At least they survived and returned to Nassau.
As soon as they reached the shore, Brook and the other captain quickly disembarked. They had a lot of things to deal with, such as recruiting new crew members and finding a new ship. After that, Eric bid farewell to Zhang Heng.
Zhang Heng sent someone to ferry them ashore. After that, he instructed the Jackdaw's crew to unload the gold. Although there were still more than 1,800 pounds of gold lying at the bottom of the sea (it would eventually fall into the hands of the navy and pirate hunters), their harvest this time was still amazing, especially when they considered that the other five pirate ships had given up their ownership of the gold.
This harvest alone was enough to make the pirates on board wash their hands of the gold. Most of them would never see so much gold in their entire lives. When the Jackdaw unloaded the gold, the entire Nassau was in an uproar.
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