The old seaman continues: they had done more than reef the topsails — they had run before the tempest, stripped bare, and fought through twelve hours of fury before the Pharaon sprung a leak. Down in the hold, the water rose faster than the pumps could fight it. “Since we are sinking,” Penelon had cried, “let us sink!” But Captain Gaumard, defiant to the last, emerged with pistols in hand. “I’ll blow out the brains of the first man who leaves the pump!”

The Englishman leans forward slightly, his voice cool and approving. “Well done,” he says. And in those two words lies something fierce — the recognition of courage, endurance, and a command he understands all too well.

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The Countdown of Monte Cristo is a daily podcast reading one page at a time from Alexandre Dumas’ classic novel — every day, for four years. Whether you’re starting from the beginning or joining mid-journey, each episode brings you deeper into the story of The Count of Monte Cristo.