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