Contents
Chapter 21.
Overview
Dantès escapes his sea-burial, reaches Tiboulen, and survives a storm. Seizing a chance at rescue, he is taken aboard a Genoese tartan, conceals his identity with a shipwreck story, and proves his seamanship.
Upon learning it is 1829, he recognizes fourteen lost years and renews his oath of vengeance as the ship heads for Leghorn.
Summary
Edmond Dantès cuts himself free from the sack and shot as he is hurled into the sea, dives to evade detection, and orients himself by the Planier light toward the barren Island of Tiboulen. Battling fear and exhausting seas, he reaches the rocks, shelters from a violent storm, and drinks rainwater to survive.
During the tempest, Dantès spots a fishing boat wreck and resolves to pass himself off as a survivor. At dawn he sees a Genoese tartan and, after finding a red cap and a timber from the wreck, swims to intercept it, signaling frantically as the vessel tacks past.
Overcome by fatigue, Dantès nearly drowns but is hauled aboard by a sailor later named Jacopo. He claims in rough Italian to be a Maltese sailor from a wreck near Cape Morgion. To prove his worth, he takes the helm, threads the ship safely past hazards, and earns the captain’s guarded approval, food, and clothes.
When a distant alarm gun sounds from the Château d’If, Dantès calmly attributes it to an escaped prisoner, deflecting suspicion. Learning the date—February 28, 1829—he realizes fourteen years have passed, thinks briefly of Mercédès, and renews his vow of implacable vengeance against Danglars, Fernand, and Villefort as the tartan speeds toward Leghorn.
Who Appears
- Edmond DantèsEscapes his sea-burial, survives Tiboulen’s storm, engineers rescue, conceals identity, demonstrates expert seamanship, and renews his vow of vengeance.
- JacopoSailor on the Genoese tartan who hauls Dantès aboard and supports him with food and clothing.
- undefinedSkeptical leader who questions Dantès, tests his skills at the helm, then accepts him for the voyage to Leghorn.