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FOR PUBLIC DOMAIN ETEXTS*Ver.04.29.93*END* - - - - - - -TWENTY THOUSAND LEAGUES UNDER THE SEA by JULES VERNE - - - - - -PART ONE - - - -CHAPTER I - -A SHIFTING REEF - -The year 1866 was signalised by a remarkable incident, a mysterious -and puzzling phenomenon, which doubtless no one has yet forgotten. -Not to mention rumours which agitated the maritime population -and excited the public mind, even in the interior of continents, -seafaring men were particularly excited. Merchants, common sailors, -captains of vessels, skippers, both of Europe and America, -naval officers of all countries, and the Governments of several States -on the two continents, were deeply interested in the matter. - -For some time past vessels had been met by "an enormous thing," -a long object, spindle-shaped, occasionally phosphorescent, -and infinitely larger and more rapid in its movements than a whale. - -The facts relating to this apparition (entered in various log-books) -agreed in most respects as to the shape of the object or creature in question, -the untiring rapidity of its movements, its surprising power of locomotion, -and the peculiar life with which it seemed endowed. If it was a whale, -it surpassed in size all those hitherto classified in science. -Taking into consideration the mean of observations made at divers times-- -rejecting the timid estimate of those who assigned to this object -a length of two hundred feet, equally with the exaggerated opinions -which set it down as a mile in width and three in length--we might fairly -conclude that this mysterious being surpassed greatly all dimensions -admitted by the learned ones of the day, if it existed at all. -And that it DID exist was an undeniable fact; and, with that tendency -which disposes the human mind in favour of the marvellous, we can understand -the excitement produced in the entire world by this supernatural apparition. -As to classing it in the list of fables, the idea was out of the question. - -On the 20th of July, 1866, the steamer Governor Higginson, -of the Calcutta and Burnach Steam Navigation Company, had met -this moving mass five miles off the east coast of Australia. -Captain Baker thought at first that he was in the presence of an -unknown sandbank; he even prepared to determine its exact position -when two columns of water, projected by the mysterious object, -shot with a hissing noise a hundred and fifty feet up into the air. -Now, unless the sandbank had been submitted to the intermittent -eruption of a geyser, the Governor Higginson had to do neither -more nor less than with an aquatic mammal, unknown till then, -which threw up from its blow-holes columns of water mixed with -air and vapour. - -Similar facts were observed on the 23rd of July in the same year, -in the Pacific Ocean, by the Columbus, of the West India -and Pacific Steam Navigation Company. But this extraordinary -creature could transport itself from one place to another -with surprising velocity; as, in an interval of three days, -the Governor Higginson and the Columbus had observed it at -two different points of the chart, separated by a distance -of more than seven hundred nautical leagues. - -Fifteen days later, two thousand miles farther off, the Helvetia, -of the Compagnie-Nationale, and the Shannon, of the Royal -Mail Steamship Company, sailing to windward in that portion -of the Atlantic lying between the United States and Europe, -respectively signalled the monster to each other in 42@ 15' N. lat. -and 60@ 35' W. long. In these simultaneous observations they -thought themselves justified in estimating the minimum length -of the mammal at more than three hundred and fifty feet, -as the Shannon and Helvetia were of smaller dimensions than it, -though they measured three hundred feet over all. - -Now the largest whales, those which frequent those parts of the sea round -the Aleutian, Kulammak, and Umgullich islands, have never exceeded the length -of sixty yards, if they attain that. - -In every place of great resort the monster was the fashion. -They sang of it in the cafes, ridiculed it in the papers, and represented -it on the stage. All kinds of stories were circulated regarding it. -There appeared in the papers caricatures of every gigantic and -imaginary creature, from the white whale, the terrible "Moby Dick" -of sub-arctic regions, to the immense kraken, whose tentacles could entangle -a ship of five hundred tons and hurry it into the abyss of the ocean. -The legends of ancient times were even revived. - -Then burst forth the unending argument between the believers and the -unbelievers in the societies of the wise and the scientific journals. -"The question of the monster" inflamed all minds. Editors of -scientific journals, quarrelling with believers in the supernatural, -spilled seas of ink during this memorable campaign, some even drawing blood; -for from the sea-serpent they came to direct personalities. - -During the first months of the year 1867 the question seemed buried, -never to revive, when new facts were brought before the public. -It was then no longer a scientific problem to be solved, but a real -danger seriously to be avoided. The question took quite another shape. -The monster became a small island, a rock, a reef, but a reef of indefinite -and shifting proportions. - -On the 5th of March, 1867, the Moravian, of the Montreal Ocean Company, -finding herself during the night in 27@ 30' lat. and 72@ 15' long., struck -on her starboard quarter a rock, marked in no chart for that part of the sea. -Under the combined efforts of the wind and its four hundred horse power, -it was going at the rate of thirteen knots. Had it not been for the superior -strength of the hull of the Moravian, she would have been broken by the shock -and gone down with the 237 passengers she was bringing home from Canada. - -The accident happened about five o'clock in the morning, as the day -was breaking. The officers of the quarter-deck hurried to the after-part -of the vessel. They examined the sea with the most careful attention. -They saw nothing but a strong eddy about three cables' length distant, -as if the surface had been violently agitated. The bearings of the place were -taken exactly, and the Moravian continued its route without apparent damage. -Had it struck on a submerged rock, or on an enormous wreck? They could -not tell; but, on examination of the ship's bottom when undergoing repairs, -it was found that part of her keel was broken. - -This fact, so grave in itself, might perhaps have been forgotten -like many others if, three weeks after, it had not been re-enacted -under similar circumstances. But, thanks to the nationality of -the victim of the shock, thanks to the reputation of the company to -which the vessel belonged, the circumstance became extensively circulated. - -The 13th of April, 1867, the sea being beautiful, the breeze favourable, -the Scotia, of the Cunard Company's line, found herself in 15@ 12' long. -and 45@ 37' lat. She was going at the speed of thirteen knots and a half. - -At seventeen minutes past four in the afternoon, whilst the passengers were -assembled at lunch in the great saloon, a slight shock was felt on the hull -of the Scotia, on her quarter, a little aft of the port-paddle. - -The Scotia had not struck, but she had been struck, and seemingly -by something rather sharp and penetrating than blunt. -The shock had been so slight that no one had been alarmed, -had it not been for the shouts of the carpenter's watch, -who rushed on to the bridge, exclaiming, "We are sinking! we -are sinking!" At first the passengers were much frightened, -but Captain Anderson hastened to reassure them. The danger could -not be imminent. The Scotia, divided into seven compartments -by strong partitions, could brave with impunity any leak. -Captain Anderson went down immediately into the hold. -He found that the sea was pouring into the fifth compartment; -and the rapidity of the influx proved that the force of the water -was considerable. Fortunately this compartment did not hold -the boilers, or the fires would have been immediately extinguished. -Captain Anderson ordered the engines to be stopped at once, -and one of the men went down to ascertain the extent of the injury. -Some minutes afterwards they discovered the existence of a -large hole, two yards in diameter, in the ship's bottom. -Such a leak could not be stopped; and the Scotia, her paddles -half submerged, was obliged to continue her course. She was then -three hundred miles from Cape Clear, and, after three days' delay, -which caused great uneasiness in Liverpool, she entered the basin -of the company. - -The engineers visited the Scotia, which was put in dry dock. -They could scarcely believe it possible; at two yards and a half below -water-mark was a regular rent, in the form of an isosceles triangle. -The broken place in the iron plates was so perfectly defined -that it could not have been more neatly done by a punch. -It was clear, then, that the instrument producing the perforation -was not of a common stamp and, after having been driven with -prodigious strength, and piercing an iron plate 1 3/8 inches thick, -had withdrawn itself by a backward motion. - -Such was the last fact, which resulted in exciting once more the torrent -of public opinion. From this moment all unlucky casualties which could -not be otherwise accounted for were put down to the monster. - -Upon this imaginary creature rested the responsibility of all -these shipwrecks, which unfortunately were considerable; -for of three thousand ships whose loss was annually recorded -at Lloyd's, the number of sailing and steam-ships supposed -to be totally lost, from the absence of all news, amounted to -not less than two hundred! - -Now, it was the "monster" who, justly or unjustly, was accused -of their disappearance, and, thanks to it, communication between -the different continents became more and more dangerous. -The public demanded sharply that the seas should at any price be -relieved from this formidable cetacean. [1] - -[1] Member of the whale family. - - - -CHAPTER II - -PRO AND CON - -At the period when these events took place, I had just returned -from a scientific research in the disagreeable territory -of Nebraska, in the United States. In virtue of my office -as Assistant Professor in the Museum of Natural History in Paris, -the French Government had attached me to that expedition. -After six months in Nebraska, I arrived in New York towards -the end of March, laden with a precious collection. -My departure for France was fixed for the first days in May. -Meanwhile I was occupying myself in classifying my mineralogical, -botanical, and zoological riches, when the accident happened -to the Scotia. - -I was perfectly up in the subject which was the question of the day. -How could I be otherwise? I had read and reread all the American -and European papers without being any nearer a conclusion. -This mystery puzzled me. Under the impossibility of forming -an opinion, I jumped from one extreme to the other. -That there really was something could not be doubted, -and the incredulous were invited to put their finger on the wound -of the Scotia. - -On my arrival at New York the question was at its height. -The theory of the floating island, and the unapproachable sandbank, -supported by minds little competent to form a judgment, was abandoned. -And, indeed, unless this shoal had a machine in its stomach, -how could it change its position with such astonishing rapidity? - -From the same cause, the idea of a floating hull of an enormous -wreck was given up. - -There remained, then, only two possible solutions of the question, -which created two distinct parties: on one side, those who were -for a monster of colossal strength; on the other, those who were -for a submarine vessel of enormous motive power. - -But this last theory, plausible as it was, could not stand against -inquiries made in both worlds. That a private gentleman should have -such a machine at his command was not likely. Where, when, and how -was it built? and how could its construction have been kept secret? -Certainly a Government might possess such a destructive machine. -And in these disastrous times, when the ingenuity of man has -multiplied the power of weapons of war, it was possible that, -without the knowledge of others, a State might try to work such -a formidable engine. - -But the idea of a war machine fell before the declaration of Governments. -As public interest was in question, and transatlantic communications -suffered, their veracity could not be doubted. But how admit that -the construction of this submarine boat had escaped the public eye? -For a private gentleman to keep the secret under such circumstances would -be very difficult, and for a State whose every act is persistently watched -by powerful rivals, certainly impossible. - -Upon my arrival in New York several persons did me -the honour of consulting me on the phenomenon in question. -I had published in France a work in quarto, in two volumes, -entitled Mysteries of the Great Submarine Grounds. This book, -highly approved of in the learned world, gained for me a special -reputation in this rather obscure branch of Natural History. -My advice was asked. As long as I could deny the reality -of the fact, I confined myself to a decided negative. -But soon, finding myself driven into a corner, I was -obliged to explain myself point by point. I discussed -the question in all its forms, politically and scientifically; -and I give here an extract from a carefully-studied article -which I published in the number of the 30th of April. -It ran as follows: - -"After examining one by one the different theories, rejecting all -other suggestions, it becomes necessary to admit the existence -of a marine animal of enormous power. - -"The great depths of the ocean are entirely unknown to us. -Soundings cannot reach them. What passes in those remote depths-- -what beings live, or can live, twelve or fifteen miles beneath -the surface of the waters--what is the organisation of these animals, -we can scarcely conjecture. However, the solution of the problem -submitted to me may modify the form of the dilemma. Either we do know -all the varieties of beings which people our planet, or we do not. -If we do NOT know them all--if Nature has still secrets in the deeps -for us, nothing is more conformable to reason than to admit the existence -of fishes, or cetaceans of other kinds, or even of new species, -of an organisation formed to inhabit the strata inaccessible to soundings, -and which an accident of some sort has brought at long intervals -to the upper level of the ocean. - -"If, on the contrary, we DO know all living kinds, we must -necessarily seek for the animal in question amongst those marine -beings already classed; and, in that case, I should be disposed -to admit the existence of a gigantic narwhal. - -"The common narwhal, or unicorn of the sea, often attains -a length of sixty feet. Increase its size fivefold or tenfold, -give it strength proportionate to its size, lengthen its -destructive weapons, and you obtain the animal required. -It will have the proportions determined by the officers -of the Shannon, the instrument required by the perforation -of the Scotia, and the power necessary to pierce the hull -of the steamer. - -"Indeed, the narwhal is armed with a sort of ivory sword, -a halberd, according to the expression of certain naturalists. -The principal tusk has the hardness of steel. Some of these tusks -have been found buried in the bodies of whales, which the unicorn -always attacks with success. Others have been drawn out, -not without trouble, from the bottoms of ships, which they -had pierced through and through, as a gimlet pierces a barrel. -The Museum of the Faculty of Medicine of Paris possesses one -of these defensive weapons, two yards and a quarter in length, -and fifteen inches in diameter at the base. - -"Very well! suppose this weapon to be six times stronger and the animal -ten times more powerful; launch it at the rate of twenty miles an hour, -and you obtain a shock capable of producing the catastrophe required. -Until further information, therefore, I shall maintain it to be -a sea-unicorn of colossal dimensions, armed not with a halberd, -but with a real spur, as the armoured frigates, or the `rams' of war, -whose massiveness and motive power it would possess at the same time. -Thus may this puzzling phenomenon be explained, unless there be something over -and above all that one has ever conjectured, seen, perceived, or experienced; -which is just within the bounds of possibility." - -These last words were cowardly on my part; but, up to a certain point, -I wished to shelter my dignity as professor, and not give -too much cause for laughter to the Americans, who laugh well -when they do laugh. I reserved for myself a way of escape. -In effect, however, I admitted the existence of the "monster." -My article was warmly discussed, which procured it a high reputation. -It rallied round it a certain number of partisans. The solution -it proposed gave, at least, full liberty to the imagination. -The human mind delights in grand conceptions of supernatural beings. -And the sea is precisely their best vehicle, the only medium -through which these giants (against which terrestrial animals, -such as elephants or rhinoceroses, are as nothing) can be produced -or developed. - -The industrial and commercial papers treated the question chiefly from this -point of view. The Shipping and Mercantile Gazette, the Lloyd's List, -the Packet-Boat, and the Maritime and Colonial Review, all papers devoted -to insurance companies which threatened to raise their rates of premium, -were unanimous on this point. Public opinion had been pronounced. -The United States were the first in the field; and in New York they -made preparations for an expedition destined to pursue this narwhal. -A frigate of great speed, the Abraham Lincoln, was put in commission -as soon as possible. The arsenals were opened to Commander Farragut, -who hastened the arming of his frigate; but, as it always happens, -the moment it was decided to pursue the monster, the monster did not appear. -For two months no one heard it spoken of. No ship met with it. -It seemed as if this unicorn knew of the plots weaving around it. -It had been so much talked of, even through the Atlantic cable, that jesters -pretended that this slender fly had stopped a telegram on its passage and was -making the most of it. - -So when the frigate had been armed for a long campaign, and provided with -formidable fishing apparatus, no one could tell what course to pursue. -Impatience grew apace, when, on the 2nd of July, they learned that a -steamer of the line of San Francisco, from California to Shanghai, -had seen the animal three weeks before in the North Pacific Ocean. -The excitement caused by this news was extreme. The ship was revictualled -and well stocked with coal. - -Three hours before the Abraham Lincoln left Brooklyn pier, -I received a letter worded as follows: - -To M. ARONNAX, Professor in the Museum of Paris, Fifth Avenue Hotel, New York. - -SIR,--If you will consent to join the Abraham Lincoln -in this expedition, the Government of the United States -will with pleasure see France represented in the enterprise. -Commander Farragut has a cabin at your disposal. - -Very cordially yours, J.B. HOBSON, Secretary of Marine. - - - -CHAPTER III - -I FORM MY RESOLUTION - -Three seconds before the arrival of J. B. Hobson's letter I no more thought -of pursuing the unicorn than of attempting the passage of the North Sea. -Three seconds after reading the letter of the honourable Secretary of Marine, -I felt that my true vocation, the sole end of my life, was to chase this -disturbing monster and purge it from the world. - -But I had just returned from a fatiguing journey, weary and longing -for repose. I aspired to nothing more than again seeing my country, -my friends, my little lodging by the Jardin des Plantes, -my dear and precious collections--but nothing could keep me back! -I forgot all--fatigue, friends and collections--and accepted without -hesitation the offer of the American Government. - -"Besides," thought I, "all roads lead back to Europe; and the unicorn -may be amiable enough to hurry me towards the coast of France. -This worthy animal may allow itself to be caught in the seas of Europe -(for my particular benefit), and I will not bring back less than half -a yard of his ivory halberd to the Museum of Natural History." -But in the meanwhile I must seek this narwhal in the North -Pacific Ocean, which, to return to France, was taking the road -to the antipodes. - -"Conseil," I called in an impatient voice. - -Conseil was my servant, a true, devoted Flemish boy, who had accompanied -me in all my travels. I liked him, and he returned the liking well. -He was quiet by nature, regular from principle, zealous from habit, -evincing little disturbance at the different surprises of life, -very quick with his hands, and apt at any service required of him; -and, despite his name, never giving advice--even when asked for it. - -Conseil had followed me for the last ten years wherever science led. -Never once did he complain of the length or fatigue of a journey, -never make an objection to pack his portmanteau for whatever -country it might be, or however far away, whether China or Congo. -Besides all this, he had good health, which defied all sickness, -and solid muscles, but no nerves; good morals are understood. -This boy was thirty years old, and his age to that of his master -as fifteen to twenty. May I be excused for saying that I was -forty years old? - -But Conseil had one fault: he was ceremonious to a degree, -and would never speak to me but in the third person, -which was sometimes provoking. - -"Conseil," said I again, beginning with feverish hands to make -preparations for my departure. - -Certainly I was sure of this devoted boy. As a rule, I never asked -him if it were convenient for him or not to follow me in my travels; -but this time the expedition in question might be prolonged, -and the enterprise might be hazardous in pursuit of an animal capable -of sinking a frigate as easily as a nutshell. Here there was matter -for reflection even to the most impassive man in the world. -What would Conseil say? - -"Conseil," I called a third time. - -Conseil appeared. - -"Did you call, sir?" said he, entering. - -"Yes, my boy; make preparations for me and yourself too. -We leave in two hours." - -"As you please, sir," replied Conseil, quietly. - -"Not an instant to lose; lock in my trunk all travelling utensils, -coats, shirts, and stockings--without counting, as many as you can, -and make haste." - -"And your collections, sir?" observed Conseil. - -"They will keep them at the hotel." - -"We are not returning to Paris, then?" said Conseil. - -"Oh! certainly," I answered, evasively, "by making a curve." - -"Will the curve please you, sir?" - -"Oh! it will be nothing; not quite so direct a road, that is all. -We take our passage in the Abraham, Lincoln." - -"As you think proper, sir," coolly replied Conseil. - -"You see, my friend, it has to do with the monster-- -the famous narwhal. We are going to purge it from the seas. -A glorious mission, but a dangerous one! We cannot tell -where we may go; these animals can be very capricious. -But we will go whether or no; we have got a captain who -is pretty wide-awake." - -Our luggage was transported to the deck of the frigate immediately. -I hastened on board and asked for Commander Farragut. -One of the sailors conducted me to the poop, where I found myself -in the presence of a good-looking officer, who held out his -hand to me. - -"Monsieur Pierre Aronnax?" said he. - -"Himself," replied I. "Commander Farragut?" - -"You are welcome, Professor; your cabin is ready for you." - -I bowed, and desired to be conducted to the cabin destined for me. - -The Abraham Lincoln had been well chosen and equipped -for her new destination. She was a frigate of great speed, -fitted with high-pressure engines which admitted a pressure -of seven atmospheres. Under this the Abraham Lincoln attained -the mean speed of nearly eighteen knots and a third an hour-- -a considerable speed, but, nevertheless, insufficient to grapple -with this gigantic cetacean. - -The interior arrangements of the frigate corresponded to its -nautical qualities. I was well satisfied with my cabin, -which was in the after part, opening upon the gunroom. - -"We shall be well off here," said I to Conseil. - -"As well, by your honour's leave, as a hermit-crab in the shell -of a whelk," said Conseil. - -I left Conseil to stow our trunks conveniently away, and remounted -the poop in order to survey the preparations for departure. - -At that moment Commander Farragut was ordering the last moorings -to be cast loose which held the Abraham Lincoln to the pier -of Brooklyn. So in a quarter of an hour, perhaps less, -the frigate would have sailed without me. I should have missed -this extraordinary, supernatural, and incredible expedition, -the recital of which may well meet with some suspicion. - -But Commander Farragut would not lose a day nor an hour -in scouring the seas in which the animal had been sighted. -He sent for the engineer. - -"Is the steam full on?" asked he. - -"Yes, sir," replied the engineer. - -"Go ahead," cried Commander Farragut. - - - -CHAPTER IV - -NED LAND - -Captain Farragut was a good seaman, worthy of the frigate he commanded. -His vessel and he were one. He was the soul of it. On the question -of the monster there was no doubt in his mind, and he would not allow -the existence of the animal to be disputed on board. He believed in it, -as certain good women believe in the leviathan--by faith, not by reason. -The monster did exist, and he had sworn to rid the seas of it. Either Captain -Farragut would kill the narwhal, or the narwhal would kill the captain. -There was no third course. - -The officers on board shared the opinion of their chief. -They were ever chatting, discussing, and calculating the various -chances of a meeting, watching narrowly the vast surface of the ocean. -More than one took up his quarters voluntarily in the cross-trees, -who would have cursed such a berth under any other circumstances. -As long as the sun described its daily course, the rigging was -crowded with sailors, whose feet were burnt to such an extent by -the heat of the deck as to render it unbearable; still the Abraham -Lincoln had not yet breasted the suspected waters of the Pacific. -As to the ship's company, they desired nothing better than to meet -the unicorn, to harpoon it, hoist it on board, and despatch it. -They watched the sea with eager attention. - -Besides, Captain Farragut had spoken of a certain sum of two thousand dollars, -set apart for whoever should first sight the monster, were he cabin-boy, -common seaman, or officer. - -I leave you to judge how eyes were used on board the Abraham Lincoln. - -For my own part I was not behind the others, and, left to no one my share -of daily observations. The frigate might have been called the Argus, -for a hundred reasons. Only one amongst us, Conseil, seemed to protest -by his indifference against the question which so interested us all, -and seemed to be out of keeping with the general enthusiasm on board. - -I have said that Captain Farragut had carefully provided his -ship with every apparatus for catching the gigantic cetacean. -No whaler had ever been better armed. We possessed every -known engine, from the harpoon thrown by the hand to the barbed -arrows of the blunderbuss, and the explosive balls of the duck-gun. -On the forecastle lay the perfection of a breech-loading gun, -very thick at the breech, and very narrow in the bore, -the model of which had been in the Exhibition of 1867. -This precious weapon of American origin could throw with ease -a conical projectile of nine pounds to a mean distance -of ten miles. - -Thus the Abraham Lincoln wanted for no means of destruction; and, what was -better still she had on board Ned Land, the prince of harpooners. - -Ned Land was a Canadian, with an uncommon quickness of hand, and who knew -no equal in his dangerous occupation. Skill, coolness, audacity, and cunning -he possessed in a superior degree, and it must be a cunning whale to escape -the stroke of his harpoon. - -Ned Land was about forty years of age; he was a tall man -(more than six feet high), strongly built, grave and taciturn, -occasionally violent, and very passionate when contradicted. -His person attracted attention, but above all the boldness -of his look, which gave a singular expression to his face. - -Who calls himself Canadian calls himself French; and, little communicative -as Ned Land was, I must admit that he took a certain liking for me. -My nationality drew him to me, no doubt. It was an opportunity for him -to talk, and for me to hear, that old language of Rabelais, which is still -in use in some Canadian provinces. The harpooner's family was originally -from Quebec, and was already a tribe of hardy fishermen when this town -belonged to France. - -Little by little, Ned Land acquired a taste for chatting, and I -loved to hear the recital of his adventures in the polar seas. -He related his fishing, and his combats, with natural poetry -of expression; his recital took the form of an epic poem, -and I seemed to be listening to a Canadian Homer singing the Iliad -of the regions of the North. - -I am portraying this hardy companion as I really knew him. -We are old friends now, united in that unchangeable friendship -which is born and cemented amidst extreme dangers. Ah, brave Ned! -I ask no more than to live a hundred years longer, that I may have more -time to dwell the longer on your memory. - -Now, what was Ned Land's opinion upon the question of the marine monster? -I must admit that he did not believe in the unicorn, and was -the only one on board who did not share that universal conviction. -He even avoided the subject, which I one day thought it my duty -to press upon him. One magnificent evening, the 30th July (that is -to say, three weeks after our departure), the frigate was abreast -of Cape Blanc, thirty miles to leeward of the coast of Patagonia. -We had crossed the tropic of Capricorn, and the Straits of Magellan -opened less than seven hundred miles to the south. Before eight -days were over the Abraham Lincoln would be ploughing the waters -of the Pacific. - -Seated on the poop, Ned Land and I were chatting of one thing -and another as we looked at this mysterious sea, whose great -depths had up to this time been inaccessible to the eye of man. -I naturally led up the conversation to the giant unicorn, and examined -the various chances of success or failure of the expedition. -But, seeing that Ned Land let me speak without saying too much himself, -I pressed him more closely. - -"Well, Ned," said I, "is it possible that you are not convinced -of the existence of this cetacean that we are following? -Have you any particular reason for being so incredulous?" - -The harpooner looked at me fixedly for some moments -before answering, struck his broad forehead with his hand -(a habit of his), as if to collect himself, and said at last, -"Perhaps I have, Mr. Aronnax." - -"But, Ned, you, a whaler by profession, familiarised with all -the great marine mammalia--YOU ought to be the last to doubt -under such circumstances!" - -"That is just what deceives you, Professor," replied Ned. -"As a whaler I have followed many a cetacean, harpooned a great number, -and killed several; but, however strong or well-armed they may -have been, neither their tails nor their weapons would have been -able even to scratch the iron plates of a steamer." - -"But, Ned, they tell of ships which the teeth of the narwhal -have pierced through and through." - -"Wooden ships--that is possible," replied the Canadian, -"but I have never seen it done; and, until further proof, -I deny that whales, cetaceans, or sea-unicorns could ever produce -the effect you describe." - -"Well, Ned, I repeat it with a conviction resting on the logic of facts. -I believe in the existence of a mammal power fully organised, belonging to -the branch of vertebrata, like the whales, the cachalots, or the dolphins, -and furnished with a horn of defence of great penetrating power." - -"Hum!" said the harpooner, shaking his head with the air of a man -who would not be convinced. - -"Notice one thing, my worthy Canadian," I resumed. -"If such an animal is in existence, if it inhabits the depths -of the ocean, if it frequents the strata lying miles below -the surface of the water, it must necessarily possess an -organisation the strength of which would defy all comparison." - -"And why this powerful organisation?" demanded Ned. - -"Because it requires incalculable strength to keep one's self -in these strata and resist their pressure. Listen to me. -Let us admit that the pressure of the atmosphere is represented -by the weight of a column of water thirty-two feet high. -In reality the column of water would be shorter, as we are -speaking of sea water, the density of which is greater than -that of fresh water. Very well, when you dive, Ned, as many -times 32 feet of water as there are above you, so many times -does your body bear a pressure equal to that of the atmosphere, -that is to say, 15 lb. for each square inch of its surface. -It follows, then, that at 320 feet this pressure equals -that of 10 atmospheres, of 100 atmospheres at 3,200 feet, -and of 1,000 atmospheres at 32,000 feet, that is, about 6 miles; -which is equivalent to saying that if you could attain this -depth in the ocean, each square three-eighths of an inch -of the surface of your body would bear a pressure of 5,600 lb. -Ah! my brave Ned, do you know how many square inches you carry on -the surface of your body?" - -"I have no idea, Mr. Aronnax." - -"About 6,500; and as in reality the atmospheric pressure is about 15 lb. -to the square inch, your 6,500 square inches bear at this moment a pressure -of 97,500 lb." - -"Without my perceiving it?" - -"Without your perceiving it. And if you are not crushed by -such a pressure, it is because the air penetrates the interior -of your body with equal pressure. Hence perfect equilibrium -between the interior and exterior pressure, which thus neutralise -each other, and which allows you to bear it without inconvenience. -But in the water it is another thing." - -"Yes, I understand," replied Ned, becoming more attentive; -"because the water surrounds me, but does not penetrate." - -"Precisely, Ned: so that at 32 feet beneath the surface of the sea you would -undergo a pressure of 97,500 lb.; at 320 feet, ten times that pressure; -at 3,200 feet, a hundred times that pressure; lastly, at 32,000 feet, -a thousand times that pressure would be 97,500,000 lb.--that is to say, -that you would be flattened as if you had been drawn from the plates of -a hydraulic machine!" - -"The devil!" exclaimed Ned. - -"Very well, my worthy harpooner, if some vertebrate, several hundred -yards long, and large in proportion, can maintain itself in such depths-- -of those whose surface is represented by millions of square inches, that is -by tens of millions of pounds, we must estimate the pressure they undergo. -Consider, then, what must be the resistance of their bony structure, -and the strength of their organisation to withstand such pressure!" - -"Why!" exclaimed Ned Land, "they must be made of iron plates -eight inches thick, like the armoured frigates." - -"As you say, Ned. And think what destruction such a mass would cause, -if hurled with the speed of an express train against the hull of a vessel." - -"Yes--certainly--perhaps," replied the Canadian, shaken by these figures, -but not yet willing to give in. - -"Well, have I convinced you?" - -"You have convinced me of one thing, sir, which is that, -if such animals do exist at the bottom of the seas, they must -necessarily be as strong as you say." - -"But if they do not exist, mine obstinate harpooner, how explain -the accident to the Scotia?" - - - -CHAPTER V - -AT A VENTURE - -The voyage of the Abraham Lincoln was for a long time marked -by no special incident. But one circumstance happened which showed -the wonderful dexterity of Ned Land, and proved what confidence -we might place in him. - -The 30th of June, the frigate spoke some American whalers, -from whom we learned that they knew nothing about the narwhal. -But one of them, the captain of the Monroe, knowing that Ned Land had -shipped on board the Abraham Lincoln, begged for his help in chasing -a whale they had in sight. Commander Farragut, desirous of seeing -Ned Land at work, gave him permission to go on board the Monroe. -And fate served our Canadian so well that, instead of one whale, -he harpooned two with a double blow, striking one straight to the heart, -and catching the other after some minutes' pursuit. - -Decidedly, if the monster ever had to do with Ned Land's harpoon, -I would not bet in its favour. - -The frigate skirted the south-east coast of America with great rapidity. -The 3rd of July we were at the opening of the Straits of Magellan, level with -Cape Vierges. But Commander Farragut would not take a tortuous passage, -but doubled Cape Horn. - -The ship's crew agreed with him. And certainly it was possible -that they might meet the narwhal in this narrow pass. -Many of the sailors affirmed that the monster could not pass there, -"that he was too big for that!" - -The 6th of July, about three o'clock in the afternoon, the Abraham Lincoln, -at fifteen miles to the south, doubled the solitary island, -this lost rock at the extremity of the American continent, to which -some Dutch sailors gave the name of their native town, Cape Horn. -The course was taken towards the north-west, and the next day the screw -of the frigate was at last beating the waters of the Pacific. - -"Keep your eyes open!" called out the sailors. - -And they were opened widely. Both eyes and glasses, a little dazzled, -it is true, by the prospect of two thousand dollars, had not -an instant's repose. - -I myself, for whom money had no charms, was not the least -attentive on board. Giving but few minutes to my meals, -but a few hours to sleep, indifferent to either rain or sunshine, -I did not leave the poop of the vessel. Now leaning on the netting -of the forecastle, now on the taffrail, I devoured with eagerness -the soft foam which whitened the sea as far as the eye could reach; -and how often have I shared the emotion of the majority of the crew, -when some capricious whale raised its black back above the waves! -The poop of the vessel was crowded on a moment. The cabins -poured forth a torrent of sailors and officers, each with heaving -breast and troubled eye watching the course of the cetacean. -I looked and looked till I was nearly blind, whilst Conseil kept -repeating in a calm voice: - -"If, sir, you would not squint so much, you would see better!" - -But vain excitement! The Abraham Lincoln checked its speed and made -for the animal signalled, a simple whale, or common cachalot, -which soon disappeared amidst a storm of abuse. - -But the weather was good. The voyage was being accomplished under -the most favourable auspices. It was then the bad season in Australia, -the July of that zone corresponding to our January in Europe, -but the sea was beautiful and easily scanned round a vast circumference. - -The 20th of July, the tropic of Capricorn was cut by 105d of longitude, -and the 27th of the same month we crossed the Equator on the 110th meridian. -This passed, the frigate took a more decided westerly direction, -and scoured the central waters of the Pacific. Commander Farragut thought, -and with reason, that it was better to remain in deep water, and keep -clear of continents or islands, which the beast itself seemed to shun -(perhaps because there was not enough water for him! suggested -the greater part of the crew). The frigate passed at some distance from -the Marquesas and the Sandwich Islands, crossed the tropic of Cancer, -and made for the China Seas. We were on the theatre of the last diversions -of the monster: and, to say truth, we no longer LIVED on board. -The entire ship's crew were undergoing a nervous excitement, of which I -can give no idea: they could not eat, they could not sleep--twenty times -a day, a misconception or an optical illusion of some sailor seated -on the taffrail, would cause dreadful perspirations, and these emotions, -twenty times repeated, kept us in a state of excitement so violent that a -reaction was unavoidable. - -And truly, reaction soon showed itself. For three months, -during which a day seemed an age, the Abraham Lincoln furrowed -all the waters of the Northern Pacific, running at whales, -making sharp deviations from her course, veering suddenly -from one tack to another, stopping suddenly, putting on steam, -and backing ever and anon at the risk of deranging her machinery, -and not one point of the Japanese or American coast -was left unexplored. - -The warmest partisans of the enterprise now became its most -ardent detractors. Reaction mounted from the crew to the captain himself, -and certainly, had it not been for the resolute determination on the part -of Captain Farragut, the frigate would have headed due southward. -This useless search could not last much longer. The Abraham Lincoln -had nothing to reproach herself with, she had done her best to succeed. -Never had an American ship's crew shown more zeal or patience; -its failure could not be placed to their charge--there remained nothing -but to return. - -This was represented to the commander. The sailors could -not hide their discontent, and the service suffered. -I will not say there was a mutiny on board, but after a reasonable -period of obstinacy, Captain Farragut (as Columbus did) -asked for three days' patience. If in three days the monster did -not appear, the man at the helm should give three turns of the wheel, -and the Abraham Lincoln would make for the European seas. - -This promise was made on the 2nd of November. It had the effect of -rallying the ship's crew. The ocean was watched with renewed attention. -Each one wished for a last glance in which to sum up his remembrance. -Glasses were used with feverish activity. It was a grand defiance -given to the giant narwhal, and he could scarcely fail to answer -the summons and "appear." - -Two days passed, the steam was at half pressure; a thousand -schemes were tried to attract the attention and stimulate -the apathy of the animal in case it should be met in those parts. -Large quantities of bacon were trailed in the wake of the ship, -to the great satisfaction (I must say) of the sharks. -Small craft radiated in all directions round the Abraham Lincoln -as she lay to, and did not leave a spot of the sea unexplored. -But the night of the 4th of November arrived without the unveiling of -this submarine mystery. - -The next day, the 5th of November, at twelve, the delay would -(morally speaking) expire; after that time, Commander Farragut, -faithful to his promise, was to turn the course to the south-east -and abandon for ever the northern regions of the Pacific. - -The frigate was then in 31@ 15' N. lat. and 136@ 42' E. long. -The coast of Japan still remained less than two hundred miles to leeward. -Night was approaching. They had just struck eight bells; -large clouds veiled the face of the moon, then in its first quarter. -The sea undulated peaceably under the stern of the vessel. - -At that moment I was leaning forward on the starboard netting. -Conseil, standing near me, was looking straight before him. -The crew, perched in the ratlines, examined the horizon which -contracted and darkened by degrees. Officers with their night -glasses scoured the growing darkness: sometimes the ocean sparkled -under the rays of the moon, which darted between two clouds, -then all trace of light was lost in the darkness. - -In looking at Conseil, I could see he was undergoing a little -of the general influence. At least I thought so. Perhaps for -the first time his nerves vibrated to a sentiment of curiosity. - -"Come, Conseil," said I, "this is the last chance of pocketing -the two thousand dollars." - -"May I be permitted to say, sir," replied Conseil, "that I never reckoned -on getting the prize; and, had the government of the Union offered a hundred -thousand dollars, it would have been none the poorer." - -"You are right, Conseil. It is a foolish affair after all, and one upon -which we entered too lightly. What time lost, what useless emotions! -We should have been back in France six months ago." - -"In your little room, sir," replied Conseil, "and in your museum, sir; and I -should have already classed all your fossils, sir. And the Babiroussa would -have been installed in its cage in the Jardin des Plantes, and have drawn -all the curious people of the capital!" - -"As you say, Conseil. I fancy we shall run a fair chance of being -laughed at for our pains." - -"That's tolerably certain," replied Conseil, quietly; "I think -they will make fun of you, sir. And, must I say it----?" - -"Go on, my good friend." - -"Well, sir, you will only get your deserts." - -"Indeed!" - -"When one has the honour of being a savant as you are, sir, one should -not expose one's self to----" - -Conseil had not time to finish his compliment. -In the midst of general silence a voice had just been heard. -It was the voice of Ned Land shouting: - -"Look out there! The very thing we are looking for-- -on our weather beam!" - - - -CHAPTER VI - -AT FULL STEAM - -At this cry the whole ship's crew hurried towards the harpooner-- -commander, officers, masters, sailors, cabin boys; even the engineers -left their engines, and the stokers their furnaces. - -The order to stop her had been given, and the frigate now simply went -on by her own momentum. The darkness was then profound, and, however good -the Canadian's eyes were, I asked myself how he had managed to see, -and what he had been able to see. My heart beat as if it would break. -But Ned Land was not mistaken, and we all perceived the object -he pointed to. At two cables' length from the Abraham Lincoln, -on the starboard quarter, the sea seemed to be illuminated all over. -It was not a mere phosphoric phenomenon. The monster emerged some fathoms -from the water, and then threw out that very intense but mysterious -light mentioned in the report of several captains. This magnificent -irradiation must have been produced by an agent of great SHINING power. -The luminous part traced on the sea an immense oval, much elongated, -the centre of which condensed a burning heat, whose overpowering brilliancy -died out by successive gradations. - -"It is only a massing of phosphoric particles," cried one of the officers. - -"No, sir, certainly not," I replied. "That brightness is of an -essentially electrical nature. Besides, see, see! it moves; -it is moving forwards, backwards; it is darting towards us!" - -A general cry arose from the frigate. - -"Silence!" said the captain. "Up with the helm, reverse the engines." - -The steam was shut off, and the Abraham Lincoln, beating to port, -described a semicircle. - -"Right the helm, go ahead," cried the captain. - -These orders were executed, and the frigate moved rapidly -from the burning light. - -I was mistaken. She tried to sheer off, but the supernatural -animal approached with a velocity double her own. - -We gasped for breath. Stupefaction more than fear made us dumb -and motionless. The animal gained on us, sporting with the waves. -It made the round of the frigate, which was then making fourteen knots, -and enveloped it with its electric rings like luminous dust. - -Then it moved away two or three miles, leaving a phosphorescent track, -like those volumes of steam that the express trains leave behind. -All at once from the dark line of the horizon whither it retired -to gain its momentum, the monster rushed suddenly towards the Abraham -Lincoln with alarming rapidity, stopped suddenly about twenty feet -from the hull, and died out--not diving under the water, for its -brilliancy did not abate--but suddenly, and as if the source of this -brilliant emanation was exhausted. Then it reappeared on the other -side of the vessel, as if it had turned and slid under the hull. -Any moment a collision might have occurred which would have been fatal -to us. However, I was astonished at the manoeuvres of the frigate. -She fled and did not attack. - -On the captain's face, generally so impassive, was an expression -of unaccountable astonishment. - -"Mr. Aronnax," he said, "I do not know with what formidable -being I have to deal, and I will not imprudently risk my -frigate in the midst of this darkness. Besides, how attack -this unknown thing, how defend one's self from it? -Wait for daylight, and the scene will change." - -"You have no further doubt, captain, of the nature of the animal?" - -"No, sir; it is evidently a gigantic narwhal, and an electric one." - -"Perhaps," added I, "one can only approach it with a torpedo." - -"Undoubtedly," replied the captain, "if it possesses such -dreadful power, it is the most terrible animal that ever was created. -That is why, sir, I must be on my guard." - -The crew were on their feet all night. No one thought of sleep. -The Abraham Lincoln, not being able to struggle with such velocity, -had moderated its pace, and sailed at half speed. For its part, -the narwhal, imitating the frigate, let the waves rock it at will, -and seemed decided not to leave the scene of the struggle. -Towards midnight, however, it disappeared, or, to use a more -appropriate term, it "died out" like a large glow-worm. Had it fled? -One could only fear, not hope it. But at seven minutes to one o'clock -in the morning a deafening whistling was heard, like that produced -by a body of water rushing with great violence. - -The captain, Ned Land, and I were then on the poop, eagerly peering -through the profound darkness. - -"Ned Land," asked the commander, "you have often heard the roaring of whales?" - -"Often, sir; but never such whales the sight of which brought me -in two thousand dollars. If I can only approach within four harpoons' -length of it!" - -"But to approach it," said the commander, "I ought to put a whaler -at your disposal?" - -"Certainly, sir." - -"That will be trifling with the lives of my men." - -"And mine too," simply said the harpooner. - -Towards two o'clock in the morning, the burning light reappeared, -not less intense, about five miles to windward of the Abraham Lincoln. -Notwithstanding the distance, and the noise of the wind and sea, -one heard distinctly the loud strokes of the animal's tail, -and even its panting breath. It seemed that, at the moment -that the enormous narwhal had come to take breath at the surface -of the water, the air was engulfed in its lungs, like the steam -in the vast cylinders of a machine of two thousand horse-power. - -"Hum!" thought I, "a whale with the strength of a cavalry regiment -would be a pretty whale!" - -We were on the qui vive till daylight, and prepared for the combat. -The fishing implements were laid along the hammock nettings. -The second lieutenant loaded the blunder busses, which could throw harpoons -to the distance of a mile, and long duck-guns, with explosive bullets, -which inflicted mortal wounds even to the most terrible animals. -Ned Land contented himself with sharpening his harpoon--a terrible weapon -in his hands. - -At six o'clock day began to break; and, with the first glimmer -of light, the electric light of the narwhal disappeared. -At seven o'clock the day was sufficiently advanced, but a very thick sea -fog obscured our view, and the best spy glasses could not pierce it. -That caused disappointment and anger. - -I climbed the mizzen-mast. Some officers were already perched -on the mast-heads. At eight o'clock the fog lay heavily -on the waves, and its thick scrolls rose little by little. -The horizon grew wider and clearer at the same time. -Suddenly, just as on the day before, Ned Land's voice was heard: - -"The thing itself on the port quarter!" cried the harpooner. - -Every eye was turned towards the point indicated. There, a mile and a half -from the frigate, a long blackish body emerged a yard above the waves. -Its tail, violently agitated, produced a considerable eddy. -Never did a tail beat the sea with such violence. An immense track, -of dazzling whiteness, marked the passage of the animal, and described -a long curve. - -The frigate approached the cetacean. I examined it thoroughly. - -The reports of the Shannon and of the Helvetia had rather -exaggerated its size, and I estimated its length at -only two hundred and fifty feet. As to its dimensions, -I could only conjecture them to be admirably proportioned. -While I watched this phenomenon, two jets of steam and water -were ejected from its vents, and rose to the height of 120 feet; -thus I ascertained its way of breathing. I concluded definitely -that it belonged to the vertebrate branch, class mammalia. - -The crew waited impatiently for their chief's orders. The latter, -after having observed the animal attentively, called the engineer. -The engineer ran to him. - -"Sir," said the commander, "you have steam up?" - -"Yes, sir," answered the engineer. - -"Well, make up your fires and put on all steam." - -Three hurrahs greeted this order. The time for the struggle had arrived. -Some moments after, the two funnels of the frigate vomited torrents of -black smoke, and the bridge quaked under the trembling of the boilers. - -The Abraham Lincoln, propelled by her wonderful screw, -went straight at the animal. The latter allowed it to come -within half a cable's length; then, as if disdaining to dive, -it took a little turn, and stopped a short distance off. - -This pursuit lasted nearly three-quarters of an hour, -without the frigate gaining two yards on the cetacean. -It was quite evident that at that rate we should never come -up with it. - -"Well, Mr. Land," asked the captain, "do you advise me to put -the boats out to sea?" - -"No, sir," replied Ned Land; "because we shall not take that beast easily." - -"What shall we do then?" - -"Put on more steam if you can, sir. With your leave, I mean to post -myself under the bowsprit, and, if we get within harpooning distance, -I shall throw my harpoon." - -"Go, Ned," said the captain. "Engineer, put on more pressure." - -Ned Land went to his post. The fires were increased, the screw revolved -forty-three times a minute, and the steam poured out of the valves. -We heaved the log, and calculated that the Abraham Lincoln was going -at the rate of 18 1/2 miles an hour. - -But the accursed animal swam at the same speed. - -For a whole hour the frigate kept up this pace, without gaining six feet. -It was humiliating for one of the swiftest sailers in the American navy. -A stubborn anger seized the crew; the sailors abused the monster, who, -as before, disdained to answer them; the captain no longer contented himself -with twisting his beard--he gnawed it. - -The engineer was called again. - -"You have turned full steam on?" - -"Yes, sir," replied the engineer. - -The speed of the Abraham Lincoln increased. Its masts trembled -down to their stepping holes, and the clouds of smoke could hardly -find way out of the narrow funnels. - -They heaved the log a second time. - -"Well?" asked the captain of the man at the wheel. - -"Nineteen miles and three-tenths, sir." - -"Clap on more steam." - -The engineer obeyed. The manometer showed ten degrees. -But the cetacean grew warm itself, no doubt; for without -straining itself, it made 19 3/10 miles. - -What a pursuit! No, I cannot describe the emotion that vibrated through me. -Ned Land kept his post, harpoon in hand. Several times the animal let us -gain upon it.--"We shall catch it! we shall catch it!" cried the Canadian. -But just as he was going to strike, the cetacean stole away with a rapidity -that could not be estimated at less than thirty miles an hour, and even during -our maximum of speed, it bullied the frigate, going round and round it. -A cry of fury broke from everyone! - -At noon we were no further advanced than at eight o'clock in the morning. - -The captain then decided to take more direct means. - -"Ah!" said he, "that animal goes quicker than the Abraham Lincoln. -Very well! we will see whether it will escape these conical bullets. -Send your men to the forecastle, sir." - -The forecastle gun was immediately loaded and slewed round. -But the shot passed some feet above the cetacean, which was half -a mile off. - -"Another, more to the right," cried the commander, "and five -dollars to whoever will hit that infernal beast." - -An old gunner with a grey beard--that I can see now--with steady -eye and grave face, went up to the gun and took a long aim. -A loud report was heard, with which were mingled the cheers -of the crew. - -The bullet did its work; it hit the animal, and, sliding off -the rounded surface, was lost in two miles depth of sea. - -The chase began again, and the captain, leaning towards me, said: - -"I will pursue that beast till my frigate bursts up." - -"Yes," answered I; "and you will be quite right to do it." - -I wished the beast would exhaust itself, and not be insensible -to fatigue like a steam engine. But it was of no use. -Hours passed, without its showing any signs of exhaustion. - -However, it must be said in praise of the Abraham Lincoln that she -struggled on indefatigably. I cannot reckon the distance she made -under three hundred miles during this unlucky day, November the 6th. -But night came on, and overshadowed the rough ocean. - -Now I thought our expedition was at an end, and that we should -never again see the extraordinary animal. I was mistaken. -At ten minutes to eleven in the evening, the electric light -reappeared three miles to windward of the frigate, as pure, -as intense as during the preceding night. - -The narwhal seemed motionless; perhaps, tired with its day's work, -it slept, letting itself float with the undulation of the waves. -Now was a chance of which the captain resolved to take advantage. - -He gave his orders. The Abraham Lincoln kept up half steam, -and advanced cautiously so as not to awake its adversary. -It is no rare thing to meet in the middle of the ocean whales -so sound asleep that they can be successfully attacked, -and Ned Land had harpooned more than one during its sleep. -The Canadian went to take his place again under the bowsprit. - -The frigate approached noiselessly, stopped at two cables' -lengths from the animal, and following its track. -No one breathed; a deep silence reigned on the bridge. -We were not a hundred feet from the burning focus, the light of -which increased and dazzled our eyes. - -At this moment, leaning on the forecastle bulwark, I saw below me Ned -Land grappling the martingale in one hand, brandishing his terrible -harpoon in the other, scarcely twenty feet from the motionless animal. -Suddenly his arm straightened, and the harpoon was thrown; I heard -the sonorous stroke of the weapon, which seemed to have struck a hard body. -The electric light went out suddenly, and two enormous waterspouts -broke over the bridge of the frigate, rushing like a torrent from stem -to stern, overthrowing men, and breaking the lashings of the spars. -A fearful shock followed, and, thrown over the rail without having -time to stop myself, I fell into the sea. - - - -CHAPTER VII - -AN UNKNOWN SPECIES OF WHALE - -This unexpected fall so stunned me that I have no -clear recollection of my sensations at the time. -I was at first drawn down to a depth of about twenty feet. -I am a good swimmer (though without pretending to rival -Byron or Edgar Poe, who were masters of the art), -and in that plunge I did not lose my presence of mind. -Two vigorous strokes brought me to the surface of the water. -My first care was to look for the frigate. Had the crew -seen me disappear? Had the Abraham Lincoln veered round? -Would the captain put out a boat? Might I hope to be saved? - -The darkness was intense. I caught a glimpse of a black mass disappearing in -the east, its beacon lights dying out in the distance. It was the frigate! -I was lost. - -"Help, help!" I shouted, swimming towards the Abraham Lincoln in desperation. - -My clothes encumbered me; they seemed glued to my body, -and paralysed my movements. - -I was sinking! I was suffocating! - -"Help!" - -This was my last cry. My mouth filled with water; -I struggled against being drawn down the abyss. -Suddenly my clothes were seized by a strong hand, and I -felt myself quickly drawn up to the surface of the sea; -and I heard, yes, I heard these words pronounced in my ear: - -"If master would be so good as to lean on my shoulder, -master would swim with much greater ease." - -I seized with one hand my faithful Conseil's arm. - -"Is it you?" said I, "you?" - -"Myself," answered Conseil; "and waiting master's orders." - -"That shock threw you as well as me into the sea?" - -"No; but, being in my master's service, I followed him." - -The worthy fellow thought that was but natural. - -"And the frigate?" I asked. - -"The frigate?" replied Conseil, turning on his back; -"I think that master had better not count too much on her." - -"You think so?" - -"I say that, at the time I threw myself into the sea, I heard the men -at the wheel say, `The screw and the rudder are broken.' - -"Broken?" - -"Yes, broken by the monster's teeth. It is the only injury -the Abraham Lincoln has sustained. But it is a bad look-out for us-- -she no longer answers her helm." - -"Then we are lost!" - -"Perhaps so," calmly answered Conseil. "However, we have still several -hours before us, and one can do a good deal in some hours." - -Conseil's imperturbable coolness set me up again. -I swam more vigorously; but, cramped by my clothes, which stuck -to me like a leaden weight, I felt great difficulty in bearing up. -Conseil saw this. - -"Will master let me make a slit?" said he; and, slipping an open knife -under my clothes, he ripped them up from top to bottom very rapidly. -Then he cleverly slipped them off me, while I swam for both of us. - -Then I did the same for Conseil, and we continued to swim near -to each other. - -Nevertheless, our situation was no less terrible. -Perhaps our disappearance had not been noticed; and, if it -had been, the frigate could not tack, being without its helm. -Conseil argued on this supposition, and laid his plans accordingly. -This quiet boy was perfectly self-possessed. We then decided that, -as our only chance of safety was being picked up by the Abraham -Lincoln's boats, we ought to manage so as to wait for them -as long as possible. I resolved then to husband our strength, -so that both should not be exhausted at the same time; -and this is how we managed: while one of us lay on our back, -quite still, with arms crossed, and legs stretched out, -the other would swim and push the other on in front. -This towing business did not last more than ten minutes each; -and relieving each other thus, we could swim on for some hours, -perhaps till day-break. Poor chance! but hope is so firmly -rooted in the heart of man! Moreover, there were two of us. -Indeed I declare (though it may seem improbable) -if I sought to destroy all hope--if I wished to despair, -I could not. - -The collision of the frigate with the cetacean had -occurred about eleven o'clock in the evening before. -I reckoned then we should have eight hours to swim before sunrise, -an operation quite practicable if we relieved each other. -The sea, very calm, was in our favour. Sometimes I tried -to pierce the intense darkness that was only dispelled -by the phosphorescence caused by our movements. -I watched the luminous waves that broke over my hand, -whose mirror-like surface was spotted with silvery rings. -One might have said that we were in a bath of quicksilver. - -Near one o'clock in the morning, I was seized with dreadful fatigue. -My limbs stiffened under the strain of violent cramp. Conseil was -obliged to keep me up, and our preservation devolved on him alone. -I heard the poor boy pant; his breathing became short and hurried. -I found that he could not keep up much longer. - -"Leave me! leave me!" I said to him. - -"Leave my master? Never!" replied he. "I would drown first." - -Just then the moon appeared through the fringes of a -thick cloud that the wind was driving to the east. -The surface of the sea glittered with its rays. -This kindly light reanimated us. My head got better again. -I looked at all points of the horizon. I saw the frigate! -She was five miles from us, and looked like a dark mass, -hardly discernible. But no boats! - -I would have cried out. But what good would it have been at such a distance! -My swollen lips could utter no sounds. Conseil could articulate some words, -and I heard him repeat at intervals, "Help! help!" - -Our movements were suspended for an instant; we listened. -It might be only a singing in the ear, but it seemed to me -as if a cry answered the cry from Conseil. - -"Did you hear?" I murmured. - -"Yes! Yes!" - -And Conseil gave one more despairing cry. - -This time there was no mistake! A human voice responded to ours! -Was it the voice of another unfortunate creature, abandoned in the middle -of the ocean, some other victim of the shock sustained by the vessel? -Or rather was it a boat from the frigate, that was hailing us in the darkness? - -Conseil made a last effort, and, leaning on my shoulder, while I struck -out in a desperate effort, he raised himself half out of the water, -then fell back exhausted. - -"What did you see?" - -"I saw----" murmured he; "I saw--but do not talk--reserve all your strength!" - -What had he seen? Then, I know not why, the thought -of the monster came into my head for the first time! -But that voice! The time is past for Jonahs to take refuge -in whales' bellies! However, Conseil was towing me again. -He raised his head sometimes, looked before us, and uttered a cry -of recognition, which was responded to by a voice that came nearer -and nearer. I scarcely heard it. My strength was exhausted; -my fingers stiffened; my hand afforded me support no longer; -my mouth, convulsively opening, filled with salt water. -Cold crept over me. I raised my head for the last time, -then I sank. - -At this moment a hard body struck me. I clung to it: -then I felt that I was being drawn up, that I was brought to -the surface of the water, that my chest collapsed--I fainted. - -It is certain that I soon came to, thanks to the vigorous rubbings -that I received. I half opened my eyes. - -"Conseil!" I murmured. - -"Does master call me?" asked Conseil. - -Just then, by the waning light of the moon which was sinking -down to the horizon, I saw a face which was not Conseil's -and which I immediately recognised. - -"Ned!" I cried. - -"The same, sir, who is seeking his prize!" replied the Canadian. - -"Were you thrown into the sea by the shock to the frigate?" - -"Yes, Professor; but more fortunate than you, I was able to find -a footing almost directly upon a floating island." - -"An island?" - -"Or, more correctly speaking, on our gigantic narwhal." - -"Explain yourself, Ned!" - -"Only I soon found out why my harpoon had not entered its skin -and was blunted." - -"Why, Ned, why?" - -"Because, Professor, that beast is made of sheet iron." - -The Canadian's last words produced a sudden revolution in my brain. -I wriggled myself quickly to the top of the being, or object, -half out of the water, which served us for a refuge. I kicked it. -It was evidently a hard, impenetrable body, and not the soft substance -that forms the bodies of the great marine mammalia. But this hard -body might be a bony covering, like that of the antediluvian animals; -and I should be free to class this monster among amphibious reptiles, -such as tortoises or alligators. - -Well, no! the blackish back that supported me was smooth, -polished, without scales. The blow produced a metallic sound; -and, incredible though it may be, it seemed, I might say, -as if it was made of riveted plates. - -There was no doubt about it! This monster, this natural -phenomenon that had puzzled the learned world, and over thrown -and misled the imagination of seamen of both hemispheres, -it must be owned was a still more astonishing phenomenon, -inasmuch as it was a simply human construction. - -We had no time to lose, however. We were lying upon the back of a -sort of submarine boat, which appeared (as far as I could judge) -like a huge fish of steel. Ned Land's mind was made up on this point. -Conseil and I could only agree with him. - -Just then a bubbling began at the back of this strange thing -(which was evidently propelled by a screw), and it began to move. -We had only just time to seize hold of the upper part, -which rose about seven feet out of the water, and happily its speed -was not great. - -"As long as it sails horizontally," muttered Ned Land, -"I do not mind; but, if it takes a fancy to dive, I would -not give two straws for my life." - -The Canadian might have said still less. It became really necessary to -communicate with the beings, whatever they were, shut up inside the machine. -I searched all over the outside for an aperture, a panel, or a manhole, -to use a technical expression; but the lines of the iron rivets, -solidly driven into the joints of the iron plates, were clear and uniform. -Besides, the moon disappeared then, and left us in total darkness. - -At last this long night passed. My indistinct remembrance -prevents my describing all the impressions it made. -I can only recall one circumstance. During some lulls of -the wind and sea, I fancied I heard several times vague sounds, -a sort of fugitive harmony produced by words of command. -What was, then, the mystery of this submarine craft, -of which the whole world vainly sought an explanation? -What kind of beings existed in this strange boat? -What mechanical agent caused its prodigious speed? - -Daybreak appeared. The morning mists surrounded us, -but they soon cleared off. I was about to examine the hull, -which formed on deck a kind of horizontal platform, when I felt -it gradually sinking. - -"Oh! confound it!" cried Ned Land, kicking the resounding plate. -"Open, you inhospitable rascals!" - -Happily the sinking movement ceased. Suddenly a noise, like iron -works violently pushed aside, came from the interior of the boat. -One iron plate was moved, a man appeared, uttered an odd cry, -and disappeared immediately. - -Some moments after, eight strong men, with masked faces, appeared noiselessly, -and drew us down into their formidable machine. - - - -CHAPTER VIII - -MOBILIS IN MOBILI - -This forcible abduction, so roughly carried out, was accomplished with -the rapidity of lightning. I shivered all over. Whom had we to deal with? -No doubt some new sort of pirates, who explored the sea in their own way. -Hardly had the narrow panel closed upon me, when I was enveloped in darkness. -My eyes, dazzled with the outer light, could distinguish nothing. -I felt my naked feet cling to the rungs of an iron ladder. Ned Land -and Conseil, firmly seized, followed me. At the bottom of the ladder, -a door opened, and shut after us immediately with a bang. - -We were alone. Where, I could not say, hardly imagine. -All was black, and such a dense black that, after some minutes, -my eyes had not been able to discern even the faintest glimmer. - -Meanwhile, Ned Land, furious at these proceedings, gave free -vent to his indignation. - -"Confound it!" cried he, "here are people who come up to the -Scotch for hospitality. They only just miss being cannibals. -I should not be surprised at it, but I declare that they shall -not eat me without my protesting." - -"Calm yourself, friend Ned, calm yourself," replied Conseil, quietly. -"Do not cry out before you are hurt. We are not quite done for yet." - -"Not quite," sharply replied the Canadian, "but pretty near, -at all events. Things look black. Happily, my bowie knife -I have still, and I can always see well enough to use it. -The first of these pirates who lays a hand on me----" - -"Do not excite yourself, Ned," I said to the harpooner, "and do not compromise -us by useless violence. Who knows that they will not listen to us? -Let us rather try to find out where we are." - -I groped about. In five steps I came to an iron wall, -made of plates bolted together. Then turning back I struck -against a wooden table, near which were ranged several stools. -The boards of this prison were concealed under a thick mat, -which deadened the noise of the feet. The bare walls -revealed no trace of window or door. Conseil, going round -the reverse way, met me, and we went back to the middle -of the cabin, which measured about twenty feet by ten. -As to its height, Ned Land, in spite of his own great height, -could not measure it. - -Half an hour had already passed without our situation being bettered, -when the dense darkness suddenly gave way to extreme light. -Our prison was suddenly lighted, that is to say, it became filled -with a luminous matter, so strong that I could not bear it at first. -In its whiteness and intensity I recognised that electric light which played -round the submarine boat like a magnificent phenomenon of phosphorescence. -After shutting my eyes involuntarily, I opened them, and saw that this -luminous agent came from a half globe, unpolished, placed in the roof -of the cabin. - -"At last one can see," cried Ned Land, who, knife in hand, -stood on the defensive. - -"Yes," said I; "but we are still in the dark about ourselves." - -"Let master have patience," said the imperturbable Conseil. - -The sudden lighting of the cabin enabled me to examine it minutely. -It only contained a table and five stools. The invisible -door might be hermetically sealed. No noise was heard. -All seemed dead in the interior of this boat. Did it move, did it -float on the surface of the ocean, or did it dive into its depths? -I could not guess. - -A noise of bolts was now heard, the door opened, and two men appeared. - -One was short, very muscular, broad-shouldered, with robust limbs, -strong head, an abundance of black hair, thick moustache, -a quick penetrating look, and the vivacity which characterises -the population of Southern France. - -The second stranger merits a more detailed description. I made out -his prevailing qualities directly: self-confidence--because his head -was well set on his shoulders, and his black eyes looked around with -cold assurance; calmness--for his skin, rather pale, showed his coolness -of blood; energy--evinced by the rapid contraction of his lofty brows; -and courage--because his deep breathing denoted great power of lungs. - -Whether this person was thirty-five or fifty years of age, -I could not say. He was tall, had a large forehead, -straight nose, a clearly cut mouth, beautiful teeth, with fine -taper hands, indicative of a highly nervous temperament. -This man was certainly the most admirable specimen I had ever met. -One particular feature was his eyes, rather far from each other, -and which could take in nearly a quarter of the horizon at once. - -This faculty--(I verified it later)--gave him a range of vision far superior -to Ned Land's. When this stranger fixed upon an object, his eyebrows met, -his large eyelids closed around so as to contract the range of his vision, -and he looked as if he magnified the objects lessened by distance, as if -he pierced those sheets of water so opaque to our eyes, and as if he read -the very depths of the seas. - -The two strangers, with caps made from the fur of the sea otter, -and shod with sea boots of seal's skin, were dressed in clothes -of a particular texture, which allowed free movement of the limbs. -The taller of the two, evidently the chief on board, examined us -with great attention, without saying a word; then, turning to -his companion, talked with him in an unknown tongue. -It was a sonorous, harmonious, and flexible dialect, the vowels -seeming to admit of very varied accentuation. - -The other replied by a shake of the head, and added two or three perfectly -incomprehensible words. Then he seemed to question me by a look. - -I replied in good French that I did not know his language; -but he seemed not to understand me, and my situation -became more embarrassing. - -"If master were to tell our story," said Conseil, "perhaps these gentlemen -may understand some words." - -I began to tell our adventures, articulating each syllable clearly, -and without omitting one single detail. I announced our names and rank, -introducing in person Professor Aronnax, his servant Conseil, -and master Ned Land, the harpooner. - -The man with the soft calm eyes listened to me quietly, -even politely, and with extreme attention; but nothing in -his countenance indicated that he had understood my story. -When I finished, he said not a word. - -There remained one resource, to speak English. -Perhaps they would know this almost universal language. -I knew it--as well as the German language--well enough to read -it fluently, but not to speak it correctly. But, anyhow, we must -make ourselves understood. - -"Go on in your turn," I said to the harpooner; "speak your best -Anglo-Saxon, and try to do better than I." - -Ned did not beg off, and recommenced our story. - -To his great disgust, the harpooner did not seem to have made -himself more intelligible than I had. Our visitors did not stir. -They evidently understood neither the language of England -nor of France. - -Very much embarrassed, after having vainly exhausted our speaking resources, -I knew not what part to take, when Conseil said: - -"If master will permit me, I will relate it in German." - -But in spite of the elegant terms and good accent -of the narrator, the German language had no success. -At last, nonplussed, I tried to remember my first lessons, -and to narrate our adventures in Latin, but with no better success. -This last attempt being of no avail, the two strangers exchanged -some words in their unknown language, and retired. - -The door shut. - -"It is an infamous shame," cried Ned Land, who broke out for the -twentieth time. "We speak to those rogues in French, English, German, -and Latin, and not one of them has the politeness to answer!" - -"Calm yourself," I said to the impetuous Ned; "anger will do no good." - -"But do you see, Professor," replied our irascible companion, -"that we shall absolutely die of hunger in this iron cage?" - -"Bah!" said Conseil, philosophically; "we can hold out some time yet." - -"My friends," I said, "we must not despair. We have been worse -off than this. Do me the favour to wait a little before forming -an opinion upon the commander and crew of this boat." - -"My opinion is formed," replied Ned Land, sharply. "They are rascals." - -"Good! and from what country?" - -"From the land of rogues!" - -"My brave Ned, that country is not clearly indicated on the map of the world; -but I admit that the nationality of the two strangers is hard to determine. -Neither English, French, nor German, that is quite certain. However, I am -inclined to think that the commander and his companion were born in -low latitudes. There is southern blood in them. But I cannot decide by -their appearance whether they are Spaniards, Turks, Arabians, or Indians. -As to their language, it is quite incomprehensible." - -"There is the disadvantage of not knowing all languages," said Conseil, -"or the disadvantage of not having one universal language." - -As he said these words, the door opened. A steward entered. -He brought us clothes, coats and trousers, made of a stuff I did not know. -I hastened to dress myself, and my companions followed my example. -During that time, the steward--dumb, perhaps deaf--had arranged the table, -and laid three plates. - -"This is something like!" said Conseil. - -"Bah!" said the angry harpooner, "what do you suppose they eat here? -Tortoise liver, filleted shark, and beef steaks from seadogs." - -"We shall see," said Conseil. - -The dishes, of bell metal, were placed on the table, and we took -our places. Undoubtedly we had to do with civilised people, -and, had it not been for the electric light which flooded us, -I could have fancied I was in the dining-room of the Adelphi -Hotel at Liverpool, or at the Grand Hotel in Paris. -I must say, however, that there was neither bread nor wine. -The water was fresh and clear, but it was water and did not suit -Ned Land's taste. Amongst the dishes which were brought to us, -I recognised several fish delicately dressed; but of some, -although excellent, I could give no opinion, neither could I tell -to what kingdom they belonged, whether animal or vegetable. -As to the dinner-service, it was elegant, and in perfect taste. -Each utensil--spoon, fork, knife, plate--had a letter engraved on it, -with a motto above it, of which this is an exact facsimile: - - -MOBILIS IN MOBILI N - -The letter N was no doubt the initial of the name of the enigmatical -person who commanded at the bottom of the seas. - -Ned and Conseil did not reflect much. They devoured the food, -and I did likewise. I was, besides, reassured as to our fate; -and it seemed evident that our hosts would not let us die of want. - -However, everything has an end, everything passes away, -even the hunger of people who have not eaten for fifteen hours. -Our appetites satisfied, we felt overcome with sleep. - -"Faith! I shall sleep well," said Conseil. - -"So shall I," replied Ned Land. - -My two companions stretched themselves on the cabin carpet, -and were soon sound asleep. For my own part, too many thoughts -crowded my brain, too many insoluble questions pressed upon me, -too many fancies kept my eyes half open. Where were we? -What strange power carried us on? I felt--or rather fancied I felt-- -the machine sinking down to the lowest beds of the sea. -Dreadful nightmares beset me; I saw in these mysterious asylums -a world of unknown animals, amongst which this submarine boat seemed -to be of the same kind, living, moving, and formidable as they. -Then my brain grew calmer, my imagination wandered into -vague unconsciousness, and I soon fell into a deep sleep. - - - -CHAPTER IX - -NED LAND'S TEMPERS - -How long we slept I do not know; but our sleep must have lasted long, -for it rested us completely from our fatigues. I woke first. -My companions had not moved, and were still stretched in their corner. - -Hardly roused from my somewhat hard couch, I felt my brain freed, -my mind clear. I then began an attentive examination of our cell. -Nothing was changed inside. The prison was still a prison-- -the prisoners, prisoners. However, the steward, during our sleep, -had cleared the table. I breathed with difficulty. The heavy air -seemed to oppress my lungs. Although the cell was large, we had -evidently consumed a great part of the oxygen that it contained. -Indeed, each man consumes, in one hour, the oxygen contained in more -than 176 pints of air, and this air, charged (as then) with a nearly -equal quantity of carbonic acid, becomes unbreathable. - -It became necessary to renew the atmosphere of our prison, and no doubt -the whole in the submarine boat. That gave rise to a question in my mind. -How would the commander of this floating dwelling-place proceed? -Would he obtain air by chemical means, in getting by heat the oxygen contained -in chlorate of potash, and in absorbing carbonic acid by caustic potash? -Or--a more convenient, economical, and consequently more probable alternative-- -would he be satisfied to rise and take breath at the surface of the water, -like a whale, and so renew for twenty-four hours the atmospheric provision? - -In fact, I was already obliged to increase my respirations to eke -out of this cell the little oxygen it contained, when suddenly I was -refreshed by a current of pure air, and perfumed with saline emanations. -It was an invigorating sea breeze, charged with iodine. I opened my -mouth wide, and my lungs saturated themselves with fresh particles. - -At the same time I felt the boat rolling. The iron-plated monster -had evidently just risen to the surface of the ocean to breathe, -after the fashion of whales. I found out from that the mode -of ventilating the boat. - -When I had inhaled this air freely, I sought the conduit pipe, -which conveyed to us the beneficial whiff, and I was not long in finding it. -Above the door was a ventilator, through which volumes of fresh air -renewed the impoverished atmosphere of the cell. - -I was making my observations, when Ned and Conseil awoke almost -at the same time, under the influence of this reviving air. -They rubbed their eyes, stretched themselves, and were on their feet -in an instant. - -"Did master sleep well?" asked Conseil, with his usual politeness. - -"Very well, my brave boy. And you, Mr. Land?" - -"Soundly, Professor. But, I don't know if I am right or not, -there seems to be a sea breeze!" - -A seaman could not be mistaken, and I told the Canadian all that had passed -during his sleep. - -"Good!" said he. "That accounts for those roarings we heard, -when the supposed narwhal sighted the Abraham Lincoln." - -"Quite so, Master Land; it was taking breath." - -"Only, Mr. Aronnax, I have no idea what o'clock it is, -unless it is dinner-time." - -"Dinner-time! my good fellow? Say rather breakfast-time, for we -certainly have begun another day." - -"So," said Conseil, "we have slept twenty-four hours?" - -"That is my opinion." - -"I will not contradict you," replied Ned Land. "But, dinner or breakfast, -the steward will be welcome, whichever he brings." - -"Master Land, we must conform to the rules on board, and I suppose -our appetites are in advance of the dinner hour." - -"That is just like you, friend Conseil," said Ned, impatiently. -"You are never out of temper, always calm; you would return thanks -before grace, and die of hunger rather than complain!" - -Time was getting on, and we were fearfully hungry; and this -time the steward did not appear. It was rather too long -to leave us, if they really had good intentions towards us. -Ned Land, tormented by the cravings of hunger, got still -more angry; and, notwithstanding his promise, I dreaded an -explosion when he found himself with one of the crew. - -For two hours more Ned Land's temper increased; he cried, he shouted, -but in vain. The walls were deaf. There was no sound to be heard -in the boat; all was still as death. It did not move, for I should have -felt the trembling motion of the hull under the influence of the screw. -Plunged in the depths of the waters, it belonged no longer to earth: -this silence was dreadful. - -I felt terrified, Conseil was calm, Ned Land roared. - -Just then a noise was heard outside. Steps sounded on the metal flags. -The locks were turned, the door opened, and the steward appeared. - -Before I could rush forward to stop him, the Canadian had thrown him down, -and held him by the throat. The steward was choking under the grip -of his powerful hand. - -Conseil was already trying to unclasp the harpooner's hand from -his half-suffocated victim, and I was going to fly to the rescue, -when suddenly I was nailed to the spot by hearing these words in French: - -"Be quiet, Master Land; and you, Professor, will you be so good -as to listen to me?" - - - -CHAPTER X - -THE MAN OF THE SEAS - -It was the commander of the vessel who thus spoke. - -At these words, Ned Land rose suddenly. The steward, -nearly strangled, tottered out on a sign from his master. -But such was the power of the commander on board, that not -a gesture betrayed the resentment which this man must have felt -towards the Canadian. Conseil interested in spite of himself, -I stupefied, awaited in silence the result of this scene. - -The commander, leaning against the corner of a table with his arms folded, -scanned us with profound attention. Did he hesitate to speak? -Did he regret the words which he had just spoken in French? -One might almost think so. - -After some moments of silence, which not one of us dreamed -of breaking, "Gentlemen," said he, in a calm and penetrating voice, -"I speak French, English, German, and Latin equally well. -I could, therefore, have answered you at our first interview, but I -wished to know you first, then to reflect. The story told by each one, -entirely agreeing in the main points, convinced me of your identity. -I know now that chance has brought before me M. Pierre Aronnax, -Professor of Natural History at the Museum of Paris, entrusted with -a scientific mission abroad, Conseil, his servant, and Ned Land, -of Canadian origin, harpooner on board the frigate Abraham Lincoln -of the navy of the United States of America." - -I bowed assent. It was not a question that the commander put to me. -Therefore there was no answer to be made. This man expressed himself -with perfect ease, without any accent. His sentences were well turned, -his words clear, and his fluency of speech remarkable. Yet, I did not -recognise in him a fellow-countryman. - -He continued the conversation in these terms: - -"You have doubtless thought, sir, that I have delayed long in paying -you this second visit. The reason is that, your identity recognised, -I wished to weigh maturely what part to act towards you. -I have hesitated much. Most annoying circumstances have brought you -into the presence of a man who has broken all the ties of humanity. -You have come to trouble my existence." - -"Unintentionally!" said I. - -"Unintentionally?" replied the stranger, raising his voice a little. -"Was it unintentionally that the Abraham Lincoln pursued me all over -the seas? Was it unintentionally that you took passage in this frigate? -Was it unintentionally that your cannon-balls rebounded off the plating -of my vessel? Was it unintentionally that Mr. Ned Land struck me -with his harpoon?" - -I detected a restrained irritation in these words. -But to these recriminations I had a very natural answer to make, -and I made it. - -"Sir," said I, "no doubt you are ignorant of the discussions -which have taken place concerning you in America and Europe. -You do not know that divers accidents, caused by collisions with your -submarine machine, have excited public feeling in the two continents. -I omit the theories without number by which it was sought -to explain that of which you alone possess the secret. -But you must understand that, in pursuing you over the high -seas of the Pacific, the Abraham Lincoln believed itself to be -chasing some powerful sea-monster, of which it was necessary -to rid the ocean at any price." - -A half-smile curled the lips of the commander: then, in a calmer tone: - -"M. Aronnax," he replied, "dare you affirm that your frigate -would not as soon have pursued and cannonaded a submarine boat -as a monster?" - -This question embarrassed me, for certainly Captain Farragut might -not have hesitated. He might have thought it his duty to destroy -a contrivance of this kind, as he would a gigantic narwhal. - -"You understand then, sir," continued the stranger, "that I -have the right to treat you as enemies?" - -I answered nothing, purposely. For what good would it be to discuss -such a proposition, when force could destroy the best arguments? - -"I have hesitated some time," continued the commander; "nothing obliged -me to show you hospitality. If I chose to separate myself from you, -I should have no interest in seeing you again; I could place you -upon the deck of this vessel which has served you as a refuge, -I could sink beneath the waters, and forget that you had ever existed. -Would not that be my right?" - -"It might be the right of a savage," I answered, "but not -that of a civilised man." - -"Professor," replied the commander, quickly, "I am not what you -call a civilised man! I have done with society entirely, -for reasons which I alone have the right of appreciating. -I do not, therefore, obey its laws, and I desire you never to allude -to them before me again!" - -This was said plainly. A flash of anger and disdain kindled in the eyes of -the Unknown, and I had a glimpse of a terrible past in the life of this man. -Not only had he put himself beyond the pale of human laws, but he had made -himself independent of them, free in the strictest acceptation of the word, -quite beyond their reach! Who then would dare to pursue him at the bottom of -the sea, when, on its surface, he defied all attempts made against him? - -What vessel could resist the shock of his submarine monitor? -What cuirass, however thick, could withstand the blows of his spur? -No man could demand from him an account of his actions; -God, if he believed in one--his conscience, if he had one-- -were the sole judges to whom he was answerable. - -These reflections crossed my mind rapidly, whilst the stranger -personage was silent, absorbed, and as if wrapped up in himself. -I regarded him with fear mingled with interest, as, doubtless, -OEdiphus regarded the Sphinx. - -After rather a long silence, the commander resumed the conversation. - -"I have hesitated," said he, "but I have thought that my interest might -be reconciled with that pity to which every human being has a right. -You will remain on board my vessel, since fate has cast you there. -You will be free; and, in exchange for this liberty, I shall only impose one -single condition. Your word of honour to submit to it will suffice." - -"Speak, sir," I answered. "I suppose this condition is one which a man -of honour may accept?" - -"Yes, sir; it is this: It is possible that certain events, -unforeseen, may oblige me to consign you to your cabins for some hours -or some days, as the case may be. As I desire never to use violence, -I expect from you, more than all the others, a passive obedience. -In thus acting, I take all the responsibility: I acquit you entirely, -for I make it an impossibility for you to see what ought not to be seen. -Do you accept this condition?" - -Then things took place on board which, to say the least, -were singular, and which ought not to be seen by people -who were not placed beyond the pale of social laws. -Amongst the surprises which the future was preparing for me, -this might not be the least. - -"We accept," I answered; "only I will ask your permission, sir, to address -one question to you--one only." - -"Speak, sir." - -"You said that we should be free on board." - -"Entirely." - -"I ask you, then, what you mean by this liberty?" - -"Just the liberty to go, to come, to see, to observe even all -that passes here save under rare circumstances--the liberty, -in short, which we enjoy ourselves, my companions and I." - -It was evident that we did not understand one another. - -"Pardon me, sir," I resumed, "but this liberty is only what every -prisoner has of pacing his prison. It cannot suffice us." - -"It must suffice you, however." - -"What! we must renounce for ever seeing our country, our friends, -our relations again?" - -"Yes, sir. But to renounce that unendurable worldly yoke which men -believe to be liberty is not perhaps so painful as you think." - -"Well," exclaimed Ned Land, "never will I give my word of honour -not to try to escape." - -"I did not ask you for your word of honour, Master Land," -answered the commander, coldly. - -"Sir," I replied, beginning to get angry in spite of my self, -"you abuse your situation towards us; it is cruelty." - -"No, sir, it is clemency. You are my prisoners of war. I keep you, -when I could, by a word, plunge you into the depths of the ocean. -You attacked me. You came to surprise a secret which no man -in the world must penetrate--the secret of my whole existence. -And you think that I am going to send you back to that world which must -know me no more? Never! In retaining you, it is not you whom I guard-- -it is myself." - -These words indicated a resolution taken on the part of the commander, -against which no arguments would prevail. - -"So, sir," I rejoined, "you give us simply the choice between life and death?" - -"Simply." - -"My friends," said I, "to a question thus put, there is nothing to answer. -But no word of honour binds us to the master of this vessel." - -"None, sir," answered the Unknown. - -Then, in a gentler tone, he continued: - -"Now, permit me to finish what I have to say to you. I know you, -M. Aronnax. You and your companions will not, perhaps, have so much -to complain of in the chance which has bound you to my fate. -You will find amongst the books which are my favourite study the work -which you have published on `the depths of the sea.' I have often read it. -You have carried out your work as far as terrestrial science permitted you. -But you do not know all--you have not seen all. Let me tell you then, -Professor, that you will not regret the time passed on board my vessel. -You are going to visit the land of marvels." - -These words of the commander had a great effect upon me. I cannot deny it. -My weak point was touched; and I forgot, for a moment, that the contemplation -of these sublime subjects was not worth the loss of liberty. -Besides, I trusted to the future to decide this grave question. -So I contented myself with saying: - -"By what name ought I to address you?" - -"Sir," replied the commander, "I am nothing to you but Captain Nemo; -and you and your companions are nothing to me but the passengers -of the Nautilus." - -Captain Nemo called. A steward appeared. The captain gave him -his orders in that strange language which I did not understand. -Then, turning towards the Canadian and Conseil: - -"A repast awaits you in your cabin," said he. "Be so good -as to follow this man. - -"And now, M. Aronnax, our breakfast is ready. Permit me to lead the way." - -"I am at your service, Captain." - -I followed Captain Nemo; and as soon as I had passed through the door, -I found myself in a kind of passage lighted by electricity, -similar to the waist of a ship. After we had proceeded a dozen yards, -a second door opened before me. - -I then entered a dining-room, decorated and furnished -in severe taste. High oaken sideboards, inlaid with ebony, -stood at the two extremities of the room, and upon their shelves -glittered china, porcelain, and glass of inestimable value. -The plate on the table sparkled in the rays which the luminous -ceiling shed around, while the light was tempered and softened -by exquisite paintings. - -In the centre of the room was a table richly laid out. -Captain Nemo indicated the place I was to occupy. - -The breakfast consisted of a certain number of dishes, -the contents of which were furnished by the sea alone; -and I was ignorant of the nature and mode of preparation -of some of them. I acknowledged that they were good, but they -had a peculiar flavour, which I easily became accustomed to. -These different aliments appeared to me to be rich in phosphorus, -and I thought they must have a marine origin. - -Captain Nemo looked at me. I asked him no questions, but he guessed -my thoughts, and answered of his own accord the questions which I -was burning to address to him. - -"The greater part of these dishes are unknown to you," -he said to me. "However, you may partake of them without fear. -They are wholesome and nourishing. For a long time I have -renounced the food of the earth, and I am never ill now. -My crew, who are healthy, are fed on the same food." - -"So," said I, "all these eatables are the produce of the sea?" - -"Yes, Professor, the sea supplies all my wants. Sometimes I cast -my nets in tow, and I draw them in ready to break. Sometimes I -hunt in the midst of this element, which appears to be inaccessible -to man, and quarry the game which dwells in my submarine forests. -My flocks, like those of Neptune's old shepherds, graze fearlessly -in the immense prairies of the ocean. I have a vast property there, -which I cultivate myself, and which is always sown by the hand -of the Creator of all things." - -"I can understand perfectly, sir, that your nets furnish excellent fish -for your table; I can understand also that you hunt aquatic game in your -submarine forests; but I cannot understand at all how a particle of meat, -no matter how small, can figure in your bill of fare." - -"This, which you believe to be meat, Professor, is nothing else than -fillet of turtle. Here are also some dolphins' livers, which you -take to be ragout of pork. My cook is a clever fellow, -who excels in dressing these various products of the ocean. -Taste all these dishes. Here is a preserve of sea-cucumber, -which a Malay would declare to be unrivalled in the world; -here is a cream, of which the milk has been furnished by -the cetacea, and the sugar by the great fucus of the North Sea; -and, lastly, permit me to offer you some preserve of anemones, -which is equal to that of the most delicious fruits." - -I tasted, more from curiosity than as a connoisseur, whilst Captain -Nemo enchanted me with his extraordinary stories. - -"You like the sea, Captain?" - -"Yes; I love it! The sea is everything. It covers seven tenths -of the terrestrial globe. Its breath is pure and healthy. -It is an immense desert, where man is never lonely, -for he feels life stirring on all sides. The sea is only -the embodiment of a supernatural and wonderful existence. -It is nothing but love and emotion; it is the `Living Infinite,' -as one of your poets has said. In fact, Professor, Nature manifests -herself in it by her three kingdoms--mineral, vegetable, and animal. -The sea is the vast reservoir of Nature. The globe began with sea, -so to speak; and who knows if it will not end with it? -In it is supreme tranquillity. The sea does not belong to despots. -Upon its surface men can still exercise unjust laws, fight, tear one -another to pieces, and be carried away with terrestrial horrors. -But at thirty feet below its level, their reign ceases, -their influence is quenched, and their power disappears. -Ah! sir, live--live in the bosom of the waters! -There only is independence! There I recognise no masters! -There I am free!" - -Captain Nemo suddenly became silent in the midst of -this enthusiasm, by which he was quite carried away. -For a few moments he paced up and down, much agitated. -Then he became more calm, regained his accustomed coldness -of expression, and turning towards me: - -"Now, Professor," said he, "if you wish to go over the Nautilus, -I am at your service." - -Captain Nemo rose. I followed him. A double door, contrived at the back -of the dining-room, opened, and I entered a room equal in dimensions -to that which I had just quitted. - -It was a library. High pieces of furniture, of black violet -ebony inlaid with brass, supported upon their wide shelves -a great number of books uniformly bound. They followed the shape -of the room, terminating at the lower part in huge divans, -covered with brown leather, which were curved, to afford -the greatest comfort. Light movable desks, made to slide in -and out at will, allowed one to rest one's book while reading. -In the centre stood an immense table, covered with pamphlets, -amongst which were some newspapers, already of old date. -The electric light flooded everything; it was shed from four -unpolished globes half sunk in the volutes of the ceiling. -I looked with real admiration at this room, so ingeniously fitted up, -and I could scarcely believe my eyes. - -"Captain Nemo," said I to my host, who had just thrown himself -on one of the divans, "this is a library which would do honour -to more than one of the continental palaces, and I am absolutely -astounded when I consider that it can follow you to the bottom -of the seas." - -"Where could one find greater solitude or silence, Professor?" -replied Captain Nemo. "Did your study in the Museum afford you -such perfect quiet?" - -"No, sir; and I must confess that it is a very poor one after yours. -You must have six or seven thousand volumes here." - -"Twelve thousand, M. Aronnax. These are the only ties which bind -me to the earth. But I had done with the world on the day -when my Nautilus plunged for the first time beneath the waters. -That day I bought my last volumes, my last pamphlets, my last papers, -and from that time I wish to think that men no longer think or write. -These books, Professor, are at your service besides, and you can make use -of them freely." - -I thanked Captain Nemo, and went up to the shelves of the library. -Works on science, morals, and literature abounded in every language; -but I did not see one single work on political economy; that subject -appeared to be strictly proscribed. Strange to say, all these books -were irregularly arranged, in whatever language they were written; -and this medley proved that the Captain of the Nautilus must have read -indiscriminately the books which he took up by chance. - -"Sir," said I to the Captain, "I thank you for having placed -this library at my disposal. It contains treasures of science, -and I shall profit by them." - -"This room is not only a library," said Captain Nemo, -"it is also a smoking-room." - -"A smoking-room!" I cried. "Then one may smoke on board?" - -"Certainly." - -"Then, sir, I am forced to believe that you have kept up -a communication with Havannah." - -"Not any," answered the Captain. "Accept this cigar, -M. Aronnax; and, though it does not come from Havannah, -you will be pleased with it, if you are a connoisseur." - -I took the cigar which was offered me; its shape recalled -the London ones, but it seemed to be made of leaves of gold. -I lighted it at a little brazier, which was supported upon an -elegant bronze stem, and drew the first whiffs with the delight -of a lover of smoking who has not smoked for two days. - -"It is excellent, but it is not tobacco." - -"No!" answered the Captain, "this tobacco comes neither from Havannah -nor from the East. It is a kind of sea-weed, rich in nicotine, -with which the sea provides me, but somewhat sparingly." - -At that moment Captain Nemo opened a door which stood opposite -to that by which I had entered the library, and I passed into -an immense drawing-room splendidly lighted. - -It was a vast, four-sided room, thirty feet long, eighteen wide, -and fifteen high. A luminous ceiling, decorated with light arabesques, -shed a soft clear light over all the marvels accumulated in this museum. -For it was in fact a museum, in which an intelligent and prodigal hand -had gathered all the treasures of nature and art, with the artistic -confusion which distinguishes a painter's studio. - -{several sentences are missing here in the omnibus edition} - -Thirty first-rate pictures, uniformly framed, separated by bright drapery, -ornamented the walls, which were hung with tapestry of severe design. -I saw works of great value, the greater part of which I had admired in the -special collections of Europe, and in the exhibitions of paintings. - -Some admirable statues in marble and bronze, after the finest antique models, -stood upon pedestals in the corners of this magnificent museum. -Amazement, as the Captain of the Nautilus had predicted, had already -begun to take possession of me. - -"Professor," said this strange man, "you must excuse the unceremonious -way in which I receive you, and the disorder of this room." - -"Sir," I answered, "without seeking to know who you are, -I recognise in you an artist." - -"An amateur, nothing more, sir. Formerly I loved to collect -these beautiful works created by the hand of man. -I sought them greedily, and ferreted them out indefatigably, -and I have been able to bring together some objects of great value. -These are my last souvenirs of that world which is dead to me. -In my eyes, your modern artists are already old; they have two or -three thousand years of existence; I confound them in my own mind. -Masters have no age." - -{4 paragraphs seem to be missing from this omnibus text here they -have to do with musical composers, a piano, and a brief revery -on the part of Nemo} - -Under elegant glass cases, fixed by copper rivets, were classed -and labelled the most precious productions of the sea -which had ever been presented to the eye of a naturalist. -My delight as a professor may be conceived. - -{2 long paragraphs seem to be missing from this omnibus here} - -Apart, in separate compartments, were spread out chaplets of pearls -of the greatest beauty, which reflected the electric light in little -sparks of fire; pink pearls, torn from the pinna-marina of the Red Sea; -green pearls, yellow, blue, and black pearls, the curious productions -of the divers molluscs of every ocean, and certain mussels of the water -courses of the North; lastly, several specimens of inestimable value. -Some of these pearls were larger than a pigeon's egg, and were worth millions. - -{this para has been altered the last sentence reworded} - -Therefore, to estimate the value of this collection was simply impossible. -Captain Nemo must have expended millions in the acquirement of these -various specimens, and I was thinking what source he could have drawn from, -to have been able thus to gratify his fancy for collecting, when I was -interrupted by these words: - -"You are examining my shells, Professor? Unquestionably they must be -interesting to a naturalist; but for me they have a far greater charm, -for I have collected them all with my own hand, and there is not a sea -on the face of the globe which has escaped my researches." - -"I can understand, Captain, the delight of wandering about in the midst -of such riches. You are one of those who have collected their -treasures themselves. No museum in Europe possesses such a collection -of the produce of the ocean. But if I exhaust all my admiration -upon it, I shall have none left for the vessel which carries it. -I do not wish to pry into your secrets: but I must confess -that this Nautilus, with the motive power which is confined in it, -the contrivances which enable it to be worked, the powerful agent -which propels it, all excite my curiosity to the highest pitch. -I see suspended on the walls of this room instruments of whose use -I am ignorant." - -"You will find these same instruments in my own room, Professor, -where I shall have much pleasure in explaining their use to you. -But first come and inspect the cabin which is set apart for your own use. -You must see how you will be accommodated on board the Nautilus." - -I followed Captain Nemo who, by one of the doors opening -from each panel of the drawing-room, regained the waist. -He conducted me towards the bow, and there I found, not a cabin, -but an elegant room, with a bed, dressing-table, and several other -pieces of excellent furniture. - -I could only thank my host. - -"Your room adjoins mine," said he, opening a door, "and mine -opens into the drawing-room that we have just quitted." - -I entered the Captain's room: it had a severe, almost a monkish aspect. -A small iron bedstead, a table, some articles for the toilet; the whole -lighted by a skylight. No comforts, the strictest necessaries only. - -Captain Nemo pointed to a seat. - -"Be so good as to sit down," he said. I seated myself, -and he began thus: - - - -CHAPTER XI - -ALL BY ELECTRICITY - -"Sir," said Captain Nemo, showing me the instruments hanging on the walls -of his room, "here are the contrivances required for the navigation of -the Nautilus. Here, as in the drawing-room, I have them always under my eyes, -and they indicate my position and exact direction in the middle of the ocean. -Some are known to you, such as the thermometer, which gives the internal -temperature of the Nautilus; the barometer, which indicates the weight -of the air and foretells the changes of the weather; the hygrometer, -which marks the dryness of the atmosphere; the storm-glass, the contents -of which, by decomposing, announce the approach of tempests; the compass, -which guides my course; the sextant, which shows the latitude by the altitude -of the sun; chronometers, by which I calculate the longitude; and glasses -for day and night, which I use to examine the points of the horizon, -when the Nautilus rises to the surface of the waves." - -"These are the usual nautical instruments," I replied, -"and I know the use of them. But these others, no doubt, -answer to the particular requirements of the Nautilus. -This dial with movable needle is a manometer, is it not?" - -"It is actually a manometer. But by communication with the water, -whose external pressure it indicates, it gives our depth at the same time." - -"And these other instruments, the use of which I cannot guess?" - -"Here, Professor, I ought to give you some explanations. -Will you be kind enough to listen to me?" - -He was silent for a few moments, then he said: - -"There is a powerful agent, obedient, rapid, easy, which conforms to -every use, and reigns supreme on board my vessel. Everything is done by means -of it. It lights, warms it, and is the soul of my mechanical apparatus. -This agent is electricity." - -"Electricity?" I cried in surprise. - -"Yes, sir." - -"Nevertheless, Captain, you possess an extreme rapidity of movement, -which does not agree well with the power of electricity. -Until now, its dynamic force has remained under restraint, and has -only been able to produce a small amount of power." - -"Professor," said Captain Nemo, "my electricity is not everybody's. -You know what sea-water is composed of. In a thousand grammes -are found 96 1/2 per cent. of water, and about 2 2/3 per cent. -of chloride of sodium; then, in a smaller quantity, chlorides of -magnesium and of potassium, bromide of magnesium, sulphate of magnesia, -sulphate and carbonate of lime. You see, then, that chloride -of sodium forms a large part of it. So it is this sodium that I -extract from the sea-water, and of which I compose my ingredients. -I owe all to the ocean; it produces electricity, and electricity -gives heat, light, motion, and, in a word, life to the Nautilus." - -"But not the air you breathe?" - -"Oh! I could manufacture the air necessary for my consumption, but it -is useless, because I go up to the surface of the water when I please. -However, if electricity does not furnish me with air to breathe, it works -at least the powerful pumps that are stored in spacious reservoirs, -and which enable me to prolong at need, and as long as I will, my stay -in the depths of the sea. It gives a uniform and unintermittent light, -which the sun does not. Now look at this clock; it is electrical, -and goes with a regularity that defies the best chronometers. -I have divided it into twenty-four hours, like the Italian clocks, -because for me there is neither night nor day, sun nor moon, but only -that factitious light that I take with me to the bottom of the sea. -Look! just now, it is ten o'clock in the morning." - -"Exactly." - -"Another application of electricity. This dial hanging in front of us -indicates the speed of the Nautilus. An electric thread puts it in -communication with the screw, and the needle indicates the real speed. -Look! now we are spinning along with a uniform speed of fifteen -miles an hour." - -"It is marvelous! And I see, Captain, you were right to make use -of this agent that takes the place of wind, water, and steam." - -"We have not finished, M. Aronnax," said Captain Nemo, rising. -"If you will allow me, we will examine the stern of the Nautilus." - -Really, I knew already the anterior part of this submarine boat, -of which this is the exact division, starting from the ship's head: -the dining-room, five yards long, separated from the library -by a water-tight partition; the library, five yards long; -the large drawing-room, ten yards long, separated from the Captain's -room by a second water-tight partition; the said room, five yards -in length; mine, two and a half yards; and, lastly a reservoir -of air, seven and a half yards, that extended to the bows. -Total length thirty five yards, or one hundred and five feet. -The partitions had doors that were shut hermetically by means of -india-rubber instruments, and they ensured the safety of the Nautilus -in case of a leak. - -I followed Captain Nemo through the waist, and arrived at the centre -of the boat. There was a sort of well that opened between two partitions. -An iron ladder, fastened with an iron hook to the partition, led to -the upper end. I asked the Captain what the ladder was used for. - -"It leads to the small boat," he said. - -"What! have you a boat?" I exclaimed, in surprise. - -"Of course; an excellent vessel, light and insubmersible, -that serves either as a fishing or as a pleasure boat." - -"But then, when you wish to embark, you are obliged to come to the surface -of the water?" - -"Not at all. This boat is attached to the upper part of -the hull of the Nautilus, and occupies a cavity made for it. -It is decked, quite water-tight, and held together by solid bolts. -This ladder leads to a man-hole made in the hull of the Nautilus, -that corresponds with a similar hole made in the side of the boat. -By this double opening I get into the small vessel. They shut the one -belonging to the Nautilus; I shut the other by means of screw pressure. -I undo the bolts, and the little boat goes up to the surface of the sea -with prodigious rapidity. I then open the panel of the bridge, -carefully shut till then; I mast it, hoist my sail, take my oars, -and I'm off." - -"But how do you get back on board?" - -"I do not come back, M. Aronnax; the Nautilus comes to me." - -"By your orders?" - -"By my orders. An electric thread connects us. I telegraph to it, -and that is enough." - -"Really," I said, astonished at these marvels, "nothing can -be more simple." - -After having passed by the cage of the staircase that led to the platform, -I saw a cabin six feet long, in which Conseil and Ned Land, -enchanted with their repast, were devouring it with avidity. -Then a door opened into a kitchen nine feet long, situated between -the large store-rooms. There electricity, better than gas itself, -did all the cooking. The streams under the furnaces gave out to the -sponges of platina a heat which was regularly kept up and distributed. -They also heated a distilling apparatus, which, by evaporation, -furnished excellent drinkable water. Near this kitchen was a bathroom -comfortably furnished, with hot and cold water taps. - -Next to the kitchen was the berth-room of the vessel, sixteen feet long. -But the door was shut, and I could not see the management of it, -which might have given me an idea of the number of men employed on -board the Nautilus. - -At the bottom was a fourth partition that separated this -office from the engine-room. A door opened, and I found myself -in the compartment where Captain Nemo--certainly an engineer -of a very high order--had arranged his locomotive machinery. -This engine-room, clearly lighted, did not measure less than -sixty-five feet in length. It was divided into two parts; -the first contained the materials for producing electricity, -and the second the machinery that connected it with the screw. -I examined it with great interest, in order to understand the -machinery of the Nautilus. - -"You see," said the Captain, "I use Bunsen's contrivances, -not Ruhmkorff's. Those would not have been powerful enough. -Bunsen's are fewer in number, but strong and large, which experience -proves to be the best. The electricity produced passes forward, -where it works, by electro-magnets of great size, on a system of levers -and cog-wheels that transmit the movement to the axle of the screw. -This one, the diameter of which is nineteen feet, and the thread -twenty-three feet, performs about 120 revolutions in a second." - -"And you get then?" - -"A speed of fifty miles an hour." - -"I have seen the Nautilus manoeuvre before the Abraham Lincoln, -and I have my own ideas as to its speed. But this is not enough. -We must see where we go. We must be able to direct it to the right, -to the left, above, below. How do you get to the great depths, -where you find an increasing resistance, which is rated by hundreds -of atmospheres? How do you return to the surface of the ocean? -And how do you maintain yourselves in the requisite medium? -Am I asking too much?" - -"Not at all, Professor," replied the Captain, with some hesitation; -"since you may never leave this submarine boat. Come into the saloon, -it is our usual study, and there you will learn all you want to know -about the Nautilus." - - - -CHAPTER XII - -SOME FIGURES - -A moment after we were seated on a divan in the saloon smoking. -The Captain showed me a sketch that gave the plan, section, and elevation -of the Nautilus. Then he began his description in these words: - -"Here, M. Aronnax, are the several dimensions of the boat -you are in. It is an elongated cylinder with conical ends. -It is very like a cigar in shape, a shape already adopted -in London in several constructions of the same sort. -The length of this cylinder, from stem to stern, is exactly -232 feet, and its maximum breadth is twenty-six feet. -It is not built quite like your long-voyage steamers, -but its lines are sufficiently long, and its curves -prolonged enough, to allow the water to slide off easily, -and oppose no obstacle to its passage. These two dimensions -enable you to obtain by a simple calculation the surface and -cubic contents of the Nautilus. Its area measures 6,032 feet; -and its contents about 1,500 cubic yards; that is to say, -when completely immersed it displaces 50,000 feet of water, -or weighs 1,500 tons. - -"When I made the plans for this submarine vessel, I meant that nine-tenths -should be submerged: consequently it ought only to displace nine-tenths -of its bulk, that is to say, only to weigh that number of tons. -I ought not, therefore, to have exceeded that weight, constructing it on -the aforesaid dimensions. - -"The Nautilus is composed of two hulls, one inside, the other outside, -joined by T-shaped irons, which render it very strong. Indeed, owing to -this cellular arrangement it resists like a block, as if it were solid. -Its sides cannot yield; it coheres spontaneously, and not by the closeness -of its rivets; and its perfect union of the materials enables it to defy -the roughest seas. - -"These two hulls are composed of steel plates, whose density is -from .7 to .8 that of water. The first is not less than two inches -and a half thick and weighs 394 tons. The second envelope, the keel, -twenty inches high and ten thick, weighs only sixty-two tons. -The engine, the ballast, the several accessories and apparatus -appendages, the partitions and bulkheads, weigh 961.62 tons. -Do you follow all this?" - -"I do." - -"Then, when the Nautilus is afloat under these circumstances, -one-tenth is out of the water. Now, if I have made reservoirs -of a size equal to this tenth, or capable of holding 150 tons, -and if I fill them with water, the boat, weighing then 1,507 tons, -will be completely immersed. That would happen, Professor. -These reservoirs are in the lower part of the Nautilus. -I turn on taps and they fill, and the vessel sinks that had just -been level with the surface." - -"Well, Captain, but now we come to the real difficulty. -I can understand your rising to the surface; but, diving below -the surface, does not your submarine contrivance encounter a pressure, -and consequently undergo an upward thrust of one atmosphere -for every thirty feet of water, just about fifteen pounds -per square inch?" - -"Just so, sir." - -"Then, unless you quite fill the Nautilus, I do not see how you -can draw it down to those depths." - -"Professor, you must not confound statics with dynamics or you will be -exposed to grave errors. There is very little labour spent in attaining -the lower regions of the ocean, for all bodies have a tendency to sink. -When I wanted to find out the necessary increase of weight required -to sink the Nautilus, I had only to calculate the reduction of volume -that sea-water acquires according to the depth." - -"That is evident." - -"Now, if water is not absolutely incompressible, it is at least capable -of very slight compression. Indeed, after the most recent calculations this -reduction is only .000436 of an atmosphere for each thirty feet of depth. -If we want to sink 3,000 feet, I should keep account of the reduction of bulk -under a pressure equal to that of a column of water of a thousand feet. -The calculation is easily verified. Now, I have supplementary -reservoirs capable of holding a hundred tons. Therefore I can sink -to a considerable depth. When I wish to rise to the level of the sea, -I only let off the water, and empty all the reservoirs if I want the Nautilus -to emerge from the tenth part of her total capacity." - -I had nothing to object to these reasonings. - -"I admit your calculations, Captain," I replied; "I should be -wrong to dispute them since daily experience confirms them; -but I foresee a real difficulty in the way." - -"What, sir?" - -"When you are about 1,000 feet deep, the walls of the Nautilus -bear a pressure of 100 atmospheres. If, then, just now you were -to empty the supplementary reservoirs, to lighten the vessel, -and to go up to the surface, the pumps must overcome the pressure -of 100 atmospheres, which is 1,500 lbs. per square inch. -From that a power----" - -"That electricity alone can give," said the Captain, hastily. -"I repeat, sir, that the dynamic power of my engines is almost infinite. -The pumps of the Nautilus have an enormous power, as you must have observed -when their jets of water burst like a torrent upon the Abraham Lincoln. -Besides, I use subsidiary reservoirs only to attain a mean depth of 750 -to 1,000 fathoms, and that with a view of managing my machines. -Also, when I have a mind to visit the depths of the ocean five or six mlles -below the surface, I make use of slower but not less infallible means." - -"What are they, Captain?" - -"That involves my telling you how the Nautilus is worked." - -"I am impatient to learn." - -"To steer this boat to starboard or port, to turn, in a word, -following a horizontal plan, I use an ordinary rudder fixed on the back -of the stern-post, and with one wheel and some tackle to steer by. -But I can also make the Nautilus rise and sink, and sink and rise, -by a vertical movement by means of two inclined planes fastened to its sides, -opposite the centre of flotation, planes that move in every direction, -and that are worked by powerful levers from the interior. -If the planes are kept parallel with the boat, it moves horizontally. -If slanted, the Nautilus, according to this inclination, and under -the influence of the screw, either sinks diagonally or rises diagonally -as it suits me. And even if I wish to rise more quickly to the surface, -I ship the screw, and the pressure of the water causes the Nautilus -to rise vertically like a balloon filled with hydrogen." - -"Bravo, Captain! But how can the steersman follow the route -in the middle of the waters?" - -"The steersman is placed in a glazed box, that is raised about the hull -of the Nautilus, and furnished with lenses." - -"Are these lenses capable of resisting such pressure?" - -"Perfectly. Glass, which breaks at a blow, is, nevertheless, capable of -offering considerable resistance. During some experiments of fishing -by electric light in 1864 in the Northern Seas, we saw plates less -than a third of an inch thick resist a pressure of sixteen atmospheres. -Now, the glass that I use is not less than thirty times thicker." - -"Granted. But, after all, in order to see, the light must exceed -the darkness, and in the midst of the darkness in the water, -how can you see?" - -"Behind the steersman's cage is placed a powerful electric reflector, -the rays from which light up the sea for half a mile in front." - -"Ah! bravo, bravo, Captain! Now I can account for this -phosphorescence in the supposed narwhal that puzzled us so. -I now ask you if the boarding of the Nautilus and of the Scotia, -that has made such a noise, has been the result of a chance rencontre?" - -"Quite accidental, sir. I was sailing only one fathom -below the surface of the water when the shock came. -It had no bad result." - -"None, sir. But now, about your rencontre with the Abraham Lincoln?" - -"Professor, I am sorry for one of the best vessels in the American navy; -but they attacked me, and I was bound to defend myself. -I contented myself, however, with putting the frigate hors de combat; -she will not have any difficulty in getting repaired at the next port." - -"Ah, Commander! your Nautilus is certainly a marvellous boat." - -"Yes, Professor; and I love it as if it were part of myself. -If danger threatens one of your vessels on the ocean, -the first impression is the feeling of an abyss above and below. -On the Nautilus men's hearts never fail them. No defects -to be afraid of, for the double shell is as firm as iron; -no rigging to attend to; no sails for the wind to carry away; -no boilers to burst; no fire to fear, for the vessel is made -of iron, not of wood; no coal to run short, for electricity -is the only mechanical agent; no collision to fear, for it -alone swims in deep water; no tempest to brave, for when it -dives below the water it reaches absolute tranquillity. -There, sir! that is the perfection of vessels! And if it is true -that the engineer has more confidence in the vessel than the builder, -and the builder than the captain himself, you understand -the trust I repose in my Nautilus; for I am at once captain, -builder, and engineer." - -"But how could you construct this wonderful Nautilus in secret?" - -"Each separate portion, M. Aronnax, was brought from different -parts of the globe." - -"But these parts had to be put together and arranged?" - -"Professor, I had set up my workshops upon a desert island in the ocean. -There my workmen, that is to say, the brave men that I instructed -and educated, and myself have put together our Nautilus. Then, when the work -was finished, fire destroyed all trace of our proceedings on this island, -that I could have jumped over if I had liked." - -"Then the cost of this vessel is great?" - -"M. Aronnax, an iron vessel costs L145 per ton. Now the Nautilus weighed -1,500. It came therefore to L67,500, and L80,000 more for fitting it up, -and about L200,000, with the works of art and the collections it contains." - -"One last question, Captain Nemo." - -"Ask it, Professor." - -"You are rich?" - -"Immensely rich, sir; and I could, without missing it, -pay the national debt of France." - -I stared at the singular person who spoke thus. Was he playing -upon my credulity? The future would decide that. - - - -CHAPTER XIII - -THE BLACK RIVER - -The portion of the terrestrial globe which is covered by -water is estimated at upwards of eighty millions of acres. -This fluid mass comprises two billions two hundred and fifty -millions of cubic miles, forming a spherical body of a diameter -of sixty leagues, the weight of which would be three quintillions -of tons. To comprehend the meaning of these figures, -it is necessary to observe that a quintillion is to a billion -as a billion is to unity; in other words, there are as many -billions in a quintillion as there are units in a billion. -This mass of fluid is equal to about the quantity of water -which would be discharged by all the rivers of the earth in -forty thousand years. - -During the geological epochs the ocean originally prevailed everywhere. -Then by degrees, in the silurian period, the tops of the mountains began -to appear, the islands emerged, then disappeared in partial deluges, -reappeared, became settled, formed continents, till at length the earth -became geographically arranged, as we see in the present day. -The solid had wrested from the liquid thirty-seven million six hundred -and fifty-seven square miles, equal to twelve billions nine hundred -and sixty millions of acres. - -The shape of continents allows us to divide the waters into five -great portions: the Arctic or Frozen Ocean, the Antarctic, -or Frozen Ocean, the Indian, the Atlantic, and the Pacific Oceans. - -The Pacific Ocean extends from north to south between the two -Polar Circles, and from east to west between Asia and America, -over an extent of 145 degrees of longitude. It is the quietest of seas; -its currents are broad and slow, it has medium tides, and abundant rain. -Such was the ocean that my fate destined me first to travel over under -these strange conditions. - -"Sir," said Captain Nemo, "we will, if you please, -take our bearings and fix the starting-point of this voyage. -It is a quarter to twelve; I will go up again to the surface." - -The Captain pressed an electric clock three times. -The pumps began to drive the water from the tanks; the needle -of the manometer marked by a different pressure the ascent -of the Nautilus, then it stopped. - -"We have arrived," said the Captain. - -I went to the central staircase which opened on to the platform, -clambered up the iron steps, and found myself on the upper part -of the Nautilus. - -The platform was only three feet out of water. The front -and back of the Nautilus was of that spindle-shape which caused -it justly to be compared to a cigar. I noticed that its -iron plates, slightly overlaying each other, resembled the shell -which clothes the bodies of our large terrestrial reptiles. -It explained to me how natural it was, in spite of all glasses, -that this boat should have been taken for a marine animal. - -Toward the middle of the platform the longboat, half buried -in the hull of the vessel, formed a slight excrescence. -Fore and aft rose two cages of medium height with inclined sides, -and partly closed by thick lenticular glasses; one destined for -the steersman who directed the Nautilus, the other containing a -brilliant lantern to give light on the road. - -The sea was beautiful, the sky pure. Scarcely could -the long vehicle feel the broad undulations of the ocean. -A light breeze from the east rippled the surface of the waters. -The horizon, free from fog, made observation easy. -Nothing was in sight. Not a quicksand, not an island. -A vast desert. - -Captain Nemo, by the help of his sextant, took the altitude -of the sun, which ought also to give the latitude. -He waited for some moments till its disc touched the horizon. -Whilst taking observations not a muscle moved, the instrument -could not have been more motionless in a hand of marble. - -"Twelve o'clock, sir," said he. "When you like----" - -I cast a last look upon the sea, slightly yellowed by the Japanese coast, -and descended to the saloon. - -"And now, sir, I leave you to your studies," added the Captain; -"our course is E.N.E., our depth is twenty-six fathoms. -Here are maps on a large scale by which you may follow it. -The saloon is at your disposal, and, with your permission, -I will retire." Captain Nemo bowed, and I remained alone, -lost in thoughts all bearing on the commander of the Nautilus. - -For a whole hour was I deep in these reflections, -seeking to pierce this mystery so interesting to me. -Then my eyes fell upon the vast planisphere spread upon the table, -and I placed my finger on the very spot where the given latitude -and longitude crossed. - -The sea has its large rivers like the continents. They are -special currents known by their temperature and their colour. -The most remarkable of these is known by the name of the Gulf Stream. -Science has decided on the globe the direction of five principal currents: -one in the North Atlantic, a second in the South, a third in the North -Pacific, a fourth in the South, and a fifth in the Southern Indian Ocean. -It is even probable that a sixth current existed at one time or another -in the Northern Indian Ocean, when the Caspian and Aral Seas formed but -one vast sheet of water. - -At this point indicated on the planisphere one of these currents -was rolling, the Kuro-Scivo of the Japanese, the Black River, which, -leaving the Gulf of Bengal, where it is warmed by the perpendicular -rays of a tropical sun, crosses the Straits of Malacca along the coast -of Asia, turns into the North Pacific to the Aleutian Islands, -carrying with it trunks of camphor-trees and other indigenous productions, -and edging the waves of the ocean with the pure indigo of its warm water. -It was this current that the Nautilus was to follow. I followed -it with my eye; saw it lose itself in the vastness of the Pacific, -and felt myself drawn with it, when Ned Land and Conseil appeared at -the door of the saloon. - -My two brave companions remained petrified at the sight of the wonders -spread before them. - -"Where are we, where are we?" exclaimed the Canadian. -"In the museum at Quebec?" - -"My friends," I answered, making a sign for them to enter, -"you are not in Canada, but on board the Nautilus, fifty yards -below the level of the sea." - -"But, M. Aronnax," said Ned Land, "can you tell me how many men -there are on board? Ten, twenty, fifty, a hundred?" - -"I cannot answer you, Mr. Land; it is better to abandon for a -time all idea of seizing the Nautilus or escaping from it. -This ship is a masterpiece of modern industry, and I should be -sorry not to have seen it. Many people would accept the situation -forced upon us, if only to move amongst such wonders. -So be quiet and let us try and see what passes around us." - -"See!" exclaimed the harpooner, "but we can see nothing in this iron prison! -We are walking--we are sailing--blindly." - -Ned Land had scarcely pronounced these words when all was suddenly darkness. -The luminous ceiling was gone, and so rapidly that my eyes received -a painful impression. - -We remained mute, not stirring, and not knowing what surprise awaited us, -whether agreeable or disagreeable. A sliding noise was heard: -one would have said that panels were working at the sides of the Nautilus. - -"It is the end of the end!" said Ned Land. - -Suddenly light broke at each side of the saloon, through two oblong openings. -The liquid mass appeared vividly lit up by the electric gleam. Two crystal -plates separated us from the sea. At first I trembled at the thought that -this frail partition might break, but strong bands of copper bound them, -giving an almost infinite power of resistance. - -The sea was distinctly visible for a mile all round the Nautilus. -What a spectacle! What pen can describe it? Who could paint -the effects of the light through those transparent sheets of water, -and the softness of the successive gradations from the lower -to the superior strata of the ocean? - -We know the transparency of the sea and that its clearness is far -beyond that of rock-water. The mineral and organic substances -which it holds in suspension heightens its transparency. -In certain parts of the ocean at the Antilles, under seventy-five -fathoms of water, can be seen with surprising clearness a bed -of sand. The penetrating power of the solar rays does not -seem to cease for a depth of one hundred and fifty fathoms. -But in this middle fluid travelled over by the Nautilus, -the electric brightness was produced even in the bosom of the waves. -It was no longer luminous water, but liquid light. - -On each side a window opened into this unexplored abyss. -The obscurity of the saloon showed to advantage the brightness outside, -and we looked out as if this pure crystal had been the glass of -an immense aquarium. - -"You wished to see, friend Ned; well, you see now." - -"Curious! curious!" muttered the Canadian, who, forgetting his -ill-temper, seemed to submit to some irresistible attraction; -"and one would come further than this to admire such a sight!" - -"Ah!" thought I to myself, "I understand the life of this man; -he has made a world apart for himself, in which he treasures all -his greatest wonders." - -For two whole hours an aquatic army escorted the Nautilus. -During their games, their bounds, while rivalling each other -in beauty, brightness, and velocity, I distinguished the green labre; -the banded mullet, marked by a double line of black; the round-tailed goby, -of a white colour, with violet spots on the back; the Japanese scombrus, -a beautiful mackerel of these seas, with a blue body and silvery head; -the brilliant azurors, whose name alone defies description; -some banded spares, with variegated fins of blue and yellow; -the woodcocks of the seas, some specimens of which attain a yard in length; -Japanese salamanders, spider lampreys, serpents six feet long, -with eyes small and lively, and a huge mouth bristling with teeth; -with many other species. - -Our imagination was kept at its height, interjections followed quickly -on each other. Ned named the fish, and Conseil classed them. -I was in ecstasies with the vivacity of their movements and the -beauty of their forms. Never had it been given to me to surprise -these animals, alive and at liberty, in their natural element. -I will not mention all the varieties which passed before my dazzled eyes, -all the collection of the seas of China and Japan. These fish, -more numerous than the birds of the air, came, attracted, no doubt, -by the brilliant focus of the electric light. - -Suddenly there was daylight in the saloon, the iron panels closed again, -and the enchanting vision disappeared. But for a long time I dreamt on, -till my eyes fell on the instruments hanging on the partition. -The compass still showed the course to be E.N.E., the manometer -indicated a pressure of five atmospheres, equivalent to a depth -of twenty five fathoms, and the electric log gave a speed of fifteen -miles an hour. I expected Captain Nemo, but he did not appear. -The clock marked the hour of five. - -Ned Land and Conseil returned to their cabin, and I retired to my chamber. -My dinner was ready. It was composed of turtle soup made of the -most delicate hawks bills, of a surmullet served with puff paste -(the liver of which, prepared by itself, was most delicious), and fillets -of the emperor-holocanthus, the savour of which seemed to me superior -even to salmon. - -I passed the evening reading, writing, and thinking. -Then sleep overpowered me, and I stretched myself on my couch -of zostera, and slept profoundly, whilst the Nautilus was gliding -rapidly through the current of the Black River. - - - -CHAPTER XIV - -A NOTE OF INVITATION - -The next day was the 9th of November. I awoke after a long -sleep of twelve hours. Conseil came, according to custom, -to know "how I passed the night," and to offer his services. -He had left his friend the Canadian sleeping like a man who -had never done anything else all his life. I let the worthy -fellow chatter as he pleased, without caring to answer him. -I was preoccupied by the absence of the Captain during our sitting -of the day before, and hoping to see him to-day. - -As soon as I was dressed I went into the saloon. It was deserted. -I plunged into the study of the shell treasures hidden behind the glasses. - -The whole day passed without my being honoured by a visit from Captain Nemo. -The panels of the saloon did not open. Perhaps they did not wish us to tire -of these beautiful things. - -The course of the Nautilus was E.N.E., her speed twelve knots, -the depth below the surface between twenty-five and thirty fathoms. - -The next day, 10th of November, the same desertion, -the same solitude. I did not see one of the ship's crew: -Ned and Conseil spent the greater part of the day with me. -They were astonished at the puzzling absence of the Captain. -Was this singular man ill?--had he altered his intentions with -regard to us? - -After all, as Conseil said, we enjoyed perfect liberty, we were delicately -and abundantly fed. Our host kept to his terms of the treaty. -We could not complain, and, indeed, the singularity of our fate reserved -such wonderful compensation for us that we had no right to accuse -it as yet. - -That day I commenced the journal of these adventures which has enabled -me to relate them with more scrupulous exactitude and minute detail. - -11th November, early in the morning. The fresh air spreading -over the interior of the Nautilus told me that we had come -to the surface of the ocean to renew our supply of oxygen. -I directed my steps to the central staircase, and mounted the platform. - -It was six o'clock, the weather was cloudy, the sea grey, but calm. -Scarcely a billow. Captain Nemo, whom I hoped to meet, would he be there? -I saw no one but the steersman imprisoned in his glass cage. -Seated upon the projection formed by the hull of the pinnace, -I inhaled the salt breeze with delight. - -By degrees the fog disappeared under the action of the sun's rays, -the radiant orb rose from behind the eastern horizon. -The sea flamed under its glance like a train of gunpowder. -The clouds scattered in the heights were coloured with lively tints -of beautiful shades, and numerous "mare's tails," which betokened -wind for that day. But what was wind to this Nautilus, -which tempests could not frighten! - -I was admiring this joyous rising of the sun, so gay, -and so life-giving, when I heard steps approaching the platform. -I was prepared to salute Captain Nemo, but it was his second -(whom I had already seen on the Captain's first visit) who appeared. -He advanced on the platform, not seeming to see me. -With his powerful glass to his eye, he scanned every point -of the horizon with great attention. This examination over, -he approached the panel and pronounced a sentence in exactly -these terms. I have remembered it, for every morning -it was repeated under exactly the same conditions. -It was thus worded: - -"Nautron respoc lorni virch." - -What it meant I could not say. - -These words pronounced, the second descended. I thought that -the Nautilus was about to return to its submarine navigation. -I regained the panel and returned to my chamber. - -Five days sped thus, without any change in our situation. Every morning I -mounted the platform. The same phrase was pronounced by the same individual. -But Captain Nemo did not appear. - -I had made up my mind that I should never see him again, -when, on the 16th November, on returning to my room with Ned -and Conseil, I found upon my table a note addressed to me. -I opened it impatiently. It was written in a bold, clear hand, -the characters rather pointed, recalling the German type. -The note was worded as follows: - - -TO PROFESSOR ARONNAX, On board the Nautilus. 16th of November, 1867. - -Captain Nemo invites Professor Aronnax to a hunting-party, which will -take place to-morrow morning in the forests of the Island of Crespo. -He hopes that nothing will prevent the Professor from being present, -and he will with pleasure see him joined by his companions. - -CAPTAIN NEMO, Commander of the Nautilus. - - -"A hunt!" exclaimed Ned. - -"And in the forests of the Island of Crespo!" added Conseil. - -"Oh! then the gentleman is going on terra firma?" replied Ned Land. - -"That seems to me to be clearly indicated," said I, -reading the letter once more. - -"Well, we must accept," said the Canadian. "But once more on dry ground, -we shall know what to do. Indeed, I shall not be sorry to eat a piece -of fresh venison." - -Without seeking to reconcile what was contradictory between Captain -Nemo's manifest aversion to islands and continents, and his invitation -to hunt in a forest, I contented myself with replying: - -"Let us first see where the Island of Crespo is." - -I consulted the planisphere, and in 32@ 40' N. lat. -and 157@ 50' W. long., I found a small island, recognised in 1801 -by Captain Crespo, and marked in the ancient Spanish maps -as Rocca de la Plata, the meaning of which is The Silver Rock. -We were then about eighteen hundred miles from our starting-point, -and the course of the Nautilus, a little changed, was bringing -it back towards the southeast. - -I showed this little rock, lost in the midst of the North Pacific, -to my companions. - -"If Captain Nemo does sometimes go on dry ground," said I, -"he at least chooses desert islands." - -Ned Land shrugged his shoulders without speaking, and Conseil -and he left me. - -After supper, which was served by the steward, mute and impassive, -I went to bed, not without some anxiety. - -The next morning, the 17th of November, on awakening, I felt -that the Nautilus was perfectly still. I dressed quickly -and entered the saloon. - -Captain Nemo was there, waiting for me. He rose, bowed, -and asked me if it was convenient for me to accompany him. -As he made no allusion to his absence during the last eight days, -I did not mention it, and simply answered that my companions and -myself were ready to follow him. - -We entered the dining-room, where breakfast was served. - -"M. Aronnax," said the Captain, "pray, share my breakfast without ceremony; -we will chat as we eat. For, though I promised you a walk in the forest, -I did not undertake to find hotels there. So breakfast as a man who will most -likely not have his dinner till very late." - -I did honour to the repast. It was composed of several kinds of fish, -and slices of sea-cucumber, and different sorts of seaweed. -Our drink consisted of pure water, to which the Captain added -some drops of a fermented liquor, extracted by the Kamschatcha -method from a seaweed known under the name of Rhodomenia palmata. -Captain Nemo ate at first without saying a word. Then he began: - -"Sir, when I proposed to you to hunt in my submarine forest of Crespo, -you evidently thought me mad. Sir, you should never judge lightly -of any man." - -"But Captain, believe me----" - -"Be kind enough to listen, and you will then see whether you -have any cause to accuse me of folly and contradiction." - -"I listen." - -"You know as well as I do, Professor, that man can live under water, -providing he carries with him a sufficient supply of breathable air. -In submarine works, the workman, clad in an impervious dress, -with his head in a metal helmet, receives air from above by means -of forcing pumps and regulators." - -"That is a diving apparatus," said I. - -"Just so, but under these conditions the man is not at liberty; -he is attached to the pump which sends him air through an -india-rubber tube, and if we were obliged to be thus held -to the Nautilus, we could not go far." - -"And the means of getting free?" I asked. - -"It is to use the Rouquayrol apparatus, invented by two of your -own countrymen, which I have brought to perfection for my own use, -and which will allow you to risk yourself under these new -physiological conditions without any organ whatever suffering. -It consists of a reservoir of thick iron plates, in which I store -the air under a pressure of fifty atmospheres. This reservoir is -fixed on the back by means of braces, like a soldier's knapsack. -Its upper part forms a box in which the air is kept by means of -a bellows, and therefore cannot escape unless at its normal tension. -In the Rouquayrol apparatus such as we use, two india rubber pipes -leave this box and join a sort of tent which holds the nose and mouth; -one is to introduce fresh air, the other to let out the foul, and the tongue -closes one or the other according to the wants of the respirator. -But I, in encountering great pressures at the bottom of the sea, -was obliged to shut my head, like that of a diver in a ball of copper; -and it is to this ball of copper that the two pipes, the inspirator and -the expirator, open." - -"Perfectly, Captain Nemo; but the air that you carry with you -must soon be used; when it only contains fifteen per cent. -of oxygen it is no longer fit to breathe." - -"Right! But I told you, M. Aronnax, that the pumps of the Nautilus allow -me to store the air under considerable pressure, and on those conditions -the reservoir of the apparatus can furnish breathable air for nine -or ten hours." - -"I have no further objections to make," I answered. -"I will only ask you one thing, Captain--how can you light your -road at the bottom of the sea?" - -"With the Ruhmkorff apparatus, M. Aronnax; one is carried on the back, -the other is fastened to the waist. It is composed of a Bunsen pile, -which I do not work with bichromate of potash, but with sodium. -A wire is introduced which collects the electricity produced, and directs -it towards a particularly made lantern. In this lantern is a spiral glass -which contains a small quantity of carbonic gas. When the apparatus is at -work this gas becomes luminous, giving out a white and continuous light. -Thus provided, I can breathe and I can see." - -"Captain Nemo, to all my objections you make such crushing answers that I -dare no longer doubt. But, if I am forced to admit the Rouquayrol -and Ruhmkorff apparatus, I must be allowed some reservations with regard -to the gun I am to carry." - -"But it is not a gun for powder," answered the Captain. - -"Then it is an air-gun." - -"Doubtless! How would you have me manufacture gun powder on board, -without either saltpetre, sulphur, or charcoal?" - -"Besides," I added, "to fire under water in a medium eight -hundred and fifty-five times denser than the air, we must -conquer very considerable resistance." - -"That would be no difficulty. There exist guns, according to Fulton, -perfected in England by Philip Coles and Burley, in France by Furcy, -and in Italy by Landi, which are furnished with a peculiar -system of closing, which can fire under these conditions. -But I repeat, having no powder, I use air under great pressure, -which the pumps of the Nautilus furnish abundantly." - -"But this air must be rapidly used?" - -"Well, have I not my Rouquayrol reservoir, which can furnish it at need? -A tap is all that is required. Besides M. Aronnax, you must see -yourself that, during our submarine hunt, we can spend but little air -and but few balls." - -"But it seems to me that in this twilight, and in the midst of this fluid, -which is very dense compared with the atmosphere, shots could not go far, -nor easily prove mortal." - -"Sir, on the contrary, with this gun every blow is mortal; -and, however lightly the animal is touched, it falls as if struck -by a thunderbolt." - -"Why?" - -"Because the balls sent by this gun are not ordinary balls, but little -cases of glass. These glass cases are covered with a case of steel, -and weighted with a pellet of lead; they are real Leyden bottles, -into which the electricity is forced to a very high tension. -With the slightest shock they are discharged, and the animal, -however strong it may be, falls dead. I must tell you that these -cases are size number four, and that the charge for an ordinary gun -would be ten." - -"I will argue no longer," I replied, rising from the table. -"I have nothing left me but to take my gun. At all events, -I will go where you go." - -Captain Nemo then led me aft; and in passing before Ned's and -Conseil's cabin, I called my two companions, who followed promptly. -We then came to a cell near the machinery-room, in which we put -on our walking-dress. - - - -CHAPTER XV - -A WALK ON THE BOTTOM OF THE SEA - -This cell was, to speak correctly, the arsenal and wardrobe of the Nautilus. -A dozen diving apparatuses hung from the partition waiting our use. - -Ned Land, on seeing them, showed evident repugnance to dress -himself in one. - -"But, my worthy Ned, the forests of the Island of Crespo are nothing -but submarine forests." - -"Good!" said the disappointed harpooner, who saw his dreams -of fresh meat fade away. "And you, M. Aronnax, are you going -to dress yourself in those clothes?" - -"There is no alternative, Master Ned." - -"As you please, sir," replied the harpooner, shrugging his shoulders; -"but, as for me, unless I am forced, I will never get into one." - -"No one will force you, Master Ned," said Captain Nemo. - -"Is Conseil going to risk it?" asked Ned. - -"I follow my master wherever he goes," replied Conseil. - -At the Captain's call two of the ship's crew came to help us dress -in these heavy and impervious clothes, made of india-rubber without seam, -and constructed expressly to resist considerable pressure. -One would have thought it a suit of armour, both supple and resisting. -This suit formed trousers and waistcoat. The trousers were -finished off with thick boots, weighted with heavy leaden soles. -The texture of the waistcoat was held together by bands of copper, -which crossed the chest, protecting it from the great pressure -of the water, and leaving the lungs free to act; the sleeves ended -in gloves, which in no way restrained the movement of the hands. -There was a vast difference noticeable between these consummate -apparatuses and the old cork breastplates, jackets, and other -contrivances in vogue during the eighteenth century. - -Captain Nemo and one of his companions (a sort of Hercules, -who must have possessed great strength), Conseil and myself -were soon enveloped in the dresses. There remained nothing -more to be done but to enclose our heads in the metal box. -But, before proceeding to this operation, I asked the Captain's -permission to examine the guns. - -One of the Nautilus men gave me a simple gun, the butt end -of which, made of steel, hollow in the centre, was rather large. -It served as a reservoir for compressed air, which a valve, -worked by a spring, allowed to escape into a metal tube. -A box of projectiles in a groove in the thickness of the butt -end contained about twenty of these electric balls, which, -by means of a spring, were forced into the barrel of the gun. -As soon as one shot was fired, another was ready. - -"Captain Nemo," said I, "this arm is perfect, and easily handled: -I only ask to be allowed to try it. But how shall we gain the bottom -of the sea?" - -"At this moment, Professor, the Nautilus is stranded in five fathoms, -and we have nothing to do but to start." - -"But how shall we get off?" - -"You shall see." - -Captain Nemo thrust his head into the helmet, Conseil and I did the same, -not without hearing an ironical "Good sport!" from the Canadian. -The upper part of our dress terminated in a copper collar upon which -was screwed the metal helmet. Three holes, protected by thick glass, -allowed us to see in all directions, by simply turning our head -in the interior of the head-dress. As soon as it was in position, -the Rouquayrol apparatus on our backs began to act; and, for my part, -I could breathe with ease. - -With the Ruhmkorff lamp hanging from my belt, and the gun in my hand, -I was ready to set out. But to speak the truth, imprisoned in -these heavy garments, and glued to the deck by my leaden soles, -it was impossible for me to take a step. - -But this state of things was provided for. I felt myself being -pushed into a little room contiguous to the wardrobe room. -My companions followed, towed along in the same way. I heard -a water-tight door, furnished with stopper plates, close upon us, -and we were wrapped in profound darkness. - -After some minutes, a loud hissing was heard. I felt the cold -mount from my feet to my chest. Evidently from some part of the -vessel they had, by means of a tap, given entrance to the water, -which was invading us, and with which the room was soon filled. -A second door cut in the side of the Nautilus then opened. -We saw a faint light. In another instant our feet trod the bottom -of the sea. - -And now, how can I retrace the impression left upon me by that walk -under the waters? Words are impotent to relate such wonders! -Captain Nemo walked in front, his companion followed some steps behind. -Conseil and I remained near each other, as if an exchange of words -had been possible through our metallic cases. I no longer felt -the weight of my clothing, or of my shoes, of my reservoir of air, -or my thick helmet, in the midst of which my head rattled like an almond -in its shell. - -The light, which lit the soil thirty feet below the surface of -the ocean, astonished me by its power. The solar rays shone through -the watery mass easily, and dissipated all colour, and I clearly -distinguished objects at a distance of a hundred and fifty yards. -Beyond that the tints darkened into fine gradations of ultramarine, -and faded into vague obscurity. Truly this water which surrounded -me was but another air denser than the terrestrial atmosphere, -but almost as transparent. Above me was the calm surface of the sea. -We were walking on fine, even sand, not wrinkled, as on a flat shore, -which retains the impression of the billows. This dazzling carpet, -really a reflector, repelled the rays of the sun with wonderful intensity, -which accounted for the vibration which penetrated every atom of liquid. -Shall I be believed when I say that, at the depth of thirty feet, -I could see as if I was in broad daylight? - -For a quarter of an hour I trod on this sand, sown with the impalpable -dust of shells. The hull of the Nautilus, resembling a long shoal, -disappeared by degrees; but its lantern, when darkness should overtake us -in the waters, would help to guide us on board by its distinct rays. - -Soon forms of objects outlined in the distance were discernible. -I recognised magnificent rocks, hung with a tapestry of zoophytes -of the most beautiful kind, and I was at first struck by the peculiar -effect of this medium. - -It was then ten in the morning; the rays of the sun struck the surface -of the waves at rather an oblique angle, and at the touch of their light, -decomposed by refraction as through a prism, flowers, rocks, plants, shells, -and polypi were shaded at the edges by the seven solar colours. -It was marvellous, a feast for the eyes, this complication of coloured tints, -a perfect kaleidoscope of green, yellow, orange, violet, indigo, and blue; -in one word, the whole palette of an enthusiastic colourist! -Why could I not communicate to Conseil the lively sensations which were -mounting to my brain, and rival him in expressions of admiration? -For aught I knew, Captain Nemo and his companion might be able to exchange -thoughts by means of signs previously agreed upon. So, for want of better, -I talked to myself; I declaimed in the copper box which covered my head, -thereby expending more air in vain words than was perhaps wise. - -Various kinds of isis, clusters of pure tuft-coral, prickly fungi, -and anemones formed a brilliant garden of flowers, decked with their -collarettes of blue tentacles, sea-stars studding the sandy bottom. -It was a real grief to me to crush under my feet the brilliant -specimens of molluscs which strewed the ground by thousands, -of hammerheads, donaciae (veritable bounding shells), of staircases, -and red helmet-shells, angel-wings, and many others produced by this -inexhaustible ocean. But we were bound to walk, so we went on, -whilst above our heads waved medusae whose umbrellas of opal -or rose-pink, escalloped with a band of blue, sheltered us from -the rays of the sun and fiery pelagiae, which, in the darkness, -would have strewn our path with phosphorescent light. - -All these wonders I saw in the space of a quarter of a mile, -scarcely stopping, and following Captain Nemo, who beckoned me on -by signs. Soon the nature of the soil changed; to the sandy plain -succeeded an extent of slimy mud which the Americans call "ooze," -composed of equal parts of silicious and calcareous shells. We then -travelled over a plain of seaweed of wild and luxuriant vegetation. -This sward was of close texture, and soft to the feet, -and rivalled the softest carpet woven by the hand of man. -But whilst verdure was spread at our feet, it did not abandon our heads. -A light network of marine plants, of that inexhaustible family -of seaweeds of which more than two thousand kinds are known, -grew on the surface of the water. - -I noticed that the green plants kept nearer the top of the sea, -whilst the red were at a greater depth, leaving to the black -or brown the care of forming gardens and parterres in the remote -beds of the ocean. - -We had quitted the Nautilus about an hour and a half. -It was near noon; I knew by the perpendicularity of the sun's rays, -which were no longer refracted. The magical colours disappeared -by degrees, and the shades of emerald and sapphire were effaced. -We walked with a regular step, which rang upon the ground with -astonishing intensity; the slightest noise was transmitted with a -quickness to which the ear is unaccustomed on the earth; indeed, water is -a better conductor of sound than air, in the ratio of four to one. -At this period the earth sloped downwards; the light took a uniform tint. -We were at a depth of a hundred and five yards and twenty inches, -undergoing a pressure of six atmospheres. - -At this depth I could still see the rays of the sun, though feebly; -to their intense brilliancy had succeeded a reddish twilight, the lowest -state between day and night; but we could still see well enough; -it was not necessary to resort to the Ruhmkorff apparatus as yet. -At this moment Captain Nemo stopped; he waited till I joined him, -and then pointed to an obscure mass, looming in the shadow, -at a short distance. - -"It is the forest of the Island of Crespo," thought I; -and I was not mistaken. - - - -CHAPTER XVI - -A SUBMARINE FOREST - -We had at last arrived on the borders of this forest, -doubtless one of the finest of Captain Nemo's immense domains. -He looked upon it as his own, and considered he had the same right -over it that the first men had in the first days of the world. -And, indeed, who would have disputed with him the possession -of this submarine property? What other hardier pioneer would come, -hatchet in hand, to cut down the dark copses? - -This forest was composed of large tree-plants; and the moment we -penetrated under its vast arcades, I was struck by the singular -position of their branches--a position I had not yet observed. - -Not an herb which carpeted the ground, not a branch which clothed -the trees, was either broken or bent, nor did they extend horizontally; -all stretched up to the surface of the ocean. Not a filament, not a ribbon, -however thin they might be, but kept as straight as a rod of iron. -The fuci and llianas grew in rigid perpendicular lines, due to the density -of the element which had produced them. Motionless yet, when bent -to one side by the hand, they directly resumed their former position. -Truly it was the region of perpendicularity! - -I soon accustomed myself to this fantastic position, -as well as to the comparative darkness which surrounded us. -The soil of the forest seemed covered with sharp blocks, -difficult to avoid. The submarine flora struck me as being -very perfect, and richer even than it would have been in the arctic -or tropical zones, where these productions are not so plentiful. -But for some minutes I involuntarily confounded the genera, -taking animals for plants; and who would not have been mistaken? -The fauna and the flora are too closely allied in this submarine world. - -These plants are self-propagated, and the principle of their -existence is in the water, which upholds and nourishes them. -The greater number, instead of leaves, shoot forth blades -of capricious shapes, comprised within a scale of colours pink, -carmine, green, olive, fawn, and brown. - -"Curious anomaly, fantastic element!" said an ingenious naturalist, -"in which the animal kingdom blossoms, and the vegetable does not!" - -In about an hour Captain Nemo gave the signal to halt; I, for my part, -was not sorry, and we stretched ourselves under an arbour of alariae, -the long thin blades of which stood up like arrows. - -This short rest seemed delicious to me; there was nothing -wanting but the charm of conversation; but, impossible to speak, -impossible to answer, I only put my great copper head to Conseil's. -I saw the worthy fellow's eyes glistening with delight, and, to show -his satisfaction, he shook himself in his breastplate of air, -in the most comical way in the world. - -After four hours of this walking, I was surprised not to find -myself dreadfully hungry. How to account for this state -of the stomach I could not tell. But instead I felt an -insurmountable desire to sleep, which happens to all divers. -And my eyes soon closed behind the thick glasses, and I fell into -a heavy slumber, which the movement alone had prevented before. -Captain Nemo and his robust companion, stretched in the clear crystal, -set us the example. - -How long I remained buried in this drowsiness I cannot judge, -but, when I woke, the sun seemed sinking towards the horizon. -Captain Nemo had already risen, and I was beginning to stretch -my limbs, when an unexpected apparition brought me briskly -to my feet. - -A few steps off, a monstrous sea-spider, about thirty-eight inches -high, was watching me with squinting eyes, ready to spring upon me. -Though my diver's dress was thick enough to defend me from -the bite of this animal, I could not help shuddering with horror. -Conseil and the sailor of the Nautilus awoke at this moment. -Captain Nemo pointed out the hideous crustacean, which a blow -from the butt end of the gun knocked over, and I saw the horrible -claws of the monster writhe in terrible convulsions. -This incident reminded me that other animals more to be feared -might haunt these obscure depths, against whose attacks my -diving-dress would not protect me. I had never thought of it before, -but I now resolved to be upon my guard. Indeed, I thought -that this halt would mark the termination of our walk; -but I was mistaken, for, instead of returning to the Nautilus, -Captain Nemo continued his bold excursion. The ground was still -on the incline, its declivity seemed to be getting greater, -and to be leading us to greater depths. It must have been -about three o'clock when we reached a narrow valley, between high -perpendicular walls, situated about seventy-five fathoms deep. -Thanks to the perfection of our apparatus, we were forty-five -fathoms below the limit which nature seems to have imposed on man -as to his submarine excursions. - -I say seventy-five fathoms, though I had no instrument by which to -judge the distance. But I knew that even in the clearest waters -the solar rays could not penetrate further. And accordingly -the darkness deepened. At ten paces not an object was visible. -I was groping my way, when I suddenly saw a brilliant white light. -Captain Nemo had just put his electric apparatus into use; -his companion did the same, and Conseil and I followed their example. -By turning a screw I established a communication between the wire -and the spiral glass, and the sea, lit by our four lanterns, -was illuminated for a circle of thirty-six yards. - -As we walked I thought the light of our Ruhmkorff apparatus -could not fail to draw some inhabitant from its dark couch. -But if they did approach us, they at least kept at -a respectful distance from the hunters. Several times -I saw Captain Nemo stop, put his gun to his shoulder, -and after some moments drop it and walk on. At last, -after about four hours, this marvellous excursion came to an end. -A wall of superb rocks, in an imposing mass, rose before us, -a heap of gigantic blocks, an enormous, steep granite shore, -forming dark grottos, but which presented no practicable slope; -it was the prop of the Island of Crespo. It was the earth! -Captain Nemo stopped suddenly. A gesture of his brought us all -to a halt; and, however desirous I might be to scale the wall, -I was obliged to stop. Here ended Captain Nemo's domains. -And he would not go beyond them. Further on was a portion of the -globe he might not trample upon. - -The return began. Captain Nemo had returned to the head of his little band, -directing their course without hesitation. I thought we were not following -the same road to return to the Nautilus. The new road was very steep, -and consequently very painful. We approached the surface of the sea rapidly. -But this return to the upper strata was not so sudden as to cause relief -from the pressure too rapidly, which might have produced serious disorder -in our organisation, and brought on internal lesions, so fatal to divers. -Very soon light reappeared and grew, and, the sun being low on the horizon, -the refraction edged the different objects with a spectral ring. -At ten yards and a half deep, we walked amidst a shoal of little fishes -of all kinds, more numerous than the birds of the air, and also more agile; -but no aquatic game worthy of a shot had as yet met our gaze, when at -that moment I saw the Captain shoulder his gun quickly, and follow -a moving object into the shrubs. He fired; I heard a slight hissing, -and a creature fell stunned at some distance from us. It was a magnificent -sea-otter, an enhydrus, the only exclusively marine quadruped. -This otter was five feet long, and must have been very valuable. -Its skin, chestnut-brown above and silvery underneath, would have made one -of those beautiful furs so sought after in the Russian and Chinese markets: -the fineness and the lustre of its coat would certainly fetch L80. -I admired this curious mammal, with its rounded head ornamented with -short ears, its round eyes, and white whiskers like those of a cat, -with webbed feet and nails, and tufted tail. This precious animal, -hunted and tracked by fishermen, has now become very rare, and taken refuge -chiefly in the northern parts of the Pacific, or probably its race would -soon become extinct. - -Captain Nemo's companion took the beast, threw it over his shoulder, and we -continued our journey. For one hour a plain of sand lay stretched before us. -Sometimes it rose to within two yards and some inches of the surface of -the water. I then saw our image clearly reflected, drawn inversely, and above -us appeared an identical group reflecting our movements and our actions; -in a word, like us in every point, except that they walked with their heads -downward and their feet in the air. - -Another effect I noticed, which was the passage of thick clouds which formed -and vanished rapidly; but on reflection I understood that these seeming -clouds were due to the varying thickness of the reeds at the bottom, -and I could even see the fleecy foam which their broken tops multiplied -on the water, and the shadows of large birds passing above our heads, -whose rapid flight I could discern on the surface of the sea. - -On this occasion I was witness to one of the finest gun -shots which ever made the nerves of a hunter thrill. -A large bird of great breadth of wing, clearly visible, approached, -hovering over us. Captain Nemo's companion shouldered his gun -and fired, when it was only a few yards above the waves. -The creature fell stunned, and the force of its fall -brought it within the reach of dexterous hunter's grasp. -It was an albatross of the finest kind. - -Our march had not been interrupted by this incident. -For two hours we followed these sandy plains, then fields of algae -very disagreeable to cross. Candidly, I could do no more when I -saw a glimmer of light, which, for a half mile, broke the -darkness of the waters. It was the lantern of the Nautilus. -Before twenty minutes were over we should be on board, -and I should be able to breathe with ease, for it seemed -that my reservoir supplied air very deficient in oxygen. -But I did not reckon on an accidental meeting which delayed our -arrival for some time. - -I had remained some steps behind, when I presently saw Captain -Nemo coming hurriedly towards me. With his strong hand he bent -me to the ground, his companion doing the same to Conseil. -At first I knew not what to think of this sudden attack, but I -was soon reassured by seeing the Captain lie down beside me, -and remain immovable. - -I was stretched on the ground, just under the shelter of a bush -of algae, when, raising my head, I saw some enormous mass, -casting phosphorescent gleams, pass blusteringly by. - -My blood froze in my veins as I recognised two formidable -sharks which threatened us. It was a couple of tintoreas, -terrible creatures, with enormous tails and a dull glassy stare, -the phosphorescent matter ejected from holes pierced around the muzzle. -Monstrous brutes! which would crush a whole man in their iron jaws. -I did not know whether Conseil stopped to classify them; for my part, -I noticed their silver bellies, and their huge mouths bristling -with teeth, from a very unscientific point of view, and more as a -possible victim than as a naturalist. - -Happily the voracious creatures do not see well. They passed without -seeing us, brushing us with their brownish fins, and we escaped by a miracle -from a danger certainly greater than meeting a tiger full-face in the forest. -Half an hour after, guided by the electric light we reached the Nautilus. -The outside door had been left open, and Captain Nemo closed it -as soon as we had entered the first cell. He then pressed a knob. -I heard the pumps working in the midst of the vessel, I felt the water -sinking from around me, and in a few moments the cell was entirely empty. -The inside door then opened, and we entered the vestry. - -There our diving-dress was taken off, not without some trouble, and, -fairly worn out from want of food and sleep, I returned to my room, -in great wonder at this surprising excursion at the bottom of the sea. - - - -CHAPTER XVII - -FOUR THOUSAND LEAGUES UNDER THE PACIFIC - -The next morning, the 18th of November, I had quite recovered from -my fatigues of the day before, and I went up on to the platform, -just as the second lieutenant was uttering his daily phrase. - -I was admiring the magnificent aspect of the ocean when Captain -Nemo appeared. He did not seem to be aware of my presence, -and began a series of astronomical observations. -Then, when he had finished, he went and leant on the cage -of the watch-light, and gazed abstractedly on the ocean. -In the meantime, a number of the sailors of the Nautilus, -all strong and healthy men, had come up onto the platform. -They came to draw up the nets that had been laid all night. -These sailors were evidently of different nations, -although the European type was visible in all of them. -I recognised some unmistakable Irishmen, Frenchmen, some Sclaves, -and a Greek, or a Candiote. They were civil, and only used that odd -language among themselves, the origin of which I could not guess, -neither could I question them. - -The nets were hauled in. They were a large kind of "chaluts," like those -on the Normandy coasts, great pockets that the waves and a chain fixed -in the smaller meshes kept open. These pockets, drawn by iron poles, -swept through the water, and gathered in everything in their way. -That day they brought up curious specimens from those productive coasts. - -I reckoned that the haul had brought in more than nine hundredweight of fish. -It was a fine haul, but not to be wondered at. Indeed, the nets are let -down for several hours, and enclose in their meshes an infinite variety. -We had no lack of excellent food, and the rapidity of the Nautilus -and the attraction of the electric light could always renew our supply. -These several productions of the sea were immediately lowered through the -panel to the steward's room, some to be eaten fresh, and others pickled. - -The fishing ended, the provision of air renewed, I thought -that the Nautilus was about to continue its submarine excursion, -and was preparing to return to my room, when, without further preamble, -the Captain turned to me, saying: - -"Professor, is not this ocean gifted with real life? It has its -tempers and its gentle moods. Yesterday it slept as we did, and now it -has woke after a quiet night. Look!" he continued, "it wakes under -the caresses of the sun. It is going to renew its diurnal existence. -It is an interesting study to watch the play of its organisation. -It has a pulse, arteries, spasms; and I agree with the learned Maury, -who discovered in it a circulation as real as the circulation of -blood in animals. - -"Yes, the ocean has indeed circulation, and to promote it, the Creator -has caused things to multiply in it--caloric, salt, and animalculae." - -When Captain Nemo spoke thus, he seemed altogether changed, -and aroused an extraordinary emotion in me. - -"Also," he added, "true existence is there; and I can imagine -the foundations of nautical towns, clusters of submarine houses, -which, like the Nautilus, would ascend every morning to breathe -at the surface of the water, free towns, independent cities. -Yet who knows whether some despot----" - -Captain Nemo finished his sentence with a violent gesture. -Then, addressing me as if to chase away some sorrowful thought: - -"M. Aronnax," he asked. "do you know the depth of the ocean?" - -"I only know, Captain, what the principal soundings have taught us." - -"Could you tell me them, so that I can suit them to my purpose?" - -"These are some," I replied, "that I remember. If I am not mistaken, -a depth of 8,000 yards has been found in the North Atlantic, -and 2,500 yards in the Mediterranean. The most remarkable soundings -have been made in the South Atlantic, near the thirty-fifth parallel, -and they gave 12,000 yards, 14,000 yards, and 15,000 yards. -To sum up all, it is reckoned that if the bottom of the sea were levelled, -its mean depth would be about one and three-quarter leagues." - -"Well, Professor," replied the Captain, "we shall show you better -than that I hope. As to the mean depth of this part of the Pacific, -I tell you it is only 4,000 yards." - -Having said this, Captain Nemo went towards the panel, -and disappeared down the ladder. I followed him, and went into -the large drawing-room. The screw was immediately put in motion, -and the log gave twenty miles an hour. - -During the days and weeks that passed, Captain Nemo -was very sparing of his visits. I seldom saw him. -The lieutenant pricked the ship's course regularly on the chart, -so I could always tell exactly the route of the Nautilus. - -Nearly every day, for some time, the panels of the drawing-room were opened, -and we were never tired of penetrating the mysteries of the submarine world. - -The general direction of the Nautilus was south-east, and it kept between 100 -and 150 yards of depth. One day, however, I do not know why, being drawn -diagonally by means of the inclined planes, it touched the bed of the sea. -The thermometer indicated a temperature of 4.25 (cent.): a temperature that at -this depth seemed common to all latitudes. - -At three o'clock in the morning of the 26th of November the Nautilus -crossed the tropic of Cancer at 172@ long. On 27th instant it -sighted the Sandwich Islands, where Cook died, February 14, 1779. -We had then gone 4,860 leagues from our starting-point. In the morning, -when I went on the platform, I saw two miles to windward, -Hawaii, the largest of the seven islands that form the group. -I saw clearly the cultivated ranges, and the several mountain-chains -that run parallel with the side, and the volcanoes that overtop -Mouna-Rea, which rise 5,000 yards above the level of the sea. -Besides other things the nets brought up, were several flabellariae -and graceful polypi, that are peculiar to that part of the ocean. -The direction of the Nautilus was still to the south-east. It crossed -the equator December 1, in 142@ long.; and on the 4th of the same month, -after crossing rapidly and without anything in particular occurring, -we sighted the Marquesas group. I saw, three miles off, Martin's peak -in Nouka-Hiva, the largest of the group that belongs to France. -I only saw the woody mountains against the horizon, because Captain Nemo -did not wish to bring the ship to the wind. There the nets brought up -beautiful specimens of fish: some with azure fins and tails like gold, -the flesh of which is unrivalled; some nearly destitute of scales, -but of exquisite flavour; others, with bony jaws, and yellow-tinged -gills, as good as bonitos; all fish that would be of use to us. -After leaving these charming islands protected by the French flag, -from the 4th to the 11th of December the Nautilus sailed over about -2,000 miles. - -During the daytime of the 11th of December I was busy reading -in the large drawing-room. Ned Land and Conseil watched the luminous -water through the half-open panels. The Nautilus was immovable. -While its reservoirs were filled, it kept at a depth of 1,000 yards, -a region rarely visited in the ocean, and in which large fish -were seldom seen. - -I was then reading a charming book by Jean Mace, The Slaves of the Stomach, -and I was learning some valuable lessons from it, when Conseil interrupted me. - -"Will master come here a moment?" he said, in a curious voice. - -"What is the matter, Conseil?" - -"I want master to look." - -I rose, went, and leaned on my elbows before the panes and watched. - -In a full electric light, an enormous black mass, quite immovable, -was suspended in the midst of the waters. I watched it attentively, -seeking to find out the nature of this gigantic cetacean. -But a sudden thought crossed my mind. "A vessel!" -I said, half aloud. - -"Yes," replied the Canadian, "a disabled ship that has sunk perpendicularly." - -Ned Land was right; we were close to a vessel of which the tattered -shrouds still hung from their chains. The keel seemed to be -in good order, and it had been wrecked at most some few hours. -Three stumps of masts, broken off about two feet above the bridge, -showed that the vessel had had to sacrifice its masts. But, lying on -its side, it had filled, and it was heeling over to port. -This skeleton of what it had once been was a sad spectacle as it lay -lost under the waves, but sadder still was the sight of the bridge, -where some corpses, bound with ropes, were still lying. -I counted five--four men, one of whom was standing at the helm, -and a woman standing by the poop, holding an infant in her arms. -She was quite young. I could distinguish her features, which the water -had not decomposed, by the brilliant light from the Nautilus. -In one despairing effort, she had raised her infant above her head-- -poor little thing!--whose arms encircled its mother's neck. -The attitude of the four sailors was frightful, distorted as they -were by their convulsive movements, whilst making a last effort -to free themselves from the cords that bound them to the vessel. -The steersman alone, calm, with a grave, clear face, his grey hair -glued to his forehead, and his hand clutching the wheel of the helm, -seemed even then to be guiding the three broken masts through the depths -of the ocean. - -What a scene! We were dumb; our hearts beat fast before this shipwreck, -taken as it were from life and photographed in its last moments. -And I saw already, coming towards it with hungry eyes, enormous sharks, -attracted by the human flesh. - -However, the Nautilus, turning, went round the submerged vessel, -and in one instant I read on the stern--"The Florida, Sunderland." - - - -CHAPTER XVIII - -VANIKORO - -This terrible spectacle was the forerunner of the series of maritime -catastrophes that the Nautilus was destined to meet with in its route. -As long as it went through more frequented waters, we often saw -the hulls of shipwrecked vessels that were rotting in the depths, -and deeper down cannons, bullets, anchors, chains, and a thousand -other iron materials eaten up by rust. However, on the 11th of -December we sighted the Pomotou Islands, the old "dangerous group" -of Bougainville, that extend over a space of 500 leagues at -E.S.E. to W.N.W., from the Island Ducie to that of Lazareff. -This group covers an area of 370 square leagues, and it is formed -of sixty groups of islands, among which the Gambier group is remarkable, -over which France exercises sway. These are coral islands, -slowly raised, but continuous, created by the daily work of polypi. -Then this new island will be joined later on to the neighboring groups, -and a fifth continent will stretch from New Zealand and New Caledonia, -and from thence to the Marquesas. - -One day, when I was suggesting this theory to Captain Nemo, -he replied coldly: - -"The earth does not want new continents, but new men." - -{5 paragraphs have been stripped from this edition} - -On 15th of December, we left to the east the bewitching group -of the Societies and the graceful Tahiti, queen of the Pacific. -I saw in the morning, some miles to the windward, the elevated -summits of the island. These waters furnished our table -with excellent fish, mackerel, bonitos, and some varieties -of a sea-serpent. - -On the 25th of December the Nautilus sailed into the midst of the -New Hebrides, discovered by Quiros in 1606, and that Bougainville -explored in 1768, and to which Cook gave its present name in 1773. -This group is composed principally of nine large islands, that form -a band of 120 leagues N.N.S. to S.S.W., between 15@ and 2@ S. lat., -and 164@ and 168@ long. We passed tolerably near to the Island of Aurou, -that at noon looked like a mass of green woods, surmounted by a peak -of great height. - -That day being Christmas Day, Ned Land seemed to regret sorely -the non-celebration of "Christmas," the family fete of which -Protestants are so fond. I had not seen Captain Nemo for a week, -when, on the morning of the 27th, he came into the large drawing-room, -always seeming as if he had seen you five minutes before. -I was busily tracing the route of the Nautilus on the planisphere. -The Captain came up to me, put his finger on one spot on the chart, -and said this single word. - -"Vanikoro." - -The effect was magical! It was the name of the islands on which La -Perouse had been lost! I rose suddenly. - -"The Nautilus has brought us to Vanikoro?" I asked. - -"Yes, Professor," said the Captain. - -"And I can visit the celebrated islands where the Boussole -and the Astrolabe struck?" - -"If you like, Professor." - -"When shall we be there?" - -"We are there now." - -Followed by Captain Nemo, I went up on to the platform, -and greedily scanned the horizon. - -To the N.E. two volcanic islands emerged of unequal size, -surrounded by a coral reef that measured forty miles in circumference. -We were close to Vanikoro, really the one to which Dumont d'Urville -gave the name of Isle de la Recherche, and exactly facing the little -harbour of Vanou, situated in 16@ 4' S. lat., and 164@ 32' E. long. -The earth seemed covered with verdure from the shore to the summits -in the interior, that were crowned by Mount Kapogo, 476 feet high. -The Nautilus, having passed the outer belt of rocks by a narrow strait, -found itself among breakers where the sea was from thirty to forty -fathoms deep. Under the verdant shade of some mangroves I perceived -some savages, who appeared greatly surprised at our approach. -In the long black body, moving between wind and water, did they not see -some formidable cetacean that they regarded with suspicion? - -Just then Captain Nemo asked me what I knew about the wreck of La Perouse. - -"Only what everyone knows, Captain," I replied. - -"And could you tell me what everyone knows about it?" -he inquired, ironically. - -"Easily." - -I related to him all that the last works of Dumont d'Urville had made known-- -works from which the following is a brief account. - -La Perouse, and his second, Captain de Langle, were sent -by Louis XVI, in 1785, on a voyage of circumnavigation. -They embarked in the corvettes Boussole and the Astrolabe, -neither of which were again heard of. In 1791, the French -Government, justly uneasy as to the fate of these two sloops, -manned two large merchantmen, the Recherche and the Esperance, -which left Brest the 28th of September under the command -of Bruni d'Entrecasteaux. - -Two months after, they learned from Bowen, commander of the Albemarle, -that the debris of shipwrecked vessels had been seen on the coasts -of New Georgia. But D'Entrecasteaux, ignoring this communication-- -rather uncertain, besides--directed his course towards the Admiralty Islands, -mentioned in a report of Captain Hunter's as being the place where La -Perouse was wrecked. - -They sought in vain. The Esperance and the Recherche passed before Vanikoro -without stopping there, and, in fact, this voyage was most disastrous, -as it cost D'Entrecasteaux his life, and those of two of his lieutenants, -besides several of his crew. - -Captain Dillon, a shrewd old Pacific sailor, was the first to find -unmistakable traces of the wrecks. On the 15th of May, 1824, his vessel, -the St. Patrick, passed close to Tikopia, one of the New Hebrides. -There a Lascar came alongside in a canoe, sold him the handle of a sword -in silver that bore the print of characters engraved on the hilt. -The Lascar pretended that six years before, during a stay at Vanikoro, -he had seen two Europeans that belonged to some vessels that had run -aground on the reefs some years ago. - -Dillon guessed that he meant La Perouse, whose disappearance had -troubled the whole world. He tried to get on to Vanikoro, where, -according to the Lascar, he would find numerous debris of the wreck, -but winds and tides prevented him. - -Dillon returned to Calcutta. There he interested the Asiatic Society -and the Indian Company in his discovery. A vessel, to which was given -the name of the Recherche, was put at his disposal, and he set out, -23rd January, 1827, accompanied by a French agent. - -The Recherche, after touching at several points in the Pacific, -cast anchor before Vanikoro, 7th July, 1827, in that same harbour -of Vanou where the Nautilus was at this time. - -There it collected numerous relics of the wreck-- -iron utensils, anchors, pulley-strops, swivel-guns, an 18 lb. -shot, fragments of astronomical instruments, a piece of crown work, -and a bronze clock, bearing this inscription--"Bazin m'a fait," -the mark of the foundry of the arsenal at Brest about 1785. -There could be no further doubt. - -Dillon, having made all inquiries, stayed in the unlucky place till October. -Then he quitted Vanikoro, and directed his course towards New Zealand; -put into Calcutta, 7th April, 1828, and returned to France, where he was -warmly welcomed by Charles X. - -But at the same time, without knowing Dillon's movements, -Dumont d'Urville had already set out to find the scene of the wreck. -And they had learned from a whaler that some medals and a cross of St. Louis -had been found in the hands of some savages of Louisiade and New Caledonia. -Dumont d'Urville, commander of the Astrolabe, had then sailed, -and two months after Dillon had left Vanikoro he put into Hobart Town. -There he learned the results of Dillon's inquiries, and found that a certain -James Hobbs, second lieutenant of the Union of Calcutta, after landing -on an island situated 8@ 18' S. lat., and 156@ 30' E. long., had seen -some iron bars and red stuffs used by the natives of these parts. -Dumont d'Urville, much perplexed, and not knowing how to credit the reports -of low-class journals, decided to follow Dillon's track. - -On the 10th of February, 1828, the Astrolabe appeared off Tikopia, -and took as guide and interpreter a deserter found on the island; -made his way to Vanikoro, sighted it on the 12th inst., lay among -the reefs until the 14th, and not until the 20th did he cast anchor -within the barrier in the harbour of Vanou. - -On the 23rd, several officers went round the island and brought -back some unimportant trifles. The natives, adopting a system -of denials and evasions, refused to take them to the unlucky place. -This ambiguous conduct led them to believe that the natives had -ill-treated the castaways, and indeed they seemed to fear that Dumont -d'Urville had come to avenge La Perouse and his unfortunate crew. - -However, on the 26th, appeased by some presents, and understanding that they -had no reprisals to fear, they led M. Jacquireot to the scene of the wreck. - -There, in three or four fathoms of water, between the reefs -of Pacou and Vanou, lay anchors, cannons, pigs of lead and iron, -embedded in the limy concretions. The large boat and the whaler -belonging to the Astrolabe were sent to this place, and, not without -some difficulty, their crews hauled up an anchor weighing 1,800 -lbs., a brass gun, some pigs of iron, and two copper swivel-guns. - -Dumont d'Urville, questioning the natives, learned too that La Perouse, -after losing both his vessels on the reefs of this island, -had constructed a smaller boat, only to be lost a second time. -Where, no one knew. - -But the French Government, fearing that Dumont d'Urville was -not acquainted with Dillon's movements, had sent the sloop -Bayonnaise, commanded by Legoarant de Tromelin, to Vanikoro, -which had been stationed on the west coast of America. -The Bayonnaise cast her anchor before Vanikoro some months -after the departure of the Astrolabe, but found no new document; -but stated that the savages had respected the monument to La Perouse. -That is the substance of what I told Captain Nemo. - -"So," he said, "no one knows now where the third vessel perished -that was constructed by the castaways on the island of Vanikoro?" - -"No one knows." - -Captain Nemo said nothing, but signed to me to follow him into -the large saloon. The Nautilus sank several yards below the waves, -and the panels were opened. - -I hastened to the aperture, and under the crustations of coral, -covered with fungi, I recognised certain debris that the drags had -not been able to tear up--iron stirrups, anchors, cannons, bullets, -capstan fittings, the stem of a ship, all objects clearly proving -the wreck of some vessel, and now carpeted with living flowers. -While I was looking on this desolate scene, Captain Nemo said, -in a sad voice: - -{this above para was edited} - -"Commander La Perouse set out 7th December, 1785, with his vessels -La Boussole and the Astrolabe. He first cast anchor at Botany Bay, -visited the Friendly Isles, New Caledonia, then directed his course -towards Santa Cruz, and put into Namouka, one of the Hapai group. -Then his vessels struck on the unknown reefs of Vanikoro. -The Boussole, which went first, ran aground on the southerly coast. -The Astrolabe went to its help, and ran aground too. The first vessel -was destroyed almost immediately. The second, stranded under the wind, -resisted some days. The natives made the castaways welcome. -They installed themselves in the island, and constructed a smaller boat -with the debris of the two large ones. Some sailors stayed willingly -at Vanikoro; the others, weak and ill, set out with La Perouse. -They directed their course towards the Solomon Islands, and there perished, -with everything, on the westerly coast of the chief island of the group, -between Capes Deception and Satisfaction." - -"How do you know that?" - -"By this, that I found on the spot where was the last wreck." - -Captain Nemo showed me a tin-plate box, stamped with the French arms, -and corroded by the salt water. He opened it, and I saw a bundle of papers, -yellow but still readable. - -They were the instructions of the naval minister to Commander La Perouse, -annotated in the margin in Louis XVI's handwriting. - -"Ah! it is a fine death for a sailor!" said Captain Nemo, at last. -"A coral tomb makes a quiet grave; and I trust that I and my comrades -will find no other." - - - -CHAPTER XIX - -TORRES STRAITS - -During the night of the 27th or 28th of December, -the Nautilus left the shores of Vanikoro with great speed. -Her course was south-westerly, and in three days she had gone -over the 750 leagues that separated it from La Perouse's group -and the south-east point of Papua. - -Early on the 1st of January, 1863, Conseil joined me on the platform. - -"Master, will you permit me to wish you a happy New Year?" - -"What! Conseil; exactly as if I was at Paris in my study -at the Jardin des Plantes? Well, I accept your good wishes, -and thank you for them. Only, I will ask you what you mean -by a `Happy New Year' under our circumstances? Do you mean -the year that will bring us to the end of our imprisonment, -or the year that sees us continue this strange voyage?" - -"Really, I do not know how to answer, master. We are sure to see -curious things, and for the last two months we have not had time -for dullness. The last marvel is always the most astonishing; -and, if we continue this progression, I do not know how it will end. -It is my opinion that we shall never again see the like. -I think then, with no offence to master, that a happy year would be -one in which we could see everything." - -On 2nd January we had made 11,340 miles, or 5,250 -French leagues, since our starting-point in the Japan Seas. -Before the ship's head stretched the dangerous shores -of the coral sea, on the north-east coast of Australia. -Our boat lay along some miles from the redoubtable bank -on which Cook's vessel was lost, 10th June, 1770. The boat -in which Cook was struck on a rock, and, if it did not sink, -it was owing to a piece of coral that was broken by the shock, -and fixed itself in the broken keel. - -I had wished to visit the reef, 360 leagues long, against which the sea, -always rough, broke with great violence, with a noise like thunder. -But just then the inclined planes drew the Nautilus down to a great depth, -and I could see nothing of the high coral walls. I had to content -myself with the different specimens of fish brought up by the nets. -I remarked, among others, some germons, a species of mackerel as large -as a tunny, with bluish sides, and striped with transverse bands, -that disappear with the animal's life. These fish followed us in shoals, -and furnished us with very delicate food. We took also a large number -of giltheads, about one and a half inches long, tasting like dorys; -and flying fire-fish like submarine swallows, which, in dark nights, -light alternately the air and water with their phosphorescent light.{2 -sentences missing here} - -Two days after crossing the coral sea, 4th January, we sighted -the Papuan coasts. On this occasion, Captain Nemo informed me that his -intention was to get into the Indian Ocean by the Strait of Torres. -His communication ended there. - -The Torres Straits are nearly thirty-four leagues wide; but they are -obstructed by an innumerable quantity of islands, islets, breakers, -and rocks, that make its navigation almost impracticable; -so that Captain Nemo took all needful precautions to cross them. -The Nautilus, floating betwixt wind and water, went at a moderate pace. -Her screw, like a cetacean's tail, beat the waves slowly. - -Profiting by this, I and my two companions went up on to the -deserted platform. Before us was the steersman's cage, and I expected -that Captain Nemo was there directing the course of the Nautilus. -I had before me the excellent charts of the Straits of Torres, and I -consulted them attentively. Round the Nautilus the sea dashed furiously. -The course of the waves, that went from south-east to north-west at -the rate of two and a half miles, broke on the coral that showed itself -here and there. - -"This is a bad sea!" remarked Ned Land. - -"Detestable indeed, and one that does not suit a boat like the Nautilus." - -"The Captain must be very sure of his route, for I see there pieces of coral -that would do for its keel if it only touched them slightly." - -Indeed the situation was dangerous, but the Nautilus seemed to slide -like magic off these rocks. It did not follow the routes of the -Astrolabe and the Zelee exactly, for they proved fatal to Dumont -d'Urville. It bore more northwards, coasted the Islands of Murray, -and came back to the south-west towards Cumberland Passage. -I thought it was going to pass it by, when, going back to north-west, -it went through a large quantity of islands and islets little known, -towards the Island Sound and Canal Mauvais. - -I wondered if Captain Nemo, foolishly imprudent, would steer his -vessel into that pass where Dumont d'Urville's two corvettes touched; -when, swerving again, and cutting straight through to the west, -he steered for the Island of Gilboa. - -It was then three in the afternoon. The tide began to recede, -being quite full. The Nautilus approached the island, that I -still saw, with its remarkable border of screw-pines. He stood off -it at about two miles distant. Suddenly a shock overthrew me. -The Nautilus just touched a rock, and stayed immovable, -laying lightly to port side. - -When I rose, I perceived Captain Nemo and his lieutenant on the platform. -They were examining the situation of the vessel, and exchanging words in -their incomprehensible dialect. - -She was situated thus: Two miles, on the starboard side, -appeared Gilboa, stretching from north to west like an immense arm. -Towards the south and east some coral showed itself, left by the ebb. -We had run aground, and in one of those seas where the tides -are middling--a sorry matter for the floating of the Nautilus. -However, the vessel had not suffered, for her keel was solidly joined. -But, if she could neither glide off nor move, she ran the risk -of being for ever fastened to these rocks, and then Captain Nemo's -submarine vessel would be done for. - -I was reflecting thus, when the Captain, cool and calm, -always master of himself, approached me. - -"An accident?" I asked. - -"No; an incident." - -"But an incident that will oblige you perhaps to become an inhabitant -of this land from which you flee?" - -Captain Nemo looked at me curiously, and made a negative gesture, as much -as to say that nothing would force him to set foot on terra firma again. -Then he said: - -"Besides, M. Aronnax, the Nautilus is not lost; it will -carry you yet into the midst of the marvels of the ocean. -Our voyage is only begun, and I do not wish to be deprived so soon -of the honour of your company." - -"However, Captain Nemo," I replied, without noticing the ironical -turn of his phrase, "the Nautilus ran aground in open sea. -Now the tides are not strong in the Pacific; and, if you cannot -lighten the Nautilus, I do not see how it will be reinflated." - -"The tides are not strong in the Pacific: you are right there, -Professor; but in Torres Straits one finds still a difference -of a yard and a half between the level of high and low seas. -To-day is 4th January, and in five days the moon will be full. -Now, I shall be very much astonished if that satellite does -not raise these masses of water sufficiently, and render me -a service that I should be indebted to her for." - -Having said this, Captain Nemo, followed by his lieutenant, -redescended to the interior of the Nautilus. As to the vessel, -it moved not, and was immovable, as if the coralline polypi had -already walled it up with their in destructible cement. - -"Well, sir?" said Ned Land, who came up to me after the departure -of the Captain. - -"Well, friend Ned, we will wait patiently for the tide on the 9th instant; -for it appears that the moon will have the goodness to put it off again." - -"Really?" - -"Really." - -"And this Captain is not going to cast anchor at all since the tide -will suffice?" said Conseil, simply. - -The Canadian looked at Conseil, then shrugged his shoulders. - -"Sir, you may believe me when I tell you that this piece of iron will navigate -neither on nor under the sea again; it is only fit to be sold for its weight. -I think, therefore, that the time has come to part company with Captain Nemo." - -"Friend Ned, I do not despair of this stout Nautilus, as you do; -and in four days we shall know what to hold to on the Pacific tides. -Besides, flight might be possible if we were in sight of the English -or Provencal coast; but on the Papuan shores, it is another thing; -and it will be time enough to come to that extremity if the Nautilus -does not recover itself again, which I look upon as a grave event." - -"But do they know, at least, how to act circumspectly? There is an island; -on that island there are trees; under those trees, terrestrial animals, -bearers of cutlets and roast beef, to which I would willingly give a trial." - -"In this, friend Ned is right," said Conseil, "and I agree with him. -Could not master obtain permission from his friend Captain Nemo to put us -on land, if only so as not to lose the habit of treading on the solid parts -of our planet?" - -"I can ask him, but he will refuse." - -"Will master risk it?" asked Conseil, "and we shall know how to rely -upon the Captain's amiability." - -To my great surprise, Captain Nemo gave me the permission I asked for, -and he gave it very agreeably, without even exacting from me a promise -to return to the vessel; but flight across New Guinea might be -very perilous, and I should not have counselled Ned Land to attempt it. -Better to be a prisoner on board the Nautilus than to fall into the hands -of the natives. - -At eight o'clock, armed with guns and hatchets, we got off the Nautilus. -The sea was pretty calm; a slight breeze blew on land. -Conseil and I rowing, we sped along quickly, and Ned steered -in the straight passage that the breakers left between them. -The boat was well handled, and moved rapidly. - -Ned Land could not restrain his joy. He was like a prisoner that had escaped -from prison, and knew not that it was necessary to re-enter it. - -"Meat! We are going to eat some meat; and what meat!" he replied. -"Real game! no, bread, indeed." - -"I do not say that fish is not good; we must not abuse it; -but a piece of fresh venison, grilled on live coals, -will agreeably vary our ordinary course." - -"Glutton!" said Conseil, "he makes my mouth water." - -"It remains to be seen," I said, "if these forests are full of game, -and if the game is not such as will hunt the hunter himself." - -"Well said, M. Aronnax," replied the Canadian, whose teeth seemed -sharpened like the edge of a hatchet; "but I will eat tiger-- -loin of tiger--if there is no other quadruped on this island." - -"Friend Ned is uneasy about it," said Conseil. - -"Whatever it may be," continued Ned Land, "every animal with four -paws without feathers, or with two paws without feathers, -will be saluted by my first shot." - -"Very well! Master Land's imprudences are beginning." - -"Never fear, M. Aronnax," replied the Canadian; "I do not want -twenty-five minutes to offer you a dish, of my sort." - -At half-past eight the Nautilus boat ran softly aground -on a heavy sand, after having happily passed the coral reef -that surrounds the Island of Gilboa. - - - -CHAPTER XX - -A FEW DAYS ON LAND - -I was much impressed on touching land. Ned Land tried -the soil with his feet, as if to take possession of it. -However, it was only two months before that we had become, -according to Captain Nemo, "passengers on board the Nautilus," -but, in reality, prisoners of its commander. - -In a few minutes we were within musket-shot of the coast. -The whole horizon was hidden behind a beautiful curtain of forests. -Enormous trees, the trunks of which attained a height of 200 feet, -were tied to each other by garlands of bindweed, real natural -hammocks, which a light breeze rocked. They were mimosas, -figs, hibisci, and palm trees, mingled together in profusion; -and under the shelter of their verdant vault grew orchids, -leguminous plants, and ferns. - -But, without noticing all these beautiful specimens of Papuan flora, -the Canadian abandoned the agreeable for the useful. -He discovered a coco-tree, beat down some of the fruit, broke them, -and we drunk the milk and ate the nut with a satisfaction that -protested against the ordinary food on the Nautilus. - -"Excellent!" said Ned Land. - -"Exquisite!" replied Conseil. - -"And I do not think," said the Canadian, "that he would object -to our introducing a cargo of coco-nuts on board." - -"I do not think he would, but he would not taste them." - -"So much the worse for him," said Conseil. - -"And so much the better for us," replied Ned Land. -"There will be more for us." - -"One word only, Master Land," I said to the harpooner, who was -beginning to ravage another coco-nut tree. "Coco-nuts are good things, -but before filling the canoe with them it would be wise to reconnoitre -and see if the island does not produce some substance not less useful. -Fresh vegetables would be welcome on board the Nautilus." - -"Master is right," replied Conseil; "and I propose to reserve three places -in our vessel, one for fruits, the other for vegetables, and the third -for the venison, of which I have not yet seen the smallest specimen." - -"Conseil, we must not despair," said the Canadian. - -"Let us continue," I returned, "and lie in wait. Although the island -seems uninhabited, it might still contain some individuals that would -be less hard than we on the nature of game." - -"Ho! ho!" said Ned Land, moving his jaws significantly. - -"Well, Ned!" said Conseil. - -"My word!" returned the Canadian, "I begin to understand -the charms of anthropophagy." - -"Ned! Ned! what are you saying? You, a man-eater? I should -not feel safe with you, especially as I share your cabin. -I might perhaps wake one day to find myself half devoured." - -"Friend Conseil, I like you much, but not enough to eat you unnecessarily." - -"I would not trust you," replied Conseil. "But enough. -We must absolutely bring down some game to satisfy this cannibal, -or else one of these fine mornings, master will find only pieces -of his servant to serve him." - -While we were talking thus, we were penetrating the sombre arches -of the forest, and for two hours we surveyed it in all directions. - -Chance rewarded our search for eatable vegetables, -and one of the most useful products of the tropical zones -furnished us with precious food that we missed on board. -I would speak of the bread-fruit tree, very abundant in the island -of Gilboa; and I remarked chiefly the variety destitute of seeds, -which bears in Malaya the name of "rima." - -Ned Land knew these fruits well. He had already eaten many during his -numerous voyages, and he knew how to prepare the eatable substance. -Moreover, the sight of them excited him, and he could contain -himself no longer. - -"Master," he said, "I shall die if I do not taste a little -of this bread-fruit pie." - -"Taste it, friend Ned--taste it as you want. We are here -to make experiments--make them." - -"It won't take long," said the Canadian. - -And, provided with a lentil, he lighted a fire of dead wood that -crackled joyously. During this time, Conseil and I chose the best -fruits of the bread-fruit. Some had not then attained a sufficient -degree of maturity; and their thick skin covered a white but rather -fibrous pulp. Others, the greater number yellow and gelatinous, -waited only to be picked. - -These fruits enclosed no kernel. Conseil brought a dozen to Ned Land, -who placed them on a coal fire, after having cut them in thick slices, -and while doing this repeating: - -"You will see, master, how good this bread is. -More so when one has been deprived of it so long. -It is not even bread," added he, "but a delicate pastry. -You have eaten none, master?" - -"No, Ned." - -"Very well, prepare yourself for a juicy thing. If you do not come for more, -I am no longer the king of harpooners." - -After some minutes, the part of the fruits that was exposed to the fire -was completely roasted. The interior looked like a white pasty, -a sort of soft crumb, the flavour of which was like that of an artichoke. - -It must be confessed this bread was excellent, and I ate of it -with great relish. - -"What time is it now?" asked the Canadian. - -"Two o'clock at least," replied Conseil. - -"How time flies on firm ground!" sighed Ned Land. - -"Let us be off," replied Conseil. - -We returned through the forest, and completed our collection by a raid -upon the cabbage-palms, that we gathered from the tops of the trees, -little beans that I recognised as the "abrou" of the Malays, and yams -of a superior quality. - -We were loaded when we reached the boat. But Ned Land did not -find his provisions sufficient. Fate, however, favoured us. -Just as we were pushing off, he perceived several trees, -from twenty-five to thirty feet high, a species of palm-tree. - -At last, at five o'clock in the evening, loaded with our riches, -we quitted the shore, and half an hour after we hailed the Nautilus. -No one appeared on our arrival. The enormous iron-plated cylinder -seemed deserted. The provisions embarked, I descended to my chamber, -and after supper slept soundly. - -The next day, 6th January, nothing new on board. -Not a sound inside, not a sign of life. The boat rested -along the edge, in the same place in which we had left it. -We resolved to return to the island. Ned Land hoped to be -more fortunate than on the day before with regard to the hunt, -and wished to visit another part of the forest. - -At dawn we set off. The boat, carried on by the waves that flowed to shore, -reached the island in a few minutes. - -We landed, and, thinking that it was better to give in to the Canadian, -we followed Ned Land, whose long limbs threatened to distance us. -He wound up the coast towards the west: then, fording some torrents, -he gained the high plain that was bordered with admirable forests. -Some kingfishers were rambling along the water-courses, but they would -not let themselves be approached. Their circumspection proved to me -that these birds knew what to expect from bipeds of our species, and I -concluded that, if the island was not inhabited, at least human beings -occasionally frequented it. - -After crossing a rather large prairie, we arrived at the skirts of a little -wood that was enlivened by the songs and flight of a large number of birds. - -"There are only birds," said Conseil. - -"But they are eatable," replied the harpooner. - -"I do not agree with you, friend Ned, for I see only parrots there." - -"Friend Conseil," said Ned, gravely, "the parrot is like pheasant -to those who have nothing else." - -"And," I added, "this bird, suitably prepared, is worth knife and fork." - -Indeed, under the thick foliage of this wood, a world of parrots -were flying from branch to branch, only needing a careful -education to speak the human language. For the moment, they were -chattering with parrots of all colours, and grave cockatoos, -who seemed to meditate upon some philosophical problem, -whilst brilliant red lories passed like a piece of bunting carried -away by the breeze, papuans, with the finest azure colours, -and in all a variety of winged things most charming to behold, -but few eatable. - -However, a bird peculiar to these lands, and which has never passed -the limits of the Arrow and Papuan islands, was wanting in this collection. -But fortune reserved it for me before long. - -After passing through a moderately thick copse, we found a plain -obstructed with bushes. I saw then those magnificent birds, -the disposition of whose long feathers obliges them to fly against -the wind. Their undulating flight, graceful aerial curves, -and the shading of their colours, attracted and charmed one's looks. -I had no trouble in recognising them. - -"Birds of paradise!" I exclaimed. - -The Malays, who carry on a great trade in these birds with the Chinese, -have several means that we could not employ for taking them. -Sometimes they put snares on the top of high trees that the birds -of paradise prefer to frequent. Sometimes they catch them with a -viscous birdlime that paralyses their movements. They even go so far -as to poison the fountains that the birds generally drink from. -But we were obliged to fire at them during flight, which gave us few -chances to bring them down; and, indeed, we vainly exhausted one -half our ammunition. - -About eleven o'clock in the morning, the first range of mountains that form -the centre of the island was traversed, and we had killed nothing. -Hunger drove us on. The hunters had relied on the products of the chase, -and they were wrong. Happily Conseil, to his great surprise, -made a double shot and secured breakfast. He brought down a white pigeon -and a wood-pigeon, which, cleverly plucked and suspended from a skewer, -was roasted before a red fire of dead wood. While these interesting -birds were cooking, Ned prepared the fruit of the bread-tree. Then -the wood-pigeons were devoured to the bones, and declared excellent. -The nutmeg, with which they are in the habit of stuffing their crops, -flavours their flesh and renders it delicious eating. - -"Now, Ned, what do you miss now?" - -"Some four-footed game, M. Aronnax. All these pigeons are only -side-dishes and trifles; and until I have killed an animal -with cutlets I shall not be content." - -"Nor I, Ned, if I do not catch a bird of paradise." - -"Let us continue hunting," replied Conseil. "Let us go towards the sea. -We have arrived at the first declivities of the mountains, and I think we had -better regain the region of forests." - -That was sensible advice, and was followed out. -After walking for one hour we had attained a forest of -sago-trees. Some inoffensive serpents glided away from us. -The birds of paradise fled at our approach, and truly I despaired -of getting near one when Conseil, who was walking in front, -suddenly bent down, uttered a triumphal cry, and came back to me -bringing a magnificent specimen. - -"Ah! bravo, Conseil!" - -"Master is very good." - -"No, my boy; you have made an excellent stroke. -Take one of these living birds, and carry it in your hand." - -"If master will examine it, he will see that I have not deserved great merit." - -"Why, Conseil?" - -"Because this bird is as drunk as a quail." - -"Drunk!" - -"Yes, sir; drunk with the nutmegs that it devoured under -the nutmeg-tree, under which I found it. See, friend Ned, -see the monstrous effects of intemperance!" - -"By Jove!" exclaimed the Canadian, "because I have drunk gin for two months, -you must needs reproach me!" - -However, I examined the curious bird. Conseil was right. -The bird, drunk with the juice, was quite powerless. It could -not fly; it could hardly walk. - -This bird belonged to the most beautiful of the eight species -that are found in Papua and in the neighbouring islands. -It was the "large emerald bird, the most rare kind." -It measured three feet in length. Its head was comparatively small, -its eyes placed near the opening of the beak, and also small. -But the shades of colour were beautiful, having a yellow beak, -brown feet and claws, nut-coloured wings with purple tips, -pale yellow at the back of the neck and head, and emerald -colour at the throat, chestnut on the breast and belly. -Two horned, downy nets rose from below the tail, that prolonged -the long light feathers of admirable fineness, and they -completed the whole of this marvellous bird, that the natives -have poetically named the "bird of the sun." - -But if my wishes were satisfied by the possession of the bird -of paradise, the Canadian's were not yet. Happily, about two -o'clock, Ned Land brought down a magnificent hog; from the brood -of those the natives call "bari-outang." The animal came in time -for us to procure real quadruped meat, and he was well received. -Ned Land was very proud of his shot. The hog, hit by the electric ball, -fell stone dead. The Canadian skinned and cleaned it properly, -after having taken half a dozen cutlets, destined to furnish us -with a grilled repast in the evening. Then the hunt was resumed, -which was still more marked by Ned and Conseil's exploits. - -Indeed, the two friends, beating the bushes, roused a herd -of kangaroos that fled and bounded along on their elastic paws. -But these animals did not take to flight so rapidly but what -the electric capsule could stop their course. - -"Ah, Professor!" cried Ned Land, who was carried away by the -delights of the chase, "what excellent game, and stewed, too! -What a supply for the Nautilus! Two! three! five down! -And to think that we shall eat that flesh, and that the idiots on -board shall not have a crumb!" - -I think that, in the excess of his joy, the Canadian, -if he had not talked so much, would have killed them all. -But he contented himself with a single dozen of these -interesting marsupians. These animals were small. -They were a species of those "kangaroo rabbits" that live -habitually in the hollows of trees, and whose speed is extreme; -but they are moderately fat, and furnish, at least, estimable food. -We were very satisfied with the results of the hunt. -Happy Ned proposed to return to this enchanting island the next day, -for he wished to depopulate it of all the eatable quadrupeds. -But he had reckoned without his host. - -At six o'clock in the evening we had regained the shore; -our boat was moored to the usual place. The Nautilus, like a -long rock, emerged from the waves two miles from the beach. -Ned Land, without waiting, occupied himself about the important -dinner business. He understood all about cooking well. -The "bari-outang," grilled on the coals, soon scented the air with -a delicious odour. - -Indeed, the dinner was excellent. Two wood-pigeons -completed this extraordinary menu. The sago pasty, -the artocarpus bread, some mangoes, half a dozen pineapples, -and the liquor fermented from some coco-nuts, overjoyed us. -I even think that my worthy companions' ideas had not all -the plainness desirable. - -"Suppose we do not return to the Nautilus this evening?" said Conseil. - -"Suppose we never return?" added Ned Land. - -Just then a stone fell at our feet and cut short the harpooner's proposition. - - - -CHAPTER XXI - -CAPTAIN NEMO'S THUNDERBOLT - -We looked at the edge of the forest without rising, -my hand stopping in the action of putting it to my mouth, -Ned Land's completing its office. - -"Stones do not fall from the sky," remarked Conseil, "or they -would merit the name aerolites." - -A second stone, carefully aimed, that made a savoury pigeon's leg -fall from Conseil's hand, gave still more weight to his observation. -We all three arose, shouldered our guns, and were ready to reply -to any attack. - -"Are they apes?" cried Ned Land. - -"Very nearly--they are savages." - -"To the boat!" I said, hurrying to the sea. - -It was indeed necessary to beat a retreat, for about twenty natives -armed with bows and slings appeared on the skirts of a copse that masked -the horizon to the right, hardly a hundred steps from us. - -Our boat was moored about sixty feet from us. The savages -approached us, not running, but making hostile demonstrations. -Stones and arrows fell thickly. - -Ned Land had not wished to leave his provisions; and, in spite of his -imminent danger, his pig on one side and kangaroos on the other, -he went tolerably fast. In two minutes we were on the shore. -To load the boat with provisions and arms, to push it out -to sea, and ship the oars, was the work of an instant. -We had not gone two cable-lengths, when a hundred savages, -howling and gesticulating, entered the water up to their waists. -I watched to see if their apparition would attract some men from -the Nautilus on to the platform. But no. The enormous machine, -lying off, was absolutely deserted. - -Twenty minutes later we were on board. The panels were open. -After making the boat fast, we entered into the interior -of the Nautilus. - -I descended to the drawing-room, from whence I heard some chords. -Captain Nemo was there, bending over his organ, and plunged in -a musical ecstasy. - -"Captain!" - -He did not hear me. - -"Captain!" I said, touching his hand. - -He shuddered, and, turning round, said, "Ah! it is you, Professor? -Well, have you had a good hunt, have you botanised successfully?" - -"Yes Captain; but we have unfortunately brought a troop of bipeds, -whose vicinity troubles me." - -"What bipeds?" - -"Savages." - -"Savages!" he echoed, ironically. "So you are astonished, Professor, -at having set foot on a strange land and finding savages? -Savages! where are there not any? Besides, are they worse than others, -these whom you call savages?" - -"But Captain----" - -"How many have you counted?" - -"A hundred at least." - -"M. Aronnax," replied Captain Nemo, placing his fingers on the organ stops, -"when all the natives of Papua are assembled on this shore, the Nautilus -will have nothing to fear from their attacks." - -The Captain's fingers were then running over the keys of -the instrument, and I remarked that he touched only the black keys, -which gave his melodies an essentially Scotch character. -Soon he had forgotten my presence, and had plunged into a reverie -that I did not disturb. I went up again on to the platform: -night had already fallen; for, in this low latitude, -the sun sets rapidly and without twilight. I could only see -the island indistinctly; but the numerous fires, lighted on -the beach, showed that the natives did not think of leaving it. -I was alone for several hours, sometimes thinking of the natives-- -but without any dread of them, for the imperturbable -confidence of the Captain was catching--sometimes forgetting -them to admire the splendours of the night in the tropics. -My remembrances went to France in the train of those zodiacal -stars that would shine in some hours' time. The moon shone in -the midst of the constellations of the zenith. - -The night slipped away without any mischance, the islanders -frightened no doubt at the sight of a monster aground in the bay. -The panels were open, and would have offered an easy access -to the interior of the Nautilus. - -At six o'clock in the morning of the 8th January I went up -on to the platform. The dawn was breaking. The island soon -showed itself through the dissipating fogs, first the shore, -then the summits. - -The natives were there, more numerous than on the day before-- -five or six hundred perhaps--some of them, profiting by the low water, -had come on to the coral, at less than two cable-lengths from the Nautilus. -I distinguished them easily; they were true Papuans, with athletic figures, -men of good race, large high foreheads, large, but not broad and flat, -and white teeth. Their woolly hair, with a reddish tinge, showed off on their -black shining bodies like those of the Nubians. From the lobes of their ears, -cut and distended, hung chaplets of bones. Most of these savages were naked. -Amongst them, I remarked some women, dressed from the hips to knees -in quite a crinoline of herbs, that sustained a vegetable waistband. -Some chiefs had ornamented their necks with a crescent and collars -of glass beads, red and white; nearly all were armed with bows, arrows, -and shields and carried on their shoulders a sort of net containing -those round stones which they cast from their slings with great skill. -One of these chiefs, rather near to the Nautilus, examined it attentively. -He was, perhaps, a "mado" of high rank, for he was draped in a mat of -banana-leaves, notched round the edges, and set off with brilliant colours. - -I could easily have knocked down this native, who was within a short length; -but I thought that it was better to wait for real hostile demonstrations. -Between Europeans and savages, it is proper for the Europeans to parry -sharply, not to attack. - -During low water the natives roamed about near the Nautilus, -but were not troublesome; I heard them frequently repeat the word -"Assai," and by their gestures I understood that they invited me -to go on land, an invitation that I declined. - -So that, on that day, the boat did not push off, to the great displeasure -of Master Land, who could not complete his provisions. - -This adroit Canadian employed his time in preparing the viands -and meat that he had brought off the island. As for the savages, -they returned to the shore about eleven o'clock in the morning, -as soon as the coral tops began to disappear under the rising tide; -but I saw their numbers had increased considerably on the shore. -Probably they came from the neighbouring islands, or very likely -from Papua. However, I had not seen a single native canoe. -Having nothing better to do, I thought of dragging these beautiful -limpid waters, under which I saw a profusion of shells, zoophytes, -and marine plants. Moreover, it was the last day that the Nautilus -would pass in these parts, if it float in open sea the next day, -according to Captain Nemo's promise. - -I therefore called Conseil, who brought me a little light drag, -very like those for the oyster fishery. Now to work! -For two hours we fished unceasingly, but without bringing up -any rarities. The drag was filled with midas-ears, harps, melames, -and particularly the most beautiful hammers I have ever seen. -We also brought up some sea-slugs, pearl-oysters, and a dozen little -turtles that were reserved for the pantry on board. - -But just when I expected it least, I put my hand on a wonder, -I might say a natural deformity, very rarely met with. -Conseil was just dragging, and his net came up filled with -divers ordinary shells, when, all at once, he saw me plunge -my arm quickly into the net, to draw out a shell, and heard me -utter a cry. - -"What is the matter, sir?" he asked in surprise. -"Has master been bitten?" - -"No, my boy; but I would willingly have given a finger for my discovery." - -"What discovery?" - -"This shell," I said, holding up the object of my triumph. - -"It is simply an olive porphyry." {genus species missing} - -"Yes, Conseil; but, instead of being rolled from right to left, -this olive turns from left to right." - -"Is it possible?" - -"Yes, my boy; it is a left shell." - -Shells are all right-handed, with rare exceptions; and, when by chance -their spiral is left, amateurs are ready to pay their weight in gold. - -Conseil and I were absorbed in the contemplation of our treasure, -and I was promising myself to enrich the museum with it, -when a stone unfortunately thrown by a native struck against, -and broke, the precious object in Conseil's hand. -I uttered a cry of despair! Conseil took up his gun, and aimed -at a savage who was poising his sling at ten yards from him. -I would have stopped him, but his blow took effect and broke -the bracelet of amulets which encircled the arm of the savage. - -"Conseil!" cried I. "Conseil!" - -"Well, sir! do you not see that the cannibal has commenced the attack?" - -"A shell is not worth the life of a man," said I. - -"Ah! the scoundrel!" cried Conseil; "I would rather he had -broken my shoulder!" - -Conseil was in earnest, but I was not of his opinion. However, the situation -had changed some minutes before, and we had not perceived. A score of canoes -surrounded the Nautilus. These canoes, scooped out of the trunk of a tree, -long, narrow, well adapted for speed, were balanced by means of a long -bamboo pole, which floated on the water. They were managed by skilful, -half-naked paddlers, and I watched their advance with some uneasiness. -It was evident that these Papuans had already had dealings with the Europeans -and knew their ships. But this long iron cylinder anchored in the bay, -without masts or chimneys, what could they think of it? Nothing good, for at -first they kept at a respectful distance. However, seeing it motionless, -by degrees they took courage, and sought to familiarise themselves with it. -Now this familiarity was precisely what it was necessary to avoid. -Our arms, which were noiseless, could only produce a moderate effect -on the savages, who have little respect for aught but blustering things. -The thunderbolt without the reverberations of thunder would frighten man -but little, though the danger lies in the lightning, not in the noise. - -At this moment the canoes approached the Nautilus, and a shower -of arrows alighted on her. - -I went down to the saloon, but found no one there. I ventured -to knock at the door that opened into the Captain's room. -"Come in," was the answer. - -I entered, and found Captain Nemo deep in algebraical calculations -of _x_ and other quantities. - -"I am disturbing you," said I, for courtesy's sake. - -"That is true, M. Aronnax," replied the Captain; "but I think -you have serious reasons for wishing to see me?" - -"Very grave ones; the natives are surrounding us in their canoes, -and in a few minutes we shall certainly be attacked by many -hundreds of savages." - -"Ah!," said Captain Nemo quietly, "they are come with their canoes?" - -"Yes, sir." - -"Well, sir, we must close the hatches." - -"Exactly, and I came to say to you----" - -"Nothing can be more simple," said Captain Nemo. And, pressing an -electric button, he transmitted an order to the ship's crew. - -"It is all done, sir," said he, after some moments. -"The pinnace is ready, and the hatches are closed. -You do not fear, I imagine, that these gentlemen could stave in -walls on which the balls of your frigate have had no effect?" - -"No, Captain; but a danger still exists." - -"What is that, sir?" - -"It is that to-morrow, at about this hour, we must open the hatches -to renew the air of the Nautilus. Now, if, at this moment, -the Papuans should occupy the platform, I do not see how you -could prevent them from entering." - -"Then, sir, you suppose that they will board us?" - -"I am certain of it." - -"Well, sir, let them come. I see no reason for hindering them. -After all, these Papuans are poor creatures, and I am unwilling -that my visit to the island should cost the life of a single one -of these wretches." - -Upon that I was going away; But Captain Nemo detained me, -and asked me to sit down by him. He questioned me with interest -about our excursions on shore, and our hunting; and seemed not -to understand the craving for meat that possessed the Canadian. -Then the conversation turned on various subjects, and, without being -more communicative, Captain Nemo showed himself more amiable. - -Amongst other things, we happened to speak of the situation -of the Nautilus, run aground in exactly the same spot -in this strait where Dumont d'Urville was nearly lost. -Apropos of this: - -"This D'Urville was one of your great sailors," said the Captain -to me, "one of your most intelligent navigators. He is the Captain -Cook of you Frenchmen. Unfortunate man of science, after having -braved the icebergs of the South Pole, the coral reefs of Oceania, -the cannibals of the Pacific, to perish miserably in a railway train! -If this energetic man could have reflected during the last moments -of his life, what must have been uppermost in his last thoughts, -do you suppose?" - -So speaking, Captain Nemo seemed moved, and his emotion -gave me a better opinion of him. Then, chart in hand, -we reviewed the travels of the French navigator, his voyages -of circumnavigation, his double detention at the South Pole, -which led to the discovery of Adelaide and Louis Philippe, -and fixing the hydrographical bearings of the principal -islands of Oceania. - -"That which your D'Urville has done on the surface of the seas," said Captain -Nemo, "that have I done under them, and more easily, more completely than he. -The Astrolabe and the Zelee, incessantly tossed about by the hurricane, -could not be worth the Nautilus, quiet repository of labour that she is, -truly motionless in the midst of the waters. - -"To-morrow," added the Captain, rising, "to-morrow, at twenty -minutes to three p.m., the Nautilus shall float, and leave -the Strait of Torres uninjured." - -Having curtly pronounced these words, Captain Nemo bowed slightly. -This was to dismiss me, and I went back to my room. - -There I found Conseil, who wished to know the result of my interview -with the Captain. - -"My boy," said I, "when I feigned to believe that his Nautilus -was threatened by the natives of Papua, the Captain answered -me very sarcastically. I have but one thing to say to you: -Have confidence in him, and go to sleep in peace." - -"Have you no need of my services, sir?" - -"No, my friend. What is Ned Land doing?" - -"If you will excuse me, sir," answered Conseil, "friend Ned is busy -making a kangaroo-pie which will be a marvel." - -I remained alone and went to bed, but slept indifferently. I heard the noise -of the savages, who stamped on the platform, uttering deafening cries. -The night passed thus, without disturbing the ordinary repose of the crew. -The presence of these cannibals affected them no more than the soldiers of a -masked battery care for the ants that crawl over its front. - -At six in the morning I rose. The hatches had not been opened. -The inner air was not renewed, but the reservoirs, filled ready -for any emergency, were now resorted to, and discharged several -cubic feet of oxygen into the exhausted atmosphere of the Nautilus. - -I worked in my room till noon, without having seen Captain Nemo, -even for an instant. On board no preparations for departure were visible. - -I waited still some time, then went into the large saloon. -The clock marked half-past two. In ten minutes it would be -high-tide: and, if Captain Nemo had not made a rash promise, -the Nautilus would be immediately detached. If not, many months -would pass ere she could leave her bed of coral. - -However, some warning vibrations began to be felt in the vessel. -I heard the keel grating against the rough calcareous bottom of -the coral reef. - -At five-and-twenty minutes to three, Captain Nemo appeared in the saloon. - -"We are going to start," said he. - -"Ah!" replied I. - -"I have given the order to open the hatches." - -"And the Papuans?" - -"The Papuans?" answered Captain Nemo, slightly shrugging his shoulders. - -"Will they not come inside the Nautilus?" - -"How?" - -"Only by leaping over the hatches you have opened." - -"M. Aronnax," quietly answered Captain Nemo, "they will not enter -the hatches of the Nautilus in that way, even if they were open." - -I looked at the Captain. - -"You do not understand?" said he. - -"Hardly." - -"Well, come and you will see." - -I directed my steps towards the central staircase. There Ned -Land and Conseil were slyly watching some of the ship's crew, -who were opening the hatches, while cries of rage and fearful -vociferations resounded outside. - -The port lids were pulled down outside. Twenty horrible faces appeared. -But the first native who placed his hand on the stair-rail, struck from behind -by some invisible force, I know not what, fled, uttering the most fearful -cries and making the wildest contortions. - -Ten of his companions followed him. They met with the same fate. - -Conseil was in ecstasy. Ned Land, carried away by his violent instincts, -rushed on to the staircase. But the moment he seized the rail with -both hands, he, in his turn, was overthrown. - -"I am struck by a thunderbolt," cried he, with an oath. - -This explained all. It was no rail; but a metallic cable -charged with electricity from the deck communicating with -the platform. Whoever touched it felt a powerful shock-- -and this shock would have been mortal if Captain Nemo had -discharged into the conductor the whole force of the current. -It might truly be said that between his assailants and himself -he had stretched a network of electricity which none could -pass with impunity. - -Meanwhile, the exasperated Papuans had beaten a retreat paralysed -with terror. As for us, half laughing, we consoled and rubbed -the unfortunate Ned Land, who swore like one possessed. - -But at this moment the Nautilus, raised by the last waves of the tide, -quitted her coral bed exactly at the fortieth minute fixed by -the Captain. Her screw swept the waters slowly and majestically. -Her speed increased gradually, and, sailing on the surface of the ocean, -she quitted safe and sound the dangerous passes of the Straits of Torres. - - - -CHAPTER XXII - -"AEGRI SOMNIA" - -The following day 10th January, the Nautilus continued her -course between two seas, but with such remarkable speed that I -could not estimate it at less than thirty-five miles an hour. -The rapidity of her screw was such that I could neither follow -nor count its revolutions. When I reflected that this marvellous -electric agent, after having afforded motion, heat, and light -to the Nautilus, still protected her from outward attack, -and transformed her into an ark of safety which no profane -hand might touch without being thunderstricken, my admiration -was unbounded, and from the structure it extended to the engineer -who had called it into existence. - -Our course was directed to the west, and on the 11th of January we doubled -Cape Wessel, situation in 135@ long. and 10@ S. lat., which forms -the east point of the Gulf of Carpentaria. The reefs were still numerous, -but more equalised, and marked on the chart with extreme precision. -The Nautilus easily avoided the breakers of Money to port and the Victoria -reefs to starboard, placed at 130@ long. and on the 10th parallel, -which we strictly followed. - -On the 13th of January, Captain Nemo arrived in the Sea of Timor, -and recognised the island of that name in 122@ long. - -From this point the direction of the Nautilus inclined towards -the south-west. Her head was set for the Indian Ocean. -Where would the fancy of Captain Nemo carry us next? -Would he return to the coast of Asia or would he approach -again the shores of Europe? Improbable conjectures both, -to a man who fled from inhabited continents. Then would -he descend to the south? Was he going to double the Cape -of Good Hope, then Cape Horn, and finally go as far as the -Antarctic pole? Would he come back at last to the Pacific, -where his Nautilus could sail free and independently? -Time would show. - -After having skirted the sands of Cartier, of Hibernia, Seringapatam, -and Scott, last efforts of the solid against the liquid element, -on the 14th of January we lost sight of land altogether. -The speed of the Nautilus was considerably abated, and with -irregular course she sometimes swam in the bosom of the waters, -sometimes floated on their surface. - -During this period of the voyage, Captain Nemo made some interesting -experiments on the varied temperature of the sea, in different beds. -Under ordinary conditions these observations are made by means of -rather complicated instruments, and with somewhat doubtful results, -by means of thermometrical sounding-leads, the glasses often breaking -under the pressure of the water, or an apparatus grounded on -the variations of the resistance of metals to the electric currents. -Results so obtained could not be correctly calculated. On the contrary, -Captain Nemo went himself to test the temperature in the depths of the sea, -and his thermometer, placed in communication with the different sheets -of water, gave him the required degree immediately and accurately. - -It was thus that, either by overloading her reservoirs or by descending -obliquely by means of her inclined planes, the Nautilus successively attained -the depth of three, four, five, seven, nine, and ten thousand yards, -and the definite result of this experience was that the sea preserved -an average temperature of four degrees and a half at a depth of five -thousand fathoms under all latitudes. - -On the 16th of January, the Nautilus seemed becalmed -only a few yards beneath the surface of the waves. -Her electric apparatus remained inactive and her motionless -screw left her to drift at the mercy of the currents. -I supposed that the crew was occupied with interior repairs, -rendered necessary by the violence of the mechanical movements -of the machine. - -My companions and I then witnessed a curious spectacle. -The hatches of the saloon were open, and, as the beacon light -of the Nautilus was not in action, a dim obscurity reigned -in the midst of the waters. I observed the state of the sea, -under these conditions, and the largest fish appeared to me -no more than scarcely defined shadows, when the Nautilus -found herself suddenly transported into full light. -I thought at first that the beacon had been lighted, -and was casting its electric radiance into the liquid mass. -I was mistaken, and after a rapid survey perceived my error. - -The Nautilus floated in the midst of a phosphorescent bed which, -in this obscurity, became quite dazzling. It was produced -by myriads of luminous animalculae, whose brilliancy was -increased as they glided over the metallic hull of the vessel. -I was surprised by lightning in the midst of these luminous sheets, -as though they bad been rivulets of lead melted in an ardent -furnace or metallic masses brought to a white heat, so that, -by force of contrast, certain portions of light appeared to cast -a shade in the midst of the general ignition, from which all -shade seemed banished. No; this was not the calm irradiation -of our ordinary lightning. There was unusual life and vigour: -this was truly living light! - -In reality, it was an infinite agglomeration of coloured infusoria, -of veritable globules of jelly, provided with a threadlike tentacle, -and of which as many as twenty-five thousand have been counted in less -than two cubic half-inches of water. - -During several hours the Nautilus floated in these brilliant waves, -and our admiration increased as we watched the marine monsters -disporting themselves like salamanders. I saw there in the midst -of this fire that burns not the swift and elegant porpoise -(the indefatigable clown of the ocean), and some swordfish -ten feet long, those prophetic heralds of the hurricane whose -formidable sword would now and then strike the glass of the saloon. -Then appeared the smaller fish, the balista, the leaping mackerel, -wolf-thorn-tails, and a hundred others which striped the luminous -atmosphere as they swam. This dazzling spectacle was enchanting! -Perhaps some atmospheric condition increased the intensity of -this phenomenon. Perhaps some storm agitated the surface of the waves. -But at this depth of some yards, the Nautilus was unmoved by its fury -and reposed peacefully in still water. - -So we progressed, incessantly charmed by some new marvel. -The days passed rapidly away, and I took no account of them. -Ned, according to habit, tried to vary the diet on board. -Like snails, we were fixed to our shells, and I declare it is easy -to lead a snail's life. - -Thus this life seemed easy and natural, and we thought no longer -of the life we led on land; but something happened to recall us -to the strangeness of our situation. - -On the 18th of January, the Nautilus was in 105@ long. -and 15@ S. lat. The weather was threatening, the sea rough -and rolling. There was a strong east wind. The barometer, -which had been going down for some days, foreboded a coming storm. -I went up on to the platform just as the second lieutenant -was taking the measure of the horary angles, and waited, -according to habit till the daily phrase was said. But on this day -it was exchanged for another phrase not less incomprehensible. -Almost directly, I saw Captain Nemo appear with a glass, looking -towards the horizon. - -For some minutes he was immovable, without taking his eye off -the point of observation. Then he lowered his glass and exchanged -a few words with his lieutenant. The latter seemed to be -a victim to some emotion that he tried in vain to repress. -Captain Nemo, having more command over himself, was cool. -He seemed, too, to be making some objections to which the lieutenant -replied by formal assurances. At least I concluded so by the -difference of their tones and gestures. For myself, I had looked -carefully in the direction indicated without seeing anything. -The sky and water were lost in the clear line of the horizon. - -However, Captain Nemo walked from one end of the platform -to the other, without looking at me, perhaps without seeing me. -His step was firm, but less regular than usual. -He stopped sometimes, crossed his arms, and observed the sea. -What could he be looking for on that immense expanse? - -The Nautilus was then some hundreds of miles from the nearest coast. - -The lieutenant had taken up the glass and examined the horizon steadfastly, -going and coming, stamping his foot and showing more nervous agitation than -his superior officer. Besides, this mystery must necessarily be solved, -and before long; for, upon an order from Captain Nemo, the engine, -increasing its propelling power, made the screw turn more rapidly. - -Just then the lieutenant drew the Captain's attention again. -The latter stopped walking and directed his glass towards -the place indicated. He looked long. I felt very much puzzled, -and descended to the drawing-room, and took out an excellent -telescope that I generally used. Then, leaning on the cage -of the watch-light that jutted out from the front of the platform, -set myself to look over all the line of the sky and sea. - -But my eye was no sooner applied to the glass than it was quickly -snatched out of my hands. - -I turned round. Captain Nemo was before me, but I did not know him. -His face was transfigured. His eyes flashed sullenly; his teeth were set; -his stiff body, clenched fists, and head shrunk between his shoulders, -betrayed the violent agitation that pervaded his whole frame. -He did not move. My glass, fallen from his hands, had rolled at his feet. - -Had I unwittingly provoked this fit of anger? Did this incomprehensible -person imagine that I had discovered some forbidden secret? -No; I was not the object of this hatred, for he was not looking at me; -his eye was steadily fixed upon the impenetrable point of the horizon. -At last Captain Nemo recovered himself. His agitation subsided. -He addressed some words in a foreign language to his lieutenant, -then turned to me. "M. Aronnax," he said, in rather an imperious tone, -"I require you to keep one of the conditions that bind you to me." - -"What is it, Captain?" - -"You must be confined, with your companions, until I think fit -to release you." - -"You are the master," I replied, looking steadily at him. -"But may I ask you one question?" - -"None, sir." - -There was no resisting this imperious command, it would have been useless. -I went down to the cabin occupied by Ned Land and Conseil, and told them -the Captain's determination. You may judge how this communication was -received by the Canadian. - -But there was not time for altercation. Four of the crew waited -at the door, and conducted us to that cell where we had passed -our first night on board the Nautilus. - -Ned Land would have remonstrated, but the door was shut upon him. - -"Will master tell me what this means?" asked Conseil. - -I told my companions what had passed. They were as much astonished as I, -and equally at a loss how to account for it. - -Meanwhile, I was absorbed in my own reflections, and could think -of nothing but the strange fear depicted in the Captain's countenance. -I was utterly at a loss to account for it, when my cogitations were -disturbed by these words from Ned Land: - -"Hallo! breakfast is ready." - -And indeed the table was laid. Evidently Captain Nemo had given this order -at the same time that he had hastened the speed of the Nautilus. - -"Will master permit me to make a recommendation?" asked Conseil. - -"Yes, my boy." - -"Well, it is that master breakfasts. It is prudent, for we do not know -what may happen." - -"You are right, Conseil." - -"Unfortunately," said Ned Land, "they have only given us the ship's fare." - -"Friend Ned," asked Conseil, "what would you have said if the breakfast -had been entirely forgotten?" - -This argument cut short the harpooner's recriminations. - -We sat down to table. The meal was eaten in silence. - -Just then the luminous globe that lighted the cell went out, and left us -in total darkness. Ned Land was soon asleep, and what astonished me was -that Conseil went off into a heavy slumber. I was thinking what could have -caused his irresistible drowsiness, when I felt my brain becoming stupefied. -In spite of my efforts to keep my eyes open, they would close. -A painful suspicion seized me. Evidently soporific substances had been -mixed with the food we had just taken. Imprisonment was not enough -to conceal Captain Nemo's projects from us, sleep was more necessary. -I then heard the panels shut. The undulations of the sea, which caused -a slight rolling motion, ceased. Had the Nautilus quitted the surface -of the ocean? Had it gone back to the motionless bed of water? -I tried to resist sleep. It was impossible. My breathing grew weak. -I felt a mortal cold freeze my stiffened and half-paralysed limbs. -My eye lids, like leaden caps, fell over my eyes. I could not raise them; -a morbid sleep, full of hallucinations, bereft me of my being. -Then the visions disappeared, and left me in complete insensibility. - - - -CHAPTER XXIII - -THE CORAL KINGDOM - -The next day I woke with my head singularly clear. -To my great surprise, I was in my own room. My companions, -no doubt, had been reinstated in their cabin, without having -perceived it any more than I. Of what had passed during the night -they were as ignorant as I was, and to penetrate this mystery I -only reckoned upon the chances of the future. - -I then thought of quitting my room. Was I free again or a prisoner? -Quite free. I opened the door, went to the half-deck, went up -the central stairs. The panels, shut the evening before, were open. -I went on to the platform. - -Ned Land and Conseil waited there for me. I questioned them; -they knew nothing. Lost in a heavy sleep in which they had -been totally unconscious, they had been astonished at finding -themselves in their cabin. - -As for the Nautilus, it seemed quiet and mysterious as ever. -It floated on the surface of the waves at a moderate pace. -Nothing seemed changed on board. - -The second lieutenant then came on to the platform, and gave -the usual order below. - -As for Captain Nemo, he did not appear. - -Of the people on board, I only saw the impassive steward, -who served me with his usual dumb regularity. - -About two o'clock, I was in the drawing-room, busied in arranging -my notes, when the Captain opened the door and appeared. I bowed. -He made a slight inclination in return, without speaking. -I resumed my work, hoping that he would perhaps give me some -explanation of the events of the preceding night. He made none. -I looked at him. He seemed fatigued; his heavy eyes had not -been refreshed by sleep; his face looked very sorrowful. -He walked to and fro, sat down and got up again, took a -chance book, put it down, consulted his instruments without -taking his habitual notes, and seemed restless and uneasy. -At last, he came up to me, and said: - -"Are you a doctor, M. Aronnax?" - -I so little expected such a question that I stared some time -at him without answering. - -"Are you a doctor?" he repeated. "Several of your colleagues -have studied medicine." - -"Well," said I, "I am a doctor and resident surgeon to the hospital. -I practised several years before entering the museum." - -"Very well, sir." - -My answer had evidently satisfied the Captain. But, not knowing -what he would say next, I waited for other questions, reserving my -answers according to circumstances. - -"M. Aronnax, will you consent to prescribe for one of my men?" be asked. - -"Is he ill?" - -"Yes." - -"I am ready to follow you." - -"Come, then." - -I own my heart beat, I do not know why. I saw certain connection -between the illness of one of the crew and the events of the day before; -and this mystery interested me at least as much as the sick man. - -Captain Nemo conducted me to the poop of the Nautilus, -and took me into a cabin situated near the sailors' quarters. - -There, on a bed, lay a man about forty years of age, with a resolute -expression of countenance, a true type of an Anglo-Saxon. - -I leant over him. He was not only ill, he was wounded. -His head, swathed in bandages covered with blood, lay on a pillow. -I undid the bandages, and the wounded man looked at me with his large -eyes and gave no sign of pain as I did it. It was a horrible wound. -The skull, shattered by some deadly weapon, left the brain exposed, -which was much injured. Clots of blood had formed in the bruised -and broken mass, in colour like the dregs of wine. - -There was both contusion and suffusion of the brain. His breathing -was slow, and some spasmodic movements of the muscles agitated his face. -I felt his pulse. It was intermittent. The extremities of the body -were growing cold already, and I saw death must inevitably ensue. -After dressing the unfortunate man's wounds, I readjusted the bandages -on his head, and turned to Captain Nemo. - -"What caused this wound?" I asked. - -"What does it signify?" he replied, evasively. "A shock has -broken one of the levers of the engine, which struck myself. -But your opinion as to his state?" - -I hesitated before giving it. - -"You may speak," said the Captain. "This man does not understand French." - -I gave a last look at the wounded man. - -"He will be dead in two hours." - -"Can nothing save him?" - -"Nothing." - -Captain Nemo's hand contracted, and some tears glistened in his eyes, -which I thought incapable of shedding any. - -For some moments I still watched the dying man, whose life ebbed slowly. -His pallor increased under the electric light that was shed over -his death-bed. I looked at his intelligent forehead, furrowed with -premature wrinkles, produced probably by misfortune and sorrow. -I tried to learn the secret of his life from the last words that -escaped his lips. - -"You can go now, M. Aronnax," said the Captain. - -I left him in the dying man's cabin, and returned to my -room much affected by this scene. During the whole day, -I was haunted by uncomfortable suspicions, and at night -I slept badly, and between my broken dreams I fancied I -heard distant sighs like the notes of a funeral psalm. -Were they the prayers of the dead, murmured in that language -that I could not understand? - -The next morning I went on to the bridge. Captain Nemo was there before me. -As soon as he perceived me he came to me. - -"Professor, will it be convenient to you to make a submarine excursion to-day?" - -"With my companions?" I asked. - -"If they like." - -"We obey your orders, Captain." - -"Will you be so good then as to put on your cork jackets?" - -It was not a question of dead or dying. I rejoined Ned Land -and Conseil, and told them of Captain Nemo's proposition. -Conseil hastened to accept it, and this time the Canadian seemed -quite willing to follow our example. - -It was eight o'clock in the morning. At half-past eight we were equipped -for this new excursion, and provided with two contrivances for light -and breathing. The double door was open; and, accompanied by Captain Nemo, -who was followed by a dozen of the crew, we set foot, at a depth of about -thirty feet, on the solid bottom on which the Nautilus rested. - -A slight declivity ended in an uneven bottom, at fifteen fathoms depth. -This bottom differed entirely from the one I had visited on my first excursion -under the waters of the Pacific Ocean. Here, there was no fine sand, -no submarine prairies, no sea-forest. I immediately recognised that -marvellous region in which, on that day, the Captain did the honours to us. -It was the coral kingdom. - -The light produced a thousand charming varieties, playing in -the midst of the branches that were so vividly coloured. -I seemed to see the membraneous and cylindrical tubes tremble -beneath the undulation of the waters. I was tempted to gather -their fresh petals, ornamented with delicate tentacles, -some just blown, the others budding, while a small fish, -swimming swiftly, touched them slightly, like flights of birds. -But if my hand approached these living flowers, these animated, -sensitive plants, the whole colony took alarm. The white petals -re-entered their red cases, the flowers faded as I looked, -and the bush changed into a block of stony knobs. - -Chance had thrown me just by the most precious specimens of the zoophyte. -This coral was more valuable than that found in the Mediterranean, -on the coasts of France, Italy and Barbary. Its tints justified -the poetical names of "Flower of Blood," and "Froth of Blood," -that trade has given to its most beautiful productions. -Coral is sold for L20 per ounce; and in this place the watery beds would -make the fortunes of a company of coral-divers. This precious matter, -often confused with other polypi, formed then the inextricable plots -called "macciota," and on which I noticed several beautiful specimens -of pink coral. - -{opening sentence missing} Real petrified thickets, long joints -of fantastic architecture, were disclosed before us. -Captain Nemo placed himself under a dark gallery, where by -a slight declivity we reached a depth of a hundred yards. -The light from our lamps produced sometimes magical effects, -following the rough outlines of the natural arches and pendants -disposed like lustres, that were tipped with points of fire. - -At last, after walking two hours, we had attained a depth -of about three hundred yards, that is to say, the extreme limit -on which coral begins to form. But there was no isolated bush, -nor modest brushwood, at the bottom of lofty trees. -It was an immense forest of large mineral vegetations, -enormous petrified trees, united by garlands of elegant -sea-bindweed, all adorned with clouds and reflections. -We passed freely under their high branches, lost in the shade -of the waves. - -Captain Nemo had stopped. I and my companions halted, and, turning round, -I saw his men were forming a semi-circle round their chief. -Watching attentively, I observed that four of them carried on their -shoulders an object of an oblong shape. - -We occupied, in this place, the centre of a vast glade -surrounded by the lofty foliage of the submarine forest. -Our lamps threw over this place a sort of clear twilight -that singularly elongated the shadows on the ground. -At the end of the glade the darkness increased, and was only relieved -by little sparks reflected by the points of coral. - -Ned Land and Conseil were near me. We watched, -and I thought I was going to witness a strange scene. -On observing the ground, I saw that it was raised in certain -places by slight excrescences encrusted with limy deposits, -and disposed with a regularity that betrayed the hand of man. - -In the midst of the glade, on a pedestal of rocks roughly -piled up, stood a cross of coral that extended its long arms -that one might have thought were made of petrified blood. -Upon a sign from Captain Nemo one of the men advanced; -and at some feet from the cross he began to dig a hole with -a pickaxe that he took from his belt. I understood all! -This glade was a cemetery, this hole a tomb, this oblong -object the body of the man who had died in the night! -The Captain and his men had come to bury their companion in this -general resting-place, at the bottom of this inaccessible ocean! - -The grave was being dug slowly; the fish fled on all sides while their -retreat was being thus disturbed; I heard the strokes of the pickaxe, -which sparkled when it hit upon some flint lost at the bottom of the waters. -The hole was soon large and deep enough to receive the body. -Then the bearers approached; the body, enveloped in a tissue of white linen, -was lowered into the damp grave. Captain Nemo, with his arms crossed -on his breast, and all the friends of him who had loved them, -knelt in prayer. - -The grave was then filled in with the rubbish taken from the ground, -which formed a slight mound. When this was done, Captain Nemo -and his men rose; then, approaching the grave, they knelt again, -and all extended their hands in sign of a last adieu. -Then the funeral procession returned to the Nautilus, -passing under the arches of the forest, in the midst -of thickets, along the coral bushes, and still on the ascent. -At last the light of the ship appeared, and its luminous track -guided us to the Nautilus. At one o'clock we had returned. - -As soon as I had changed my clothes I went up on to the platform, -and, a prey to conflicting emotions, I sat down near the binnacle. -Captain Nemo joined me. I rose and said to him: - -"So, as I said he would, this man died in the night?" - -"Yes, M. Aronnax." - -"And he rests now, near his companions, in the coral cemetery?" - -"Yes, forgotten by all else, but not by us. We dug the grave, -and the polypi undertake to seal our dead for eternity." -And, burying his face quickly in his hands, he tried in vain to -suppress a sob. Then he added: "Our peaceful cemetery is there, -some hundred feet below the surface of the waves." - -"Your dead sleep quietly, at least, Captain, out of the reach of sharks." - -"Yes, sir, of sharks and men," gravely replied the Captain. - - - -PART TWO - - - -CHAPTER I - -THE INDIAN OCEAN - -We now come to the second part of our journey under the sea. -The first ended with the moving scene in the coral cemetery which left -such a deep impression on my mind. Thus, in the midst of this great sea, -Captain Nemo's life was passing, even to his grave, which he had -prepared in one of its deepest abysses. There, not one of the ocean's -monsters could trouble the last sleep of the crew of the Nautilus, -of those friends riveted to each other in death as in life. -"Nor any man, either," had added the Captain. Still the same fierce, -implacable defiance towards human society! - -I could no longer content myself with the theory which satisfied Conseil. - -That worthy fellow persisted in seeing in the Commander of -the Nautilus one of those unknown servants who return mankind -contempt for indifference. For him, he was a misunderstood -genius who, tired of earth's deceptions, had taken refuge in this -inaccessible medium, where he might follow his instincts freely. -To my mind, this explains but one side of Captain Nemo's character. -Indeed, the mystery of that last night during which we had been -chained in prison, the sleep, and the precaution so violently -taken by the Captain of snatching from my eyes the glass I -had raised to sweep the horizon, the mortal wound of the man, -due to an unaccountable shock of the Nautilus, all put me on a -new track. No; Captain Nemo was not satisfied with shunning man. -His formidable apparatus not only suited his instinct of freedom, -but perhaps also the design of some terrible retaliation. - -At this moment nothing is clear to me; I catch but a glimpse -of light amidst all the darkness, and I must confine myself -to writing as events shall dictate. - -That day, the 24th of January, 1868, at noon, the second officer came to take -the altitude of the sun. I mounted the platform, lit a cigar, and watched -the operation. It seemed to me that the man did not understand French; -for several times I made remarks in a loud voice, which must have drawn -from him some involuntary sign of attention, if he had understood them; -but he remained undisturbed and dumb. - -As he was taking observations with the sextant, one of the -sailors of the Nautilus (the strong man who had accompanied -us on our first submarine excursion to the Island of Crespo) -came to clean the glasses of the lantern. I examined the fittings -of the apparatus, the strength of which was increased a hundredfold -by lenticular rings, placed similar to those in a lighthouse, -and which projected their brilliance in a horizontal plane. -The electric lamp was combined in such a way as to give -its most powerful light. Indeed, it was produced in vacuo, -which insured both its steadiness and its intensity. -This vacuum economised the graphite points between which -the luminous arc was developed--an important point of economy -for Captain Nemo, who could not easily have replaced them; -and under these conditions their waste was imperceptible. -When the Nautilus was ready to continue its submarine journey, -I went down to the saloon. The panel was closed, and the course -marked direct west. - -We were furrowing the waters of the Indian Ocean, a vast liquid plain, -with a surface of 1,200,000,000 of acres, and whose waters are so clear -and transparent that any one leaning over them would turn giddy. -The Nautilus usually floated between fifty and a hundred fathoms deep. -We went on so for some days. To anyone but myself, who had a great -love for the sea, the hours would have seemed long and monotonous; -but the daily walks on the platform, when I steeped myself in the reviving -air of the ocean, the sight of the rich waters through the windows -of the saloon, the books in the library, the compiling of my memoirs, -took up all my time, and left me not a moment of ennui or weariness. - -For some days we saw a great number of aquatic birds, sea-mews or gulls. -Some were cleverly killed and, prepared in a certain way, made very acceptable -water-game. Amongst large-winged birds, carried a long distance from all lands -and resting upon the waves from the fatigue of their flight, I saw some -magnificent albatrosses, uttering discordant cries like the braying of an ass, -and birds belonging to the family of the long-wings. - -As to the fish, they always provoked our admiration when we surprised -the secrets of their aquatic life through the open panels. -I saw many kinds which I never before had a chance of observing. - -{3 paragraphs are missing} - -From the 21st to the 23rd of January the Nautilus went at -the rate of two hundred and fifty leagues in twenty-four hours, -being five hundred and forty miles, or twenty-two miles an hour. -If we recognised so many different varieties of fish, it was because, -attracted by the electric light, they tried to follow us; -the greater part, however, were soon distanced by our speed, -though some kept their place in the waters of the Nautilus for a time. -The morning of the 24th, in 12@ 5' S. lat., and 94@ 33' -long., we observed Keeling Island, a coral formation, -planted with magnificent cocos, and which had been visited by -Mr. Darwin and Captain Fitzroy. The Nautilus skirted the shores -of this desert island for a little distance. Its nets brought -up numerous specimens of polypi and curious shells of mollusca. -{one sentence stripped here} - -Soon Keeling Island disappeared from the horizon, and our course was directed -to the north-west in the direction of the Indian Peninsula. - -From Keeling Island our course was slower and more variable, -often taking us into great depths. Several times they made use -of the inclined planes, which certain internal levers placed -obliquely to the waterline. In that way we went about two miles, -but without ever obtaining the greatest depths of the Indian Sea, -which soundings of seven thousand fathoms have never reached. -As to the temperature of the lower strata, the thermometer invariably -indicated 4@ above zero. I only observed that in the upper regions -the water was always colder in the high levels than at the surface -of the sea. - -On the 25th of January the ocean was entirely deserted; the Nautilus -passed the day on the surface, beating the waves with its powerful -screw and making them rebound to a great height. Who under such -circumstances would not have taken it for a gigantic cetacean? -Three parts of this day I spent on the platform. I watched the sea. -Nothing on the horizon, till about four o'clock a steamer running -west on our counter. Her masts were visible for an instant, -but she could not see the Nautilus, being too low in the water. -I fancied this steamboat belonged to the P.O. Company, which runs -from Ceylon to Sydney, touching at King George's Point and Melbourne. - -At five o'clock in the evening, before that fleeting twilight -which binds night to day in tropical zones, Conseil and I -were astonished by a curious spectacle. - -It was a shoal of argonauts travelling along on the surface of the ocean. -We could count several hundreds. They belonged to the tubercle kind -which are peculiar to the Indian seas. - -These graceful molluscs moved backwards by means of their -locomotive tube, through which they propelled the water already -drawn in. Of their eight tentacles, six were elongated, -and stretched out floating on the water, whilst the other two, -rolled up flat, were spread to the wing like a light sail. -I saw their spiral-shaped and fluted shells, which Cuvier -justly compares to an elegant skiff. A boat indeed! -It bears the creature which secretes it without its adhering to it. - -For nearly an hour the Nautilus floated in the midst of this shoal -of molluscs. Then I know not what sudden fright they took. -But as if at a signal every sail was furled, the arms folded, -the body drawn in, the shells turned over, changing their centre -of gravity, and the whole fleet disappeared under the waves. -Never did the ships of a squadron manoeuvre with more unity. - -At that moment night fell suddenly, and the reeds, scarcely raised -by the breeze, lay peaceably under the sides of the Nautilus. - -The next day, 26th of January, we cut the equator at the -eighty-second meridian and entered the northern hemisphere. -During the day a formidable troop of sharks accompanied us, -terrible creatures, which multiply in these seas and make them -very dangerous. They were "cestracio philippi" sharks, with brown -backs and whitish bellies, armed with eleven rows of teeth-- -eyed sharks--their throat being marked with a large black -spot surrounded with white like an eye. There were also some -Isabella sharks, with rounded snouts marked with dark spots. -These powerful creatures often hurled themselves at the windows -of the saloon with such violence as to make us feel very insecure. -At such times Ned Land was no longer master of himself. -He wanted to go to the surface and harpoon the monsters, -particularly certain smooth-hound sharks, whose mouth is studded with -teeth like a mosaic; and large tiger-sharks nearly six yards long, -the last named of which seemed to excite him more particularly. -But the Nautilus, accelerating her speed, easily left the most rapid -of them behind. - -The 27th of January, at the entrance of the vast Bay of Bengal, -we met repeatedly a forbidding spectacle, dead bodies floating on -the surface of the water. They were the dead of the Indian villages, -carried by the Ganges to the level of the sea, and which the vultures, -the only undertakers of the country, had not been able to devour. -But the sharks did not fail to help them at their funeral work. - -About seven o'clock in the evening, the Nautilus, half-immersed, was -sailing in a sea of milk. At first sight the ocean seemed lactified. -Was it the effect of the lunar rays? No; for the moon, scarcely two -days old, was still lying hidden under the horizon in the rays of the sun. -The whole sky, though lit by the sidereal rays, seemed black by contrast -with the whiteness of the waters. - -Conseil could not believe his eyes, and questioned me as to the cause -of this strange phenomenon. Happily I was able to answer him. - -"It is called a milk sea," I explained. "A large extent -of white wavelets often to be seen on the coasts of Amboyna, -and in these parts of the sea." - -"But, sir," said Conseil, "can you tell me what causes such an effect? -for I suppose the water is not really turned into milk." - -"No, my boy; and the whiteness which surprises you is caused only by -the presence of myriads of infusoria, a sort of luminous little worm, -gelatinous and without colour, of the thickness of a hair, -and whose length is not more than seven-thousandths of an inch. -These insects adhere to one another sometimes for several leagues." - -"Several leagues!" exclaimed Conseil. - -"Yes, my boy; and you need not try to compute the number of these infusoria. -You will not be able, for, if I am not mistaken, ships have floated on these -milk seas for more than forty miles." - -Towards midnight the sea suddenly resumed its usual colour; -but behind us, even to the limits of the horizon, the sky -reflected the whitened waves, and for a long time seemed -impregnated with the vague glimmerings of an aurora borealis. - - - -CHAPTER II - -A NOVEL PROPOSAL OF CAPTAIN NEMO'S - -On the 28th of February, when at noon the Nautilus came to the surface -of the sea, in 9@ 4' N. lat., there was land in sight about eight -miles to westward. The first thing I noticed was a range of mountains -about two thousand feet high, the shapes of which were most capricious. -On taking the bearings, I knew that we were nearing the island of Ceylon, -the pearl which hangs from the lobe of the Indian Peninsula. - -Captain Nemo and his second appeared at this moment. -The Captain glanced at the map. Then turning to me, said: - -"The Island of Ceylon, noted for its pearl-fisheries. Would you -like to visit one of them, M. Aronnax?" - -"Certainly, Captain." - -"Well, the thing is easy. Though, if we see the fisheries, we shall -not see the fishermen. The annual exportation has not yet begun. -Never mind, I will give orders to make for the Gulf of Manaar, -where we shall arrive in the night." - -The Captain said something to his second, who immediately went out. -Soon the Nautilus returned to her native element, and the manometer -showed that she was about thirty feet deep. - -"Well, sir," said Captain Nemo, "you and your companions shall visit -the Bank of Manaar, and if by chance some fisherman should be there, -we shall see him at work." - -"Agreed, Captain!" - -"By the bye, M. Aronnax you are not afraid of sharks?" - -"Sharks!" exclaimed I. - -This question seemed a very hard one. - -"Well?" continued Captain Nemo. - -"I admit, Captain, that I am not yet very familiar with that kind of fish." - -"We are accustomed to them," replied Captain Nemo, -"and in time you will be too. However, we shall be armed, -and on the road we may be able to hunt some of the tribe. -It is interesting. So, till to-morrow, sir, and early." - -This said in a careless tone, Captain Nemo left the saloon. -Now, if you were invited to hunt the bear in the mountains -of Switzerland, what would you say? - -"Very well! to-morrow we will go and hunt the bear." -If you were asked to hunt the lion in the plains of Atlas, -or the tiger in the Indian jungles, what would you say? - -"Ha! ha! it seems we are going to hunt the tiger or the lion!" -But when you are invited to hunt the shark in its natural element, -you would perhaps reflect before accepting the invitation. -As for myself, I passed my hand over my forehead, on which stood large -drops of cold perspiration. "Let us reflect," said I, "and take our time. -Hunting otters in submarine forests, as we did in the Island of Crespo, -will pass; but going up and down at the bottom of the sea, -where one is almost certain to meet sharks, is quite another thing! -I know well that in certain countries, particularly in the Andaman Islands, -the negroes never hesitate to attack them with a dagger in one hand -and a running noose in the other; but I also know that few who affront -those creatures ever return alive. However, I am not a negro, -and if I were I think a little hesitation in this case would -not be ill-timed." - -At this moment Conseil and the Canadian entered, quite composed, -and even joyous. They knew not what awaited them. - -"Faith, sir," said Ned Land, "your Captain Nemo--the devil take him!-- -has just made us a very pleasant offer." - -"Ah!" said I, "you know?" - -"If agreeable to you, sir," interrupted Conseil, "the commander -of the Nautilus has invited us to visit the magnificent Ceylon -fisheries to-morrow, in your company; he did it kindly, -and behaved like a real gentleman." - -"He said nothing more?" - -"Nothing more, sir, except that he had already spoken to you -of this little walk." - -"Sir," said Conseil, "would you give us some details of the pearl fishery?" - -"As to the fishing itself," I asked, "or the incidents, which?" - -"On the fishing," replied the Canadian; "before entering upon the ground, -it is as well to know something about it." - -"Very well; sit down, my friends, and I will teach you." - -Ned and Conseil seated themselves on an ottoman, and the first thing -the Canadian asked was: - -"Sir, what is a pearl?" - -"My worthy Ned," I answered, "to the poet, a pearl is a tear of the sea; -to the Orientals, it is a drop of dew solidified; to the ladies, it is -a jewel of an oblong shape, of a brilliancy of mother-of-pearl substance, -which they wear on their fingers, their necks, or their ears; for the chemist -it is a mixture of phosphate and carbonate of lime, with a little gelatine; -and lastly, for naturalists, it is simply a morbid secretion of the organ -that produces the mother-of-pearl amongst certain bivalves." - -"Branch of molluscs," said Conseil. - -"Precisely so, my learned Conseil; and, amongst these testacea -the earshell, the tridacnae, the turbots, in a word, all those -which secrete mother-of-pearl, that is, the blue, bluish, violet, -or white substance which lines the interior of their shells, -are capable of producing pearls." - -"Mussels too?" asked the Canadian. - -"Yes, mussels of certain waters in Scotland, Wales, Ireland, -Saxony, Bohemia, and France." - -"Good! For the future I shall pay attention," replied the Canadian. - -"But," I continued, "the particular mollusc which secretes -the pearl is the pearl-oyster. The pearl is nothing but a -formation deposited in a globular form, either adhering -to the oyster-shell or buried in the folds of the creature. -On the shell it is fast: in the flesh it is loose; but always -has for a kernel a small hard substance, maybe a barren egg, -maybe a grain of sand, around which the pearly matter deposits itself -year after year successively, and by thin concentric layers." -{this paragraph is edited} - -"Are many pearls found in the same oyster?" asked Conseil. - -"Yes, my boy. Some are a perfect casket. One oyster has been mentioned, -though I allow myself to doubt it, as having contained no less than a hundred -and fifty sharks." - -"A hundred and fifty sharks!" exclaimed Ned Land. - -"Did I say sharks?" said I hurriedly. "I meant to say a hundred -and fifty pearls. Sharks would not be sense." - -"Certainly not," said Conseil; "but will you tell us now by what means -they extract these pearls?" - -"They proceed in various ways. When they adhere to the shell, -the fishermen often pull them off with pincers; but the most common -way is to lay the oysters on mats of the seaweed which covers -the banks. Thus they die in the open air; and at the end -of ten days they are in a forward state of decomposition. -They are then plunged into large reservoirs of sea-water; -then they are opened and washed." - -"The price of these pearls varies according to their size?" asked Conseil. - -"Not only according to their size," I answered, "but also according -to their shape, their water (that is, their colour), and their lustre: -that is, that bright and diapered sparkle which makes them so charming -to the eye. The most beautiful are called virgin pearls, or paragons. -They are formed alone in the tissue of the mollusc, are white, -often opaque, and sometimes have the transparency of an opal; -they are generally round or oval. The round are made into bracelets, -the oval into pendants, and, being more precious, are sold singly. -Those adhering to the shell of the oyster are more irregular in shape, -and are sold by weight. Lastly, in a lower order are classed those small -pearls known under the name of seed-pearls; they are sold by measure, -and are especially used in embroidery for church ornaments." - -"But," said Conseil, "is this pearl-fishery dangerous?" - -"No," I answered, quickly; "particularly if certain precautions are taken." - -"What does one risk in such a calling?" said Ned Land, -"the swallowing of some mouthfuls of sea-water?" - -"As you say, Ned. By the bye," said I, trying to take Captain -Nemo's careless tone, "are you afraid of sharks, brave Ned?" - -"I!" replied the Canadian; "a harpooner by profession? -It is my trade to make light of them." - -"But," said I, "it is not a question of fishing for them -with an iron-swivel, hoisting them into the vessel, cutting off -their tails with a blow of a chopper, ripping them up, -and throwing their heart into the sea!" - -"Then, it is a question of----" - -"Precisely." - -"In the water?" - -"In the water." - -"Faith, with a good harpoon! You know, sir, these sharks are -ill-fashioned beasts. They turn on their bellies to seize you, -and in that time----" - -Ned Land had a way of saying "seize" which made my blood run cold. - -"Well, and you, Conseil, what do you think of sharks?" - -"Me!" said Conseil. "I will be frank, sir." - -"So much the better," thought I. - -"If you, sir, mean to face the sharks, I do not see why your faithful -servant should not face them with you." - - - -CHAPTER III - -A PEARL OF TEN MILLIONS - -The next morning at four o'clock I was awakened by -the steward whom Captain Nemo had placed at my service. -I rose hurriedly, dressed, and went into the saloon. - -Captain Nemo was awaiting me. - -"M. Aronnax," said he, "are you ready to start?" - -"I am ready." - -"Then please to follow me." - -"And my companions, Captain?" - -"They have been told and are waiting." - -"Are we not to put on our diver's dresses?" asked I. - -"Not yet. I have not allowed the Nautilus to come too near this coast, -and we are some distance from the Manaar Bank; but the boat is ready, and will -take us to the exact point of disembarking, which will save us a long way. -It carries our diving apparatus, which we will put on when we begin -our submarine journey." - -Captain Nemo conducted me to the central staircase, -which led on the platform. Ned and Conseil were already there, -delighted at the idea of the "pleasure party" which was preparing. -Five sailors from the Nautilus, with their oars, waited in the boat, -which had been made fast against the side. - -The night was still dark. Layers of clouds covered the sky, -allowing but few stars to be seen. I looked on the side -where the land lay, and saw nothing but a dark line enclosing -three parts of the horizon, from south-west to north west. -The Nautilus, having returned during the night up the western -coast of Ceylon, was now west of the bay, or rather gulf, -formed by the mainland and the Island of Manaar. -There, under the dark waters, stretched the pintadine bank, -an inexhaustible field of pearls, the length of which is more -than twenty miles. - -Captain Nemo, Ned Land, Conseil, and I took our places -in the stern of the boat. The master went to the tiller; -his four companions leaned on their oars, the painter was cast off, -and we sheered off. - -The boat went towards the south; the oarsmen did not hurry. I noticed -that their strokes, strong in the water, only followed each other every -ten seconds, according to the method generally adopted in the navy. -Whilst the craft was running by its own velocity, the liquid drops -struck the dark depths of the waves crisply like spats of melted lead. -A little billow, spreading wide, gave a slight roll to the boat, and some -samphire reeds flapped before it. - -We were silent. What was Captain Nemo thinking of? Perhaps of -the land he was approaching, and which he found too near to him, -contrary to the Canadian's opinion, who thought it too far off. -As to Conseil, he was merely there from curiosity. - -About half-past five the first tints on the horizon showed -the upper line of coast more distinctly. Flat enough in the east, -it rose a little to the south. Five miles still lay between us, -and it was indistinct owing to the mist on the water. -At six o'clock it became suddenly daylight, with that rapidity -peculiar to tropical regions, which know neither dawn nor twilight. -The solar rays pierced the curtain of clouds, piled up -on the eastern horizon, and the radiant orb rose rapidly. -I saw land distinctly, with a few trees scattered here and there. -The boat neared Manaar Island, which was rounded to the south. -Captain Nemo rose from his seat and watched the sea. - -At a sign from him the anchor was dropped, but the chain scarcely ran, -for it was little more than a yard deep, and this spot was one of the highest -points of the bank of pintadines. - -"Here we are, M. Aronnax," said Captain Nemo. -"You see that enclosed bay? Here, in a month will be -assembled the numerous fishing boats of the exporters, -and these are the waters their divers will ransack so boldly. -Happily, this bay is well situated for that kind of fishing. -It is sheltered from the strongest winds; the sea is never very -rough here, which makes it favourable for the diver's work. -We will now put on our dresses, and begin our walk." - -I did not answer, and, while watching the suspected waves, -began with the help of the sailors to put on my heavy -sea-dress. Captain Nemo and my companions were also dressing. -None of the Nautilus men were to accompany us on this new excursion. - -Soon we were enveloped to the throat in india-rubber clothing; -the air apparatus fixed to our backs by braces. -As to the Ruhmkorff apparatus, there was no necessity for it. -Before putting my head into the copper cap, I had asked the question -of the Captain. - -"They would be useless," he replied. "We are going to no great depth, -and the solar rays will be enough to light our walk. Besides, it would -not be prudent to carry the electric light in these waters; -its brilliancy might attract some of the dangerous inhabitants -of the coast most inopportunely." - -As Captain Nemo pronounced these words, I turned to Conseil and Ned Land. -But my two friends had already encased their heads in the metal cap, -and they could neither hear nor answer. - -One last question remained to ask of Captain Nemo. - -"And our arms?" asked I; "our guns?" - -"Guns! What for? Do not mountaineers attack the bear with -a dagger in their hand, and is not steel surer than lead? -Here is a strong blade; put it in your belt, and we start." - -I looked at my companions; they were armed like us, and, more than that, -Ned Land was brandishing an enormous harpoon, which he had placed in the boat -before leaving the Nautilus. - -Then, following the Captain's example, I allowed myself to be -dressed in the heavy copper helmet, and our reservoirs of air -were at once in activity. An instant after we were landed, -one after the other, in about two yards of water upon an even sand. -Captain Nemo made a sign with his hand, and we followed him -by a gentle declivity till we disappeared under the waves. - -{3 paragraphs missing} - -At about seven o'clock we found ourselves at last surveying the oyster-banks -on which the pearl-oysters are reproduced by millions. - -Captain Nemo pointed with his hand to the enormous heap of oysters; -and I could well understand that this mine was inexhaustible, for -Nature's creative power is far beyond man's instinct of destruction. -Ned Land, faithful to his instinct, hastened to fill a net -which he carried by his side with some of the finest specimens. -But we could not stop. We must follow the Captain, -who seemed to guide him self by paths known only to himself. -The ground was sensibly rising, and sometimes, -on holding up my arm, it was above the surface of the sea. -Then the level of the bank would sink capriciously. -Often we rounded high rocks scarped into pyramids. -In their dark fractures huge crustacea, perched upon their -high claws like some war-machine, watched us with fixed eyes, -and under our feet crawled various kinds of annelides. - -At this moment there opened before us a large grotto dug in a picturesque -heap of rocks and carpeted with all the thick warp of the submarine flora. -At first it seemed very dark to me. The solar rays seemed to be -extinguished by successive gradations, until its vague transparency became -nothing more than drowned light. Captain Nemo entered; we followed. -My eyes soon accustomed themselves to this relative state of darkness. -I could distinguish the arches springing capriciously from natural pillars, -standing broad upon their granite base, like the heavy columns of -Tuscan architecture. Why had our incomprehensible guide led us to the bottom -of this submarine crypt? I was soon to know. After descending a rather -sharp declivity, our feet trod the bottom of a kind of circular pit. -There Captain Nemo stopped, and with his hand indicated an object I -had not yet perceived. It was an oyster of extraordinary dimensions, -a gigantic tridacne, a goblet which could have contained a whole lake of -holy-water, a basin the breadth of which was more than two yards and a half, -and consequently larger than that ornamenting the saloon of the Nautilus. -I approached this extraordinary mollusc. It adhered by its filaments -to a table of granite, and there, isolated, it developed itself in the calm -waters of the grotto. I estimated the weight of this tridacne at 600 lb. -Such an oyster would contain 30 lb. of meat; and one must have the stomach of -a Gargantua to demolish some dozens of them. - -Captain Nemo was evidently acquainted with the existence of this bivalve, -and seemed to have a particular motive in verifying the actual state -of this tridacne. The shells were a little open; the Captain came near -and put his dagger between to prevent them from closing; then with his -hand he raised the membrane with its fringed edges, which formed a cloak -for the creature. There, between the folded plaits, I saw a loose pearl, -whose size equalled that of a coco-nut. Its globular shape, perfect clearness, -and admirable lustre made it altogether a jewel of inestimable value. -Carried away by my curiosity, I stretched out my hand to seize it, -weigh it, and touch it; but the Captain stopped me, made a sign of refusal, -and quickly withdrew his dagger, and the two shells closed suddenly. -I then understood Captain Nemo's intention. In leaving this pearl -hidden in the mantle of the tridacne he was allowing it to grow slowly. -Each year the secretions of the mollusc would add new concentric circles. -I estimated its value at L500,000 at least. - -After ten minutes Captain Nemo stopped suddenly. -I thought he had halted previously to returning. No; by a -gesture he bade us crouch beside him in a deep fracture -of the rock, his hand pointed to one part of the liquid mass, -which I watched attentively. - -About five yards from me a shadow appeared, and sank to the ground. -The disquieting idea of sharks shot through my mind, but I was mistaken; -and once again it was not a monster of the ocean that we had anything -to do with. - -It was a man, a living man, an Indian, a fisherman, a poor -devil who, I suppose, had come to glean before the harvest. -I could see the bottom of his canoe anchored some feet above his head. -He dived and went up successively. A stone held between his feet, -cut in the shape of a sugar loaf, whilst a rope fastened him to his boat, -helped him to descend more rapidly. This was all his apparatus. -Reaching the bottom, about five yards deep, he went on his knees -and filled his bag with oysters picked up at random. Then he went up, -emptied it, pulled up his stone, and began the operation once more, -which lasted thirty seconds. - -The diver did not see us. The shadow of the rock hid us from sight. -And how should this poor Indian ever dream that men, beings like himself, -should be there under the water watching his movements and losing no detail -of the fishing? Several times he went up in this way, and dived again. -He did not carry away more than ten at each plunge, for he was obliged to pull -them from the bank to which they adhered by means of their strong byssus. -And how many of those oysters for which he risked his life had no pearl -in them! I watched him closely; his manoeuvres were regular; and for the -space of half an hour no danger appeared to threaten him. - -I was beginning to accustom myself to the sight of this interesting fishing, -when suddenly, as the Indian was on the ground, I saw him make a gesture -of terror, rise, and make a spring to return to the surface of the sea. - -I understood his dread. A gigantic shadow appeared just above -the unfortunate diver. It was a shark of enormous size -advancing diagonally, his eyes on fire, and his jaws open. -I was mute with horror and unable to move. - -The voracious creature shot towards the Indian, who threw -himself on one side to avoid the shark's fins; but not its tail, -for it struck his chest and stretched him on the ground. - -This scene lasted but a few seconds: the shark returned, and, -turning on his back, prepared himself for cutting the Indian in two, -when I saw Captain Nemo rise suddenly, and then, dagger in hand, -walk straight to the monster, ready to fight face to face with him. -The very moment the shark was going to snap the unhappy fisherman -in two, he perceived his new adversary, and, turning over, -made straight towards him. - -I can still see Captain Nemo's position. Holding himself well together, -he waited for the shark with admirable coolness; and, when it rushed at him, -threw himself on one side with wonderful quickness, avoiding the shock, -and burying his dagger deep into its side. But it was not all over. -A terrible combat ensued. - -The shark had seemed to roar, if I might say so. The blood -rushed in torrents from its wound. The sea was dyed red, -and through the opaque liquid I could distinguish nothing more. -Nothing more until the moment when, like lightning, I saw -the undaunted Captain hanging on to one of the creature's fins, -struggling, as it were, hand to hand with the monster, -and dealing successive blows at his enemy, yet still unable to give -a decisive one. - -The shark's struggles agitated the water with such fury that the rocking -threatened to upset me. - -I wanted to go to the Captain's assistance, but, nailed to the spot -with horror, I could not stir. - -I saw the haggard eye; I saw the different phases of the fight. -The Captain fell to the earth, upset by the enormous mass which leant -upon him. The shark's jaws opened wide, like a pair of factory shears, -and it would have been all over with the Captain; but, quick as thought, -harpoon in hand, Ned Land rushed towards the shark and struck it with -its sharp point. - -The waves were impregnated with a mass of blood. They rocked under -the shark's movements, which beat them with indescribable fury. -Ned Land had not missed his aim. It was the monster's death-rattle. -Struck to the heart, it struggled in dreadful convulsions, the shock -of which overthrew Conseil. - -But Ned Land had disentangled the Captain, who, getting up without any wound, -went straight to the Indian, quickly cut the cord which held him -to his stone, took him in his arms, and, with a sharp blow of his heel, -mounted to the surface. - -We all three followed in a few seconds, saved by a miracle, -and reached the fisherman's boat. - -Captain Nemo's first care was to recall the unfortunate -man to life again. I did not think he could succeed. -I hoped so, for the poor creature's immersion was not long; -but the blow from the shark's tail might have been his death-blow. - -Happily, with the Captain's and Conseil's sharp friction, -I saw consciousness return by degrees. He opened his eyes. -What was his surprise, his terror even, at seeing four great -copper heads leaning over him! And, above all, what must -he have thought when Captain Nemo, drawing from the pocket -of his dress a bag of pearls, placed it in his hand! -This munificent charity from the man of the waters to the poor -Cingalese was accepted with a trembling hand. His wondering eyes -showed that he knew not to what super-human beings he owed both -fortune and life. - -At a sign from the Captain we regained the bank, and, following the road -already traversed, came in about half an hour to the anchor which held -the canoe of the Nautilus to the earth. - -Once on board, we each, with the help of the sailors, got rid -of the heavy copper helmet. - -Captain Nemo's first word was to the Canadian. - -"Thank you, Master Land," said he. - -"It was in revenge, Captain," replied Ned Land. -"I owed you that." - -A ghastly smile passed across the Captain's lips, and that was all. - -"To the Nautilus," said he. - -The boat flew over the waves. Some minutes after we met the shark's -dead body floating. By the black marking of the extremity of its fins, -I recognised the terrible melanopteron of the Indian Seas, of the species -of shark so properly called. It was more than twenty-five feet long; -its enormous mouth occupied one-third of its body. It was an adult, -as was known by its six rows of teeth placed in an isosceles triangle in -the upper jaw. - -Whilst I was contemplating this inert mass, a dozen of these voracious -beasts appeared round the boat; and, without noticing us, threw themselves -upon the dead body and fought with one another for the pieces. - -At half-past eight we were again on board the Nautilus. -There I reflected on the incidents which had taken place in our -excursion to the Manaar Bank. - -Two conclusions I must inevitably draw from it--one bearing -upon the unparalleled courage of Captain Nemo, the other upon -his devotion to a human being, a representative of that race -from which he fled beneath the sea. Whatever he might say, -this strange man had not yet succeeded in entirely crushing his heart. - -When I made this observation to him, he answered in a slightly moved tone: - -"That Indian, sir, is an inhabitant of an oppressed country; -and I am still, and shall be, to my last breath, one of them!" - - - -CHAPTER IV - -THE RED SEA - -In the course of the day of the 29th of January, the island -of Ceylon disappeared under the horizon, and the Nautilus, -at a speed of twenty miles an hour, slid into the labyrinth -of canals which separate the Maldives from the Laccadives. -It coasted even the Island of Kiltan, a land originally coraline, -discovered by Vasco da Gama in 1499, and one of the nineteen -principal islands of the Laccadive Archipelago, situated between -10@ and 14@ 30' N. lat., and 69@ 50' 72" E. long. - -We had made 16,220 miles, or 7,500 (French) leagues from our starting-point -in the Japanese Seas. - -The next day (30th January), when the Nautilus went -to the surface of the ocean there was no land in sight. -Its course was N.N.E., in the direction of the Sea of Oman, -between Arabia and the Indian Peninsula, which serves as an -outlet to the Persian Gulf. It was evidently a block without -any possible egress. Where was Captain Nemo taking us to? -I could not say. This, however, did not satisfy the Canadian, -who that day came to me asking where we were going. - -"We are going where our Captain's fancy takes us, Master Ned." - -"His fancy cannot take us far, then," said the Canadian. -"The Persian Gulf has no outlet: and, if we do go in, it will -not be long before we are out again." - -"Very well, then, we will come out again, Master Land; and if, -after the Persian Gulf, the Nautilus would like to visit the Red Sea, -the Straits of Bab-el-mandeb are there to give us entrance." - -"I need not tell you, sir," said Ned Land, "that the Red Sea is as much closed -as the Gulf, as the Isthmus of Suez is not yet cut; and, if it was, a boat -as mysterious as ours would not risk itself in a canal cut with sluices. -And again, the Red Sea is not the road to take us back to Europe." - -"But I never said we were going back to Europe." - -"What do you suppose, then?" - -"I suppose that, after visiting the curious coasts of Arabia -and Egypt, the Nautilus will go down the Indian Ocean again, -perhaps cross the Channel of Mozambique, perhaps off the Mascarenhas, -so as to gain the Cape of Good Hope." - -"And once at the Cape of Good Hope?" asked the Canadian, -with peculiar emphasis. - -"Well, we shall penetrate into that Atlantic which we do not yet know. -Ah! friend Ned, you are getting tired of this journey under the sea; you are -surfeited with the incessantly varying spectacle of submarine wonders. -For my part, I shall be sorry to see the end of a voyage which it is given to -so few men to make." - -For four days, till the 3rd of February, the Nautilus scoured -the Sea of Oman, at various speeds and at various depths. -It seemed to go at random, as if hesitating as to which road it -should follow, but we never passed the Tropic of Cancer. - -In quitting this sea we sighted Muscat for an instant, -one of the most important towns of the country of Oman. -I admired its strange aspect, surrounded by black rocks -upon which its white houses and forts stood in relief. -I saw the rounded domes of its mosques, the elegant points -of its minarets, its fresh and verdant terraces. But it was only -a vision! The Nautilus soon sank under the waves of that part -of the sea. - -We passed along the Arabian coast of Mahrah and Hadramaut, -for a distance of six miles, its undulating line of mountains -being occasionally relieved by some ancient ruin. -The 5th of February we at last entered the Gulf of Aden, -a perfect funnel introduced into the neck of Bab-el-mandeb, -through which the Indian waters entered the Red Sea. - -The 6th of February, the Nautilus floated in sight of Aden, -perched upon a promontory which a narrow isthmus joins to the mainland, -a kind of inaccessible Gibraltar, the fortifications of which -were rebuilt by the English after taking possession in 1839. -I caught a glimpse of the octagon minarets of this town, which was at -one time the richest commercial magazine on the coast. - -I certainly thought that Captain Nemo, arrived at this point, -would back out again; but I was mistaken, for he did no such thing, -much to my surprise. - -The next day, the 7th of February, we entered the Straits -of Bab-el-mandeb, the name of which, in the Arab tongue, -means The Gate of Tears. - -To twenty miles in breadth, it is only thirty-two in length. -And for the Nautilus, starting at full speed, the crossing was scarcely -the work of an hour. But I saw nothing, not even the Island of Perim, -with which the British Government has fortified the position of Aden. -There were too many English or French steamers of the line of Suez -to Bombay, Calcutta to Melbourne, and from Bourbon to the Mauritius, -furrowing this narrow passage, for the Nautilus to venture to show itself. -So it remained prudently below. At last about noon, we were in the waters of -the Red Sea. - -I would not even seek to understand the caprice which had decided Captain Nemo -upon entering the gulf. But I quite approved of the Nautilus entering it. -Its speed was lessened: sometimes it kept on the surface, sometimes it dived -to avoid a vessel, and thus I was able to observe the upper and lower parts -of this curious sea. - -The 8th of February, from the first dawn of day, Mocha came -in sight, now a ruined town, whose walls would fall at a gunshot, -yet which shelters here and there some verdant date-trees; -once an important city, containing six public markets, -and twenty-six mosques, and whose walls, defended by fourteen forts, -formed a girdle of two miles in circumference. - -The Nautilus then approached the African shore, where the depth of the sea -was greater. There, between two waters clear as crystal, through the open -panels we were allowed to contemplate the beautiful bushes of brilliant -coral and large blocks of rock clothed with a splendid fur of green -variety of sites and landscapes along these sandbanks and algae and fuci. -What an indescribable spectacle, and what variety of sites and landscapes -along these sandbanks and volcanic islands which bound the Libyan coast! -But where these shrubs appeared in all their beauty was on the eastern coast, -which the Nautilus soon gained. It was on the coast of Tehama, for there -not only did this display of zoophytes flourish beneath the level of the sea, -but they also formed picturesque interlacings which unfolded themselves about -sixty feet above the surface, more capricious but less highly coloured than -those whose freshness was kept up by the vital power of the waters. - -What charming hours I passed thus at the window of the saloon! -What new specimens of submarine flora and fauna did I admire under -the brightness of our electric lantern! - -The 9th of February the Nautilus floated in the broadest part of the Red Sea, -which is comprised between Souakin, on the west coast, and Komfidah, -on the east coast, with a diameter of ninety miles. - -That day at noon, after the bearings were taken, Captain Nemo mounted -the platform, where I happened to be, and I was determined not to let him go -down again without at least pressing him regarding his ulterior projects. -As soon as he saw me he approached and graciously offered me a cigar. - -"Well, sir, does this Red Sea please you? Have you sufficiently -observed the wonders it covers, its fishes, its zoophytes, -its parterres of sponges, and its forests of coral? -Did you catch a glimpse of the towns on its borders?" - -"Yes, Captain Nemo," I replied; "and the Nautilus is wonderfully -fitted for such a study. Ah! it is an intelligent boat!" - -"Yes, sir, intelligent and invulnerable. It fears neither -the terrible tempests of the Red Sea, nor its currents, -nor its sandbanks." - -"Certainly," said I, "this sea is quoted as one of the worst, -and in the time of the ancients, if I am not mistaken, -its reputation was detestable." - -"Detestable, M. Aronnax. The Greek and Latin historians -do not speak favourably of it, and Strabo says it is very -dangerous during the Etesian winds and in the rainy season. -The Arabian Edrisi portrays it under the name of the Gulf of Colzoum, -and relates that vessels perished there in great numbers on -the sandbanks and that no one would risk sailing in the night. -It is, he pretends, a sea subject to fearful hurricanes, -strewn with inhospitable islands, and `which offers nothing good -either on its surface or in its depths.'" - -"One may see," I replied, "that these historians never sailed -on board the Nautilus." - -"Just so," replied the Captain, smiling; "and in that respect -moderns are not more advanced than the ancients. It required -many ages to find out the mechanical power of steam. Who knows if, -in another hundred years, we may not see a second Nautilus? -Progress is slow, M. Aronnax." - -"It is true," I answered; "your boat is at least a century before its time, -perhaps an era. What a misfortune that the secret of such an invention -should die with its inventor!" - -Captain Nemo did not reply. After some minutes' silence he continued: - -"You were speaking of the opinions of ancient historians upon -the dangerous navigation of the Red Sea." - -"It is true," said I; "but were not their fears exaggerated?" - -"Yes and no, M. Aronnax," replied Captain Nemo, who seemed to know the Red -Sea by heart. "That which is no longer dangerous for a modern vessel, -well rigged, strongly built, and master of its own course, thanks to -obedient steam, offered all sorts of perils to the ships of the ancients. -Picture to yourself those first navigators venturing in ships made -of planks sewn with the cords of the palmtree, saturated with -the grease of the seadog, and covered with powdered resin! -They had not even instruments wherewith to take their bearings, and they -went by guess amongst currents of which they scarcely knew anything. -Under such conditions shipwrecks were, and must have been, numerous. -But in our time, steamers running between Suez and the South Seas have -nothing more to fear from the fury of this gulf, in spite of contrary -trade-winds. The captain and passengers do not prepare for their -departure by offering propitiatory sacrifices; and, on their return, -they no longer go ornamented with wreaths and gilt fillets to thank -the gods in the neighbouring temple." - -"I agree with you," said I; "and steam seems to have killed all gratitude -in the hearts of sailors. But, Captain, since you seem to have especially -studied this sea, can you tell me the origin of its name?" - -"There exist several explanations on the subject, M. Aronnax. -Would you like to know the opinion of a chronicler of -the fourteenth century?" - -"Willingly." - -"This fanciful writer pretends that its name was given to it -after the passage of the Israelites, when Pharaoh perished -in the waves which closed at the voice of Moses." - -"A poet's explanation, Captain Nemo," I replied; "but I cannot content -myself with that. I ask you for your personal opinion." - -"Here it is, M. Aronnax. According to my idea, we must see -in this appellation of the Red Sea a translation of the Hebrew -word `Edom'; and if the ancients gave it that name, it was -on account of the particular colour of its waters." - -"But up to this time I have seen nothing but transparent waves -and without any particular colour." - -"Very likely; but as we advance to the bottom of the gulf, you will see -this singular appearance. I remember seeing the Bay of Tor entirely red, -like a sea of blood." - -"And you attribute this colour to the presence of a microscopic seaweed?" - -"Yes." - -"So, Captain Nemo, it is not the first time you have overrun -the Red Sea on board the Nautilus?" - -"No, sir." - -"As you spoke a while ago of the passage of the Israelites and of -the catastrophe to the Egyptians, I will ask whether you have met -with the traces under the water of this great historical fact?" - -"No, sir; and for a good reason." - -"What is it?" - -"It is that the spot where Moses and his people passed is now so blocked -up with sand that the camels can barely bathe their legs there. -You can well understand that there would not be water enough -for my Nautilus." - -"And the spot?" I asked. - -"The spot is situated a little above the Isthmus of Suez, in the arm -which formerly made a deep estuary, when the Red Sea extended to -the Salt Lakes. Now, whether this passage were miraculous or not, -the Israelites, nevertheless, crossed there to reach the Promised Land, -and Pharaoh's army perished precisely on that spot; and I think -that excavations made in the middle of the sand would bring to light -a large number of arms and instruments of Egyptian origin." - -"That is evident," I replied; "and for the sake of archaeologists let us -hope that these excavations will be made sooner or later, when new towns -are established on the isthmus, after the construction of the Suez Canal; -a canal, however, very useless to a vessel like the Nautilus." - -"Very likely; but useful to the whole world," said Captain Nemo. -"The ancients well understood the utility of a communication between -the Red Sea and the Mediterranean for their commercial affairs: -but they did not think of digging a canal direct, and took the Nile -as an intermediate. Very probably the canal which united the Nile -to the Red Sea was begun by Sesostris, if we may believe tradition. -One thing is certain, that in the year 615 before Jesus Christ, -Necos undertook the works of an alimentary canal to the waters -of the Nile across the plain of Egypt, looking towards Arabia. -It took four days to go up this canal, and it was so wide that -two triremes could go abreast. It was carried on by Darius, -the son of Hystaspes, and probably finished by Ptolemy II. -Strabo saw it navigated: but its decline from the point -of departure, near Bubastes, to the Red Sea was so slight -that it was only navigable for a few months in the year. -This canal answered all commercial purposes to the age -of Antonius, when it was abandoned and blocked up with sand. -Restored by order of the Caliph Omar, it was definitely destroyed -in 761 or 762 by Caliph Al-Mansor, who wished to prevent the arrival -of provisions to Mohammed-ben-Abdallah, who had revolted against him. -During the expedition into Egypt, your General Bonaparte discovered -traces of the works in the Desert of Suez; and, surprised by -the tide, he nearly perished before regaining Hadjaroth, -at the very place where Moses had encamped three thousand -years before him." - -"Well, Captain, what the ancients dared not undertake, this junction -between the two seas, which will shorten the road from Cadiz to India, -M. Lesseps has succeeded in doing; and before long he will have changed -Africa into an immense island." - -"Yes, M. Aronnax; you have the right to be proud of your countryman. -Such a man brings more honour to a nation than great captains. -He began, like so many others, with disgust and rebuffs; -but he has triumphed, for he has the genius of will. -And it is sad to think that a work like that, which ought to have -been an international work and which would have sufficed to make -a reign illustrious, should have succeeded by the energy of one man. -All honour to M. Lesseps!" - -"Yes! honour to the great citizen," I replied, surprised by the manner -in which Captain Nemo had just spoken. - -"Unfortunately," he continued, "I cannot take you through the Suez Canal; -but you will be able to see the long jetty of Port Said after to-morrow, -when we shall be in the Mediterranean." - -"The Mediterranean!" I exclaimed. - -"Yes, sir; does that astonish you?" - -"What astonishes me is to think that we shall be there -the day after to-morrow." - -"Indeed?" - -"Yes, Captain, although by this time I ought to have accustomed myself -to be surprised at nothing since I have been on board your boat." - -"But the cause of this surprise?" - -"Well! it is the fearful speed you will have to put on the Nautilus, -if the day after to-morrow she is to be in the Mediterranean, -having made the round of Africa, and doubled the Cape of Good Hope!" - -"Who told you that she would make the round of Africa and double -the Cape of Good Hope, sir?" - -"Well, unless the Nautilus sails on dry land, and passes above the isthmus----" - -"Or beneath it, M. Aronnax." - -"Beneath it?" - -"Certainly," replied Captain Nemo quietly. "A long time ago Nature made -under this tongue of land what man has this day made on its surface." - -"What! such a passage exists?" - -"Yes; a subterranean passage, which I have named the Arabian Tunnel. -It takes us beneath Suez and opens into the Gulf of Pelusium." - -"But this isthmus is composed of nothing but quick sands?" - -"To a certain depth. But at fifty-five yards only there is a solid -layer of rock." - -"Did you discover this passage by chance?" I asked more and more surprised. - -"Chance and reasoning, sir; and by reasoning even more than by chance. -Not only does this passage exist, but I have profited by it several times. -Without that I should not have ventured this day into the impassable Red Sea. -I noticed that in the Red Sea and in the Mediterranean there existed a certain -number of fishes of a kind perfectly identical. Certain of the fact, I asked -myself was it possible that there was no communication between the two seas? -If there was, the subterranean current must necessarily run from the Red -Sea to the Mediterranean, from the sole cause of difference of level. -I caught a large number of fishes in the neighbourhood of Suez. -I passed a copper ring through their tails, and threw them back into the sea. -Some months later, on the coast of Syria, I caught some of my fish ornamented -with the ring. Thus the communication between the two was proved. -I then sought for it with my Nautilus; I discovered it, ventured into it, -and before long, sir, you too will have passed through my Arabian tunnel!" - - - -CHAPTER V - -THE ARABIAN TUNNEL - -That same evening, in 21@ 30' N. lat., the Nautilus floated -on the surface of the sea, approaching the Arabian coast. -I saw Djeddah, the most important counting-house of Egypt, -Syria, Turkey, and India. I distinguished clearly enough -its buildings, the vessels anchored at the quays, and those whose -draught of water obliged them to anchor in the roads. The sun, -rather low on the horizon, struck full on the houses of the town, -bringing out their whiteness. Outside, some wooden cabins, -and some made of reeds, showed the quarter inhabited by the Bedouins. -Soon Djeddah was shut out from view by the shadows of night, -and the Nautilus found herself under water slightly phosphorescent. - -The next day, the 10th of February, we sighted several ships running -to windward. The Nautilus returned to its submarine navigation; -but at noon, when her bearings were taken, the sea being deserted, -she rose again to her waterline. - -Accompanied by Ned and Conseil, I seated myself on the platform. -The coast on the eastern side looked like a mass faintly printed upon -a damp fog. - -We were leaning on the sides of the pinnace, talking of one thing and another, -when Ned Land, stretching out his hand towards a spot on the sea, said: - -"Do you see anything there, sir?" - -"No, Ned," I replied; "but I have not your eyes, you know." - -"Look well," said Ned, "there, on the starboard beam, about the height -of the lantern! Do you not see a mass which seems to move?" - -"Certainly," said I, after close attention; "I see something -like a long black body on the top of the water." - -And certainly before long the black object was not more than a mile -from us. It looked like a great sandbank deposited in the open sea. -It was a gigantic dugong! - -Ned Land looked eagerly. His eyes shone with covetousness at -the sight of the animal. His hand seemed ready to harpoon it. -One would have thought he was awaiting the moment to throw himself -into the sea and attack it in its element. - -At this instant Captain Nemo appeared on the platform. -He saw the dugong, understood the Canadian's attitude, and, -addressing him, said: - -"If you held a harpoon just now, Master Land, would it not burn your hand?" - -"Just so, sir." - -"And you would not be sorry to go back, for one day, to your trade -of a fisherman and to add this cetacean to the list of those you -have already killed?" - -"I should not, sir." - -"Well, you can try." - -"Thank you, sir," said Ned Land, his eyes flaming. - -"Only," continued the Captain, "I advise you for your own sake -not to miss the creature." - -"Is the dugong dangerous to attack?" I asked, in spite of the Canadian's -shrug of the shoulders. - -"Yes," replied the Captain; "sometimes the animal -turns upon its assailants and overturns their boat. -But for Master Land this danger is not to be feared. -His eye is prompt, his arm sure." - -At this moment seven men of the crew, mute and immovable as ever, -mounted the platform. One carried a harpoon and a line similar -to those employed in catching whales. The pinnace was lifted from -the bridge, pulled from its socket, and let down into the sea. -Six oarsmen took their seats, and the coxswain went to the tiller. -Ned, Conseil, and I went to the back of the boat. - -"You are not coming, Captain?" I asked. - -"No, sir; but I wish you good sport." - -The boat put off, and, lifted by the six rowers, drew rapidly towards -the dugong, which floated about two miles from the Nautilus. - -Arrived some cables-length from the cetacean, the speed slackened, -and the oars dipped noiselessly into the quiet waters. -Ned Land, harpoon in hand, stood in the fore part of the boat. -The harpoon used for striking the whale is generally attached to a -very long cord which runs out rapidly as the wounded creature draws -it after him. But here the cord was not more than ten fathoms long, -and the extremity was attached to a small barrel which, by floating, -was to show the course the dugong took under the water. - -I stood and carefully watched the Canadian's adversary. -This dugong, which also bears the name of the halicore, -closely resembles the manatee; its oblong body terminated -in a lengthened tail, and its lateral fins in perfect fingers. -Its difference from the manatee consisted in its upper jaw, -which was armed with two long and pointed teeth which formed on each -side diverging tusks. - -This dugong which Ned Land was preparing to attack was -of colossal dimensions; it was more than seven yards long. -It did not move, and seemed to be sleeping on the waves, -which circumstance made it easier to capture. - -The boat approached within six yards of the animal. -The oars rested on the rowlocks. I half rose. Ned Land, -his body thrown a little back, brandished the harpoon in -his experienced hand. - -Suddenly a hissing noise was heard, and the dugong disappeared. -The harpoon, although thrown with great force; had apparently only -struck the water. - -"Curse it!" exclaimed the Canadian furiously; "I have missed it!" - -"No," said I; "the creature is wounded--look at the blood; -but your weapon has not stuck in his body." - -"My harpoon! my harpoon!" cried Ned Land. - -The sailors rowed on, and the coxswain made for the floating barrel. -The harpoon regained, we followed in pursuit of the animal. - -The latter came now and then to the surface to breathe. -Its wound had not weakened it, for it shot onwards with great rapidity. - -The boat, rowed by strong arms, flew on its track. Several times it -approached within some few yards, and the Canadian was ready to strike, -but the dugong made off with a sudden plunge, and it was impossible -to reach it. - -Imagine the passion which excited impatient Ned Land! He hurled at the -unfortunate creature the most energetic expletives in the English tongue. -For my part, I was only vexed to see the dugong escape all our attacks. - -We pursued it without relaxation for an hour, and I began to think -it would prove difficult to capture, when the animal, possessed with -the perverse idea of vengeance of which he had cause to repent, -turned upon the pinnace and assailed us in its turn. - -This manoeuvre did not escape the Canadian. - -"Look out!" he cried. - -The coxswain said some words in his outlandish tongue, -doubtless warning the men to keep on their guard. - -The dugong came within twenty feet of the boat, stopped, sniffed the air -briskly with its large nostrils (not pierced at the extremity, -but in the upper part of its muzzle). Then, taking a spring, -he threw himself upon us. - -The pinnace could not avoid the shock, and half upset, shipped at least -two tons of water, which had to be emptied; but, thanks to the coxswain, -we caught it sideways, not full front, so we were not quite overturned. -While Ned Land, clinging to the bows, belaboured the gigantic animal with -blows from his harpoon, the creature's teeth were buried in the gunwale, -and it lifted the whole thing out of the water, as a lion does a roebuck. -We were upset over one another, and I know not how the adventure would -have ended, if the Canadian, still enraged with the beast, had not struck it -to the heart. - -I heard its teeth grind on the iron plate, and the dugong disappeared, -carrying the harpoon with him. But the barrel soon returned to the surface, -and shortly after the body of the animal, turned on its back. -The boat came up with it, took it in tow, and made straight for the Nautilus. - -It required tackle of enormous strength to hoist the dugong -on to the platform. It weighed 10,000 lb. - -The next day, 11th February, the larder of the Nautilus was enriched by some -more delicate game. A flight of sea-swallows rested on the Nautilus. -It was a species of the Sterna nilotica, peculiar to Egypt; its beak is black, -head grey and pointed, the eye surrounded by white spots, the back, wings, -and tail of a greyish colour, the belly and throat white, and claws red. -They also took some dozen of Nile ducks, a wild bird of high flavour, -its throat and upper part of the head white with black spots. - -About five o'clock in the evening we sighted to the north the Cape -of Ras-Mohammed. This cape forms the extremity of Arabia Petraea, -comprised between the Gulf of Suez and the Gulf of Acabah. - -The Nautilus penetrated into the Straits of Jubal, which leads -to the Gulf of Suez. I distinctly saw a high mountain, -towering between the two gulfs of Ras-Mohammed. It was Mount Horeb, -that Sinai at the top of which Moses saw God face to face. - -At six o'clock the Nautilus, sometimes floating, sometimes immersed, -passed some distance from Tor, situated at the end of the bay, the waters -of which seemed tinted with red, an observation already made by Captain Nemo. -Then night fell in the midst of a heavy silence, sometimes broken by the cries -of the pelican and other night-birds, and the noise of the waves breaking upon -the shore, chafing against the rocks, or the panting of some far-off steamer -beating the waters of the Gulf with its noisy paddles. - -From eight to nine o'clock the Nautilus remained some fathoms -under the water. According to my calculation we must have -been very near Suez. Through the panel of the saloon I saw -the bottom of the rocks brilliantly lit up by our electric lamp. -We seemed to be leaving the Straits behind us more and more. - -At a quarter-past nine, the vessel having returned to the surface, -I mounted the platform. Most impatient to pass through Captain -Nemo's tunnel, I could not stay in one place, so came to breathe -the fresh night air. - -Soon in the shadow I saw a pale light, half discoloured by the fog, -shining about a mile from us. - -"A floating lighthouse!" said someone near me. - -I turned, and saw the Captain. - -"It is the floating light of Suez," he continued. -"It will not be long before we gain the entrance of the tunnel." - -"The entrance cannot be easy?" - -"No, sir; for that reason I am accustomed to go into the steersman's cage -and myself direct our course. And now, if you will go down, M. Aronnax, -the Nautilus is going under the waves, and will not return to the surface -until we have passed through the Arabian Tunnel." - -Captain Nemo led me towards the central staircase; half way down he opened -a door, traversed the upper deck, and landed in the pilot's cage, -which it may be remembered rose at the extremity of the platform. -It was a cabin measuring six feet square, very much like that occupied -by the pilot on the steamboats of the Mississippi or Hudson. -In the midst worked a wheel, placed vertically, and caught -to the tiller-rope, which ran to the back of the Nautilus. -Four light-ports with lenticular glasses, let in a groove in -the partition of the cabin, allowed the man at the wheel to see -in all directions. - -This cabin was dark; but soon my eyes accustomed themselves to the obscurity, -and I perceived the pilot, a strong man, with his hands resting on the spokes -of the wheel. Outside, the sea appeared vividly lit up by the lantern, -which shed its rays from the back of the cabin to the other extremity -of the platform. - -"Now," said Captain Nemo, "let us try to make our passage." - -Electric wires connected the pilot's cage with the machinery room, -and from there the Captain could communicate simultaneously to his -Nautilus the direction and the speed. He pressed a metal knob, -and at once the speed of the screw diminished. - -I looked in silence at the high straight wall we were running -by at this moment, the immovable base of a massive sandy coast. -We followed it thus for an hour only some few yards off. - -Captain Nemo did not take his eye from the knob, suspended by -its two concentric circles in the cabin. At a simple gesture, -the pilot modified the course of the Nautilus every instant. - -I had placed myself at the port-scuttle, and saw some magnificent -substructures of coral, zoophytes, seaweed, and fucus, agitating their -enormous claws, which stretched out from the fissures of the rock. - -At a quarter-past ten, the Captain himself took the helm. -A large gallery, black and deep, opened before us. The Nautilus -went boldly into it. A strange roaring was heard round its sides. -It was the waters of the Red Sea, which the incline of -the tunnel precipitated violently towards the Mediterranean. -The Nautilus went with the torrent, rapid as an arrow, in spite -of the efforts of the machinery, which, in order to offer more -effective resistance, beat the waves with reversed screw. - -On the walls of the narrow passage I could see nothing -but brilliant rays, straight lines, furrows of fire, -traced by the great speed, under the brilliant electric light. -My heart beat fast. - -At thirty-five minutes past ten, Captain Nemo quitted the helm, -and, turning to me, said: - -"The Mediterranean!" - -In less than twenty minutes, the Nautilus, carried along by the torrent, -had passed through the Isthmus of Suez. - - - -CHAPTER VI - -THE GRECIAN ARCHIPELAGO - -The next day, the 12th of February, at the dawn of day, -the Nautilus rose to the surface. I hastened on to the platform. -Three miles to the south the dim outline of Pelusium was to be seen. -A torrent had carried us from one sea to another. -About seven o'clock Ned and Conseil joined me. - -"Well, Sir Naturalist," said the Canadian, in a slightly jovial tone, -"and the Mediterranean?" - -"We are floating on its surface, friend Ned." - -"What!" said Conseil, "this very night." - -"Yes, this very night; in a few minutes we have passed -this impassable isthmus." - -"I do not believe it," replied the Canadian. - -"Then you are wrong, Master Land," I continued; "this low -coast which rounds off to the south is the Egyptian coast. -And you who have such good eyes, Ned, you can see the jetty of Port -Said stretching into the sea." - -The Canadian looked attentively. - -"Certainly you are right, sir, and your Captain is a first-rate man. -We are in the Mediterranean. Good! Now, if you please, let us talk -of our own little affair, but so that no one hears us." - -I saw what the Canadian wanted, and, in any case, I thought it better to let -him talk, as he wished it; so we all three went and sat down near the lantern, -where we were less exposed to the spray of the blades. - -"Now, Ned, we listen; what have you to tell us?" - -"What I have to tell you is very simple. We are in Europe; and before -Captain Nemo's caprices drag us once more to the bottom of the Polar Seas, -or lead us into Oceania, I ask to leave the Nautilus." - -I wished in no way to shackle the liberty of my companions, -but I certainly felt no desire to leave Captain Nemo. - -Thanks to him, and thanks to his apparatus, I was each day -nearer the completion of my submarine studies; and I was -rewriting my book of submarine depths in its very element. -Should I ever again have such an opportunity of observing -the wonders of the ocean? No, certainly not! And I could -not bring myself to the idea of abandoning the Nautilus before -the cycle of investigation was accomplished. - -"Friend Ned, answer me frankly, are you tired of being on board? -Are you sorry that destiny has thrown us into Captain Nemo's hands?" - -The Canadian remained some moments without answering. -Then, crossing his arms, he said: - -"Frankly, I do not regret this journey under the seas. I shall be glad -to have made it; but, now that it is made, let us have done with it. -That is my idea." - -"It will come to an end, Ned." - -"Where and when?" - -"Where I do not know--when I cannot say; or, rather, I suppose -it will end when these seas have nothing more to teach us." - -"Then what do you hope for?" demanded the Canadian. - -"That circumstances may occur as well six months hence as now by which we -may and ought to profit." - -"Oh!" said Ned Land, "and where shall we be in six months, -if you please, Sir Naturalist?" - -"Perhaps in China; you know the Nautilus is a rapid traveller. -It goes through water as swallows through the air, or as an express -on the land. It does not fear frequented seas; who can say -that it may not beat the coasts of France, England, or America, -on which flight may be attempted as advantageously as here." - -"M. Aronnax," replied the Canadian, "your arguments are rotten -at the foundation. You speak in the future, `We shall be there! -we shall be here!' I speak in the present, `We are here, -and we must profit by it.'" - -Ned Land's logic pressed me hard, and I felt myself beaten on that ground. -I knew not what argument would now tell in my favour. - -"Sir," continued Ned, "let us suppose an impossibility: -if Captain Nemo should this day offer you your liberty; -would you accept it?" - -"I do not know," I answered. - -"And if," he added, "the offer made you this day was never to be renewed, -would you accept it?" - -"Friend Ned, this is my answer. Your reasoning is against me. -We must not rely on Captain Nemo's good-will. Common prudence -forbids him to set us at liberty. On the other side, prudence bids -us profit by the first opportunity to leave the Nautilus." - -"Well, M. Aronnax, that is wisely said." - -"Only one observation--just one. The occasion must be serious, -and our first attempt must succeed; if it fails, we shall never -find another, and Captain Nemo will never forgive us." - -"All that is true," replied the Canadian. "But your observation -applies equally to all attempts at flight, whether in two years' -time, or in two days'. But the question is still this: -If a favourable opportunity presents itself, it must be seized." - -"Agreed! And now, Ned, will you tell me what you mean -by a favourable opportunity?" - -"It will be that which, on a dark night, will bring the Nautilus -a short distance from some European coast." - -"And you will try and save yourself by swimming?" - -"Yes, if we were near enough to the bank, and if the vessel -was floating at the time. Not if the bank was far away, -and the boat was under the water." - -"And in that case?" - -"In that case, I should seek to make myself master of the pinnace. -I know how it is worked. We must get inside, and the bolts once drawn, -we shall come to the surface of the water, without even the pilot, -who is in the bows, perceiving our flight." - -"Well, Ned, watch for the opportunity; but do not forget that a hitch -will ruin us." - -"I will not forget, sir." - -"And now, Ned, would you like to know what I think of your project?" - -"Certainly, M. Aronnax." - -"Well, I think--I do not say I hope--I think that this favourable -opportunity will never present itself." - -"Why not?" - -"Because Captain Nemo cannot hide from himself that we have not given up -all hope of regaining our liberty, and he will be on his guard, above all, -in the seas and in the sight of European coasts." - -"We shall see," replied Ned Land, shaking his head determinedly. - -"And now, Ned Land," I added, "let us stop here. -Not another word on the subject. The day that you -are ready, come and let us know, and we will follow you. -I rely entirely upon you." - -Thus ended a conversation which, at no very distant time, -led to such grave results. I must say here that facts seemed -to confirm my foresight, to the Canadian's great despair. -Did Captain Nemo distrust us in these frequented seas? or did -he only wish to hide himself from the numerous vessels, -of all nations, which ploughed the Mediterranean? -I could not tell; but we were oftener between waters -and far from the coast. Or, if the Nautilus did emerge, -nothing was to be seen but the pilot's cage; and sometimes it -went to great depths, for, between the Grecian Archipelago -and Asia Minor we could not touch the bottom by more than -a thousand fathoms. - -Thus I only knew we were near the Island of Carpathos, one of the Sporades, -by Captain Nemo reciting these lines from Virgil: - -"Est Carpathio Neptuni gurgite vates, Caeruleus Proteus," - -as he pointed to a spot on the planisphere. - -It was indeed the ancient abode of Proteus, the old shepherd of Neptune's -flocks, now the Island of Scarpanto, situated between Rhodes and Crete. -I saw nothing but the granite base through the glass panels of the saloon. - -The next day, the 14th of February, I resolved to employ some hours in -studying the fishes of the Archipelago; but for some reason or other the -panels remained hermetically sealed. Upon taking the course of the Nautilus, -I found that we were going towards Candia, the ancient Isle of Crete. -At the time I embarked on the Abraham Lincoln, the whole of this -island had risen in insurrection against the despotism of the Turks. -But how the insurgents had fared since that time I was absolutely ignorant, -and it was not Captain Nemo, deprived of all land communications, -who could tell me. - -I made no allusion to this event when that night I found myself alone -with him in the saloon. Besides, he seemed to be taciturn and preoccupied. -Then, contrary to his custom, he ordered both panels to be opened, and, -going from one to the other, observed the mass of waters attentively. -To what end I could not guess; so, on my side, I employed my time in studying -the fish passing before my eyes. - -In the midst of the waters a man appeared, a diver, carrying at his -belt a leathern purse. It was not a body abandoned to the waves; -it was a living man, swimming with a strong hand, disappearing occasionally -to take breath at the surface. - -I turned towards Captain Nemo, and in an agitated voice exclaimed: - -"A man shipwrecked! He must be saved at any price!" - -The Captain did not answer me, but came and leaned against the panel. - -The man had approached, and, with his face flattened against the glass, -was looking at us. - -To my great amazement, Captain Nemo signed to him. -The diver answered with his hand, mounted immediately to -the surface of the water, and did not appear again. - -"Do not be uncomfortable," said Captain Nemo. "It is Nicholas of -Cape Matapan, surnamed Pesca. He is well known in all the Cyclades. -A bold diver! water is his element, and he lives more in it than on land, -going continually from one island to another, even as far as Crete." - -"You know him, Captain?" - -"Why not, M. Aronnax?" - -Saying which, Captain Nemo went towards a piece of furniture standing -near the left panel of the saloon. Near this piece of furniture, -I saw a chest bound with iron, on the cover of which was a copper plate, -bearing the cypher of the Nautilus with its device. - -At that moment, the Captain, without noticing my presence, -opened the piece of furniture, a sort of strong box, which held -a great many ingots. - -They were ingots of gold. From whence came this precious metal, -which represented an enormous sum? Where did the Captain gather -this gold from? and what was he going to do with it? - -I did not say one word. I looked. Captain Nemo took the ingots one by one, -and arranged them methodically in the chest, which he filled entirely. -I estimated the contents at more than 4,000 lb. weight of gold, that is -to say, nearly L200,000. - -The chest was securely fastened, and the Captain wrote an address on the lid, -in characters which must have belonged to Modern Greece. - -This done, Captain Nemo pressed a knob, the wire of which communicated with -the quarters of the crew. Four men appeared, and, not without some trouble, -pushed the chest out of the saloon. Then I heard them hoisting it up the iron -staircase by means of pulleys. - -At that moment, Captain Nemo turned to me. - -"And you were saying, sir?" said he. - -"I was saying nothing, Captain." - -"Then, sir, if you will allow me, I will wish you good night." - -Whereupon he turned and left the saloon. - -I returned to my room much troubled, as one may believe. -I vainly tried to sleep--I sought the connecting link between -the apparition of the diver and the chest filled with gold. -Soon, I felt by certain movements of pitching and tossing -that the Nautilus was leaving the depths and returning -to the surface. - -Then I heard steps upon the platform; and I knew they were -unfastening the pinnace and launching it upon the waves. -For one instant it struck the side of the Nautilus, -then all noise ceased. - -Two hours after, the same noise, the same going and coming was renewed; -the boat was hoisted on board, replaced in its socket, and the Nautilus -again plunged under the waves. - -So these millions had been transported to their address. -To what point of the continent? Who was Captain Nemo's correspondent? - -The next day I related to Conseil and the Canadian the events -of the night, which had excited my curiosity to the highest degree. -My companions were not less surprised than myself. - -"But where does he take his millions to?" asked Ned Land. - -To that there was no possible answer. I returned to the saloon -after having breakfast and set to work. Till five o'clock -in the evening I employed myself in arranging my notes. -At that moment--(ought I to attribute it to some peculiar idiosyncrasy)-- -I felt so great a heat that I was obliged to take off my coat. -It was strange, for we were under low latitudes; and even then the Nautilus, -submerged as it was, ought to experience no change of temperature. -I looked at the manometer; it showed a depth of sixty feet, to which -atmospheric heat could never attain. - -I continued my work, but the temperature rose to such a pitch -as to be intolerable. - -"Could there be fire on board?" I asked myself. - -I was leaving the saloon, when Captain Nemo entered; he approached -the thermometer, consulted it, and, turning to me, said: - -"Forty-two degrees." - -"I have noticed it, Captain," I replied; "and if it gets much -hotter we cannot bear it." - -"Oh, sir, it will not get better if we do not wish it." - -"You can reduce it as you please, then?" - -"No; but I can go farther from the stove which produces it." - -"It is outward, then!" - -"Certainly; we are floating in a current of boiling water." - -"Is it possible!" I exclaimed. - -"Look." - -The panels opened, and I saw the sea entirely white all round. -A sulphurous smoke was curling amid the waves, which boiled like -water in a copper. I placed my hand on one of the panes of glass, -but the heat was so great that I quickly took it off again. - -"Where are we?" I asked. - -"Near the Island of Santorin, sir," replied the Captain. -"I wished to give you a sight of the curious spectacle of -a submarine eruption." - -"I thought," said I, "that the formation of these new islands was ended." - -"Nothing is ever ended in the volcanic parts of the sea," -replied Captain Nemo; "and the globe is always being worked by -subterranean fires. Already, in the nineteenth year of our era, -according to Cassiodorus and Pliny, a new island, Theia -(the divine), appeared in the very place where these islets -have recently been formed. Then they sank under the waves, -to rise again in the year 69, when they again subsided. -Since that time to our days the Plutonian work has been suspended. -But on the 3rd of February, 1866, a new island, which they named -George Island, emerged from the midst of the sulphurous vapour -near Nea Kamenni, and settled again the 6th of the same month. -Seven days after, the 13th of February, the Island of Aphroessa -appeared, leaving between Nea Kamenni and itself a canal ten -yards broad. I was in these seas when the phenomenon occurred, -and I was able therefore to observe all the different phases. -The Island of Aphroessa, of round form, measured 300 feet -in diameter, and 30 feet in height. It was composed of -black and vitreous lava, mixed with fragments of felspar. -And lastly, on the 10th of March, a smaller island, called Reka, -showed itself near Nea Kamenni, and since then these three have -joined together, forming but one and the same island." - -"And the canal in which we are at this moment?" I asked. - -"Here it is," replied Captain Nemo, showing me a map of the Archipelago. -"You see, I have marked the new islands." - -I returned to the glass. The Nautilus was no longer moving, -the heat was becoming unbearable. The sea, which till now had -been white, was red, owing to the presence of salts of iron. -In spite of the ship's being hermetically sealed, an insupportable -smell of sulphur filled the saloon, and the brilliancy of the -electricity was entirely extinguished by bright scarlet flames. -I was in a bath, I was choking, I was broiled. - -"We can remain no longer in this boiling water," said I to the Captain. - -"It would not be prudent," replied the impassive Captain Nemo. - -An order was given; the Nautilus tacked about and left -the furnace it could not brave with impunity. A quarter -of an hour after we were breathing fresh air on the surface. -The thought then struck me that, if Ned Land had chosen this part -of the sea for our flight, we should never have come alive out -of this sea of fire. - -The next day, the 16th of February, we left the basin which, -between Rhodes and Alexandria, is reckoned about 1,500 fathoms -in depth, and the Nautilus, passing some distance from Cerigo, -quitted the Grecian Archipelago after having doubled Cape Matapan. - - - -CHAPTER VII - -THE MEDITERRANEAN IN FORTY-EIGHT HOURS - -The Mediterranean, the blue sea par excellence, "the great sea" -of the Hebrews, "the sea" of the Greeks, the "mare nostrum" -of the Romans, bordered by orange-trees, aloes, cacti, and sea-pines; -embalmed with the perfume of the myrtle, surrounded by rude mountains, -saturated with pure and transparent air, but incessantly worked -by underground fires; a perfect battlefield in which Neptune and Pluto -still dispute the empire of the world! - -It is upon these banks, and on these waters, says Michelet, that man -is renewed in one of the most powerful climates of the globe. -But, beautiful as it was, I could only take a rapid glance at -the basin whose superficial area is two million of square yards. -Even Captain Nemo's knowledge was lost to me, for this puzzling -person did not appear once during our passage at full speed. -I estimated the course which the Nautilus took under the waves -of the sea at about six hundred leagues, and it was accomplished -in forty-eight hours. Starting on the morning of the 16th -of February from the shores of Greece, we had crossed the Straits -of Gibraltar by sunrise on the 18th. - -It was plain to me that this Mediterranean, enclosed in the midst of those -countries which he wished to avoid, was distasteful to Captain Nemo. -Those waves and those breezes brought back too many remembrances, if not -too many regrets. Here he had no longer that independence and that liberty -of gait which he had when in the open seas, and his Nautilus felt itself -cramped between the close shores of Africa and Europe. - -Our speed was now twenty-five miles an hour. It may be well -understood that Ned Land, to his great disgust, was obliged -to renounce his intended flight. He could not launch the pinnace, -going at the rate of twelve or thirteen yards every second. -To quit the Nautilus under such conditions would be as bad -as jumping from a train going at full speed--an imprudent thing, -to say the least of it. Besides, our vessel only mounted -to the surface of the waves at night to renew its stock of air; -it was steered entirely by the compass and the log. - -I saw no more of the interior of this Mediterranean than a traveller -by express train perceives of the landscape which flies before his eyes; -that is to say, the distant horizon, and not the nearer objects which pass -like a flash of lightning. - -We were then passing between Sicily and the coast of Tunis. -In the narrow space between Cape Bon and the Straits -of Messina the bottom of the sea rose almost suddenly. -There was a perfect bank, on which there was not more than -nine fathoms of water, whilst on either side the depth -was ninety fathoms. - -The Nautilus had to manoeuvre very carefully so as not to strike -against this submarine barrier. - -I showed Conseil, on the map of the Mediterranean, the spot occupied -by this reef. - -"But if you please, sir," observed Conseil, "it is like a real -isthmus joining Europe to Africa." - -"Yes, my boy, it forms a perfect bar to the Straits of Lybia, -and the soundings of Smith have proved that in former times -the continents between Cape Boco and Cape Furina were joined." - -"I can well believe it," said Conseil. - -"I will add," I continued, "that a similar barrier exists between Gibraltar -and Ceuta, which in geological times formed the entire Mediterranean." - -"What if some volcanic burst should one day raise these two barriers -above the waves?" - -"It is not probable, Conseil." - -"Well, but allow me to finish, please, sir; if this phenomenon -should take place, it will be troublesome for M. Lesseps, -who has taken so much pains to pierce the isthmus." - -"I agree with you; but I repeat, Conseil, this phenomenon will -never happen. The violence of subterranean force is ever diminishing. -Volcanoes, so plentiful in the first days of the world, -are being extinguished by degrees; the internal heat is weakened, -the temperature of the lower strata of the globe is lowered by a -perceptible quantity every century to the detriment of our globe, -for its heat is its life." - -"But the sun?" - -"The sun is not sufficient, Conseil. Can it give heat to a dead body?" - -"Not that I know of." - -"Well, my friend, this earth will one day be that cold corpse; -it will become uninhabitable and uninhabited like the moon, -which has long since lost all its vital heat." - -"In how many centuries?" - -"In some hundreds of thousands of years, my boy." - -"Then," said Conseil, "we shall have time to finish our journey-- -that is, if Ned Land does not interfere with it." - -And Conseil, reassured, returned to the study of the bank, -which the Nautilus was skirting at a moderate speed. - -During the night of the 16th and 17th February we had entered the second -Mediterranean basin, the greatest depth of which was 1,450 fathoms. -The Nautilus, by the action of its crew, slid down the inclined planes -and buried itself in the lowest depths of the sea. - -On the 18th of February, about three o'clock in the morning, we were at -the entrance of the Straits of Gibraltar. There once existed two currents: -an upper one, long since recognised, which conveys the waters of the ocean -into the basin of the Mediterranean; and a lower counter-current, -which reasoning has now shown to exist. Indeed, the volume of water -in the Mediterranean, incessantly added to by the waves of the Atlantic -and by rivers falling into it, would each year raise the level of this sea, -for its evaporation is not sufficient to restore the equilibrium. -As it is not so, we must necessarily admit the existence of an under-current, -which empties into the basin of the Atlantic through the Straits -of Gibraltar the surplus waters of the Mediterranean. A fact indeed; -and it was this counter-current by which the Nautilus profited. -It advanced rapidly by the narrow pass. For one instant I caught a glimpse -of the beautiful ruins of the temple of Hercules, buried in the ground, -according to Pliny, and with the low island which supports it; and a few -minutes later we were floating on the Atlantic. - - - -CHAPTER VIII - -VIGO BAY - -The Atlantic! a vast sheet of water whose superficial area covers -twenty-five millions of square miles, the length of which is nine -thousand miles, with a mean breadth of two thousand seven hundred-- -an ocean whose parallel winding shores embrace an immense circumference, -watered by the largest rivers of the world, the St. Lawrence, -the Mississippi, the Amazon, the Plata, the Orinoco, the Niger, -the Senegal, the Elbe, the Loire, and the Rhine, which carry water -from the most civilised, as well as from the most savage, countries! -Magnificent field of water, incessantly ploughed by vessels -of every nation, sheltered by the flags of every nation, and which -terminates in those two terrible points so dreaded by mariners, -Cape Horn and the Cape of Tempests. - -The Nautilus was piercing the water with its sharp spur, -after having accomplished nearly ten thousand leagues in three months -and a half, a distance greater than the great circle of the earth. -Where were we going now, and what was reserved for the future? -The Nautilus, leaving the Straits of Gibraltar, had gone far out. -It returned to the surface of the waves, and our daily walks on the -platform were restored to us. - -I mounted at once, accompanied by Ned Land and Conseil. -At a distance of about twelve miles, Cape St. Vincent -was dimly to be seen, forming the south-western point of -the Spanish peninsula. A strong southerly gale was blowing. -The sea was swollen and billowy; it made the Nautilus rock violently. -It was almost impossible to keep one's foot on the platform, -which the heavy rolls of the sea beat over every instant. -So we descended after inhaling some mouthfuls of fresh air. - -I returned to my room, Conseil to his cabin; but the Canadian, -with a preoccupied air, followed me. Our rapid passage across -the Mediterranean had not allowed him to put his project -into execution, and he could not help showing his disappointment. -When the door of my room was shut, he sat down and looked -at me silently. - -"Friend Ned," said I, "I understand you; but you cannot reproach yourself. -To have attempted to leave the Nautilus under the circumstances would -have been folly." - -Ned Land did not answer; his compressed lips and frowning brow showed -with him the violent possession this fixed idea had taken of his mind. - -"Let us see," I continued; "we need not despair yet. -We are going up the coast of Portugal again; France and -England are not far off, where we can easily find refuge. -Now if the Nautilus, on leaving the Straits of Gibraltar, -had gone to the south, if it had carried us towards regions -where there were no continents, I should share your uneasiness. -But we know now that Captain Nemo does not fly from civilised seas, -and in some days I think you can act with security." - -Ned Land still looked at me fixedly; at length his fixed lips parted, -and he said, "It is for to-night." - -I drew myself up suddenly. I was, I admit, little prepared -for this communication. I wanted to answer the Canadian, -but words would not come. - -"We agreed to wait for an opportunity," continued Ned Land, -"and the opportunity has arrived. This night we shall -be but a few miles from the Spanish coast. It is cloudy. -The wind blows freely. I have your word, M. Aronnax, and I -rely upon you." - -As I was silent, the Canadian approached me. - -"To-night, at nine o'clock," said he. "I have warned Conseil. -At that moment Captain Nemo will be shut up in his room, probably in bed. -Neither the engineers nor the ship's crew can see us. -Conseil and I will gain the central staircase, and you, M. Aronnax, -will remain in the library, two steps from us, waiting my signal. -The oars, the mast, and the sail are in the canoe. I have even succeeded -in getting some provisions. I have procured an English wrench, -to unfasten the bolts which attach it to the shell of the Nautilus. -So all is ready, till to-night." - -"The sea is bad." - -"That I allow," replied the Canadian; "but we must risk that. -Liberty is worth paying for; besides, the boat is strong, -and a few miles with a fair wind to carry us is no great thing. -Who knows but by to-morrow we may be a hundred leagues away? -Let circumstances only favour us, and by ten or eleven o'clock we -shall have landed on some spot of terra firma, alive or dead. -But adieu now till to-night." - -With these words the Canadian withdrew, leaving me almost dumb. -I had imagined that, the chance gone, I should have time to -reflect and discuss the matter. My obstinate companion had given -me no time; and, after all, what could I have said to him? -Ned Land was perfectly right. There was almost the opportunity -to profit by. Could I retract my word, and take upon myself -the responsibility of compromising the future of my companions? -To-morrow Captain Nemo might take us far from all land. - -At that moment a rather loud hissing noise told me that the reservoirs -were filling, and that the Nautilus was sinking under the waves -of the Atlantic. - -A sad day I passed, between the desire of regaining my liberty -of action and of abandoning the wonderful Nautilus, and leaving -my submarine studies incomplete. - -What dreadful hours I passed thus! Sometimes seeing myself and -companions safely landed, sometimes wishing, in spite of my reason, -that some unforeseen circumstance, would prevent the realisation -of Ned Land's project. - -Twice I went to the saloon. I wished to consult the compass. -I wished to see if the direction the Nautilus was taking -was bringing us nearer or taking us farther from the coast. -But no; the Nautilus kept in Portuguese waters. - -I must therefore take my part and prepare for flight. -My luggage was not heavy; my notes, nothing more. - -As to Captain Nemo, I asked myself what he would think of our escape; -what trouble, what wrong it might cause him and what he might do in case -of its discovery or failure. Certainly I had no cause to complain of him; -on the contrary, never was hospitality freer than his. In leaving -him I could not be taxed with ingratitude. No oath bound us to him. -It was on the strength of circumstances he relied, and not upon our word, -to fix us for ever. - -I had not seen the Captain since our visit to the Island of Santorin. -Would chance bring me to his presence before our departure? -I wished it, and I feared it at the same time. I listened if I could -hear him walking the room contiguous to mine. No sound reached my ear. -I felt an unbearable uneasiness. This day of waiting seemed eternal. -Hours struck too slowly to keep pace with my impatience. - -My dinner was served in my room as usual. I ate but little; -I was too preoccupied. I left the table at seven o'clock. A -hundred and twenty minutes (I counted them) still separated -me from the moment in which I was to join Ned Land. -My agitation redoubled. My pulse beat violently. -I could not remain quiet. I went and came, hoping to calm -my troubled spirit by constant movement. The idea of failure -in our bold enterprise was the least painful of my anxieties; -but the thought of seeing our project discovered before -leaving the Nautilus, of being brought before Captain Nemo, -irritated, or (what was worse) saddened, at my desertion, -made my heart beat. - -I wanted to see the saloon for the last time. I descended the stairs and -arrived in the museum, where I had passed so many useful and agreeable hours. -I looked at all its riches, all its treasures, like a man on the eve of an -eternal exile, who was leaving never to return. - -These wonders of Nature, these masterpieces of art, amongst which for so many -days my life had been concentrated, I was going to abandon them for ever! -I should like to have taken a last look through the windows of the saloon into -the waters of the Atlantic: but the panels were hermetically closed, and a -cloak of steel separated me from that ocean which I had not yet explored. - -In passing through the saloon, I came near the door let -into the angle which opened into the Captain's room. -To my great surprise, this door was ajar. I drew back involuntarily. -If Captain Nemo should be in his room, he could see me. -But, hearing no sound, I drew nearer. The room was deserted. -I pushed open the door and took some steps forward. Still the same -monklike severity of aspect. - -Suddenly the clock struck eight. The first beat of the hammer on the bell -awoke me from my dreams. I trembled as if an invisible eye had plunged -into my most secret thoughts, and I hurried from the room. - -There my eye fell upon the compass. Our course was still north. -The log indicated moderate speed, the manometer a depth of about sixty feet. - -I returned to my room, clothed myself warmly--sea boots, -an otterskin cap, a great coat of byssus, lined with sealskin; -I was ready, I was waiting. The vibration of the screw -alone broke the deep silence which reigned on board. -I listened attentively. Would no loud voice suddenly inform -me that Ned Land had been surprised in his projected flight. -A mortal dread hung over me, and I vainly tried to regain -my accustomed coolness. - -At a few minutes to nine, I put my ear to the Captain's door. -No noise. I left my room and returned to the saloon, which was half -in obscurity, but deserted. - -I opened the door communicating with the library. -The same insufficient light, the same solitude. -I placed myself near the door leading to the central staircase, -and there waited for Ned Land's signal. - -At that moment the trembling of the screw sensibly diminished, -then it stopped entirely. The silence was now only disturbed -by the beatings of my own heart. Suddenly a slight shock was felt; -and I knew that the Nautilus had stopped at the bottom of the ocean. -My uneasiness increased. The Canadian's signal did not come. -I felt inclined to join Ned Land and beg of him to put off his attempt. -I felt that we were not sailing under our usual conditions. - -At this moment the door of the large saloon opened, and Captain -Nemo appeared. He saw me, and without further preamble began -in an amiable tone of voice: - -"Ah, sir! I have been looking for you. Do you know the history of Spain?" - -Now, one might know the history of one's own country by heart; -but in the condition I was at the time, with troubled mind -and head quite lost, I could not have said a word of it. - -"Well," continued Captain Nemo, "you heard my question! -Do you know the history of Spain?" - -"Very slightly," I answered. - -"Well, here are learned men having to learn," said the Captain. -"Come, sit down, and I will tell you a curious episode in this history. -Sir, listen well," said he; "this history will interest you on one side, -for it will answer a question which doubtless you have not been -able to solve." - -"I listen, Captain," said I, not knowing what my interlocutor was driving at, -and asking myself if this incident was bearing on our projected flight. - -"Sir, if you have no objection, we will go back to 1702. You cannot -be ignorant that your king, Louis XIV, thinking that the gesture -of a potentate was sufficient to bring the Pyrenees under his yoke, -had imposed the Duke of Anjou, his grandson, on the Spaniards. -This prince reigned more or less badly under the name of Philip V, -and had a strong party against him abroad. Indeed, the preceding year, -the royal houses of Holland, Austria, and England had concluded -a treaty of alliance at the Hague, with the intention of plucking -the crown of Spain from the head of Philip V, and placing it -on that of an archduke to whom they prematurely gave the title -of Charles III. - -"Spain must resist this coalition; but she was almost entirely unprovided -with either soldiers or sailors. However, money would not fail them, -provided that their galleons, laden with gold and silver from America, -once entered their ports. And about the end of 1702 they expected a rich -convoy which France was escorting with a fleet of twenty-three vessels, -commanded by Admiral Chateau-Renaud, for the ships of the coalition -were already beating the Atlantic. This convoy was to go to Cadiz, -but the Admiral, hearing that an English fleet was cruising in those waters, -resolved to make for a French port. - -"The Spanish commanders of the convoy objected to this decision. -They wanted to be taken to a Spanish port, and, if not to Cadiz, -into Vigo Bay, situated on the northwest coast of Spain, -and which was not blocked. - -"Admiral Chateau-Renaud had the rashness to obey this injunction, -and the galleons entered Vigo Bay. - -"Unfortunately, it formed an open road which could not be -defended in any way. They must therefore hasten to unload -the galleons before the arrival of the combined fleet; -and time would not have failed them had not a miserable question -of rivalry suddenly arisen. - -"You are following the chain of events?" asked Captain Nemo. - -"Perfectly," said I, not knowing the end proposed by this historical lesson. - -"I will continue. This is what passed. The merchants of Cadiz had -a privilege by which they had the right of receiving all merchandise -coming from the West Indies. Now, to disembark these ingots at the port -of Vigo was depriving them of their rights. They complained at Madrid, -and obtained the consent of the weak-minded Philip that the convoy, -without discharging its cargo, should remain sequestered in the roads -of Vigo until the enemy had disappeared. - -"But whilst coming to this decision, on the 22nd of October, -1702, the English vessels arrived in Vigo Bay, when Admiral -Chateau-Renaud, in spite of inferior forces, fought bravely. -But, seeing that the treasure must fall into the enemy's hands, -he burnt and scuttled every galleon, which went to the bottom -with their immense riches." - -Captain Nemo stopped. I admit I could not see yet why this history -should interest me. - -"Well?" I asked. - -"Well, M. Aronnax," replied Captain Nemo, "we are in that Vigo Bay; -and it rests with yourself whether you will penetrate its mysteries." - -The Captain rose, telling me to follow him. I had had time to recover. -I obeyed. The saloon was dark, but through the transparent glass the waves -were sparkling. I looked. - -For half a mile around the Nautilus, the waters seemed bathed -in electric light. The sandy bottom was clean and bright. -Some of the ship's crew in their diving-dresses were clearing away -half-rotten barrels and empty cases from the midst of the blackened wrecks. -From these cases and from these barrels escaped ingots of gold and silver, -cascades of piastres and jewels. The sand was heaped up with them. -Laden with their precious booty, the men returned to the Nautilus, -disposed of their burden, and went back to this inexhaustible fishery of -gold and silver. - -I understood now. This was the scene of the battle of the 22nd -of October, 1702. Here on this very spot the galleons laden for the Spanish -Government had sunk. Here Captain Nemo came, according to his wants, -to pack up those millions with which he burdened the Nautilus. -It was for him and him alone America had given up her precious metals. -He was heir direct, without anyone to share, in those treasures torn -from the Incas and from the conquered of Ferdinand Cortez. - -"Did you know, sir," he asked, smiling, "that the sea contained such riches?" - -"I knew," I answered, "that they value money held in suspension -in these waters at two millions." - -"Doubtless; but to extract this money the expense would be greater -than the profit. Here, on the contrary, I have but to pick up what man -has lost--and not only in Vigo Bay, but in a thousand other ports where -shipwrecks have happened, and which are marked on my submarine map. -Can you understand now the source of the millions I am worth?" - -"I understand, Captain. But allow me to tell you that in exploring -Vigo Bay you have only been beforehand with a rival society." - -"And which?" - -"A society which has received from the Spanish Government -the privilege of seeking those buried galleons. -The shareholders are led on by the allurement of an enormous bounty, -for they value these rich shipwrecks at five hundred millions." - -"Five hundred millions they were," answered Captain Nemo, -"but they are so no longer." - -"Just so," said I; "and a warning to those shareholders would be -an act of charity. But who knows if it would be well received? -What gamblers usually regret above all is less the loss -of their money than of their foolish hopes. After all, -I pity them less than the thousands of unfortunates to whom -so much riches well-distributed would have been profitable, -whilst for them they will be for ever barren." - -I had no sooner expressed this regret than I felt that it must -have wounded Captain Nemo. - -"Barren!" he exclaimed, with animation. "Do you think then, -sir, that these riches are lost because I gather them? -Is it for myself alone, according to your idea, that I take -the trouble to collect these treasures? Who told you that I -did not make a good use of it? Do you think I am ignorant -that there are suffering beings and oppressed races on -this earth, miserable creatures to console, victims to avenge? -Do you not understand?" - -Captain Nemo stopped at these last words, regretting perhaps -that he had spoken so much. But I had guessed that, -whatever the motive which had forced him to seek independence -under the sea, it had left him still a man, that his heart -still beat for the sufferings of humanity, and that his immense -charity was for oppressed races as well as individuals. -And I then understood for whom those millions were destined -which were forwarded by Captain Nemo when the Nautilus was cruising -in the waters of Crete. - - - -CHAPTER IX - -A VANISHED CONTINENT - -The next morning, the 19th of February, I saw the Canadian enter my room. -I expected this visit. He looked very disappointed. - -"Well, sir?" said he. - -"Well, Ned, fortune was against us yesterday." - -"Yes; that Captain must needs stop exactly at the hour we intended -leaving his vessel." - -"Yes, Ned, he had business at his bankers." - -"His bankers!" - -"Or rather his banking-house; by that I mean the ocean, -where his riches are safer than in the chests of the State." - -I then related to the Canadian the incidents of the preceding night, -hoping to bring him back to the idea of not abandoning the Captain; -but my recital had no other result than an energetically expressed regret -from Ned that he had not been able to take a walk on the battlefield -of Vigo on his own account. - -"However," said he, "all is not ended. It is only a blow -of the harpoon lost. Another time we must succeed; -and to-night, if necessary----" - -"In what direction is the Nautilus going?" I asked. - -"I do not know," replied Ned. - -"Well, at noon we shall see the point." - -The Canadian returned to Conseil. As soon as I was dressed, -I went into the saloon. The compass was not reassuring. -The course of the Nautilus was S.S.W. We were turning our -backs on Europe. - -I waited with some impatience till the ship's place was pricked -on the chart. At about half-past eleven the reservoirs -were emptied, and our vessel rose to the surface of the ocean. -I rushed towards the platform. Ned Land had preceded me. -No more land in sight. Nothing but an immense sea. -Some sails on the horizon, doubtless those going to San Roque -in search of favourable winds for doubling the Cape of Good Hope. -The weather was cloudy. A gale of wind was preparing. -Ned raved, and tried to pierce the cloudy horizon. -He still hoped that behind all that fog stretched the land he so -longed for. - -At noon the sun showed itself for an instant. The second profited by this -brightness to take its height. Then, the sea becoming more billowy, -we descended, and the panel closed. - -An hour after, upon consulting the chart, I saw the position -of the Nautilus was marked at 16@ 17' long., and 33@ 22' -lat., at 150 leagues from the nearest coast. There was no means -of flight, and I leave you to imagine the rage of the Canadian -when I informed him of our situation. - -For myself, I was not particularly sorry. I felt lightened -of the load which had oppressed me, and was able to return -with some degree of calmness to my accustomed work. - -That night, about eleven o'clock, I received a most unexpected -visit from Captain Nemo. He asked me very graciously -if I felt fatigued from my watch of the preceding night. -I answered in the negative. - -"Then, M. Aronnax, I propose a curious excursion." - -"Propose, Captain?" - -"You have hitherto only visited the submarine depths by daylight, -under the brightness of the sun. Would it suit you to see them -in the darkness of the night?" - -"Most willingly." - -"I warn you, the way will be tiring. We shall have far to walk, -and must climb a mountain. The roads are not well kept." - -"What you say, Captain, only heightens my curiosity; -I am ready to follow you." - -"Come then, sir, we will put on our diving-dresses." - -Arrived at the robing-room, I saw that neither of my companions -nor any of the ship's crew were to follow us on this excursion. -Captain Nemo had not even proposed my taking with me either -Ned or Conseil. - -In a few moments we had put on our diving-dresses; they placed -on our backs the reservoirs, abundantly filled with air, -but no electric lamps were prepared. I called the Captain's -attention to the fact. - -"They will be useless," he replied. - -I thought I had not heard aright, but I could not repeat my observation, -for the Captain's head had already disappeared in its metal case. -I finished harnessing myself. I felt them put an iron-pointed stick -into my hand, and some minutes later, after going through the usual form, -we set foot on the bottom of the Atlantic at a depth of 150 fathoms. -Midnight was near. The waters were profoundly dark, but Captain Nemo -pointed out in the distance a reddish spot, a sort of large light shining -brilliantly about two miles from the Nautilus. What this fire might be, -what could feed it, why and how it lit up the liquid mass, I could not say. -In any case, it did light our way, vaguely, it is true, but I soon accustomed -myself to the peculiar darkness, and I understood, under such circumstances, -the uselessness of the Ruhmkorff apparatus. - -As we advanced, I heard a kind of pattering above my head. -The noise redoubling, sometimes producing a continual shower, -I soon understood the cause. It was rain falling violently, -and crisping the surface of the waves. Instinctively the -thought flashed across my mind that I should be wet through! -By the water! in the midst of the water! I could not help -laughing at the odd idea. But, indeed, in the thick diving-dress, -the liquid element is no longer felt, and one only seems to be -in an atmosphere somewhat denser than the terrestrial atmosphere. -Nothing more. - -After half an hour's walk the soil became stony. -Medusae, microscopic crustacea, and pennatules lit it slightly -with their phosphorescent gleam. I caught a glimpse of pieces -of stone covered with millions of zoophytes and masses of sea weed. -My feet often slipped upon this sticky carpet of sea weed, -and without my iron-tipped stick I should have fallen more than once. -In turning round, I could still see the whitish lantern of the -Nautilus beginning to pale in the distance. - -But the rosy light which guided us increased and lit up the horizon. -The presence of this fire under water puzzled me in the highest degree. -Was I going towards a natural phenomenon as yet unknown to the savants -of the earth? Or even (for this thought crossed my brain) had the hand -of man aught to do with this conflagration? Had he fanned this flame? -Was I to meet in these depths companions and friends of Captain Nemo whom -he was going to visit, and who, like him, led this strange existence? -Should I find down there a whole colony of exiles who, weary of the miseries -of this earth, had sought and found independence in the deep ocean? -All these foolish and unreasonable ideas pursued me. And in this condition -of mind, over-excited by the succession of wonders continually passing before -my eyes, I should not have been surprised to meet at the bottom of the sea one -of those submarine towns of which Captain Nemo dreamed. - -Our road grew lighter and lighter. The white glimmer came in rays -from the summit of a mountain about 800 feet high. But what I saw -was simply a reflection, developed by the clearness of the waters. -The source of this inexplicable light was a fire on the opposite side -of the mountain. - -In the midst of this stony maze furrowing the bottom of the Atlantic, -Captain Nemo advanced without hesitation. He knew this dreary road. -Doubtless he had often travelled over it, and could not lose himself. -I followed him with unshaken confidence. He seemed to me like a genie of -the sea; and, as he walked before me, I could not help admiring his stature, -which was outlined in black on the luminous horizon. - -It was one in the morning when we arrived at the first slopes of the mountain; -but to gain access to them we must venture through the difficult paths -of a vast copse. - -Yes; a copse of dead trees, without leaves, without sap, -trees petrified by the action of the water and here and there -overtopped by gigantic pines. It was like a coal-pit still standing, -holding by the roots to the broken soil, and whose branches, like fine -black paper cuttings, showed distinctly on the watery ceiling. -Picture to yourself a forest in the Hartz hanging on to the sides -of the mountain, but a forest swallowed up. The paths were -encumbered with seaweed and fucus, between which grovelled -a whole world of crustacea. I went along, climbing the rocks, -striding over extended trunks, breaking the sea bind-weed which hung -from one tree to the other; and frightening the fishes, which flew -from branch to branch. Pressing onward, I felt no fatigue. -I followed my guide, who was never tired. What a spectacle! -How can I express it? how paint the aspect of those woods and -rocks in this medium--their under parts dark and wild, the upper -coloured with red tints, by that light which the reflecting powers -of the waters doubled? We climbed rocks which fell directly -after with gigantic bounds and the low growling of an avalanche. -To right and left ran long, dark galleries, where sight was lost. -Here opened vast glades which the hand of man seemed to have worked; -and I sometimes asked myself if some inhabitant of these submarine -regions would not suddenly appear to me. - -But Captain Nemo was still mounting. I could not stay behind. -I followed boldly. My stick gave me good help. A false step would -have been dangerous on the narrow passes sloping down to the sides -of the gulfs; but I walked with firm step, without feeling -any giddiness. Now I jumped a crevice, the depth of which would -have made me hesitate had it been among the glaciers on the land; -now I ventured on the unsteady trunk of a tree thrown across -from one abyss to the other, without looking under my feet, -having only eyes to admire the wild sites of this region. - -There, monumental rocks, leaning on their regularly-cut bases, seemed to defy -all laws of equilibrium. From between their stony knees trees sprang, -like a jet under heavy pressure, and upheld others which upheld them. -Natural towers, large scarps, cut perpendicularly, like a "curtain," inclined -at an angle which the laws of gravitation could never have tolerated -in terrestrial regions. - -Two hours after quitting the Nautilus we had crossed the line of trees, -and a hundred feet above our heads rose the top of the mountain, -which cast a shadow on the brilliant irradiation of the opposite slope. -Some petrified shrubs ran fantastically here and there. Fishes got up -under our feet like birds in the long grass. The massive rocks were -rent with impenetrable fractures, deep grottos, and unfathomable holes, -at the bottom of which formidable creatures might be heard moving. -My blood curdled when I saw enormous antennae blocking my road, -or some frightful claw closing with a noise in the shadow of some cavity. -Millions of luminous spots shone brightly in the midst of the darkness. -They were the eyes of giant crustacea crouched in their holes; -giant lobsters setting themselves up like halberdiers, and moving -their claws with the clicking sound of pincers; titanic crabs, -pointed like a gun on its carriage; and frightful-looking poulps, -interweaving their tentacles like a living nest of serpents. - -We had now arrived on the first platform, where other surprises awaited me. -Before us lay some picturesque ruins, which betrayed the hand of man -and not that of the Creator. There were vast heaps of stone, -amongst which might be traced the vague and shadowy forms of castles -and temples, clothed with a world of blossoming zoophytes, and over which, -instead of ivy, sea-weed and fucus threw a thick vegetable mantle. But what -was this portion of the globe which had been swallowed by cataclysms? -Who had placed those rocks and stones like cromlechs of prehistoric times? -Where was I? Whither had Captain Nemo's fancy hurried me? - -I would fain have asked him; not being able to, I stopped him-- -I seized his arm. But, shaking his head, and pointing to the highest -point of the mountain, he seemed to say: - -"Come, come along; come higher!" - -I followed, and in a few minutes I had climbed to the top, -which for a circle of ten yards commanded the whole mass of rock. - -I looked down the side we had just climbed. The mountain did -not rise more than seven or eight hundred feet above the level -of the plain; but on the opposite side it commanded from -twice that height the depths of this part of the Atlantic. -My eyes ranged far over a large space lit by a violent fulguration. -In fact, the mountain was a volcano. - -At fifty feet above the peak, in the midst of a rain of stones -and scoriae, a large crater was vomiting forth torrents of lava -which fell in a cascade of fire into the bosom of the liquid mass. -Thus situated, this volcano lit the lower plain like an -immense torch, even to the extreme limits of the horizon. -I said that the submarine crater threw up lava, but no flames. -Flames require the oxygen of the air to feed upon and cannot be -developed under water; but streams of lava, having in themselves -the principles of their incandescence, can attain a white heat, -fight vigorously against the liquid element, and turn it to -vapour by contact. - -Rapid currents bearing all these gases in diffusion and torrents -of lava slid to the bottom of the mountain like an eruption -of Vesuvius on another Terra del Greco. - -There indeed under my eyes, ruined, destroyed, lay a town-- -its roofs open to the sky, its temples fallen, its arches dislocated, -its columns lying on the ground, from which one would still -recognise the massive character of Tuscan architecture. -Further on, some remains of a gigantic aqueduct; here the high -base of an Acropolis, with the floating outline of a Parthenon; -there traces of a quay, as if an ancient port had formerly -abutted on the borders of the ocean, and disappeared with -its merchant vessels and its war-galleys. Farther on again, -long lines of sunken walls and broad, deserted streets-- -a perfect Pompeii escaped beneath the waters. Such was the sight -that Captain Nemo brought before my eyes! - -Where was I? Where was I? I must know at any cost. -I tried to speak, but Captain Nemo stopped me by a gesture, -and, picking up a piece of chalk-stone, advanced to a rock -of black basalt, and traced the one word: - - -ATLANTIS - - -What a light shot through my mind! Atlantis! the Atlantis -of Plato, that continent denied by Origen and Humbolt, -who placed its disappearance amongst the legendary tales. -I had it there now before my eyes, bearing upon it -the unexceptionable testimony of its catastrophe. -The region thus engulfed was beyond Europe, Asia, and Lybia, -beyond the columns of Hercules, where those powerful people, -the Atlantides, lived, against whom the first wars of ancient -Greeks were waged. - -Thus, led by the strangest destiny, I was treading under foot -the mountains of this continent, touching with my hand those ruins -a thousand generations old and contemporary with the geological epochs. -I was walking on the very spot where the contemporaries of the first -man had walked. - -Whilst I was trying to fix in my mind every detail of this -grand landscape, Captain Nemo remained motionless, -as if petrified in mute ecstasy, leaning on a mossy stone. -Was he dreaming of those generations long since disappeared? -Was he asking them the secret of human destiny? Was it here this -strange man came to steep himself in historical recollections, -and live again this ancient life--he who wanted no modern one? -What would I not have given to know his thoughts, to share them, -to understand them! We remained for an hour at this place, -contemplating the vast plains under the brightness of the lava, -which was some times wonderfully intense. Rapid tremblings ran -along the mountain caused by internal bubblings, deep noise, -distinctly transmitted through the liquid medium were echoed -with majestic grandeur. At this moment the moon appeared through -the mass of waters and threw her pale rays on the buried continent. -It was but a gleam, but what an indescribable effect! -The Captain rose, cast one last look on the immense plain, -and then bade me follow him. - -We descended the mountain rapidly, and, the mineral forest -once passed, I saw the lantern of the Nautilus shining like a star. -The Captain walked straight to it, and we got on board as the first -rays of light whitened the surface of the ocean. - - - -CHAPTER X - -THE SUBMARINE COAL-MINES - -The next day, the 20th of February, I awoke very late: the fatigues -of the previous night had prolonged my sleep until eleven o'clock. I -dressed quickly, and hastened to find the course the Nautilus was taking. -The instruments showed it to be still toward the south, with a speed of -twenty miles an hour and a depth of fifty fathoms. - -The species of fishes here did not differ much from those already noticed. -There were rays of giant size, five yards long, and endowed with great -muscular strength, which enabled them to shoot above the waves; -sharks of many kinds; amongst others, one fifteen feet long, -with triangular sharp teeth, and whose transparency rendered it almost -invisible in the water. - -Amongst bony fish Conseil noticed some about three yards long, armed at -the upper jaw with a piercing sword; other bright-coloured creatures, -known in the time of Aristotle by the name of the sea-dragon, which are -dangerous to capture on account of the spikes on their back. - -About four o'clock, the soil, generally composed of a thick mud mixed with -petrified wood, changed by degrees, and it became more stony, and seemed -strewn with conglomerate and pieces of basalt, with a sprinkling of lava. -I thought that a mountainous region was succeeding the long plains; -and accordingly, after a few evolutions of the Nautilus, I saw the southerly -horizon blocked by a high wall which seemed to close all exit. -Its summit evidently passed the level of the ocean. It must be a continent, -or at least an island--one of the Canaries, or of the Cape Verde Islands. -The bearings not being yet taken, perhaps designedly, I was ignorant -of our exact position. In any case, such a wall seemed to me to mark -the limits of that Atlantis, of which we had in reality passed over only -the smallest part. - -Much longer should I have remained at the window admiring -the beauties of sea and sky, but the panels closed. At this moment -the Nautilus arrived at the side of this high, perpendicular wall. -What it would do, I could not guess. I returned to my room; -it no longer moved. I laid myself down with the full intention -of waking after a few hours' sleep; but it was eight o'clock -the next day when I entered the saloon. I looked at the manometer. -It told me that the Nautilus was floating on the surface of the ocean. -Besides, I heard steps on the platform. I went to the panel. -It was open; but, instead of broad daylight, as I expected, -I was surrounded by profound darkness. Where were we? -Was I mistaken? Was it still night? No; not a star was shining -and night has not that utter darkness. - -I knew not what to think, when a voice near me said: - -"Is that you, Professor?" - -"Ah! Captain," I answered, "where are we?" - -"Underground, sir." - -"Underground!" I exclaimed. "And the Nautilus floating still?" - -"It always floats." - -"But I do not understand." - -"Wait a few minutes, our lantern will be lit, and, if you like light places, -you will be satisfied." - -I stood on the platform and waited. The darkness was so complete -that I could not even see Captain Nemo; but, looking to the zenith, -exactly above my head, I seemed to catch an undecided gleam, -a kind of twilight filling a circular hole. At this instant -the lantern was lit, and its vividness dispelled the faint light. -I closed my dazzled eyes for an instant, and then looked again. -The Nautilus was stationary, floating near a mountain which formed -a sort of quay. The lake, then, supporting it was a lake -imprisoned by a circle of walls, measuring two miles in diameter -and six in circumference. Its level (the manometer showed) -could only be the same as the outside level, for there must -necessarily be a communication between the lake and the sea. -The high partitions, leaning forward on their base, grew into -a vaulted roof bearing the shape of an immense funnel turned -upside down, the height being about five or six hundred yards. -At the summit was a circular orifice, by which I had caught the slight -gleam of light, evidently daylight. - -"Where are we?" I asked. - -"In the very heart of an extinct volcano, the interior of which has -been invaded by the sea, after some great convulsion of the earth. -Whilst you were sleeping, Professor, the Nautilus penetrated -to this lagoon by a natural canal, which opens about ten yards -beneath the surface of the ocean. This is its harbour of refuge, -a sure, commodious, and mysterious one, sheltered from all gales. -Show me, if you can, on the coasts of any of your continents or islands, -a road which can give such perfect refuge from all storms." - -"Certainly," I replied, "you are in safety here, Captain Nemo. -Who could reach you in the heart of a volcano? But did I not see -an opening at its summit?" - -"Yes; its crater, formerly filled with lava, vapour, and flames, -and which now gives entrance to the life-giving air we breathe." - -"But what is this volcanic mountain?" - -"It belongs to one of the numerous islands with which this sea -is strewn--to vessels a simple sandbank--to us an immense cavern. -Chance led me to discover it, and chance served me well." - -"But of what use is this refuge, Captain? The Nautilus wants no port." - -"No, sir; but it wants electricity to make it move, and the wherewithal -to make the electricity--sodium to feed the elements, coal from -which to get the sodium, and a coal-mine to supply the coal. -And exactly on this spot the sea covers entire forests embedded during -the geological periods, now mineralised and transformed into coal; -for me they are an inexhaustible mine." - -"Your men follow the trade of miners here, then, Captain?" - -"Exactly so. These mines extend under the waves like the mines of Newcastle. -Here, in their diving-dresses, pick axe and shovel in hand, my men -extract the coal, which I do not even ask from the mines of the earth. -When I burn this combustible for the manufacture of sodium, the smoke, -escaping from the crater of the mountain, gives it the appearance of -a still-active volcano." - -"And we shall see your companions at work?" - -"No; not this time at least; for I am in a hurry to continue -our submarine tour of the earth. So I shall content myself -with drawing from the reserve of sodium I already possess. -The time for loading is one day only, and we continue our voyage. -So, if you wish to go over the cavern and make the round of -the lagoon, you must take advantage of to-day, M. Aronnax." - -I thanked the Captain and went to look for my companions, who had not yet -left their cabin. I invited them to follow me without saying where we were. -They mounted the platform. Conseil, who was astonished at nothing, -seemed to look upon it as quite natural that he should wake under -a mountain, after having fallen asleep under the waves. But Ned Land -thought of nothing but finding whether the cavern had any exit. -After breakfast, about ten o'clock, we went down on to the mountain. - -"Here we are, once more on land," said Conseil. - -"I do not call this land," said the Canadian. "And besides, -we are not on it, but beneath it." - -Between the walls of the mountains and the waters of the lake lay a sandy -shore which, at its greatest breadth, measured five hundred feet. -On this soil one might easily make the tour of the lake. But the base -of the high partitions was stony ground, with volcanic locks and enormous -pumice-stones lying in picturesque heaps. All these detached masses, -covered with enamel, polished by the action of the subterraneous fires, -shone resplendent by the light of our electric lantern. The mica dust -from the shore, rising under our feet, flew like a cloud of sparks. -The bottom now rose sensibly, and we soon arrived at long circuitous slopes, -or inclined planes, which took us higher by degrees; but we were obliged -to walk carefully among these conglomerates, bound by no cement, the feet -slipping on the glassy crystal, felspar, and quartz. - -The volcanic nature of this enormous excavation was confirmed on all sides, -and I pointed it out to my companions. - -"Picture to yourselves," said I, "what this crater must -have been when filled with boiling lava, and when the level -of the incandescent liquid rose to the orifice of the mountain, -as though melted on the top of a hot plate." - -"I can picture it perfectly," said Conseil. "But, sir, -will you tell me why the Great Architect has suspended operations, -and how it is that the furnace is replaced by the quiet waters -of the lake?" - -"Most probably, Conseil, because some convulsion beneath the ocean produced -that very opening which has served as a passage for the Nautilus. -Then the waters of the Atlantic rushed into the interior of the mountain. -There must have been a terrible struggle between the two elements, a struggle -which ended in the victory of Neptune. But many ages have run out since then, -and the submerged volcano is now a peaceable grotto." - -"Very well," replied Ned Land; "I accept the explanation, sir; but, in our -own interests, I regret that the opening of which you speak was not made -above the level of the sea." - -"But, friend Ned," said Conseil, "if the passage had not been under the sea, -the Nautilus could not have gone through it." - -We continued ascending. The steps became more and more perpendicular -and narrow. Deep excavations, which we were obliged to cross, -cut them here and there; sloping masses had to be turned. -We slid upon our knees and crawled along. But Conseil's -dexterity and the Canadian's strength surmounted all obstacles. -At a height of about 31 feet the nature of the ground changed -without becoming more practicable. To the conglomerate and trachyte -succeeded black basalt, the first dispread in layers full of bubbles, -the latter forming regular prisms, placed like a colonnade -supporting the spring of the immense vault, an admirable specimen -of natural architecture. Between the blocks of basalt wound long -streams of lava, long since grown cold, encrusted with bituminous rays; -and in some places there were spread large carpets of sulphur. -A more powerful light shone through the upper crater, shedding a -vague glimmer over these volcanic depressions for ever buried -in the bosom of this extinguished mountain. But our upward march -was soon stopped at a height of about two hundred and fifty feet -by impassable obstacles. There was a complete vaulted arch -overhanging us, and our ascent was changed to a circular walk. -At the last change vegetable life began to struggle with the mineral. -Some shrubs, and even some trees, grew from the fractures of the walls. -I recognised some euphorbias, with the caustic sugar coming -from them; heliotropes, quite incapable of justifying their name, -sadly drooped their clusters of flowers, both their colour -and perfume half gone. Here and there some chrysanthemums grew -timidly at the foot of an aloe with long, sickly-looking leaves. -But between the streams of lava, I saw some little violets still -slightly perfumed, and I admit that I smelt them with delight. -Perfume is the soul of the flower, and sea-flowers have no soul. - -We had arrived at the foot of some sturdy dragon-trees, -which had pushed aside the rocks with their strong roots, -when Ned Land exclaimed: - -"Ah! sir, a hive! a hive!" - -"A hive!" I replied, with a gesture of incredulity. - -"Yes, a hive," repeated the Canadian, "and bees humming round it." - -I approached, and was bound to believe my own eyes. There at a hole bored -in one of the dragon-trees were some thousands of these ingenious insects, -so common in all the Canaries, and whose produce is so much esteemed. -Naturally enough, the Canadian wished to gather the honey, and I could -not well oppose his wish. A quantity of dry leaves, mixed with sulphur, -he lit with a spark from his flint, and he began to smoke out the bees. -The humming ceased by degrees, and the hive eventually yielded several pounds -of the sweetest honey, with which Ned Land filled his haversack. - -"When I have mixed this honey with the paste of the bread-fruit," -said he, "I shall be able to offer you a succulent cake." - -{`bread-fruit' has been substituted for `artocarpus' in this ed.} - -"'Pon my word," said Conseil, "it will be gingerbread." - -"Never mind the gingerbread," said I; "let us continue our interesting walk." - -At every turn of the path we were following, the lake appeared -in all its length and breadth. The lantern lit up the whole -of its peaceable surface, which knew neither ripple nor wave. -The Nautilus remained perfectly immovable. On the platform, -and on the mountain, the ship's crew were working like black -shadows clearly carved against the luminous atmosphere. -We were now going round the highest crest of the first layers of rock -which upheld the roof. I then saw that bees were not the only -representatives of the animal kingdom in the interior of this volcano. -Birds of prey hovered here and there in the shadows, or fled from -their nests on the top of the rocks. There were sparrow hawks, -with white breasts, and kestrels, and down the slopes scampered, -with their long legs, several fine fat bustards. I leave anyone -to imagine the covetousness of the Canadian at the sight of this -savoury game, and whether he did not regret having no gun. -But he did his best to replace the lead by stones, and, after several -fruitless attempts, he succeeded in wounding a magnificent bird. -To say that he risked his life twenty times before reaching -it is but the truth; but he managed so well that the creature -joined the honey-cakes in his bag. We were now obliged to -descend toward the shore, the crest becoming impracticable. -Above us the crater seemed to gape like the mouth of a well. -From this place the sky could be clearly seen, and clouds, -dissipated by the west wind, leaving behind them, even on the summit -of the mountain, their misty remnants--certain proof that they -were only moderately high, for the volcano did not rise more than -eight hundred feet above the level of the ocean. Half an hour -after the Canadian's last exploit we had regained the inner shore. -Here the flora was represented by large carpets of marine crystal, -a little umbelliferous plant very good to pickle, which also bears the name -of pierce-stone and sea-fennel. Conseil gathered some bundles of it. -As to the fauna, it might be counted by thousands of crustacea -of all sorts, lobsters, crabs, spider-crabs, chameleon shrimps, -and a large number of shells, rockfish, and limpets. Three-quarters of -an hour later we had finished our circuitous walk and were on board. -The crew had just finished loading the sodium, and the Nautilus -could have left that instant. But Captain Nemo gave no order. -Did he wish to wait until night, and leave the submarine passage secretly? -Perhaps so. Whatever it might be, the next day, the Nautilus, -having left its port, steered clear of all land at a few yards beneath -the waves of the Atlantic. - - - -CHAPTER XI - -THE SARGASSO SEA - -That day the Nautilus crossed a singular part of the Atlantic Ocean. -No one can be ignorant of the existence of a current of warm -water known by the name of the Gulf Stream. After leaving -the Gulf of Florida, we went in the direction of Spitzbergen. -But before entering the Gulf of Mexico, about 45@ of N. lat., this -current divides into two arms, the principal one going towards -the coast of Ireland and Norway, whilst the second bends to the south -about the height of the Azores; then, touching the African shore, -and describing a lengthened oval, returns to the Antilles. -This second arm--it is rather a collar than an arm--surrounds with its -circles of warm water that portion of the cold, quiet, immovable ocean -called the Sargasso Sea, a perfect lake in the open Atlantic: -it takes no less than three years for the great current to pass round it. -Such was the region the Nautilus was now visiting, a perfect meadow, -a close carpet of seaweed, fucus, and tropical berries, so thick and so -compact that the stem of a vessel could hardly tear its way through it. -And Captain Nemo, not wishing to entangle his screw in this herbaceous mass, -kept some yards beneath the surface of the waves. The name Sargasso -comes from the Spanish word "sargazzo" which signifies kelp. -This kelp, or berry-plant, is the principal formation of this immense bank. -And this is the reason why these plants unite in the peaceful basin -of the Atlantic. The only explanation which can be given, he says, -seems to me to result from the experience known to all the world. -Place in a vase some fragments of cork or other floating body, -and give to the water in the vase a circular movement, -the scattered fragments will unite in a group in the centre of -the liquid surface, that is to say, in the part least agitated. -In the phenomenon we are considering, the Atlantic is the vase, -the Gulf Stream the circular current, and the Sargasso Sea the central -point at which the floating bodies unite. - -I share Maury's opinion, and I was able to study the phenomenon -in the very midst, where vessels rarely penetrate. Above us floated -products of all kinds, heaped up among these brownish plants; -trunks of trees torn from the Andes or the Rocky Mountains, and floated -by the Amazon or the Mississippi; numerous wrecks, remains of keels, -or ships' bottoms, side-planks stove in, and so weighted with shells -and barnacles that they could not again rise to the surface. -And time will one day justify Maury's other opinion, that these -substances thus accumulated for ages will become petrified by -the action of the water and will then form inexhaustible coal-mines-- -a precious reserve prepared by far-seeing Nature for the moment -when men shall have exhausted the mines of continents. - -In the midst of this inextricable mass of plants and sea weed, -I noticed some charming pink halcyons and actiniae, with their long -tentacles trailing after them, and medusae, green, red, and blue. - -All the day of the 22nd of February we passed in the Sargasso Sea, -where such fish as are partial to marine plants find abundant nourishment. -The next, the ocean had returned to its accustomed aspect. -From this time for nineteen days, from the 23rd of February to the 12th -of March, the Nautilus kept in the middle of the Atlantic, carrying us -at a constant speed of a hundred leagues in twenty-four hours. -Captain Nemo evidently intended accomplishing his submarine programme, -and I imagined that he intended, after doubling Cape Horn, to return -to the Australian seas of the Pacific. Ned Land had cause for fear. -In these large seas, void of islands, we could not attempt to leave -the boat. Nor had we any means of opposing Captain Nemo's will. -Our only course was to submit; but what we could neither gain by force -nor cunning, I liked to think might be obtained by persuasion. -This voyage ended, would he not consent to restore our liberty, -under an oath never to reveal his existence?--an oath of honour which we -should have religiously kept. But we must consider that delicate -question with the Captain. But was I free to claim this liberty? -Had he not himself said from the beginning, in the firmest manner, -that the secret of his life exacted from him our lasting imprisonment -on board the Nautilus? And would not my four months' silence appear -to him a tacit acceptance of our situation? And would not a return -to the subject result in raising suspicions which might be hurtful -to our projects, if at some future time a favourable opportunity offered -to return to them? - -During the nineteen days mentioned above, no incident -of any kind happened to signalise our voyage. I saw little -of the Captain; he was at work. In the library I often found -his books left open, especially those on natural history. -My work on submarine depths, conned over by him, was covered -with marginal notes, often contradicting my theories and systems; -but the Captain contented himself with thus purging my work; -it was very rare for him to discuss it with me. -Sometimes I heard the melancholy tones of his organ; -but only at night, in the midst of the deepest obscurity, -when the Nautilus slept upon the deserted ocean. During this part -of our voyage we sailed whole days on the surface of the waves. -The sea seemed abandoned. A few sailing-vessels, on -the road to India, were making for the Cape of Good Hope. -One day we were followed by the boats of a whaler, who, no doubt, -took us for some enormous whale of great price; but Captain -Nemo did not wish the worthy fellows to lose their time -and trouble, so ended the chase by plunging under the water. -Our navigation continued until the 13th of March; -that day the Nautilus was employed in taking soundings, -which greatly interested me. We had then made about 13,000 -leagues since our departure from the high seas of the Pacific. -The bearings gave us 45@ 37' S. lat., and 37@ 53' W. long. -It was the same water in which Captain Denham of the Herald -sounded 7,000 fathoms without finding the bottom. -There, too, Lieutenant Parker, of the American frigate Congress, -could not touch the bottom with 15,140 fathoms. -Captain Nemo intended seeking the bottom of the ocean by a -diagonal sufficiently lengthened by means of lateral planes -placed at an angle of 45@ with the water-line of the Nautilus. -Then the screw set to work at its maximum speed, its four -blades beating the waves with in describable force. -Under this powerful pressure, the hull of the Nautilus quivered -like a sonorous chord and sank regularly under the water. - -At 7,000 fathoms I saw some blackish tops rising from the midst of the waters; -but these summits might belong to high mountains like the Himalayas or -Mont Blanc, even higher; and the depth of the abyss remained incalculable. -The Nautilus descended still lower, in spite of the great pressure. -I felt the steel plates tremble at the fastenings of the bolts; -its bars bent, its partitions groaned; the windows of the saloon -seemed to curve under the pressure of the waters. And this firm -structure would doubtless have yielded, if, as its Captain had said, -it had not been capable of resistance like a solid block. We had attained -a depth of 16,000 yards (four leagues), and the sides of the Nautilus -then bore a pressure of 1,600 atmospheres, that is to say, 3,200 lb. -to each square two-fifths of an inch of its surface. - -"What a situation to be in!" I exclaimed. "To overrun these deep regions -where man has never trod! Look, Captain, look at these magnificent rocks, -these uninhabited grottoes, these lowest receptacles of the globe, -where life is no longer possible! What unknown sights are here! -Why should we be unable to preserve a remembrance of them?" - -"Would you like to carry away more than the remembrance?" -said Captain Nemo. - -"What do you mean by those words?" - -"I mean to say that nothing is easier than to make a photographic -view of this submarine region." - -I had not time to express my surprise at this new proposition, when, -at Captain Nemo's call, an objective was brought into the saloon. -Through the widely-opened panel, the liquid mass was bright with electricity, -which was distributed with such uniformity that not a shadow, not a gradation, -was to be seen in our manufactured light. The Nautilus remained motionless, -the force of its screw subdued by the inclination of its planes: -the instrument was propped on the bottom of the oceanic site, and in a few -seconds we had obtained a perfect negative. - -But, the operation being over, Captain Nemo said, "Let us go up; -we must not abuse our position, nor expose the Nautilus too long -to such great pressure." - -"Go up again!" I exclaimed. - -"Hold well on." - -I had not time to understand why the Captain cautioned me thus, when I -was thrown forward on to the carpet. At a signal from the Captain, -its screw was shipped, and its blades raised vertically; the Nautilus -shot into the air like a balloon, rising with stunning rapidity, -and cutting the mass of waters with a sonorous agitation. -Nothing was visible; and in four minutes it had shot through the four -leagues which separated it from the ocean, and, after emerging like a -flying-fish, fell, making the waves rebound to an enormous height. - - - -CHAPTER XII - -CACHALOTS AND WHALES - -During the nights of the 13th and 14th of March, the Nautilus returned -to its southerly course. I fancied that, when on a level with Cape Horn, -he would turn the helm westward, in order to beat the Pacific seas, -and so complete the tour of the world. He did nothing of the kind, -but continued on his way to the southern regions. Where was he going to? -To the pole? It was madness! I began to think that the Captain's -temerity justified Ned Land's fears. For some time past the Canadian -had not spoken to me of his projects of flight; he was less communicative, -almost silent. I could see that this lengthened imprisonment was -weighing upon him, and I felt that rage was burning within him. -When he met the Captain, his eyes lit up with suppressed anger; -and I feared that his natural violence would lead him into some extreme. -That day, the 14th of March, Conseil and he came to me in my room. -I inquired the cause of their visit. - -"A simple question to ask you, sir," replied the Canadian. - -"Speak, Ned." - -"How many men are there on board the Nautilus, do you think?" - -"I cannot tell, my friend." - -"I should say that its working does not require a large crew." - -"Certainly, under existing conditions, ten men, at the most, -ought to be enough." - -"Well, why should there be any more?" - -"Why?" I replied, looking fixedly at Ned Land, whose meaning was easy -to guess. "Because," I added, "if my surmises are correct, and if I have -well understood the Captain's existence, the Nautilus is not only a vessel: -it is also a place of refuge for those who, like its commander, have broken -every tie upon earth." - -"Perhaps so," said Conseil; "but, in any case, the Nautilus can only contain -a certain number of men. Could not you, sir, estimate their maximum?" - -"How, Conseil?" - -"By calculation; given the size of the vessel, which you know, sir, -and consequently the quantity of air it contains, knowing also how much -each man expends at a breath, and comparing these results with the fact -that the Nautilus is obliged to go to the surface every twenty-four hours." - -Conseil had not finished the sentence before I saw what he was driving at. - -"I understand," said I; "but that calculation, though simple enough, -can give but a very uncertain result." - -"Never mind," said Ned Land urgently. - -"Here it is, then," said I. "In one hour each man consumes the oxygen -contained in twenty gallons of air; and in twenty-four, that contained -in 480 gallons. We must, therefore find how many times 480 gallons -of air the Nautilus contains." - -"Just so," said Conseil. - -"Or," I continued, "the size of the Nautilus being 1,500 tons; -and one ton holding 200 gallons, it contains 300,000 gallons -of air, which, divided by 480, gives a quotient of 625. -Which means to say, strictly speaking, that the air contained in -the Nautilus would suffice for 625 men for twenty-four hours." - -"Six hundred and twenty-five!" repeated Ned. - -"But remember that all of us, passengers, sailors, and officers included, -would not form a tenth part of that number." - -"Still too many for three men," murmured Conseil. - -The Canadian shook his head, passed his hand across his forehead, -and left the room without answering. - -"Will you allow me to make one observation, sir?" said Conseil. -"Poor Ned is longing for everything that he can not have. His past life -is always present to him; everything that we are forbidden he regrets. -His head is full of old recollections. And we must understand him. -What has he to do here? Nothing; he is not learned like you, sir; -and has not the same taste for the beauties of the sea that we have. -He would risk everything to be able to go once more into a tavern -in his own country." - -Certainly the monotony on board must seem intolerable to the Canadian, -accustomed as he was to a life of liberty and activity. -Events were rare which could rouse him to any show of spirit; but that day -an event did happen which recalled the bright days of the harpooner. -About eleven in the morning, being on the surface of the ocean, -the Nautilus fell in with a troop of whales--an encounter which did -not astonish me, knowing that these creatures, hunted to death, -had taken refuge in high latitudes. - -We were seated on the platform, with a quiet sea. The month of October -in those latitudes gave us some lovely autumnal days. It was the Canadian-- -he could not be mistaken--who signalled a whale on the eastern horizon. -Looking attentively, one might see its black back rise and fall with the waves -five miles from the Nautilus. - -"Ah!" exclaimed Ned Land, "if I was on board a whaler, now such -a meeting would give me pleasure. It is one of large size. -See with what strength its blow-holes throw up columns of air an steam! -Confound it, why am I bound to these steel plates?" - -"What, Ned," said I, "you have not forgotten your old ideas of fishing?" - -"Can a whale-fisher ever forget his old trade, sir? Can he ever -tire of the emotions caused by such a chase?" - -"You have never fished in these seas, Ned?" - -"Never, sir; in the northern only, and as much in Behring -as in Davis Straits." - -"Then the southern whale is still unknown to you. It is the Greenland -whale you have hunted up to this time, and that would not risk passing -through the warm waters of the equator. Whales are localised, -according to their kinds, in certain seas which they never leave. -And if one of these creatures went from Behring to Davis Straits, -it must be simply because there is a passage from one sea to the other, -either on the American or the Asiatic side." - -"In that case, as I have never fished in these seas, I do not know -the kind of whale frequenting them!" - -"I have told you, Ned." - -"A greater reason for making their acquaintance," said Conseil. - -"Look! look!" exclaimed the Canadian, "they approach: -they aggravate me; they know that I cannot get at them!" - -Ned stamped his feet. His hand trembled, as he grasped an imaginary harpoon. - -"Are these cetaceans as large as those of the northern seas?" asked he. - -"Very nearly, Ned." - -"Because I have seen large whales, sir, whales measuring a hundred feet. -I have even been told that those of Hullamoch and Umgallick, -of the Aleutian Islands, are sometimes a hundred and fifty feet long." - -"That seems to me exaggeration. These creatures are generally much smaller -than the Greenland whale." {this paragraph has been edited} - -"Ah!" exclaimed the Canadian, whose eyes had never left the ocean, -"they are coming nearer; they are in the same water as the Nautilus." - -Then, returning to the conversation, he said: - -"You spoke of the cachalot as a small creature. -I have heard of gigantic ones. They are intelligent cetacea. -It is said of some that they cover themselves with seaweed and fucus, -and then are taken for islands. People encamp upon them, -and settle there; lights a fire----" - -"And build houses," said Conseil. - -"Yes, joker," said Ned Land. "And one fine day the creature plunges, -carrying with it all the inhabitants to the bottom of the sea." - -"Something like the travels of Sinbad the Sailor," I replied, laughing. - -"Ah!" suddenly exclaimed Ned Land, "it is not one whale; -there are ten--there are twenty--it is a whole troop! -And I not able to do anything! hands and feet tied!" - -"But, friend Ned," said Conseil, "why do you not ask Captain -Nemo's permission to chase them?" - -Conseil had not finished his sentence when Ned Land had -lowered himself through the panel to seek the Captain. -A few minutes afterwards the two appeared together on the platform. - -Captain Nemo watched the troop of cetacea playing on the waters -about a mile from the Nautilus. - -"They are southern whales," said he; "there goes the fortune -of a whole fleet of whalers." - -"Well, sir," asked the Canadian, "can I not chase them, -if only to remind me of my old trade of harpooner?" - -"And to what purpose?" replied Captain Nemo; "only to destroy! -We have nothing to do with the whale-oil on board." - -"But, sir," continued the Canadian, "in the Red Sea you allowed -us to follow the dugong." - -"Then it was to procure fresh meat for my crew. Here it would -be killing for killing's sake. I know that is a privilege -reserved for man, but I do not approve of such murderous pastime. -In destroying the southern whale (like the Greenland whale, -an inoffensive creature), your traders do a culpable action, -Master Land. They have already depopulated the whole of -Baffin's Bay, and are annihilating a class of useful animals. -Leave the unfortunate cetacea alone. They have plenty -of natural enemies--cachalots, swordfish, and sawfish-- -without you troubling them." - -The Captain was right. The barbarous and inconsiderate greed of these -fishermen will one day cause the disappearance of the last whale -in the ocean. Ned Land whistled "Yankee-doodle" between his teeth, -thrust his hands into his pockets, and turned his back upon us. -But Captain Nemo watched the troop of cetacea, and, addressing me, said: - -"I was right in saying that whales had natural enemies enough, -without counting man. These will have plenty to do before long. -Do you see, M. Aronnax, about eight miles to leeward, -those blackish moving points?" - -"Yes, Captain," I replied. - -"Those are cachalots--terrible animals, which I have met in troops of two -or three hundred. As to those, they are cruel, mischievous creatures; -they would be right in exterminating them." - -The Canadian turned quickly at the last words. - -"Well, Captain," said he, "it is still time, in the interest -of the whales." - -"It is useless to expose one's self, Professor. The Nautilus -will disperse them. It is armed with a steel spur as good -as Master Land's harpoon, I imagine." - -The Canadian did not put himself out enough to shrug his shoulders. -Attack cetacea with blows of a spur! Who had ever heard of such a thing? - -"Wait, M. Aronnax," said Captain Nemo. "We will show you something you -have never yet seen. We have no pity for these ferocious creatures. -They are nothing but mouth and teeth." - -Mouth and teeth! No one could better describe the macrocephalous -cachalot, which is sometimes more than seventy-five feet long. -Its enormous head occupies one-third of its entire body. -Better armed than the whale, whose upper jaw is furnished only -with whalebone, it is supplied with twenty-five large tusks, -about eight inches long, cylindrical and conical at the top, -each weighing two pounds. It is in the upper part of this -enormous head, in great cavities divided by cartilages, that is -to be found from six to eight hundred pounds of that precious -oil called spermaceti. The cachalot is a disagreeable creature, -more tadpole than fish, according to Fredol's description. -It is badly formed, the whole of its left side being -(if we may say it), a "failure," and being only able to see -with its right eye. But the formidable troop was nearing us. -They had seen the whales and were preparing to attack them. -One could judge beforehand that the cachalots would be victorious, -not only because they were better built for attack than -their inoffensive adversaries, but also because they could -remain longer under water without coming to the surface. -There was only just time to go to the help of the whales. -The Nautilus went under water. Conseil, Ned Land, -and I took our places before the window in the saloon, -and Captain Nemo joined the pilot in his cage to work -his apparatus as an engine of destruction. Soon I felt -the beatings of the screw quicken, and our speed increased. -The battle between the cachalots and the whales had already begun -when the Nautilus arrived. They did not at first show any fear -at the sight of this new monster joining in the conflict. -But they soon had to guard against its blows. What a battle! -The Nautilus was nothing but a formidable harpoon, -brandished by the hand of its Captain. It hurled itself against -the fleshy mass, passing through from one part to the other, -leaving behind it two quivering halves of the animal. -It could not feel the formidable blows from their tails upon -its sides, nor the shock which it produced itself, much more. -One cachalot killed, it ran at the next, tacked on the spot -that it might not miss its prey, going forwards and backwards, -answering to its helm, plunging when the cetacean dived into -the deep waters, coming up with it when it returned to the surface, -striking it front or sideways, cutting or tearing in all -directions and at any pace, piercing it with its terrible spur. -What carnage! What a noise on the surface of the waves! -What sharp hissing, and what snorting peculiar to -these enraged animals! In the midst of these waters, -generally so peaceful, their tails made perfect billows. -For one hour this wholesale massacre continued, from which the -cachalots could not escape. Several times ten or twelve united -tried to crush the Nautilus by their weight. From the window -we could see their enormous mouths, studded with tusks, -and their formidable eyes. Ned Land could not contain himself; -he threatened and swore at them. We could feel them clinging -to our vessel like dogs worrying a wild boar in a copse. -But the Nautilus, working its screw, carried them here and there, -or to the upper levels of the ocean, without caring for their -enormous weight, nor the powerful strain on the vessel. -At length the mass of cachalots broke up, the waves -became quiet, and I felt that we were rising to the surface. -The panel opened, and we hurried on to the platform. -The sea was covered with mutilated bodies. A formidable explosion -could not have divided and torn this fleshy mass with more violence. -We were floating amid gigantic bodies, bluish on the back -and white underneath, covered with enormous protuberances. -Some terrified cachalots were flying towards the horizon. -The waves were dyed red for several miles, and the Nautilus -floated in a sea of blood: Captain Nemo joined -us. - -"Well, Master Land?" said he. - -"Well, sir," replied the Canadian, whose enthusiasm had somewhat calmed; -"it is a terrible spectacle, certainly. But I am not a butcher. -I am a hunter, and I call this a butchery." - -"It is a massacre of mischievous creatures," replied the Captain; -"and the Nautilus is not a butcher's knife." - -"I like my harpoon better," said the Canadian. - -"Every one to his own," answered the Captain, looking fixedly -at Ned Land. - -I feared he would commit some act of violence, which would end -in sad consequences. But his anger was turned by the sight -of a whale which the Nautilus had just come up with. -The creature had not quite escaped from the cachalot's teeth. -I recognised the southern whale by its flat head, -which is entirely black. Anatomically, it is distinguished -from the white whale and the North Cape whale by the seven -cervical vertebrae, and it has two more ribs than its congeners. -The unfortunate cetacean was lying on its side, -riddled with holes from the bites, and quite dead. -From its mutilated fin still hung a young whale which it could -not save from the massacre. Its open mouth let the water flow -in and out, murmuring like the waves breaking on the shore. -Captain Nemo steered close to the corpse of the creature. -Two of his men mounted its side, and I saw, not without surprise, -that they were drawing from its breasts all the milk which -they contained, that is to say, about two or three tons. -The Captain offered me a cup of the milk, which was still warm. -I could not help showing my repugnance to the drink; -but he assured me that it was excellent, and not to be distinguished -from cow's milk. I tasted it, and was of his opinion. -It was a useful reserve to us, for in the shape of salt butter -or cheese it would form an agreeable variety from our ordinary food. -From that day I noticed with uneasiness that Ned Land's ill-will -towards Captain Nemo increased, and I resolved to watch the -Canadian's gestures closely. - - - -CHAPTER XIII - -THE ICEBERG - -The Nautilus was steadily pursuing its southerly course, -following the fiftieth meridian with considerable speed. -Did he wish to reach the pole? I did not think so, -for every attempt to reach that point had hitherto failed. -Again, the season was far advanced, for in the Antarctic regions -the 13th of March corresponds with the 13th of September -of northern regions, which begin at the equinoctial season. -On the 14th of March I saw floating ice in latitude 55@, -merely pale bits of debris from twenty to twenty-five -feet long, forming banks over which the sea curled. -The Nautilus remained on the surface of the ocean. -Ned Land, who had fished in the Arctic Seas, was familiar with -its icebergs; but Conseil and I admired them for the first time. -In the atmosphere towards the southern horizon stretched -a white dazzling band. English whalers have given it -the name of "ice blink." However thick the clouds may be, -it is always visible, and announces the presence of an ice -pack or bank. Accordingly, larger blocks soon appeared, -whose brilliancy changed with the caprices of the fog. -Some of these masses showed green veins, as if long undulating -lines had been traced with sulphate of copper; others resembled -enormous amethysts with the light shining through them. -Some reflected the light of day upon a thousand crystal facets. -Others shaded with vivid calcareous reflections resembled a perfect -town of marble. The more we neared the south the more these floating -islands increased both in number and importance. - -At 60@ lat. every pass had disappeared. But, seeking carefully, -Captain Nemo soon found a narrow opening, through which he boldly slipped, -knowing, however, that it would close behind him. Thus, guided by this -clever hand, the Nautilus passed through all the ice with a precision -which quite charmed Conseil; icebergs or mountains, ice-fields or -smooth plains, seeming to have no limits, drift-ice or floating ice-packs, -plains broken up, called palchs when they are circular, and streams -when they are made up of long strips. The temperature was very low; -the thermometer exposed to the air marked 2@ or 3@ below zero, but we -were warmly clad with fur, at the expense of the sea-bear and seal. -The interior of the Nautilus, warmed regularly by its electric apparatus, -defied the most intense cold. Besides, it would only have been necessary -to go some yards beneath the waves to find a more bearable temperature. -Two months earlier we should have had perpetual daylight in these latitudes; -but already we had had three or four hours of night, and by and by there -would be six months of darkness in these circumpolar regions. On the 15th -of March we were in the latitude of New Shetland and South Orkney. -The Captain told me that formerly numerous tribes of seals inhabited them; -but that English and American whalers, in their rage for destruction, -massacred both old and young; thus, where there was once life and animation, -they had left silence and death. - -About eight o'clock on the morning of the 16th of March the Nautilus, -following the fifty-fifth meridian, cut the Antarctic polar circle. -Ice surrounded us on all sides, and closed the horizon. -But Captain Nemo went from one opening to another, still going higher. -I cannot express my astonishment at the beauties of these new regions. -The ice took most surprising forms. Here the grouping formed an -oriental town, with innumerable mosques and minarets; there a fallen -city thrown to the earth, as it were, by some convulsion of nature. -The whole aspect was constantly changed by the oblique rays -of the sun, or lost in the greyish fog amidst hurricanes of snow. -Detonations and falls were heard on all sides, great overthrows of icebergs, -which altered the whole landscape like a diorama. Often seeing no exit, -I thought we were definitely prisoners; but, instinct guiding him -at the slightest indication, Captain Nemo would discover a new pass. -He was never mistaken when he saw the thin threads of bluish water -trickling along the ice-fields; and I had no doubt that he had -already ventured into the midst of these Antarctic seas before. -On the 16th of March, however, the ice-fields absolutely blocked our road. -It was not the iceberg itself, as yet, but vast fields cemented -by the cold. But this obstacle could not stop Captain Nemo: -he hurled himself against it with frightful violence. The Nautilus entered -the brittle mass like a wedge, and split it with frightful crackings. -It was the battering ram of the ancients hurled by infinite strength. -The ice, thrown high in the air, fell like hail around us. -By its own power of impulsion our apparatus made a canal for itself; -some times carried away by its own impetus, it lodged on the ice-field, -crushing it with its weight, and sometimes buried beneath it, -dividing it by a simple pitching movement, producing large rents in it. -Violent gales assailed us at this time, accompanied by thick fogs, -through which, from one end of the platform to the other, we could -see nothing. The wind blew sharply from all parts of the compass, -and the snow lay in such hard heaps that we had to break it with -blows of a pickaxe. The temperature was always at 5@ below zero; -every outward part of the Nautilus was covered with ice. -A rigged vessel would have been entangled in the blocked up gorges. -A vessel without sails, with electricity for its motive power, -and wanting no coal, could alone brave such high latitudes. At length, -on the 18th of March, after many useless assaults, the Nautilus was -positively blocked. It was no longer either streams, packs, or ice-fields, -but an interminable and immovable barrier, formed by mountains soldered -together. - -"An iceberg!" said the Canadian to me. - -I knew that to Ned Land, as well as to all other navigators who had -preceded us, this was an inevitable obstacle. The sun appearing for an -instant at noon, Captain Nemo took an observation as near as possible, -which gave our situation at 51@ 30' long. and 67@ 39' of S. lat. -We had advanced one degree more in this Antarctic region. -Of the liquid surface of the sea there was no longer a glimpse. -Under the spur of the Nautilus lay stretched a vast plain, -entangled with confused blocks. Here and there sharp points and slender -needles rising to a height of 200 feet; further on a steep shore, -hewn as it were with an axe and clothed with greyish tints; -huge mirrors, reflecting a few rays of sunshine, half drowned in the fog. -And over this desolate face of nature a stern silence reigned, -scarcely broken by the flapping of the wings of petrels and puffins. -Everything was frozen--even the noise. The Nautilus was then -obliged to stop in its adventurous course amid these fields of ice. -In spite of our efforts, in spite of the powerful means -employed to break up the ice, the Nautilus remained immovable. -Generally, when we can proceed no further, we have return still -open to us; but here return was as impossible as advance, -for every pass had closed behind us; and for the few moments -when we were stationary, we were likely to be entirely blocked, -which did indeed happen about two o'clock in the afternoon, -the fresh ice forming around its sides with astonishing rapidity. -I was obliged to admit that Captain Nemo was more than imprudent. -I was on the platform at that moment. The Captain had been observing -our situation for some time past, when he said to me: - -"Well, sir, what do you think of this?" - -"I think that we are caught, Captain." - -"So, M. Aronnax, you really think that the Nautilus cannot disengage itself?" - -"With difficulty, Captain; for the season is already too far -advanced for you to reckon on the breaking of the ice." - -"Ah! sir," said Captain Nemo, in an ironical tone, "you will always -be the same. You see nothing but difficulties and obstacles. -I affirm that not only can the Nautilus disengage itself, -but also that it can go further still." - -"Further to the South?" I asked, looking at the Captain. - -"Yes, sir; it shall go to the pole." - -"To the pole!" I exclaimed, unable to repress a gesture of incredulity. - -"Yes," replied the Captain, coldly, "to the Antarctic pole-- -to that unknown point from whence springs every meridian of the globe. -You know whether I can do as I please with the Nautilus!" - -Yes, I knew that. I knew that this man was bold, even to rashness. -But to conquer those obstacles which bristled round the South Pole, -rendering it more inaccessible than the North, which had not yet -been reached by the boldest navigators--was it not a mad enterprise, -one which only a maniac would have conceived? It then came into -my head to ask Captain Nemo if he had ever discovered that pole -which had never yet been trodden by a human creature? - -"No, sir," he replied; "but we will discover it together. -Where others have failed, I will not fail. I have never yet led -my Nautilus so far into southern seas; but, I repeat, it shall -go further yet." - -"I can well believe you, Captain," said I, in a slightly ironical tone. -"I believe you! Let us go ahead! There are no obstacles for us! -Let us smash this iceberg! Let us blow it up; and, if it resists, -let us give the Nautilus wings to fly over it!" - -"Over it, sir!" said Captain Nemo, quietly; "no, not over it, -but under it!" - -"Under it!" I exclaimed, a sudden idea of the Captain's projects flashing -upon my mind. I understood; the wonderful qualities of the Nautilus were -going to serve us in this superhuman enterprise. - -"I see we are beginning to understand one another, sir," said the Captain, -half smiling. "You begin to see the possibility--I should say the success-- -of this attempt. That which is impossible for an ordinary vessel is easy -to the Nautilus. If a continent lies before the pole, it must stop before -the continent; but if, on the contrary, the pole is washed by open sea, -it will go even to the pole." - -"Certainly," said I, carried away by the Captain's reasoning; -"if the surface of the sea is solidified by the ice, -the lower depths are free by the Providential law which has -placed the maximum of density of the waters of the ocean one -degree higher than freezing-point; and, if I am not mistaken, -the portion of this iceberg which is above the water is as one -to four to that which is below." - -"Very nearly, sir; for one foot of iceberg above the sea there -are three below it. If these ice mountains are not more than 300 -feet above the surface, they are not more than 900 beneath. -And what are 900 feet to the Nautilus?" - -"Nothing, sir." - -"It could even seek at greater depths that uniform temperature -of sea-water, and there brave with impunity the thirty or forty -degrees of surface cold." - -"Just so, sir--just so," I replied, getting animated. - -"The only difficulty," continued Captain Nemo, "is that of remaining -several days without renewing our provision of air." - -"Is that all? The Nautilus has vast reservoirs; we can fill them, -and they will supply us with all the oxygen we want." - -"Well thought of, M. Aronnax," replied the Captain, smiling. -"But, not wishing you to accuse me of rashness, I will first give -you all my objections." - -"Have you any more to make?" - -"Only one. It is possible, if the sea exists at the South Pole, -that it may be covered; and, consequently, we shall be unable -to come to the surface." - -"Good, sir! but do you forget that the Nautilus is armed with a powerful spur, -and could we not send it diagonally against these fields of ice, which would -open at the shocks." - -"Ah! sir, you are full of ideas to-day." - -"Besides, Captain," I added, enthusiastically, "why should we -not find the sea open at the South Pole as well as at the North? -The frozen poles of the earth do not coincide, either in the southern -or in the northern regions; and, until it is proved to the contrary, -we may suppose either a continent or an ocean free from ice at these two -points of the globe." - -"I think so too, M. Aronnax," replied Captain Nemo. -"I only wish you to observe that, after having made so many -objections to my project, you are now crushing me with arguments -in its favour!" - -The preparations for this audacious attempt now began. -The powerful pumps of the Nautilus were working air into the -reservoirs and storing it at high pressure. About four o'clock, -Captain Nemo announced the closing of the panels on the platform. -I threw one last look at the massive iceberg which we were going -to cross. The weather was clear, the atmosphere pure enough, -the cold very great, being 12@ below zero; but, the wind -having gone down, this temperature was not so unbearable. -About ten men mounted the sides of the Nautilus, armed with -pickaxes to break the ice around the vessel, which was soon free. -The operation was quickly performed, for the fresh ice was still -very thin. We all went below. The usual reservoirs were filled -with the newly-liberated water, and the Nautilus soon descended. -I had taken my place with Conseil in the saloon; through the open -window we could see the lower beds of the Southern Ocean. -The thermometer went up, the needle of the compass deviated -on the dial. At about 900 feet, as Captain Nemo had foreseen, -we were floating beneath the undulating bottom of the iceberg. -But the Nautilus went lower still--it went to the depth of four -hundred fathoms. The temperature of the water at the surface -showed twelve degrees, it was now only ten; we had gained two. -I need not say the temperature of the Nautilus was raised by its heating -apparatus to a much higher degree; every manoeuvre was accomplished -with wonderful precision. - -"We shall pass it, if you please, sir," said Conseil. - -"I believe we shall," I said, in a tone of firm conviction. - -In this open sea, the Nautilus had taken its course direct -to the pole, without leaving the fifty-second meridian. -From 67@ 30' to 90@, twenty-two degrees and a half of latitude -remained to travel; that is, about five hundred leagues. -The Nautilus kept up a mean speed of twenty-six miles an hour-- -the speed of an express train. If that was kept up, in forty hours we -should reach the pole. - -For a part of the night the novelty of the situation kept us -at the window. The sea was lit with the electric lantern; but it -was deserted; fishes did not sojourn in these imprisoned waters; -they only found there a passage to take them from the -Antarctic Ocean to the open polar sea. Our pace was rapid; -we could feel it by the quivering of the long steel body. -About two in the morning I took some hours' repose, and Conseil -did the same. In crossing the waist I did not meet Captain Nemo: -I supposed him to be in the pilot's cage. The next morning, -the 19th of March, I took my post once more in the saloon. -The electric log told me that the speed of the Nautilus -had been slackened. It was then going towards the surface; -but prudently emptying its reservoirs very slowly. -My heart beat fast. Were we going to emerge and regain the open -polar atmosphere? No! A shock told me that the Nautilus -had struck the bottom of the iceberg, still very thick, -judging from the deadened sound. We had in deed "struck," to use -a sea expression, but in an inverse sense, and at a thousand -feet deep. This would give three thousand feet of ice above us; -one thousand being above the water-mark. The iceberg was then -higher than at its borders--not a very reassuring fact. -Several times that day the Nautilus tried again, and every -time it struck the wall which lay like a ceiling above it. -Sometimes it met with but 900 yards, only 200 of which -rose above the surface. It was twice the height it was -when the Nautilus had gone under the waves. I carefully -noted the different depths, and thus obtained a submarine -profile of the chain as it was developed under the water. -That night no change had taken place in our situation. -Still ice between four and five hundred yards in depth! -It was evidently diminishing, but, still, what a thickness -between us and the surface of the ocean! It was then eight. -According to the daily custom on board the Nautilus, -its air should have been renewed four hours ago; -but I did not suffer much, although Captain Nemo had not yet -made any demand upon his reserve of oxygen. My sleep was -painful that night; hope and fear besieged me by turns: -I rose several times. The groping of the Nautilus continued. -About three in the morning, I noticed that the lower surface -of the iceberg was only about fifty feet deep. One hundred -and fifty feet now separated us from the surface of the waters. -The iceberg was by degrees becoming an ice-field, the mountain -a plain. My eyes never left the manometer. We were still rising -diagonally to the surface, which sparkled under the electric rays. -The iceberg was stretching both above and beneath into -lengthening slopes; mile after mile it was getting thinner. -At length, at six in the morning of that memorable day, -the 19th of March, the door of the saloon opened, and Captain Nemo -appeared. - -"The sea is open!!" was all he said. - - - -CHAPTER XIV - -THE SOUTH POLE - -I rushed on to the platform. Yes! the open sea, with but a few -scattered pieces of ice and moving icebergs--a long stretch of sea; -a world of birds in the air, and myriads of fishes under those waters, -which varied from intense blue to olive green, according to the bottom. -The thermometer marked 3@ C. above zero. It was comparatively spring, -shut up as we were behind this iceberg, whose lengthened mass was dimly -seen on our northern horizon. - -"Are we at the pole?" I asked the Captain, with a beating heart. - -"I do not know," he replied. "At noon I will take our bearings." - -"But will the sun show himself through this fog?" said I, -looking at the leaden sky. - -"However little it shows, it will be enough," replied the Captain. - -About ten miles south a solitary island rose to a height -of one hundred and four yards. We made for it, but carefully, -for the sea might be strewn with banks. One hour afterwards we -had reached it, two hours later we had made the round of it. -It measured four or five miles in circumference. -A narrow canal separated it from a considerable stretch of land, -perhaps a continent, for we could not see its limits. -The existence of this land seemed to give some colour to Maury's theory. -The ingenious American has remarked that, between the South Pole -and the sixtieth parallel, the sea is covered with floating ice -of enormous size, which is never met with in the North Atlantic. -From this fact he has drawn the conclusion that the Antarctic -Circle encloses considerable continents, as icebergs cannot form -in open sea, but only on the coasts. According to these calculations, -the mass of ice surrounding the southern pole forms a vast cap, -the circumference of which must be, at least, 2,500 miles. -But the Nautilus, for fear of running aground, had stopped -about three cable-lengths from a strand over which reared -a superb heap of rocks. The boat was launched; the Captain, -two of his men, bearing instruments, Conseil, and myself were in it. -It was ten in the morning. I had not seen Ned Land. -Doubtless the Canadian did not wish to admit the presence of -the South Pole. A few strokes of the oar brought us to the sand, -where we ran ashore. Conseil was going to jump on to the land, -when I held him back. - -"Sir," said I to Captain Nemo, "to you belongs the honour of first setting -foot on this land." - -"Yes, sir," said the Captain, "and if I do not hesitate -to tread this South Pole, it is because, up to this time, -no human being has left a trace there." - -Saying this, he jumped lightly on to the sand. His heart beat -with emotion. He climbed a rock, sloping to a little promontory, -and there, with his arms crossed, mute and motionless, and with an -eager look, he seemed to take possession of these southern regions. -After five minutes passed in this ecstasy, he turned to us. - -"When you like, sir." - -I landed, followed by Conseil, leaving the two men in the boat. -For a long way the soil was composed of a reddish sandy stone, -something like crushed brick, scoriae, streams of lava, -and pumice-stones. One could not mistake its volcanic origin. -In some parts, slight curls of smoke emitted a sulphurous smell, -proving that the internal fires had lost nothing of their -expansive powers, though, having climbed a high acclivity, -I could see no volcano for a radius of several miles. -We know that in those Antarctic countries, James Ross found -two craters, the Erebus and Terror, in full activity, -on the 167th meridian, latitude 77@ 32'. The vegetation -of this desolate continent seemed to me much restricted. -Some lichens lay upon the black rocks; some microscopic plants, -rudimentary diatomas, a kind of cells placed between two quartz shells; -long purple and scarlet weed, supported on little swimming bladders, -which the breaking of the waves brought to the shore. -These constituted the meagre flora of this region. -The shore was strewn with molluscs, little mussels, and limpets. -I also saw myriads of northern clios, one-and-a-quarter inches long, -of which a whale would swallow a whole world at a mouthful; -and some perfect sea-butterflies, animating the waters on the skirts -of the shore. - -There appeared on the high bottoms some coral shrubs, -of the kind which, according to James Ross, live in -the Antarctic seas to the depth of more than 1,000 yards. -Then there were little kingfishers and starfish studding the soil. -But where life abounded most was in the air. There thousands -of birds fluttered and flew of all kinds, deafening us with -their cries; others crowded the rock, looking at us as we passed -by without fear, and pressing familiarly close by our feet. -There were penguins, so agile in the water, heavy and awkward -as they are on the ground; they were uttering harsh cries, -a large assembly, sober in gesture, but extravagant in clamour. -Albatrosses passed in the air, the expanse of their wings being -at least four yards and a half, and justly called the vultures -of the ocean; some gigantic petrels, and some damiers, a kind -of small duck, the underpart of whose body is black and white; -then there were a whole series of petrels, some whitish, with -brown-bordered wings, others blue, peculiar to the Antarctic seas, -and so oily, as I told Conseil, that the inhabitants of the Ferroe -Islands had nothing to do before lighting them but to put -a wick in. - -"A little more," said Conseil, "and they would be perfect lamps! -After that, we cannot expect Nature to have previously furnished -them with wicks!" - -About half a mile farther on the soil was riddled with ruffs' -nests, a sort of laying-ground, out of which many birds were issuing. -Captain Nemo had some hundreds hunted. They uttered a cry like the braying -of an ass, were about the size of a goose, slate-colour on the body, -white beneath, with a yellow line round their throats; they allowed -themselves to be killed with a stone, never trying to escape. -But the fog did not lift, and at eleven the sun had not yet shown itself. -Its absence made me uneasy. Without it no observations were possible. -How, then, could we decide whether we had reached the pole? When I rejoined -Captain Nemo, I found him leaning on a piece of rock, silently watching -the sky. He seemed impatient and vexed. But what was to be done? -This rash and powerful man could not command the sun as he did the sea. -Noon arrived without the orb of day showing itself for an instant. -We could not even tell its position behind the curtain of fog; and soon -the fog turned to snow. - -"Till to-morrow," said the Captain, quietly, and we returned -to the Nautilus amid these atmospheric disturbances. - -The tempest of snow continued till the next day. -It was impossible to remain on the platform. From the saloon, -where I was taking notes of incidents happening during this -excursion to the polar continent, I could hear the cries of petrels -and albatrosses sporting in the midst of this violent storm. -The Nautilus did not remain motionless, but skirted the coast, -advancing ten miles more to the south in the half-light -left by the sun as it skirted the edge of the horizon. -The next day, the 20th of March, the snow had ceased. -The cold was a little greater, the thermometer showing 2@ -below zero. The fog was rising, and I hoped that that day -our observations might be taken. Captain Nemo not having -yet appeared, the boat took Conseil and myself to land. -The soil was still of the same volcanic nature; -everywhere were traces of lava, scoriae, and basalt; -but the crater which had vomited them I could not see. -Here, as lower down, this continent was alive with myriads -of birds. But their rule was now divided with large troops -of sea-mammals, looking at us with their soft eyes. -There were several kinds of seals, some stretched on the earth, -some on flakes of ice, many going in and out of the sea. They did -not flee at our approach, never having had anything to do with man; -and I reckoned that there were provisions there for hundreds -of vessels. - -"Sir," said Conseil, "will you tell me the names of these creatures?" - -"They are seals and morses." - -It was now eight in the morning. Four hours remained to us before -the sun could be observed with advantage. I directed our steps -towards a vast bay cut in the steep granite shore. There, I can aver -that earth and ice were lost to sight by the numbers of sea-mammals -covering them, and I involuntarily sought for old Proteus, -the mythological shepherd who watched these immense flocks of Neptune. -There were more seals than anything else, forming distinct groups, -male and female, the father watching over his family, the mother -suckling her little ones, some already strong enough to go a few steps. -When they wished to change their place, they took little jumps, -made by the contraction of their bodies, and helped awkwardly enough -by their imperfect fin, which, as with the lamantin, their cousins, -forms a perfect forearm. I should say that, in the water, -which is their element--the spine of these creatures is flexible; -with smooth and close skin and webbed feet--they swim admirably. -In resting on the earth they take the most graceful attitudes. -Thus the ancients, observing their soft and expressive looks, -which cannot be surpassed by the most beautiful look a woman can give, -their clear voluptuous eyes, their charming positions, and the poetry -of their manners, metamorphosed them, the male into a triton and -the female into a mermaid. I made Conseil notice the considerable -development of the lobes of the brain in these interesting cetaceans. -No mammal, except man, has such a quantity of brain matter; -they are also capable of receiving a certain amount of education, -are easily domesticated, and I think, with other naturalists, -that if properly taught they would be of great service as fishing-dogs. -The greater part of them slept on the rocks or on the sand. -Amongst these seals, properly so called, which have no external ears -(in which they differ from the otter, whose ears are prominent), -I noticed several varieties of seals about three yards long, -with a white coat, bulldog heads, armed with teeth in both jaws, -four incisors at the top and four at the bottom, and two large -canine teeth in the shape of a fleur-de-lis. Amongst them glided -sea-elephants, a kind of seal, with short, flexible trunks. -The giants of this species measured twenty feet round and ten yards -and a half in length; but they did not move as we approached. - -"These creatures are not dangerous?" asked Conseil. - -"No; not unless you attack them. When they have to defend -their young their rage is terrible, and it is not uncommon -for them to break the fishing-boats to pieces." - -"They are quite right," said Conseil. - -"I do not say they are not." - -Two miles farther on we were stopped by the promontory which shelters -the bay from the southerly winds. Beyond it we heard loud bellowings -such as a troop of ruminants would produce. - -"Good!" said Conseil; "a concert of bulls!" - -"No; a concert of morses." - -"They are fighting!" - -"They are either fighting or playing." - -We now began to climb the blackish rocks, amid unforeseen stumbles, -and over stones which the ice made slippery. More than once I rolled -over at the expense of my loins. Conseil, more prudent or more steady, -did not stumble, and helped me up, saying: - -"If, sir, you would have the kindness to take wider steps, -you would preserve your equilibrium better." - -Arrived at the upper ridge of the promontory, I saw a vast white -plain covered with morses. They were playing amongst themselves, -and what we heard were bellowings of pleasure, not of anger. - -As I passed these curious animals I could examine them leisurely, -for they did not move. Their skins were thick and rugged, -of a yellowish tint, approaching to red; their hair was short -and scant. Some of them were four yards and a quarter long. -Quieter and less timid than their cousins of the north, they did not, -like them, place sentinels round the outskirts of their encampment. -After examining this city of morses, I began to think of returning. -It was eleven o'clock, and, if Captain Nemo found the conditions -favourable for observations, I wished to be present at the operation. -We followed a narrow pathway running along the summit of the steep shore. -At half-past eleven we had reached the place where we landed. -The boat had run aground, bringing the Captain. I saw him standing on a block -of basalt, his instruments near him, his eyes fixed on the northern horizon, -near which the sun was then describing a lengthened curve. I took my place -beside him, and waited without speaking. Noon arrived, and, as before, -the sun did not appear. It was a fatality. Observations were still wanting. -If not accomplished to-morrow, we must give up all idea of taking any. -We were indeed exactly at the 20th of March. To-morrow, the 21st, -would be the equinox; the sun would disappear behind the horizon for -six months, and with its disappearance the long polar night would begin. -Since the September equinox it had emerged from the northern horizon, -rising by lengthened spirals up to the 21st of December. At this period, -the summer solstice of the northern regions, it had begun to descend; -and to-morrow was to shed its last rays upon them. I communicated my fears -and observations to Captain Nemo. - -"You are right, M. Aronnax," said he; "if to-morrow I cannot take -the altitude of the sun, I shall not be able to do it for six months. -But precisely because chance has led me into these seas on the 21st -of March, my bearings will be easy to take, if at twelve we can -see the sun." - -"Why, Captain?" - -"Because then the orb of day described such lengthened curves that it -is difficult to measure exactly its height above the horizon, -and grave errors may be made with instruments." - -"What will you do then?" - -"I shall only use my chronometer," replied Captain Nemo. -"If to-morrow, the 21st of March, the disc of the sun, -allowing for refraction, is exactly cut by the northern horizon, -it will show that I am at the South Pole." - -"Just so," said I. "But this statement is not mathematically correct, -because the equinox does not necessarily begin at noon." - -"Very likely, sir; but the error will not be a hundred yards -and we do not want more. Till to-morrow, then!" - -Captain Nemo returned on board. Conseil and I remained to survey -the shore, observing and studying until five o'clock. Then I -went to bed, not, however, without invoking, like the Indian, -the favour of the radiant orb. The next day, the 21st -of March, at five in the morning, I mounted the platform. -I found Captain Nemo there. - -"The weather is lightening a little," said he. "I have some hope. -After breakfast we will go on shore and choose a post for observation." - -That point settled, I sought Ned Land. I wanted to take him with me. -But the obstinate Canadian refused, and I saw that his taciturnity and his -bad humour grew day by day. After all, I was not sorry for his obstinacy -under the circumstances. Indeed, there were too many seals on shore, -and we ought not to lay such temptation in this unreflecting fisherman's way. -Breakfast over, we went on shore. The Nautilus had gone some miles -further up in the night. It was a whole league from the coast, -above which reared a sharp peak about five hundred yards high. -The boat took with me Captain Nemo, two men of the crew, and the instruments, -which consisted of a chronometer, a telescope, and a barometer. -While crossing, I saw numerous whales belonging to the three kinds -peculiar to the southern seas; the whale, or the English "right whale," -which has no dorsal fin; the "humpback," with reeved chest and large, -whitish fins, which, in spite of its name, do not form wings; -and the fin-back, of a yellowish brown, the liveliest of all the cetacea. -This powerful creature is heard a long way off when he throws to a great -height columns of air and vapour, which look like whirlwinds of smoke. -These different mammals were disporting themselves in troops in the -quiet waters; and I could see that this basin of the Antarctic Pole serves -as a place of refuge to the cetacea too closely tracked by the hunters. -I also noticed large medusae floating between the reeds. - -At nine we landed; the sky was brightening, the clouds were flying to -the south, and the fog seemed to be leaving the cold surface of the waters. -Captain Nemo went towards the peak, which he doubtless meant -to be his observatory. It was a painful ascent over the sharp lava -and the pumice-stones, in an atmosphere often impregnated with a -sulphurous smell from the smoking cracks. For a man unaccustomed -to walk on land, the Captain climbed the steep slopes with an -agility I never saw equalled and which a hunter would have envied. -We were two hours getting to the summit of this peak, which was half -porphyry and half basalt. From thence we looked upon a vast sea which, -towards the north, distinctly traced its boundary line upon the sky. -At our feet lay fields of dazzling whiteness. Over our heads -a pale azure, free from fog. To the north the disc of the sun seemed -like a ball of fire, already horned by the cutting of the horizon. -From the bosom of the water rose sheaves of liquid jets by hundreds. -In the distance lay the Nautilus like a cetacean asleep on the water. -Behind us, to the south and east, an immense country and a chaotic -heap of rocks and ice, the limits of which were not visible. -On arriving at the summit Captain Nemo carefully took the mean height -of the barometer, for he would have to consider that in taking -his observations. At a quarter to twelve the sun, then seen only -by refraction, looked like a golden disc shedding its last rays upon -this deserted continent and seas which never man had yet ploughed. -Captain Nemo, furnished with a lenticular glass which, by means -of a mirror, corrected the refraction, watched the orb sinking -below the horizon by degrees, following a lengthened diagonal. -I held the chronometer. My heart beat fast. If the disappearance of -the half-disc of the sun coincided with twelve o'clock on the chronometer, -we were at the pole itself. - -"Twelve!" I exclaimed. - -"The South Pole!" replied Captain Nemo, in a grave voice, -handing me the glass, which showed the orb cut in exactly equal -parts by the horizon. - -I looked at the last rays crowning the peak, and the shadows -mounting by degrees up its slopes. At that moment Captain Nemo, -resting with his hand on my shoulder, said: - -"I, Captain Nemo, on this 21st day of March, 1868, have reached the South Pole -on the ninetieth degree; and I take possession of this part of the globe, -equal to one-sixth of the known continents." - -"In whose name, Captain?" - -"In my own, sir!" - -Saying which, Captain Nemo unfurled a black banner, bearing an "N" -in gold quartered on its bunting. Then, turning towards the orb of day, -whose last rays lapped the horizon of the sea, he exclaimed: - -"Adieu, sun! Disappear, thou radiant orb! rest beneath this open sea, -and let a night of six months spread its shadows over my new domains!" - - - -CHAPTER XV - -ACCIDENT OR INCIDENT? - -The next day, the 22nd of March, at six in the morning, -preparations for departure were begun. The last gleams -of twilight were melting into night. The cold was great, -the constellations shone with wonderful intensity. -In the zenith glittered that wondrous Southern Cross-- -the polar bear of Antarctic regions. The thermometer showed 120 -below zero, and when the wind freshened it was most biting. -Flakes of ice increased on the open water. The sea seemed -everywhere alike. Numerous blackish patches spread on the surface, -showing the formation of fresh ice. Evidently the southern basin, -frozen during the six winter months, was absolutely inaccessible. -What became of the whales in that time? Doubtless they -went beneath the icebergs, seeking more practicable seas. -As to the seals and morses, accustomed to live in a hard climate, -they remained on these icy shores. These creatures have the -instinct to break holes in the ice-field and to keep them open. -To these holes they come for breath; when the birds, -driven away by the cold, have emigrated to the north, -these sea mammals remain sole masters of the polar continent. -But the reservoirs were filling with water, and the Nautilus -was slowly descending. At 1,000 feet deep it stopped; -its screw beat the waves, and it advanced straight towards -the north at a speed of fifteen miles an hour. Towards night -it was already floating under the immense body of the iceberg. -At three in the morning I was awakened by a violent shock. -I sat up in my bed and listened in the darkness, -when I was thrown into the middle of the room. -The Nautilus, after having struck, had rebounded violently. -I groped along the partition, and by the staircase to the saloon, -which was lit by the luminous ceiling. The furniture was upset. -Fortunately the windows were firmly set, and had held fast. -The pictures on the starboard side, from being no longer vertical, -were clinging to the paper, whilst those of the port side -were hanging at least a foot from the wall. The Nautilus -was lying on its starboard side perfectly motionless. -I heard footsteps, and a confusion of voices; but Captain Nemo did -not appear. As I was leaving the saloon, Ned Land and Conseil -entered. - -"What is the matter?" said I, at once. - -"I came to ask you, sir," replied Conseil. - -"Confound it!" exclaimed the Canadian, "I know well enough! -The Nautilus has struck; and, judging by the way she lies, -I do not think she will right herself as she did the first time -in Torres Straits." - -"But," I asked, "has she at least come to the surface of the sea?" - -"We do not know," said Conseil. - -"It is easy to decide," I answered. I consulted the manometer. -To my great surprise, it showed a depth of more than 180 fathoms. -"What does that mean?" I exclaimed. - -"We must ask Captain Nemo," said Conseil. - -"But where shall we find him?" said Ned Land. - -"Follow me," said I, to my companions. - -We left the saloon. There was no one in the library. -At the centre staircase, by the berths of the ship's crew, there was -no one. I thought that Captain Nemo must be in the pilot's cage. -It was best to wait. We all returned to the saloon. For twenty -minutes we remained thus, trying to hear the slightest noise which -might be made on board the Nautilus, when Captain Nemo entered. -He seemed not to see us; his face, generally so impassive, -showed signs of uneasiness. He watched the compass silently, -then the manometer; and, going to the planisphere, -placed his finger on a spot representing the southern seas. -I would not interrupt him; but, some minutes later, when he -turned towards me, I said, using one of his own expressions -in the Torres Straits: - -"An incident, Captain?" - -"No, sir; an accident this time." - -"Serious?" - -"Perhaps." - -"Is the danger immediate?" - -"No." - -"The Nautilus has stranded?" - -"Yes." - -"And this has happened--how?" - -"From a caprice of nature, not from the ignorance of man. -Not a mistake has been made in the working. But we cannot prevent -equilibrium from producing its effects. We may brave human laws, -but we cannot resist natural ones." - -Captain Nemo had chosen a strange moment for uttering this -philosophical reflection. On the whole, his answer helped me little. - -"May I ask, sir, the cause of this accident?" - -"An enormous block of ice, a whole mountain, has turned over," he replied. -"When icebergs are undermined at their base by warmer water or reiterated -shocks their centre of gravity rises, and the whole thing turns over. -This is what has happened; one of these blocks, as it fell, -struck the Nautilus, then, gliding under its hull, raised it with -irresistible force, bringing it into beds which are not so thick, -where it is lying on its side." - -"But can we not get the Nautilus off by emptying its reservoirs, -that it might regain its equilibrium?" - -"That, sir, is being done at this moment. You can hear the pump working. -Look at the needle of the manometer; it shows that the Nautilus is rising, -but the block of ice is floating with it; and, until some obstacle stops its -ascending motion, our position cannot be altered." - -Indeed, the Nautilus still held the same position to starboard; -doubtless it would right itself when the block stopped. -But at this moment who knows if we may not be frightfully -crushed between the two glassy surfaces? I reflected on all -the consequences of our position. Captain Nemo never took -his eyes off the manometer. Since the fall of the iceberg, -the Nautilus had risen about a hundred and fifty feet, -but it still made the same angle with the perpendicular. -Suddenly a slight movement was felt in the hold. -Evidently it was righting a little. Things hanging in -the saloon were sensibly returning to their normal position. -The partitions were nearing the upright. No one spoke. -With beating hearts we watched and felt the straightening. -The boards became horizontal under our feet. -Ten minutes passed. - -"At last we have righted!" I exclaimed. - -"Yes," said Captain Nemo, going to the door of the saloon. - -"But are we floating?" I asked. - -"Certainly," he replied; "since the reservoirs are not empty; and, when empty, -the Nautilus must rise to the surface of the sea." - -We were in open sea; but at a distance of about ten yards, -on either side of the Nautilus, rose a dazzling wall of ice. -Above and beneath the same wall. Above, because the lower surface -of the iceberg stretched over us like an immense ceiling. -Beneath, because the overturned block, having slid by degrees, had found -a resting-place on the lateral walls, which kept it in that position. -The Nautilus was really imprisoned in a perfect tunnel of ice -more than twenty yards in breadth, filled with quiet water. -It was easy to get out of it by going either forward or backward, -and then make a free passage under the iceberg, some hundreds -of yards deeper. The luminous ceiling had been extinguished, -but the saloon was still resplendent with intense light. -It was the powerful reflection from the glass partition sent violently -back to the sheets of the lantern. I cannot describe the effect -of the voltaic rays upon the great blocks so capriciously cut; -upon every angle, every ridge, every facet was thrown a different light, -according to the nature of the veins running through the ice; -a dazzling mine of gems, particularly of sapphires, their blue rays -crossing with the green of the emerald. Here and there were opal -shades of wonderful softness, running through bright spots like -diamonds of fire, the brilliancy of which the eye could not bear. -The power of the lantern seemed increased a hundredfold, like a lamp -through the lenticular plates of a first-class lighthouse. - -"How beautiful! how beautiful!" cried Conseil. - -"Yes," I said, "it is a wonderful sight. Is it not, Ned?" - -"Yes, confound it! Yes," answered Ned Land, "it is superb! -I am mad at being obliged to admit it. No one has ever seen anything -like it; but the sight may cost us dear. And, if I must say all, -I think we are seeing here things which God never intended -man to see." - -Ned was right, it was too beautiful. Suddenly a cry from Conseil -made me turn. - -"What is it?" I asked. - -"Shut your eyes, sir! Do not look, sir!" Saying which, -Conseil clapped his hands over his eyes. - -"But what is the matter, my boy?" - -"I am dazzled, blinded." - -My eyes turned involuntarily towards the glass, but I could not stand -the fire which seemed to devour them. I understood what had happened. -The Nautilus had put on full speed. All the quiet lustre of the ice-walls -was at once changed into flashes of lightning. The fire from these myriads -of diamonds was blinding. It required some time to calm our troubled looks. -At last the hands were taken down. - -"Faith, I should never have believed it," said Conseil. - -It was then five in the morning; and at that moment a shock was -felt at the bows of the Nautilus. I knew that its spur had struck -a block of ice. It must have been a false manoeuvre, for this -submarine tunnel, obstructed by blocks, was not very easy navigation. -I thought that Captain Nemo, by changing his course, would either -turn these obstacles or else follow the windings of the tunnel. -In any case, the road before us could not be entirely blocked. -But, contrary to my expectations, the Nautilus took a decided -retrograde motion. - -"We are going backwards?" said Conseil. - -"Yes," I replied. "This end of the tunnel can have no egress." - -"And then?" - -"Then," said I, "the working is easy. We must go back again, -and go out at the southern opening. That is all." - -In speaking thus, I wished to appear more confident than I really was. -But the retrograde motion of the Nautilus was increasing; and, reversing -the screw, it carried us at great speed. - -"It will be a hindrance," said Ned. - -"What does it matter, some hours more or less, provided we get -out at last?" - -"Yes," repeated Ned Land, "provided we do get out at last!" - -For a short time I walked from the saloon to the library. -My companions were silent. I soon threw myself on an ottoman, -and took a book, which my eyes overran mechanically. A quarter -of an hour after, Conseil, approaching me, said, "Is what you are -reading very interesting, sir?" - -"Very interesting!" I replied. - -"I should think so, sir. It is your own book you are reading." - -"My book?" - -And indeed I was holding in my hand the work on the Great Submarine Depths. -I did not even dream of it. I closed the book and returned to my walk. -Ned and Conseil rose to go. - -"Stay here, my friends," said I, detaining them. -"Let us remain together until we are out of this block." - -"As you please, sir," Conseil replied. - -Some hours passed. I often looked at the instruments hanging -from the partition. The manometer showed that the Nautilus kept -at a constant depth of more than three hundred yards; the compass -still pointed to south; the log indicated a speed of twenty -miles an hour, which, in such a cramped space, was very great. -But Captain Nemo knew that he could not hasten too much, -and that minutes were worth ages to us. At twenty-five minutes -past eight a second shock took place, this time from behind. -I turned pale. My companions were close by my side. -I seized Conseil's hand. Our looks expressed our feelings better -than words. At this moment the Captain entered the saloon. -I went up to him. - -"Our course is barred southward?" I asked. - -"Yes, sir. The iceberg has shifted and closed every outlet." - -"We are blocked up then?" - -"Yes." - - - -CHAPTER XVI - -WANT OF AIR - -Thus around the Nautilus, above and below, was an impenetrable wall -of ice. We were prisoners to the iceberg. I watched the Captain. -His countenance had resumed its habitual imperturbability. - -"Gentlemen," he said calmly, "there are two ways of dying in -the circumstances in which we are placed." (This puzzling person -had the air of a mathematical professor lecturing to his pupils.) -"The first is to be crushed; the second is to die of suffocation. -I do not speak of the possibility of dying of hunger, for the supply -of provisions in the Nautilus will certainly last longer than we shall. -Let us, then, calculate our chances." - -"As to suffocation, Captain," I replied, "that is not to be feared, -because our reservoirs are full." - -"Just so; but they will only yield two days' supply of air. -Now, for thirty-six hours we have been hidden under the water, -and already the heavy atmosphere of the Nautilus requires renewal. -In forty-eight hours our reserve will be exhausted." - -"Well, Captain, can we be delivered before forty-eight hours?" - -"We will attempt it, at least, by piercing the wall that surrounds us." - -"On which side?" - -"Sound will tell us. I am going to run the Nautilus aground -on the lower bank, and my men will attack the iceberg on the side -that is least thick." - -Captain Nemo went out. Soon I discovered by a hissing noise -that the water was entering the reservoirs. The Nautilus -sank slowly, and rested on the ice at a depth of 350 yards, -the depth at which the lower bank was immersed. - -"My friends," I said, "our situation is serious, but I rely -on your courage and energy." - -"Sir," replied the Canadian, "I am ready to do anything -for the general safety." - -"Good! Ned," and I held out my hand to the Canadian. - -"I will add," he continued, "that, being as handy with the pickaxe -as with the harpoon, if I can be useful to the Captain, he can -command my services." - -"He will not refuse your help. Come, Ned!" - -I led him to the room where the crew of the Nautilus -were putting on their cork-jackets. I told the Captain -of Ned's proposal, which he accepted. The Canadian put on -his sea-costume, and was ready as soon as his companions. -When Ned was dressed, I re-entered the drawing-room, where -the panes of glass were open, and, posted near Conseil, -I examined the ambient beds that supported the Nautilus. -Some instants after, we saw a dozen of the crew set foot on the bank -of ice, and among them Ned Land, easily known by his stature. -Captain Nemo was with them. Before proceeding to dig the walls, -he took the soundings, to be sure of working in the right direction. -Long sounding lines were sunk in the side walls, but after -fifteen yards they were again stopped by the thick wall. -It was useless to attack it on the ceiling-like surface, -since the iceberg itself measured more than 400 yards in height. -Captain Nemo then sounded the lower surface. There ten yards -of wall separated us from the water, so great was the thickness -of the ice-field. It was necessary, therefore, to cut from it -a piece equal in extent to the waterline of the Nautilus. -There were about 6,000 cubic yards to detach, so as to dig -a hole by which we could descend to the ice-field. The work -had begun immediately and carried on with indefatigable energy. -Instead of digging round the Nautilus which would have involved -greater difficulty, Captain Nemo had an immense trench made at eight -yards from the port-quarter. Then the men set to work simultaneously -with their screws on several points of its circumference. -Presently the pickaxe attacked this compact matter vigorously, -and large blocks were detached from the mass. By a curious -effect of specific gravity, these blocks, lighter than water, -fled, so to speak, to the vault of the tunnel, that increased -in thickness at the top in proportion as it diminished at the base. -But that mattered little, so long as the lower part grew thinner. -After two hours' hard work, Ned Land came in exhausted. He and his -comrades were replaced by new workers, whom Conseil and I joined. -The second lieutenant of the Nautilus superintended us. -The water seemed singularly cold, but I soon got warm -handling the pickaxe. My movements were free enough, -although they were made under a pressure of thirty atmospheres. -When I re-entered, after working two hours, to take some food -and rest, I found a perceptible difference between the pure -fluid with which the Rouquayrol engine supplied me and the -atmosphere of the Nautilus, already charged with carbonic acid. -The air had not been renewed for forty-eight hours, and its vivifying -qualities were considerably enfeebled. However, after a lapse -of twelve hours, we had only raised a block of ice one yard thick, -on the marked surface, which was about 600 cubic yards! -Reckoning that it took twelve hours to accomplish this much it -would take five nights and four days to bring this enterprise -to a satisfactory conclusion. Five nights and four days! -And we have only air enough for two days in the reservoirs! -"Without taking into account," said Ned, "that, even if we get out -of this infernal prison, we shall also be imprisoned under the iceberg, -shut out from all possible communication with the atmosphere." -True enough! Who could then foresee the minimum of time -necessary for our deliverance? We might be suffocated before -the Nautilus could regain the surface of the waves? Was it -destined to perish in this ice-tomb, with all those it enclosed? -The situation was terrible. But everyone had looked the danger -in the face, and each was determined to do his duty to the -last. - -As I expected, during the night a new block a yard square -was carried away, and still further sank the immense hollow. -But in the morning when, dressed in my cork-jacket, I traversed -the slushy mass at a temperature of six or seven degrees below zero, -I remarked that the side walls were gradually closing in. -The beds of water farthest from the trench, that were not warmed -by the men's work, showed a tendency to solidification. In presence -of this new and imminent danger, what would become of our chances -of safety, and how hinder the solidification of this liquid medium, -that would burst the partitions of the Nautilus like glass? - -I did not tell my companions of this new danger. -What was the good of damping the energy they displayed in -the painful work of escape? But when I went on board again, -I told Captain Nemo of this grave complication. - -"I know it," he said, in that calm tone which could counteract -the most terrible apprehensions. "It is one danger more; -but I see no way of escaping it; the only chance of safety is to go -quicker than solidification. We must be beforehand with it, -that is all." - -On this day for several hours I used my pickaxe vigorously. -The work kept me up. Besides, to work was to quit the Nautilus, -and breathe directly the pure air drawn from the reservoirs, -and supplied by our apparatus, and to quit the impoverished and -vitiated atmosphere. Towards evening the trench was dug one yard deeper. -When I returned on board, I was nearly suffocated by the carbonic -acid with which the air was filled--ah! if we had only the chemical -means to drive away this deleterious gas. We had plenty of oxygen; -all this water contained a considerable quantity, and by dissolving -it with our powerful piles, it would restore the vivifying fluid. -I had thought well over it; but of what good was that, -since the carbonic acid produced by our respiration had invaded -every part of the vessel? To absorb it, it was necessary to fill -some jars with caustic potash, and to shake them incessantly. -Now this substance was wanting on board, and nothing could replace it. -On that evening, Captain Nemo ought to open the taps of his reservoirs, -and let some pure air into the interior of the Nautilus; without this -precaution we could not get rid of the sense of suffocation. The next day, -March 26th, I resumed my miner's work in beginning the fifth yard. -The side walls and the lower surface of the iceberg thickened visibly. -It was evident that they would meet before the Nautilus was -able to disengage itself. Despair seized me for an instant; -my pickaxe nearly fell from my hands. What was the good of digging -if I must be suffocated, crushed by the water that was turning -into stone?--a punishment that the ferocity of the savages even -would not have invented! Just then Captain Nemo passed near me. -I touched his hand and showed him the walls of our prison. -The wall to port had advanced to at least four yards from the hull of -the Nautilus. The Captain understood me, and signed me to follow him. -We went on board. I took off my cork-jacket and accompanied him into the -drawing-room. - -"M. Aronnax, we must attempt some desperate means, or we shall -be sealed up in this solidified water as in cement." - -"Yes; but what is to be done?" - -"Ah! if my Nautilus were strong enough to bear this pressure -without being crushed!" - -"Well?" I asked, not catching the Captain's idea. - -"Do you not understand," he replied, "that this congelation of water -will help us? Do you not see that by its solidification, it would -burst through this field of ice that imprisons us, as, when it freezes, -it bursts the hardest stones? Do you not perceive that it would be -an agent of safety instead of destruction?" - -"Yes, Captain, perhaps. But, whatever resistance to crushing -the Nautilus possesses, it could not support this terrible pressure, -and would be flattened like an iron plate." - -"I know it, sir. Therefore we must not reckon on the aid of nature, -but on our own exertions. We must stop this solidification. -Not only will the side walls be pressed together; but there -is not ten feet of water before or behind the Nautilus. -The congelation gains on us on all sides." - -"How long will the air in the reservoirs last for us to breathe on board?" - -The Captain looked in my face. "After to-morrow they will be empty!" - -A cold sweat came over me. However, ought I to have been astonished -at the answer? On March 22, the Nautilus was in the open polar seas. -We were at 26@. For five days we had lived on the reserve on board. -And what was left of the respirable air must be kept for the workers. -Even now, as I write, my recollection is still so vivid that an -involuntary terror seizes me and my lungs seem to be without air. -Meanwhile, Captain Nemo reflected silently, and evidently an idea -had struck him; but he seemed to reject it. At last, these words -escaped his lips: - -"Boiling water!" he muttered. - -"Boiling water?" I cried. - -"Yes, sir. We are enclosed in a space that is relatively confined. -Would not jets of boiling water, constantly injected by the pumps, -raise the temperature in this part and stay the congelation?" - -"Let us try it," I said resolutely. - -"Let us try it, Professor." - -The thermometer then stood at 7@ outside. Captain Nemo took -me to the galleys, where the vast distillatory machines -stood that furnished the drinkable water by evaporation. -They filled these with water, and all the electric heat from -the piles was thrown through the worms bathed in the liquid. -In a few minutes this water reached 100@. It was directed -towards the pumps, while fresh water replaced it in proportion. -The heat developed by the troughs was such that cold water, -drawn up from the sea after only having gone through the machines, -came boiling into the body of the pump. The injection was begun, -and three hours after the thermometer marked 6@ below zero outside. -One degree was gained. Two hours later the thermometer only marked -4@. - -"We shall succeed," I said to the Captain, after having anxiously -watched the result of the operation. - -"I think," he answered, "that we shall not be crushed. -We have no more suffocation to fear." - -During the night the temperature of the water rose to 1@ below zero. -The injections could not carry it to a higher point. But, as the congelation -of the sea-water produces at least 2@, I was at least reassured against -the dangers of solidification. - -The next day, March 27th, six yards of ice had been cleared, twelve feet -only remaining to be cleared away. There was yet forty-eight hours' work. -The air could not be renewed in the interior of the Nautilus. -And this day would make it worse. An intolerable weight oppressed me. -Towards three o'clock in the evening this feeling rose to a violent degree. -Yawns dislocated my jaws. My lungs panted as they inhaled this burning fluid, -which became rarefied more and more. A moral torpor took hold of me. -I was powerless, almost unconscious. My brave Conseil, though exhibiting -the same symptoms and suffering in the same manner, never left me. -He took my hand and encouraged me, and I heard him murmur, "Oh! if I could -only not breathe, so as to leave more air for my master!" - -Tears came into my eyes on hearing him speak thus. If our -situation to all was intolerable in the interior, with what haste -and gladness would we put on our cork-jackets to work in our turn! -Pickaxes sounded on the frozen ice-beds. Our arms ached, -the skin was torn off our hands. But what were these fatigues, -what did the wounds matter? Vital air came to the lungs! -We breathed! we breathed! - -All this time no one prolonged his voluntary task beyond the prescribed time. -His task accomplished, each one handed in turn to his panting companions -the apparatus that supplied him with life. Captain Nemo set the example, -and submitted first to this severe discipline. When the time came, -he gave up his apparatus to another and returned to the vitiated air -on board, calm, unflinching, unmurmuring. - -On that day the ordinary work was accomplished with unusual vigour. -Only two yards remained to be raised from the surface. -Two yards only separated us from the open sea. But the reservoirs -were nearly emptied of air. The little that remained ought -to be kept for the workers; not a particle for the Nautilus. -When I went back on board, I was half suffocated. What a night! -I know not how to describe it. The next day my breathing -was oppressed. Dizziness accompanied the pain in my head and made -me like a drunken man. My companions showed the same symptoms. -Some of the crew had rattling in the throat. - -On that day, the sixth of our imprisonment, Captain Nemo, -finding the pickaxes work too slowly, resolved to crush -the ice-bed that still separated us from the liquid sheet. -This man's coolness and energy never forsook him. He subdued his -physical pains by moral force. - -By his orders the vessel was lightened, that is to say, -raised from the ice-bed by a change of specific gravity. -When it floated they towed it so as to bring it above -the immense trench made on the level of the water-line. Then, -filling his reservoirs of water, he descended and shut himself up -in the hole. - -Just then all the crew came on board, and the double door of communication -was shut. The Nautilus then rested on the bed of ice, which was not one -yard thick, and which the sounding leads had perforated in a thousand places. -The taps of the reservoirs were then opened, and a hundred cubic yards -of water was let in, increasing the weight of the Nautilus to 1,800 tons. -We waited, we listened, forgetting our sufferings in hope. Our safety -depended on this last chance. Notwithstanding the buzzing in my head, -I soon heard the humming sound under the hull of the Nautilus. The ice -cracked with a singular noise, like tearing paper, and the Nautilus sank. - -"We are off!" murmured Conseil in my ear. - -I could not answer him. I seized his hand, and pressed it convulsively. -All at once, carried away by its frightful overcharge, the Nautilus sank like -a bullet under the waters, that is to say, it fell as if it was in a vacuum. -Then all the electric force was put on the pumps, that soon began to let -the water out of the reservoirs. After some minutes, our fall was stopped. -Soon, too, the manometer indicated an ascending movement. The screw, -going at full speed, made the iron hull tremble to its very bolts and drew -us towards the north. But if this floating under the iceberg is to last -another day before we reach the open sea, I shall be dead first. - -Half stretched upon a divan in the library, I was suffocating. -My face was purple, my lips blue, my faculties suspended. -I neither saw nor heard. All notion of time had gone from my mind. -My muscles could not contract. I do not know how many hours -passed thus, but I was conscious of the agony that was coming over me. -I felt as if I was going to die. Suddenly I came to. -Some breaths of air penetrated my lungs. Had we risen to the surface -of the waves? Were we free of the iceberg? No! Ned and Conseil, -my two brave friends, were sacrificing themselves to save me. -Some particles of air still remained at the bottom of one apparatus. -Instead of using it, they had kept it for me, and, while they -were being suffocated, they gave me life, drop by drop. -I wanted to push back the thing; they held my hands, -and for some moments I breathed freely. I looked at the clock; -it was eleven in the morning. It ought to be the 28th of March. -The Nautilus went at a frightful pace, forty miles an hour. It literally -tore through the water. Where was Captain Nemo? Had he succumbed? -Were his companions dead with him? At the moment the manometer -indicated that we were not more than twenty feet from the surface. -A mere plate of ice separated us from the atmosphere. Could we not -break it? Perhaps. In any case the Nautilus was going to attempt it. -I felt that it was in an oblique position, lowering the stern, -and raising the bows. The introduction of water had been the means -of disturbing its equilibrium. Then, impelled by its powerful screw, -it attacked the ice-field from beneath like a formidable battering-ram. -It broke it by backing and then rushing forward against the field, -which gradually gave way; and at last, dashing suddenly against it, -shot forwards on the ice-field, that crushed beneath its weight. -The panel was opened--one might say torn off--and the pure air came in in -abundance to all parts of the Nautilus. - - - -CHAPTER XVII - -FROM CAPE HORN TO THE AMAZON - -How I got on to the platform, I have no idea; perhaps the Canadian -had carried me there. But I breathed, I inhaled the vivifying sea-air. -My two companions were getting drunk with the fresh particles. -The other unhappy men had been so long without food, that they -could not with impunity indulge in the simplest aliments that were -given them. We, on the contrary, had no end to restrain ourselves; -we could draw this air freely into our lungs, and it was the breeze, -the breeze alone, that filled us with this keen enjoyment. - -"Ah!" said Conseil, "how delightful this oxygen is! -Master need not fear to breathe it. There is enough for everybody." - -Ned Land did not speak, but he opened his jaws wide enough -to frighten a shark. Our strength soon returned, and, when I -looked round me, I saw we were alone on the platform. -The foreign seamen in the Nautilus were contented with the air -that circulated in the interior; none of them had come to drink -in the open air. - -The first words I spoke were words of gratitude and -thankfulness to my two companions. Ned and Conseil had -prolonged my life during the last hours of this long agony. -All my gratitude could not repay such devotion. - -"My friends," said I, "we are bound one to the other for ever, -and I am under infinite obligations to you." - -"Which I shall take advantage of," exclaimed the Canadian. - -"What do you mean?" said Conseil. - -"I mean that I shall take you with me when I leave this infernal Nautilus." - -"Well," said Conseil, "after all this, are we going right?" - -"Yes," I replied, "for we are going the way of the sun, -and here the sun is in the north." - -"No doubt," said Ned Land; "but it remains to be seen whether -he will bring the ship into the Pacific or the Atlantic Ocean, -that is, into frequented or deserted seas." - -I could not answer that question, and I feared that Captain Nemo -would rather take us to the vast ocean that touches the coasts -of Asia and America at the same time. He would thus complete -the tour round the submarine world, and return to those waters -in which the Nautilus could sail freely. We ought, before long, -to settle this important point. The Nautilus went at a rapid pace. -The polar circle was soon passed, and the course shaped for Cape Horn. -We were off the American point, March 31st, at seven o'clock -in the evening. Then all our past sufferings were forgotten. -The remembrance of that imprisonment in the ice was effaced -from our minds. We only thought of the future. Captain Nemo did -not appear again either in the drawing-room or on the platform. -The point shown each day on the planisphere, and, marked by -the lieutenant, showed me the exact direction of the Nautilus. -Now, on that evening, it was evident, to, my great satisfaction, -that we were going back to the North by the Atlantic. -The next day, April 1st, when the Nautilus ascended to the surface -some minutes before noon, we sighted land to the west. -It was Terra del Fuego, which the first navigators named thus from -seeing the quantity of smoke that rose from the natives' huts. -The coast seemed low to me, but in the distance rose high mountains. -I even thought I had a glimpse of Mount Sarmiento, that rises 2,070 -yards above the level of the sea, with a very pointed summit, which, -according as it is misty or clear, is a sign of fine or of wet weather. -At this moment the peak was clearly defined against the sky. -The Nautilus, diving again under the water, approached the coast, -which was only some few miles off. From the glass windows in -the drawing-room, I saw long seaweeds and gigantic fuci and varech, -of which the open polar sea contains so many specimens, with their -sharp polished filaments; they measured about 300 yards in length-- -real cables, thicker than one's thumb; and, having great tenacity, -they are often used as ropes for vessels. Another weed known as velp, -with leaves four feet long, buried in the coral concretions, -hung at the bottom. It served as nest and food for myriads -of crustacea and molluscs, crabs, and cuttlefish. -There seals and otters had splendid repasts, eating the flesh -of fish with sea-vegetables, according to the English fashion. -Over this fertile and luxuriant ground the Nautilus passed with -great rapidity. Towards evening it approached the Falkland group, -the rough summits of which I recognised the following day. -The depth of the sea was moderate. On the shores our nets brought -in beautiful specimens of sea weed, and particularly a certain fucus, -the roots of which were filled with the best mussels in the world. -Geese and ducks fell by dozens on the platform, and soon took -their places in the pantry on board. - -When the last heights of the Falklands had disappeared -from the horizon, the Nautilus sank to between twenty -and twenty-five yards, and followed the American coast. -Captain Nemo did not show himself. Until the 3rd of April we -did not quit the shores of Patagonia, sometimes under the ocean, -sometimes at the surface. The Nautilus passed beyond the large -estuary formed by the Uraguay. Its direction was northwards, -and followed the long windings of the coast of South America. -We had then made 1,600 miles since our embarkation in the seas -of Japan. About eleven o'clock in the morning the Tropic -of Capricorn was crossed on the thirty-seventh meridian, -and we passed Cape Frio standing out to sea. Captain Nemo, -to Ned Land's great displeasure, did not like the neighbourhood -of the inhabited coasts of Brazil, for we went at a giddy speed. -Not a fish, not a bird of the swiftest kind could follow us, -and the natural curiosities of these seas escaped all observation. - -This speed was kept up for several days, and in the evening -of the 9th of April we sighted the most westerly point of South -America that forms Cape San Roque. But then the Nautilus -swerved again, and sought the lowest depth of a submarine valley -which is between this Cape and Sierra Leone on the African coast. -This valley bifurcates to the parallel of the Antilles, -and terminates at the mouth by the enormous depression of 9,000 yards. -In this place, the geological basin of the ocean forms, -as far as the Lesser Antilles, a cliff to three and a half -miles perpendicular in height, and, at the parallel of -the Cape Verde Islands, an other wall not less considerable, -that encloses thus all the sunk continent of the Atlantic. -The bottom of this immense valley is dotted with some mountains, -that give to these submarine places a picturesque aspect. -I speak, moreover, from the manuscript charts that were in the library -of the Nautilus--charts evidently due to Captain Nemo's hand, -and made after his personal observations. For two days the desert -and deep waters were visited by means of the inclined planes. -The Nautilus was furnished with long diagonal broadsides which carried -it to all elevations. But on the 11th of April it rose suddenly, -and land appeared at the mouth of the Amazon River, a vast estuary, -the embouchure of which is so considerable that it freshens -the sea-water for the distance of several leagues. {8 paragraphs -are deleted from this edition} - - - -CHAPTER XVIII - -THE POULPS - -For several days the Nautilus kept off from the American coast. -Evidently it did not wish to risk the tides of the Gulf of -Mexico or of the sea of the Antilles. April 16th, we sighted -Martinique and Guadaloupe from a distance of about thirty miles. -I saw their tall peaks for an instant. The Canadian, -who counted on carrying out his projects in the Gulf, -by either landing or hailing one of the numerous boats that -coast from one island to another, was quite disheartened. -Flight would have been quite practicable, if Ned Land had been able -to take possession of the boat without the Captain's knowledge. -But in the open sea it could not be thought of. The Canadian, -Conseil, and I had a long conversation on this subject. -For six months we had been prisoners on board the Nautilus. -We had travelled 17,000 leagues; and, as Ned Land said, there was -no reason why it should come to an end. We could hope nothing -from the Captain of the Nautilus, but only from ourselves. -Besides, for some time past he had become graver, more retired, -less sociable. He seemed to shun me. I met him rarely. -Formerly he was pleased to explain the submarine marvels to me; -now he left me to my studies, and came no more to the saloon. -What change had come over him? For what cause? For my part, -I did not wish to bury with me my curious and novel studies. -I had now the power to write the true book of the sea; -and this book, sooner or later, I wished to see daylight. -The land nearest us was the archipelago of the Bahamas. There rose -high submarine cliffs covered with large weeds. It was about eleven -o'clock when Ned Land drew my attention to a formidable pricking, -like the sting of an ant, which was produced by means of large -seaweeds. - -"Well," I said, "these are proper caverns for poulps, and I -should not be astonished to see some of these monsters." - -"What!" said Conseil; "cuttlefish, real cuttlefish of the cephalopod class?" - -"No," I said, "poulps of huge dimensions." - -"I will never believe that such animals exist," said Ned. - -"Well," said Conseil, with the most serious air in the world, -"I remember perfectly to have seen a large vessel drawn under -the waves by an octopus's arm." - -"You saw that?" said the Canadian. - -"Yes, Ned." - -"With your own eyes?" - -"With my own eyes." - -"Where, pray, might that be?" - -"At St. Malo," answered Conseil. - -"In the port?" said Ned, ironically. - -"No; in a church," replied Conseil. - -"In a church!" cried the Canadian. - -"Yes; friend Ned. In a picture representing the poulp in question." - -"Good!" said Ned Land, bursting out laughing. - -"He is quite right," I said. "I have heard of this picture; -but the subject represented is taken from a legend, and you know -what to think of legends in the matter of natural history. -Besides, when it is a question of monsters, the imagination -is apt to run wild. Not only is it supposed that these poulps -can draw down vessels, but a certain Olaus Magnus speaks of an -octopus a mile long that is more like an island than an animal. -It is also said that the Bishop of Nidros was building -an altar on an immense rock. Mass finished, the rock began -to walk, and returned to the sea. The rock was a poulp. -Another Bishop, Pontoppidan, speaks also of a poulp on which -a regiment of cavalry could manoeuvre. Lastly, the ancient -naturalists speak of monsters whose mouths were like gulfs, -and which were too large to pass through the Straits of Gibraltar." - -"But how much is true of these stories?" asked Conseil. - -"Nothing, my friends; at least of that which passes the limit of truth -to get to fable or legend. Nevertheless, there must be some ground -for the imagination of the story-tellers. One cannot deny that poulps and -cuttlefish exist of a large species, inferior, however, to the cetaceans. -Aristotle has stated the dimensions of a cuttlefish as five cubits, -or nine feet two inches. Our fishermen frequently see some that are -more than four feet long. Some skeletons of poulps are preserved in -the museums of Trieste and Montpelier, that measure two yards in length. -Besides, according to the calculations of some naturalists, one of these -animals only six feet long would have tentacles twenty-seven feet long. -That would suffice to make a formidable monster." - -"Do they fish for them in these days?" asked Ned. - -"If they do not fish for them, sailors see them at least. -One of my friends, Captain Paul Bos of Havre, has often affirmed -that he met one of these monsters of colossal dimensions in -the Indian seas. But the most astonishing fact, and which does -not permit of the denial of the existence of these gigantic animals, -happened some years ago, in 1861." - -"What is the fact?" asked Ned Land. - -"This is it. In 1861, to the north-east of Teneriffe, very nearly -in the same latitude we are in now, the crew of the despatch-boat -Alector perceived a monstrous cuttlefish swimming in the waters. -Captain Bouguer went near to the animal, and attacked it with -harpoon and guns, without much success, for balls and harpoons -glided over the soft flesh. After several fruitless attempts -the crew tried to pass a slip-knot round the body of the mollusc. -The noose slipped as far as the tail fins and there stopped. -They tried then to haul it on board, but its weight was so -considerable that the tightness of the cord separated the tail -from the body, and, deprived of this ornament, he disappeared -under the water." - -"Indeed! is that a fact?" - -"An indisputable fact, my good Ned. They proposed to name this -poulp `Bouguer's cuttlefish.'" - -"What length was it?" asked the Canadian. - -"Did it not measure about six yards?" said Conseil, who, posted at the window, -was examining again the irregular windings of the cliff. - -"Precisely," I replied. - -"Its head," rejoined Conseil, "was it not crowned with eight tentacles, -that beat the water like a nest of serpents?" - -"Precisely." - -"Had not its eyes, placed at the back of its head, considerable development?" - -"Yes, Conseil." - -"And was not its mouth like a parrot's beak?" - -"Exactly, Conseil." - -"Very well! no offence to master," he replied, quietly; "if this -is not Bouguer's cuttlefish, it is, at least, one of its brothers." - -I looked at Conseil. Ned Land hurried to the window. - -"What a horrible beast!" he cried. - -I looked in my turn, and could not repress a gesture of disgust. -Before my eyes was a horrible monster worthy to figure in the legends -of the marvellous. It was an immense cuttlefish, being eight yards long. -It swam crossways in the direction of the Nautilus with great speed, -watching us with its enormous staring green eyes. Its eight arms, -or rather feet, fixed to its head, that have given the name -of cephalopod to these animals, were twice as long as its body, -and were twisted like the furies' hair. One could see the 250 air -holes on the inner side of the tentacles. The monster's mouth, -a horned beak like a parrot's, opened and shut vertically. -Its tongue, a horned substance, furnished with several rows -of pointed teeth, came out quivering from this veritable pair -of shears. What a freak of nature, a bird's beak on a mollusc! -Its spindle-like body formed a fleshy mass that might weigh 4,000 -to 5,000 lb.; the, varying colour changing with great rapidity, -according to the irritation of the animal, passed successively -from livid grey to reddish brown. What irritated this mollusc? -No doubt the presence of the Nautilus, more formidable than itself, -and on which its suckers or its jaws had no hold. Yet, what monsters -these poulps are! what vitality the Creator has given them! -what vigour in their movements! and they possess three hearts! -Chance had brought us in presence of this cuttlefish, and I did not wish -to lose the opportunity of carefully studying this specimen of cephalopods. -I overcame the horror that inspired me, and, taking a pencil, began -to draw it. - -"Perhaps this is the same which the Alector saw," said Conseil. - -"No," replied the Canadian; "for this is whole, and the other -had lost its tail." - -"That is no reason," I replied. "The arms and tails of these animals -are re-formed by renewal; and in seven years the tail of Bouguer's -cuttlefish has no doubt had time to grow." - -By this time other poulps appeared at the port light. I counted seven. -They formed a procession after the Nautilus, and I heard their beaks -gnashing against the iron hull. I continued my work. These monsters -kept in the water with such precision that they seemed immovable. -Suddenly the Nautilus stopped. A shock made it tremble in every plate. - -"Have we struck anything?" I asked. - -"In any case," replied the Canadian, "we shall be free, -for we are floating." - -The Nautilus was floating, no doubt, but it did not move. -A minute passed. Captain Nemo, followed by his lieutenant, -entered the drawing-room. I had not seen him for some time. -He seemed dull. Without noticing or speaking to us, he went -to the panel, looked at the poulps, and said something to -his lieutenant. The latter went out. Soon the panels were shut. -The ceiling was lighted. I went towards the Captain. - -"A curious collection of poulps?" I said. - -"Yes, indeed, Mr. Naturalist," he replied; "and we are going to fight them, -man to beast." - -I looked at him. I thought I had not heard aright. - -"Man to beast?" I repeated. - -"Yes, sir. The screw is stopped. I think that the horny -jaws of one of the cuttlefish is entangled in the blades. -That is what prevents our moving." - -"What are you going to do?" - -"Rise to the surface, and slaughter this vermin." - -"A difficult enterprise." - -"Yes, indeed. The electric bullets are powerless against the -soft flesh, where they do not find resistance enough to go off. -But we shall attack them with the hatchet." - -"And the harpoon, sir," said the Canadian, "if you do not refuse my help." - -"I will accept it, Master Land." - -"We will follow you," I said, and, following Captain Nemo, -we went towards the central staircase. - -There, about ten men with boarding-hatchets were ready for the attack. -Conseil and I took two hatchets; Ned Land seized a harpoon. -The Nautilus had then risen to the surface. One of the sailors, -posted on the top ladderstep, unscrewed the bolts of the panels. -But hardly were the screws loosed, when the panel rose with -great violence, evidently drawn by the suckers of a poulp's arm. -Immediately one of these arms slid like a serpent down the opening -and twenty others were above. With one blow of the axe, Captain Nemo -cut this formidable tentacle, that slid wriggling down the ladder. -Just as we were pressing one on the other to reach the platform, -two other arms, lashing the air, came down on the seaman placed -before Captain Nemo, and lifted him up with irresistible power. -Captain Nemo uttered a cry, and rushed out. We hurried after him. - -What a scene! The unhappy man, seized by the tentacle and fixed -to the suckers, was balanced in the air at the caprice of this -enormous trunk. He rattled in his throat, he was stifled, he cried, -"Help! help!" These words, spoken in French, startled me! -I had a fellow-countryman on board, perhaps several! -That heart-rending cry! I shall hear it all my life. -The unfortunate man was lost. Who could rescue him from that -powerful pressure? However, Captain Nemo had rushed to the poulp, -and with one blow of the axe had cut through one arm. -His lieutenant struggled furiously against other monsters that crept -on the flanks of the Nautilus. The crew fought with their axes. -The Canadian, Conseil, and I buried our weapons in the fleshy masses; -a strong smell of musk penetrated the atmosphere. -It was horrible! - -For one instant, I thought the unhappy man, entangled with the poulp, would be -torn from its powerful suction. Seven of the eight arms had been cut off. -One only wriggled in the air, brandishing the victim like a feather. But just -as Captain Nemo and his lieutenant threw themselves on it, the animal ejected -a stream of black liquid. We were blinded with it. When the cloud dispersed, -the cuttlefish had disappeared, and my unfortunate countryman with it. -Ten or twelve poulps now invaded the platform and sides of the Nautilus. -We rolled pell-mell into the midst of this nest of serpents, that wriggled -on the platform in the waves of blood and ink. It seemed as though these -slimy tentacles sprang up like the hydra's heads. Ned Land's harpoon, -at each stroke, was plunged into the staring eyes of the cuttle fish. -But my bold companion was suddenly overturned by the tentacles of a monster -he had not been able to avoid. - -Ah! how my heart beat with emotion and horror! -The formidable beak of a cuttlefish was open over Ned Land. -The unhappy man would be cut in two. I rushed to his succour. -But Captain Nemo was before me; his axe disappeared between -the two enormous jaws, and, miraculously saved, the Canadian, -rising, plunged his harpoon deep into the triple heart -of the poulp. - -"I owed myself this revenge!" said the Captain to the Canadian. - -Ned bowed without replying. The combat had lasted a quarter of an hour. -The monsters, vanquished and mutilated, left us at last, and disappeared -under the waves. Captain Nemo, covered with blood, nearly exhausted, -gazed upon the sea that had swallowed up one of his companions, and great -tears gathered in his eyes. - - - -CHAPTER XIX - -THE GULF STREAM - -This terrible scene of the 20th of April none of us can ever forget. -I have written it under the influence of violent emotion. Since then I -have revised the recital; I have read it to Conseil and to the Canadian. -They found it exact as to facts, but insufficient as to effect. -To paint such pictures, one must have the pen of the most illustrious -of our poets, the author of The Toilers of the Deep. - -I have said that Captain Nemo wept while watching the waves; -his grief was great. It was the second companion he had -lost since our arrival on board, and what a death! -That friend, crushed, stifled, bruised by the dreadful -arms of a poulp, pounded by his iron jaws, would not -rest with his comrades in the peaceful coral cemetery! -In the midst of the struggle, it was the despairing cry -uttered by the unfortunate man that had torn my heart. -The poor Frenchman, forgetting his conventional language, -had taken to his own mother tongue, to utter a last appeal! -Amongst the crew of the Nautilus, associated with -the body and soul of the Captain, recoiling like him -from all contact with men, I had a fellow-countryman. Did -he alone represent France in this mysterious association, -evidently composed of individuals of divers nationalities? -It was one of these insoluble problems that rose up unceasingly -before my mind! - -Captain Nemo entered his room, and I saw him no more for some time. -But that he was sad and irresolute I could see by the vessel, -of which he was the soul, and which received all his impressions. -The Nautilus did not keep on in its settled course; it floated -about like a corpse at the will of the waves. It went at random. -He could not tear himself away from the scene of the last struggle, -from this sea that had devoured one of his men. Ten days passed thus. -It was not till the 1st of May that the Nautilus resumed its northerly course, -after having sighted the Bahamas at the mouth of the Bahama Canal. -We were then following the current from the largest river to the sea, -that has its banks, its fish, and its proper temperatures. I mean -the Gulf Stream. It is really a river, that flows freely to the middle -of the Atlantic, and whose waters do not mix with the ocean waters. -It is a salt river, salter than the surrounding sea. Its mean depth is -1,500 fathoms, its mean breadth ten miles. In certain places the current -flows with the speed of two miles and a half an hour. The body of its -waters is more considerable than that of all the rivers in the globe. -It was on this ocean river that the Nautilus then sailed. - -I must add that, during the night, the phosphorescent waters -of the Gulf Stream rivalled the electric power of our watch-light, -especially in the stormy weather that threatened us so frequently. -May 8th, we were still crossing Cape Hatteras, at the height -of the North Caroline. The width of the Gulf Stream there -is seventy-five miles, and its depth 210 yards. The Nautilus -still went at random; all supervision seemed abandoned. -I thought that, under these circumstances, escape would be possible. -Indeed, the inhabited shores offered anywhere an easy refuge. -The sea was incessantly ploughed by the steamers that ply -between New York or Boston and the Gulf of Mexico, and overrun -day and night by the little schooners coasting about the several -parts of the American coast. We could hope to be picked up. -It was a favourable opportunity, notwithstanding the thirty -miles that separated the Nautilus from the coasts of the Union. -One unfortunate circumstance thwarted the Canadian's plans. -The weather was very bad. We were nearing those shores -where tempests are so frequent, that country of waterspouts and -cyclones actually engendered by the current of the Gulf Stream. -To tempt the sea in a frail boat was certain destruction. Ned Land -owned this himself. He fretted, seized with nostalgia that flight -only could cure. - -"Master," he said that day to me, "this must come to an end. I must make -a clean breast of it. This Nemo is leaving land and going up to the north. -But I declare to you that I have had enough of the South Pole, and I will not -follow him to the North." - -"What is to be done, Ned, since flight is impracticable just now?" - -"We must speak to the Captain," said he; "you said nothing when we -were in your native seas. I will speak, now we are in mine. -When I think that before long the Nautilus will be by Nova Scotia, -and that there near New foundland is a large bay, and into that bay -the St. Lawrence empties itself, and that the St. Lawrence is my river, -the river by Quebec, my native town--when I think of this, -I feel furious, it makes my hair stand on end. Sir, I would -rather throw myself into the sea! I will not stay here! -I am stifled!" - -The Canadian was evidently losing all patience. -His vigorous nature could not stand this prolonged imprisonment. -His face altered daily; his temper became more surly. I knew -what he must suffer, for I was seized with home-sickness myself. -Nearly seven months had passed without our having had any news -from land; Captain Nemo's isolation, his altered spirits, -especially since the fight with the poulps, his taciturnity, all made -me view things in a different light. - -"Well, sir?" said Ned, seeing I did not reply. - -"Well, Ned, do you wish me to ask Captain Nemo his intentions concerning us?" - -"Yes, sir." - -"Although he has already made them known?" - -"Yes; I wish it settled finally. Speak for me, in my name only, -if you like." - -"But I so seldom meet him. He avoids me." - -"That is all the more reason for you to go to see him." - -I went to my room. From thence I meant to go to Captain Nemo's. -It would not do to let this opportunity of meeting him slip. -I knocked at the door. No answer. I knocked again, then turned -the handle. The door opened, I went in. The Captain was there. -Bending over his work-table, he had not heard me. -Resolved not to go without having spoken, I approached him. -He raised his head quickly, frowned, and said roughly, "You here! -What do you want?" - -"To speak to you, Captain." - -"But I am busy, sir; I am working. I leave you at liberty to shut -yourself up; cannot I be allowed the same?" - -This reception was not encouraging; but I was determined to hear -and answer everything. - -"Sir," I said coldly, "I have to speak to you on a matter that admits -of no delay." - -"What is that, sir?" he replied, ironically. "Have you discovered something -that has escaped me, or has the sea delivered up any new secrets?" - -We were at cross-purposes. But, before I could reply, he showed me -an open manuscript on his table, and said, in a more serious tone, -"Here, M. Aronnax, is a manuscript written in several languages. -It contains the sum of my studies of the sea; and, if it please God, -it shall not perish with me. This manuscript, signed with my name, -complete with the history of my life, will be shut up in a little -floating case. The last survivor of all of us on board the Nautilus -will throw this case into the sea, and it will go whither it is borne -by the waves." - -This man's name! his history written by himself! -His mystery would then be revealed some day. - -"Captain," I said, "I can but approve of the idea that makes you act thus. -The result of your studies must not be lost. But the means you employ seem -to me to be primitive. Who knows where the winds will carry this case, -and in whose hands it will fall? Could you not use some other means? -Could not you, or one of yours----" - -"Never, sir!" he said, hastily interrupting me. - -"But I and my companions are ready to keep this manuscript -in store; and, if you will put us at liberty----" - -"At liberty?" said the Captain, rising. - -"Yes, sir; that is the subject on which I wish to question you. -For seven months we have been here on board, and I ask you to-day, -in the name of my companions and in my own, if your intention is -to keep us here always?" - -"M. Aronnax, I will answer you to-day as I did seven months ago: -Whoever enters the Nautilus, must never quit it." - -"You impose actual slavery upon us!" - -"Give it what name you please." - -"But everywhere the slave has the right to regain his liberty." - -"Who denies you this right? Have I ever tried to chain you with an oath?" - -He looked at me with his arms crossed. - -"Sir," I said, "to return a second time to this subject will be neither -to your nor to my taste; but, as we have entered upon it, let us go -through with it. I repeat, it is not only myself whom it concerns. -Study is to me a relief, a diversion, a passion that could make -me forget everything. Like you, I am willing to live obscure, -in the frail hope of bequeathing one day, to future time, -the result of my labours. But it is otherwise with Ned Land. -Every man, worthy of the name, deserves some consideration. -Have you thought that love of liberty, hatred of slavery, -can give rise to schemes of revenge in a nature like the Canadian's; -that he could think, attempt, and try----" - -I was silenced; Captain Nemo rose. - -"Whatever Ned Land thinks of, attempts, or tries, what does it matter to me? -I did not seek him! It is not for my pleasure that I keep him on board! -As for you, M. Aronnax, you are one of those who can understand everything, -even silence. I have nothing more to say to you. Let this first time you -have come to treat of this subject be the last, for a second time I will not -listen to you." - -I retired. Our situation was critical. I related my conversation -to my two companions. - -"We know now," said Ned, "that we can expect nothing from this man. -The Nautilus is nearing Long Island. We will escape, whatever the -weather may be." - -But the sky became more and more threatening. Symptoms of a hurricane -became manifest. The atmosphere was becoming white and misty. -On the horizon fine streaks of cirrhous clouds were succeeded -by masses of cumuli. Other low clouds passed swiftly by. -The swollen sea rose in huge billows. The birds disappeared -with the exception of the petrels, those friends of the storm. -The barometer fell sensibly, and indicated an extreme extension -of the vapours. The mixture of the storm glass was decomposed -under the influence of the electricity that pervaded the atmosphere. -The tempest burst on the 18th of May, just as the Nautilus was -floating off Long Island, some miles from the port of New York. -I can describe this strife of the elements! for, -instead of fleeing to the depths of the sea, Captain Nemo, -by an unaccountable caprice, would brave it at the surface. -The wind blew from the south-west at first. Captain Nemo, -during the squalls, had taken his place on the platform. -He had made himself fast, to prevent being washed overboard -by the monstrous waves. I had hoisted myself up, and made myself -fast also, dividing my admiration between the tempest and this -extraordinary man who was coping with it. The raging sea was swept -by huge cloud-drifts, which were actually saturated with the waves. -The Nautilus, sometimes lying on its side, sometimes standing up -like a mast, rolled and pitched terribly. About five o'clock -a torrent of rain fell, that lulled neither sea nor wind. -The hurri cane blew nearly forty leagues an hour. It is under -these conditions that it overturns houses, breaks iron gates, -displaces twenty-four pounders. However, the Nautilus, in the midst -of the tempest, confirmed the words of a clever engineer, -"There is no well-constructed hull that cannot defy the sea." -This was not a resisting rock; it was a steel spindle, -obedient and movable, without rigging or masts, that braved its fury -with impunity. However, I watched these raging waves attentively. -They measured fifteen feet in height, and 150 to 175 yards long, -and their speed of propagation was thirty feet per second. -Their bulk and power increased with the depth of the water. -Such waves as these, at the Hebrides, have displaced a mass -weighing 8,400 lb. They are they which, in the tempest of -December 23rd, 1864, after destroying the town of Yeddo, in Japan, -broke the same day on the shores of America. The intensity of -the tempest increased with the night. The barometer, as in 1860 -at Reunion during a cyclone, fell seven-tenths at the close of day. -I saw a large vessel pass the horizon struggling painfully. -She was trying to lie to under half steam, to keep up above the waves. -It was probably one of the steamers of the line from New York -to Liverpool, or Havre. It soon disappeared in the gloom. -At ten o'clock in the evening the sky was on fire. -The atmosphere was streaked with vivid lightning. -I could not bear the brightness of it; while the captain, -looking at it, seemed to envy the spirit of the tempest. -A terrible noise filled the air, a complex noise, made up -of the howls of the crushed waves, the roaring of the wind, -and the claps of thunder. The wind veered suddenly to all -points of the horizon; and the cyclone, rising in the east, -returned after passing by the north, west, and south, in the inverse -course pursued by the circular storm of the southern hemisphere. -Ah, that Gulf Stream! It deserves its name of the King of Tempests. -It is that which causes those formidable cyclones, by the -difference of temperature between its air and its currents. -A shower of fire had succeeded the rain. The drops of water were -changed to sharp spikes. One would have thought that Captain Nemo -was courting a death worthy of himself, a death by lightning. -As the Nautilus, pitching dreadfully, raised its steel spur in the air, -it seemed to act as a conductor, and I saw long sparks burst from it. -Crushed and without strength I crawled to the panel, opened it, -and descended to the saloon. The storm was then at its height. -It was impossible to stand upright in the interior of the Nautilus. -Captain Nemo came down about twelve. I heard the reservoirs filling -by degrees, and the Nautilus sank slowly beneath the waves. -Through the open windows in the saloon I saw large fish terrified, -passing like phantoms in the water. Some were struck before my eyes. -The Nautilus was still descending. I thought that at about eight -fathoms deep we should find a calm. But no! the upper beds -were too violently agitated for that. We had to seek repose -at more than twenty-five fathoms in the bowels of the deep. -But there, what quiet, what silence, what peace! Who could have told -that such a hurricane had been let loose on the surface of that -ocean? - - - -CHAPTER XX - -FROM LATITUDE 47@ 24' TO LONGITUDE 17@ 28' - -In consequence of the storm, we had been thrown eastward once more. -All hope of escape on the shores of New York or St. Lawrence had faded away; -and poor Ned, in despair, had isolated himself like Captain Nemo. -Conseil and I, however, never left each other. I said that the Nautilus -had gone aside to the east. I should have said (to be more exact) -the north-east. For some days, it wandered first on the surface, -and then beneath it, amid those fogs so dreaded by sailors. -What accidents are due to these thick fogs! What shocks upon -these reefs when the wind drowns the breaking of the waves! -What collisions between vessels, in spite of their warning lights, -whistles, and alarm bells! And the bottoms of these seas look like -a field of battle, where still lie all the conquered of the ocean; -some old and already encrusted, others fresh and reflecting from their -iron bands and copper plates the brilliancy of our lantern. - -On the 15th of May we were at the extreme south of the Bank of Newfoundland. -This bank consists of alluvia, or large heaps of organic matter, -brought either from the Equator by the Gulf Stream, or from the North Pole -by the counter-current of cold water which skirts the American coast. -There also are heaped up those erratic blocks which are carried along -by the broken ice; and close by, a vast charnel-house of molluscs, -which perish here by millions. The depth of the sea is not great -at Newfoundland--not more than some hundreds of fathoms; but towards -the south is a depression of 1,500 fathoms. There the Gulf Stream widens. -It loses some of its speed and some of its temperature, but it -becomes a sea. - -It was on the 17th of May, about 500 miles from Heart's Content, -at a depth of more than 1,400 fathoms, that I saw the electric cable lying -on the bottom. Conseil, to whom I had not mentioned it, thought at first -that it was a gigantic sea-serpent. But I undeceived the worthy fellow, -and by way of consolation related several particulars in the laying -of this cable. The first one was laid in the years 1857 and 1858; -but, after transmitting about 400 telegrams, would not act any longer. -In 1863 the engineers constructed an other one, measuring 2,000 miles -in length, and weighing 4,500 tons, which was embarked on the Great Eastern. -This attempt also failed. - -On the 25th of May the Nautilus, being at a depth of more -than 1,918 fathoms, was on the precise spot where the rupture -occurred which ruined the enterprise. It was within 638 miles -of the coast of Ireland; and at half-past two in the afternoon -they discovered that communication with Europe had ceased. -The electricians on board resolved to cut the cable before -fishing it up, and at eleven o'clock at night they had recovered -the damaged part. They made another point and spliced it, -and it was once more submerged. But some days after it broke again, -and in the depths of the ocean could not be recaptured. -The Americans, however, were not discouraged. Cyrus Field, the bold -promoter of the enterprise, as he had sunk all his own fortune, -set a new subscription on foot, which was at once answered, -and another cable was constructed on better principles. -The bundles of conducting wires were each enveloped in gutta-percha, -and protected by a wadding of hemp, contained in a metallic covering. -The Great Eastern sailed on the 13th of July, 1866. The operation -worked well. But one incident occurred. Several times in -unrolling the cable they observed that nails had recently been -forced into it, evidently with the motive of destroying it. -Captain Anderson, the officers, and engineers consulted together, -and had it posted up that, if the offender was surprised on board, -he would be thrown without further trial into the sea. -From that time the criminal attempt was never repeated. - -On the 23rd of July the Great Eastern was not more than 500 miles -from Newfoundland, when they telegraphed from Ireland the news -of the armistice concluded between Prussia and Austria after Sadowa. -On the 27th, in the midst of heavy fogs, they reached the port -of Heart's Content. The enterprise was successfully terminated; -and for its first despatch, young America addressed old Europe in these -words of wisdom, so rarely understood: "Glory to God in the highest, -and on earth peace, goodwill towards men." - -I did not expect to find the electric cable in its -primitive state, such as it was on leaving the manufactory. -The long serpent, covered with the remains of shells, -bristling with foraminiferae, was encrusted with a strong coating -which served as a protection against all boring molluscs. -It lay quietly sheltered from the motions of the sea, and under -a favourable pressure for the transmission of the electric -spark which passes from Europe to America in .32 of a second. -Doubtless this cable will last for a great length of time, -for they find that the gutta-percha covering is improved -by the sea-water. Besides, on this level, so well chosen, -the cable is never so deeply submerged as to cause it to break. -The Nautilus followed it to the lowest depth, which was more than -2,212 fathoms, and there it lay without any anchorage; and then -we reached the spot where the accident had taken place in 1863. -The bottom of the ocean then formed a valley about 100 -miles broad, in which Mont Blanc might have been placed without -its summit appearing above the waves. This valley is closed -at the east by a perpendicular wall more than 2,000 yards high. -We arrived there on the 28th of May, and the Nautilus was then not -more than 120 miles from Ireland. - -Was Captain Nemo going to land on the British Isles? -No. To my great surprise he made for the south, once more coming -back towards European seas. In rounding the Emerald Isle, -for one instant I caught sight of Cape Clear, and the light which -guides the thousands of vessels leaving Glasgow or Liverpool. -An important question then arose in my mind. Did the Nautilus -dare entangle itself in the Manche? Ned Land, who had re-appeared -since we had been nearing land, did not cease to question me. -How could I answer? Captain Nemo reminded invisible. -After having shown the Canadian a glimpse of American shores, -was he going to show me the coast of France? - -But the Nautilus was still going southward. On the 30th of May, -it passed in sight of Land's End, between the extreme point -of England and the Scilly Isles, which were left to starboard. -If we wished to enter the Manche, he must go straight to the east. -He did not do so. - -During the whole of the 31st of May, the Nautilus described -a series of circles on the water, which greatly interested me. -It seemed to be seeking a spot it had some trouble in finding. -At noon, Captain Nemo himself came to work the ship's log. -He spoke no word to me, but seemed gloomier than ever. What could -sadden him thus? Was it his proxim ity to European shores? -Had he some recollections of his abandoned country? -If not, what did he feel? Remorse or regret? -For a long while this thought haunted my mind, and I had -a kind of presentiment that before long chance would betray -the captain's secrets. - -The next day, the 1st of June, the Nautilus continued the same process. -It was evidently seeking some particular spot in the ocean. -Captain Nemo took the sun's altitude as he had done the day before. -The sea was beautiful, the sky clear. About eight miles to the east, -a large steam vessel could be discerned on the horizon. -No flag fluttered from its mast, and I could not discover -its nationality. Some minutes before the sun passed the meridian, -Captain Nemo took his sextant, and watched with great attention. -The perfect rest of the water greatly helped the operation. -The Nautilus was motionless; it neither rolled nor pitched. - -I was on the platform when the altitude was taken, and the Captain -pronounced these words: "It is here." - -He turned and went below. Had he seen the vessel which -was changing its course and seemed to be nearing us? -I could not tell. I returned to the saloon. The panels closed, -I heard the hissing of the water in the reservoirs. -The Nautilus began to sink, following a vertical line, for its -screw communicated no motion to it. Some minutes later it stopped -at a depth of more than 420 fathoms, resting on the ground. -The luminous ceiling was darkened, then the panels were opened, -and through the glass I saw the sea brilliantly illuminated by -the rays of our lantern for at least half a mile round us. - -I looked to the port side, and saw nothing but an immensity -of quiet waters. But to starboard, on the bottom appeared -a large protuberance, which at once attracted my attention. -One would have thought it a ruin buried under a coating -of white shells, much resembling a covering of snow. -Upon examining the mass attentively, I could recognise -the ever-thickening form of a vessel bare of its masts, -which must have sunk. It certainly belonged to past times. -This wreck, to be thus encrusted with the lime of the water, -must already be able to count many years passed at the bottom -of the ocean. - -What was this vessel? Why did the Nautilus visit its tomb? -Could it have been aught but a shipwreck which had drawn it under the water? -I knew not what to think, when near me in a slow voice I heard -Captain Nemo say: - -"At one time this ship was called the Marseillais. It carried -seventy-four guns, and was launched in 1762. In 1778, the 13th of August, -commanded by La Poype-Ver trieux, it fought boldly against the Preston. -In 1779, on the 4th of July, it was at the taking of Grenada, -with the squadron of Admiral Estaing. In 1781, on the 5th of September, -it took part in the battle of Comte de Grasse, in Chesapeake Bay. -In 1794, the French Republic changed its name. On the 16th of April, -in the same year, it joined the squadron of Villaret Joyeuse, at Brest, -being entrusted with the escort of a cargo of corn coming from America, -under the command of Admiral Van Stebel. On the 11th and 12th Prairal -of the second year, this squadron fell in with an English vessel. -Sir, to-day is the 13th Prairal, the first of June, 1868. It is now -seventy-four years ago, day for day on this very spot, in latitude 47@ -24', longitude 17@ 28', that this vessel, after fighting heroically, -losing its three masts, with the water in its hold, and the third of its -crew disabled, preferred sinking with its 356 sailors to surrendering; -and, nailing its colours to the poop, disappeared under the waves to -the cry of `Long live the Republic!'" - -"The Avenger!" I exclaimed. - -"Yes, sir, the Avenger! A good name!" muttered Captain Nemo, -crossing his arms. - - - -CHAPTER XXI - -A HECATOMB - -The way of describing this unlooked-for scene, the history -of the patriot ship, told at first so coldly, and the emotion -with which this strange man pronounced the last words, -the name of the Avenger, the significance of which could -not escape me, all impressed itself deeply on my mind. -My eyes did not leave the Captain, who, with his hand stretched -out to sea, was watching with a glowing eye the glorious wreck. -Perhaps I was never to know who he was, from whence he came, -or where he was going to, but I saw the man move, and apart -from the savant. It was no common misanthropy which had -shut Captain Nemo and his companions within the Nautilus, -but a hatred, either monstrous or sublime, which time could -never weaken. Did this hatred still seek for vengeance? -The future would soon teach me that. But the Nautilus -was rising slowly to the surface of the sea, and the form -of the Avenger disappeared by degrees from my sight. -Soon a slight rolling told me that we were in the open air. -At that moment a dull boom was heard. I looked at the Captain. -He did not move. - -"Captain?" said I. - -He did not answer. I left him and mounted the platform. -Conseil and the Canadian were already there. - -"Where did that sound come from?" I asked. - -"It was a gunshot," replied Ned Land. - -I looked in the direction of the vessel I had already seen. -It was nearing the Nautilus, and we could see that it was putting on steam. -It was within six miles of us. - -"What is that ship, Ned?" - -"By its rigging, and the height of its lower masts," said the Canadian, -"I bet she is a ship-of-war. May it reach us; and, if necessary, -sink this cursed Nautilus." - -"Friend Ned," replied Conseil, "what harm can it do to the Nautilus? -Can it attack it beneath the waves? Can its cannonade us at the bottom -of the sea?" - -"Tell me, Ned," said I, "can you recognise what country she belongs to?" - -The Canadian knitted his eyebrows, dropped his eyelids, -and screwed up the corners of his eyes, and for a few moments -fixed a piercing look upon the vessel. - -"No, sir," he replied; "I cannot tell what nation she belongs to, -for she shows no colours. But I can declare she is a man-of-war, -for a long pennant flutters from her main mast." - -For a quarter of an hour we watched the ship which was steaming -towards us. I could not, however, believe that she could -see the Nautilus from that distance; and still less that she -could know what this submarine engine was. Soon the Canadian -informed me that she was a large, armoured, two-decker ram. -A thick black smoke was pouring from her two funnels. -Her closely-furled sails were stopped to her yards. -She hoisted no flag at her mizzen-peak. The distance -prevented us from distinguishing the colours of her pennant, -which floated like a thin ribbon. She advanced rapidly. -If Captain Nemo allowed her to approach, there was a chance of -salvation for us. - -"Sir," said Ned Land, "if that vessel passes within a mile of us I shall -throw myself into the sea, and I should advise you to do the same." - -I did not reply to the Canadian's suggestion, but continued -watching the ship. Whether English, French, American, or Russian, -she would be sure to take us in if we could only reach her. -Presently a white smoke burst from the fore part of the vessel; -some seconds after, the water, agitated by the fall of a heavy body, -splashed the stern of the Nautilus, and shortly afterwards a loud -explosion struck my ear. - -"What! they are firing at us!" I exclaimed. - -"So please you, sir," said Ned, "they have recognised the unicorn, -and they are firing at us." - -"But," I exclaimed, "surely they can see that there are men in the case?" - -"It is, perhaps, because of that," replied Ned Land, looking at me. - -A whole flood of light burst upon my mind. Doubtless they knew -now how to believe the stories of the pretended monster. No doubt, -on board the Abraham Lincoln, when the Canadian struck it with the harpoon, -Commander Farragut had recognised in the supposed narwhal a submarine vessel, -more dangerous than a supernatural cetacean. Yes, it must have been so; -and on every sea they were now seeking this engine of destruction. -Terrible indeed! if, as we supposed, Captain Nemo employed the Nautilus -in works of vengeance. On the night when we were imprisoned in that cell, -in the midst of the Indian Ocean, had he not attacked some vessel? -The man buried in the coral cemetery, had he not been a victim to -the shock caused by the Nautilus? Yes, I repeat it, it must be so. -One part of the mysterious existence of Captain Nemo had been unveiled; -and, if his identity had not been recognised, at least, the nations -united against him were no longer hunting a chimerical creature, -but a man who had vowed a deadly hatred against them. -All the formidable past rose before me. Instead of meeting friends -on board the approaching ship, we could only expect pitiless enemies. -But the shot rattled about us. Some of them struck the sea -and ricochetted, losing themselves in the distance. But none touched -the Nautilus. The vessel was not more than three miles from us. -In spite of the serious cannonade, Captain Nemo did not appear -on the platform; but, if one of the conical projectiles had struck -the shell of the Nautilus, it would have been fatal. The Canadian -then said, "Sir, we must do all we can to get out of this dilemma. -Let us signal them. They will then, perhaps, understand that we -are honest folks." - -Ned Land took his handkerchief to wave in the air; but he had -scarcely displayed it, when he was struck down by an iron hand, -and fell, in spite of his great strength, upon the deck. - -"Fool!" exclaimed the Captain, "do you wish to be pierced by the spur -of the Nautilus before it is hurled at this vessel?" - -Captain Nemo was terrible to hear; he was still more terrible to see. -His face was deadly pale, with a spasm at his heart. For an instant -it must have ceased to beat. His pupils were fearfully contracted. -He did not speak, he roared, as, with his body thrown forward, -he wrung the Canadian's shoulders. Then, leaving him, and turning -to the ship of war, whose shot was still raining around him, -he exclaimed, with a powerful voice, "Ah, ship of an accursed nation, -you know who I am! I do not want your colours to know you by! -Look! and I will show you mine!" - -And on the fore part of the platform Captain Nemo unfurled -a black flag, similar to the one he had placed at the South Pole. -At that moment a shot struck the shell of the Nautilus obliquely, -without piercing it; and, rebounding near the Captain, was lost in the sea. -He shrugged his shoulders; and, addressing me, said shortly, "Go down, -you and your companions, go down!" - -"Sir," I cried, "are you going to attack this vessel?" - -"Sir, I am going to sink it." - -"You will not do that?" - -"I shall do it," he replied coldly. "And I advise you not to -judge me, sir. Fate has shown you what you ought not to have seen. -The attack has begun; go down." - -"What is this vessel?" - -"You do not know? Very well! so much the better! -Its nationality to you, at least, will be a secret. Go down!" - -We could but obey. About fifteen of the sailors surrounded the Captain, -looking with implacable hatred at the vessel nearing them. -One could feel that the same desire of vengeance animated every soul. -I went down at the moment another projectile struck the Nautilus, and I -heard the Captain exclaim: - -"Strike, mad vessel! Shower your useless shot! And then, you will not -escape the spur of the Nautilus. But it is not here that you shall perish! -I would not have your ruins mingle with those of the Avenger!" - -I reached my room. The Captain and his second had remained on the platform. -The screw was set in motion, and the Nautilus, moving with speed, -was soon beyond the reach of the ship's guns. But the pursuit continued, -and Captain Nemo contented himself with keeping his distance. - -About four in the afternoon, being no longer able to -contain my impatience, I went to the central staircase. -The panel was open, and I ventured on to the platform. -The Captain was still walking up and down with an agitated step. -He was looking at the ship, which was five or six miles to leeward. - -He was going round it like a wild beast, and, drawing it eastward, -he allowed them to pursue. But he did not attack. -Perhaps he still hesitated? I wished to mediate once more. -But I had scarcely spoken, when Captain Nemo imposed silence, saying: - -"I am the law, and I am the judge! I am the oppressed, and there is -the oppressor! Through him I have lost all that I loved, cherished, -and venerated--country, wife, children, father, and mother. -I saw all perish! All that I hate is there! Say no more!" - -I cast a last look at the man-of-war, which was putting on steam, -and rejoined Ned and Conseil. - -"We will fly!" I exclaimed. - -"Good!" said Ned. "What is this vessel?" - -"I do not know; but, whatever it is, it will be sunk before night. -In any case, it is better to perish with it, than be made accomplices -in a retaliation the justice of which we cannot judge." - -"That is my opinion too," said Ned Land, coolly. "Let us wait for night." - -Night arrived. Deep silence reigned on board. -The compass showed that the Nautilus had not altered its course. -It was on the surface, rolling slightly. My companions and I -resolved to fly when the vessel should be near enough either -to hear us or to see us; for the moon, which would be full -in two or three days, shone brightly. Once on board the ship, -if we could not prevent the blow which threatened it, we could, -at least we would, do all that circumstances would allow. -Several times I thought the Nautilus was preparing for attack; -but Captain Nemo contented himself with allowing his adversary -to approach, and then fled once more before it. - -Part of the night passed without any incident. We watched the -opportunity for action. We spoke little, for we were too much moved. -Ned Land would have thrown himself into the sea, but I forced him to wait. -According to my idea, the Nautilus would attack the ship at her waterline, -and then it would not only be possible, but easy to fly. - -At three in the morning, full of uneasiness, I mounted the platform. -Captain Nemo had not left it. He was standing at the fore part near -his flag, which a slight breeze displayed above his head. He did not take -his eyes from the vessel. The intensity of his look seemed to attract, -and fascinate, and draw it onward more surely than if he had been towing it. -The moon was then passing the meridian. Jupiter was rising in the east. -Amid this peaceful scene of nature, sky and ocean rivalled each other -in tranquillity, the sea offering to the orbs of night the finest mirror -they could ever have in which to reflect their image. As I thought of -the deep calm of these elements, compared with all those passions brooding -imperceptibly within the Nautilus, I shuddered. - -The vessel was within two miles of us. It was ever nearing that -phosphorescent light which showed the presence of the Nautilus. -I could see its green and red lights, and its white lantern hanging -from the large foremast. An indistinct vibration quivered through -its rigging, showing that the furnaces were heated to the uttermost. -Sheaves of sparks and red ashes flew from the funnels, shining in the -atmosphere like stars. - -I remained thus until six in the morning, without Captain Nemo noticing me. -The ship stood about a mile and a half from us, and with the first dawn -of day the firing began afresh. The moment could not be far off when, -the Nautilus attacking its adversary, my companions and myself should -for ever leave this man. I was preparing to go down to remind them, -when the second mounted the platform, accompanied by several sailors. -Captain Nemo either did not or would not see them. Some steps were taken -which might be called the signal for action. They were very simple. -The iron balustrade around the platform was lowered, and the lantern and pilot -cages were pushed within the shell until they were flush with the deck. -The long surface of the steel cigar no longer offered a single point to check -its manoeuvres. I returned to the saloon. The Nautilus still floated; -some streaks of light were filtering through the liquid beds. -With the undulations of the waves the windows were brightened by -the red streaks of the rising sun, and this dreadful day of the 2nd of -June had dawned. - -At five o'clock, the log showed that the speed of the Nautilus -was slackening, and I knew that it was allowing them to -draw nearer. Besides, the reports were heard more distinctly, -and the projectiles, labouring through the ambient water, -were extinguished with a strange hissing noise. - -"My friends," said I, "the moment is come. One grasp of the hand, -and may God protect us!" - -Ned Land was resolute, Conseil calm, myself so nervous -that I knew not how to contain myself. We all passed into -the library; but the moment I pushed the door opening on to -the central staircase, I heard the upper panel close sharply. -The Canadian rushed on to the stairs, but I stopped him. -A well-known hissing noise told me that the water was running -into the reservoirs, and in a few minutes the Nautilus -was some yards beneath the surface of the waves. -I understood the manoeuvre. It was too late to act. -The Nautilus did not wish to strike at the impenetrable cuirass, -but below the water-line, where the metallic covering no -longer protected it. - -We were again imprisoned, unwilling witnesses of the dreadful -drama that was preparing. We had scarcely time to reflect; -taking refuge in my room, we looked at each other without speaking. -A deep stupor had taken hold of my mind: thought seemed to stand still. -I was in that painful state of expectation preceding a dreadful report. -I waited, I listened, every sense was merged in that of hearing! -The speed of the Nautilus was accelerated. It was preparing to rush. -The whole ship trembled. Suddenly I screamed. I felt the shock, -but comparatively light. I felt the penetrating power of the steel spur. -I heard rattlings and scrapings. But the Nautilus, carried along -by its propelling power, passed through the mass of the vessel like a -needle through sailcloth! - -I could stand it no longer. Mad, out of my mind, I rushed -from my room into the saloon. Captain Nemo was there, -mute, gloomy, implacable; he was looking through the port panel. -A large mass cast a shadow on the water; and, that it might -lose nothing of her agony, the Nautilus was going down into -the abyss with her. Ten yards from me I saw the open shell, -through which the water was rushing with the noise of thunder, -then the double line of guns and the netting. The bridge was -covered with black, agitated shadows. - -The water was rising. The poor creatures were crowding the ratlines, -clinging to the masts, struggling under the water. It was a human ant-heap -overtaken by the sea. Paralysed, stiffened with anguish, my hair standing -on end, with eyes wide open, panting, without breath, and without voice, -I too was watching! An irresistible attraction glued me to the glass! -Suddenly an explosion took place. The compressed air blew up her decks, -as if the magazines had caught fire. Then the unfortunate vessel sank -more rapidly. Her topmast, laden with victims, now appeared; then her spars, -bending under the weight of men; and, last of all, the top of her mainmast. -Then the dark mass disappeared, and with it the dead crew, drawn down by -the strong eddy. - -I turned to Captain Nemo. That terrible avenger, a perfect -archangel of hatred, was still looking. When all was over, -he turned to his room, opened the door, and entered. -I followed him with my eyes. On the end wall beneath his heroes, -I saw the portrait of a woman, still young, and two little children. -Captain Nemo looked at them for some moments, stretched his arms -towards them, and, kneeling down, burst into deep sobs. - - - -CHAPTER XXII - -THE LAST WORDS OF CAPTAIN NEMO - -The panels had closed on this dreadful vision, but light had not returned -to the saloon: all was silence and darkness within the Nautilus. -At wonderful speed, a hundred feet beneath the water, it was leaving -this desolate spot. Whither was it going? To the north or south? -Where was the man flying to after such dreadful retaliation? -I had returned to my room, where Ned and Conseil had remained silent enough. -I felt an insurmountable horror for Captain Nemo. Whatever he had -suffered at the hands of these men, he had no right to punish thus. -He had made me, if not an accomplice, at least a witness of his vengeance. -At eleven the electric light reappeared. I passed into the saloon. -It was deserted. I consulted the different instruments. The Nautilus was -flying northward at the rate of twenty-five miles an hour, now on the surface, -and now thirty feet below it. On taking the bearings by the chart, -I saw that we were passing the mouth of the Manche, and that our course -was hurrying us towards the northern seas at a frightful speed. That night -we had crossed two hundred leagues of the Atlantic. The shadows fell, -and the sea was covered with darkness until the rising of the moon. I went -to my room, but could not sleep. I was troubled with dreadful nightmare. -The horrible scene of destruction was continually before my eyes. -From that day, who could tell into what part of the North Atlantic -basin the Nautilus would take us? Still with unaccountable speed. -Still in the midst of these northern fogs. Would it touch at Spitzbergen, -or on the shores of Nova Zembla? Should we explore those unknown seas, -the White Sea, the Sea of Kara, the Gulf of Obi, the Archipelago of Liarrov, -and the unknown coast of Asia? I could not say. I could no longer judge -of the time that was passing. The clocks had been stopped on board. -It seemed, as in polar countries, that night and day no longer followed -their regular course. I felt myself being drawn into that strange -region where the foundered imagination of Edgar Poe roamed at will. -Like the fabulous Gordon Pym, at every moment I expected to see "that veiled -human figure, of larger proportions than those of any inhabitant of the earth, -thrown across the cataract which defends the approach to the pole." -I estimated (though, perhaps, I may be mistaken)--I estimated this -adventurous course of the Nautilus to have lasted fifteen or twenty days. -And I know not how much longer it might have lasted, had it not been -for the catastrophe which ended this voyage. Of Captain Nemo I saw nothing -whatever now, nor of his second. Not a man of the crew was visible for -an instant. The Nautilus was almost incessantly under water. When we came -to the surface to renew the air, the panels opened and shut mechanically. -There were no more marks on the planisphere. I knew not where we were. -And the Canadian, too, his strength and patience at an end, appeared no more. -Conseil could not draw a word from him; and, fearing that, in a dreadful -fit of madness, he might kill himself, watched him with constant devotion. -One morning (what date it was I could not say) I had fallen into a heavy -sleep towards the early hours, a sleep both painful and unhealthy, when I -suddenly awoke. Ned Land was leaning over me, saying, in a low voice, -"We are going to fly." I sat up. - -"When shall we go?" I asked. - -"To-night. All inspection on board the Nautilus seems to have ceased. -All appear to be stupefied. You will be ready, sir?" - -"Yes; where are we?" - -"In sight of land. I took the reckoning this morning in the fog-- -twenty miles to the east." - -"What country is it?" - -"I do not know; but, whatever it is, we will take refuge there." - -"Yes, Ned, yes. We will fly to-night, even if the sea should swallow us up." - -"The sea is bad, the wind violent, but twenty miles in that light -boat of the Nautilus does not frighten me. Unknown to the crew, -I have been able to procure food and some bottles of water." - -"I will follow you." - -"But," continued the Canadian, "if I am surprised, I will defend myself; -I will force them to kill me." - -"We will die together, friend Ned." - -I had made up my mind to all. The Canadian left me. -I reached the platform, on which I could with difficulty support -myself against the shock of the waves. The sky was threatening; -but, as land was in those thick brown shadows, we must fly. -I returned to the saloon, fearing and yet hoping to see Captain Nemo, -wishing and yet not wishing to see him. What could I have said to him? -Could I hide the involuntary horror with which he inspired me? -No. It was better that I should not meet him face to face; -better to forget him. And yet---- How long seemed that day, the last -that I should pass in the Nautilus. I remained alone. Ned Land -and Conseil avoided speaking, for fear of betraying themselves. -At six I dined, but I was not hungry; I forced myself to eat in spite -of my disgust, that I might not weaken myself. At half-past six -Ned Land came to my room, saying, "We shall not see each other -again before our departure. At ten the moon will not be risen. -We will profit by the darkness. Come to the boat; Conseil and I -will wait for you." - -The Canadian went out without giving me time to answer. -Wishing to verify the course of the Nautilus, I went to the saloon. -We were running N.N.E. at frightful speed, and more than fifty yards deep. -I cast a last look on these wonders of nature, on the riches of art -heaped up in this museum, upon the unrivalled collection destined -to perish at the bottom of the sea, with him who had formed it. -I wished to fix an indelible impression of it in my mind. -I remained an hour thus, bathed in the light of that luminous ceiling, -and passing in review those treasures shining under their glasses. -Then I returned to my room. - -I dressed myself in strong sea clothing. I collected my notes, -placing them carefully about me. My heart beat loudly. -I could not check its pulsations. Certainly my trouble and agitation -would have betrayed me to Captain Nemo's eyes. What was he doing -at this moment? I listened at the door of his room. I heard steps. -Captain Nemo was there. He had not gone to rest. At every moment -I expected to see him appear, and ask me why I wished to fly. -I was constantly on the alert. My imagination magnified everything. -The impression became at last so poignant that I asked myself if it -would not be better to go to the Captain's room, see him face to face, -and brave him with look and gesture. - -It was the inspiration of a madman; fortunately I resisted the desire, -and stretched myself on my bed to quiet my bodily agitation. -My nerves were somewhat calmer, but in my excited brain I saw -over again all my existence on board the Nautilus; every incident, -either happy or unfortunate, which had happened since my disappearance -from the Abraham Lincoln--the submarine hunt, the Torres Straits, -the savages of Papua, the running ashore, the coral cemetery, -the passage of Suez, the Island of Santorin, the Cretan diver, -Vigo Bay, Atlantis, the iceberg, the South Pole, the imprisonment -in the ice, the fight among the poulps, the storm in the Gulf Stream, -the Avenger, and the horrible scene of the vessel sunk with all her crew. -All these events passed before my eyes like scenes in a drama. -Then Captain Nemo seemed to grow enormously, his features to assume -superhuman proportions. He was no longer my equal, but a man of the waters, -the genie of the sea. - -It was then half-past nine. I held my head between my hands to keep -it from bursting. I closed my eyes; I would not think any longer. -There was another half-hour to wait, another half-hour of a nightmare, -which might drive me mad. - -At that moment I heard the distant strains of the organ, a sad harmony to an -undefinable chant, the wail of a soul longing to break these earthly bonds. -I listened with every sense, scarcely breathing; plunged, like Captain Nemo, -in that musical ecstasy, which was drawing him in spirit to the end of life. - -Then a sudden thought terrified me. Captain Nemo had left his room. -He was in the saloon, which I must cross to fly. There I should -meet him for the last time. He would see me, perhaps speak to me. -A gesture of his might destroy me, a single word chain me on board. - -But ten was about to strike. The moment had come for me to leave my room, -and join my companions. - -I must not hesitate, even if Captain Nemo himself should rise before me. -I opened my door carefully; and even then, as it turned on its hinges, -it seemed to me to make a dreadful noise. Perhaps it only existed in -my own imagination. - -I crept along the dark stairs of the Nautilus, stopping at each step -to check the beating of my heart. I reached the door of the saloon, -and opened it gently. It was plunged in profound darkness. -The strains of the organ sounded faintly. Captain Nemo was there. -He did not see me. In the full light I do not think he would have -noticed me, so entirely was he absorbed in the ecstasy. - -I crept along the carpet, avoiding the slightest sound which might -betray my presence. I was at least five minutes reaching the door, -at the opposite side, opening into the library. - -I was going to open it, when a sigh from Captain Nemo nailed me to the spot. -I knew that he was rising. I could even see him, for the light from -the library came through to the saloon. He came towards me silently, -with his arms crossed, gliding like a spectre rather than walking. -His breast was swelling with sobs; and I heard him murmur these words -(the last which ever struck my ear): - -"Almighty God! enough! enough!" - -Was it a confession of remorse which thus escaped from this man's conscience? - -In desperation, I rushed through the library, mounted the central -staircase, and, following the upper flight, reached the boat. -I crept through the opening, which had already admitted -my two companions. - -"Let us go! let us go!" I exclaimed. - -"Directly!" replied the Canadian. - -The orifice in the plates of the Nautilus was first closed, -and fastened down by means of a false key, with which Ned Land -had provided himself; the opening in the boat was also closed. -The Canadian began to loosen the bolts which still held us to -the submarine boat. - -Suddenly a noise was heard. Voices were answering each other loudly. -What was the matter? Had they discovered our flight? -I felt Ned Land slipping a dagger into my hand. - -"Yes," I murmured, "we know how to die!" - -The Canadian had stopped in his work. But one word many times repeated, -a dreadful word, revealed the cause of the agitation spreading on board -the Nautilus. It was not we the crew were looking after! - -"The maelstrom! the maelstrom!" Could a more dreadful word in a more -dreadful situation have sounded in our ears! We were then upon -the dangerous coast of Norway. Was the Nautilus being drawn into -this gulf at the moment our boat was going to leave its sides? -We knew that at the tide the pent-up waters between the islands -of Ferroe and Loffoden rush with irresistible violence, -forming a whirlpool from which no vessel ever escapes. -From every point of the horizon enormous waves were meeting, -forming a gulf justly called the "Navel of the Ocean," -whose power of attraction extends to a distance of twelve miles. -There, not only vessels, but whales are sacrificed, as well as white -bears from the northern regions. - -It is thither that the Nautilus, voluntarily or involuntarily, -had been run by the Captain. - -It was describing a spiral, the circumference of which was lessening -by degrees, and the boat, which was still fastened to its side, -was carried along with giddy speed. I felt that sickly giddiness -which arises from long-continued whirling round. - -We were in dread. Our horror was at its height, circulation had stopped, -all nervous influence was annihilated, and we were covered with cold sweat, -like a sweat of agony! And what noise around our frail bark! -What roarings repeated by the echo miles away! What an uproar was that -of the waters broken on the sharp rocks at the bottom, where the hardest -bodies are crushed, and trees worn away, "with all the fur rubbed off," -according to the Norwegian phrase! - -What a situation to be in! We rocked frightfully. The Nautilus -defended itself like a human being. Its steel muscles cracked. -Sometimes it seemed to stand upright, and we with it! - -"We must hold on," said Ned, "and look after the bolts. -We may still be saved if we stick to the Nautilus." - -He had not finished the words, when we heard a crashing noise, -the bolts gave way, and the boat, torn from its groove, was hurled -like a stone from a sling into the midst of the whirlpool. - -My head struck on a piece of iron, and with the violent shock -I lost all consciousness. - - - -CHAPTER XXIII - -CONCLUSION - -Thus ends the voyage under the seas. What passed during that night-- -how the boat escaped from the eddies of the maelstrom-- -how Ned Land, Conseil, and myself ever came out of the gulf, -I cannot tell. - -But when I returned to consciousness, I was lying in a fisherman's hut, -on the Loffoden Isles. My two companions, safe and sound, were near me -holding my hands. We embraced each other heartily. - -At that moment we could not think of returning to France. The means -of communication between the north of Norway and the south are rare. -And I am therefore obliged to wait for the steamboat running monthly -from Cape North. - -And, among the worthy people who have so kindly received us, -I revise my record of these adventures once more. -Not a fact has been omitted, not a detail exaggerated. -It is a faithful narrative of this incredible expedition in an -element inaccessible to man, but to which Progress will one day -open a road. - -Shall I be believed? I do not know. And it matters little, after all. -What I now affirm is, that I have a right to speak of these seas, under which, -in less than ten months, I have crossed 20,000 leagues in that submarine tour -of the world, which has revealed so many wonders. - -But what has become of the Nautilus? Did it resist the pressure -of the maelstrom? Does Captain Nemo still live? And does -he still follow under the ocean those frightful retaliations? -Or, did he stop after the last hecatomb? - -Will the waves one day carry to him this manuscript containing -the history of his life? Shall I ever know the name of this man? -Will the missing vessel tell us by its nationality that of Captain Nemo? - -I hope so. And I also hope that his powerful vessel has conquered -the sea at its most terrible gulf, and that the Nautilus has survived -where so many other vessels have been lost! If it be so--if Captain -Nemo still inhabits the ocean, his adopted country, may hatred be -appeased in that savage heart! May the contemplation of so many wonders -extinguish for ever the spirit of vengeance! May the judge disappear, -and the philosopher continue the peaceful exploration of the sea! -If his destiny be strange, it is also sublime. Have I not understood -it myself? Have I not lived ten months of this unnatural life? -And to the question asked by Ecclesiastes three thousand years ago, -"That which is far off and exceeding deep, who can find it out?" -two men alone of all now living have the right to give an answer---- - -CAPTAIN NEMO AND MYSELF. - - -The end of Project Gutenberg etext of "Twenty Thousand Leagues -Under the Sea" - - -I have made the following changes to the text: - -PAGE LINE ORIGINAL CHANGED TO - 32 36 mizen-mast mizzen-mast - 66 5 Arronax Aronnax - 87 33 zoophites zoophytes - 89 22 aparatus apparatus - 96 28 dirunal diurnal - 97 8 Arronax Aronnax - 123 23 porphry porphyry - 141 8 Arronax Aronnax - 146 30 sideral sidereal - 177 30 Arronax Aronnax - 223 4 commmit commit - 258 16 swiftiest swiftest - 274 2 occured occurred - - |