TWENTY THOUSAND LEAGUES UNDER THE SEA 1

TWENTY THOUSAND
LEAGUES UNDER THE SEA
by JULES VERNE
PART ONE
CHAPTER I 2

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
CHAPTER I 3

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.
CHAPTER I 4

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.
CHAPTER I 5

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.
CHAPTER I 6

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
CHAPTER I 7

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.
CHAPTER I 8

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
CHAPTER I 9

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 10

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
CHAPTER II 11

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
CHAPTER II 12

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.
CHAPTER II 13

"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
CHAPTER II 14

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
CHAPTER II 15

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
CHAPTER II 16

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.
CHAPTER II 17

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 18

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
CHAPTER III 19

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.
CHAPTER III 20

"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."
CHAPTER III 21

"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.
CHAPTER III 22

"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.
CHAPTER III 23

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 24

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
CHAPTER IV 25

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
CHAPTER IV 26

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
CHAPTER IV 27

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
CHAPTER IV 28

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!"
CHAPTER IV 29

"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
CHAPTER IV 30

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."

CHAPTER IV 31

"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.

CHAPTER IV 32

"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 33

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
CHAPTER V 34

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
CHAPTER V 35

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
CHAPTER V 36

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.
CHAPTER V 37

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
CHAPTER V 38

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
CHAPTER V 39

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
CHAPTER V 40

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 41

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.
CHAPTER VI 42

"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
CHAPTER VI 43

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."
CHAPTER VI 44

"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.
CHAPTER VI 45

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
CHAPTER VI 46

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:
CHAPTER VI 47

"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.
CHAPTER VI 48

"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?"

CHAPTER VI 49

"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.

CHAPTER VI 50

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!
CHAPTER VI 51

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:
CHAPTER VI 52

"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.
CHAPTER VI 53

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 54

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!

CHAPTER VII 55

"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."
CHAPTER VII 56

"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.
CHAPTER VII 57

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
CHAPTER VII 58

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!
CHAPTER VII 59

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?"

CHAPTER VII 60

"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.

CHAPTER VII 61

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."

CHAPTER VII 62

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.
CHAPTER VII 63

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
CHAPTER VII 64

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 65

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."
CHAPTER VIII 66

"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
CHAPTER VIII 67

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.
CHAPTER VIII 68

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
CHAPTER VIII 69

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
CHAPTER VIII 70

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
CHAPTER VIII 71

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?"
CHAPTER VIII 72

"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
CHAPTER VIII 73

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
CHAPTER VIII 74

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
CHAPTER VIII 75

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 76

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
CHAPTER IX 77

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
CHAPTER IX 78

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?"

CHAPTER IX 79

"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
CHAPTER IX 80

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 81

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,
CHAPTER X 82

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
CHAPTER X 83

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
CHAPTER X 84

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
CHAPTER X 85

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.
CHAPTER X 86

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.
CHAPTER X 87

"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?"
CHAPTER X 88

"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?"
CHAPTER X 89

"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
CHAPTER X 90

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.
CHAPTER X 91

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
CHAPTER X 92

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
CHAPTER X 93

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,
CHAPTER X 94

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,
CHAPTER X 95

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
CHAPTER X 96

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."
CHAPTER X 97

"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
CHAPTER X 98

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
CHAPTER X 99

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
CHAPTER X 100

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
CHAPTER X 101

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.

CHAPTER X 102

"Be so good as to sit down," he said. I seated myself, and

he began thus:
CHAPTER XI 103

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?"
CHAPTER XI 104

"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."
CHAPTER XI 105

"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
CHAPTER XI 106

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
CHAPTER XI 107

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
CHAPTER XI 108

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
CHAPTER XI 109

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
CHAPTER XI 110

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 111

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
CHAPTER XII 112

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
CHAPTER XII 113

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."
CHAPTER XII 114

"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----"
CHAPTER XII 115

"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
CHAPTER XII 116

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
CHAPTER XII 117

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.
CHAPTER XII 118

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
CHAPTER XII 119

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 120

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.
CHAPTER XIII 121

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.
CHAPTER XIII 122

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.
CHAPTER XIII 123

"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
CHAPTER XIII 124

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."
CHAPTER XIII 125

"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.

CHAPTER XIII 126

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.
CHAPTER XIII 127

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;
CHAPTER XIII 128

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
CHAPTER XIII 129

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 130

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.
CHAPTER XIV 131

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
CHAPTER XIV 132

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."

CHAPTER XIV 133

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.
CHAPTER XIV 134

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
CHAPTER XIV 135

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.
CHAPTER XIV 136

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."
CHAPTER XIV 137

"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
CHAPTER XIV 138

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
CHAPTER XIV 139

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
CHAPTER XIV 140

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
CHAPTER XIV 141

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 142

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.

CHAPTER XV 143

"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.
CHAPTER XV 144

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
CHAPTER XV 145

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
CHAPTER XV 146

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,
CHAPTER XV 147

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.
CHAPTER XV 148

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
CHAPTER XV 149

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
CHAPTER XV 150

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 151

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
CHAPTER XVI 152

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.
CHAPTER XVI 153

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
CHAPTER XVI 154

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
CHAPTER XVI 155

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
CHAPTER XVI 156

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,
CHAPTER XVI 157

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
CHAPTER XVI 158

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.
CHAPTER XVI 159

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 160

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
CHAPTER XVII 161

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
CHAPTER XVII 162

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?"
CHAPTER XVII 163

"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
CHAPTER XVII 164

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
CHAPTER XVII 165

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.
CHAPTER XVII 166

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
CHAPTER XVII 167

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.
CHAPTER XVII 168

However, the Nautilus, turning, went round the submerged

vessel, and in one instant I read on the stern--"The Florida,
Sunderland."
CHAPTER XVIII 169

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:
CHAPTER XVIII 170

"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
CHAPTER XVIII 171

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
CHAPTER XVIII 172

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
CHAPTER XVIII 173

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.
CHAPTER XVIII 174

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.
CHAPTER XVIII 175

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
CHAPTER XVIII 176

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
CHAPTER XVIII 177

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
CHAPTER XVIII 178

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
CHAPTER XVIII 179

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 180

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
CHAPTER XIX 181

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
CHAPTER XIX 182

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,
CHAPTER XIX 183

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.
CHAPTER XIX 184

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.

CHAPTER XIX 185

"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."
CHAPTER XIX 186

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."
CHAPTER XIX 187

"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
CHAPTER XIX 188

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."
CHAPTER XIX 189

"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 190

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.
CHAPTER XX 191

"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.

CHAPTER XX 192

"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
CHAPTER XX 193

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
CHAPTER XX 194

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.

CHAPTER XX 195

"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
CHAPTER XX 196

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.

CHAPTER XX 197

"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
CHAPTER XX 198

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
CHAPTER XX 199

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.
CHAPTER XX 200

"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.
CHAPTER XX 201

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.
CHAPTER XX 202

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
CHAPTER XX 203

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 204

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.
CHAPTER XXI 205

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.

CHAPTER XXI 206

"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
CHAPTER XXI 207

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
CHAPTER XXI 208

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.
CHAPTER XXI 209

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
CHAPTER XXI 210

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?"
CHAPTER XXI 211

"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!"

CHAPTER XXI 212

"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
CHAPTER XXI 213

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."
CHAPTER XXI 214

"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."

CHAPTER XXI 215

"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
CHAPTER XXI 216

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.
CHAPTER XXI 217

"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.
CHAPTER XXI 218

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?"

CHAPTER XXI 219

"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.
CHAPTER XXI 220

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
CHAPTER XXI 221

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 222

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.
CHAPTER XXII 223

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
CHAPTER XXII 224

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.
CHAPTER XXII 225

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
CHAPTER XXII 226

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.
CHAPTER XXII 227

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.
CHAPTER XXII 228

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.
CHAPTER XXII 229

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."
CHAPTER XXII 230

"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
CHAPTER XXII 231

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.

CHAPTER XXII 232

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 233

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.
CHAPTER XXIII 234

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.
CHAPTER XXIII 235

"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
CHAPTER XXIII 236

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.
CHAPTER XXIII 237

"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
CHAPTER XXIII 238

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?"

CHAPTER XXIII 239

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,
CHAPTER XXIII 240

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.
CHAPTER XXIII 241

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
CHAPTER XXIII 242

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,
CHAPTER XXIII 243

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."
CHAPTER XXIII 244

"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 245

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,
CHAPTER I 246

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
CHAPTER I 247

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.
CHAPTER I 248

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
CHAPTER I 249

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
CHAPTER I 250

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.
CHAPTER I 251

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
CHAPTER I 252

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.
CHAPTER I 253

"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 254

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."
CHAPTER II 255

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."
CHAPTER II 256

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
CHAPTER II 257

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."

CHAPTER II 258

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."
CHAPTER II 259

"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?"
CHAPTER II 260

"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."
CHAPTER II 261

"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."

CHAPTER II 262

"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 263

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
CHAPTER III 264

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
CHAPTER III 265

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.
CHAPTER III 266

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.
CHAPTER III 267

"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
CHAPTER III 268

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.
CHAPTER III 269

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.
CHAPTER III 270

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.
CHAPTER III 271

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
CHAPTER III 272

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.
CHAPTER III 273

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
CHAPTER III 274

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
CHAPTER III 275

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.

CHAPTER III 276

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:
CHAPTER III 277

"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 278

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.
CHAPTER IV 279

"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."
CHAPTER IV 280

"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
CHAPTER IV 281

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
CHAPTER IV 282

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
CHAPTER IV 283

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.
CHAPTER IV 284

"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
CHAPTER IV 285

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
CHAPTER IV 286

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."
CHAPTER IV 287

"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?"
CHAPTER IV 288

"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."
CHAPTER IV 289

"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
CHAPTER IV 290

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.
CHAPTER IV 291

"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?"
CHAPTER IV 292

"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
CHAPTER IV 293

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 294

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.
CHAPTER V 295

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,
CHAPTER V 296

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."
CHAPTER V 297

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.
CHAPTER V 298

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."
CHAPTER V 299

"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.

CHAPTER V 300

"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

ght 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.
CHAPTER V 301

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
CHAPTER V 302

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
CHAPTER V 303

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,
CHAPTER V 304

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
CHAPTER V 305

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
CHAPTER V 306

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
CHAPTER V 307

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
CHAPTER V 308

we got on board as the first rays of light whitened the

surface of the ocean.
CHAPTER X 309

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
CHAPTER X 310

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
CHAPTER X 311

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
CHAPTER X 312

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
CHAPTER X 313

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?"

CHAPTER X 314

"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.
CHAPTER X 315

"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
CHAPTER X 316

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
CHAPTER X 317

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
CHAPTER X 318

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
CHAPTER X 319

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
CHAPTER X 320

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
CHAPTER X 321

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 322

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
CHAPTER XI 323

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
CHAPTER XI 324

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.
CHAPTER XI 325

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
CHAPTER XI 326

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
CHAPTER XI 327

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
CHAPTER XI 328

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 329

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."
CHAPTER XII 330

"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?"
CHAPTER XII 331

"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
CHAPTER XII 332

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
CHAPTER XII 333

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?"

CHAPTER XII 334

"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.
CHAPTER XII 335

"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.

CHAPTER XII 336

"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?"
CHAPTER XII 337

"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:
CHAPTER XII 338

"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
CHAPTER XII 339

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
CHAPTER XII 340

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
CHAPTER XII 341

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."
CHAPTER XII 342

"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
CHAPTER XII 343

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 344

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
CHAPTER XIII 345

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
CHAPTER XIII 346

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
CHAPTER XIII 347

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.
CHAPTER XIII 348

"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
CHAPTER XIII 349

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.
CHAPTER XIII 350

"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!"
CHAPTER XIII 351

"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."
CHAPTER XIII 352

"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."
CHAPTER XIII 353

"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
CHAPTER XIII 354

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.
CHAPTER XIII 355

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
CHAPTER XIII 356

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 357

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,
CHAPTER XIV 358

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.
CHAPTER XIV 359

"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@
CHAPTER XIV 360

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
CHAPTER XIV 361

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
CHAPTER XIV 362

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
CHAPTER XIV 363

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
CHAPTER XIV 364

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.

CHAPTER XIV 365

"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:
CHAPTER XIV 366

"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
CHAPTER XIV 367

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?"

CHAPTER XIV 368

"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
CHAPTER XIV 369

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.
CHAPTER XIV 370

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
CHAPTER XIV 371

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
CHAPTER XIV 372

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 373

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
CHAPTER XV 374

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."
CHAPTER XV 375

"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;
CHAPTER XV 376

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."
CHAPTER XV 377

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
CHAPTER XV 378

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
CHAPTER XV 379

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?"

CHAPTER XV 380

"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.
CHAPTER XV 381

"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.
CHAPTER XV 382

"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."
CHAPTER XV 383

"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 384

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."
CHAPTER XVI 385

"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.

CHAPTER XVI 386

"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
CHAPTER XVI 387

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
CHAPTER XVI 388

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
CHAPTER XVI 389

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
CHAPTER XVI 390

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?"

CHAPTER XVI 391

"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!"
CHAPTER XVI 392

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.
CHAPTER XVI 393

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
CHAPTER XVI 394

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.
CHAPTER XVI 395

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
CHAPTER XVI 396

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.
CHAPTER XVI 397

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
CHAPTER XVI 398

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 399

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.
CHAPTER XVII 400

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.
CHAPTER XVII 401

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
CHAPTER XVII 402

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
CHAPTER XVII 403

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
CHAPTER XVII 404

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 405

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
CHAPTER XVIII 406

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."
CHAPTER XVIII 407

"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
CHAPTER XVIII 408

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.

CHAPTER XVIII 409

"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?"

CHAPTER XVIII 410

"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
CHAPTER XVIII 411

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,
CHAPTER XVIII 412

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.

CHAPTER XVIII 413

"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?"

CHAPTER XVIII 414

"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
CHAPTER XVIII 415

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,
CHAPTER XVIII 416

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,
CHAPTER XVIII 417

gazed upon the sea that had swallowed up one of his

companions, and great tears gathered in his eyes.
CHAPTER XIX 418

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
CHAPTER XIX 419

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
CHAPTER XIX 420

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
CHAPTER XIX 421

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.

CHAPTER XIX 422

"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?"
CHAPTER XIX 423

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.
CHAPTER XIX 424

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."
CHAPTER XIX 425

"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."
CHAPTER XIX 426

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,
CHAPTER XIX 427

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
CHAPTER XIX 428

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
CHAPTER XIX 429

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 430

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
CHAPTER XX 431

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
CHAPTER XX 432

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
CHAPTER XX 433

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
CHAPTER XX 434

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
CHAPTER XX 435

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
CHAPTER XX 436

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
CHAPTER XX 437

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 438

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.
CHAPTER XXI 439

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.
CHAPTER XXI 440

"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
CHAPTER XXI 441

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
CHAPTER XXI 442

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?"
CHAPTER XXI 443

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
CHAPTER XXI 444

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
CHAPTER XXI 445

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
CHAPTER XXI 446

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
CHAPTER XXI 447

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
CHAPTER XXI 448

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!"
CHAPTER XXI 449

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!
CHAPTER XXI 450

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.
CHAPTER XXI 451

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 452

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
CHAPTER XXII 453

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
CHAPTER XXII 454

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."
CHAPTER XXII 455

"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
CHAPTER XXII 456

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
CHAPTER XXII 457

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.
CHAPTER XXII 458

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.
CHAPTER XXII 459

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?
CHAPTER XXII 460

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!
CHAPTER XXII 461

"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
CHAPTER XXII 462

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 463

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.
CHAPTER XXIII 464

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
CHAPTER XXIII 465

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.

A free ebook from http://manybooks.net/