prehensible."
   "There is the disadvantage of not knowing all languages," said Conseil,
"or the disadvantage of not having one universal language."
   As  he said these words, the door opened. A steward entered. He brought
us clothes, coats and trousers, made of a stuff I did not know. I hastened
to  dress myself, and my companions followed my example. During that time,
the  steward-dumb,  perhaps  deaf-had  arranged  the table, and laid three
plates.
   "This is something like!" said Conseil.
   "Bah!"  said  the  angry harpooner, "what do you suppose they eat here?
Tortoise liver, filleted shark, and beef steaks from seadogs."
   "We shall see," said Conseil.
   The  dishes,  of  bell metal, were placed on the table, and we took our
places.  Undoubtedly  we  had to do with civilised people, and, had it not
been  for  the electric light which flooded us, I could have fancied I was
in  the  dining-room  of  the  Adelphi Hotel at Liverpool, or at the Grand
Hotel  in  Paris.  I  must  say, however, that there was neither bread nor
wine. The water was fresh and clear, but it was water and did not suit Ned
Land's  taste.  Amongst  the dishes which were brought to us, I recognised
several  fish delicately dressed; but of some, although excellent, I could
give  no  opinion,  neither  could  I  tell to what kingdom they belonged,
whether animal or vegetable. As to the dinner-service, it was elegant, and
in  perfect  taste.  Each  utensil-spoon,  fork, knife, plate-had a letter
engraved  on  it,  with  a  motto  above  it,  of  which  this is an exact
facsimile:
   MOBILIS IN MOBILI N
   The  letter  N  was no doubt the initial of the name of the enigmatical
person who commanded at the bottom of the seas.
   Ned and Conseil did not reflect much. They devoured the food, and I did
likewise.  I was, besides, reassured as to our fate; and it seemed evident
that our hosts would not let us die of want.
   However, everything has an end, everything passes away, even the hunger
of  people  who have not eaten for fifteen hours. Our appetites satisfied,
we felt overcome with sleep.
   "Faith! I shall sleep well," said Conseil.
   "So shall I," replied Ned Land.
   My  two  companions  stretched themselves on the cabin carpet, and were
soon  sound  asleep.  For my own part, too many thoughts crowded my brain,
too  many  insoluble  questions  pressed upon me, too many fancies kept my
eyes half open. Where were we? What strange power carried us on? I felt-or
rather  fancied I felt- the machine sinking down to the lowest beds of the
sea.  Dreadful  nightmares  beset  me; I saw in these mysterious asylums a
world  of  unknown animals, amongst which this submarine boat seemed to be
of  the  same  kind, living, moving, and formidable as they. Then my brain
grew  calmer,  my  imagination  wandered into vague unconsciousness, and I
soon fell into a deep sleep.


        Chapter IX. NED LAND'S TEMPERS

   How  long  we slept I do not know; but our sleep must have lasted long,
for it rested us completely from our fatigues. I woke first. My companions
had not moved, and were still stretched in their corner.
   Hardly  roused  from  my somewhat hard couch, I felt my brain freed, my
mind clear. I then began an attentive examination of our cell. Nothing was
changed  inside.  The prison was still a prison- the prisoners, prisoners.
However,  the steward, during our sleep, had cleared the table. I breathed
with  difficulty.  The  heavy air seemed to oppress my lungs. Although the
cell  was large, we had evidently consumed a great part of the oxygen that
it contained. Indeed, each man consumes, in one hour, the oxygen contained
in  more  than  176  pints  of air, and this air, charged (as then) with a
nearly equal quantity of carbonic acid, becomes unbreathable.
   It became necessary to renew the atmosphere of our prison, and no doubt
the  whole in the submarine boat. That gave rise to a question in my mind.
How  would the commander of this floating dwelling-place proceed? Would he
obtain  air  by chemical means, in getting by heat the oxygen contained in
chlorate of potash, and in absorbing carbonic acid by caustic potash? Or-a
more  convenient,  economical, and consequently more probable alternative-
would he be satisfied to rise and take breath at the surface of the water,
like  a  whale,  and  so  renew  for  twenty-four  hours  the  atmospheric
provision?
   In  fact,  I was already obliged to increase my respirations to eke out
of this cell the little oxygen it contained, when suddenly I was refreshed
by  a  current of pure air, and perfumed with saline emanations. It was an
invigorating  sea breeze, charged with iodine. I opened my mouth wide, and
my lungs saturated themselves with fresh particles.
   At  the  same time I felt the boat rolling. The iron-plated monster had
evidently  just  risen  to  the surface of the ocean to breathe, after the
fashion of whales. I found out from that the mode of ventilating the boat.
   When  I  had  inhaled this air freely, I sought the conduit pipe, which
conveyed  to  us  the  beneficial whiff, and I was not long in finding it.
Above  the  door  was  a  ventilator,  through  which volumes of fresh air
renewed the impoverished atmosphere of the cell.
   I  was making my observations, when Ned and Conseil awoke almost at the
same  time,  under  the  influence of this reviving air. They rubbed their
eyes, stretched themselves, and were on their feet in an instant.
   "Did master sleep well?" asked Conseil, with his usual politeness.
   "Very well, my brave boy. And you, Mr. Land?"
   "Soundly,  Professor.  But,  I  don't  know if I am right or not, there
seems to be a sea breeze!"
   A  seaman  could  not be mistaken, and I told the Canadian all that had
passed during his sleep.
   "Good!"  said  he. "That accounts for those roarings we heard, when the
supposed narwhal sighted the Abraham Lincoln."
   "Quite so, Master Land; it was taking breath."
   "Only,  Mr.  Aronnax,  I  have no idea what o'clock it is, unless it is
dinner-time."
   "Dinner-time!  my  good  fellow?  Say  rather  breakfast-time,  for  we
certainly have begun another day."
   "So," said Conseil, "we have slept twenty-four hours?"
   "That is my opinion."
   "I  will  not  contradict  you,"  replied  Ned  Land.  "But,  dinner or
breakfast, the steward will be welcome, whichever he brings."
   "Master  Land, we must conform to the rules on board, and I suppose our
appetites are in advance of the dinner hour."
   "That  is  just  like you, friend Conseil," said Ned, impatiently. "You
are  never  out  of  temper,  always  calm; you would return thanks before
grace, and die of hunger rather than complain!"
   Time  was  getting  on, and we were fearfully hungry; and this time the
steward did not appear. It was rather too long to leave us, if they really
had  good  intentions  towards  us. Ned Land, tormented by the cravings of
hunger,  got still more angry; and, notwithstanding his promise, I dreaded
an explosion when he found himself with one of the crew.
   For  two  hours more Ned Land's temper increased; he cried, he shouted,
but  in  vain.  The walls were deaf. There was no sound to be heard in the
boat;  all was still as death. It did not move, for I should have felt the
trembling  motion of the hull under the influence of the screw. Plunged in
the depths of the waters, it belonged no longer to earth: this silence was
dreadful.
   I felt terrified, Conseil was calm, Ned Land roared.
   Just  then a noise was heard outside. Steps sounded on the metal flags.
The locks were turned, the door opened, and the steward appeared.
   Before  I  could  rush forward to stop him, the Canadian had thrown him
down,  and  held him by the throat. The steward was choking under the grip
of his powerful hand.
   Conseil  was  already  trying  to unclasp the harpooner's hand from his
half-suffocated  victim,  and  I  was  going  to  fly  to the rescue, when
suddenly I was nailed to the spot by hearing these words in French:
   "Be  quiet,  Master Land; and you, Professor, will you be so good as to
listen to me?"



        Chapter X. THE MAN OF THE SEAS

   It was the commander of the vessel who thus spoke.
   At  these words, Ned Land rose suddenly. The steward, nearly strangled,
tottered  out  on  a  sign  from his master. But such was the power of the
commander  on board, that not a gesture betrayed the resentment which this
man  must  have  felt towards the Canadian. Conseil interested in spite of
himself, I stupefied, awaited in silence the result of this scene.
   The  commander,  leaning  against  the  corner of a table with his arms
folded,  scanned us with profound attention. Did he hesitate to speak? Did
he  regret  the words which he had just spoken in French? One might almost
think so.
   After some moments of silence, which not one of us dreamed of breaking,
"Gentlemen,"  said  he,  in a calm and penetrating voice, "I speak French,
English, German, and Latin equally well. I could, therefore, have answered
you  at  our  first  interview,  but  I  wished to know you first, then to
reflect. The story told by each one, entirely agreeing in the main points,
convinced  me  of your identity. I know now that chance has brought before
me M. Pierre Aronnax, Professor of Natural History at the Museum of Paris,
entrusted  with a scientific mission abroad, Conseil, his servant, and Ned
Land,  of  Canadian origin, harpooner on board the frigate Abraham Lincoln
of the navy of the United States of America."
   I  bowed  assent.  It  was not a question that the commander put to me.
Therefore  there was no answer to be made. This man expressed himself with
perfect  ease,  without  any  accent.  His sentences were well turned, his
words  clear,  and  his  fluency  of  speech  remarkable.  Yet,  I did not
recognise in him a fellow-countryman.
   He continued the conversation in these terms:
   "You  have  doubtless  thought, sir, that I have delayed long in paying
you  this  second  visit.  The reason is that, your identity recognised, I
wished  to  weigh  maturely what part to act towards you. I have hesitated
much.  Most annoying circumstances have brought you into the presence of a
man  who  has broken all the ties of humanity. You have come to trouble my
existence."
   "Unintentionally!" said I.
   "Unintentionally?"  replied  the  stranger, raising his voice a little.
"Was  it  unintentionally that the Abraham Lincoln pursued me all over the
seas? Was it unintentionally that you took passage in this frigate? Was it
unintentionally  that  your  cannon-balls  rebounded off the plating of my
vessel?  Was  it  unintentionally  that  Mr.  Ned  Land struck me with his
harpoon?"
   I  detected  a  restrained  irritation  in  these  words.  But to these
recriminations I had a very natural answer to make, and I made it.
   "Sir," said I, "no doubt you are ignorant of the discussions which have
taken  place  concerning  you  in America and Europe. You do not know that
divers  accidents,  caused by collisions with your submarine machine, have
excited  public feeling in the two continents. I omit the theories without
number  by  which it was sought to explain that of which you alone possess
the  secret.  But  you must understand that, in pursuing you over the high
seas  of  the  Pacific,  the Abraham Lincoln believed itself to be chasing
some  powerful  sea-monster, of which it was necessary to rid the ocean at
any price."
   A half-smile curled the lips of the commander: then, in a calmer tone:
   "M.  Aronnax," he replied, "dare you affirm that your frigate would not
as soon have pursued and cannonaded a submarine boat as a monster?"
   This  question embarrassed me, for certainly Captain Farragut might not
have hesitated. He might have thought it his duty to destroy a contrivance
of this kind, as he would a gigantic narwhal.
   "You  understand  then,  sir," continued the stranger, "that I have the
right to treat you as enemies?"
   I  answered  nothing,  purposely.  For what good would it be to discuss
such a proposition, when force could destroy the best arguments?
   "I have hesitated some time," continued the commander; "nothing obliged
me  to  show  you  hospitality.  If I chose to separate myself from you, I
should  have  no  interest in seeing you again; I could place you upon the
deck of this vessel which has served you as a refuge, I could sink beneath
the  waters,  and  forget  that you had ever existed. Would not that be my
right?"
   "It  might  be  the  right of a savage," I answered, "but not that of a
civilised man."
   "Professor,"  replied the commander, quickly, "I am not what you call a
civilised  man!  I  have  done  with society entirely, for reasons which I
alone  have the right of appreciating. I do not, therefore, obey its laws,
and I desire you never to allude to them before me again!"
   This was said plainly. A flash of anger and disdain kindled in the eyes
of the Unknown, and I had a glimpse of a terrible past in the life of this
man. Not only had he put himself beyond the pale of human laws, but he had
made himself independent of them, free in the strictest acceptation of the
word,  quite  beyond their reach! Who then would dare to pursue him at the
bottom  of  the  sea,  when,  on  its surface, he defied all attempts made
against him?
   What  vessel  could  resist  the  shock  of his submarine monitor? What
cuirass,  however  thick,  could  withstand  the blows of his spur? No man
could  demand  from  him an account of his actions; God, if he believed in
one-his  conscience,  if  he  had one- were the sole judges to whom he was
answerable.
   These   reflections  crossed  my  mind  rapidly,  whilst  the  stranger
personage  was  silent,  absorbed,  and  as  if  wrapped  up in himself. I
regarded  him  with  fear  mingled  with interest, as, doubtless, OEdiphus
regarded the Sphinx.
   After rather a long silence, the commander resumed the conversation.
   "I have hesitated," said he, "but I have thought that my interest might
be  reconciled  with that pity to which every human being has a right. You
will remain on board my vessel, since fate has cast you there. You will be
free;  and,  in  exchange for this liberty, I shall only impose one single
condition. Your word of honour to submit to it will suffice."
   "Speak,  sir," I answered. "I suppose this condition is one which a man
of honour may accept?"
   "Yes,  sir; it is this: It is possible that certain events, unforeseen,
may  oblige  me to consign you to your cabins for some hours or some days,
as  the case may be. As I desire never to use violence, I expect from you,
more  than all the others, a passive obedience. In thus acting, I take all
the  responsibility: I acquit you entirely, for I make it an impossibility
for you to see what ought not to be seen. Do you accept this condition?"
   Then things took place on board which, to say the least, were singular,
and  which  ought  not to be seen by people who were not placed beyond the
pale  of social laws. Amongst the surprises which the future was preparing
for me, this might not be the least.
   "We  accept,"  I  answered;  "only  I will ask your permission, sir, to
address one question to you-one only."
   "Speak, sir."
   "You said that we should be free on board."
   "Entirely."
   "I ask you, then, what you mean by this liberty?"
   "Just  the  liberty  to  go,  to come, to see, to observe even all that
passes  here save under rare circumstances-the liberty, in short, which we
enjoy ourselves, my companions and I."
   It was evident that we did not understand one another.
   "Pardon  me,  sir,"  I  resumed,  "but  this liberty is only what every
prisoner has of pacing his prison. It cannot suffice us."
   "It must suffice you, however."
   "What!  we  must renounce for ever seeing our country, our friends, our
relations again?"
   "Yes,  sir.  But  to  renounce  that unendurable worldly yoke which men
believe to be liberty is not perhaps so painful as you think."
   "Well," exclaimed Ned Land, "never will I give my word of honour not to
try to escape."
   "I  did not ask you for your word of honour, Master Land," answered the
commander, coldly.
   "Sir,"  I  replied,  beginning  to  get angry in spite of my self, "you
abuse your situation towards us; it is cruelty."
   "No, sir, it is clemency. You are my prisoners of war. I keep you, when
I  could, by a word, plunge you into the depths of the ocean. You attacked
me.  You  came  to  surprise  a  secret  which  no  man  in the world must
penetrate-the  secret of my whole existence. And you think that I am going
to  send  you  back  to  that  world which must know me no more? Never! In
retaining you, it is not you whom I guard- it is myself."
   These  words indicated a resolution taken on the part of the commander,
against which no arguments would prevail.
   "So,  sir," I rejoined, "you give us simply the choice between life and
death?"
   "Simply."
   "My  friends,"  said  I,  "to  a question thus put, there is nothing to
answer. But no word of honour binds us to the master of this vessel."
   "None, sir," answered the Unknown.
   Then, in a gentler tone, he continued:
   "Now,  permit  me  to  finish what I have to say to you. I know you, M.
Aronnax.  You  and  your  companions  will  not,  perhaps, have so much to
complain  of  in  the chance which has bound you to my fate. You will find
amongst  the  books  which  are my favourite study the work which you have
published  on  `the  depths  of  the  sea.' I have often read it. You have
carried out your work as far as terrestrial science permitted you. But you
do  not  know  all-you have not seen all. Let me tell you then, Professor,
that you will not regret the time passed on board my vessel. You are going
to visit the land of marvels."
   These  words of the commander had a great effect upon me. I cannot deny
it.  My  weak  point  was  touched;  and  I forgot, for a moment, that the
contemplation of these sublime subjects was not worth the loss of liberty.
Besides,  I  trusted  to  the  future  to decide this grave question. So I
contented myself with saying:
   "By what name ought I to address you?"
   "Sir,"  replied  the  commander, "I am nothing to you but Captain Nemo;
and  you  and  your companions are nothing to me but the passengers of the
Nautilus."
   Captain  Nemo  called.  A  steward  appeared.  The captain gave him his
orders  in that strange language which I did not understand. Then, turning
towards the Canadian and Conseil:
   "A  repast awaits you in your cabin," said he. "Be so good as to follow
this man.
   "And  now,  M. Aronnax,  our  breakfast is ready. Permit me to lead the
way."
   "I am at your service, Captain."
   I  followed Captain Nemo; and as soon as I had passed through the door,
I found myself in a kind of passage lighted by electricity, similar to the
waist  of  a  ship.  After  we  had proceeded a dozen yards, a second door
opened before me.
   I  then entered a dining-room, decorated and furnished in severe taste.
High  oaken sideboards, inlaid with ebony, stood at the two extremities of
the  room, and upon their shelves glittered china, porcelain, and glass of
inestimable  value.  The plate on the table sparkled in the rays which the
luminous ceiling shed around, while the light was tempered and softened by
exquisite paintings.
   In  the  centre  of  the room was a table richly laid out. Captain Nemo
indicated the place I was to occupy.
   The  breakfast consisted of a certain number of dishes, the contents of
which  were  furnished  by the sea alone; and I was ignorant of the nature
and  mode  of  preparation  of some of them. I acknowledged that they were
good,  but  they  had a peculiar flavour, which I easily became accustomed
to.  These different aliments appeared to me to be rich in phosphorus, and
I thought they must have a marine origin.
   Captain  Nemo looked at me. I asked him no questions, but he guessed my
thoughts, and answered of his own accord the questions which I was burning
to address to him.
   "The  greater  part of these dishes are unknown to you," he said to me.
"However,  you  may  partake  of them without fear. They are wholesome and
nourishing.  For a long time I have renounced the food of the earth, and I
am never ill now. My crew, who are healthy, are fed on the same food."
   "So," said I, "all these eatables are the produce of the sea?"
   "Yes,  Professor,  the  sea  supplies all my wants. Sometimes I cast my
nets  in  tow,  and I draw them in ready to break. Sometimes I hunt in the
midst of this element, which appears to be inaccessible to man, and quarry
the  game  which  dwells in my submarine forests. My flocks, like those of
Neptune's  old  shepherds, graze fearlessly in the immense prairies of the
ocean.  I  have a vast property there, which I cultivate myself, and which
is always sown by the hand of the Creator of all things."
   "I can understand perfectly, sir, that your nets furnish excellent fish
for  your  table; I can understand also that you hunt aquatic game in your
submarine  forests; but I cannot understand at all how a particle of meat,
no matter how small, can figure in your bill of fare."
   "This,  which  you  believe to be meat, Professor, is nothing else than
fillet  of  turtle. Here are also some dolphins' livers, which you take to
be  ragout  of  pork.  My  cook is a clever fellow, who excels in dressing
these  various  products  of  the ocean. Taste all these dishes. Here is a
preserve  of sea-cucumber, which a Malay would declare to be unrivalled in
the  world;  here  is a cream, of which the milk has been furnished by the
cetacea,  and  the sugar by the great fucus of the North Sea; and, lastly,
permit  me  to offer you some preserve of anemones, which is equal to that
of the most delicious fruits."
   I  tasted,  more  from  curiosity than as a connoisseur, whilst Captain
Nemo enchanted me with his extraordinary stories.
   "You like the sea, Captain?"
   "Yes;  I  love it! The sea is everything. It covers seven tenths of the
terrestrial  globe.  Its  breath  is  pure  and  healthy. It is an immense
desert,  where  man  is  never  lonely,  for he feels life stirring on all
sides.  The  sea  is  only  the embodiment of a supernatural and wonderful
existence.  It  is  nothing  but  love  and  emotion;  it  is  the `Living
Infinite,'  as  one  of  your  poets  has said. In fact, Professor, Nature
manifests  herself  in  it  by  her three kingdoms-mineral, vegetable, and
animal. The sea is the vast reservoir of Nature. The globe began with sea,
so  to  speak;  and who knows if it will not end with it? In it is supreme
tranquillity. The sea does not belong to despots. Upon its surface men can
still  exercise  unjust  laws,  fight,  tear one another to pieces, and be
carried away with terrestrial horrors. But at thirty feet below its level,
their   reign  ceases,  their  influence  is  quenched,  and  their  power
disappears.  Ah!  sir, live-live in the bosom of the waters! There only is
independence! There I recognise no masters! There I am free!"
   Captain Nemo suddenly became silent in the midst of this enthusiasm, by
which  he  was quite carried away. For a few moments he paced up and down,
much  agitated. Then he became more calm, regained his accustomed coldness
of expression, and turning towards me:
   "Now,  Professor,"  said he, "if you wish to go over the Nautilus, I am
at your service."
   Captain Nemo rose. I followed him. A double door, contrived at the back
of  the  dining-room,  opened, and I entered a room equal in dimensions to
that which I had just quitted.
   It  was  a  library.  High  pieces  of furniture, of black violet ebony
inlaid  with  brass,  supported  upon their wide shelves a great number of
books uniformly bound. They followed the shape of the room, terminating at
the  lower  part  in  huge  divans, covered with brown leather, which were
curved, to afford the greatest comfort. Light movable desks, made to slide
in  and  out at will, allowed one to rest one's book while reading. In the
centre  stood an immense table, covered with pamphlets, amongst which were
some   newspapers,  already  of  old  date.  The  electric  light  flooded
everything;  it  was  shed  from  four  unpolished globes half sunk in the
volutes  of  the  ceiling.  I looked with real admiration at this room, so
ingeniously fitted up, and I could scarcely believe my eyes.
   "Captain  Nemo,"  said I to my host, who had just thrown himself on one
of  the  divans, "this is a library which would do honour to more than one
of  the continental palaces, and I am absolutely astounded when I consider
that it can follow you to the bottom of the seas."
   "Where  could one find greater solitude or silence, Professor?" replied
Captain  Nemo.  "Did  your  study  in  the  Museum afford you such perfect
quiet?"
   "No,  sir;  and  I must confess that it is a very poor one after yours.
You must have six or seven thousand volumes here."
   "Twelve  thousand, M. Aronnax. These are the only ties which bind me to
the  earth.  But  I  had  done  with the world on the day when my Nautilus
plunged  for  the first time beneath the waters. That day I bought my last
volumes,  my  last pamphlets, my last papers, and from that time I wish to
think  that  men  no longer think or write. These books, Professor, are at
your service besides, and you can make use of them freely."
   I  thanked  Captain  Nemo,  and  went up to the shelves of the library.
Works on science, morals, and literature abounded in every language; but I
did not see one single work on political economy; that subject appeared to
be  strictly  proscribed. Strange to say, all these books were irregularly
arranged,  in  whatever language they were written; and this medley proved
that the Captain of the Nautilus must have read indiscriminately the books
which he took up by chance.
   "Sir,"  said  I  to  the  Captain,  "I thank you for having placed this
library  at  my  disposal.  It  contains treasures of science, and I shall
profit by them."
   "This  room  is  not  only a library," said Captain Nemo, "it is also a
smoking-room."
   "A smoking-room!" I cried. "Then one may smoke on board?"
   "Certainly."
   "Then,   sir,  I  am  forced  to  believe  that  you  have  kept  up  a
communication with Havannah."
   "Not  any,"  answered the Captain. "Accept this cigar, M. Aronnax; and,
though it does not come from Havannah, you will be pleased with it, if you
are a connoisseur."
   I  took  the  cigar which was offered me; its shape recalled the London
ones, but it seemed to be made of leaves of gold. I lighted it at a little
brazier,  which  was  supported  upon an elegant bronze stem, and drew the
first whiffs with the delight of a lover of smoking who has not smoked for
two days.
   "It is excellent, but it is not tobacco."
   "No!"  answered  the Captain, "this tobacco comes neither from Havannah
nor  from the East. It is a kind of sea-weed, rich in nicotine, with which
the sea provides me, but somewhat sparingly."
   At  that moment Captain Nemo opened a door which stood opposite to that
by  which  I  had  entered  the  library,  and  I  passed  into an immense
drawing-room splendidly lighted.
   It  was  a  vast, four-sided room, thirty feet long, eighteen wide, and
fifteen  high. A luminous ceiling, decorated with light arabesques, shed a
soft  clear  light over all the marvels accumulated in this museum. For it
was  in  fact  a  museum,  in  which  an intelligent and prodigal hand had
gathered  all the treasures of nature and art, with the artistic confusion
which distinguishes a painter's studio.
   {several sentences are missing here in the omnibus edition}
   Thirty  first-rate  pictures,  uniformly  framed,  separated  by bright
drapery,  ornamented  the  walls,  which were hung with tapestry of severe
design.  I  saw  works  of  great  value,  the greater part of which I had
admired  in  the  special collections of Europe, and in the exhibitions of
paintings.
   Some  admirable  statues in marble and bronze, after the finest antique
models,  stood  upon  pedestals in the corners of this magnificent museum.
Amazement, as the Captain of the Nautilus had predicted, had already begun
to take possession of me.
   "Professor,"  said this strange man, "you must excuse the unceremonious
way in which I receive you, and the disorder of this room."
   "Sir," I answered, "without seeking to know who you are, I recognise in
you an artist."
   "An  amateur,  nothing  more,  sir.  Formerly  I loved to collect these
beautiful  works  created  by the hand of man. I sought them greedily, and
ferreted  them  out  indefatigably, and I have been able to bring together
some  objects  of  great  value. These are my last souvenirs of that world
which is dead to me. In my eyes, your modern artists are already old; they
have  two  or three thousand years of existence; I confound them in my own
mind. Masters have no age."
   {4  paragraphs seem to be missing from this omnibus text here they have
to  do  with musical composers, a piano, and a brief revery on the part of
Nemo}
   Under  elegant  glass  cases,  fixed by copper rivets, were classed and
labelled  the  most  precious  productions  of the sea which had ever been
presented  to  the  eye  of a naturalist. My delight as a professor may be
conceived.
   {2 long paragraphs seem to be missing from this omnibus here}
   Apart,  in separate compartments, were spread out chaplets of pearls of
the  greatest  beauty, which reflected the electric light in little sparks
of  fire;  pink  pearls,  torn from the pinna-marina of the Red Sea; green
pearls,  yellow,  blue,  and  black pearls, the curious productions of the
divers  molluscs  of every ocean, and certain mussels of the water courses
of  the  North;  lastly,  several  specimens of inestimable value. Some of
these pearls were larger than a pigeon's egg, and were worth millions.
   {this para has been altered the last sentence reworded}
   Therefore,  to  estimate  the  value  of  this  collection  was  simply
impossible. Captain Nemo must have expended millions in the acquirement of
these  various  specimens,  and  I  was thinking what source he could have
drawn  from,  to  have been able thus to gratify his fancy for collecting,
when I was interrupted by these words:
   "You  are  examining  my shells, Professor? Unquestionably they must be
interesting to a naturalist; but for me they have a far greater charm, for
I  have collected them all with my own hand, and there is not a sea on the
face of the globe which has escaped my researches."
   "I can understand, Captain, the delight of wandering about in the midst
of  such  riches.  You are one of those who have collected their treasures
themselves. No museum in Europe possesses such a collection of the produce
of  the  ocean.  But  if I exhaust all my admiration upon it, I shall have
none  left for the vessel which carries it. I do not wish to pry into your
secrets:  but  I  must  confess  that this Nautilus, with the motive power
which  is  confined  in it, the contrivances which enable it to be worked,
the  powerful  agent  which  propels  it,  all  excite my curiosity to the
highest  pitch.  I  see suspended on the walls of this room instruments of
whose use I am ignorant."
   "You  will find these same instruments in my own room, Professor, where
I  shall have much pleasure in explaining their use to you. But first come
and  inspect  the  cabin which is set apart for your own use. You must see
how you will be accommodated on board the Nautilus."
   I  followed  Captain  Nemo  who,  by one of the doors opening from each
panel of the drawing-room, regained the waist. He conducted me towards the
bow,  and  there  I  found,  not a cabin, but an elegant room, with a bed,
dressing-table, and several other pieces of excellent furniture.
   I could only thank my host.
   "Your room adjoins mine," said he, opening a door, "and mine opens into
the drawing-room that we have just quitted."
   I entered the Captain's room: it had a severe, almost a monkish aspect.
A  small  iron  bedstead, a table, some articles for the toilet; the whole
lighted by a skylight. No comforts, the strictest necessaries only.
   Captain Nemo pointed to a seat.
   "Be so good as to sit down," he said.  I  seated  myself,  and he began
thus:


        Chapter XI. ALL BY ELECTRICITY

   "Sir,"  said  Captain  Nemo,  showing me the instruments hanging on the
walls  of his room, "here are the contrivances required for the navigation
of the Nautilus. Here, as in the drawing-room, I have them always under my
eyes,  and  they indicate my position and exact direction in the middle of
the ocean. Some are known to you, such as the thermometer, which gives the
internal  temperature  of the Nautilus; the barometer, which indicates the
weight  of  the  air  and  foretells  the  changes  of  the  weather;  the
hygrometer,  which  marks  the dryness of the atmosphere; the storm-glass,
the  contents of which, by decomposing, announce the approach of tempests;
the compass, which guides my course; the sextant, which shows the latitude
by  the  altitude  of  the  sun;  chronometers,  by  which I calculate the
longitude;  and  glasses  for  day  and  night, which I use to examine the
points  of  the  horizon,  when  the  Nautilus rises to the surface of the
waves."
   "These  are the usual nautical instruments," I replied, "and I know the
use  of  them.  But  these  others,  no  doubt,  answer  to the particular
requirements  of  the  Nautilus.  This  dial  with  movable  needle  is  a
manometer, is it not?"
   "It is actually a manometer. But by communication with the water, whose
external pressure it indicates, it gives our depth at the same time."
   "And these other instruments, the use of which I cannot guess?"
   "Here,  Professor,  I  ought to give you some explanations. Will you be
kind enough to listen to me?"
   He was silent for a few moments, then he said:
   "There  is  a  powerful agent, obedient, rapid, easy, which conforms to
every  use,  and  reigns supreme on board my vessel. Everything is done by
means  of  it.  It  lights,  warms  it,  and  is the soul of my mechanical
apparatus. This agent is electricity."
   "Electricity?" I cried in surprise.
   "Yes, sir."
   "Nevertheless,  Captain,  you  possess an extreme rapidity of movement,
which  does  not  agree well with the power of electricity. Until now, its
dynamic  force  has  remained  under  restraint, and has only been able to
produce a small amount of power."
   "Professor," said Captain Nemo, "my electricity is not everybody's. You
know what sea-water is composed of. In a thousand grammes are found 96 1/2
per cent. of water, and about 2 2/3 per cent. of chloride of sodium; then,
in a smaller quantity, chlorides of magnesium and of potassium, bromide of
magnesium,  sulphate of magnesia, sulphate and carbonate of lime. You see,
then,  that  chloride  of  sodium  forms a large part of it. So it is this
sodium  that  I  extract  from  the  sea-water,  and of which I compose my
ingredients.  I  owe  all  to  the  ocean;  it  produces  electricity, and
electricity  gives  heat,  light,  motion,  and,  in  a  word, life to the
Nautilus."
   "But not the air you breathe?"
   "Oh!  I  could manufacture the air necessary for my consumption, but it
is  useless,  because  I  go up to the surface of the water when I please.
However,  if electricity does not furnish me with air to breathe, it works
at  least  the  powerful pumps that are stored in spacious reservoirs, and
which  enable me to prolong at need, and as long as I will, my stay in the
depths  of the sea. It gives a uniform and unintermittent light, which the
sun  does  not.  Now look at this clock; it is electrical, and goes with a
regularity  that  defies  the  best  chronometers.  I have divided it into
twenty-four  hours,  like  the  Italian  clocks,  because  for me there is
neither night nor day, sun nor moon, but only that factitious light that I
take  with  me to the bottom of the sea. Look! just now, it is ten o'clock
in the morning."
   "Exactly."
   "Another  application  of electricity. This dial hanging in front of us
indicates  the  speed  of  the  Nautilus.  An  electric  thread puts it in
communication  with  the  screw,  and the needle indicates the real speed.
Look!  now  we are spinning along with a uniform speed of fifteen miles an
hour."
   "It  is  marvelous!  And  I see, Captain, you were right to make use of
this agent that takes the place of wind, water, and steam."
   "We  have not finished, M. Aronnax," said Captain Nemo, rising. "If you
will allow me, we will examine the stern of the Nautilus."
   Really,  I  knew  already  the anterior part of this submarine boat, of
which  this  is  the  exact  division,  starting from the ship's head: the
dining-room,  five yards long, separated from the library by a water-tight
partition; the library, five yards long; the large drawing-room, ten yards
long, separated from the Captain's room by a second water-tight partition;
the  said  room,  five  yards  in length; mine, two and a half yards; and,
lastly  a  reservoir  of air, seven and a half yards, that extended to the
bows.  Total  length  thirty five yards, or one hundred and five feet. The
partitions  had doors that were shut hermetically by means of india-rubber
instruments,  and  they  ensured  the  safety of the Nautilus in case of a
leak.
   I followed Captain Nemo through the waist, and arrived at the centre of
the  boat. There was a sort of well that opened between two partitions. An
iron ladder, fastened with an iron hook to the partition, led to the upper
end. I asked the Captain what the ladder was used for.
   "It leads to the small boat," he said.
   "What! have you a boat?" I exclaimed, in surprise.
   "Of  course;  an excellent vessel, light and insubmersible, that serves
either as a fishing or as a pleasure boat."
   "But  then,  when  you  wish  to embark, you are obliged to come to the
surface of the water?"
   "Not at all. This boat is attached to the upper part of the hull of the
Nautilus,  and  occupies  a  cavity  made  for  it.  It  is  decked, quite
water-tight,  and  held  together  by  solid bolts. This ladder leads to a
man-hole made in the hull of the Nautilus, that corresponds with a similar
hole  made  in the side of the boat. By this double opening I get into the
small  vessel.  They  shut  the  one belonging to the Nautilus; I shut the
other  by  means  of screw pressure. I undo the bolts, and the little boat
goes  up  to  the surface of the sea with prodigious rapidity. I then open
the  panel  of  the  bridge, carefully shut till then; I mast it, hoist my
sail, take my oars, and I'm off."
   "But how do you get back on board?"
   "I do not come back, M. Aronnax; the Nautilus comes to me."
   "By your orders?"
   "By  my  orders. An electric thread connects us. I telegraph to it, and
that is enough."
   "Really,"  I  said,  astonished  at these marvels, "nothing can be more
simple."
   After  having  passed  by  the  cage  of  the staircase that led to the
platform,  I  saw  a  cabin  six feet long, in which Conseil and Ned Land,
enchanted  with  their repast, were devouring it with avidity. Then a door
opened  into  a  kitchen  nine  feet  long,  situated  between  the  large
store-rooms.  There  electricity,  better  than  gas  itself,  did all the
cooking. The streams under the furnaces gave out to the sponges of platina
a  heat  which  was  regularly kept up and distributed. They also heated a
distilling apparatus, which, by evaporation, furnished excellent drinkable
water.  Near  this  kitchen was a bathroom comfortably furnished, with hot
and cold water taps.
   Next  to  the  kitchen  was  the berth-room of the vessel, sixteen feet
long.  But  the  door  was shut, and I could not see the management of it,
which  might  have given me an idea of the number of men employed on board
the Nautilus.
   At  the  bottom  was a fourth partition that separated this office from
the  engine-room.  A  door  opened,  and I found myself in the compartment
where Captain Nemo-certainly an engineer of a very high order-had arranged
his  locomotive  machinery.  This  engine-room,  clearly  lighted, did not
measure  less  than  sixty-five  feet  in  length. It was divided into two
parts;  the  first  contained the materials for producing electricity, and
the  second  the machinery that connected it with the screw. I examined it
with great interest, in order to understand the machinery of the Nautilus.
   "You  see,"  said  the  Captain,  "I  use  Bunsen's  contrivances,  not
Ruhmkorff's. Those would not have been powerful enough. Bunsen's are fewer
in  number,  but strong and large, which experie