(farther out into the sea)

As the lifeboat had ventured farther out into the ocean, the atmosphere began to change as the boat drifted away toward the open horizon. Meanwhile, Tintin, along with Malina and Snowy, were still passed out from being knocked out by the oars. Tintin's skin had already gone pale and cold, with his arm hanging limply over the boat and being occasionally wet by the ocean's waves.

Even though Malina was still knocked out, she shivered a little from the cold sea air. But her head still ached from being hit in the head. So much for staying on track.

Meanwhile, Captain Haddock was now slowly rowing the lifeboat, but still confident enough in taking Tintin and the others to Bagghar. He mistakenly believed that they were doubting his talents as a seafaring captain. But he was still sure of himself. As he kept on rowing, the air began to grow thinner and colder.

Seeing his breath come out steaming in the cold, Haddock immediately stopped rowing and rubbed his hands on his arms, trying to stay warm. "Brrrrr, I'm so cold," Haddock said, shivering from the thin air that made the clouds cold. He then found that his voice was rather hoarse. "And thirsty," Haddock said, his voice rasping as he clasped his dry throat. "Oof, my throat is parched. Let's see if there's any fresh water."

Haddock then put the oars aside and began searching around for a source of fresh water to drink. Kneeling down beside the seat of the lifeboat, Haddock opened up a small compartment. He tried to find some water to refresh himself, until his hand touched something glass. And cold. Reaching inside, Haddock pulled out a whiskey bottle.

Haddock smiled.

"Ahhhhh," he muttered, admiring the bottle in his hands. "What have we here?" He then began to laugh to himself as he closed the compartment.

...

"Tintin. Malina."

Feeling dazed, Tintin opened his eyes weakly. So did Malina. Though his vision was still blurred, Tintin thought he saw a small, bright dot in the center of the lifeboat. He could've sworn he heard Haddock speaking.

Malina then woke up, rubbing her eyes. But the expression on her face was now in a state of shock.

"Tintin," Haddock kept saying. "Tintin. Malina. Come and warm yourselves, you two."

Tintin's eyes then fluttered open. Tintin was now wide awake, and in shock. Getting up, Tintin found Haddock standing away from him and near a small open fire, warming his butt. "Captain!" Malina said, now frightened. "There's a...there's a fire!" "Captain?" Tintin asked, now wide awake and startled. Pointing at the fire, Tintin asked, "W-What have you done?"

"Oh, no need to thank me," Haddock said, smiling. "Thank you? For what?" Malina asked, trying to step away from the fire. "What?" Tintin asked. "Well, you and that lass looked a little cold," Haddock said, rubbing his hands over the fire, "so I lit a wee fire."

"In a boat?!" Tintin exclaimed, his eyes wild. "Do you realize what level of crazy this is, captain?!" Malina asked. "We're going to burn to death here!" Tintin then saw that Haddock had broken the oars to light the fire in the boat. "No! Those are our oars!" Tintin exclaimed. "We need those oars!"

"Yes, but not for much longer," Haddock said as he snapped an oar in half in front of his knee. Then he tossed the broken oar into the fire. "Captain, we needed those to get to Bagghar!" Malina snapped. "Now how are we going to get there now?!"

"Have you gone mad?" Tintin asked. He then panicked, trying to put out the fire. "Quick, Captain! Help me!" Tintin exclaimed as he frantically splashed water from over the side to put out the fire. Malina then stepped in and tried to fan out the flames using her jacket. "Captain, help me quick!" Tintin said, panicking as he kept splashing water on the fire.

Haddock now felt guilty. "He's right," he whimpered. "What have I done? What have I done?" Looking around, he spotted the whiskey bottle. Picking it up, he opened up the bottle, and poured the rest of the whiskey into the flames.

"No captain!" Tintin and Malina both screamed. "Not that—!"

Boooom!

"Thunderin' typhoons!"

...

After that minor explosion, there was no way that the four were going to sit in a boat with a burnt hole in the center. So, they had flipped the boat over, and now the four were seated on top of the boat's bottom. Now they were stranded in the middle of the ocean, with no other plan.

"Well, this is a fine mess," Tintin said, throwing up his hand in desperation. Malina, who was sitting next to Tintin, had her arms crossed on her knees, looking even more angrier than ever. "I'm weak," Haddock muttered. "We're stranded here," Tintin said. "Selfish," Haddock told himself. "With no hope of rescue," Tintin complained. "I'm hopeless," Haddock kept ranting. "While Sakharine and his men are halfway to Bagghar," Tintin said. "Poor, miserable wretch!" Haddock wept. "Yes, all right!" Tintin exclaimed. "That's enough of that!"

"I can't believe this," Malina said, shaking her head angrily. "I was already so comfortable sitting around inside a prison cell on the ship, and now I'm gonna die stranded in the ocean, surrounded by two of the biggest idiots in history!" Tintin immediately felt a lump forming in his throat the minute Malina said that last sentence. "Are you still going to call me an idiot? After all that we've been through?" Tintin questioned angrily.

"Oh. I'm sorry, Mr. Tintin," Malina said sarcastically. "I meant to say that in the nicest possible way." "But you should thank me!" Tintin argued. "I saved your life! And the captain!" "But you kept finding me!" Malina said. "First, in the alleyways in Brussels, then with those goons, and now this!" "But they kidnapped you first!" Tintin snapped. "Then they caught you too!" Malina exclaimed. "And somehow, you still manage to find me!" "I didn't find you, you found me!" Tintin said. "Yes, you did!" Malina said. "I did not!" Tintin screamed. "Did!" Malina said. "Didn't!" Tintin said.

"Blistering barnacles, can you two jus' stop screaming and bickering like wee toddlers?" Haddock exclaimed, pushing the two aside. "I've already had enough to make myself guilty." "What do you mean?" Malina asked. "It was his fault, you see," Haddock said. "It was Sir Francis."

"Tell me," Tintin said, feeling much more calm, "how did you work that one out?" "Because he was a figurehead of great courage and bold exploits," Haddock muttered. "No one like him ever existed in my family. Why do you think I drink?" "Why?" Malina asked. "Because I know I'll never be like him," Haddock answered. "No, it's far better than I end it now. Put us both out of our misery."

...

Suddenly, Snowy began barking. "What is it, Snowy?" Tintin asked, petting Snowy on the head. "I'm going to lower myself into the sea," Haddock said to himself. "I think that's what's arousing your dog's attention, Mr. Tintin," Malina said, pointing to the sky. Tintin then squinted his eyes. It was a plane!

"Into the cold embrace of the of the big blue..." Haddock kept ranting. Tintin then noticed the numbers on the side of the plane. "Those," Tintin muttered. "Those are Portuguese markings." "Are you even listenin'?" Haddock asked, turning to Tintin. "Captain, where is the Karaboudjan registered?" Haddock then turned and looked at the sky. Sure enough, it was a plane. And it seemed to approach them.

"We're saved," Haddock said, feeling excited. "We're saved! Oh, it's a sign from above!"

But the ones piloting the plane turned out to be anything but friendly. Soon enough, gunshots began ringing out from each side of the plane, peppering the ocean. Tintin and the others took cover. It seemed clear that whoever was flying the plane, they were trying to kill Tintin and his friends.

Haddock immediately sprung to action, waving his fists around as the plan circled them. "Troglodytes!" Haddock exclaimed. "Captain, get down!" Tintin said, trying to push the captain down. "Looks like these pilots aren't particularly very friendly!" Malina said, covering her head with her jacket. "Slave traders!" Haddock kept shouting as he swung his fists in the air. "Mutant malingerers! Freshwater politicians!"

Tintin then had an idea. Taking out the gun he had swiped from Tom on the ship the other day, he checked the cartridge. The gun was still loaded with one bullet. "Bad news, captain," Tintin said. "We've only got one bullet." "And the good news?" Haddock asked. Tintin smiled as he aimed the gun high. "We've got one bullet," he said.

Tintin then fired at the plane. Malina could see smoke coming out from the plane's engine. "Yes! You got it right on the engine!" She exclaimed. "You got him!" Haddock said, nearly falling over the boat and landing in the ocean. "Ah, well done, my boy!" Soon, Tintin, Malina, and Snowy followed suit and hid behind the lifeboat.

Soon enough, the two pilots had emerged, to inspect the damage. Large clouds of smoke billowed out of the plane's engine.

Tintin suddenly had a plan. "Stay here, you too," Tintin told Haddock and Malina. Holding his breath, Tintin then swam beneath the surface of the ocean. "Tintin?" Haddock asked, but he turned to find that Tintin was gone. "Tintin!" "Tintin! Where are you going?" Malina asked.

Meanwhile, the two pilots were inspecting the damage in the engine of the seaplane. However, they were still trying to keep their focus on the lifeboat. "Don't take your eyes off them," one pilot ordered. "Hurry up." The other pilot then pulled out a gun and stood watch.

Meanwhile, Tintin swam closer to the plane, his hair tuft sticking out of the water.

Opening up the engine, the pilot began to find where the bullet had hit it. Sure enough, there was a bullet hole on the main engine. "Just as I thought," the pilot told his partner. "The ignition lead has been cut. Lucky shot!" The other pilot nodded. "One more pass, and we'll finish them off," he said.

Just at that moment, Tintin finally popped up from the water, his empty gun held up toward the pilots. "Put your hands in the air," Tintin ordered. "Now!"

The pilots, now fearing for their lives, eventually gave in and put their hands over their heads.