e  world,  the  St.  Lawrence, the Mississippi, the
Amazon,  the  Plata,  the  Orinoco,  the Niger, the Senegal, the Elbe, the
Loire,  and  the Rhine, which carry water from the most civilised, as well
as   from   the  most  savage,  countries!  Magnificent  field  of  water,
incessantly ploughed by vessels of every nation, sheltered by the flags of
every nation, and which terminates in those two terrible points so dreaded
by mariners, Cape Horn and the Cape of Tempests.
   The  Nautilus  was piercing the water with its sharp spur, after having
accomplished  nearly  ten  thousand  leagues in three months and a half, a
distance  greater  than the great circle of the earth. Where were we going
now,  and  what  was  reserved  for  the future? The Nautilus, leaving the
Straits  of Gibraltar, had gone far out. It returned to the surface of the
waves, and our daily walks on the platform were restored to us.
   I  mounted  at once, accompanied by Ned Land and Conseil. At a distance
of  about twelve miles, Cape St. Vincent was dimly to be seen, forming the
south-western  point of the Spanish peninsula. A strong southerly gale was
blowing.  The  sea  was  swollen  and  billowy;  it made the Nautilus rock
violently.  It  was  almost impossible to keep one's foot on the platform,
which  the heavy rolls of the sea beat over every instant. So we descended
after inhaling some mouthfuls of fresh air.
   I  returned  to my room, Conseil to his cabin; but the Canadian, with a
preoccupied  air,  followed me. Our rapid passage across the Mediterranean
had  not  allowed  him to put his project into execution, and he could not
help showing his disappointment. When the door of my room was shut, he sat
down and looked at me silently.
   "Friend  Ned,"  said  I,  "I  understand  you;  but you cannot reproach
yourself.  To have attempted to leave the Nautilus under the circumstances
would have been folly."
   Ned  Land  did not answer; his compressed lips and frowning brow showed
with him the violent possession this fixed idea had taken of his mind.
   "Let  us  see,"  I continued; "we need not despair yet. We are going up
the  coast of Portugal again; France and England are not far off, where we
can  easily  find  refuge.  Now if the Nautilus, on leaving the Straits of
Gibraltar,  had  gone  to  the south, if it had carried us towards regions
where  there  were  no  continents, I should share your uneasiness. But we
know  now  that Captain Nemo does not fly from civilised seas, and in some
days I think you can act with security."
   Ned  Land  still looked at me fixedly; at length his fixed lips parted,
and he said, "It is for to-night."
   I  drew  myself  up  suddenly. I was, I admit, little prepared for this
communication. I wanted to answer the Canadian, but words would not come.
   "We  agreed  to  wait for an opportunity," continued Ned Land, "and the
opportunity  has  arrived. This night we shall be but a few miles from the
Spanish  coast.  It is cloudy. The wind blows freely. I have your word, M.
Aronnax, and I rely upon you."
   As I was silent, the Canadian approached me.
   "To-night,  at  nine o'clock," said he. "I have warned Conseil. At that
moment  Captain Nemo will be shut up in his room, probably in bed. Neither
the  engineers nor the ship's crew can see us. Conseil and I will gain the
central  staircase,  and  you, M. Aronnax, will remain in the library, two
steps  from us, waiting my signal. The oars, the mast, and the sail are in
the  canoe.  I  have  even  succeeded  in  getting some provisions. I have
procured  an  English wrench, to unfasten the bolts which attach it to the
shell of the Nautilus. So all is ready, till to-night."
   "The sea is bad."
   "That  I  allow," replied the Canadian; "but we must risk that. Liberty
is  worth  paying for; besides, the boat is strong, and a few miles with a
fair wind to carry us is no great thing. Who knows but by to-morrow we may
be a hundred leagues away? Let circumstances only favour us, and by ten or
eleven  o'clock we shall have landed on some spot of terra firma, alive or
dead. But adieu now till to-night."
   With  these  words the Canadian withdrew, leaving me almost dumb. I had
imagined  that, the chance gone, I should have time to reflect and discuss
the  matter.  My obstinate companion had given me no time; and, after all,
what  could  I  have  said to him? Ned Land was perfectly right. There was
almost  the  opportunity  to  profit by. Could I retract my word, and take
upon   myself   the  responsibility  of  compromising  the  future  of  my
companions? To-morrow Captain Nemo might take us far from all land.
   At  that moment a rather loud hissing noise told me that the reservoirs
were  filling,  and  that  the Nautilus was sinking under the waves of the
Atlantic.
   A  sad  day  I  passed,  between  the desire of regaining my liberty of
action  and of abandoning the wonderful Nautilus, and leaving my submarine
studies incomplete.
   What  dreadful  hours  I  passed  thus!  Sometimes  seeing  myself  and
companions  safely  landed, sometimes wishing, in spite of my reason, that
some  unforeseen circumstance, would prevent the realisation of Ned Land's
project.
   Twice  I  went to the saloon. I wished to consult the compass. I wished
to  see if the direction the Nautilus was taking was bringing us nearer or
taking  us farther from the coast. But no; the Nautilus kept in Portuguese
waters.
   I  must  therefore  take my part and prepare for flight. My luggage was
not heavy; my notes, nothing more.
   As  to  Captain Nemo, I asked myself what he would think of our escape;
what  trouble,  what wrong it might cause him and what he might do in case
of  its discovery or failure. Certainly I had no cause to complain of him;
on  the  contrary,  never was hospitality freer than his. In leaving him I
could  not  be  taxed with ingratitude. No oath bound us to him. It was on
the  strength of circumstances he relied, and not upon our word, to fix us
for ever.
   I  had  not seen the Captain since our visit to the Island of Santorin.
Would  chance  bring me to his presence before our departure? I wished it,
and  I  feared it at the same time. I listened if I could hear him walking
the room contiguous to mine. No sound reached my ear. I felt an unbearable
uneasiness. This day of waiting seemed eternal. Hours struck too slowly to
keep pace with my impatience.
   My  dinner  was served in my room as usual. I ate but little; I was too
preoccupied.  I  left  the  table  at  seven o'clock. A hundred and twenty
minutes (I counted them) still separated me from the moment in which I was
to join Ned Land. My agitation redoubled. My pulse beat violently. I could
not  remain  quiet.  I went and came, hoping to calm my troubled spirit by
constant  movement.  The  idea  of  failure in our bold enterprise was the
least  painful  of  my  anxieties;  but  the thought of seeing our project
discovered  before  leaving  the Nautilus, of being brought before Captain
Nemo,  irritated,  or  (what was worse) saddened, at my desertion, made my
heart beat.
   I  wanted  to  see the saloon for the last time. I descended the stairs
and arrived in the museum, where I had passed so many useful and agreeable
hours.  I  looked  at all its riches, all its treasures, like a man on the
eve of an eternal exile, who was leaving never to return.
   These  wonders  of Nature, these masterpieces of art, amongst which for
so  many  days  my life had been concentrated, I was going to abandon them
for  ever!  I should like to have taken a last look through the windows of
the  saloon  into  the  waters  of  the  Atlantic:  but  the  panels  were
hermetically  closed,  and  a  cloak of steel separated me from that ocean
which I had not yet explored.
   In  passing through the saloon, I came near the door let into the angle
which  opened into the Captain's room. To my great surprise, this door was
ajar. I drew back involuntarily. If Captain Nemo should be in his room, he
could see me. But, hearing no sound, I drew nearer. The room was deserted.
I  pushed  open  the  door  and  took  some  steps forward. Still the same
monklike severity of aspect.
   Suddenly  the  clock  struck eight. The first beat of the hammer on the
bell  awoke  me  from  my  dreams.  I  trembled as if an invisible eye had
plunged into my most secret thoughts, and I hurried from the room.
   There my eye fell upon the compass. Our course was still north. The log
indicated moderate speed, the manometer a depth of about sixty feet.
   I  returned  to  my room, clothed myself warmly-sea boots, an otterskin
cap,  a  great  coat  of  byssus,  lined with sealskin; I was ready, I was
waiting.  The  vibration  of  the screw alone broke the deep silence which
reigned  on  board.  I  listened attentively. Would no loud voice suddenly
inform  me  that  Ned  Land  had been surprised in his projected flight. A
mortal  dread  hung  over  me,  and I vainly tried to regain my accustomed
coolness.
   At a few minutes to nine, I put my ear to the Captain's door. No noise.
I  left  my  room and returned to the saloon, which was half in obscurity,
but deserted.
   I opened the door communicating with the library. The same insufficient
light,  the  same  solitude.  I placed myself near the door leading to the
central staircase, and there waited for Ned Land's signal.
   At  that moment the trembling of the screw sensibly diminished, then it
stopped entirely. The silence was now only disturbed by the beatings of my
own  heart. Suddenly a slight shock was felt; and I knew that the Nautilus
had  stopped  at  the  bottom  of  the ocean. My uneasiness increased. The
Canadian's  signal  did not come. I felt inclined to join Ned Land and beg
of  him  to put off his attempt. I felt that we were not sailing under our
usual conditions.
   At  this  moment  the door of the large saloon opened, and Captain Nemo
appeared. He saw me, and without further preamble began in an amiable tone
of voice:
   "Ah,  sir!  I  have  been  looking  for you. Do you know the history of
Spain?"
   Now,  one  might know the history of one's own country by heart; but in
the condition I was at the time, with troubled mind and head quite lost, I
could not have said a word of it.
   "Well," continued Captain Nemo, "you heard my question! Do you know the
history of Spain?"
   "Very slightly," I answered.
   "Well,  here are learned men having to learn," said the Captain. "Come,
sit  down,  and  I  will  tell you a curious episode in this history. Sir,
listen well," said he; "this history will interest you on one side, for it
will answer a question which doubtless you have not been able to solve."
   "I  listen,  Captain,"  said  I,  not  knowing what my interlocutor was
driving  at,  and  asking  myself  if  this  incident  was  bearing on our
projected flight.
   "Sir,  if you have no objection, we will go back to 1702. You cannot be
ignorant  that  your  king,  Louis  XIV,  thinking  that  the gesture of a
potentate was sufficient to bring the Pyrenees under his yoke, had imposed
the  Duke  of  Anjou,  his grandson, on the Spaniards. This prince reigned
more  or  less  badly  under  the name of Philip V, and had a strong party
against  him  abroad.  Indeed,  the  preceding  year,  the royal houses of
Holland,  Austria,  and  England had concluded a treaty of alliance at the
Hague,  with the intention of plucking the crown of Spain from the head of
Philip  V,  and placing it on that of an archduke to whom they prematurely
gave the title of Charles III.
   "Spain  must  resist  this  coalition;  but  she  was  almost  entirely
unprovided  with either soldiers or sailors. However, money would not fail
them,  provided  that  their  galleons,  laden  with  gold and silver from
America, once entered their ports. And about the end of 1702 they expected
a  rich  convoy  which  France  was escorting with a fleet of twenty-three
vessels,  commanded  by  Admiral  Chateau-Renaud,  for  the  ships  of the
coalition  were  already  beating  the  Atlantic. This convoy was to go to
Cadiz,  but  the  Admiral,  hearing  that an English fleet was cruising in
those waters, resolved to make for a French port.
   "The  Spanish  commanders of the convoy objected to this decision. They
wanted to be taken to a Spanish port, and, if not to Cadiz, into Vigo Bay,
situated on the northwest coast of Spain, and which was not blocked.
   "Admiral  Chateau-Renaud  had the rashness to obey this injunction, and
the galleons entered Vigo Bay.
   "Unfortunately,  it  formed an open road which could not be defended in
any  way.  They  must  therefore  hasten to unload the galleons before the
arrival of the combined fleet; and time would not have failed them had not
a miserable question of rivalry suddenly arisen.
   "You are following the chain of events?" asked Captain Nemo.
   "Perfectly,"  said  I,  not knowing the end proposed by this historical
lesson.
   "I  will  continue.  This  is what passed. The merchants of Cadiz had a
privilege  by which they had the right of receiving all merchandise coming
from  the  West Indies. Now, to disembark these ingots at the port of Vigo
was  depriving  them  of  their  rights.  They  complained  at Madrid, and
obtained  the  consent  of the weak-minded Philip that the convoy, without
discharging  its  cargo,  should  remain  sequestered in the roads of Vigo
until the enemy had disappeared.
   "But  whilst coming to this decision, on the 22nd of October, 1702, the
English vessels arrived in Vigo Bay, when Admiral Chateau-Renaud, in spite
of  inferior  forces,  fought  bravely. But, seeing that the treasure must
fall  into  the  enemy's hands, he burnt and scuttled every galleon, which
went to the bottom with their immense riches."
   Captain  Nemo  stopped.  I  admit  I could not see yet why this history
should interest me.
   "Well?" I asked.
   "Well, M. Aronnax," replied Captain Nemo, "we are in that Vigo Bay; and
it rests with yourself whether you will penetrate its mysteries."
   The  Captain rose, telling me to follow him. I had had time to recover.
I obeyed. The saloon was dark, but through the transparent glass the waves
were sparkling. I looked.
   For  half  a  mile  around  the  Nautilus,  the waters seemed bathed in
electric  light. The sandy bottom was clean and bright. Some of the ship's
crew  in  their  diving-dresses were clearing away half-rotten barrels and
empty  cases  from the midst of the blackened wrecks. From these cases and
from these barrels escaped ingots of gold and silver, cascades of piastres
and  jewels.  The  sand was heaped up with them. Laden with their precious
booty,  the  men  returned  to the Nautilus, disposed of their burden, and
went back to this inexhaustible fishery of gold and silver.
   I  understood  now.  This  was  the  scene of the battle of the 22nd of
October,  1702.  Here on this very spot the galleons laden for the Spanish
Government  had  sunk.  Here Captain Nemo came, according to his wants, to
pack up those millions with which he burdened the Nautilus. It was for him
and  him  alone  America  had  given  up  her precious metals. He was heir
direct,  without  anyone  to share, in those treasures torn from the Incas
and from the conquered of Ferdinand Cortez.
   "Did  you  know,  sir," he asked, smiling, "that the sea contained such
riches?"
   "I  knew,"  I  answered,  "that  they value money held in suspension in
these waters at two millions."
   "Doubtless; but to extract this money the expense would be greater than
the  profit.  Here,  on  the  contrary, I have but to pick up what man has
lost-and  not  only  in  Vigo  Bay,  but  in  a thousand other ports where
shipwrecks  have  happened,  and which are marked on my submarine map. Can
you understand now the source of the millions I am worth?"
   "I understand, Captain. But allow me to tell you that in exploring Vigo
Bay you have only been beforehand with a rival society."
   "And which?"
   "A society which has received from the Spanish Government the privilege
of  seeking  those  buried  galleons.  The  shareholders are led on by the
allurement  of an enormous bounty, for they value these rich shipwrecks at
five hundred millions."
   "Five hundred millions they were," answered Captain Nemo, "but they are
so no longer."
   "Just so," said I; "and a warning to those shareholders would be an act
of  charity.  But  who  knows  if it would be well received? What gamblers
usually  regret  above  all  is less the loss of their money than of their
foolish  hopes.  After  all,  I  pity  them  less  than  the  thousands of
unfortunates  to  whom  so  much  riches  well-distributed would have been
profitable, whilst for them they will be for ever barren."
   I  had  no  sooner  expressed this regret than I felt that it must have
wounded Captain Nemo.
   "Barren!"  he  exclaimed, with animation. "Do you think then, sir, that
these  riches  are  lost  because  I  gather them? Is it for myself alone,
according  to  your  idea,  that  I  take  the  trouble  to  collect these
treasures? Who told you that I did not make a good use of it? Do you think
I  am ignorant that there are suffering beings and oppressed races on this
earth,  miserable  creatures  to  console,  victims  to avenge? Do you not
understand?"
   Captain  Nemo  stopped  at these last words, regretting perhaps that he
had  spoken so much. But I had guessed that, whatever the motive which had
forced  him  to  seek  independence under the sea, it had left him still a
man,  that  his  heart still beat for the sufferings of humanity, and that
his  immense charity was for oppressed races as well as individuals. And I
then understood for whom those millions were destined which were forwarded
by Captain Nemo when the Nautilus was cruising in the waters of Crete.


        Chapter IX. A VANISHED CONTINENT

   The  next  morning,  the  19th of February, I saw the Canadian enter my
room. I expected this visit. He looked very disappointed.
   "Well, sir?" said he.
   "Well, Ned, fortune was against us yesterday."
   "Yes;  that  Captain  must  needs  stop exactly at the hour we intended
leaving his vessel."
   "Yes, Ned, he had business at his bankers."
   "His bankers!"
   "Or  rather  his  banking-house;  by  that  I mean the ocean, where his
riches are safer than in the chests of the State."
   I  then  related  to the Canadian the incidents of the preceding night,
hoping to bring him back to the idea of not abandoning the Captain; but my
recital  had  no  other result than an energetically expressed regret from
Ned that he had not been able to take a walk on the battlefield of Vigo on
his own account.
   "However," said he, "all is not ended. It is only a blow of the harpoon
lost. Another time we must succeed; and to-night, if necessary-"
   "In what direction is the Nautilus going?" I asked.
   "I do not know," replied Ned.
   "Well, at noon we shall see the point."
   The Canadian returned to Conseil. As soon as I was dressed, I went into
the saloon. The compass was not reassuring. The course of the Nautilus was
S.S.W. We were turning our backs on Europe.
   I  waited with some impatience till the ship's place was pricked on the
chart.  At  about  half-past  eleven  the reservoirs were emptied, and our
vessel  rose  to  the surface of the ocean. I rushed towards the platform.
Ned  Land  had  preceded me. No more land in sight. Nothing but an immense
sea.  Some  sails  on  the  horizon, doubtless those going to San Roque in
search of favourable winds for doubling the Cape of Good Hope. The weather
was  cloudy.  A gale of wind was preparing. Ned raved, and tried to pierce
the  cloudy horizon. He still hoped that behind all that fog stretched the
land he so longed for.
   At  noon  the  sun showed itself for an instant. The second profited by
this  brightness  to take its height. Then, the sea becoming more billowy,
we descended, and the panel closed.
   An  hour  after,  upon  consulting the chart, I saw the position of the
Nautilus  was  marked  at  16O 17' long., and 33O 22' lat., at 150 leagues
from  the  nearest coast. There was no means of flight, and I leave you to
imagine the rage of the Canadian when I informed him of our situation.
   For  myself, I was not particularly sorry. I felt lightened of the load
which  had  oppressed  me,  and  was  able  to  return with some degree of
calmness to my accustomed work.
   That  night,  about  eleven o'clock, I received a most unexpected visit
from  Captain Nemo. He asked me very graciously if I felt fatigued from my
watch of the preceding night. I answered in the negative.
   "Then, M. Aronnax, I propose a curious excursion."
   "Propose, Captain?"
   "You have hitherto only visited the submarine depths by daylight, under
the  brightness  of the sun. Would it suit you to see them in the darkness
of the night?"
   "Most willingly."
   "I  warn  you,  the  way will be tiring. We shall have far to walk, and
must climb a mountain. The roads are not well kept."
   "What  you  say,  Captain,  only  heightens my curiosity; I am ready to
follow you."
   "Come then, sir, we will put on our diving-dresses."
   Arrived at the robing-room, I saw that neither of my companions nor any
of  the  ship's crew were to follow us on this excursion. Captain Nemo had
not even proposed my taking with me either Ned or Conseil.
   In  a  few moments we had put on our diving-dresses; they placed on our
backs  the  reservoirs,  abundantly filled with air, but no electric lamps
were prepared. I called the Captain's attention to the fact.
   "They will be useless," he replied.
   I  thought  I  had  not  heard  aright,  but  I  could  not  repeat  my
observation,  for  the Captain's head had already disappeared in its metal
case.  I finished harnessing myself. I felt them put an iron-pointed stick
into  my hand, and some minutes later, after going through the usual form,
we  set  foot  on  the  bottom  of the Atlantic at a depth of 150 fathoms.
Midnight  was  near.  The  waters  were  profoundly dark, but Captain Nemo
pointed  out in the distance a reddish spot, a sort of large light shining
brilliantly  about  two  miles from the Nautilus. What this fire might be,
what  could  feed  it,  why and how it lit up the liquid mass, I could not
say.  In  any  case, it did light our way, vaguely, it is true, but I soon
accustomed  myself  to the peculiar darkness, and I understood, under such
circumstances, the uselessness of the Ruhmkorff apparatus.
   As  we  advanced,  I heard a kind of pattering above my head. The noise
redoubling,  sometimes producing a continual shower, I soon understood the
cause.  It  was  rain  falling  violently, and crisping the surface of the
waves.  Instinctively  the thought flashed across my mind that I should be
wet  through!  By  the  water! in the midst of the water! I could not help
laughing  at  the  odd  idea.  But, indeed, in the thick diving-dress, the
liquid  element  is  no  longer  felt,  and  one  only  seems  to be in an
atmosphere somewhat denser than the terrestrial atmosphere. Nothing more.
   After  half  an hour's walk the soil became stony. Medusae, microscopic
crustacea, and pennatules lit it slightly with their phosphorescent gleam.
I  caught  a glimpse of pieces of stone covered with millions of zoophytes
and  masses  of sea weed. My feet often slipped upon this sticky carpet of
sea  weed, and without my iron-tipped stick I should have fallen more than
once.  In  turning  round,  I  could  still see the whitish lantern of the
Nautilus beginning to pale in the distance.
   But  the  rosy  light which guided us increased and lit up the horizon.
The  presence  of  this fire under water puzzled me in the highest degree.
Was  I going towards a natural phenomenon as yet unknown to the savants of
the earth? Or even (for this thought crossed my brain) had the hand of man
aught  to  do  with this conflagration? Had he fanned this flame? Was I to
meet  in  these  depths companions and friends of Captain Nemo whom he was
going  to  visit,  and who, like him, led this strange existence? Should I
find  down  there  a  whole colony of exiles who, weary of the miseries of
this earth, had sought and found independence in the deep ocean? All these
foolish  and unreasonable ideas pursued me. And in this condition of mind,
over-excited  by  the  succession of wonders continually passing before my
eyes,  I  should  not have been surprised to meet at the bottom of the sea
one of those submarine towns of which Captain Nemo dreamed.
   Our  road grew lighter and lighter. The white glimmer came in rays from
the  summit of a mountain about 800 feet high. But what I saw was simply a
reflection,  developed  by the clearness of the waters. The source of this
inexplicable light was a fire on the opposite side of the mountain.
   In  the  midst of this stony maze furrowing the bottom of the Atlantic,
Captain  Nemo  advanced  without  hesitation.  He  knew  this dreary road.
Doubtless  he  had  often travelled over it, and could not lose himself. I
followed him with unshaken confidence. He seemed to me like a genie of the
sea;  and,  as he walked before me, I could not help admiring his stature,
which was outlined in black on the luminous horizon.
   It  was  one  in the morning when we arrived at the first slopes of the
mountain; but to gain access to them we must venture through the difficult
paths of a vast copse.
   Yes;  a  copse  of  dead  trees,  without  leaves,  without  sap, trees
petrified  by  the  action  of  the water and here and there overtopped by
gigantic  pines.  It  was  like  a coal-pit still standing, holding by the
roots  to  the  broken  soil,  and  whose  branches, like fine black paper
cuttings,  showed  distinctly on the watery ceiling. Picture to yourself a
forest  in the Hartz hanging on to the sides of the mountain, but a forest
swallowed  up.  The  paths were encumbered with seaweed and fucus, between
which  grovelled  a  whole  world of crustacea. I went along, climbing the
rocks,  striding  over  extended  trunks, breaking the sea bind-weed which
hung  from  one  tree to the other; and frightening the fishes, which flew
from  branch  to branch. Pressing onward, I felt no fatigue. I followed my
guide,  who  was  never tired. What a spectacle! How can I express it? how
paint the aspect of those woods and rocks in this medium-their under parts
dark  and wild, the upper coloured with red tints, by that light which the
reflecting  powers  of  the  waters  doubled?  We climbed rocks which fell
directly  after with gigantic bounds and the low growling of an avalanche.
To  right  and  left  ran long, dark galleries, where sight was lost. Here
opened  vast  glades  which  the  hand of man seemed to have worked; and I
sometimes asked myself if some inhabitant of these submarine regions would
not suddenly appear to me.
   But  Captain  Nemo  was  still  mounting.  I  could  not stay behind. I
followed  boldly. My stick gave me good help. A false step would have been
dangerous on the narrow passes sloping down to the sides of the gulfs; but
I  walked  with  firm  step, without feeling any giddiness. Now I jumped a
crevice,  the depth of which would have made me hesitate had it been among
the  glaciers  on the land; now I ventured on the unsteady trunk of a tree
thrown  across from one abyss to the other, without looking under my feet,
having only eyes to admire the wild sites of this region.
   There,  monumental  rocks, leaning on their regularly-cut bases, seemed
to  defy  all  laws  of  equilibrium. From between their stony knees trees
sprang,  like  a  jet under heavy pressure, and upheld others which upheld
them. Natural towers, large scarps, cut perpendicularly, like a "curtain,"
inclined  at  an  angle  which  the  laws  of gravitation could never have
tolerated in terrestrial regions.
   Two hours after quitting the Nautilus we had crossed the line of trees,
and  a  hundred  feet  above our heads rose the top of the mountain, which
cast  a  shadow  on  the brilliant irradiation of the opposite slope. Some
petrified shrubs ran fantastically here and there. Fishes got up under our
feet  like  birds  in  the  long  grass.  The massive rocks were rent with
impenetrable  fractures,  deep  grottos,  and  unfathomable  holes, at the
bottom  of  which  formidable  creatures  might  be heard moving. My blood
curdled  when  I saw enormous antennae blocking my road, or some frightful
claw  closing  with  a  noise  in  the  shadow of some cavity. Millions of
luminous  spots shone brightly in the midst of the darkness. They were the
eyes  of  giant  crustacea crouched in their holes; giant lobsters setting
themselves  up  like halberdiers, and moving their claws with the clicking
sound  of  pincers; titanic crabs, pointed like a gun on its carriage; and
frightful-looking  poulps, interweaving their tentacles like a living nest
of serpents.
   We had now arrived on the first platform, where other surprises awaited
me.  Before  us lay some picturesque ruins, which betrayed the hand of man
and not that of the Creator. There were vast heaps of stone, amongst which
might  be  traced  the  vague  and  shadowy  forms of castles and temples,
clothed  with  a world of blossoming zoophytes, and over which, instead of
ivy,  sea-weed and fucus threw a thick vegetable mantle. But what was this
portion  of  the  globe  which  had  been swallowed by cataclysms? Who had
placed  those  rocks and stones like cromlechs of prehistoric times? Where
was I? Whither had Captain Nemo's fancy hurried me?
   I would fain have asked him; not being able to, I stopped him- I seized
his  arm.  But, shaking his head, and pointing to the highest point of the
mountain, he seemed to say:
   "Come, come along; come higher!"
   I  followed, and in a few minutes I had climbed to the top, which for a
circle of ten yards commanded the whole mass of rock.
   I  looked  down the side we had just climbed. The mountain did not rise
more than seven or eight hundred feet above the level of the plain; but on
the  opposite  side it commanded from twice that height the depths of this
part  of  the  Atlantic.  My  eyes  ranged far over a large space lit by a
violent fulguration. In fact, the mountain was a volcano.
   At  fifty  feet  above  the  peak, in the midst of a rain of stones and
scoriae,  a large crater was vomiting forth torrents of lava which fell in
a  cascade  of fire into the bosom of the liquid mass. Thus situated, this
volcano  lit  the  lower  plain like an immense torch, even to the extreme
limits of the horizon. I said that the submarine crater threw up lava, but
no flames. Flames require the oxygen of the air to feed upon and cannot be
developed  under  water;  but  streams  of  lava, having in themselves the
principles  of  their  incandescence,  can  attain  a  white  heat,  fight
vigorously against the liquid element, and turn it to vapour by contact.
   Rapid  currents  bearing  all  these gases in diffusion and torrents of
lava  slid  to  the bottom of the mountain like an eruption of Vesuvius on
another Terra del Greco.
   There  indeed  under  my eyes, ruined, destroyed, lay a town- its roofs
open  to  the  sky, its temples fallen, its arches dislocated, its columns
lying  on  the  ground,  from  which one would still recognise the massive
character  of  Tuscan architecture. Further on, some remains of a gigantic
aqueduct; here the high base of an Acropolis, with the floating outline of
a  Parthenon;  there  traces of a quay, as if an ancient port had formerly
abutted  on  the  borders  of the ocean, and disappeared with its merchant
vessels  and its war-galleys. Farther on again, long lines of sunken walls
and broad, deserted streets- a perfect Pompeii escaped beneath the waters.
Such was the sight that Captain Nemo brought before my eyes!
   Where  was  I?  Where was I? I must know at any cost. I tried to speak,
but  Captain  Nemo  stopped  me  by  a gesture, and, picking up a piece of
chalk-stone, advanced to a rock of black basalt, and traced the one word:
   ATLANTIS
   What  a  light  shot  through my mind! Atlantis! the Atlantis of Plato,
that  continent denied by Origen and Humbolt, who placed its disappearance
amongst  the  legendary  tales. I had it there now before my eyes, bearing
upon  it the unexceptionable testimony of its catastrophe. The region thus
engulfed  was  beyond  Europe,  Asia,  and  Lybia,  beyond  the columns of
Hercules, where those powerful people, the Atlantides, lived, against whom
the first wars of ancient Greeks were waged.
   Thus,  led  by  the  strangest  destiny,  I was treading under foot the
mountains  of this continent, touching with my hand those ruins a thousand
generations old and contemporary with the geological epochs. I was walking
on the very spot where the contemporaries of the first man had walked.
   Whilst  I  was  trying  to  fix  in  my mind every detail of this grand
landscape,  Captain  Nemo  remained  motionless,  as  if petrified in mute
ecstasy,  leaning  on  a mossy stone. Was he dreaming of those generations
long  since  disappeared?  Was he asking them the secret of human destiny?
Was  it  here  this  strange  man  came  to  steep  himself  in historical
recollections,  and  live  again this ancient life-he who wanted no modern
one?  What  would I not have given to know his thoughts, to share them, to
understand  them! We remained for an hour at this place, contemplating the
vast  plains  under  the  brightness  of  the  lava,  which was some times
wonderfully  intense.  Rapid  tremblings  ran along the mountain caused by
internal  bubblings, deep noise, distinctly transmitted through the liquid
medium  were  echoed  with  majestic  grandeur.  At  this  moment the moon
appeared  through the mass of waters and threw her pale rays on the buried
continent.  It  was  but  a  gleam,  but what an indescribable effect! The
Captain  rose,  cast  one last look on the immense plain, and then bade me
follow him.
   We descended the mountain rapidly, and, the mineral forest once passed,
I  saw the lantern of the Nautilus shining like a star. The Captain walked
straight  to  it,  and we got on board as the first rays of light whitened
the surface of the ocean.


        Chapter X. THE SUBMARINE COAL-MINES

   The  next day, the 20th of February, I awoke very late: the fatigues of
the  previous night had prolonged my sleep until eleven o'clock. I dressed
quickly,  and  hastened  to  find  the course the Nautilus was taking. The
instruments showed it to be still toward the south, with a speed of twenty
miles an hour and a depth of fifty fathoms.
   The  species  of  fishes  here  did  not differ much from those already
noticed.  There were rays of giant size, five yards long, and endowed with
great  muscular  strength,  which  enabled  them to shoot above the waves;
sharks  of  many  kinds;  amongst  others,  one  fifteen  feet  long, with
triangular   sharp  teeth,  and  whose  transparency  rendered  it  almost
invisible in the water.
   Amongst bony fish Conseil noticed some about three yards long, armed at
the  upper  jaw  with  a  piercing sword; other bright-coloured creatures,
known  in  the  time of Aristotle by the name of the sea-dragon, which are
dangerous to capture on account of the spikes on their back.
   About  four  o'clock, the soil, generally composed of a thick mud mixed
with  petrified  wood,  changed  by degrees, and it became more stony, and
seemed strewn with conglomerate and pieces of basalt, with a sprinkling of
lava.  I thought that a mountainous region was succeeding the long plains;
and  accordingly,  after  a  few  evolutions  of  the  Nautilus, I saw the
southerly  horizon  blocked by a high wall which seemed to close all exit.
Its  summit  evidently  passed  the  level  of  the  ocean.  It  must be a
continent, or at least an island-one of the Canaries, or of the Cape Verde
Islands.  The  bearings  not  being  yet  taken, perhaps designedly, I was
ignorant  of  our exact position. In any case, such a wall seemed to me to
mark  the  limits of that Atlantis, of which we had in reality passed over
only the smallest part.
   Much  longer should I have remained at the window admiring the beauties
of sea and sky, but the panels closed. At this moment the Nautilus arrived
at  the  side  of this high, perpendicular wall. What it would do, I could
not  guess.  I returned to my room; it no longer moved. I laid myself down
with  the  full  intention  of waking after a few hours' sleep; but it was
eight  o'clock  the  next  day  when I entered the saloon. I looked at the
manometer. It told me that the Nautilus was floating on the surface of the
ocean. Besides, I heard steps on the platform. I went to the panel. It was
open;  but,  instead of broad daylight, as I expected, I was surrounded by
profound  darkness. Where were we? Was I mistaken? Was it still night? No;
not a star was shining and night has not that utter darkness.
   I knew not what to think, when a voice near me said:
   "Is that you, Professor?"
   "Ah! Captain," I answered, "where are we?"
   "Underground, sir."
   "Underground!" I exclaimed. "And the Nautilus floating still?"
   "It always floats."
   "But I do not understand."
   "Wait  a  few  minutes, our lantern will be lit, and, if you like light
places, you will be satisfied."
   I stood on the platform and waited. The darkness was so complete that I
could not even see Captain Nemo; but, looking to the zenith, exactly above
my  head, I seemed to catch an undecided gleam, a kind of twilight filling
a  circular  hole.  At this instant the lantern was lit, and its vividness
dispelled  the  faint  light. I closed my dazzled eyes for an instant, and
then  looked  again. The Nautilus was stationary, floating near a mountain
which  formed  a  sort  of  quay. The lake, then, supporting it was a lake
imprisoned  by  a circle of walls, measuring two miles in diameter and six
in  circumference. Its level (the manometer showed) could only be the same
as  the  outside  level,  for  there  must  necessarily be a communication
between  the  lake  and  the  sea. The high partitions, leaning forward on
their  base,  grew  into  a  vaulted  roof bearing the shape of an immense
funnel  turned  upside  down,  the  height being about five or six hundred
yards.  At  the  summit  was a circular orifice, by which I had caught the
slight gleam of light, evidently daylight.
   "Where are we?" I asked.
   "In  the  very  heart  of an extinct volcano, the interior of which has
been  invaded by the sea, after some great convulsion of the earth. Whilst
you  were sleeping, Professor, the Nautilus penetrated to this lagoon by a
natural  canal,  which  opens  about  ten yards beneath the surface of the
ocean.  This  is its harbour of refuge, a sure, commodious, and mysterious
one,  sheltered  from all gales. Show me, if you can, on the coasts of any
of  your  continents or islands, a road which can give such perfect refuge
from all storms."
   "Certainly,"  I  replied,  "you  are  in safety here, Captain Nemo. Who
could reach you in the heart of a volcano? But did I not see an opening at
its summit?"
   "Yes;  its  crater,  formerly filled with lava, vapour, and flames, and
which now gives entrance to the life-giving air we breathe."
   "But what is this volcanic mountain?"
   "It  belongs  to  one  of  the  numerous islands with which this sea is
strewn-to vessels a simple sandbank-to us an immense cavern. Chance led me
to discover it, and chance served me well."
   "But of what use is this refuge, Captain? The Nautilus wants no port."
   "No, sir; but it wants electricity to make it move, and the wherewithal
to  make  the  electricity-sodium to feed the elements, coal from which to
get  the  sodium,  and a coal-mine to supply the coal. And exactly on this
spot the sea covers entire forests embedded during the geological periods,
now   mineralised   and   transformed  into  coal;  for  me  they  are  an
inexhaustible mine."
   "Your men follow the trade of miners here, then, Captain?"
   "Exactly  so.  These  mines  extend  under  the waves like the mines of
Newcastle.  Here, in their diving-dresses, pick axe and shovel in hand, my
men extract the coal, which I do not even ask from the mines of the earth.
When  I  burn  this  combustible for the manufacture of sodium, the smoke,
escaping  from  the  crater  of the mountain, gives it the appearance of a
still-active volcano."
   "And we shall see your companions at work?"
   "No;  not  this  time  at  least;  for  I am in a hurry to continue our
submarine  tour  of the earth. So I shall content myself with drawing from
the  reserve  of sodium I already possess. The time for loading is one day
only,  and  we  continue our voyage. So, if you wish to go over the