e of the sea?"
   "Yes,  Professor,  the  sea  supplies all my wants. Sometimes I cast my
nets  in  tow,  and I draw them in ready to break. Sometimes I hunt in the
midst of this element, which appears to be inaccessible to man, and quarry
the  game  which  dwells in my submarine forests. My flocks, like those of
Neptune's  old  shepherds, graze fearlessly in the immense prairies of the
ocean.  I  have a vast property there, which I cultivate myself, and which
is always sown by the hand of the Creator of all things."
   "I can understand perfectly, sir, that your nets furnish excellent fish
for  your  table; I can understand also that you hunt aquatic game in your
submarine  forests; but I cannot understand at all how a particle of meat,
no matter how small, can figure in your bill of fare."
   "This,  which  you  believe to be meat, Professor, is nothing else than
fillet  of  turtle. Here are also some dolphins' livers, which you take to
be  ragout  of  pork.  My  cook is a clever fellow, who excels in dressing
these  various  products  of  the ocean. Taste all these dishes. Here is a
preserve  of sea-cucumber, which a Malay would declare to be unrivalled in
the  world;  here  is a cream, of which the milk has been furnished by the
cetacea,  and  the sugar by the great fucus of the North Sea; and, lastly,
permit  me  to offer you some preserve of anemones, which is equal to that
of the most delicious fruits."
   I  tasted,  more  from  curiosity than as a connoisseur, whilst Captain
Nemo enchanted me with his extraordinary stories.
   "You like the sea, Captain?"
   "Yes;  I  love it! The sea is everything. It covers seven tenths of the
terrestrial  globe.  Its  breath  is  pure  and  healthy. It is an immense
desert,  where  man  is  never  lonely,  for he feels life stirring on all
sides.  The  sea  is  only  the embodiment of a supernatural and wonderful
existence.  It  is  nothing  but  love  and  emotion;  it  is  the `Living
Infinite,'  as  one  of  your  poets  has said. In fact, Professor, Nature
manifests  herself  in  it  by  her three kingdoms-mineral, vegetable, and
animal. The sea is the vast reservoir of Nature. The globe began with sea,
so  to  speak;  and who knows if it will not end with it? In it is supreme
tranquillity. The sea does not belong to despots. Upon its surface men can
still  exercise  unjust  laws,  fight,  tear one another to pieces, and be
carried away with terrestrial horrors. But at thirty feet below its level,
their   reign  ceases,  their  influence  is  quenched,  and  their  power
disappears.  Ah!  sir, live-live in the bosom of the waters! There only is
independence! There I recognise no masters! There I am free!"
   Captain Nemo suddenly became silent in the midst of this enthusiasm, by
which  he  was quite carried away. For a few moments he paced up and down,
much  agitated. Then he became more calm, regained his accustomed coldness
of expression, and turning towards me:
   "Now,  Professor,"  said he, "if you wish to go over the Nautilus, I am
at your service."
   Captain Nemo rose. I followed him. A double door, contrived at the back
of  the  dining-room,  opened, and I entered a room equal in dimensions to
that which I had just quitted.
   It  was  a  library.  High  pieces  of furniture, of black violet ebony
inlaid  with  brass,  supported  upon their wide shelves a great number of
books uniformly bound. They followed the shape of the room, terminating at
the  lower  part  in  huge  divans, covered with brown leather, which were
curved, to afford the greatest comfort. Light movable desks, made to slide
in  and  out at will, allowed one to rest one's book while reading. In the
centre  stood an immense table, covered with pamphlets, amongst which were
some   newspapers,  already  of  old  date.  The  electric  light  flooded
everything;  it  was  shed  from  four  unpolished globes half sunk in the
volutes  of  the  ceiling.  I looked with real admiration at this room, so
ingeniously fitted up, and I could scarcely believe my eyes.
   "Captain  Nemo,"  said I to my host, who had just thrown himself on one
of  the  divans, "this is a library which would do honour to more than one
of  the continental palaces, and I am absolutely astounded when I consider
that it can follow you to the bottom of the seas."
   "Where  could one find greater solitude or silence, Professor?" replied
Captain  Nemo.  "Did  your  study  in  the  Museum afford you such perfect
quiet?"
   "No,  sir;  and  I must confess that it is a very poor one after yours.
You must have six or seven thousand volumes here."
   "Twelve  thousand, M. Aronnax. These are the only ties which bind me to
the  earth.  But  I  had  done  with the world on the day when my Nautilus
plunged  for  the first time beneath the waters. That day I bought my last
volumes,  my  last pamphlets, my last papers, and from that time I wish to
think  that  men  no longer think or write. These books, Professor, are at
your service besides, and you can make use of them freely."
   I  thanked  Captain  Nemo,  and  went up to the shelves of the library.
Works on science, morals, and literature abounded in every language; but I
did not see one single work on political economy; that subject appeared to
be  strictly  proscribed. Strange to say, all these books were irregularly
arranged,  in  whatever language they were written; and this medley proved
that the Captain of the Nautilus must have read indiscriminately the books
which he took up by chance.
   "Sir,"  said  I  to  the  Captain,  "I thank you for having placed this
library  at  my  disposal.  It  contains treasures of science, and I shall
profit by them."
   "This  room  is  not  only a library," said Captain Nemo, "it is also a
smoking-room."
   "A smoking-room!" I cried. "Then one may smoke on board?"
   "Certainly."
   "Then,   sir,  I  am  forced  to  believe  that  you  have  kept  up  a
communication with Havannah."
   "Not  any,"  answered the Captain. "Accept this cigar, M. Aronnax; and,
though it does not come from Havannah, you will be pleased with it, if you
are a connoisseur."
   I  took  the  cigar which was offered me; its shape recalled the London
ones, but it seemed to be made of leaves of gold. I lighted it at a little
brazier,  which  was  supported  upon an elegant bronze stem, and drew the
first whiffs with the delight of a lover of smoking who has not smoked for
two days.
   "It is excellent, but it is not tobacco."
   "No!"  answered  the Captain, "this tobacco comes neither from Havannah
nor  from the East. It is a kind of sea-weed, rich in nicotine, with which
the sea provides me, but somewhat sparingly."
   At  that moment Captain Nemo opened a door which stood opposite to that
by  which  I  had  entered  the  library,  and  I  passed  into an immense
drawing-room splendidly lighted.
   It  was  a  vast, four-sided room, thirty feet long, eighteen wide, and
fifteen  high. A luminous ceiling, decorated with light arabesques, shed a
soft  clear  light over all the marvels accumulated in this museum. For it
was  in  fact  a  museum,  in  which  an intelligent and prodigal hand had
gathered  all the treasures of nature and art, with the artistic confusion
which distinguishes a painter's studio.
   {several sentences are missing here in the omnibus edition}
   Thirty  first-rate  pictures,  uniformly  framed,  separated  by bright
drapery,  ornamented  the  walls,  which were hung with tapestry of severe
design.  I  saw  works  of  great  value,  the greater part of which I had
admired  in  the  special collections of Europe, and in the exhibitions of
paintings.
   Some  admirable  statues in marble and bronze, after the finest antique
models,  stood  upon  pedestals in the corners of this magnificent museum.
Amazement, as the Captain of the Nautilus had predicted, had already begun
to take possession of me.
   "Professor,"  said this strange man, "you must excuse the unceremonious
way in which I receive you, and the disorder of this room."
   "Sir," I answered, "without seeking to know who you are, I recognise in
you an artist."
   "An  amateur,  nothing  more,  sir.  Formerly  I loved to collect these
beautiful  works  created  by the hand of man. I sought them greedily, and
ferreted  them  out  indefatigably, and I have been able to bring together
some  objects  of  great  value. These are my last souvenirs of that world
which is dead to me. In my eyes, your modern artists are already old; they
have  two  or three thousand years of existence; I confound them in my own
mind. Masters have no age."
   {4  paragraphs seem to be missing from this omnibus text here they have
to  do  with musical composers, a piano, and a brief revery on the part of
Nemo}
   Under  elegant  glass  cases,  fixed by copper rivets, were classed and
labelled  the  most  precious  productions  of the sea which had ever been
presented  to  the  eye  of a naturalist. My delight as a professor may be
conceived.
   {2 long paragraphs seem to be missing from this omnibus here}
   Apart,  in separate compartments, were spread out chaplets of pearls of
the  greatest  beauty, which reflected the electric light in little sparks
of  fire;  pink  pearls,  torn from the pinna-marina of the Red Sea; green
pearls,  yellow,  blue,  and  black pearls, the curious productions of the
divers  molluscs  of every ocean, and certain mussels of the water courses
of  the  North;  lastly,  several  specimens of inestimable value. Some of
these pearls were larger than a pigeon's egg, and were worth millions.
   {this para has been altered the last sentence reworded}
   Therefore,  to  estimate  the  value  of  this  collection  was  simply
impossible. Captain Nemo must have expended millions in the acquirement of
these  various  specimens,  and  I  was thinking what source he could have
drawn  from,  to  have been able thus to gratify his fancy for collecting,
when I was interrupted by these words:
   "You  are  examining  my shells, Professor? Unquestionably they must be
interesting to a naturalist; but for me they have a far greater charm, for
I  have collected them all with my own hand, and there is not a sea on the
face of the globe which has escaped my researches."
   "I can understand, Captain, the delight of wandering about in the midst
of  such  riches.  You are one of those who have collected their treasures
themselves. No museum in Europe possesses such a collection of the produce
of  the  ocean.  But  if I exhaust all my admiration upon it, I shall have
none  left for the vessel which carries it. I do not wish to pry into your
secrets:  but  I  must  confess  that this Nautilus, with the motive power
which  is  confined  in it, the contrivances which enable it to be worked,
the  powerful  agent  which  propels  it,  all  excite my curiosity to the
highest  pitch.  I  see suspended on the walls of this room instruments of
whose use I am ignorant."
   "You  will find these same instruments in my own room, Professor, where
I  shall have much pleasure in explaining their use to you. But first come
and  inspect  the  cabin which is set apart for your own use. You must see
how you will be accommodated on board the Nautilus."
   I  followed  Captain  Nemo  who,  by one of the doors opening from each
panel of the drawing-room, regained the waist. He conducted me towards the
bow,  and  there  I  found,  not a cabin, but an elegant room, with a bed,
dressing-table, and several other pieces of excellent furniture.
   I could only thank my host.
   "Your room adjoins mine," said he, opening a door, "and mine opens into
the drawing-room that we have just quitted."
   I entered the Captain's room: it had a severe, almost a monkish aspect.
A  small  iron  bedstead, a table, some articles for the toilet; the whole
lighted by a skylight. No comforts, the strictest necessaries only.
   Captain Nemo pointed to a seat.
   "Be so good as to sit down," he said.  I  seated  myself,  and he began
thus:


        Chapter XI. ALL BY ELECTRICITY

   "Sir,"  said  Captain  Nemo,  showing me the instruments hanging on the
walls  of his room, "here are the contrivances required for the navigation
of the Nautilus. Here, as in the drawing-room, I have them always under my
eyes,  and  they indicate my position and exact direction in the middle of
the ocean. Some are known to you, such as the thermometer, which gives the
internal  temperature  of the Nautilus; the barometer, which indicates the
weight  of  the  air  and  foretells  the  changes  of  the  weather;  the
hygrometer,  which  marks  the dryness of the atmosphere; the storm-glass,
the  contents of which, by decomposing, announce the approach of tempests;
the compass, which guides my course; the sextant, which shows the latitude
by  the  altitude  of  the  sun;  chronometers,  by  which I calculate the
longitude;  and  glasses  for  day  and  night, which I use to examine the
points  of  the  horizon,  when  the  Nautilus rises to the surface of the
waves."
   "These  are the usual nautical instruments," I replied, "and I know the
use  of  them.  But  these  others,  no  doubt,  answer  to the particular
requirements  of  the  Nautilus.  This  dial  with  movable  needle  is  a
manometer, is it not?"
   "It is actually a manometer. But by communication with the water, whose
external pressure it indicates, it gives our depth at the same time."
   "And these other instruments, the use of which I cannot guess?"
   "Here,  Professor,  I  ought to give you some explanations. Will you be
kind enough to listen to me?"
   He was silent for a few moments, then he said:
   "There  is  a  powerful agent, obedient, rapid, easy, which conforms to
every  use,  and  reigns supreme on board my vessel. Everything is done by
means  of  it.  It  lights,  warms  it,  and  is the soul of my mechanical
apparatus. This agent is electricity."
   "Electricity?" I cried in surprise.
   "Yes, sir."
   "Nevertheless,  Captain,  you  possess an extreme rapidity of movement,
which  does  not  agree well with the power of electricity. Until now, its
dynamic  force  has  remained  under  restraint, and has only been able to
produce a small amount of power."
   "Professor," said Captain Nemo, "my electricity is not everybody's. You
know what sea-water is composed of. In a thousand grammes are found 96 1/2
per cent. of water, and about 2 2/3 per cent. of chloride of sodium; then,
in a smaller quantity, chlorides of magnesium and of potassium, bromide of
magnesium,  sulphate of magnesia, sulphate and carbonate of lime. You see,
then,  that  chloride  of  sodium  forms a large part of it. So it is this
sodium  that  I  extract  from  the  sea-water,  and of which I compose my
ingredients.  I  owe  all  to  the  ocean;  it  produces  electricity, and
electricity  gives  heat,  light,  motion,  and,  in  a  word, life to the
Nautilus."
   "But not the air you breathe?"
   "Oh!  I  could manufacture the air necessary for my consumption, but it
is  useless,  because  I  go up to the surface of the water when I please.
However,  if electricity does not furnish me with air to breathe, it works
at  least  the  powerful pumps that are stored in spacious reservoirs, and
which  enable me to prolong at need, and as long as I will, my stay in the
depths  of the sea. It gives a uniform and unintermittent light, which the
sun  does  not.  Now look at this clock; it is electrical, and goes with a
regularity  that  defies  the  best  chronometers.  I have divided it into
twenty-four  hours,  like  the  Italian  clocks,  because  for me there is
neither night nor day, sun nor moon, but only that factitious light that I
take  with  me to the bottom of the sea. Look! just now, it is ten o'clock
in the morning."
   "Exactly."
   "Another  application  of electricity. This dial hanging in front of us
indicates  the  speed  of  the  Nautilus.  An  electric  thread puts it in
communication  with  the  screw,  and the needle indicates the real speed.
Look!  now  we are spinning along with a uniform speed of fifteen miles an
hour."
   "It  is  marvelous!  And  I see, Captain, you were right to make use of
this agent that takes the place of wind, water, and steam."
   "We  have not finished, M. Aronnax," said Captain Nemo, rising. "If you
will allow me, we will examine the stern of the Nautilus."
   Really,  I  knew  already  the anterior part of this submarine boat, of
which  this  is  the  exact  division,  starting from the ship's head: the
dining-room,  five yards long, separated from the library by a water-tight
partition; the library, five yards long; the large drawing-room, ten yards
long, separated from the Captain's room by a second water-tight partition;
the  said  room,  five  yards  in length; mine, two and a half yards; and,
lastly  a  reservoir  of air, seven and a half yards, that extended to the
bows.  Total  length  thirty five yards, or one hundred and five feet. The
partitions  had doors that were shut hermetically by means of india-rubber
instruments,  and  they  ensured  the  safety of the Nautilus in case of a
leak.
   I followed Captain Nemo through the waist, and arrived at the centre of
the  boat. There was a sort of well that opened between two partitions. An
iron ladder, fastened with an iron hook to the partition, led to the upper
end. I asked the Captain what the ladder was used for.
   "It leads to the small boat," he said.
   "What! have you a boat?" I exclaimed, in surprise.
   "Of  course;  an excellent vessel, light and insubmersible, that serves
either as a fishing or as a pleasure boat."
   "But  then,  when  you  wish  to embark, you are obliged to come to the
surface of the water?"
   "Not at all. This boat is attached to the upper part of the hull of the
Nautilus,  and  occupies  a  cavity  made  for  it.  It  is  decked, quite
water-tight,  and  held  together  by  solid bolts. This ladder leads to a
man-hole made in the hull of the Nautilus, that corresponds with a similar
hole  made  in the side of the boat. By this double opening I get into the
small  vessel.  They  shut  the  one belonging to the Nautilus; I shut the
other  by  means  of screw pressure. I undo the bolts, and the little boat
goes  up  to  the surface of the sea with prodigious rapidity. I then open
the  panel  of  the  bridge, carefully shut till then; I mast it, hoist my
sail, take my oars, and I'm off."
   "But how do you get back on board?"
   "I do not come back, M. Aronnax; the Nautilus comes to me."
   "By your orders?"
   "By  my  orders. An electric thread connects us. I telegraph to it, and
that is enough."
   "Really,"  I  said,  astonished  at these marvels, "nothing can be more
simple."
   After  having  passed  by  the  cage  of  the staircase that led to the
platform,  I  saw  a  cabin  six feet long, in which Conseil and Ned Land,
enchanted  with  their repast, were devouring it with avidity. Then a door
opened  into  a  kitchen  nine  feet  long,  situated  between  the  large
store-rooms.  There  electricity,  better  than  gas  itself,  did all the
cooking. The streams under the furnaces gave out to the sponges of platina
a  heat  which  was  regularly kept up and distributed. They also heated a
distilling apparatus, which, by evaporation, furnished excellent drinkable
water.  Near  this  kitchen was a bathroom comfortably furnished, with hot
and cold water taps.
   Next  to  the  kitchen  was  the berth-room of the vessel, sixteen feet
long.  But  the  door  was shut, and I could not see the management of it,
which  might  have given me an idea of the number of men employed on board
the Nautilus.
   At  the  bottom  was a fourth partition that separated this office from
the  engine-room.  A  door  opened,  and I found myself in the compartment
where Captain Nemo-certainly an engineer of a very high order-had arranged
his  locomotive  machinery.  This  engine-room,  clearly  lighted, did not
measure  less  than  sixty-five  feet  in  length. It was divided into two
parts;  the  first  contained the materials for producing electricity, and
the  second  the machinery that connected it with the screw. I examined it
with great interest, in order to understand the machinery of the Nautilus.
   "You  see,"  said  the  Captain,  "I  use  Bunsen's  contrivances,  not
Ruhmkorff's. Those would not have been powerful enough. Bunsen's are fewer
in  number,  but strong and large, which experience proves to be the best.
The   electricity   produced   passes   forward,   where   it   works,  by
electro-magnets  of  great size, on a system of levers and cog-wheels that
transmit  the movement to the axle of the screw. This one, the diameter of
which  is  nineteen feet, and the thread twenty-three feet, performs about
120 revolutions in a second."
   "And you get then?"
   "A speed of fifty miles an hour."
   "I  have  seen the Nautilus manoeuvre before the Abraham Lincoln, and I
have  my  own  ideas  as to its speed. But this is not enough. We must see
where  we  go.  We  must  be  able to direct it to the right, to the left,
above,  below.  How  do  you  get  to  the great depths, where you find an
increasing  resistance,  which is rated by hundreds of atmospheres? How do
you return to the surface of the ocean? And how do you maintain yourselves
in the requisite medium? Am I asking too much?"
   "Not  at  all,  Professor,"  replied the Captain, with some hesitation;
"since  you  may never leave this submarine boat. Come into the saloon, it
is  our  usual  study, and there you will learn all you want to know about
the Nautilus."


        Chapter XII. SOME FIGURES

   A  moment  after  we  were seated on a divan in the saloon smoking. The
Captain  showed  me a sketch that gave the plan, section, and elevation of
the Nautilus. Then he began his description in these words:
   "Here,  M.  Aronnax, are the several dimensions of the boat you are in.
It  is an elongated cylinder with conical ends. It is very like a cigar in
shape,  a  shape already adopted in London in several constructions of the
same sort. The length of this cylinder, from stem to stern, is exactly 232
feet,  and  its  maximum breadth is twenty-six feet. It is not built quite
like  your  long-voyage steamers, but its lines are sufficiently long, and
its  curves  prolonged enough, to allow the water to slide off easily, and
oppose  no  obstacle  to  its  passage. These two dimensions enable you to
obtain  by  a  simple  calculation  the  surface and cubic contents of the
Nautilus. Its area measures 6,032 feet; and its contents about 1,500 cubic
yards;  that  is to say, when completely immersed it displaces 50,000 feet
of water, or weighs 1,500 tons.
   "When  I  made  the  plans  for  this  submarine  vessel,  I meant that
nine-tenths  should  be  submerged: consequently it ought only to displace
nine-tenths  of  its  bulk,  that  is to say, only to weigh that number of
tons.  I  ought not, therefore, to have exceeded that weight, constructing
it on the aforesaid dimensions.
   "The  Nautilus is composed of two hulls, one inside, the other outside,
joined  by  T-shaped  irons, which render it very strong. Indeed, owing to
this  cellular  arrangement  it resists like a block, as if it were solid.
Its sides cannot yield; it coheres spontaneously, and not by the closeness
of  its  rivets; and its perfect union of the materials enables it to defy
the roughest seas.
   "These two hulls are composed of steel plates, whose density is from .7
to  .8  that  of  water.  The first is not less than two inches and a half
thick  and  weighs  394 tons. The second envelope, the keel, twenty inches
high  and  ten thick, weighs only sixty-two tons. The engine, the ballast,
the  several  accessories  and  apparatus  appendages,  the partitions and
bulkheads, weigh 961.62 tons. Do you follow all this?"
   "I do."
   "Then, when the Nautilus is afloat under these circumstances, one-tenth
is  out  of  the  water. Now, if I have made reservoirs of a size equal to
this tenth, or capable of holding 150 tons, and if I fill them with water,
the  boat,  weighing  then  1,507  tons, will be completely immersed. That
would  happen,  Professor.  These  reservoirs are in the lower part of the
Nautilus. I turn on taps and they fill, and the vessel sinks that had just
been level with the surface."
   "Well,  Captain,  but  now  we  come  to  the  real  difficulty.  I can
understand your rising to the surface; but, diving below the surface, does
not  your  submarine  contrivance  encounter  a pressure, and consequently
undergo an upward thrust of one atmosphere for every thirty feet of water,
just about fifteen pounds per square inch?"
   "Just so, sir."
   "Then,  unless  you  quite  fill the Nautilus, I do not see how you can
draw it down to those depths."
   "Professor,  you must not confound statics with dynamics or you will be
exposed  to  grave  errors. There is very little labour spent in attaining
the  lower  regions  of the ocean, for all bodies have a tendency to sink.
When  I  wanted  to  find out the necessary increase of weight required to
sink  the  Nautilus,  I had only to calculate the reduction of volume that
sea-water acquires according to the depth."
   "That is evident."
   "Now, if water is not absolutely incompressible, it is at least capable
of  very  slight  compression.  Indeed, after the most recent calculations
this  reduction  is  only .000436 of an atmosphere for each thirty feet of
depth.  If  we  want  to  sink  3,000  feet,  I should keep account of the
reduction of bulk under a pressure equal to that of a column of water of a
thousand   feet.   The   calculation  is  easily  verified.  Now,  I  have
supplementary  reservoirs  capable  of holding a hundred tons. Therefore I
can  sink to a considerable depth. When I wish to rise to the level of the
sea,  I only let off the water, and empty all the reservoirs if I want the
Nautilus to emerge from the tenth part of her total capacity."
   I had nothing to object to these reasonings.
   "I  admit your calculations, Captain," I replied; "I should be wrong to
dispute  them  since  daily experience confirms them; but I foresee a real
difficulty in the way."
   "What, sir?"
   "When  you  are about 1,000 feet deep, the walls of the Nautilus bear a
pressure  of  100  atmospheres.  If,  then, just now you were to empty the
supplementary  reservoirs,  to  lighten  the  vessel,  and to go up to the
surface, the pumps must overcome the pressure of 100 atmospheres, which is
1,500 lbs. per square inch. From that a power-"
   "That  electricity  alone  can  give,"  said  the  Captain, hastily. "I
repeat,  sir, that the dynamic power of my engines is almost infinite. The
pumps  of  the  Nautilus have an enormous power, as you must have observed
when  their  jets  of water burst like a torrent upon the Abraham Lincoln.
Besides, I use subsidiary reservoirs only to attain a mean depth of 750 to
1,000  fathoms, and that with a view of managing my machines. Also, when I
have  a  mind to visit the depths of the ocean five or six mlles below the
surface, I make use of slower but not less infallible means."
   "What are they, Captain?"
   "That involves my telling you how the Nautilus is worked."
   "I am impatient to learn."
   "To steer this boat to starboard or port, to turn, in a word, following
a  horizontal  plan,  I  use  an  ordinary rudder fixed on the back of the
stern-post, and with one wheel and some tackle to steer by. But I can also
make the Nautilus rise and sink, and sink and rise, by a vertical movement
by means of two inclined planes fastened to its sides, opposite the centre
of  flotation, planes that move in every direction, and that are worked by
powerful  levers  from  the interior. If the planes are kept parallel with
the  boat,  it  moves horizontally. If slanted, the Nautilus, according to
this  inclination,  and  under  the  influence  of the screw, either sinks
diagonally  or rises diagonally as it suits me. And even if I wish to rise
more  quickly  to  the  surface, I ship the screw, and the pressure of the
water  causes  the  Nautilus to rise vertically like a balloon filled with
hydrogen."
   "Bravo,  Captain!  But  how  can  the steersman follow the route in the
middle of the waters?"
   "The steersman is placed in a glazed box, that is raised about the hull
of the Nautilus, and furnished with lenses."
   "Are these lenses capable of resisting such pressure?"
   "Perfectly. Glass, which breaks at a blow, is, nevertheless, capable of
offering  considerable  resistance.  During some experiments of fishing by
electric  light  in  1864  in the Northern Seas, we saw plates less than a
third  of an inch thick resist a pressure of sixteen atmospheres. Now, the
glass that I use is not less than thirty times thicker."
   "Granted.  But,  after  all, in order to see, the light must exceed the
darkness, and in the midst of the darkness in the water, how can you see?"
   "Behind  the  steersman's cage is placed a powerful electric reflector,
the rays from which light up the sea for half a mile in front."
   "Ah!  bravo, bravo, Captain! Now I can account for this phosphorescence
in  the supposed narwhal that puzzled us so. I now ask you if the boarding
of  the  Nautilus  and of the Scotia, that has made such a noise, has been
the result of a chance rencontre?"
   "Quite accidental, sir. I was sailing only one fathom below the surface
of the water when the shock came. It had no bad result."
   "None, sir. But now, about your rencontre with the Abraham Lincoln?"
   "Professor,  I  am  sorry  for  one of the best vessels in the American
navy;  but they attacked me, and I was bound to defend myself. I contented
myself,  however,  with  putting  the frigate hors de combat; she will not
have any difficulty in getting repaired at the next port."
   "Ah, Commander! your Nautilus is certainly a marvellous boat."
   "Yes,  Professor; and I love it as if it were part of myself. If danger
threatens  one  of  your vessels on the ocean, the first impression is the
feeling  of  an  abyss above and below. On the Nautilus men's hearts never
fail  them. No defects to be afraid of, for the double shell is as firm as
iron;  no  rigging  to  attend to; no sails for the wind to carry away; no
boilers  to burst; no fire to fear, for the vessel is made of iron, not of
wood;  no coal to run short, for electricity is the only mechanical agent;
no  collision  to  fear,  for  it alone swims in deep water; no tempest to
brave, for when it dives below the water it reaches absolute tranquillity.
There,  sir! that is the perfection of vessels! And if it is true that the
engineer  has  more  confidence  in  the  vessel than the builder, and the
builder  than the captain himself, you understand the trust I repose in my
Nautilus; for I am at once captain, builder, and engineer."
   "But how could you construct this wonderful Nautilus in secret?"
   "Each separate portion, M. Aronnax, was brought from different parts of
the globe."
   "But these parts had to be put together and arranged?"
   "Professor,  I  had  set  up  my  workshops upon a desert island in the
ocean.  There  my workmen, that is to say, the brave men that I instructed
and  educated,  and  myself have put together our Nautilus. Then, when the
work  was  finished,  fire  destroyed all trace of our proceedings on this
island, that I could have jumped over if I had liked."
   "Then the cost of this vessel is great?"
   "M.  Aronnax,  an  iron  vessel  costs  L145  per ton. Now the Nautilus
weighed  1,500. It came therefore to L67,500, and L80,000 more for fitting
it  up,  and  about L200,000, with the works of art and the collections it
contains."
   "One last question, Captain Nemo."
   "Ask it, Professor."
   "You are rich?"
   "Immensely rich, sir; and I could, without missing it, pay the national
debt of France."
   I  stared at the singular person who spoke thus. Was he playing upon my
credulity? The future would decide that.


        Chapter XIII. THE BLACK RIVER

   The  portion  of  the  terrestrial  globe  which is covered by water is
estimated  at  upwards  of  eighty  millions  of  acres.  This  fluid mass
comprises  two  billions  two  hundred  and fifty millions of cubic miles,
forming  a  spherical  body  of a diameter of sixty leagues, the weight of
which  would  be  three quintillions of tons. To comprehend the meaning of
these  figures,  it  is  necessary  to  observe that a quintillion is to a
billion  as  a  billion  is  to  unity;  in other words, there are as many
billions  in  a  quintillion as there are units in a billion. This mass of
fluid is equal to about the quantity of water which would be discharged by
all the rivers of the earth in forty thousand years.
   During the geological epochs the ocean originally prevailed everywhere.
Then  by  degrees, in the silurian period, the tops of the mountains began
to  appear,  the  islands  emerged,  then  disappeared in partial deluges,
reappeared,  became  settled,  formed continents, till at length the earth
became  geographically  arranged,  as we see in the present day. The solid
had   wrested  from  the  liquid  thirty-seven  million  six  hundred  and
fifty-seven  square miles, equal to twelve billions nine hundred and sixty
millions of acres.
   The  shape of continents allows us to divide the waters into five great
portions:  the Arctic or Frozen Ocean, the Antarctic, or Frozen Ocean, the
Indian, the Atlantic, and the Pacific Oceans.
   The  Pacific  Ocean  extends  from north to south between the two Polar
Circles, and from east to west between Asia and America, over an extent of
145  degrees  of  longitude.  It is the quietest of seas; its currents are
broad and slow, it has medium tides, and abundant rain. Such was the ocean
that  my  fate  destined  me  first  to  travel  over  under these strange
conditions.
   "Sir,"  said  Captain  Nemo, "we will, if you please, take our bearings
and  fix  the  starting-point of this voyage. It is a quarter to twelve; I
will go up again to the surface."
   The  Captain  pressed an electric clock three times. The pumps began to
drive  the  water  from the tanks; the needle of the manometer marked by a
different pressure the ascent of the Nautilus, then it stopped.
   "We have arrived," said the Captain.
   I  went  to  the  central  staircase  which  opened on to the platform,
clambered  up  the  iron  steps, and found myself on the upper part of the
Nautilus.
   The  platform  was  only three feet out of water. The front and back of
the  Nautilus  was  of  that  spindle-shape  which  caused it justly to be
compared  to  a cigar. I noticed that its iron plates, slightly overlaying
each  other,  resembled  the  shell  which clothes the bodies of our large
terrestrial  reptiles.  It explained to me how natural it was, in spite of
all glasses, that this boat should have been taken for a marine animal.
   Toward the middle of the platform the longboat, half buried in the hull
of the vessel, formed a slight excrescence. Fore and aft rose two cages of
medium  height  with inclined sides, and partly closed by thick lenticular
glasses;  one  destined  for  the steersman who directed the Nautilus, the
other containing a brilliant lantern to give light on the road.
   The  sea  was  beautiful, the sky pure. Scarcely could the long vehicle
feel  the  broad  undulations  of  the ocean. A light breeze from the east
rippled  the  surface  of  the  waters.  The  horizon, free from fog, made
observation  easy. Nothing was in sight. Not a quicksand, not an island. A
vast desert.
   Captain Nemo, by the help of his sextant, took the altitude of the sun,
which ought also to give the latitude. He waited for some moments till its
disc  touched  the horizon. Whilst taking observations not a muscle moved,
the instrument could not have been more motionless in a hand of marble.
   "Twelve o'clock, sir," said he. "When you like-"
   I  cast  a  last  look  upon the sea, slightly yellowed by the Japanese
coast, and descended to the saloon.
   "And  now,  sir,  I leave you to your studies," added the Captain; "our
course  is  E.N.E.,  our  depth  is twenty-six fathoms. Here are maps on a
large  scale  by  which you may follow it. The saloon is at your disposal,
and,  with  your  permission,  I  will  retire." Captain Nemo bowed, and I
remained  alone,  lost  in  thoughts  all  bearing on the commander of the
Nautilus.
   For  a  whole  hour  was I deep in these reflections, seeking to pierce
this  mystery  so  interesting  to  me.  Then  my  eyes fell upon the vast
planisphere spread upon the table, and I placed my finger on the very spot
where the given latitude and longitude crossed.
   The  sea  has  its  large  rivers like the continents. They are special
currents  known by their temperature and their colour. The most remarkable
of  these  is known by the name of the Gulf Stream. Science has decided on
the  globe  the  direction  of  five  principal currents: one in the North
Atlantic, a second in the South, a third in the North Pacific, a fourth in
the  South,  and a fifth in the Southern Indian Ocean. It is even probable
that a sixth current existed at one time or another in the Northern Indian
Ocean, when the Caspian and Aral Seas formed but one vast sheet of water.
   At  this  point  indicated on the planisphere one of these currents was
rolling,  the  Kuro-Scivo of the Japanese, the Black River, which, leaving
the  Gulf  of  Bengal,  where  it is warmed by the perpendicular rays of a
tropical  sun,  crosses  the  Straits  of Malacca along the coast of Asia,
turns  into  the  North  Pacific to the Aleutian Islands, carrying with it
trunks  of  camphor-trees and other indigenous productions, and edging the
waves  of  the  ocean  with the pure indigo of its warm water. It was this
current that the Nautilus was to follow. I followed it with my eye; saw it
lose itself in the vastness of the Pacific, and felt myself drawn with it,
when Ned Land and Conseil appeared at the door of the saloon.
   My  two brave companions remained petrified at the sight of the wonders
spread before them.
   "Where are we, where are we?" exclaimed the Canadian. "In the museum at
Quebec?"
   "My friends," I answered, making a sign for them to enter, "you are not
in  Canada,  but on board the Nautilus, fifty yards below the level of the
sea."
   "But,  M.  Aronnax," said Ned Land, "can you tell me how many men there
are on board? Ten, twenty, fifty, a hundred?"
   "I  cannot answer you, Mr. Land; it is better to abandon for a time all
idea  of  seizing  the  Nautilus  or  escaping  from  it.  This  ship is a
masterpiece of modern industry, and I should be sorry not to have seen it.
Many  people  would  accept  the situation forced upon us, if only to move
amongst  such  wonders.  So  be  quiet  and let us try and see what passes
around us."
   "See!"  exclaimed  the  harpooner, "but we can see nothing in this iron
prison! We are walking-we are sailing-blindly."
   Ned  Land  had  scarcely  pronounced  these words when all was suddenly
darkness.  The  luminous  ceiling  was  gone,  and so rapidly that my eyes
received a painful impression.
   We  remained  mute, not stirring, and not knowing what surprise awaited
us,  whether  agreeable  or  disagreeable.  A sliding noise was heard: one
would have said that panels were working at the sides of the Nautilus.
   "It is the end of the end!" said Ned Land.
   Suddenly  light  broke  at  each side of the saloon, through two oblong
openings.  The  liquid mass appeared vividly lit up by the electric gleam.
Two  crystal  plates separated us from the sea. At first I trembled at the
thought  that this frail partition might break, but strong bands of copper
bound them, giving an almost infinite power of resistance.
   The  sea was distinctly visible for a mile all round the Nautilus. What
a  spectacle! What pen can describe it? Who could paint the effects of the
light  through  those transparent sheets of water, and the softness of the
successive gradations from the lower to the superior strata of the ocean?
   We  know  the  transparency  of  the  sea and that its clearness is far
beyond  that  of  rock-water.  The mineral and organic substances which it
holds  in  suspension  heightens its transparency. In certain parts of the
ocean  at  the  Antilles, under seventy-five fathoms of water, can be seen
with  surprising  clearness  a  bed  of sand. The penetrating power of the
solar  rays  does  not  seem to cease for a depth of one hundred and fifty
fathoms.  But  in  this  middle  fluid travelled over by the Nautilus, the
electric brightness was produced even in the bosom of the waves. It was no
longer luminous water, but liquid light.
   On  each side a window opened into this unexplored abyss. The obscurity
of  the  saloon  showed to advantage the brightness outside, and we looked
out as if this pure crystal had been the glass of an immense aquarium.
   "You wished to see, friend Ned; well, you see now."
   "Curious!   curious!"   muttered  the  Canadian,  who,  forgetting  his
ill-temper,  seemed  to  submit  to some irresistible attraction; "and one
would come further than this to admire such a sight!"
   "Ah!"  thought  I to myself, "I understand the life of this man; he has
made  a  world  apart  for himself, in which he treasures all his greatest
wonders."
   For two whole hours an aquatic army escorted the Nautilus. During their
games, their bounds, while rivalling each other in beauty, brightness, and
velocity,  I distinguished the green labre; the banded mullet, marked by a
double  line  of  black;  the  round-tailed  goby, of a white colour, with
violet  spots  on the back; the Japanese scombrus, a beautiful mackerel of
these  seas,  with  a  blue  body and silvery head; the brilliant azurors,
whose  name  alone defies description; some banded spares, with variegated
fins  of  blue  and  yellow;  the woodcocks of the seas, some specimens of
which  attain  a  yard  in  length; Japanese salamanders, spider lampreys,
serpents  six  feet  long,  with  eyes  small and lively, and a huge mouth
bristling with teeth; with many other species.
   Our  imagination was kept at its height, interjections followed quickly
on  each  other.  Ned  named  the fish, and Conseil classed them. I was in
ecstasies  with  the  vivacity  of their movements and the beauty of their
forms.  Never had it been given to me to surprise these animals, alive and
at liberty, in their natural element. I will not mention all the varieties
which  passed  before  my  dazzled eyes, all the collection of the seas of
China  and  Japan.  These  fish,  more numerous than the birds of the air,
came, attracted, no doubt, by the brilliant focus of the electric light.
   Suddenly  there  was  daylight  in  the  saloon, the iron panels closed
again, and the enchanting vision disappeared. But for a long time I dreamt
on,  till  my  eyes  fell on the instruments hanging on the partition. The
compass  still  showed  the course to be E.N.E., the manometer indicated a
pressure  of  five  atmospheres,  equivalent  to  a  depth  of twenty five
fathoms,  and  the  electric  log gave a speed of fifteen miles an hour. I
expected Captain Nemo, but he did not appear. The clock marked the hour of
five.
   Ned  Land  and  Conseil  returned  to  their cabin, and I retired to my
chamber.  My  dinner was ready. It was composed of turtle soup made of the
most  delicate  hawks  bills,  of  a surmullet served with puff paste (the
liver  of  which,  prepared by itself, was most delicious), and fillets of
the emperor-holocanthus, the savour of which seemed to me superior even to
salmon.
   I  passed  the  evening  reading,  writing,  and  thinking.  Then sleep
overpowered  me,  and I stretched myself on my couch of zostera, and slept
profoundly, whilst the Nautilus was gliding rapidly through the current of
the Black River.


        Chapter XIV. A NOTE OF INVITATION

   The  next  day  was  the 9th of November. I awoke after a long sleep of
twelve hours. Conseil came, according to custom, to know "how I passed the
night,"  and  to  offer  his services. He had left his friend the Canadian
sleeping  like  a man who had never done anything else all his life. I let
the  worthy  fellow chatter as he pleased, without caring to answer him. I
was  preoccupied  by  the absence of the Captain during our sitting of the
day before, and hoping to see him to-day.
   As  soon  as  I  was dressed I went into the saloon. It was deserted. I
plunged into the study of the shell treasures hidden behind the glasses.
   The  whole day passed without my being honoured by a visit from Captain
Nemo.  The panels of the saloon did not open. Perhaps they did not wish us
to tire of these beautiful things.
   The  course  of  the  Nautilus  was E.N.E., her speed twelve knots, the
depth below the surface between twenty-five and thirty fathoms.
   The  next day, 10th of November, the same desertion, the same solitude.
I  did  not  see one of the ship's crew: Ned and Conseil spent the greater
part  of  the day with me. They were astonished at the puzzling absence of
the Captain. Was this singular man ill?-had he altered his intentions with
regard to us?
   After  all,  as  Conseil  said,  we  enjoyed  perfect  liberty, we were
delicately  and  abundantly fed. Our host kept to his terms of the treaty.
We  could  not complain, and, indeed, the singularity of our fate reserved
such  wonderful  compensation  for us that we had no right to accuse it as
yet.
   That  day I commenced the journal of these adventures which has enabled
me to relate them with more scrupulous exactitude and minute detail.
   11th  November,  early in the morning. The fresh air spreading over the
interior  of  the  Nautilus told me that we had come to the surface of the
ocean  to  renew  our supply of oxygen. I directed my steps to the central
staircase, and mounted the platform.
   It  was  six  o'clock,  the weather was cloudy, the sea grey, but calm.
Scarcely  a billow. Captain Nemo, whom I hoped to meet, would he be there?
I  saw  no one but the steersman imprisoned in his glass cage. Seated upon
the  projection  formed  by  the  hull  of the pinnace, I inhaled the salt
breeze with delight.
   By  degrees the fog disappeared under the action of the sun's rays, the
radiant orb rose from behind the eastern horizon. The sea flamed under its
glance like a train of gunpowder. The clouds scattered in the heights were
coloured  with  lively  tints  of  beautiful  shades, and numerous "mare's
tails,"  which  betokened  wind  for  that  day. But what was wind to this
Nautilus, which tempests could not frighten!
   I  was  admiring  this  joyous  rising  of  the  sun,  so  gay,  and so
life-giving,  when  I heard steps approaching the platform. I was prepared
to  salute Captain Nemo, but it was his second (whom I had already seen on
the  Captain's first visit) who appeared. He advanced on the platform, not
seeming  to  see  me. With his powerful glass to his eye, he scanned every
point  of  the  horizon  with  great  attention. This examination over, he
approached  the  panel and pronounced a sentence in exactly these terms. I
have  remembered  it,  for every morning it was repeated under exactly the
same conditions. It was thus worded:
   "Nautron respoc lorni virch."
   What it meant I could not say.
   These  words  pronounced,  the  second  descended.  I  thought that the
Nautilus  was  about to return to its submarine navigation. I regained the
panel and returned to my chamber.
   Five days sped thus, without any change in our situation. Every morning
I  mounted  the  platform.  The  same  phrase  was  pronounced by the same
individual. But Captain Nemo did not appear.
   I  had  made up my mind that I should never see him again, when, on the
16th  November, on returning to my room with Ned and Conseil, I found upon
my  table  a note addressed to me. I opened it impatiently. It was written
in a bold, clear hand, the characters rather pointed, recalling the German
type. The note was worded as follows:
   TO PROFESSOR ARONNAX, On board the Nautilus. 16th of November, 1867.
   Captain  Nemo  invites Professor Aronnax to a hunting-party, which will
take  place  to-morrow  morning in the forests of the Island of Crespo. He
hopes  that  nothing will prevent the Professor from being present, and he
will with pleasure see him joined by his companions.
   CAPTAIN NEMO, Commander of the Nautilus.
   "A hunt!" exclaimed Ned.
   "And in the forests of the Island of Crespo!" added Conseil.
   "Oh! then the gentleman is going on terra firma?" replied Ned Land.
   "That  seems to me to be clearly indicated," said I, reading the letter
once more.
   "Well,  we  must  accept,"  said  the  Canadian.  "But once more on dry
ground,  we  shall  know what to do. Indeed, I shall not be sorry to eat a
piece of fresh venison."
   Without  seeking  to  reconcile  what was contradictory between Captain
Nemo's  manifest aversion to islands and continents, and his invitation to
hunt in a forest, I contented myself with replying:
   "Let us first see where the Island of Crespo is."
   I  consulted  the  planisphere,  and in 32O 40' N. lat. and 157O 50' W.
long.,  I  found a small island, recognised in 1801 by Captain Crespo, and
marked  in  the  ancient Spanish maps as Rocca de la Plata, the meaning of
which  is  The Silver Rock. We were then about eighteen hundred miles from
our  starting-point, and the course of the Nautilus, a little changed, was
bringing it back towards the southeast.
   I  showed  this little rock, lost in the midst of the North Pacific, to
my companions.
   "If Captain Nemo does sometimes go on dry ground," said I, "he at least
chooses desert islands."
   Ned  Land  shrugged  his shoulders without speaking, and Conseil and he
left me.
   After  supper,  which  was served by the steward, mute and impassive, I
went to bed, not without some anxiety.
   The  next  morning, the 17th of November, on awakening, I felt that the
Nautilus was perfectly still. I dressed quickly and entered the saloon.
   Captain Nemo was there, waiting for me. He rose, bowed, and asked me if
it  was  convenient for me to accompany him. As he made no allusion to his
absence  during  the  last  eight  days,  I did not mention it, and simply
answered that my companions and myself were ready to follow him.
   We entered the dining-room, where breakfast was served.
   "M.  Aronnax,"  said  the  Captain,  "pray,  share my breakfast without
ceremony; we will chat as we eat. For, though I promised you a walk in the
forest,  I  did  not undertake to find hotels there. So breakfast as a man
who will most likely not have his dinner till very late."
   I  did  honour to the repast. It was composed of several kinds of fish,
and  slices  of  sea-cucumber,  and  different sorts of seaweed. Our drink
consisted  of  pure  water,  to  which  the  Captain added some drops of a
fermented liquor, extracted by the Kamschatcha method from a seaweed known
under  the  name  of Rhodomenia palmata. Captain Nemo ate at first without
saying a word. Then he began:
   "Sir,  when I proposed to you to hunt in my submarine forest of Crespo,
you  evidently  thought me mad. Sir, you should never judge lightly of any
man."
   "But Captain, believe me-"
   "Be  kind  enough to listen, and you will then see whether you have any
cause to accuse me of folly and contradiction."
   "I listen."
   "You  know  as  well as I do, Professor, that man can live under water,
providing  he  carries  with him a sufficient supply of breathable air. In
submarine  works,  the workman, clad in an impervious dress, with his head
in  a  metal helmet, receives air from above by means of forcing pumps and
regulators."
   "That is a diving apparatus," said I.
   "Just  so,  but under these conditions the man is not at liberty; he is
attached to the pump which sends him air through an india-rubber tube, and
if we were obliged to be thus held to the Nautilus, we could not go far."
   "And the means of getting free?" I asked.
   "It  is  to  use  the Rouquayrol apparatus, invented by two of your own
countrymen,  which  I have brought to perfection for my own use, and which
will  allow  you to risk yourself under these new physiological conditions
without  any organ whatever suffering. It consists of a reservoir of thick
iron  plates,  in  which  I  store  the  air  under  a  pressure  of fifty
atmospheres.  This reservoir is fixed on the back by means of braces, like
a  soldier's knapsack. Its upper part forms a box in which the air is kept
by  means  of  a bellows, and therefore cannot escape unless at its normal
tension.  In  the  Rouquayrol  apparatus  such as we use, two india rubber
pipes  leave  this  box  and  join a sort of tent which holds the nose and
mouth;  one  is to introduce fresh air, the other to let out the foul, and
the  tongue  closes  one  or  the  other  according  to  the  wants of the
respirator.  But  I,  in encountering great pressures at the bottom of the
sea,  was  obliged  to  shut  my  head,  like that of a diver in a ball of
copper;  and  it  is  to  this  ball  of  copper  that  the two pipes, the
inspirator and the expirator, open."
   "Perfectly, Captain Nemo; but the air that you carry with you must soon
be used; when it only contains fifteen per cent. of oxygen it is no longer
fit to breathe."
   "Right!  But  I  told  you,  M. Aronnax, that the pumps of the Nautilus
allow  me  to  store  the  air  under  considerable pressure, and on those
conditions  the  reservoir of the apparatus can furnish breathable air for
nine or ten hours."
   "I  have  no  further objections to make," I answered. "I will only ask
you  one  thing,  Captain-how can you light your road at the bottom of the
sea?"
   "With  the Ruhmkorff apparatus, M. Aronnax; one is carried on the back,
the other is fastened to the waist. It is composed of a Bunsen pile, which
I  do  not  work  with  bichromate  of  potash, but with sodium. A wire is
introduced which collects the electricity produced, and directs it towards
a  particularly  made  lantern.  In  this  lantern is a spiral glass which
contains  a  small quantity of carbonic gas. When the apparatus is at work
this  gas  becomes luminous, giving out a white and continuous light. Thus
provided, I can breathe and I can see."
   "Captain Nemo, to all my objections you make such crushing answers that
I  dare  no  longer doubt. But, if I am forced to admit the Rouquayrol and
Ruhmkorff  apparatus,  I  must be allowed some reservations with regard to
the gun I am to carry."
   "But it is not a gun for powder," answered the Captain.
   "Then it is an air-gun."
   "Doubtless!  How  would  you  have  me manufacture gun powder on board,
without either saltpetre, sulphur, or charcoal?"
   "Besides,"  I added, "to fire under water in a medium eight hundred and
fifty-five  times  denser  than the air, we must conquer very considerable
resistance."
   "That  would  be  no difficulty. There exist guns, according to Fulton,
perfected  in  England by Philip Coles and Burley, in France by Furcy, and
in  Italy by Landi, which are furnished with a peculiar system of closing,
which  can  fire under these conditions. But I repeat, having no powder, I
use  air  under  great  pressure,  which the pumps of the Nautilus furnish
abundantly."
   "But this air must be rapidly used?"
   "Well,  have  I  not  my  Rouquayrol reservoir, which can furnish it at
need?  A  tap  is  all  that is required. Besides M. Aronnax, you must see
yourself  that, during our submarine hunt, we can spend but little air and
but few balls."
   "But  it  seems  to  me that in this twilight, and in the midst of this
fluid,  which  is very dense compared with the atmosphere, shots could not
go far, nor easily prove mortal."
   "Sir, on the contrary, with this gun every blow is mortal; and, however
lightly the animal is touched, it falls as if struck by a thunderbolt."
   "Why?"
   "Because  the balls sent by this gun are not ordinary balls, but little
cases  of  glass.  These glass cases are covered with a case of steel, and
weighted  with  a pellet of lead; they are real Leyden bottles, into which
the electricity is forced to a very high tension. With the slightest shock
they are discharged, and the animal, however strong it may be, falls dead.
I must tell you that these cases are size number four, and that the charge
for an ordinary gun would be ten."
   "I  will  argue  no  longer," I replied, rising from the table. "I have
nothing  left  me  but  to take my gun. At all events, I will go where you
go."
   Captain Nemo then led me aft; and in passing before Ned's and Conseil's
cabin,  I called my two companions, who followed promptly. We then came to
a cell near the machinery-room, in which we put on our walking-dress.


        Chapter XV. A WALK ON THE BOTTOM OF THE SEA

   This  cell  was,  to  speak  correctly, the arsenal and wardrobe of the
Nautilus.  A  dozen diving apparatuses hung from the partition waiting our
use.
   Ned Land, on seeing them, showed evident repugnance to dress himself in
one.
   "But,  my  worthy  Ned, the forests of the Island of Crespo are nothing
but submarine forests."
   "Good!"  said  the  disappointed harpooner, who saw his dreams of fresh
meat  fade  away. "And you, M. Aronnax, are you going to dress yourself in
those clothes?"
   "There is no alternative, Master Ned."
   "As  you  please, sir," replied the harpooner, shrugging his shoulders;
"but, as for me, unless I am forced, I will never get into one."
   "No one will force you, Master Ned," said Captain Nemo.
   "Is Conseil going to risk it?" asked Ned.
   "I follow my master wherever he goes," replied Conseil.
   At  the  Captain's call two of the ship's crew came to help us dress in
these heavy and impervious clothes, made of india-rubber without seam, and
constructed  expressly  to  resist  considerable  pressure. One would have
thought  it  a suit of armour, both supple and resisting. This suit formed
trousers  and  waistcoat. The trousers were finished off with thick boots,
weighted  with  heavy  leaden soles. The texture of the waistcoat was held
together  by  bands of copper, which crossed the chest, protecting it from
the  great  pressure  of the water, and leaving the lungs free to act; the
sleeves  ended  in  gloves, which in no way restrained the movement of the
hands.  There  was  a  vast difference noticeable between these consummate
apparatuses and the old cork breastplates, jackets, and other contrivances
in vogue during the eighteenth century.
   Captain  Nemo  and  one of his companions (a sort of Hercules, who must
have  possessed great strength), Conseil and myself were soon enveloped in
the  dresses.  There  remained  nothing more to be done but to enclose our
heads  in the metal box. But, before proceeding to this operation, I asked
the Captain's permission to examine the guns.
   One  of  the  Nautilus men gave me a simple gun, the butt end of which,
made  of  steel,  hollow  in  the centre, was rather large. It served as a
reservoir  for  compressed air, which a valve, worked by a spring, allowed
to  escape  into  a  metal  tube.  A box of projectiles in a groove in the
thickness  of the butt end contained about twenty of these electric balls,
which,  by  means  of a spring, were forced into the barrel of the gun. As
soon as one shot was fired, another was ready.
   "Captain  Nemo,"  said  I,  "this arm is perfect, and easily handled: I
only  ask to be allowed to try it. But how shall we gain the bottom of the
sea?"
   "At  this  moment, Professor, the Nautilus is stranded in five fathoms,
and we have nothing to do but to start."
   "But how shall we get off?"
   "You shall see."
   Captain  Nemo  thrust  his  head into the helmet, Conseil and I did the
same, not without hearing an ironical "Good sport!" from the Canadian. The
upper  part  of  our  dress  terminated  in a copper collar upon which was
screwed  the  metal helmet. Three holes, protected by thick glass, allowed
us to see in all directions, by simply turning our head in the interior of
the head-dress. As soon as it was in position, the Rouquayrol apparatus on
our backs began to act; and, for my part, I could breathe with ease.
   With the Ruhmkorff lamp hanging from my belt, and the gun in my hand, I
was  ready  to  set out. But to speak the truth, imprisoned in these heavy
garments,  and glued to the deck by my leaden soles, it was impossible for
me to take a step.
   But  this  state of things was provided for. I felt myself being pushed
into  a  little  room  contiguous  to  the  wardrobe  room.  My companions
followed,  towed  along  in  the  same  way.  I  heard a water-tight door,
furnished  with  stopper  plates,  close  upon  us, and we were wrapped in
profound darkness.
   After  some  minutes,  a  loud hissing was heard. I felt the cold mount
from my feet to my chest. Evidently from some part of the vessel they had,
by means of a tap, given entrance to the water, which was invading us, and
with  which the room was soon filled. A second door cut in the side of the
Nautilus  then  opened.  We saw a faint light. In another instant our feet
trod the bottom of the sea.
   And  now,  how  can  I retrace the impression left upon me by that walk
under  the waters? Words are impotent to relate such wonders! Captain Nemo
walked  in  front, his companion followed some steps behind. Conseil and I
remained  near  each  other,  as if an exchange of words had been possible
through our metallic cases. I no longer felt the weight of my clothing, or
of  my  shoes, of my reservoir of air, or my thick helmet, in the midst of
which my head rattled like an almond in its shell.
   The  light,  which  lit  the  soil thirty feet below the surface of the
ocean, astonished me by its power. The solar rays shone through the watery
mass  easily,  and  dissipated  all  colour,  and  I clearly distinguished
objects  at a distance of a hundred and fifty yards. Beyond that the tints
darkened  into  fine  gradations  of  ultramarine,  and  faded  into vague
obscurity. Truly this water which surrounded me was but another air denser
than  the  terrestrial atmosphere, but almost as transparent. Above me was
the  calm  surface  of  the  sea.  We were walking on fine, even sand, not
wrinkled, as on a flat shore, which retains the impression of the billows.
This  dazzling  carpet,  really  a reflector, repelled the rays of the sun
with   wonderful  intensity,  which  accounted  for  the  vibration  which
penetrated  every  atom of liquid. Shall I be believed when I say that, at
the depth of thirty feet, I could see as if I was in broad daylight?
   For  a quarter of an hour I trod on this sand, sown with the impalpable
dust  of  shells.  The  hull  of  the  Nautilus,  resembling a long shoal,
disappeared  by degrees; but its lantern, when darkness should overtake us
in the waters, would help to guide us on board by its distinct rays.
   Soon  forms  of  objects  outlined  in the distance were discernible. I
recognised  magnificent  rocks,  hung  with a tapestry of zoophytes of the
most  beautiful  kind, and I was at first struck by the peculiar effect of
this medium.
   It  was then ten in the morning; the rays of the sun struck the surface
of  the waves at rather an oblique angle, and at the touch of their light,
decomposed  by  refraction  as  through  a  prism, flowers, rocks, plants,
shells, and polypi were shaded at the edges by the seven solar colours. It
was marvellous, a feast for the eyes, this complication of coloured tints,
a perfect kaleidoscope of green, yellow, orange, violet, indigo, and blue;
in  one  word, the whole palette of an enthusiastic colourist! Why could I
not communicate to Conseil the lively sensations which were mounting to my
brain,  and  rival  him  in  expressions  of admiration? For aught I knew,
Captain Nemo and his companion might be able to exchange thoughts by means
of  signs  previously  agreed  upon.  So,  for want of better, I talked to
myself;  I  declaimed  in  the  copper  box which covered my head, thereby
expending more air in vain words than was perhaps wise.
   Various  kinds of isis, clusters of pure tuft-coral, prickly fungi, and
anemones   formed  a  brilliant  garden  of  flowers,  decked  with  their
collarettes of blue tentacles, sea-stars studding the sandy bottom. It was
a  real  grief  to  me  to  crush under my feet the brilliant specimens of
molluscs  which  strewed the ground by thousands, of hammerheads, donaciae
(veritable   bounding  shells),  of  staircases,  and  red  helmet-shells,
angel-wings,  and many others produced by this inexhaustible ocean. But we
were  bound  to  walk, so we went on, whilst above our heads waved medusae
whose  umbrellas  of  opal  or  rose-pink, escalloped with a band of blue,
sheltered  us  from  the rays of the sun and fiery pelagiae, which, in the
darkness, would have strewn our path with phosphorescent light.
   All  these  wonders I saw in the space of a quarter of a mile, scarcely
stopping,  and  following  Captain Nemo, who beckoned me on by signs. Soon
the  nature of the soil changed; to the sandy plain succeeded an extent of
slimy  mud  which  the  Americans  call "ooze," composed of equal parts of
silicious and calcareous shells. We then travelled over a plain of seaweed
of  wild  and  luxuriant  vegetation. This sward was of close texture, and
soft  to  the  feet,  and rivalled the softest carpet woven by the hand of
man.  But  whilst  verdure  was spread at our feet, it did not abandon our
heads.  A  light network of marine plants, of that inexhaustible family of
seaweeds  of  which  more  than  two thousand kinds are known, grew on the
surface of the water.
   I  noticed that the green plants kept nearer the top of the sea, whilst
the red were at a greater depth, leaving to the black or brown the care of
forming gardens and parterres in the remote beds of the ocean.
   We had quitted the Nautilus about an hour and a half. It was near noon;
I  knew  by  the  perpendicularity of the sun's rays, which were no longer
refracted.  The  magical colours disappeared by degrees, and the shades of
emerald  and  sapphire  were effaced. We walked with a regular step, which
rang  upon  the ground with astonishing intensity; the slightest noise was
transmitted  with  a  quickness  to  which  the ear is unaccustomed on the
earth; indeed, water is a better conductor of sound than air, in the ratio
of  four to one. At this period the earth sloped downwards; the light took
a  uniform tint. We were at a depth of a hundred and five yards and twenty
inches, undergoing a pressure of six atmospheres.
   At  this depth I could still see the rays of the sun, though feebly; to
their  intense  brilliancy  had  succeeded  a reddish twilight, the lowest
state  between  day  and night; but we could still see well enough; it was
not  necessary to resort to the Ruhmkorff apparatus as yet. At this moment
Captain  Nemo stopped; he waited till I joined him, and then pointed to an
obscure mass, looming in the shadow, at a short distance.
   "It  is  the  forest of the Island of Crespo," thought I; and I was not
mistaken.


        Chapter XVI. A SUBMARINE FOREST

   We  had at last arrived on the borders of this forest, doubtless one of
the  finest  of  Captain  Nemo's immense domains. He looked upon it as his
own,  and  considered he had the same right over it that the first men had
in  the first days of the world. And, indeed, who would have disputed with
him  the possession of this submarine property? What other hardier pioneer
would come, hatchet in hand, to cut down the dark copses?
   This  forest  was  composed  of  large  tree-plants;  and the moment we
penetrated  under  its vast arcades, I was struck by the singular position
of their branches-a position I had not yet observed.
   Not  an  herb which carpeted the ground, not a branch which clothed the
trees,  was  either  broken or bent, nor did they extend horizontally; all
stretched  up  to  the surface of the ocean. Not a filament, not a ribbon,
however  thin  they  might  be, but kept as straight as a rod of iron. The
fuci  and llianas grew in rigid perpendicular lines, due to the density of
the element which had produced them. Motionless yet, when bent to one side
by the hand, they directly resumed their former position. Truly it was the
region of perpendicularity!
   I  soon accustomed myself to this fantastic position, as well as to the
comparative  darkness  which  surrounded us. The soil of the forest seemed
covered  with sharp blocks, difficult to avoid. The submarine flora struck
me  as  being very perfect, and richer even than it would have been in the
arctic  or  tropical  zones, where these productions are not so plentiful.
But for some minutes I involuntarily confounded the genera, taking animals
for  plants; and who would not have been mistaken? The fauna and the flora
are too closely allied in this submarine world.
   These  plants are self-propagated, and the principle of their existence
is  in  the  water,  which upholds and nourishes them. The greater number,
instead  of  leaves,  shoot  forth  blades of capricious shapes, comprised
within a scale of colours pink, carmine, green, olive, fawn, and brown.
   "Curious anomaly, fantastic element!" said an ingenious naturalist, "in
which the animal kingdom blossoms, and the vegetable does not!"
   In  about an hour Captain Nemo gave the signal to halt; I, for my part,
was  not sorry, and we stretched ourselves under an arbour of alariae, the
long thin blades of which stood up like arrows.
   This  short  rest seemed delicious to me; there was nothing wanting but
the charm of conversation; but, impossible to speak, impossible to answer,
I  only  put  my great copper head to Conseil's. I saw the worthy fellow's
eyes  glistening  with  delight,  and,  to show his satisfaction, he shook
himself in his breastplate of air, in the most comical way in the world.
   After  four  hours  of this walking, I was surprised not to find myself
dreadfully  hungry.  How  to account for this state of the stomach I could
not  tell.  But  instead  I  felt an insurmountable desire to sleep, which
happens  to  all divers. And my eyes soon closed behind the thick glasses,
and  I  fell  into a heavy slumber, which the movement alone had prevented
before.  Captain  Nemo  and  his  robust companion, stretched in the clear
crystal, set us the example.
   How long I remained buried in this drowsiness I cannot judge, but, when
I  woke,  the  sun  seemed  sinking  towards the horizon. Captain Nemo had
already risen, and I was beginning to stretch my limbs, when an unexpected
apparition brought me briskly to my feet.
   A  few  steps  off,  a  monstrous sea-spider, about thirty-eight inches
high, was watching me with squinting eyes, ready to spring upon me. Though
my  diver's  dress  was  thick  enough  to defend me from the bite of this
animal, I could not help shuddering with horror. Conseil and the sailor of
the  Nautilus  awoke  at this moment. Captain Nemo pointed out the hideous
crustacean,  which a blow from the butt end of the gun knocked over, and I
saw the horrible claws of the monster writhe in terrible convulsions. This
incident  reminded  me  that  other  animals more to be feared might haunt
these  obscure  depths,  against  whose  attacks my diving-dress would not
protect  me.  I  had  never thought of it before, but I now resolved to be
upon my guard. Indeed, I thought that this halt would mark the termination
of  our  walk;  but  I  was  mistaken,  for,  instead  of returning to the
Nautilus,  Captain Nemo continued his bold excursion. The ground was still
on  the  incline,  its  declivity  seemed to be getting greater, and to be
leading  us  to greater depths. It must have been about three o'clock when
we  reached  a  narrow  valley, between high perpendicular walls, situated
about   seventy-five  fathoms  deep.  Thanks  to  the  perfection  of  our
apparatus,  we  were forty-five fathoms below the limit which nature seems
to have imposed on man as to his submarine excursions.
   I  say  seventy-five  fathoms,  though  I had no instrument by which to
judge  the distance. But I knew that even in the clearest waters the solar
rays  could  not penetrate further. And accordingly the darkness deepened.
At  ten  paces  not  an  object  was visible. I was groping my way, when I
suddenly  saw  a  brilliant  white  light.  Captain  Nemo had just put his
electric apparatus into use; his companion did the same, and Conseil and I
followed  their  example. By turning a screw I established a communication
between  the  wire  and  the  spiral  glass,  and the sea, lit by our four
lanterns, was illuminated for a circle of thirty-six yards.
   As  we  walked I thought the light of our Ruhmkorff apparatus could not
fail to draw some inhabitant from its dark couch. But if they did approach
us,  they at least kept at a respectful distance from the hunters. Several
times I saw Captain Nemo stop, put his gun to his shoulder, and after some
moments  drop  it  and  walk  on.  At  last,  after about four hours, this
marvellous  excursion  came  to  an  end.  A  wall  of superb rocks, in an
imposing  mass,  rose  before  us, a heap of gigantic blocks, an enormous,
steep  granite  shore,  forming  dark  grottos,  but  which  presented  no
practicable  slope;  it  was  the prop of the Island of Crespo. It was the
earth! Captain Nemo stopped suddenly. A gesture of his brought us all to a
halt; and, however desirous I might be to scale the wall, I was obliged to
stop.  Here ended Captain Nemo's domains. And he would not go beyond them.
Further on was a portion of the globe he might not trample upon.
   The  return  began. Captain Nemo had returned to the head of his little
band,  directing  their  course  without hesitation. I thought we were not
following  the  same road to return to the Nautilus. The new road was very
steep, and consequently very painful. We approached the surface of the sea
rapidly. But this return to the upper strata was not so sudden as to cause
relief  from  the  pressure too rapidly, which might have produced serious
disorder in our organisation, and brought on internal lesions, so fatal to
divers. Very soon light reappeared and grew, and, the sun being low on the
horizon,  the refraction edged the different objects with a spectral ring.
At ten yards and a half deep, we walked amidst a shoal of little fishes of
all  kinds,  more numerous than the birds of the air, and also more agile;
but no aquatic game worthy of a shot had as yet met our gaze, when at that
moment  I  saw  the  Captain shoulder his gun quickly, and follow a moving
object into the shrubs. He fired; I heard a slight hissing, and a creature
fell  stunned at some distance from us. It was a magnificent sea-otter, an
enhydrus,  the only exclusively marine quadruped. This otter was five feet
long, and must have been very valuable. Its skin, chestnut-brown above and
silvery  underneath, would have made one of those beautiful furs so sought
after  in  the Russian and Chinese markets: the fineness and the lustre of
its  coat  would  certainly fetch L80. I admired this curious mammal, with
its  rounded  head  ornamented  with short ears, its round eyes, and white
whiskers like those of a cat, with webbed feet and nails, and tufted tail.
This precious animal, hunted and tracked by fishermen, has now become very
rare,  and  taken  refuge chiefly in the northern parts of the Pacific, or
probably its race would soon become extinct.
   Captain  Nemo's  companion  took the beast, threw it over his shoulder,
and  we  continued our journey. For one hour a plain of sand lay stretched
before  us.  Sometimes  it rose to within two yards and some inches of the
surface  of  the  water.  I  then  saw  our image clearly reflected, drawn
inversely,  and  above  us  appeared  an  identical  group  reflecting our
movements  and our actions; in a word, like us in every point, except that
they walked with their heads downward and their feet in the air.
   Another  effect  I noticed, which was the passage of thick clouds which
formed  and  vanished  rapidly;  but on reflection I understood that these
seeming  clouds  were  due  to  the  varying thickness of the reeds at the
bottom,  and  I  could  even  see  the fleecy foam which their broken tops
multiplied  on the water, and the shadows of large birds passing above our
heads, whose rapid flight I could discern on the surface of the sea.
   On  this  occasion  I  was witness to one of the finest gun shots which
ever  made the nerves of a hunter thrill. A large bird of great breadth of
wing,  clearly  visible,  approached,  hovering  over  us.  Captain Nemo's
companion shouldered his gun and fired, when it was only a few yards above
the waves. The creature fell stunned, and the force of its fall brought it
within  the  reach of dexterous hunter's grasp. It was an albatross of the
finest kind.
   Our  march  had not been interrupted by this incident. For two hours we
followed  these  sandy  plains,  then fields of algae very disagreeable to
cross.  Candidly, I could do no more when I saw a glimmer of light, which,
for  a  half mile, broke the darkness of the waters. It was the lantern of
the Nautilus. Before twenty minutes were over we should be on board, and I
should  be  able  to  breathe  with  ease, for it seemed that my reservoir
supplied  air  very  deficient  in  oxygen.  But  I  did  not reckon on an
accidental meeting which delayed our arrival for some time.
   I  had  remained  some  steps behind, when I presently saw Captain Nemo
coming  hurriedly  towards  me.  With  his  strong  hand he bent me to the
ground,  his companion doing the same to Conseil. At first I knew not what
to  think  of  this  sudden attack, but I was soon reassured by seeing the
Captain lie down beside me, and remain immovable.
   I  was  stretched  on  the  ground, just under the shelter of a bush of
algae,   when,  raising  my  head,  I  saw  some  enormous  mass,  casting
phosphorescent gleams, pass blusteringly by.
   My  blood froze in my veins as I recognised two formidable sharks which
threatened  us.  It  was  a  couple of tintoreas, terrible creatures, with
enormous  tails and a dull glassy stare, the phosphorescent matter ejected
from  holes pierced around the muzzle. Monstrous brutes! which would crush
a  whole man in their iron jaws. I did not know whether Conseil stopped to
classify them; for my part, I noticed their silver bellies, and their huge
mouths  bristling  with teeth, from a very unscientific point of view, and
more as a possible victim than as a naturalist.
   Happily  the  voracious  creatures do not see well. They passed without
seeing  us,  brushing  us  with  their  brownish fins, and we escaped by a
miracle  from a danger certainly greater than meeting a tiger full-face in
the  forest.  Half  an hour after, guided by the electric light we reached
the Nautilus. The outside door had been left open, and Captain Nemo closed
it  as  soon  as  we had entered the first cell. He then pressed a knob. I
heard  the  pumps  working  in  the  midst of the vessel, I felt the water
sinking  from around me, and in a few moments the cell was entirely empty.
The inside door then opened, and we entered the vestry.
   There  our  diving-dress  was taken off, not without some trouble, and,
fairly  worn  out  from  want of food and sleep, I returned to my room, in
great wonder at this surprising excursion at the bottom of the sea.


        Chapter XVII. FOUR THOUSAND LEAGUES UNDER THE PACIFIC

   The  next  morning, the 18th of November, I had quite recovered from my
fatigues  of the day before, and I went up on to the platform, just as the
second lieutenant was uttering his daily phrase.
   I  was  admiring  the magnificent aspect of the ocean when Captain Nemo
appeared.  He  did not seem to be aware of my presence, and began a series
of  astronomical  observations.  Then,  when  he had finished, he went and
leant on the cage of the watch-light, and gazed abstractedly on the ocean.
In  the  meantime, a number of the sailors of the Nautilus, all strong and
healthy  men, had come up onto the platform. They came to draw up the nets
that  had  been  laid all night. These sailors were evidently of different
nations,  although  the  European  type  was  visible  in  all  of them. I
recognised  some  unmistakable  Irishmen,  Frenchmen,  some Sclaves, and a
Greek,  or  a  Candiote.  They were civil, and only used that odd language
among  themselves,  the origin of which I could not guess, neither could I
question them.
   The  nets  were  hauled  in.  They were a large kind of "chaluts," like
those  on  the  Normandy  coasts, great pockets that the waves and a chain
fixed in the smaller meshes kept open. These pockets, drawn by iron poles,
swept through the water, and gathered in everything in their way. That day
they brought up curious specimens from those productive coasts.
   I reckoned that the haul had brought in more than nine hundredweight of
fish.  It was a fine haul, but not to be wondered at. Indeed, the nets are
let  down  for  several  hours,  and  enclose  in their meshes an infinite
variety.  We  had  no  lack  of  excellent  food,  and the rapidity of the
Nautilus  and  the attraction of the electric light could always renew our
supply.  These  several  productions  of  the sea were immediately lowered
through  the  panel  to  the  steward's  room, some to be eaten fresh, and
others pickled.
   The  fishing  ended,  the  provision of air renewed, I thought that the
Nautilus  was about to continue its submarine excursion, and was preparing
to  return  to my room, when, without further preamble, the Captain turned
to me, saying:
   "Professor, is not this ocean gifted with real life? It has its tempers
and  its  gentle  moods. Yesterday it slept as we did, and now it has woke
after  a quiet night. Look!" he continued, "it wakes under the caresses of
the  sun. It is going to renew its diurnal existence. It is an interesting
study  to  watch  the  play of its organisation. It has a pulse, arteries,
spasms;  and  I  agree  with  the  learned  Maury,  who discovered in it a
circulation as real as the circulation of blood in animals.
   "Yes,  the ocean has indeed circulation, and to promote it, the Creator
has caused things to multiply in it-caloric, salt, and animalculae."
   When Captain Nemo spoke thus, he seemed altogether changed, and aroused
an extraordinary emotion in me.
   "Also,"  he  added,  "true  existence  is  there; and I can imagine the
foundations  of  nautical towns, clusters of submarine houses, which, like
the  Nautilus, would ascend every morning to breathe at the surface of the
water, free towns, independent cities. Yet who knows whether some despot-"
   Captain  Nemo  finished  his  sentence  with  a  violent gesture. Then,
addressing me as if to chase away some sorrowful thought:
   "M. Aronnax," he asked. "do you know the depth of the ocean?"
   "I only know, Captain, what the principal soundings have taught us."
   "Could you tell me them, so that I can suit them to my purpose?"
   "These  are some," I replied, "that I remember. If I am not mistaken, a
depth of 8,000 yards has been found in the North Atlantic, and 2,500 yards
in  the Mediterranean. The most remarkable soundings have been made in the
South  Atlantic,  near  the  thirty-fifth  parallel,  and they gave 12,000
yards,  14,000 yards, and 15,000 yards. To sum up all, it is reckoned that
if  the bottom of the sea were levelled, its mean depth would be about one
and three-quarter leagues."
   "Well,  Professor," replied the Captain, "we shall show you better than
that  I hope. As to the mean depth of this part of the Pacific, I tell you
it is only 4,000 yards."
   Having  said this, Captain Nemo went towards the panel, and disappeared
down the ladder. I followed him, and went into the large drawing-room. The
screw  was  immediately  put  in  motion, and the log gave twenty miles an
hour.
   During the days and weeks that passed, Captain Nemo was very sparing of
his  visits.  I  seldom  saw him. The lieutenant pricked the ship's course
regularly  on  the  chart, so I could always tell exactly the route of the
Nautilus.
   Nearly  every  day,  for some time, the panels of the drawing-room were
opened,  and  we  were  never  tired  of  penetrating the mysteries of the
submarine world.
   The  general  direction  of  the  Nautilus  was south-east, and it kept
between  100  and 150 yards of depth. One day, however, I do not know why,
being drawn diagonally by means of the inclined planes, it touched the bed
of  the  sea.  The  thermometer indicated a temperature of 4.25 (cent.): a
temperature that at this depth seemed common to all latitudes.
   At  three  o'clock  in the morning of the 26th of November the Nautilus
crossed  the tropic of Cancer at 172O long. On 27th instant it sighted the
Sandwich  Islands,  where  Cook  died, February 14, 1779. We had then gone
4,860  leagues from our starting-point. In the morning, when I went on the
platform,  I  saw  two miles to windward, Hawaii, the largest of the seven
islands  that form the group. I saw clearly the cultivated ranges, and the
several mountain-chains that run parallel with the side, and the volcanoes
that overtop Mouna-Rea, which rise 5,000 yards above the level of the sea.
Besides  other  things  the nets brought up, were several flabellariae and
graceful  polypi,  that  are  peculiar  to  that  part  of  the ocean. The
direction  of  the  Nautilus  was  still to the south-east. It crossed the
equator December 1, in 142O long.; and on the 4th of the same month, after
crossing  rapidly and without anything in particular occurring, we sighted
the  Marquesas group. I saw, three miles off, Martin's peak in Nouka-Hiva,
the  largest  of  the  group  that belongs to France. I only saw the woody
mountains  against the horizon, because Captain Nemo did not wish to bring
the  ship  to  the  wind. There the nets brought up beautiful specimens of
fish:  some  with  azure  fins  and tails like gold, the flesh of which is
unrivalled;  some  nearly  destitute  of scales, but of exquisite flavour;
others,  with  bony jaws, and yellow-tinged gills, as good as bonitos; all
fish  that  would  be  of  use to us. After leaving these charming islands
protected  by  the  French  flag, from the 4th to the 11th of December the
Nautilus sailed over about 2,000 miles.
   During  the  daytime  of the 11th of December I was busy reading in the
large  drawing-room.  Ned  Land  and  Conseil  watched  the luminous water
through  the  half-open  panels.  The  Nautilus  was  immovable. While its
reservoirs were filled, it kept at a depth of 1,000 yards, a region rarely
visited in the ocean, and in which large fish were seldom seen.
   I  was  then  reading  a  charming book by Jean Mace, The Slaves of the
Stomach,  and  I  was learning some valuable lessons from it, when Conseil
interrupted me.
   "Will master come here a moment?" he said, in a curious voice.
   "What is the matter, Conseil?"
   "I want master to look."
   I rose, went, and leaned on my elbows before the panes and watched.
   In  a full electric light, an enormous black mass, quite immovable, was
suspended in the midst of the waters. I watched it attentively, seeking to
find  out  the  nature  of  this  gigantic  cetacean. But a sudden thought
crossed my mind. "A vessel!" I said, half aloud.
   "Yes,"   replied   the   Canadian,  "a  disabled  ship  that  has  sunk
perpendicularly."
   Ned  Land  was  right;  we were close to a vessel of which the tattered
shrouds still hung from their chains. The keel seemed to be in good order,
and  it  had  been  wrecked at most some few hours. Three stumps of masts,
broken off about two feet above the bridge, showed that the vessel had had
to  sacrifice its masts. But, lying on its side, it had filled, and it was
heeling  over  to  port.  This skeleton of what it had once been was a sad
spectacle  as  it lay lost under the waves, but sadder still was the sight
of  the  bridge, where some corpses, bound with ropes, were still lying. I
counted  five-four  men, one of whom was standing at the helm, and a woman
standing  by the poop, holding an infant in her arms. She was quite young.
I  could  distinguish her features, which the water had not decomposed, by
the  brilliant  light from the Nautilus. In one despairing effort, she had
raised  her infant above her head- poor little thing!-whose arms encircled
its  mother's  neck.  The  attitude  of  the  four  sailors was frightful,
distorted as they were by their convulsive movements, whilst making a last
effort  to  free  themselves from the cords that bound them to the vessel.
The  steersman  alone, calm, with a grave, clear face, his grey hair glued
to his forehead, and his hand clutching the wheel of the helm, seemed even
then to be guiding the three broken masts through the depths of the ocean.
   What a scene! We were dumb; our hearts beat fast before this shipwreck,
taken as it were from life and photographed in its last moments. And I saw
already, coming towards it with hungry eyes, enormous sharks, attracted by
the human flesh.
   However, the Nautilus, turning, went round the submerged vessel, and in
one instant I read on the stern-"The Florida, Sunderland."


        Chapter XVIII. VANIKORO

   This  terrible  spectacle  was the forerunner of the series of maritime
catastrophes  that the Nautilus was destined to meet with in its route. As
long  as it went through more frequented waters, we often saw the hulls of
shipwrecked  vessels  that  were  rotting  in  the depths, and deeper down
cannons,  bullets,  anchors,  chains,  and a thousand other iron materials
eaten  up by rust. However, on the 11th of December we sighted the Pomotou
Islands,  the  old  "dangerous  group" of Bougainville, that extend over a
space of 500 leagues at E.S.E. to W.N.W., from the Island Ducie to that of
Lazareff.  This  group  covers  an  area  of 370 square leagues, and it is
formed  of  sixty  groups  of  islands,  among  which the Gambier group is
remarkable,  over  which  France  exercises sway. These are coral islands,
slowly  raised,  but continuous, created by the daily work of polypi. Then
this  new  island will be joined later on to the neighboring groups, and a
fifth  continent will stretch from New Zealand and New Caledonia, and from
thence to the Marquesas.
   One  day, when I was suggesting this theory to Captain Nemo, he replied
coldly:
   "The earth does not want new continents, but new men."
   {5 paragraphs have been stripped from this edition}
   On  15th  of  December, we left to the east the bewitching group of the
Societies  and  the  graceful  Tahiti,  queen of the Pacific. I saw in the
morning,  some  miles to the windward, the elevated summits of the island.
These  waters  furnished our table with excellent fish, mackerel, bonitos,
and some varieties of a sea-serpent.
   On  the  25th of December the Nautilus sailed into the midst of the New
Hebrides,  discovered by Quiros in 1606, and that Bougainville explored in
1768,  and  to  which  Cook  gave  its present name in 1773. This group is
composed  principally  of  nine  large  islands,  that  form a band of 120
leagues  N.N.S.  to  S.S.W., between 15O and 2O S. lat., and 164O and 168O
long. We passed tolerably near to the Island of Aurou, that at noon looked
like a mass of green woods, surmounted by a peak of great height.
   That  day  being  Christmas  Day,  Ned Land seemed to regret sorely the
non-celebration  of  "Christmas," the family fete of which Protestants are
so  fond.  I had not seen Captain Nemo for a week, when, on the morning of
the 27th, he came into the large drawing-room, always seeming as if he had
seen  you  five  minutes  before.  I  was  busily tracing the route of the
Nautilus  on the planisphere. The Captain came up to me, put his finger on
one spot on the chart, and said this single word.
   "Vanikoro."
   The  effect  was  magical!  It  was the name of the islands on which La
Perouse had been lost! I rose suddenly.
   "The Nautilus has brought us to Vanikoro?" I asked.
   "Yes, Professor," said the Captain.
   "And  I  can  visit  the  celebrated islands where the Boussole and the
Astrolabe struck?"
   "If you like, Professor."
   "When shall we be there?"
   "We are there now."
   Followed  by  Captain  Nemo, I went up on to the platform, and greedily
scanned the horizon.
   To the N.E. two volcanic islands emerged of unequal size, surrounded by
a  coral reef that measured forty miles in circumference. We were close to
Vanikoro,  really  the one to which Dumont d'Urville gave the name of Isle
de  la Recherche, and exactly facing the little harbour of Vanou, situated
in  16O  4'  S.  lat., and 164O 32' E. long. The earth seemed covered with
verdure  from  the shore to the summits in the interior, that were crowned
by Mount Kapogo, 476 feet high. The Nautilus, having passed the outer belt
of rocks by a narrow strait, found itself among breakers where the sea was
from  thirty  to  forty  fathoms  deep.  Under  the  verdant shade of some
mangroves  I perceived some savages, who appeared greatly surprised at our
approach.  In the long black body, moving between wind and water, did they
not see some formidable cetacean that they regarded with suspicion?
   Just  then  Captain  Nemo  asked  me  what I knew about the wreck of La
Perouse.
   "Only what everyone knows, Captain," I replied.
   "And  could  you  tell  me  what everyone knows about it?" he inquired,
ironically.
   "Easily."
   I  related  to him all that the last works of Dumont d'Urville had made
known- works from which the following is a brief account.
   La  Perouse, and his second, Captain de Langle, were sent by Louis XVI,
in  1785,  on a voyage of circumnavigation. They embarked in the corvettes
Boussole and the Astrolabe, neither of which were again heard of. In 1791,
the  French  Government, justly uneasy as to the fate of these two sloops,
manned  two large merchantmen, the Recherche and the Esperance, which left
Brest the 28th of September under the command of Bruni d'Entrecasteaux.
   Two  months after, they learned from Bowen, commander of the Albemarle,
that  the debris of shipwrecked vessels had been seen on the coasts of New
Georgia.   But   D'Entrecasteaux,   ignoring  this  communication-  rather
uncertain,  besides-directed  his  course  towards  the Admiralty Islands,
mentioned  in  a  report  of  Captain Hunter's as being the place where La
Perouse was wrecked.
   They  sought  in  vain.  The  Esperance and the Recherche passed before
Vanikoro  without  stopping  there,  and,  in  fact,  this voyage was most
disastrous,  as  it cost D'Entrecasteaux his life, and those of two of his
lieutenants, besides several of his crew.
   Captain  Dillon,  a  shrewd  old  Pacific sailor, was the first to find
unmistakable  traces  of the wrecks. On the 15th of May, 1824, his vessel,
the St. Patrick, passed close to Tikopia, one of the New Hebrides. There a
Lascar came alongside in a canoe, sold him the handle of a sword in silver
that  bore  the  print  of  characters  engraved  on  the hilt. The Lascar
pretended  that  six  years before, during a stay at Vanikoro, he had seen
two  Europeans  that  belonged to some vessels that had run aground on the
reefs some years ago.
   Dillon  guessed  that  he  meant  La  Perouse,  whose disappearance had
troubled the whole world. He tried to get on to Vanikoro, where, according
to  the  Lascar, he would find numerous debris of the wreck, but winds and
tides prevented him.
   Dillon  returned  to  Calcutta. There he interested the Asiatic Society
and  the Indian Company in his discovery. A vessel, to which was given the
name  of  the  Recherche,  was  put  at his disposal, and he set out, 23rd
January, 1827, accompanied by a French agent.
   The  Recherche,  after  touching at several points in the Pacific, cast
anchor  before  Vanikoro,  7th  July,  1827, in that same harbour of Vanou
where the Nautilus was at this time.
   There  it  collected  numerous  relics  of  the  wreck-  iron utensils,
anchors,   pulley-strops,  swivel-guns,  an  18  lb.  shot,  fragments  of
astronomical  instruments,  a  piece  of  crown  work, and a bronze clock,
bearing  this inscription-"Bazin m'a fait," the mark of the foundry of the
arsenal at Brest about 1785. There could be no further doubt.
   Dillon,  having  made  all  inquiries, stayed in the unlucky place till
October.  Then  he  quitted  Vanikoro, and directed his course towards New
Zealand; put into Calcutta, 7th April, 1828, and returned to France, where
he was warmly welcomed by Charles X.
   But  at  the  same  time,  without  knowing  Dillon's movements, Dumont
d'Urville had already set out to find the scene of the wreck. And they had
learned  from  a whaler that some medals and a cross of St. Louis had been
found  in the hands of some savages of Louisiade and New Caledonia. Dumont
d'Urville,  commander  of  the  Astrolabe, had then sailed, and two months
after  Dillon  had left Vanikoro he put into Hobart Town. There he learned
the  results  of Dillon's inquiries, and found that a certain James Hobbs,
second  lieutenant  of  the  Union of Calcutta, after landing on an island
situated  8O  18'  S. lat., and 156O 30' E. long., had seen some iron bars
and  red stuffs used by the natives of these parts. Dumont d'Urville, much
perplexed,  and  not  knowing  how  to  credit  the  reports  of low-class
journals, decided to follow Dillon's track.
   On  the 10th of February, 1828, the Astrolabe appeared off Tikopia, and
took as guide and interpreter a deserter found on the island; made his way
to  Vanikoro,  sighted it on the 12th inst., lay among the reefs until the
14th,  and not until the 20th did he cast anchor within the barrier in the
harbour of Vanou.
   On  the  23rd,  several officers went round the island and brought back
some  unimportant  trifles.  The natives, adopting a system of denials and
evasions,  refused  to  take  them  to  the  unlucky place. This ambiguous
conduct  led  them  to  believe  that  the  natives  had  ill-treated  the
castaways,  and  indeed they seemed to fear that Dumont d'Urville had come
to avenge La Perouse and his unfortunate crew.
   However, on the 26th, appeased by some presents, and understanding that
they  had no reprisals to fear, they led M. Jacquireot to the scene of the
wreck.
   There,  in  three  or four fathoms of water, between the reefs of Pacou
and  Vanou,  lay  anchors, cannons, pigs of lead and iron, embedded in the
limy concretions. The large boat and the whaler belonging to the Astrolabe
were  sent  to  this  place, and, not without some difficulty, their crews
hauled  up  an anchor weighing 1,800 lbs., a brass gun, some pigs of iron,
and two copper swivel-guns.
   Dumont d'Urville, questioning the natives, learned too that La Perouse,
after losing both his vessels on the reefs of this island, had constructed
a smaller boat, only to be lost a second time. Where, no one knew.
   But  the  French  Government,  fearing  that  Dumont  d'Urville was not
acquainted  with  Dillon's  movements,  had  sent  the  sloop  Bayonnaise,
commanded  by Legoarant de Tromelin, to Vanikoro, which had been stationed
on  the  west  coast  of  America.  The  Bayonnaise cast her anchor before
Vanikoro  some  months  after the departure of the Astrolabe, but found no
new document; but stated that the savages had respected the monument to La
Perouse. That is the substance of what I told Captain Nemo.
   "So,"  he  said, "no one knows now where the third vessel perished that
was constructed by the castaways on the island of Vanikoro?"
   "No one knows."
   Captain  Nemo  said  nothing,  but  signed to me to follow him into the
large  saloon.  The  Nautilus  sank several yards below the waves, and the
panels were opened.
   I hastened to the aperture, and under the crustations of coral, covered
with  fungi,  I recognised certain debris that the drags had not been able
to tear up-iron stirrups, anchors, cannons, bullets, capstan fittings, the
stem  of a ship, all objects clearly proving the wreck of some vessel, and
now  carpeted  with  living  flowers. While I was looking on this desolate
scene, Captain Nemo said, in a sad voice:
   {this above para was edited}
   "Commander  La  Perouse set out 7th December, 1785, with his vessels La
Boussole  and  the  Astrolabe. He first cast anchor at Botany Bay, visited
the  Friendly Isles, New Caledonia, then directed his course towards Santa
Cruz,  and  put  into  Namouka,  one  of the Hapai group. Then his vessels
struck  on  the unknown reefs of Vanikoro. The Boussole, which went first,
ran  aground  on  the southerly coast. The Astrolabe went to its help, and
ran  aground  too.  The first vessel was destroyed almost immediately. The
second,  stranded under the wind, resisted some days. The natives made the
castaways   welcome.   They   installed  themselves  in  the  island,  and
constructed  a  smaller  boat  with the debris of the two large ones. Some
sailors  stayed  willingly  at Vanikoro; the others, weak and ill, set out
with  La  Perouse. They directed their course towards the Solomon Islands,
and  there  perished,  with everything, on the westerly coast of the chief
island of the group, between Capes Deception and Satisfaction."
   "How do you know that?"
   "By this, that I found on the spot where was the last wreck."
   Captain  Nemo  showed me a tin-plate box, stamped with the French arms,
and  corroded  by  the  salt  water.  He  opened it, and I saw a bundle of
papers, yellow but still readable.
   They  were  the  instructions  of  the  naval  minister to Commander La
Perouse, annotated in the margin in Louis XVI's handwriting.
   "Ah!  it  is a fine death for a sailor!" said Captain Nemo, at last. "A
coral  tomb  makes