ts  often to be seen on the coasts of Amboyna, and in these parts of
the sea."
   "But,  sir," said Conseil, "can you tell me what causes such an effect?
for I suppose the water is not really turned into milk."
   "No,  my  boy;  and the whiteness which surprises you is caused only by
the  presence  of  myriads  of  infusoria, a sort of luminous little worm,
gelatinous  and  without  colour,  of  the  thickness of a hair, and whose
length is not more than seven-thousandths of an inch. These insects adhere
to one another sometimes for several leagues."
   "Several leagues!" exclaimed Conseil.
   "Yes,  my  boy;  and  you  need  not try to compute the number of these
infusoria.  You  will  not  be able, for, if I am not mistaken, ships have
floated on these milk seas for more than forty miles."
   Towards  midnight the sea suddenly resumed its usual colour; but behind
us,  even  to  the  limits  of the horizon, the sky reflected the whitened
waves,  and  for a long time seemed impregnated with the vague glimmerings
of an aurora borealis.


        Chapter II. A NOVEL PROPOSAL OF CAPTAIN NEMO'S

   On  the 28th of February, when at noon the Nautilus came to the surface
of the sea, in 9O 4' N. lat., there was land in sight about eight miles to
westward.  The  first  thing  I noticed was a range of mountains about two
thousand  feet  high,  the shapes of which were most capricious. On taking
the  bearings, I knew that we were nearing the island of Ceylon, the pearl
which hangs from the lobe of the Indian Peninsula.
   Captain  Nemo  and  his  second  appeared  at  this moment. The Captain
glanced at the map. Then turning to me, said:
   "The Island of Ceylon, noted for its pearl-fisheries. Would you like to
visit one of them, M. Aronnax?"
   "Certainly, Captain."
   "Well, the thing is easy. Though, if we see the fisheries, we shall not
see the fishermen. The annual exportation has not yet begun. Never mind, I
will  give orders to make for the Gulf of Manaar, where we shall arrive in
the night."
   The  Captain  said  something  to his second, who immediately went out.
Soon the Nautilus returned to her native element, and the manometer showed
that she was about thirty feet deep.
   "Well,  sir,"  said  Captain Nemo, "you and your companions shall visit
the  Bank  of  Manaar, and if by chance some fisherman should be there, we
shall see him at work."
   "Agreed, Captain!"
   "By the bye, M. Aronnax you are not afraid of sharks?"
   "Sharks!" exclaimed I.
   This question seemed a very hard one.
   "Well?" continued Captain Nemo.
   "I  admit,  Captain,  that I am not yet very familiar with that kind of
fish."
   "We  are  accustomed  to  them," replied Captain Nemo, "and in time you
will be too. However, we shall be armed, and on the road we may be able to
hunt  some  of  the tribe. It is interesting. So, till to-morrow, sir, and
early."
   This said in a careless tone, Captain Nemo left the saloon. Now, if you
were  invited to hunt the bear in the mountains of Switzerland, what would
you say?
   "Very  well! to-morrow we will go and hunt the bear." If you were asked
to  hunt  the  lion  in  the  plains  of Atlas, or the tiger in the Indian
jungles, what would you say?
   "Ha! ha! it seems we are going to hunt the tiger or the lion!" But when
you  are  invited  to  hunt  the  shark  in its natural element, you would
perhaps  reflect  before accepting the invitation. As for myself, I passed
my hand over my forehead, on which stood large drops of cold perspiration.
"Let  us reflect," said I, "and take our time. Hunting otters in submarine
forests,  as  we  did in the Island of Crespo, will pass; but going up and
down at the bottom of the sea, where one is almost certain to meet sharks,
is   quite   another  thing!  I  know  well  that  in  certain  countries,
particularly  in the Andaman Islands, the negroes never hesitate to attack
them  with  a  dagger  in one hand and a running noose in the other; but I
also know that few who affront those creatures ever return alive. However,
I  am  not a negro, and if I were I think a little hesitation in this case
would not be ill-timed."
   At  this  moment  Conseil and the Canadian entered, quite composed, and
even joyous. They knew not what awaited them.
   "Faith,  sir,"  said  Ned Land, "your Captain Nemo-the devil take him!-
has just made us a very pleasant offer."
   "Ah!" said I, "you know?"
   "If  agreeable to you, sir," interrupted Conseil, "the commander of the
Nautilus  has  invited  us  to  visit  the  magnificent  Ceylon  fisheries
to-morrow,  in  your  company;  he  did it kindly, and behaved like a real
gentleman."
   "He said nothing more?"
   "Nothing  more,  sir,  except that he had already spoken to you of this
little walk."
   "Sir,"  said  Conseil,  "would  you  give  us some details of the pearl
fishery?"
   "As to the fishing itself," I asked, "or the incidents, which?"
   "On  the  fishing,"  replied  the  Canadian;  "before entering upon the
ground, it is as well to know something about it."
   "Very well; sit down, my friends, and I will teach you."
   Ned  and  Conseil  seated themselves on an ottoman, and the first thing
the Canadian asked was:
   "Sir, what is a pearl?"
   "My  worthy  Ned,"  I  answered, "to the poet, a pearl is a tear of the
sea;  to  the Orientals, it is a drop of dew solidified; to the ladies, it
is  a  jewel  of  an  oblong  shape,  of  a  brilliancy of mother-of-pearl
substance,  which  they wear on their fingers, their necks, or their ears;
for the chemist it is a mixture of phosphate and carbonate of lime, with a
little  gelatine;  and  lastly,  for  naturalists,  it  is simply a morbid
secretion  of  the organ that produces the mother-of-pearl amongst certain
bivalves."
   "Branch of molluscs," said Conseil.
   "Precisely  so,  my  learned  Conseil;  and, amongst these testacea the
earshell,  the  tridacnae, the turbots, in a word, all those which secrete
mother-of-pearl,  that  is,  the  blue, bluish, violet, or white substance
which  lines  the  interior  of  their  shells,  are  capable of producing
pearls."
   "Mussels too?" asked the Canadian.
   "Yes,  mussels  of  certain waters in Scotland, Wales, Ireland, Saxony,
Bohemia, and France."
   "Good! For the future I shall pay attention," replied the Canadian.
   "But," I continued, "the particular mollusc which secretes the pearl is
the  pearl-oyster.  The  pearl  is  nothing but a formation deposited in a
globular  form, either adhering to the oyster-shell or buried in the folds
of  the  creature.  On the shell it is fast: in the flesh it is loose; but
always  has for a kernel a small hard substance, maybe a barren egg, maybe
a grain of sand, around which the pearly matter deposits itself year after
year  successively,  and  by  thin  concentric layers." {this paragraph is
edited}
   "Are many pearls found in the same oyster?" asked Conseil.
   "Yes, my boy. Some are a perfect casket. One oyster has been mentioned,
though  I  allow  myself  to  doubt it, as having contained no less than a
hundred and fifty sharks."
   "A hundred and fifty sharks!" exclaimed Ned Land.
   "Did  I  say  sharks?"  said I hurriedly. "I meant to say a hundred and
fifty pearls. Sharks would not be sense."
   "Certainly  not," said Conseil; "but will you tell us now by what means
they extract these pearls?"
   "They  proceed  in  various  ways.  When  they adhere to the shell, the
fishermen  often pull them off with pincers; but the most common way is to
lay  the  oysters on mats of the seaweed which covers the banks. Thus they
die  in  the  open  air;  and at the end of ten days they are in a forward
state  of  decomposition.  They  are then plunged into large reservoirs of
sea-water; then they are opened and washed."
   "The  price  of  these  pearls  varies  according to their size?" asked
Conseil.
   "Not  only according to their size," I answered, "but also according to
their  shape,  their water (that is, their colour), and their lustre: that
is,  that  bright and diapered sparkle which makes them so charming to the
eye.  The  most  beautiful are called virgin pearls, or paragons. They are
formed  alone  in  the tissue of the mollusc, are white, often opaque, and
sometimes  have  the  transparency of an opal; they are generally round or
oval.  The  round  are  made  into bracelets, the oval into pendants, and,
being  more  precious, are sold singly. Those adhering to the shell of the
oyster  are  more irregular in shape, and are sold by weight. Lastly, in a
lower  order  are  classed  those  small  pearls  known  under the name of
seed-pearls;  they  are  sold  by  measure,  and  are  especially  used in
embroidery for church ornaments."
   "But," said Conseil, "is this pearl-fishery dangerous?"
   "No,"  I  answered,  quickly;  "particularly if certain precautions are
taken."
   "What  does one risk in such a calling?" said Ned Land, "the swallowing
of some mouthfuls of sea-water?"
   "As  you  say,  Ned. By the bye," said I, trying to take Captain Nemo's
careless tone, "are you afraid of sharks, brave Ned?"
   "I!"  replied  the Canadian; "a harpooner by profession? It is my trade
to make light of them."
   "But,"  said  I,  "it  is  not  a  question of fishing for them with an
iron-swivel, hoisting them into the vessel, cutting off their tails with a
blow  of  a  chopper,  ripping  them up, and throwing their heart into the
sea!"
   "Then, it is a question of-"
   "Precisely."
   "In the water?"
   "In the water."
   "Faith,   with  a  good  harpoon!  You  know,  sir,  these  sharks  are
ill-fashioned beasts. They turn on their bellies to seize you, and in that
time-"
   Ned Land had a way of saying "seize" which made my blood run cold.
   "Well, and you, Conseil, what do you think of sharks?"
   "Me!" said Conseil. "I will be frank, sir."
   "So much the better," thought I.
   "If  you,  sir, mean to face the sharks, I do not see why your faithful
servant should not face them with you."


        Chapter III. A PEARL OF TEN MILLIONS

   The  next  morning  at  four o'clock I was awakened by the steward whom
Captain Nemo had placed at my service. I rose hurriedly, dressed, and went
into the saloon.
   Captain Nemo was awaiting me.
   "M. Aronnax," said he, "are you ready to start?"
   "I am ready."
   "Then please to follow me."
   "And my companions, Captain?"
   "They have been told and are waiting."
   "Are we not to put on our diver's dresses?" asked I.
   "Not  yet. I have not allowed the Nautilus to come too near this coast,
and  we are some distance from the Manaar Bank; but the boat is ready, and
will take us to the exact point of disembarking, which will save us a long
way.  It  carries our diving apparatus, which we will put on when we begin
our submarine journey."
   Captain  Nemo  conducted  me to the central staircase, which led on the
platform. Ned and Conseil were already there, delighted at the idea of the
"pleasure party" which was preparing. Five sailors from the Nautilus, with
their oars, waited in the boat, which had been made fast against the side.
   The  night  was  still dark. Layers of clouds covered the sky, allowing
but few stars to be seen. I looked on the side where the land lay, and saw
nothing  but  a  dark  line  enclosing  three  parts  of the horizon, from
south-west  to  north west. The Nautilus, having returned during the night
up  the  western coast of Ceylon, was now west of the bay, or rather gulf,
formed  by  the  mainland  and the Island of Manaar. There, under the dark
waters,  stretched  the  pintadine bank, an inexhaustible field of pearls,
the length of which is more than twenty miles.
   Captain  Nemo, Ned Land, Conseil, and I took our places in the stern of
the  boat.  The  master  went to the tiller; his four companions leaned on
their oars, the painter was cast off, and we sheered off.
   The  boat  went towards the south; the oarsmen did not hurry. I noticed
that  their  strokes,  strong in the water, only followed each other every
ten seconds, according to the method generally adopted in the navy. Whilst
the  craft  was  running  by its own velocity, the liquid drops struck the
dark  depths  of  the  waves  crisply  like spats of melted lead. A little
billow,  spreading wide, gave a slight roll to the boat, and some samphire
reeds flapped before it.
   We  were silent. What was Captain Nemo thinking of? Perhaps of the land
he  was  approaching,  and which he found too near to him, contrary to the
Canadian's  opinion,  who  thought  it  too far off. As to Conseil, he was
merely there from curiosity.
   About  half-past  five  the first tints on the horizon showed the upper
line  of  coast more distinctly. Flat enough in the east, it rose a little
to the south. Five miles still lay between us, and it was indistinct owing
to the mist on the water. At six o'clock it became suddenly daylight, with
that  rapidity  peculiar  to tropical regions, which know neither dawn nor
twilight.  The  solar  rays pierced the curtain of clouds, piled up on the
eastern  horizon, and the radiant orb rose rapidly. I saw land distinctly,
with  a few trees scattered here and there. The boat neared Manaar Island,
which  was  rounded  to  the  south.  Captain  Nemo rose from his seat and
watched the sea.
   At  a sign from him the anchor was dropped, but the chain scarcely ran,
for  it  was  little  more  than a yard deep, and this spot was one of the
highest points of the bank of pintadines.
   "Here  we  are,  M. Aronnax," said Captain Nemo. "You see that enclosed
bay?  Here, in a month will be assembled the numerous fishing boats of the
exporters,  and  these are the waters their divers will ransack so boldly.
Happily,  this  bay  is  well  situated  for  that  kind of fishing. It is
sheltered  from  the  strongest  winds;  the sea is never very rough here,
which  makes  it  favourable  for the diver's work. We will now put on our
dresses, and begin our walk."
   I  did  not answer, and, while watching the suspected waves, began with
the  help of the sailors to put on my heavy sea-dress. Captain Nemo and my
companions  were also dressing. None of the Nautilus men were to accompany
us on this new excursion.
   Soon  we were enveloped to the throat in india-rubber clothing; the air
apparatus  fixed  to  our  backs by braces. As to the Ruhmkorff apparatus,
there was no necessity for it. Before putting my head into the copper cap,
I had asked the question of the Captain.
   "They  would  be useless," he replied. "We are going to no great depth,
and the solar rays will be enough to light our walk. Besides, it would not
be  prudent  to  carry  the electric light in these waters; its brilliancy
might  attract  some  of  the  dangerous  inhabitants  of  the  coast most
inopportunely."
   As  Captain  Nemo  pronounced  these words, I turned to Conseil and Ned
Land. But my two friends had already encased their heads in the metal cap,
and they could neither hear nor answer.
   One last question remained to ask of Captain Nemo.
   "And our arms?" asked I; "our guns?"
   "Guns!  What  for? Do not mountaineers attack the bear with a dagger in
their  hand, and is not steel surer than lead? Here is a strong blade; put
it in your belt, and we start."
   I  looked  at  my  companions;  they were armed like us, and, more than
that, Ned Land was brandishing an enormous harpoon, which he had placed in
the boat before leaving the Nautilus.
   Then,  following  the Captain's example, I allowed myself to be dressed
in  the  heavy  copper  helmet,  and our reservoirs of air were at once in
activity.  An  instant after we were landed, one after the other, in about
two  yards  of  water upon an even sand. Captain Nemo made a sign with his
hand,  and we followed him by a gentle declivity till we disappeared under
the waves.
   {3 paragraphs missing}
   At  about  seven  o'clock  we  found  ourselves  at  last surveying the
oyster-banks on which the pearl-oysters are reproduced by millions.
   Captain Nemo pointed with his hand to the enormous heap of oysters; and
I  could  well  understand  that this mine was inexhaustible, for Nature's
creative  power  is  far  beyond  man's instinct of destruction. Ned Land,
faithful  to  his instinct, hastened to fill a net which he carried by his
side  with  some  of  the finest specimens. But we could not stop. We must
follow  the  Captain,  who seemed to guide him self by paths known only to
himself.  The  ground was sensibly rising, and sometimes, on holding up my
arm, it was above the surface of the sea. Then the level of the bank would
sink  capriciously.  Often we rounded high rocks scarped into pyramids. In
their  dark  fractures  huge crustacea, perched upon their high claws like
some  war-machine,  watched us with fixed eyes, and under our feet crawled
various kinds of annelides.
   At  this  moment  there  opened  before  us  a  large  grotto  dug in a
picturesque  heap  of  rocks  and  carpeted with all the thick warp of the
submarine flora. At first it seemed very dark to me. The solar rays seemed
to  be extinguished by successive gradations, until its vague transparency
became nothing more than drowned light. Captain Nemo entered; we followed.
My  eyes  soon accustomed themselves to this relative state of darkness. I
could  distinguish the arches springing capriciously from natural pillars,
standing  broad  upon their granite base, like the heavy columns of Tuscan
architecture.  Why  had our incomprehensible guide led us to the bottom of
this  submarine crypt? I was soon to know. After descending a rather sharp
declivity,  our  feet  trod  the  bottom  of a kind of circular pit. There
Captain  Nemo stopped, and with his hand indicated an object I had not yet
perceived.  It  was  an  oyster  of  extraordinary  dimensions, a gigantic
tridacne,  a goblet which could have contained a whole lake of holy-water,
a  basin  the  breadth  of  which  was more than two yards and a half, and
consequently  larger  than  that ornamenting the saloon of the Nautilus. I
approached  this  extraordinary  mollusc. It adhered by its filaments to a
table  of  granite,  and  there, isolated, it developed itself in the calm
waters  of  the grotto. I estimated the weight of this tridacne at 600 lb.
Such an oyster would contain 30 lb. of meat; and one must have the stomach
of a Gargantua to demolish some dozens of them.
   Captain  Nemo  was  evidently  acquainted  with  the  existence of this
bivalve,  and  seemed  to have a particular motive in verifying the actual
state  of  this  tridacne. The shells were a little open; the Captain came
near  and  put  his dagger between to prevent them from closing; then with
his  hand  he  raised  the membrane with its fringed edges, which formed a
cloak  for  the  creature. There, between the folded plaits, I saw a loose
pearl, whose size equalled that of a coco-nut. Its globular shape, perfect
clearness,  and admirable lustre made it altogether a jewel of inestimable
value.  Carried away by my curiosity, I stretched out my hand to seize it,
weigh  it,  and  touch  it;  but  the  Captain  stopped me, made a sign of
refusal,  and  quickly  withdrew  his  dagger,  and  the two shells closed
suddenly.  I  then  understood  Captain  Nemo's intention. In leaving this
pearl  hidden  in  the  mantle  of the tridacne he was allowing it to grow
slowly.  Each  year the secretions of the mollusc would add new concentric
circles. I estimated its value at L500,000 at least.
   After  ten  minutes  Captain  Nemo  stopped  suddenly. I thought he had
halted  previously to returning. No; by a gesture he bade us crouch beside
him  in  a  deep fracture of the rock, his hand pointed to one part of the
liquid mass, which I watched attentively.
   About five yards from me a shadow appeared, and sank to the ground. The
disquieting  idea  of sharks shot through my mind, but I was mistaken; and
once  again  it  was not a monster of the ocean that we had anything to do
with.
   It was a man, a living man, an Indian, a fisherman, a poor devil who, I
suppose,  had  come to glean before the harvest. I could see the bottom of
his  canoe  anchored  some  feet  above  his  head.  He  dived and went up
successively.  A  stone held between his feet, cut in the shape of a sugar
loaf,  whilst  a rope fastened him to his boat, helped him to descend more
rapidly. This was all his apparatus. Reaching the bottom, about five yards
deep,  he  went  on his knees and filled his bag with oysters picked up at
random.  Then  he  went up, emptied it, pulled up his stone, and began the
operation once more, which lasted thirty seconds.
   The diver did not see us. The shadow of the rock hid us from sight. And
how  should  this  poor  Indian  ever dream that men, beings like himself,
should  be  there  under  the  water  watching his movements and losing no
detail  of  the  fishing?  Several times he went up in this way, and dived
again.  He  did  not  carry  away more than ten at each plunge, for he was
obliged to pull them from the bank to which they adhered by means of their
strong  byssus. And how many of those oysters for which he risked his life
had  no pearl in them! I watched him closely; his manoeuvres were regular;
and for the space of half an hour no danger appeared to threaten him.
   I  was  beginning  to  accustom myself to the sight of this interesting
fishing,  when suddenly, as the Indian was on the ground, I saw him make a
gesture of terror, rise, and make a spring to return to the surface of the
sea.
   I  understood  his  dread.  A  gigantic  shadow appeared just above the
unfortunate  diver.  It was a shark of enormous size advancing diagonally,
his  eyes on fire, and his jaws open. I was mute with horror and unable to
move.
   The  voracious  creature  shot towards the Indian, who threw himself on
one  side  to  avoid the shark's fins; but not its tail, for it struck his
chest and stretched him on the ground.
   This  scene  lasted but a few seconds: the shark returned, and, turning
on  his  back,  prepared himself for cutting the Indian in two, when I saw
Captain Nemo rise suddenly, and then, dagger in hand, walk straight to the
monster,  ready  to fight face to face with him. The very moment the shark
was  going  to  snap  the  unhappy  fisherman in two, he perceived his new
adversary, and, turning over, made straight towards him.
   I can still see Captain Nemo's position. Holding himself well together,
he  waited  for  the shark with admirable coolness; and, when it rushed at
him,  threw  himself  on  one  side with wonderful quickness, avoiding the
shock, and burying his dagger deep into its side. But it was not all over.
A terrible combat ensued.
   The  shark  had  seemed to roar, if I might say so. The blood rushed in
torrents  from  its  wound.  The  sea was dyed red, and through the opaque
liquid  I  could  distinguish  nothing more. Nothing more until the moment
when, like lightning, I saw the undaunted Captain hanging on to one of the
creature's  fins,  struggling,  as it were, hand to hand with the monster,
and  dealing  successive  blows  at  his enemy, yet still unable to give a
decisive one.
   The  shark's  struggles  agitated  the  water  with  such fury that the
rocking threatened to upset me.
   I  wanted  to  go  to the Captain's assistance, but, nailed to the spot
with horror, I could not stir.
   I  saw  the  haggard  eye; I saw the different phases of the fight. The
Captain  fell  to  the  earth, upset by the enormous mass which leant upon
him.  The  shark's jaws opened wide, like a pair of factory shears, and it
would  have been all over with the Captain; but, quick as thought, harpoon
in  hand,  Ned  Land rushed towards the shark and struck it with its sharp
point.
   The  waves were impregnated with a mass of blood. They rocked under the
shark's  movements,  which beat them with indescribable fury. Ned Land had
not  missed  his  aim.  It  was  the monster's death-rattle. Struck to the
heart,  it struggled in dreadful convulsions, the shock of which overthrew
Conseil.
   But  Ned Land had disentangled the Captain, who, getting up without any
wound, went straight to the Indian, quickly cut the cord which held him to
his  stone,  took  him  in  his  arms, and, with a sharp blow of his heel,
mounted to the surface.
   We all three followed in a few seconds, saved by a miracle, and reached
the fisherman's boat.
   Captain  Nemo's  first  care  was to recall the unfortunate man to life
again.  I  did  not  think  he  could  succeed.  I  hoped so, for the poor
creature's  immersion  was  not  long;  but the blow from the shark's tail
might have been his death-blow.
   Happily,  with  the  Captain's  and  Conseil's  sharp  friction,  I saw
consciousness  return  by  degrees.  He  opened  his  eyes.  What  was his
surprise,  his terror even, at seeing four great copper heads leaning over
him!  And, above all, what must he have thought when Captain Nemo, drawing
from  the pocket of his dress a bag of pearls, placed it in his hand! This
munificent  charity  from  the man of the waters to the poor Cingalese was
accepted with a trembling hand. His wondering eyes showed that he knew not
to what super-human beings he owed both fortune and life.
   At  a  sign  from  the Captain we regained the bank, and, following the
road  already  traversed,  came  in about half an hour to the anchor which
held the canoe of the Nautilus to the earth.
   Once  on  board,  we each, with the help of the sailors, got rid of the
heavy copper helmet.
   Captain Nemo's first word was to the Canadian.
   "Thank you, Master Land," said he.
   "It was in revenge, Captain," replied Ned Land. "I owed you that."
   A ghastly smile passed across the Captain's lips, and that was all.
   "To the Nautilus," said he.
   The  boat  flew  over  the waves. Some minutes after we met the shark's
dead  body  floating. By the black marking of the extremity of its fins, I
recognised the terrible melanopteron of the Indian Seas, of the species of
shark  so  properly  called.  It  was more than twenty-five feet long; its
enormous  mouth  occupied  one-third  of its body. It was an adult, as was
known  by  its  six  rows  of teeth placed in an isosceles triangle in the
upper jaw.
   Whilst  I was contemplating this inert mass, a dozen of these voracious
beasts appeared round the boat; and, without noticing us, threw themselves
upon the dead body and fought with one another for the pieces.
   At  half-past  eight  we  were  again  on  board  the Nautilus. There I
reflected  on  the incidents which had taken place in our excursion to the
Manaar Bank.
   Two  conclusions  I  must  inevitably draw from it-one bearing upon the
unparalleled  courage  of  Captain  Nemo, the other upon his devotion to a
human  being, a representative of that race from which he fled beneath the
sea.  Whatever  he  might  say,  this strange man had not yet succeeded in
entirely crushing his heart.
   When  I  made  this observation to him, he answered in a slightly moved
tone:
   "That  Indian,  sir, is an inhabitant of an oppressed country; and I am
still, and shall be, to my last breath, one of them!"


        Chapter IV. THE RED SEA

   In  the  course of the day of the 29th of January, the island of Ceylon
disappeared  under  the  horizon,  and  the Nautilus, at a speed of twenty
miles  an  hour,  slid  into  the  labyrinth  of canals which separate the
Maldives from the Laccadives. It coasted even the Island of Kiltan, a land
originally  coraline,  discovered by Vasco da Gama in 1499, and one of the
nineteen  principal islands of the Laccadive Archipelago, situated between
10O and 14O 30' N. lat., and 69O 50' 72" E. long.
   We   had  made  16,220  miles,  or  7,500  (French)  leagues  from  our
starting-point in the Japanese Seas.
   The  next  day (30th January), when the Nautilus went to the surface of
the  ocean  there  was  no  land  in  sight. Its course was N.N.E., in the
direction  of  the  Sea  of Oman, between Arabia and the Indian Peninsula,
which  serves  as  an outlet to the Persian Gulf. It was evidently a block
without  any possible egress. Where was Captain Nemo taking us to? I could
not say. This, however, did not satisfy the Canadian, who that day came to
me asking where we were going.
   "We are going where our Captain's fancy takes us, Master Ned."
   "His  fancy  cannot take us far, then," said the Canadian. "The Persian
Gulf has no outlet: and, if we do go in, it will not be long before we are
out again."
   "Very  well,  then,  we will come out again, Master Land; and if, after
the  Persian  Gulf,  the  Nautilus  would  like  to visit the Red Sea, the
Straits of Bab-el-mandeb are there to give us entrance."
   "I need not tell you, sir," said Ned Land, "that the Red Sea is as much
closed as the Gulf, as the Isthmus of Suez is not yet cut; and, if it was,
a  boat  as  mysterious  as ours would not risk itself in a canal cut with
sluices.  And  again,  the  Red  Sea  is  not  the road to take us back to
Europe."
   "But I never said we were going back to Europe."
   "What do you suppose, then?"
   "I suppose that, after visiting the curious coasts of Arabia and Egypt,
the  Nautilus  will  go  down  the  Indian  Ocean again, perhaps cross the
Channel of Mozambique, perhaps off the Mascarenhas, so as to gain the Cape
of Good Hope."
   "And  once at the Cape of Good Hope?" asked the Canadian, with peculiar
emphasis.
   "Well,  we shall penetrate into that Atlantic which we do not yet know.
Ah!  friend  Ned, you are getting tired of this journey under the sea; you
are surfeited with the incessantly varying spectacle of submarine wonders.
For my part, I shall be sorry to see the end of a voyage which it is given
to so few men to make."
   For  four  days, till the 3rd of February, the Nautilus scoured the Sea
of  Oman,  at  various  speeds  and  at various depths. It seemed to go at
random,  as  if hesitating as to which road it should follow, but we never
passed the Tropic of Cancer.
   In  quitting this sea we sighted Muscat for an instant, one of the most
important  towns  of  the  country  of Oman. I admired its strange aspect,
surrounded  by  black rocks upon which its white houses and forts stood in
relief.  I saw the rounded domes of its mosques, the elegant points of its
minarets,  its  fresh  and verdant terraces. But it was only a vision! The
Nautilus soon sank under the waves of that part of the sea.
   We  passed  along  the  Arabian  coast  of  Mahrah and Hadramaut, for a
distance of six miles, its undulating line of mountains being occasionally
relieved  by some ancient ruin. The 5th of February we at last entered the
Gulf  of Aden, a perfect funnel introduced into the neck of Bab-el-mandeb,
through which the Indian waters entered the Red Sea.
   The  6th  of  February,  the Nautilus floated in sight of Aden, perched
upon  a promontory which a narrow isthmus joins to the mainland, a kind of
inaccessible  Gibraltar,  the  fortifications of which were rebuilt by the
English after taking possession in 1839. I caught a glimpse of the octagon
minarets  of  this  town,  which  was  at  one time the richest commercial
magazine on the coast.
   I  certainly  thought  that  Captain Nemo, arrived at this point, would
back  out  again; but I was mistaken, for he did no such thing, much to my
surprise.
   The  next  day,  the  7th  of  February,  we  entered  the  Straits  of
Bab-el-mandeb,  the  name  of which, in the Arab tongue, means The Gate of
Tears.
   To  twenty  miles  in breadth, it is only thirty-two in length. And for
the  Nautilus,  starting at full speed, the crossing was scarcely the work
of  an  hour.  But I saw nothing, not even the Island of Perim, with which
the  British Government has fortified the position of Aden. There were too
many English or French steamers of the line of Suez to Bombay, Calcutta to
Melbourne,  and  from  Bourbon  to  the  Mauritius,  furrowing this narrow
passage,  for  the  Nautilus  to  venture  to  show itself. So it remained
prudently below. At last about noon, we were in the waters of the Red Sea.
   I  would  not  even  seek  to  understand the caprice which had decided
Captain  Nemo upon entering the gulf. But I quite approved of the Nautilus
entering  it.  Its  speed  was lessened: sometimes it kept on the surface,
sometimes  it  dived to avoid a vessel, and thus I was able to observe the
upper and lower parts of this curious sea.
   The  8th  of February, from the first dawn of day, Mocha came in sight,
now a ruined town, whose walls would fall at a gunshot, yet which shelters
here and there some verdant date-trees; once an important city, containing
six  public  markets, and twenty-six mosques, and whose walls, defended by
fourteen forts, formed a girdle of two miles in circumference.
   The  Nautilus then approached the African shore, where the depth of the
sea  was  greater. There, between two waters clear as crystal, through the
open  panels  we  were  allowed  to  contemplate  the  beautiful bushes of
brilliant  coral  and  large blocks of rock clothed with a splendid fur of
green  variety of sites and landscapes along these sandbanks and algae and
fuci.  What  an  indescribable  spectacle,  and  what variety of sites and
landscapes  along  these  sandbanks  and  volcanic islands which bound the
Libyan  coast!  But where these shrubs appeared in all their beauty was on
the  eastern coast, which the Nautilus soon gained. It was on the coast of
Tehama,  for there not only did this display of zoophytes flourish beneath
the  level of the sea, but they also formed picturesque interlacings which
unfolded  themselves  about  sixty feet above the surface, more capricious
but  less  highly  coloured  than those whose freshness was kept up by the
vital power of the waters.
   What charming hours I passed thus at the window of the saloon! What new
specimens  of  submarine flora and fauna did I admire under the brightness
of our electric lantern!
   The  9th  of  February the Nautilus floated in the broadest part of the
Red  Sea,  which  is  comprised  between  Souakin,  on the west coast, and
Komfidah, on the east coast, with a diameter of ninety miles.
   That  day  at noon, after the bearings were taken, Captain Nemo mounted
the  platform, where I happened to be, and I was determined not to let him
go  down  again  without  at  least  pressing  him  regarding his ulterior
projects.  As  soon as he saw me he approached and graciously offered me a
cigar.
   "Well,  sir,  does  this  Red  Sea  please  you?  Have you sufficiently
observed  the  wonders it covers, its fishes, its zoophytes, its parterres
of sponges, and its forests of coral? Did you catch a glimpse of the towns
on its borders?"
   "Yes, Captain Nemo," I replied; "and the Nautilus is wonderfully fitted
for such a study. Ah! it is an intelligent boat!"
   "Yes,  sir, intelligent and invulnerable. It fears neither the terrible
tempests of the Red Sea, nor its currents, nor its sandbanks."
   "Certainly,"  said  I,  "this sea is quoted as one of the worst, and in
the  time  of  the  ancients,  if  I  am  not mistaken, its reputation was
detestable."
   "Detestable,  M.  Aronnax.  The Greek and Latin historians do not speak
favourably  of it, and Strabo says it is very dangerous during the Etesian
winds  and  in  the rainy season. The Arabian Edrisi portrays it under the
name  of  the  Gulf of Colzoum, and relates that vessels perished there in
great  numbers  on the sandbanks and that no one would risk sailing in the
night.  It  is,  he  pretends, a sea subject to fearful hurricanes, strewn
with  inhospitable  islands,  and `which offers nothing good either on its
surface or in its depths.'"
   "One  may see," I replied, "that these historians never sailed on board
the Nautilus."
   "Just  so,"  replied the Captain, smiling; "and in that respect moderns
are not more advanced than the ancients. It required many ages to find out
the  mechanical power of steam. Who knows if, in another hundred years, we
may not see a second Nautilus? Progress is slow, M. Aronnax."
   "It  is  true," I answered; "your boat is at least a century before its
time,  perhaps  an  era.  What  a  misfortune  that  the secret of such an
invention should die with its inventor!"
   Captain Nemo did not reply. After some minutes' silence he continued:
   "You  were  speaking  of  the  opinions  of ancient historians upon the
dangerous navigation of the Red Sea."
   "It is true," said I; "but were not their fears exaggerated?"
   "Yes  and no, M. Aronnax," replied Captain Nemo, who seemed to know the
Red  Sea by heart. "That which is no longer dangerous for a modern vessel,
well  rigged,  strongly  built,  and  master  of its own course, thanks to
obedient  steam, offered all sorts of perils to the ships of the ancients.
Picture  to  yourself  those  first  navigators venturing in ships made of
planks  sewn  with the cords of the palmtree, saturated with the grease of
the seadog, and covered with powdered resin! They had not even instruments
wherewith  to take their bearings, and they went by guess amongst currents
of  which  they  scarcely  knew anything. Under such conditions shipwrecks
were,  and  must  have  been,  numerous. But in our time, steamers running
between Suez and the South Seas have nothing more to fear from the fury of
this gulf, in spite of contrary trade-winds. The captain and passengers do
not  prepare for their departure by offering propitiatory sacrifices; and,
on  their  return,  they  no  longer  go  ornamented with wreaths and gilt
fillets to thank the gods in the neighbouring temple."
   "I  agree  with  you,"  said  I;  "and  steam  seems to have killed all
gratitude  in  the hearts of sailors. But, Captain, since you seem to have
especially studied this sea, can you tell me the origin of its name?"
   "There exist several explanations on the subject, M. Aronnax. Would you
like to know the opinion of a chronicler of the fourteenth century?"
   "Willingly."
   "This  fanciful writer pretends that its name was given to it after the
passage of the Israelites, when Pharaoh perished in the waves which closed
at the voice of Moses."
   "A  poet's explanation, Captain Nemo," I replied; "but I cannot content
myself with that. I ask you for your personal opinion."
   "Here  it  is,  M.  Aronnax.  According to my idea, we must see in this
appellation of the Red Sea a translation of the Hebrew word `Edom'; and if
the ancients gave it that name, it was on account of the particular colour
of its waters."
   "But  up  to  this  time  I have seen nothing but transparent waves and
without any particular colour."
   "Very likely; but as we advance to the bottom of the gulf, you will see
this  singular  appearance. I remember seeing the Bay of Tor entirely red,
like a sea of blood."
   "And  you  attribute  this  colour  to  the  presence  of a microscopic
seaweed?"
   "Yes."
   "So,  Captain  Nemo,  it is not the first time you have overrun the Red
Sea on board the Nautilus?"
   "No, sir."
   "As  you  spoke a while ago of the passage of the Israelites and of the
catastrophe  to  the  Egyptians,  I will ask whether you have met with the
traces under the water of this great historical fact?"
   "No, sir; and for a good reason."
   "What is it?"
   "It  is  that  the  spot  where  Moses  and his people passed is now so
blocked  up  with  sand that the camels can barely bathe their legs there.
You  can  well  understand  that  there  would  not be water enough for my
Nautilus."
   "And the spot?" I asked.
   "The  spot  is  situated a little above the Isthmus of Suez, in the arm
which  formerly made a deep estuary, when the Red Sea extended to the Salt
Lakes.  Now,  whether this passage were miraculous or not, the Israelites,
nevertheless, crossed there to reach the Promised Land, and Pharaoh's army
perished  precisely on that spot; and I think that excavations made in the
middle  of  the  sand  would  bring  to  light  a large number of arms and
instruments of Egyptian origin."
   "That  is  evident," I replied; "and for the sake of archaeologists let
us  hope  that  these  excavations  will be made sooner or later, when new
towns  are  established on the isthmus, after the construction of the Suez
Canal; a canal, however, very useless to a vessel like the Nautilus."
   "Very  likely;  but useful to the whole world," said Captain Nemo. "The
ancients  well  understood  the utility of a communication between the Red
Sea  and  the Mediterranean for their commercial affairs: but they did not
think  of  digging  a  canal direct, and took the Nile as an intermediate.
Very  probably the canal which united the Nile to the Red Sea was begun by
Sesostris,  if we may believe tradition. One thing is certain, that in the
year  615  before Jesus Christ, Necos unde