Pleasure Reading: “The Sea Lions” by James Fenimore Cooper. The summary #1 (p. 5-60)

The deacon Pratt who lives in Oyster Pond is the head of local church. He possesses few appendages of a property from which he manages to take out good profit. The Pratt’s niece Marry, the daughter of Israel Pratt, helps her uncle in his business, deeds in church and home. People suppose Pratt to give all what he has to the church, according to the will, than to Marry which will make her a good party. Though she doesn’t except the proposal of Mr. Roosvel Gardner, a sailor from the port, because her feelings of love and her religious responsibilities are in discord.

One day, the ship on its way to New York lands a man, who is terribly ill. It’s Tomas Daggett, from Martas-Vinyard. According to tradition, Tomas left his place of birth at the age of 12 and became a sailor. He has not been on his motherland since that time for 50 years. The man keeps a secret about islands full of sea lions and gold. The deacon, because of his avarice, tries to charm a secret out of Daggett, but Tomas has promised not to tell anybody about it till the 20s will come.

Pratt uses all methods he knows to do his ultimate goal. Daggett is visited by Doctor Sadge who realizes that sailor’s days come to an end. Pratt pays all Daggett’s debts to widow White whom Tomas has lived. Pratt takes the luggage of the sailor with things inside. Pratt has the ship “A Sea Lion” which is ready for expedition. Maps which are in the luggage seem to be very important. The first map is the map of the Southern half-globe and Pratt writes latitude and longitude of the island. Than he dose the same with the chart of the West Indies. All the writings being in pencil, they are effectually removed by his knife. He believes no eye can detect what has just been done. When Pratt finishes his business he closes the luggage and starts to dream about golden coins and for the day when his ship will go to the islands.

During the evening supper, Pratt, Marry and Gardner are talking about nothing, drinking wine with water and eating fish. Suddenly a relative of the dead Tomas Daggett comes. The young man, Roosevelt’s age comes to take away things of the dead man. It is the nephew of the sailor. Pratt shows him all what has been in the luggage thing by thing. Maps are extremely important to Daggett’s nephew and he finds a trick in them.