The year 1866 was signalized by a remarkable incident , a mysterious and puzzling phenomenon , which doubtless no one has yet forgotten . Not to mention rumors which agitated the maritime population and excited the public mind , even in the interior of continents , seafaring men were particularly excited . Merchants , common sailors , captains of vessels , skippers , both of Europe and America , naval officers of all countries , and the Governments of several States on the two continents , were deeply interested in the matter .
For some time past vessels had been met by " an enormous thing , " a long object , spindle - shaped , occasionally phosphorescent , and infinitely larger and more rapid in its movements than a whale .
The facts relating to this apparition ( entered in various log - books ) agreed in most respects as to the shape of the object or creature in question , the untiring rapidity of its movements , its surprising power of locomotion , and the peculiar life with which it seemed endowed . If it was a whale , it surpassed in size all those hitherto classified in science . Taking into consideration the mean of observations made at divers times - - rejecting the timid estimate of those who assigned to this object a length of two hundred feet , equally with the exaggerated opinions which set it down as a mile in width and three in length - - we might fairly conclude that this mysterious being surpassed greatly all dimensions admitted by the learned ones of the day , if it existed at all . And that it did exist was an undeniable fact ; and , with that tendency which disposes the human mind in favor of the marvelous , we can understand the excitement produced in the entire world by this supernatural apparition . As to classing it in the list of fables , the idea was out of the question .
On the 20 th of July , 1866 , the steamer Governor Higginson , of the Calcutta and Burnach Steam Navigation Company , had met this moving mass five miles off the east coast of Australia . Captain Baker thought at first that he was in the presence of an unknown sand - bank ; he even prepared to determine its exact position when two columns of water , projected by the mysterious object , shot with a hissing noise a hundred and fifty feet up into the air . Now , unless the sand - bank had been submitted to the intermittent eruption of a geyser , the Governor Higginson had to do neither more nor less than with an aquatic mammal , unknown till then , which threw up from its blow - holes columns of water mixed with air and vapor .
Similar facts were observed on the 23 rd of July in the same year , in the Pacific Ocean , by the Columbus , of the West India and Pacific Steam Navigation Company . But this extraordinary creature could transport itself from one place to another with surprising velocity ; as , in an interval of three days , the Governor Higginson and the Columbus had observed it at two different points of the chart , separated by a distance of more than seven hundred nautical leagues .
Fifteen days later , two thousand miles farther off , the Helvetia , of the Compagnie - National , and the Shannon , of the Royal Mail Steamship Company , sailing to windward in that portion of the Atlantic lying between the United States and Europe , respectively signalled the monster to each other in 42 @ 15 ' N. lat . and 60 @ 35 ' W. long . In these simultaneous observations they thought themselves justified in estimating the minimum length of the mammal at more than three hundred and fifty feet , as the Shannon and Helvetia were of smaller dimensions than it , though they measured three hundred feet over all .
Now the largest whales , those which frequent those parts of the sea round the Aleutian , Kulammak , and Umgullich islands , have never exceeded the length of sixty yards , if they attain that .
In every place of great resort the monster was the fashion . They sang of it in the cafes , ridiculed it in the papers , and represented it on the stage . All kinds of stories were circulated regarding it . There appeared in the papers caricatures of every gigantic and imaginary creature , from the white whale , the terrible " Moby Dick " of sub - arctic regions , to the immense kraken , whose tentacles could entangle a ship of five hundred tons and hurry it into the abyss of the ocean . The legends of ancient times were even revived .
Then burst forth the unending argument between the believers and the unbelievers in the societies of the wise and the scientific journals . " The question of the monster " inflamed all minds . Editors of scientific journals , quarreling with believers in the supernatural , spilled seas of ink during this memorable campaign , some even drawing blood ; for from the sea - serpent they came to direct personalities .
During the first months of the year 1867 the question seemed buried , never to revive , when new facts were brought before the public . It was then no longer a scientific problem to be solved , but a real danger seriously to be avoided . The question took quite another shape . The monster became a small island , a rock , a reef , but a reef of indefinite and shifting proportions .
On the 5 th of March , 1867 , the Moravian , of the Montreal Ocean Company , finding herself during the night in 27 @ 30 ' lat . and 72 @ 15 ' long . , struck on her starboard quarter a rock , marked in no chart for that part of the sea . Under the combined efforts of the wind and its four hundred horse power , it was going at the rate of thirteen knots . Had it not been for the superior strength of the hull of the Moravian , she would have been broken by the shock and gone down with the 237 passengers she was bringing home from Canada .
The accident happened about five o'clock in the morning , as the day was breaking . The officers of the quarter - deck hurried to the after - part of the vessel . They examined the sea with the most careful attention . They saw nothing but a strong eddy about three cables ' length distant , as if the surface had been violently agitated . The bearings of the place were taken exactly , and the Moravian continued its route without apparent damage . Had it struck on a submerged rock , or on an enormous wreck ? They could not tell ; but , on examination of the ship 's bottom when undergoing repairs , it was found that part of her keel was broken .
This fact , so grave in itself , might perhaps have been forgotten like many others if , three weeks after , it had not been re - enacted under similar circumstances . But , thanks to the nationality of the victim of the shock , thanks to the reputation of the company to which the vessel belonged , the circumstance became extensively circulated .
The 13 th of April , 1867 , the sea being beautiful , the breeze favorable , the Scotia , of the Cunard Company 's line , found herself in 15 @ 12 ' long . and 45 @ 37 ' lat . She was going at the speed of thirteen knots and a half .
At seventeen minutes past four in the afternoon , whilst the passengers were assembled at lunch in the great saloon , a slight shock was felt on the hull of the Scotia , on her quarter , a little aft of the port - paddle .
The Scotia had not struck , but she had been struck , and seemingly by something rather sharp and penetrating than blunt . The shock had been so slight that no one had been alarmed , had it not been for the shouts of the carpenter 's watch , who rushed on to the bridge , exclaiming , " We are sinking ! we are sinking ! " At first the passengers were much frightened , but Captain Anderson hastened to reassure them . The danger could not be imminent . The Scotia , divided into seven compartments by strong partitions , could brave with impunity any leak . Captain Anderson went down immediately into the hold . He found that the sea was pouring into the fifth compartment ; and the rapidity of the influx proved that the force of the water was considerable . Fortunately this compartment did not hold the boilers , or the fires would have been immediately extinguished . Captain Anderson ordered the engines to be stopped at once , and one of the men went down to ascertain the extent of the injury . Some minutes afterwards they discovered the existence of a large hole , two yards in diameter , in the ship 's bottom . Such a leak could not be stopped ; and the Scotia , her paddles half submerged , was obliged to continue her course . She was then three hundred miles from Cape Clear , and , after three days ' delay , which caused great uneasiness in Liverpool , she entered the basin of the company .
The engineers visited the Scotia , which was put in dry dock . They could scarcely believe it possible ; at two yards and a half below water - mark was a regular rent , in the form of an isosceles triangle . The broken place in the iron plates was so perfectly defined that it could not have been more neatly done by a punch . It was clear , then , that the instrument producing the perforation was not of a common stamp and , after having been driven with prodigious strength , and piercing an iron plate 1 3 / 8 inches thick , had withdrawn itself by a backward motion .
Such was the last fact , which resulted in exciting once more the torrent of public opinion . From this moment all unlucky casualties which could not be otherwise accounted for were put down to the monster .
Upon this imaginary creature rested the responsibility of all these shipwrecks , which unfortunately were considerable ; for of three thousand ships whose loss was annually recorded at Lloyd 's , the number of sailing and steam - ships supposed to be totally lost , from the absence of all news , amounted to not less than two hundred !
Now , it was the " monster " who , justly or unjustly , was accused of their disappearance , and , thanks to it , communication between the different continents became more and more dangerous . The public demanded sharply that the seas should at any price be relieved from this formidable cetacean .
At the period when these events took place , I had just returned from a scientific research in the disagreeable territory of Nebraska , in the United States . In virtue of my office as Assistant Professor in the Museum of Natural History in Paris , the French Government had attached me to that expedition . After six months in Nebraska , I arrived in New York towards the end of March , laden with a precious collection . My departure for France was fixed for the first days in May . Meanwhile I was occupying myself in classifying my mineralogical , botanical , and zoological riches , when the accident happened to the Scotia .
I was perfectly up in the subject which was the question of the day . How could I be otherwise ? I had read and reread all the American and European papers without being any nearer a conclusion . This mystery puzzled me . Under the impossibility of forming an opinion , I jumped from one extreme to the other . That there really was something could not be doubted , and the incredulous were invited to put their finger on the wound of the Scotia .
On my arrival at New York the question was at its height . The theory of the floating island , and the unapproachable sand - bank , supported by minds little competent to form a judgment , was abandoned . And , indeed , unless this shoal had a machine in its stomach , how could it change its position with such astonishing rapidity ?
From the same cause , the idea of a floating hull of an enormous wreck was given up .
There remained , then , only two possible solutions of the question , which created two distinct parties : on one side , those who were for a monster of colossal strength ; on the other , those who were for a submarine vessel of enormous motive power .
But this last theory , plausible as it was , could not stand against inquiries made in both worlds . That a private gentleman should have such a machine at his command was not likely . Where , when , and how was it built ? and how could its construction have been kept secret ? Certainly a Government might possess such a destructive machine . And in these disastrous times , when the ingenuity of man has multiplied the power of weapons of war , it was possible that , without the knowledge of others , a State might try to work such a formidable engine .
But the idea of a war machine fell before the declaration of Governments . As public interest was in question , and transatlantic communications suffered , their veracity could not be doubted . But how admit that the construction of this submarine boat had escaped the public eye ? For a private gentleman to keep the secret under such circumstances would be very difficult , and for a State whose every act is persistently watched by powerful rivals , certainly impossible .
Upon my arrival in New York several persons did me the honor of consulting me on the phenomenon in question . I had published in France a work in quarto , in two volumes , entitled Mysteries of the Great Submarine Grounds . This book , highly approved of in the learned world , gained for me a special reputation in this rather obscure branch of Natural History . My advice was asked . As long as I could deny the reality of the fact , I confined myself to a decided negative . But soon , finding myself driven into a corner , I was obliged to explain myself point by point . I discussed the question in all its forms , politically and scientifically ; and I give here an extract from a carefully - studied article which I published in the number of the 30 th of April . It ran as follows : " After examining one by one the different theories , rejecting all other suggestions , it becomes necessary to admit the existence of a marine animal of enormous power . "
" The great depths of the ocean are entirely unknown to us . Soundings cannot reach them . What passes in those remote depths - - what beings live , or can live , twelve or fifteen miles beneath the surface of the waters - - what is the organization of these animals , we can scarcely conjecture . However , the solution of the problem submitted to me may modify the form of the dilemma . Either we do know all the varieties of beings which people our planet , or we do not . If we do not know them all - - if Nature has still secrets in the deeps for us , nothing is more conformable to reason than to admit the existence of fishes , or cetaceans of other kinds , or even of new species , of an organization formed to inhabit the strata inaccessible to soundings , and which an accident of some sort has brought at long intervals to the upper level of the ocean . "
" If , on the contrary , we do know all living kinds , we must necessarily seek for the animal in question amongst those marine beings already classed ; and , in that case , I should be disposed to admit the existence of a gigantic narwhal . "
" The common narwhal , or unicorn of the sea , often attains a length of sixty feet . Increase its size fivefold or tenfold , give it strength proportionate to its size , lengthen its destructive weapons , and you obtain the animal required . It will have the proportions determined by the officers of the Shannon , the instrument required by the perforation of the Scotia , and the power necessary to pierce the hull of the steamer . "
" Indeed , the narwhal is armed with a sort of ivory sword , a halberd , according to the expression of certain naturalists . The principal tusk has the hardness of steel . Some of these tusks have been found buried in the bodies of whales , which the unicorn always attacks with success . Others have been drawn out , not without trouble , from the bottoms of ships , which they had pierced through and through , as a gimlet pierces a barrel . The Museum of the Faculty of Medicine of Paris possesses one of these defensive weapons , two yards and a quarter in length , and fifteen inches in diameter at the base . "
" Very well ! suppose this weapon to be six times stronger and the animal ten times more powerful ; launch it at the rate of twenty miles an hour , and you obtain a shock capable of producing the catastrophe required . Until further information , therefore , I shall maintain it to be a sea - unicorn of colossal dimensions , armed not with a halberd , but with a real spur , as the armored frigates , or the ` rams ' of war , whose massiveness and motive power it would possess at the same time . Thus may this puzzling phenomenon be explained , unless there be something over and above all that one has ever conjectured , seen , perceived , or experienced ; which is just within the bounds of possibility . "
These last words were cowardly on my part ; but , up to a certain point , I wished to shelter my dignity as professor , and not give too much cause for laughter to the Americans , who laugh well when they do laugh . I reserved for myself a way of escape . In effect , however , I admitted the existence of the " monster . " My article was warmly discussed , which procured it a high reputation . It rallied round it a certain number of partisans . The solution it proposed gave , at least , full liberty to the imagination . The human mind delights in grand conceptions of supernatural beings . And the sea is precisely their best vehicle , the only medium through which these giants ( against which terrestrial animals , such as elephants or rhinoceroses , are as nothing ) can be produced or developed .
The industrial and commercial papers treated the question chiefly from this point of view . The Shipping and Mercantile Gazette , the Lloyd 's List , the Packet - Boat , and the Maritime and Colonial Review , all papers devoted to insurance companies which threatened to raise their rates of premium , were unanimous on this point . Public opinion had been pronounced . The United States were the first in the field ; and in New York they made preparations for an expedition destined to pursue this narwhal . A frigate of great speed , the Abraham Lincoln , was put in commission as soon as possible . The arsenals were opened to Commander Farragut , who hastened the arming of his frigate ; but , as it always happens , the moment it was decided to pursue the monster , the monster did not appear . For two months no one heard it spoken of . No ship met with it . It seemed as if this unicorn knew of the plots weaving around it . It had been so much talked of , even through the Atlantic cable , that jesters pretended that this slender fly had stopped a telegram on its passage and was making the most of it .
So when the frigate had been armed for a long campaign , and provided with formidable fishing apparatus , no one could tell what course to pursue . Impatience grew apace , when , on the 2 nd of July , they learned that a steamer of the line of San Francisco , from California to Shanghai , had seen the animal three weeks before in the North Pacific Ocean . The excitement caused by this news was extreme . The ship was revictualled and well stocked with coal .
Three hours before the Abraham Lincoln left Brooklyn pier , I received a letter worded as follows :
To M. Aronnax , Professor in the Museum of Paris , Fifth Avenue Hotel , New York .
Sir , - - If you will consent to join the Abraham Lincoln in this expedition , the Government of the United States will with pleasure see France represented in the enterprise . Commander Farragut has a cabin at your disposal .
Very cordially yours , J.B. Hobson , Secretary of Marine .
Three seconds before the arrival of J.B. Hobson 's letter I no more thought of pursuing the unicorn than of attempting the passage of the North Sea . Three seconds after reading the letter of the honorable Secretary of Marine , I felt that my true vocation , the sole end of my life , was to chase this disturbing monster and purge it from the world .
But I had just returned from a fatiguing journey , weary and longing for repose . I aspired to nothing more than again seeing my country , my friends , my little lodging by the Jardin des Plantes , my dear and precious collections - - but nothing could keep me back ! I forgot all - - fatigue , friends and collections - - and accepted without hesitation the offer of the American Government .
" Besides , " thought I , " all roads lead back to Europe ; and the unicorn may be amiable enough to hurry me towards the coast of France . This worthy animal may allow itself to be caught in the seas of Europe ( for my particular benefit ) , and I will not bring back less than half a yard of his ivory halberd to the Museum of Natural History . " But in the meanwhile I must seek this narwhal in the North Pacific Ocean , which , to return to France , was taking the road to the antipodes .
" Conseil , " I called in an impatient voice .
Conseil was my servant , a true , devoted Flemish boy , who had accompanied me in all my travels . I liked him , and he returned the liking well . He was quiet by nature , regular from principle , zealous from habit , evincing little disturbance at the different surprises of life , very quick with his hands , and apt at any service required of him ; and , despite his name , never giving advice - - even when asked for it .
Conseil had followed me for the last ten years wherever science led . Never once did he complain of the length or fatigue of a journey , never make an objection to pack his portmanteau for whatever country it might be , or however far away , whether China or Congo . Besides all this , he had good health , which defied all sickness , and solid muscles , but no nerves ; good morals are understood . This boy was thirty years old , and his age to that of his master as fifteen to twenty . May I be excused for saying that I was forty years old ?
But Conseil had one fault : he was ceremonious to a degree , and would never speak to me but in the third person , which was sometimes provoking .
" Conseil , " said I again , beginning with feverish hands to make preparations for my departure .
Certainly I was sure of this devoted boy . As a rule , I never asked him if it were convenient for him or not to follow me in my travels ; but this time the expedition in question might be prolonged , and the enterprise might be hazardous in pursuit of an animal capable of sinking a frigate as easily as a nutshell . Here there was matter for reflection even to the most impassive man in the world . What would Conseil say ?
" Conseil , " I called a third time .
Conseil appeared .
" Did you call , sir ? " said he , entering .
" Yes , my boy ; make preparations for me and yourself too . We leave in two hours . "
" As you please , sir , " replied Conseil , quietly .
" Not an instant to lose ; lock in my trunk all traveling utensils , coats , shirts , and stockings - - without counting , as many as you can , and make haste . "
" And your collections , sir ? " observed Conseil .
" They will keep them at the hotel . "
" We are not returning to Paris , then ? " said Conseil .
" Oh ! certainly , " I answered , evasively , " by making a curve . "
" Will the curve please you , sir ? "
" Oh ! it will be nothing ; not quite so direct a road , that is all . We take our passage in the Abraham , Lincoln . "
" As you think proper , sir , " coolly replied Conseil .
" You see , my friend , it has to do with the monster - - the famous narwhal . We are going to purge it from the seas . A glorious mission , but a dangerous one ! We cannot tell where we may go ; these animals can be very capricious . But we will go whether or no ; we have got a captain who is pretty wide - awake . "
Our luggage was transported to the deck of the frigate immediately . I hastened on board and asked for Commander Farragut . One of the sailors conducted me to the poop , where I found myself in the presence of a good - looking officer , who held out his hand to me .
" Monsieur Pierre Aronnax ? " said he .
" Himself , " replied I. " Commander Farragut ? "
" You are welcome , Professor ; your cabin is ready for you . "
I bowed , and desired to be conducted to the cabin destined for me .
The Abraham Lincoln had been well chosen and equipped for her new destination . She was a frigate of great speed , fitted with high - pressure engines which admitted a pressure of seven atmospheres . Under this the Abraham Lincoln attained the mean speed of nearly eighteen knots and a third an hour - - a considerable speed , but , nevertheless , insufficient to grapple with this gigantic cetacean .
The interior arrangements of the frigate corresponded to its nautical qualities . I was well satisfied with my cabin , which was in the after part , opening upon the gun - room .
" We shall be well off here , " said I to Conseil .
" As well , by your honor 's leave , as a hermit - crab in the shell of a whelk , " said Conseil .
I left Conseil to stow our trunks conveniently away , and remounted the poop in order to survey the preparations for departure .
At that moment Commander Farragut was ordering the last moorings to be cast loose which held the Abraham Lincoln to the pier of Brooklyn . So in a quarter of an hour , perhaps less , the frigate would have sailed without me . I should have missed this extraordinary , supernatural , and incredible expedition , the recital of which may well meet with some suspicion .
But Commander Farragut would not lose a day nor an hour in scouring the seas in which the animal had been sighted . He sent for the engineer .
" Is the steam full on ? " asked he .
" Yes , sir , " replied the engineer .
" Go ahead , " cried Commander Farragut .
Captain Farragut was a good seaman , worthy of the frigate he commanded . His vessel and he were one . He was the soul of it . On the question of the monster there was no doubt in his mind , and he would not allow the existence of the animal to be disputed on board . He believed in it , as certain good women believe in the leviathan - - by faith , not by reason . The monster did exist , and he had sworn to rid the seas of it . Either Captain Farragut would kill the narwhal , or the narwhal would kill the captain . There was no third course .
The officers on board shared the opinion of their chief . They were ever chatting , discussing , and calculating the various chances of a meeting , watching narrowly the vast surface of the ocean . More than one took up his quarters voluntarily in the cross - trees , who would have cursed such a berth under any other circumstances . As long as the sun described its daily course , the rigging was crowded with sailors , whose feet were burnt to such an extent by the heat of the deck as to render it unbearable ; still the Abraham Lincoln had not yet breasted the suspected waters of the Pacific . As to the ship 's company , they desired nothing better than to meet the unicorn , to harpoon it , hoist it on board , and despatch it . They watched the sea with eager attention .
Besides , Captain Farragut had spoken of a certain sum of two thousand dollars , set apart for whoever should first sight the monster , were he cabin - boy , common seaman , or officer .
I leave you to judge how eyes were used on board the Abraham Lincoln .
For my own part I was not behind the others , and , left to no one my share of daily observations . The frigate might have been called the Argus , for a hundred reasons . Only one amongst us , Conseil , seemed to protest by his indifference against the question which so interested us all , and seemed to be out of keeping with the general enthusiasm on board .
I have said that Captain Farragut had carefully provided his ship with every apparatus for catching the gigantic cetacean . No whaler had ever been better armed . We possessed every known engine , from the harpoon thrown by the hand to the barbed arrows of the blunderbuss , and the explosive balls of the duck - gun . On the forecastle lay the perfection of a breech - loading gun , very thick at the breech , and very narrow in the bore , the model of which had been in the Exhibition of 1867 . This precious weapon of American origin could throw with ease a conical projectile of nine pounds to a mean distance of ten miles .
Thus the Abraham Lincoln wanted for no means of destruction ; and , what was better still she had on board Ned Land , the prince of harpooners .
Ned Land was a Canadian , with an uncommon quickness of hand , and who knew no equal in his dangerous occupation . Skill , coolness , audacity , and cunning he possessed in a superior degree , and it must be a cunning whale to escape the stroke of his harpoon .
Ned Land was about forty years of age ; he was a tall man ( more than six feet high ) , strongly built , grave and taciturn , occasionally violent , and very passionate when contradicted . His person attracted attention , but above all the boldness of his look , which gave a singular expression to his face .
Who calls himself Canadian calls himself French ; and , little communicative as Ned Land was , I must admit that he took a certain liking for me . My nationality drew him to me , no doubt . It was an opportunity for him to talk , and for me to hear , that old language of Rabelais , which is still in use in some Canadian provinces . The harpooner 's family was originally from Quebec , and was already a tribe of hardy fishermen when this town belonged to France .
Little by little , Ned Land acquired a taste for chatting , and I loved to hear the recital of his adventures in the polar seas . He related his fishing , and his combats , with natural poetry of expression ; his recital took the form of an epic poem , and I seemed to be listening to a Canadian Homer singing the Iliad of the regions of the North .
I am portraying this hardy companion as I really knew him . We are old friends now , united in that unchangeable friendship which is born and cemented amidst extreme dangers . Ah , brave Ned ! I ask no more than to live a hundred years longer , that I may have more time to dwell the longer on your memory .
Now , what was Ned Land 's opinion upon the question of the marine monster ? I must admit that he did not believe in the unicorn , and was the only one on board who did not share that universal conviction . He even avoided the subject , which I one day thought it my duty to press upon him . One magnificent evening , the 30 th July ( that is to say , three weeks after our departure ) , the frigate was abreast of Cape Blanc , thirty miles to leeward of the coast of Patagonia . We had crossed the tropic of Capricorn , and the Straits of Magellan opened less than seven hundred miles to the south . Before eight days were over the Abraham Lincoln would be ploughing the waters of the Pacific .
Seated on the poop , Ned Land and I were chatting of one thing and another as we looked at this mysterious sea , whose great depths had up to this time been inaccessible to the eye of man . I naturally led up the conversation to the giant unicorn , and examined the various chances of success or failure of the expedition . But , seeing that Ned Land let me speak without saying too much himself , I pressed him more closely .
" Well , Ned , " said I , " is it possible that you are not convinced of the existence of this cetacean that we are following ? Have you any particular reason for being so incredulous ? "
The harpooner looked at me fixedly for some moments before answering , struck his broad forehead with his hand ( a habit of his ) , as if to collect himself , and said at last , " Perhaps I have , Mr. Aronnax . "
" But , Ned , you , a whaler by profession , familiarized with all the great marine mammalia - - you ought to be the last to doubt under such circumstances ! "
" That is just what deceives you , Professor , " replied Ned . " As a whaler I have followed many a cetacean , harpooned a great number , and killed several ; but , however strong or well - armed they may have been , neither their tails nor their weapons would have been able even to scratch the iron plates of a steamer . "
" But , Ned , they tell of ships which the teeth of the narwhal have pierced through and through . "
" Wooden ships - - that is possible , " replied the Canadian , " but I have never seen it done ; and , until further proof , I deny that whales , cetaceans , or sea - unicorns could ever produce the effect you describe . "
" Well , Ned , I repeat it with a conviction resting on the logic of facts . I believe in the existence of a mammal power fully organized , belonging to the branch of vertebrata , like the whales , the cachalots , or the dolphins , and furnished with a horn of defense of great penetrating power . "
" Hum ! " said the harpooner , shaking his head with the air of a man who would not be convinced .
" Notice one thing , my worthy Canadian , " I resumed . " If such an animal is in existence , if it inhabits the depths of the ocean , if it frequents the strata lying miles below the surface of the water , it must necessarily possess an organization the strength of which would defy all comparison . "
" And why this powerful organization ? " demanded Ned .
" Because it requires incalculable strength to keep one 's self in these strata and resist their pressure . Listen to me . Let us admit that the pressure of the atmosphere is represented by the weight of a column of water thirty - two feet high . In reality the column of water would be shorter , as we are speaking of sea water , the density of which is greater than that of fresh water . Very well , when you dive , Ned , as many times 32 feet of water as there are above you , so many times does your body bear a pressure equal to that of the atmosphere , that is to say , 15 lb. for each square inch of its surface . It follows , then , that at 320 feet this pressure equals that of 10 atmospheres , of 100 atmospheres at 3,200 feet , and of 1,000 atmospheres at 32,000 feet , that is , about 6 miles ; which is equivalent to saying that if you could attain this depth in the ocean , each square three - eighths of an inch of the surface of your body would bear a pressure of 5,600 lb. Ah ! my brave Ned , do you know how many square inches you carry on the surface of your body ? "
" I have no idea , Mr. Aronnax . "
" About 6,500 ; and as in reality the atmospheric pressure is about 15 lb. to the square inch , your 6,500 square inches bear at this moment a pressure of 97,500 lb. "
" Without my perceiving it ? "
" Without your perceiving it . And if you are not crushed by such a pressure , it is because the air penetrates the interior of your body with equal pressure . Hence perfect equilibrium between the interior and exterior pressure , which thus neutralize each other , and which allows you to bear it without inconvenience . But in the water it is another thing . "
" Yes , I understand , " replied Ned , becoming more attentive ; " because the water surrounds me , but does not penetrate . "
" Precisely , Ned : so that at 32 feet beneath the surface of the sea you would undergo a pressure of 97,500 lb. ; at 320 feet , ten times that pressure ; at 3,200 feet , a hundred times that pressure ; lastly , at 32,000 feet , a thousand times that pressure would be 97,500,000 lb. - - that is to say , that you would be flattened as if you had been drawn from the plates of a hydraulic machine ! "
" The devil ! " exclaimed Ned .
" Very well , my worthy harpooner , if some vertebrate , several hundred yards long , and large in proportion , can maintain itself in such depths - - of those whose surface is represented by millions of square inches , that is by tens of millions of pounds , we must estimate the pressure they undergo . Consider , then , what must be the resistance of their bony structure , and the strength of their organization to withstand such pressure ! "
" Why ! " exclaimed Ned Land , " they must be made of iron plates eight inches thick , like the armored frigates . "
" As you say , Ned . And think what destruction such a mass would cause , if hurled with the speed of an express train against the hull of a vessel . "
" Yes - - certainly - - perhaps , " replied the Canadian , shaken by these figures , but not yet willing to give in .
" Well , have I convinced you ? "
" You have convinced me of one thing , sir , which is that , if such animals do exist at the bottom of the seas , they must necessarily be as strong as you say . "
" But if they do not exist , mine obstinate harpooner , how explain the accident to the Scotia ? "
The voyage of the Abraham Lincoln was for a long time marked by no special incident . But one circumstance happened which showed the wonderful dexterity of Ned Land , and proved what confidence we might place in him .
The 30 th of June , the frigate spoke some American whalers , from whom we learned that they knew nothing about the narwhal . But one of them , the captain of the Monroe , knowing that Ned Land had shipped on board the Abraham Lincoln , begged for his help in chasing a whale they had in sight . Commander Farragut , desirous of seeing Ned Land at work , gave him permission to go on board the Monroe . And fate served our Canadian so well that , instead of one whale , he harpooned two with a double blow , striking one straight to the heart , and catching the other after some minutes ' pursuit .
Decidedly , if the monster ever had to do with Ned Land 's harpoon , I would not bet in its favor .
The frigate skirted the south - east coast of America with great rapidity . The 3 rd of July we were at the opening of the Straits of Magellan , level with Cape Vierges . But Commander Farragut would not take a tortuous passage , but doubled Cape Horn .
The ship 's crew agreed with him . And certainly it was possible that they might meet the narwhal in this narrow pass . Many of the sailors affirmed that the monster could not pass there , " that he was too big for that ! "
The 6 th of July , about three o'clock in the afternoon , the Abraham Lincoln , at fifteen miles to the south , doubled the solitary island , this lost rock at the extremity of the American continent , to which some Dutch sailors gave the name of their native town , Cape Horn . The course was taken towards the north - west , and the next day the screw of the frigate was at last beating the waters of the Pacific .
" Keep your eyes open ! " called out the sailors .
And they were opened widely . Both eyes and glasses , a little dazzled , it is true , by the prospect of two thousand dollars , had not an instant 's repose .
I myself , for whom money had no charms , was not the least attentive on board . Giving but few minutes to my meals , but a few hours to sleep , indifferent to either rain or sunshine , I did not leave the poop of the vessel . Now leaning on the netting of the forecastle , now on the taffrail , I devoured with eagerness the soft foam which whitened the sea as far as the eye could reach ; and how often have I shared the emotion of the majority of the crew , when some capricious whale raised its black back above the waves ! The poop of the vessel was crowded on a moment . The cabins poured forth a torrent of sailors and officers , each with heaving breast and troubled eye watching the course of the cetacean . I looked and looked till I was nearly blind , whilst Conseil kept repeating in a calm voice : " If , sir , you would not squint so much , you would see better ! "
But vain excitement ! The Abraham Lincoln checked its speed and made for the animal signalled , a simple whale , or common cachalot , which soon disappeared amidst a storm of abuse .
But the weather was good . The voyage was being accomplished under the most favorable auspices . It was then the bad season in Australia , the July of that zone corresponding to our January in Europe , but the sea was beautiful and easily scanned round a vast circumference .
The 20 th of July , the tropic of Capricorn was cut by 105 d of longitude , and the 27 th of the same month we crossed the Equator on the 110 th meridian . This passed , the frigate took a more decided westerly direction , and scoured the central waters of the Pacific . Commander Farragut thought , and with reason , that it was better to remain in deep water , and keep clear of continents or islands , which the beast itself seemed to shun ( perhaps because there was not enough water for him ! suggested the greater part of the crew ) . The frigate passed at some distance from the Marquesas and the Sandwich Islands , crossed the tropic of Cancer , and made for the China Seas . We were on the theater of the last diversions of the monster : and , to say truth , we no longer lived on board . The entire ship 's crew were undergoing a nervous excitement , of which I can give no idea : they could not eat , they could not sleep - - twenty times a day , a misconception or an optical illusion of some sailor seated on the taffrail , would cause dreadful perspirations , and these emotions , twenty times repeated , kept us in a state of excitement so violent that a reaction was unavoidable .
And truly , reaction soon showed itself . For three months , during which a day seemed an age , the Abraham Lincoln furrowed all the waters of the Northern Pacific , running at whales , making sharp deviations from her course , veering suddenly from one tack to another , stopping suddenly , putting on steam , and backing ever and anon at the risk of deranging her machinery , and not one point of the Japanese or American coast was left unexplored .
The warmest partisans of the enterprise now became its most ardent detractors . Reaction mounted from the crew to the captain himself , and certainly , had it not been for the resolute determination on the part of Captain Farragut , the frigate would have headed due southward . This useless search could not last much longer . The Abraham Lincoln had nothing to reproach herself with , she had done her best to succeed . Never had an American ship 's crew shown more zeal or patience ; its failure could not be placed to their charge - - there remained nothing but to return .
This was represented to the commander . The sailors could not hide their discontent , and the service suffered . I will not say there was a mutiny on board , but after a reasonable period of obstinacy , Captain Farragut ( as Columbus did ) asked for three days ' patience . If in three days the monster did not appear , the man at the helm should give three turns of the wheel , and the Abraham Lincoln would make for the European seas .
This promise was made on the 2 nd of November . It had the effect of rallying the ship 's crew . The ocean was watched with renewed attention . Each one wished for a last glance in which to sum up his remembrance . Glasses were used with feverish activity . It was a grand defiance given to the giant narwhal , and he could scarcely fail to answer the summons and " appear . "
Two days passed , the steam was at half pressure ; a thousand schemes were tried to attract the attention and stimulate the apathy of the animal in case it should be met in those parts . Large quantities of bacon were trailed in the wake of the ship , to the great satisfaction ( I must say ) of the sharks . Small craft radiated in all directions round the Abraham Lincoln as she lay to , and did not leave a spot of the sea unexplored . But the night of the 4 th of November arrived without the unveiling of this submarine mystery .
The next day , the 5 th of November , at twelve , the delay would ( morally speaking ) expire ; after that time , Commander Farragut , faithful to his promise , was to turn the course to the south - east and abandon for ever the northern regions of the Pacific .
The frigate was then in 31 @ 15 ' N. lat . and 136 @ 42 ' E. long . The coast of Japan still remained less than two hundred miles to leeward . Night was approaching . They had just struck eight bells ; large clouds veiled the face of the moon , then in its first quarter . The sea undulated peaceably under the stern of the vessel .
At that moment I was leaning forward on the starboard netting . Conseil , standing near me , was looking straight before him . The crew , perched in the ratlines , examined the horizon which contracted and darkened by degrees . Officers with their night glasses scoured the growing darkness : sometimes the ocean sparkled under the rays of the moon , which darted between two clouds , then all trace of light was lost in the darkness .
In looking at Conseil , I could see he was undergoing a little of the general influence . At least I thought so . Perhaps for the first time his nerves vibrated to a sentiment of curiosity .
" Come , Conseil , " said I , " this is the last chance of pocketing the two thousand dollars . "
" May I be permitted to say , sir , " replied Conseil , " that I never reckoned on getting the prize ; and , had the government of the Union offered a hundred thousand dollars , it would have been none the poorer . "
" You are right , Conseil . It is a foolish affair after all , and one upon which we entered too lightly . What time lost , what useless emotions ! We should have been back in France six months ago . "
" In your little room , sir , " replied Conseil , " and in your museum , sir ; and I should have already classed all your fossils , sir . And the Babiroussa would have been installed in its cage in the Jardin des Plantes , and have drawn all the curious people of the capital ! "
" As you say , Conseil . I fancy we shall run a fair chance of being laughed at for our pains . "
" That 's tolerably certain , " replied Conseil , quietly ; " I think they will make fun of you , sir . And , must I say it - - - - ? "
" Go on , my good friend . "
" Well , sir , you will only get your deserts . "
" Indeed ! "
" When one has the honor of being a savant as you are , sir , one should not expose one 's self to - - - - "
Conseil had not time to finish his compliment . In the midst of general silence a voice had just been heard . It was the voice of Ned Land shouting : " Look out there ! The very thing we are looking for - - on our weather beam ! "
At this cry the whole ship 's crew hurried towards the harpooner - - commander , officers , masters , sailors , cabin boys ; even the engineers left their engines , and the stokers their furnaces .
The order to stop her had been given , and the frigate now simply went on by her own momentum . The darkness was then profound , and , however good the Canadian 's eyes were , I asked myself how he had managed to see , and what he had been able to see . My heart beat as if it would break . But Ned Land was not mistaken , and we all perceived the object he pointed to . At two cables ' length from the Abraham Lincoln , on the starboard quarter , the sea seemed to be illuminated all over . It was not a mere phosphoric phenomenon . The monster emerged some fathoms from the water , and then threw out that very intense but mysterious light mentioned in the report of several captains . This magnificent irradiation must have been produced by an agent of great shining power . The luminous part traced on the sea an immense oval , much elongated , the center of which condensed a burning heat , whose overpowering brilliancy died out by successive gradations .
" It is only a massing of phosphoric particles , " cried one of the officers .
" No , sir , certainly not , " I replied . " That brightness is of an essentially electrical nature . Besides , see , see ! it moves ; it is moving forwards , backwards ; it is darting towards us ! "
A general cry arose from the frigate .
" Silence ! " said the captain . " Up with the helm , reverse the engines . "
The steam was shut off , and the Abraham Lincoln , beating to port , described a semi - circle .
" Right the helm , go ahead , " cried the captain .
These orders were executed , and the frigate moved rapidly from the burning light .
I was mistaken . She tried to sheer off , but the supernatural animal approached with a velocity double her own .
We gasped for breath . Stupefaction more than fear made us dumb and motionless . The animal gained on us , sporting with the waves . It made the round of the frigate , which was then making fourteen knots , and enveloped it with its electric rings like luminous dust .
Then it moved away two or three miles , leaving a phosphorescent track , like those volumes of steam that the express trains leave behind . All at once from the dark line of the horizon whither it retired to gain its momentum , the monster rushed suddenly towards the Abraham Lincoln with alarming rapidity , stopped suddenly about twenty feet from the hull , and died out - - not diving under the water , for its brilliancy did not abate - - but suddenly , and as if the source of this brilliant emanation was exhausted . Then it reappeared on the other side of the vessel , as if it had turned and slid under the hull . Any moment a collision might have occurred which would have been fatal to us . However , I was astonished at the manoeuvres of the frigate . She fled and did not attack .
On the captain 's face , generally so impassive , was an expression of unaccountable astonishment .
" Mr. Aronnax , " he said , " I do not know with what formidable being I have to deal , and I will not imprudently risk my frigate in the midst of this darkness . Besides , how attack this unknown thing , how defend one 's self from it ? Wait for daylight , and the scene will change . "
" You have no further doubt , captain , of the nature of the animal ? "
" No , sir ; it is evidently a gigantic narwhal , and an electric one . "
" Perhaps , " added I , " one can only approach it with a torpedo . "
" Undoubtedly , " replied the captain , " if it possesses such dreadful power , it is the most terrible animal that ever was created . That is why , sir , I must be on my guard . "
The crew were on their feet all night . No one thought of sleep . The Abraham Lincoln , not being able to struggle with such velocity , had moderated its pace , and sailed at half speed . For its part , the narwhal , imitating the frigate , let the waves rock it at will , and seemed decided not to leave the scene of the struggle . Towards midnight , however , it disappeared , or , to use a more appropriate term , it " died out " like a large glow - worm . Had it fled ? One could only fear , not hope it . But at seven minutes to one o'clock in the morning a deafening whistling was heard , like that produced by a body of water rushing with great violence .
The captain , Ned Land , and I were then on the poop , eagerly peering through the profound darkness .
" Ned Land , " asked the commander , " you have often heard the roaring of whales ? "
" Often , sir ; but never such whales the sight of which brought me in two thousand dollars . If I can only approach within four harpoons ' length of it ! "
" But to approach it , " said the commander , " I ought to put a whaler at your disposal ? "
" Certainly , sir . "
" That will be trifling with the lives of my men . "
" And mine too , " simply said the harpooner .
Towards two o'clock in the morning , the burning light reappeared , not less intense , about five miles to windward of the Abraham Lincoln . Notwithstanding the distance , and the noise of the wind and sea , one heard distinctly the loud strokes of the animal 's tail , and even its panting breath . It seemed that , at the moment that the enormous narwhal had come to take breath at the surface of the water , the air was engulfed in its lungs , like the steam in the vast cylinders of a machine of two thousand horse - power .
" Hum ! " thought I , " a whale with the strength of a cavalry regiment would be a pretty whale ! "
We were on the qui vive till daylight , and prepared for the combat . The fishing implements were laid along the hammock nettings . The second lieutenant loaded the blunder busses , which could throw harpoons to the distance of a mile , and long duck - guns , with explosive bullets , which inflicted mortal wounds even to the most terrible animals . Ned Land contented himself with sharpening his harpoon - - a terrible weapon in his hands .
At six o'clock day began to break ; and , with the first glimmer of light , the electric light of the narwhal disappeared . At seven o'clock the day was sufficiently advanced , but a very thick sea fog obscured our view , and the best spy glasses could not pierce it . That caused disappointment and anger .
I climbed the mizzen - mast . Some officers were already perched on the mast - heads . At eight o'clock the fog lay heavily on the waves , and its thick scrolls rose little by little . The horizon grew wider and clearer at the same time . Suddenly , just as on the day before , Ned Land 's voice was heard : " The thing itself on the port quarter ! " cried the harpooner .
Every eye was turned towards the point indicated . There , a mile and a half from the frigate , a long blackish body emerged a yard above the waves . Its tail , violently agitated , produced a considerable eddy . Never did a tail beat the sea with such violence . An immense track , of dazzling whiteness , marked the passage of the animal , and described a long curve .
The frigate approached the cetacean . I examined it thoroughly .
The reports of the Shannon and of the Helvetia had rather exaggerated its size , and I estimated its length at only two hundred and fifty feet . As to its dimensions , I could only conjecture them to be admirably proportioned . While I watched this phenomenon , two jets of steam and water were ejected from its vents , and rose to the height of 120 feet ; thus I ascertained its way of breathing . I concluded definitely that it belonged to the vertebrate branch , class mammalia .
The crew waited impatiently for their chief 's orders . The latter , after having observed the animal attentively , called the engineer . The engineer ran to him .
" Sir , " said the commander , " you have steam up ? "
" Yes , sir , " answered the engineer .
" Well , make up your fires and put on all steam . "
Three hurrahs greeted this order . The time for the struggle had arrived . Some moments after , the two funnels of the frigate vomited torrents of black smoke , and the bridge quaked under the trembling of the boilers .
The Abraham Lincoln , propelled by her wonderful screw , went straight at the animal . The latter allowed it to come within half a cable 's length ; then , as if disdaining to dive , it took a little turn , and stopped a short distance off .
This pursuit lasted nearly three - quarters of an hour , without the frigate gaining two yards on the cetacean . It was quite evident that at that rate we should never come up with it .
" Well , Mr. Land , " asked the captain , " do you advise me to put the boats out to sea ? "
" No , sir , " replied Ned Land ; " because we shall not take that beast easily . "
" What shall we do then ? "
" Put on more steam if you can , sir . With your leave , I mean to post myself under the bowsprit , and , if we get within harpooning distance , I shall throw my harpoon . "
" Go , Ned , " said the captain . " Engineer , put on more pressure . "
Ned Land went to his post . The fires were increased , the screw revolved forty - three times a minute , and the steam poured out of the valves . We heaved the log , and calculated that the Abraham Lincoln was going at the rate of 18 1 / 2 miles an hour .
But the accursed animal swam at the same speed .
For a whole hour the frigate kept up this pace , without gaining six feet . It was humiliating for one of the swiftest sailers in the American navy . A stubborn anger seized the crew ; the sailors abused the monster , who , as before , disdained to answer them ; the captain no longer contented himself with twisting his beard - - he gnawed it .
The engineer was called again .
" You have turned full steam on ? "
" Yes , sir , " replied the engineer .
The speed of the Abraham Lincoln increased . Its masts trembled down to their stepping holes , and the clouds of smoke could hardly find way out of the narrow funnels .
They heaved the log a second time .
" Well ? " asked the captain of the man at the wheel .
" Nineteen miles and three - tenths , sir . "
" Clap on more steam . "
The engineer obeyed . The manometer showed ten degrees . But the cetacean grew warm itself , no doubt ; for without straining itself , it made 19 3 / 10 miles .
What a pursuit ! No , I cannot describe the emotion that vibrated through me . Ned Land kept his post , harpoon in hand . Several times the animal let us gain upon it . - - " We shall catch it ! we shall catch it ! " cried the Canadian . But just as he was going to strike , the cetacean stole away with a rapidity that could not be estimated at less than thirty miles an hour , and even during our maximum of speed , it bullied the frigate , going round and round it . A cry of fury broke from everyone !
At noon we were no further advanced than at eight o'clock in the morning .
The captain then decided to take more direct means .
" Ah ! " said he , " that animal goes quicker than the Abraham Lincoln . Very well ! we will see whether it will escape these conical bullets . Send your men to the forecastle , sir . "
The forecastle gun was immediately loaded and slewed round . But the shot passed some feet above the cetacean , which was half a mile off .
" Another , more to the right , " cried the commander , " and five dollars to whoever will hit that infernal beast . "
An old gunner with a grey beard - - that I can see now - - with steady eye and grave face , went up to the gun and took a long aim . A loud report was heard , with which were mingled the cheers of the crew .
The bullet did its work ; it hit the animal , and , sliding off the rounded surface , was lost in two miles depth of sea .
The chase began again , and the captain , leaning towards me , said : " I will pursue that beast till my frigate bursts up . "
" Yes , " answered I ; " and you will be quite right to do it . "
I wished the beast would exhaust itself , and not be insensible to fatigue like a steam engine . But it was of no use . Hours passed , without its showing any signs of exhaustion .
However , it must be said in praise of the Abraham Lincoln that she struggled on indefatigably . I cannot reckon the distance she made under three hundred miles during this unlucky day , November the 6th . But night came on , and overshadowed the rough ocean .
Now I thought our expedition was at an end , and that we should never again see the extraordinary animal . I was mistaken . At ten minutes to eleven in the evening , the electric light reappeared three miles to windward of the frigate , as pure , as intense as during the preceding night .
The narwhal seemed motionless ; perhaps , tired with its day 's work , it slept , letting itself float with the undulation of the waves . Now was a chance of which the captain resolved to take advantage .
He gave his orders . The Abraham Lincoln kept up half steam , and advanced cautiously so as not to awake its adversary . It is no rare thing to meet in the middle of the ocean whales so sound asleep that they can be successfully attacked , and Ned Land had harpooned more than one during its sleep . The Canadian went to take his place again under the bowsprit .
The frigate approached noiselessly , stopped at two cables ' lengths from the animal , and following its track . No one breathed ; a deep silence reigned on the bridge . We were not a hundred feet from the burning focus , the light of which increased and dazzled our eyes .
At this moment , leaning on the forecastle bulwark , I saw below me Ned Land grappling the martingale in one hand , brandishing his terrible harpoon in the other , scarcely twenty feet from the motionless animal . Suddenly his arm straightened , and the harpoon was thrown ; I heard the sonorous stroke of the weapon , which seemed to have struck a hard body . The electric light went out suddenly , and two enormous waterspouts broke over the bridge of the frigate , rushing like a torrent from stem to stern , overthrowing men , and breaking the lashings of the spars . A fearful shock followed , and , thrown over the rail without having time to stop myself , I fell into the sea .
This unexpected fall so stunned me that I have no clear recollection of my sensations at the time . I was at first drawn down to a depth of about twenty feet . I am a good swimmer ( though without pretending to rival Byron or Edgar Poe , who were masters of the art ) , and in that plunge I did not lose my presence of mind . Two vigorous strokes brought me to the surface of the water . My first care was to look for the frigate . Had the crew seen me disappear ? Had the Abraham Lincoln veered round ? Would the captain put out a boat ? Might I hope to be saved ?
The darkness was intense . I caught a glimpse of a black mass disappearing in the east , its beacon lights dying out in the distance . It was the frigate ! I was lost .
" Help , help ! " I shouted , swimming towards the Abraham Lincoln in desperation .
My clothes encumbered me ; they seemed glued to my body , and paralyzed my movements .
I was sinking ! I was suffocating !
" Help ! "
This was my last cry . My mouth filled with water ; I struggled against being drawn down the abyss . Suddenly my clothes were seized by a strong hand , and I felt myself quickly drawn up to the surface of the sea ; and I heard , yes , I heard these words pronounced in my ear : " If master would be so good as to lean on my shoulder , master would swim with much greater ease . "
I seized with one hand my faithful Conseil 's arm .
" Is it you ? " said I , " you ? "
" Myself , " answered Conseil ; " and waiting master 's orders . "
" That shock threw you as well as me into the sea ? "
" No ; but , being in my master 's service , I followed him . "
The worthy fellow thought that was but natural .
" And the frigate ? " I asked .
" The frigate ? " replied Conseil , turning on his back ; " I think that master had better not count too much on her . "
" You think so ? "
" I say that , at the time I threw myself into the sea , I heard the men at the wheel say , ` The screw and the rudder are broken . ' "
" Broken ? "
" Yes , broken by the monster 's teeth . It is the only injury the Abraham Lincoln has sustained . But it is a bad look - out for us - - she no longer answers her helm . "
" Then we are lost ! "
" Perhaps so , " calmly answered Conseil . " However , we have still several hours before us , and one can do a good deal in some hours . "
Conseil 's imperturbable coolness set me up again . I swam more vigorously ; but , cramped by my clothes , which stuck to me like a leaden weight , I felt great difficulty in bearing up . Conseil saw this .
" Will master let me make a slit ? " said he ; and , slipping an open knife under my clothes , he ripped them up from top to bottom very rapidly . Then he cleverly slipped them off me , while I swam for both of us .
Then I did the same for Conseil , and we continued to swim near to each other .
Nevertheless , our situation was no less terrible . Perhaps our disappearance had not been noticed ; and , if it had been , the frigate could not tack , being without its helm . Conseil argued on this supposition , and laid his plans accordingly . This quiet boy was perfectly self - possessed . We then decided that , as our only chance of safety was being picked up by the Abraham Lincoln 's boats , we ought to manage so as to wait for them as long as possible . I resolved then to husband our strength , so that both should not be exhausted at the same time ; and this is how we managed : while one of us lay on our back , quite still , with arms crossed , and legs stretched out , the other would swim and push the other on in front . This towing business did not last more than ten minutes each ; and relieving each other thus , we could swim on for some hours , perhaps till day - break . Poor chance ! but hope is so firmly rooted in the heart of man ! Moreover , there were two of us . Indeed I declare ( though it may seem improbable ) if I sought to destroy all hope - - if I wished to despair , I could not .
The collision of the frigate with the cetacean had occurred about eleven o'clock in the evening before . I reckoned then we should have eight hours to swim before sunrise , an operation quite practicable if we relieved each other . The sea , very calm , was in our favor . Sometimes I tried to pierce the intense darkness that was only dispelled by the phosphorescence caused by our movements . I watched the luminous waves that broke over my hand , whose mirror - like surface was spotted with silvery rings . One might have said that we were in a bath of quicksilver .
Near one o'clock in the morning , I was seized with dreadful fatigue . My limbs stiffened under the strain of violent cramp . Conseil was obliged to keep me up , and our preservation devolved on him alone . I heard the poor boy pant ; his breathing became short and hurried . I found that he could not keep up much longer .
" Leave me ! leave me ! " I said to him .
" Leave my master ? Never ! " replied he . " I would drown first . "
Just then the moon appeared through the fringes of a thick cloud that the wind was driving to the east . The surface of the sea glittered with its rays . This kindly light reanimated us . My head got better again . I looked at all points of the horizon . I saw the frigate ! She was five miles from us , and looked like a dark mass , hardly discernible . But no boats !
I would have cried out . But what good would it have been at such a distance ! My swollen lips could utter no sounds . Conseil could articulate some words , and I heard him repeat at intervals , " Help ! help ! "
Our movements were suspended for an instant ; we listened . It might be only a singing in the ear , but it seemed to me as if a cry answered the cry from Conseil .
" Did you hear ? " I murmured .
" Yes ! Yes ! "
And Conseil gave one more despairing cry .
This time there was no mistake ! A human voice responded to ours ! Was it the voice of another unfortunate creature , abandoned in the middle of the ocean , some other victim of the shock sustained by the vessel ? Or rather was it a boat from the frigate , that was hailing us in the darkness ?
Conseil made a last effort , and , leaning on my shoulder , while I struck out in a desperate effort , he raised himself half out of the water , then fell back exhausted .
" What did you see ? "
" I saw - - - - " murmured he ; " I saw - - but do not talk - - reserve all your strength ! "
What had he seen ? Then , I know not why , the thought of the monster came into my head for the first time ! But that voice ! The time is past for Jonahs to take refuge in whales ' bellies ! However , Conseil was towing me again . He raised his head sometimes , looked before us , and uttered a cry of recognition , which was responded to by a voice that came nearer and nearer . I scarcely heard it . My strength was exhausted ; my fingers stiffened ; my hand afforded me support no longer ; my mouth , convulsively opening , filled with salt water . Cold crept over me . I raised my head for the last time , then I sank .
At this moment a hard body struck me . I clung to it : then I felt that I was being drawn up , that I was brought to the surface of the water , that my chest collapsed - - I fainted .
It is certain that I soon came to , thanks to the vigorous rubbings that I received . I half opened my eyes .
" Conseil ! " I murmured .
" Does master call me ? " asked Conseil .
Just then , by the waning light of the moon which was sinking down to the horizon , I saw a face which was not Conseil 's and which I immediately recognized .
" Ned ! " I cried .
" The same , sir , who is seeking his prize ! " replied the Canadian .
" Were you thrown into the sea by the shock to the frigate ? "
" Yes , Professor ; but more fortunate than you , I was able to find a footing almost directly upon a floating island . "
" An island ? "
" Or , more correctly speaking , on our gigantic narwhal . "
" Explain yourself , Ned ! "
" Only I soon found out why my harpoon had not entered its skin and was blunted . "
" Why , Ned , why ? "
" Because , Professor , that beast is made of sheet iron . "
The Canadian 's last words produced a sudden revolution in my brain . I wriggled myself quickly to the top of the being , or object , half out of the water , which served us for a refuge . I kicked it . It was evidently a hard , impenetrable body , and not the soft substance that forms the bodies of the great marine mammalia . But this hard body might be a bony covering , like that of the antediluvian animals ; and I should be free to class this monster among amphibious reptiles , such as tortoises or alligators .
Well , no ! the blackish back that supported me was smooth , polished , without scales . The blow produced a metallic sound ; and , incredible though it may be , it seemed , I might say , as if it was made of riveted plates .
There was no doubt about it ! This monster , this natural phenomenon that had puzzled the learned world , and over thrown and misled the imagination of seamen of both hemispheres , it must be owned was a still more astonishing phenomenon , inasmuch as it was a simply human construction .
We had no time to lose , however . We were lying upon the back of a sort of submarine boat , which appeared ( as far as I could judge ) like a huge fish of steel . Ned Land 's mind was made up on this point . Conseil and I could only agree with him .
Just then a bubbling began at the back of this strange thing ( which was evidently propelled by a screw ) , and it began to move . We had only just time to seize hold of the upper part , which rose about seven feet out of the water , and happily its speed was not great .
" As long as it sails horizontally , " muttered Ned Land , " I do not mind ; but , if it takes a fancy to dive , I would not give two straws for my life . "
The Canadian might have said still less . It became really necessary to communicate with the beings , whatever they were , shut up inside the machine . I searched all over the outside for an aperture , a panel , or a manhole , to use a technical expression ; but the lines of the iron rivets , solidly driven into the joints of the iron plates , were clear and uniform . Besides , the moon disappeared then , and left us in total darkness .
At last this long night passed . My indistinct remembrance prevents my describing all the impressions it made . I can only recall one circumstance . During some lulls of the wind and sea , I fancied I heard several times vague sounds , a sort of fugitive harmony produced by words of command . What was , then , the mystery of this submarine craft , of which the whole world vainly sought an explanation ? What kind of beings existed in this strange boat ? What mechanical agent caused its prodigious speed ?
Daybreak appeared . The morning mists surrounded us , but they soon cleared off . I was about to examine the hull , which formed on deck a kind of horizontal platform , when I felt it gradually sinking .
" Oh ! confound it ! " cried Ned Land , kicking the resounding plate . " Open , you inhospitable rascals ! "
Happily the sinking movement ceased . Suddenly a noise , like iron works violently pushed aside , came from the interior of the boat . One iron plate was moved , a man appeared , uttered an odd cry , and disappeared immediately .
Some moments after , eight strong men , with masked faces , appeared noiselessly , and drew us down into their formidable machine .
This forcible abduction , so roughly carried out , was accomplished with the rapidity of lightning . I shivered all over . Whom had we to deal with ? No doubt some new sort of pirates , who explored the sea in their own way . Hardly had the narrow panel closed upon me , when I was enveloped in darkness . My eyes , dazzled with the outer light , could distinguish nothing . I felt my naked feet cling to the rungs of an iron ladder . Ned Land and Conseil , firmly seized , followed me . At the bottom of the ladder , a door opened , and shut after us immediately with a bang .
We were alone . Where , I could not say , hardly imagine . All was black , and such a dense black that , after some minutes , my eyes had not been able to discern even the faintest glimmer .
Meanwhile , Ned Land , furious at these proceedings , gave free vent to his indignation .
" Confound it ! " cried he , " here are people who come up to the Scotch for hospitality . They only just miss being cannibals . I should not be surprised at it , but I declare that they shall not eat me without my protesting . "
" Calm yourself , friend Ned , calm yourself , " replied Conseil , quietly . " Do not cry out before you are hurt . We are not quite done for yet . "
" Not quite , " sharply replied the Canadian , " but pretty near , at all events . Things look black . Happily , my bowie knife I have still , and I can always see well enough to use it . The first of these pirates who lays a hand on me - - - - "
" Do not excite yourself , Ned , " I said to the harpooner , " and do not compromise us by useless violence . Who knows that they will not listen to us ? Let us rather try to find out where we are . "
I groped about . In five steps I came to an iron wall , made of plates bolted together . Then turning back I struck against a wooden table , near which were ranged several stools . The boards of this prison were concealed under a thick mat , which deadened the noise of the feet . The bare walls revealed no trace of window or door . Conseil , going round the reverse way , met me , and we went back to the middle of the cabin , which measured about twenty feet by ten . As to its height , Ned Land , in spite of his own great height , could not measure it .
Half an hour had already passed without our situation being bettered , when the dense darkness suddenly gave way to extreme light . Our prison was suddenly lighted , that is to say , it became filled with a luminous matter , so strong that I could not bear it at first . In its whiteness and intensity I recognized that electric light which played round the submarine boat like a magnificent phenomenon of phosphorescence . After shutting my eyes involuntarily , I opened them , and saw that this luminous agent came from a half globe , unpolished , placed in the roof of the cabin .
" At last one can see , " cried Ned Land , who , knife in hand , stood on the defensive .
" Yes , " said I ; " but we are still in the dark about ourselves . "
" Let master have patience , " said the imperturbable Conseil .
The sudden lighting of the cabin enabled me to examine it minutely . It only contained a table and five stools . The invisible door might be hermetically sealed . No noise was heard . All seemed dead in the interior of this boat . Did it move , did it float on the surface of the ocean , or did it dive into its depths ? I could not guess .
A noise of bolts was now heard , the door opened , and two men appeared .
One was short , very muscular , broad - shouldered , with robust limbs , strong head , an abundance of black hair , thick mustache , a quick penetrating look , and the vivacity which characterises the population of Southern France .
The second stranger merits a more detailed description . I made out his prevailing qualities directly : self - confidence - - because his head was well set on his shoulders , and his black eyes looked around with cold assurance ; calmness - - for his skin , rather pale , showed his coolness of blood ; energy - - evinced by the rapid contraction of his lofty brows ; and courage - - because his deep breathing denoted great power of lungs .
Whether this person was thirty - five or fifty years of age , I could not say . He was tall , had a large forehead , straight nose , a clearly cut mouth , beautiful teeth , with fine taper hands , indicative of a highly nervous temperament . This man was certainly the most admirable specimen I had ever met . One particular feature was his eyes , rather far from each other , and which could take in nearly a quarter of the horizon at once .
This faculty - - ( I verified it later ) - - gave him a range of vision far superior to Ned Land ' s. When this stranger fixed upon an object , his eyebrows met , his large eyelids closed around so as to contract the range of his vision , and he looked as if he magnified the objects lessened by distance , as if he pierced those sheets of water so opaque to our eyes , and as if he read the very depths of the seas .
The two strangers , with caps made from the fur of the sea otter , and shod with sea boots of seal 's skin , were dressed in clothes of a particular texture , which allowed free movement of the limbs . The taller of the two , evidently the chief on board , examined us with great attention , without saying a word ; then , turning to his companion , talked with him in an unknown tongue . It was a sonorous , harmonious , and flexible dialect , the vowels seeming to admit of very varied accentuation .
The other replied by a shake of the head , and added two or three perfectly incomprehensible words . Then he seemed to question me by a look .
I replied in good French that I did not know his language ; but he seemed not to understand me , and my situation became more embarrassing .
" If master were to tell our story , " said Conseil , " perhaps these gentlemen may understand some words . "
I began to tell our adventures , articulating each syllable clearly , and without omitting one single detail . I announced our names and rank , introducing in person Professor Aronnax , his servant Conseil , and master Ned Land , the harpooner .
The man with the soft calm eyes listened to me quietly , even politely , and with extreme attention ; but nothing in his countenance indicated that he had understood my story . When I finished , he said not a word .
There remained one resource , to speak English . Perhaps they would know this almost universal language . I knew it - - as well as the German language - - well enough to read it fluently , but not to speak it correctly . But , anyhow , we must make ourselves understood .
" Go on in your turn , " I said to the harpooner ; " speak your best Anglo - Saxon , and try to do better than I. "
Ned did not beg off , and recommenced our story .
To his great disgust , the harpooner did not seem to have made himself more intelligible than I had . Our visitors did not stir . They evidently understood neither the language of England nor of France .
Very much embarrassed , after having vainly exhausted our speaking resources , I knew not what part to take , when Conseil said : " If master will permit me , I will relate it in German . "
But in spite of the elegant terms and good accent of the narrator , the German language had no success . At last , nonplussed , I tried to remember my first lessons , and to narrate our adventures in Latin , but with no better success . This last attempt being of no avail , the two strangers exchanged some words in their unknown language , and retired .
The door shut .
" It is an infamous shame , " cried Ned Land , who broke out for the twentieth time . " We speak to those rogues in French , English , German , and Latin , and not one of them has the politeness to answer ! "
" Calm yourself , " I said to the impetuous Ned ; " anger will do no good . "
" But do you see , Professor , " replied our irascible companion , " that we shall absolutely die of hunger in this iron cage ? "
" Bah ! " said Conseil , philosophically ; " we can hold out some time yet . "
" My friends , " I said , " we must not despair . We have been worse off than this . Do me the favor to wait a little before forming an opinion upon the commander and crew of this boat . "
" My opinion is formed , " replied Ned Land , sharply . " They are rascals . "
" Good ! and from what country ? "
" From the land of rogues ! "
" My brave Ned , that country is not clearly indicated on the map of the world ; but I admit that the nationality of the two strangers is hard to determine . Neither English , French , nor German , that is quite certain . However , I am inclined to think that the commander and his companion were born in low latitudes . There is southern blood in them . But I cannot decide by their appearance whether they are Spaniards , Turks , Arabians , or Indians . As to their language , it is quite incomprehensible . "
" There is the disadvantage of not knowing all languages , " said Conseil , " or the disadvantage of not having one universal language . "
As he said these words , the door opened . A steward entered . He brought us clothes , coats and trousers , made of a stuff I did not know . I hastened to dress myself , and my companions followed my example . During that time , the steward - - dumb , perhaps deaf - - had arranged the table , and laid three plates .
" This is something like ! " said Conseil .
" Bah ! " said the angry harpooner , " what do you suppose they eat here ? Tortoise liver , filleted shark , and beef steaks from sea - dogs . "
" We shall see , " said Conseil .
The dishes , of bell metal , were placed on the table , and we took our places . Undoubtedly we had to do with civilized people , and , had it not been for the electric light which flooded us , I could have fancied I was in the dining - room of the Adelphi Hotel at Liverpool , or at the Grand Hotel in Paris . I must say , however , that there was neither bread nor wine . The water was fresh and clear , but it was water and did not suit Ned Land 's taste . Amongst the dishes which were brought to us , I recognized several fish delicately dressed ; but of some , although excellent , I could give no opinion , neither could I tell to what kingdom they belonged , whether animal or vegetable . As to the dinner - service , it was elegant , and in perfect taste . Each utensil - - spoon , fork , knife , plate - - had a letter engraved on it , with a motto above it , of which this is an exact facsimile : Mobilis In Mobili N.
The letter N was no doubt the initial of the name of the enigmatical person who commanded at the bottom of the seas .
Ned and Conseil did not reflect much . They devoured the food , and I did likewise . I was , besides , reassured as to our fate ; and it seemed evident that our hosts would not let us die of want .
However , everything has an end , everything passes away , even the hunger of people who have not eaten for fifteen hours . Our appetites satisfied , we felt overcome with sleep .
" Faith ! I shall sleep well , " said Conseil .
" So shall I , " replied Ned Land .
My two companions stretched themselves on the cabin carpet , and were soon sound asleep . For my own part , too many thoughts crowded my brain , too many insoluble questions pressed upon me , too many fancies kept my eyes half open . Where were we ? What strange power carried us on ? I felt - - or rather fancied I felt - - the machine sinking down to the lowest beds of the sea . Dreadful nightmares beset me ; I saw in these mysterious asylums a world of unknown animals , amongst which this submarine boat seemed to be of the same kind , living , moving , and formidable as they . Then my brain grew calmer , my imagination wandered into vague unconsciousness , and I soon fell into a deep sleep .
How long we slept I do not know ; but our sleep must have lasted long , for it rested us completely from our fatigues . I woke first . My companions had not moved , and were still stretched in their corner .
Hardly roused from my somewhat hard couch , I felt my brain freed , my mind clear . I then began an attentive examination of our cell . Nothing was changed inside . The prison was still a prison - - the prisoners , prisoners . However , the steward , during our sleep , had cleared the table . I breathed with difficulty . The heavy air seemed to oppress my lungs . Although the cell was large , we had evidently consumed a great part of the oxygen that it contained . Indeed , each man consumes , in one hour , the oxygen contained in more than 176 pints of air , and this air , charged ( as then ) with a nearly equal quantity of carbonic acid , becomes unbreathable .
It became necessary to renew the atmosphere of our prison , and no doubt the whole in the submarine boat . That gave rise to a question in my mind . How would the commander of this floating dwelling - place proceed ? Would he obtain air by chemical means , in getting by heat the oxygen contained in chlorate of potash , and in absorbing carbonic acid by caustic potash ? Or - - a more convenient , economical , and consequently more probable alternative - - would he be satisfied to rise and take breath at the surface of the water , like a whale , and so renew for twenty - four hours the atmospheric provision ?
In fact , I was already obliged to increase my respirations to eke out of this cell the little oxygen it contained , when suddenly I was refreshed by a current of pure air , and perfumed with saline emanations . It was an invigorating sea breeze , charged with iodine . I opened my mouth wide , and my lungs saturated themselves with fresh particles .
At the same time I felt the boat rolling . The iron - plated monster had evidently just risen to the surface of the ocean to breathe , after the fashion of whales . I found out from that the mode of ventilating the boat .
When I had inhaled this air freely , I sought the conduit pipe , which conveyed to us the beneficial whiff , and I was not long in finding it . Above the door was a ventilator , through which volumes of fresh air renewed the impoverished atmosphere of the cell .
I was making my observations , when Ned and Conseil awoke almost at the same time , under the influence of this reviving air . They rubbed their eyes , stretched themselves , and were on their feet in an instant .
" Did master sleep well ? " asked Conseil , with his usual politeness .
" Very well , my brave boy . And you , Mr. Land ? "
" Soundly , Professor . But , I do not know if I am right or not , there seems to be a sea breeze ! "
A seaman could not be mistaken , and I told the Canadian all that had passed during his sleep .
" Good ! " said he . " That accounts for those roarings we heard , when the supposed narwhal sighted the Abraham Lincoln . "
" Quite so , Master Land ; it was taking breath . "
" Only , Mr. Aronnax , I have no idea what o'clock it is , unless it is dinner - time . "
" Dinner - time ! my good fellow ? Say rather breakfast - time , for we certainly have begun another day . "
" So , " said Conseil , " we have slept twenty - four hours ? "
" That is my opinion . "
" I will not contradict you , " replied Ned Land . " But , dinner or breakfast , the steward will be welcome , whichever he brings . "
" Master Land , we must conform to the rules on board , and I suppose our appetites are in advance of the dinner hour . "
" That is just like you , friend Conseil , " said Ned , impatiently . " You are never out of temper , always calm ; you would return thanks before grace , and die of hunger rather than complain ! "
Time was getting on , and we were fearfully hungry ; and this time the steward did not appear . It was rather too long to leave us , if they really had good intentions towards us . Ned Land , tormented by the cravings of hunger , got still more angry ; and , notwithstanding his promise , I dreaded an explosion when he found himself with one of the crew .
For two hours more Ned Land 's temper increased ; he cried , he shouted , but in vain . The walls were deaf . There was no sound to be heard in the boat ; all was still as death . It did not move , for I should have felt the trembling motion of the hull under the influence of the screw . Plunged in the depths of the waters , it belonged no longer to earth : this silence was dreadful .
I felt terrified , Conseil was calm , Ned Land roared .
Just then a noise was heard outside . Steps sounded on the metal flags . The locks were turned , the door opened , and the steward appeared .
Before I could rush forward to stop him , the Canadian had thrown him down , and held him by the throat . The steward was choking under the grip of his powerful hand .
Conseil was already trying to unclasp the harpooner 's hand from his half - suffocated victim , and I was going to fly to the rescue , when suddenly I was nailed to the spot by hearing these words in French : " Be quiet , Master Land ; and you , Professor , will you be so good as to listen to me ? "
It was the commander of the vessel who thus spoke .
At these words , Ned Land rose suddenly . The steward , nearly strangled , tottered out on a sign from his master . But such was the power of the commander on board , that not a gesture betrayed the resentment which this man must have felt towards the Canadian . Conseil interested in spite of himself , I stupefied , awaited in silence the result of this scene .
The commander , leaning against the corner of a table with his arms folded , scanned us with profound attention . Did he hesitate to speak ? Did he regret the words which he had just spoken in French ? One might almost think so .
After some moments of silence , which not one of us dreamed of breaking , " Gentlemen , " said he , in a calm and penetrating voice , " I speak French , English , German , and Latin equally well . I could , therefore , have answered you at our first interview , but I wished to know you first , then to reflect . The story told by each one , entirely agreeing in the main points , convinced me of your identity . I know now that chance has brought before me M. Pierre Aronnax , Professor of Natural History at the Museum of Paris , entrusted with a scientific mission abroad , Conseil , his servant , and Ned Land , of Canadian origin , harpooner on board the frigate Abraham Lincoln of the navy of the United States of America . "
I bowed assent . It was not a question that the commander put to me . Therefore there was no answer to be made . This man expressed himself with perfect ease , without any accent . His sentences were well turned , his words clear , and his fluency of speech remarkable . Yet , I did not recognize in him a fellow - countryman .
He continued the conversation in these terms : " You have doubtless thought , sir , that I have delayed long in paying you this second visit . The reason is that , your identity recognized , I wished to weigh maturely what part to act towards you . I have hesitated much . Most annoying circumstances have brought you into the presence of a man who has broken all the ties of humanity . You have come to trouble my existence . "
" Unintentionally ! " said I.
" Unintentionally ? " replied the stranger , raising his voice a little . " Was it unintentionally that the Abraham Lincoln pursued me all over the seas ? Was it unintentionally that you took passage in this frigate ? Was it unintentionally that your cannon - balls rebounded off the plating of my vessel ? Was it unintentionally that Mr. Ned Land struck me with his harpoon ? "
I detected a restrained irritation in these words . But to these recriminations I had a very natural answer to make , and I made it .
" Sir , " said I , " no doubt you are ignorant of the discussions which have taken place concerning you in America and Europe . You do not know that divers accidents , caused by collisions with your submarine machine , have excited public feeling in the two continents . I omit the theories without number by which it was sought to explain that of which you alone possess the secret . But you must understand that , in pursuing you over the high seas of the Pacific , the Abraham Lincoln believed itself to be chasing some powerful sea - monster , of which it was necessary to rid the ocean at any price . "
A half - smile curled the lips of the commander : then , in a calmer tone : " M. Aronnax , " he replied , " dare you affirm that your frigate would not as soon have pursued and cannonaded a submarine boat as a monster ? "
This question embarrassed me , for certainly Captain Farragut might not have hesitated . He might have thought it his duty to destroy a contrivance of this kind , as he would a gigantic narwhal .
" You understand then , sir , " continued the stranger , " that I have the right to treat you as enemies ? "
I answered nothing , purposely . For what good would it be to discuss such a proposition , when force could destroy the best arguments ?
" I have hesitated some time , " continued the commander ; " nothing obliged me to show you hospitality . If I chose to separate myself from you , I should have no interest in seeing you again ; I could place you upon the deck of this vessel which has served you as a refuge , I could sink beneath the waters , and forget that you had ever existed . Would not that be my right ? "
" It might be the right of a savage , " I answered , " but not that of a civilized man . "
" Professor , " replied the commander , quickly , " I am not what you call a civilized man ! I have done with society entirely , for reasons which I alone have the right of appreciating . I do not , therefore , obey its laws , and I desire you never to allude to them before me again ! "
This was said plainly . A flash of anger and disdain kindled in the eyes of the Unknown , and I had a glimpse of a terrible past in the life of this man . Not only had he put himself beyond the pale of human laws , but he had made himself independent of them , free in the strictest acceptation of the word , quite beyond their reach ! Who then would dare to pursue him at the bottom of the sea , when , on its surface , he defied all attempts made against him ?
What vessel could resist the shock of his submarine monitor ? What cuirass , however thick , could withstand the blows of his spur ? No man could demand from him an account of his actions ; God , if he believed in one - - his conscience , if he had one - - were the sole judges to whom he was answerable .
These reflections crossed my mind rapidly , whilst the stranger personage was silent , absorbed , and as if wrapped up in himself . I regarded him with fear mingled with interest , as , doubtless , Oediphus regarded the Sphinx .
After rather a long silence , the commander resumed the conversation .
" I have hesitated , " said he , " but I have thought that my interest might be reconciled with that pity to which every human being has a right . You will remain on board my vessel , since fate has cast you there . You will be free ; and , in exchange for this liberty , I shall only impose one single condition . Your word of honor to submit to it will suffice . "
" Speak , sir , " I answered . " I suppose this condition is one which a man of honor may accept ? "
" Yes , sir ; it is this : It is possible that certain events , unforeseen , may oblige me to consign you to your cabins for some hours or some days , as the case may be . As I desire never to use violence , I expect from you , more than all the others , a passive obedience . In thus acting , I take all the responsibility : I acquit you entirely , for I make it an impossibility for you to see what ought not to be seen . Do you accept this condition ? "
Then things took place on board which , to say the least , were singular , and which ought not to be seen by people who were not placed beyond the pale of social laws . Amongst the surprises which the future was preparing for me , this might not be the least .
" We accept , " I answered ; " only I will ask your permission , sir , to address one question to you - - one only . "
" Speak , sir . "
" You said that we should be free on board . "
" Entirely . "
" I ask you , then , what you mean by this liberty ? "
" Just the liberty to go , to come , to see , to observe even all that passes here save under rare circumstances - - the liberty , in short , which we enjoy ourselves , my companions and I. "
It was evident that we did not understand one another .
" Pardon me , sir , " I resumed , " but this liberty is only what every prisoner has of pacing his prison . It cannot suffice us . "
" It must suffice you , however . "
" What ! we must renounce for ever seeing our country , our friends , our relations again ? "
" Yes , sir . But to renounce that unendurable worldly yoke which men believe to be liberty is not perhaps so painful as you think . "
" Well , " exclaimed Ned Land , " never will I give my word of honor not to try to escape . "
" I did not ask you for your word of honor , Master Land , " answered the commander , coldly .
" Sir , " I replied , beginning to get angry in spite of my self , " you abuse your situation towards us ; it is cruelty . "
" No , sir , it is clemency . You are my prisoners of war . I keep you , when I could , by a word , plunge you into the depths of the ocean . You attacked me . You came to surprise a secret which no man in the world must penetrate - - the secret of my whole existence . And you think that I am going to send you back to that world which must know me no more ? Never ! In retaining you , it is not you whom I guard - - it is myself . "
These words indicated a resolution taken on the part of the commander , against which no arguments would prevail .
" So , sir , " I rejoined , " you give us simply the choice between life and death ? "
" Simply . "
" My friends , " said I , " to a question thus put , there is nothing to answer . But no word of honor binds us to the master of this vessel . "
" None , sir , " answered the Unknown .
Then , in a gentler tone , he continued : " Now , permit me to finish what I have to say to you . I know you , M. Aronnax . You and your companions will not , perhaps , have so much to complain of in the chance which has bound you to my fate . You will find amongst the books which are my favorite study the work which you have published on ` the depths of the sea . ' I have often read it . You have carried out your work as far as terrestrial science permitted you . But you do not know all - - you have not seen all . Let me tell you then , Professor , that you will not regret the time passed on board my vessel . You are going to visit the land of marvels . "
These words of the commander had a great effect upon me . I cannot deny it . My weak point was touched ; and I forgot , for a moment , that the contemplation of these sublime subjects was not worth the loss of liberty . Besides , I trusted to the future to decide this grave question . So I contented myself with saying : " By what name ought I to address you ? "
" Sir , " replied the commander , " I am nothing to you but Captain Nemo ; and you and your companions are nothing to me but the passengers of the Nautilus . "
Captain Nemo called . A steward appeared . The captain gave him his orders in that strange language which I did not understand . Then , turning towards the Canadian and Conseil : " A repast awaits you in your cabin , " said he . " Be so good as to follow this man . "
" And now , M. Aronnax , our breakfast is ready . Permit me to lead the way . "
" I am at your service , Captain . "
I followed Captain Nemo ; and as soon as I had passed through the door , I found myself in a kind of passage lighted by electricity , similar to the waist of a ship . After we had proceeded a dozen yards , a second door opened before me .
I then entered a dining - room , decorated and furnished in severe taste . High oaken sideboards , inlaid with ebony , stood at the two extremities of the room , and upon their shelves glittered china , porcelain , and glass of inestimable value . The plate on the table sparkled in the rays which the luminous ceiling shed around , while the light was tempered and softened by exquisite paintings .
In the center of the room was a table richly laid out . Captain Nemo indicated the place I was to occupy .
The breakfast consisted of a certain number of dishes , the contents of which were furnished by the sea alone ; and I was ignorant of the nature and mode of preparation of some of them . I acknowledged that they were good , but they had a peculiar flavor , which I easily became accustomed to . These different aliments appeared to me to be rich in phosphorus , and I thought they must have a marine origin .
Captain Nemo looked at me . I asked him no questions , but he guessed my thoughts , and answered of his own accord the questions which I was burning to address to him .
" The greater part of these dishes are unknown to you , " he said to me . " However , you may partake of them without fear . They are wholesome and nourishing . For a long time I have renounced the food of the earth , and I am never ill now . My crew , who are healthy , are fed on the same food . "
" So , " said I , " all these eatables are the produce of the sea ? "
" Yes , Professor , the sea supplies all my wants . Sometimes I cast my nets in tow , and I draw them in ready to break . Sometimes I hunt in the midst of this element , which appears to be inaccessible to man , and quarry the game which dwells in my submarine forests . My flocks , like those of Neptune 's old shepherds , graze fearlessly in the immense prairies of the ocean . I have a vast property there , which I cultivate myself , and which is always sown by the hand of the Creator of all things . "
" I can understand perfectly , sir , that your nets furnish excellent fish for your table ; I can understand also that you hunt aquatic game in your submarine forests ; but I cannot understand at all how a particle of meat , no matter how small , can figure in your bill of fare . "
" This , which you believe to be meat , Professor , is nothing else than fillet of turtle . Here are also some dolphins ' livers , which you take to be ragout of pork . My cook is a clever fellow , who excels in dressing these various products of the ocean . Taste all these dishes . Here is a preserve of sea - cucumber , which a Malay would declare to be unrivalled in the world ; here is a cream , of which the milk has been furnished by the cetacea , and the sugar by the great fucus of the North Sea ; and , lastly , permit me to offer you some preserve of anemones , which is equal to that of the most delicious fruits . "
I tasted , more from curiosity than as a connoisseur , whilst Captain Nemo enchanted me with his extraordinary stories .
" You like the sea , Captain ? "
" Yes ; I love it ! The sea is everything . It covers seven tenths of the terrestrial globe . Its breath is pure and healthy . It is an immense desert , where man is never lonely , for he feels life stirring on all sides . The sea is only the embodiment of a supernatural and wonderful existence . It is nothing but love and emotion ; it is the ` Living Infinite , ' as one of your poets has said . In fact , Professor , Nature manifests herself in it by her three kingdoms - - mineral , vegetable , and animal . The sea is the vast reservoir of Nature . The globe began with sea , so to speak ; and who knows if it will not end with it ? In it is supreme tranquillity . The sea does not belong to despots . Upon its surface men can still exercise unjust laws , fight , tear one another to pieces , and be carried away with terrestrial horrors . But at thirty feet below its level , their reign ceases , their influence is quenched , and their power disappears . Ah ! sir , live - - live in the bosom of the waters ! There only is independence ! There I recognize no masters ! There I am free ! "
Captain Nemo suddenly became silent in the midst of this enthusiasm , by which he was quite carried away . For a few moments he paced up and down , much agitated . Then he became more calm , regained his accustomed coldness of expression , and turning towards me : " Now , Professor , " said he , " if you wish to go over the Nautilus , I am at your service . "
Captain Nemo rose . I followed him . A double door , contrived at the back of the dining - room , opened , and I entered a room equal in dimensions to that which I had just quitted .
It was a library . High pieces of furniture , of black violet ebony inlaid with brass , supported upon their wide shelves a great number of books uniformly bound . They followed the shape of the room , terminating at the lower part in huge divans , covered with brown leather , which were curved , to afford the greatest comfort . Light movable desks , made to slide in and out at will , allowed one to rest one 's book while reading . In the Centrex stood an immense table , covered with pamphlets , amongst which were some newspapers , already of old date . The electric light flooded everything ; it was shed from four unpolished globes half sunk in the volutes of the ceiling . I looked with real admiration at this room , so ingeniously fitted up , and I could scarcely believe my eyes .
" Captain Nemo , " said I to my host , who had just thrown himself on one of the divans , " this is a library which would do honor to more than one of the continental palaces , and I am absolutely astounded when I consider that it can follow you to the bottom of the seas . "
" Where could one find greater solitude or silence , Professor ? " replied Captain Nemo . " Did your study in the Museum afford you such perfect quiet ? "
" No , sir ; and I must confess that it is a very poor one after yours . You must have six or seven thousand volumes here . "
" Twelve thousand , M. Aronnax . These are the only ties which bind me to the earth . But I had done with the world on the day when my Nautilus plunged for the first time beneath the waters . That day I bought my last volumes , my last pamphlets , my last papers , and from that time I wish to think that men no longer think or write . These books , Professor , are at your service besides , and you can make use of them freely . "
I thanked Captain Nemo , and went up to the shelves of the library . Works on science , morals , and literature abounded in every language ; but I did not see one single work on political economy ; that subject appeared to be strictly proscribed . Strange to say , all these books were irregularly arranged , in whatever language they were written ; and this medley proved that the Captain of the Nautilus must have read indiscriminately the books which he took up by chance .
" Sir , " said I to the Captain , " I thank you for having placed this library at my disposal . It contains treasures of science , and I shall profit by them . "
" This room is not only a library , " said Captain Nemo , " it is also a smoking - room . "
" A smoking - room ! " I cried . " Then one may smoke on board ? "
" Certainly . "
" Then , sir , I am forced to believe that you have kept up a communication with Havannah . "
" Not any , " answered the Captain . " Accept this cigar , M. Aronnax ; and , though it does not come from Havannah , you will be pleased with it , if you are a connoisseur . "
I took the cigar which was offered me ; its shape recalled the London ones , but it seemed to be made of leaves of gold . I lighted it at a little brazier , which was supported upon an elegant bronze stem , and drew the first whiffs with the delight of a lover of smoking who has not smoked for two days .
" It is excellent , but it is not tobacco . "
" No ! " answered the Captain , " this tobacco comes neither from Havannah nor from the East . It is a kind of sea - weed , rich in nicotine , with which the sea provides me , but somewhat sparingly . "
At that moment Captain Nemo opened a door which stood opposite to that by which I had entered the library , and I passed into an immense drawing - room splendidly lighted .
It was a vast , four - sided room , thirty feet long , eighteen wide , and fifteen high . A luminous ceiling , decorated with light arabesques , shed a soft clear light over all the marvels accumulated in this museum . For it was in fact a museum , in which an intelligent and prodigal hand had gathered all the treasures of nature and art , with the artistic confusion which distinguishes a painter 's studio .
Thirty first - rate pictures , uniformly framed , separated by bright drapery , ornamented the walls , which were hung with tapestry of severe design . I saw works of great value , the greater part of which I had admired in the special collections of Europe , and in the exhibitions of paintings .
Some admirable statues in marble and bronze , after the finest antique models , stood upon pedestals in the corners of this magnificent museum . Amazement , as the Captain of the Nautilus had predicted , had already begun to take possession of me .
" Professor , " said this strange man , " you must excuse the unceremonious way in which I receive you , and the disorder of this room . "
" Sir , " I answered , " without seeking to know who you are , I recognize in you an artist . "
" An amateur , nothing more , sir . Formerly I loved to collect these beautiful works created by the hand of man . I sought them greedily , and ferreted them out indefatigably , and I have been able to bring together some objects of great value . These are my last souvenirs of that world which is dead to me . In my eyes , your modern artists are already old ; they have two or three thousand years of existence ; I confound them in my own mind . Masters have no age . "
Under elegant glass cases , fixed by copper rivets , were classed and labelled the most precious productions of the sea which had ever been presented to the eye of a naturalist . My delight as a professor may be conceived .
Apart , in separate compartments , were spread out chaplets of pearls of the greatest beauty , which reflected the electric light in little sparks of fire ; pink pearls , torn from the pinna - marina of the Red Sea ; green pearls , yellow , blue , and black pearls , the curious productions of the divers molluscs of every ocean , and certain mussels of the water courses of the North ; lastly , several specimens of inestimable value . Some of these pearls were larger than a pigeon 's egg , and were worth millions .
Therefore , to estimate the value of this collection was simply impossible . Captain Nemo must have expended millions in the acquirement of these various specimens , and I was thinking what source he could have drawn from , to have been able thus to gratify his fancy for collecting , when I was interrupted by these words : " You are examining my shells , Professor ? Unquestionably they must be interesting to a naturalist ; but for me they have a far greater charm , for I have collected them all with my own hand , and there is not a sea on the face of the globe which has escaped my researches . "
" I can understand , Captain , the delight of wandering about in the midst of such riches . You are one of those who have collected their treasures themselves . No museum in Europe possesses such a collection of the produce of the ocean . But if I exhaust all my admiration upon it , I shall have none left for the vessel which carries it . I do not wish to pry into your secrets : but I must confess that this Nautilus , with the motive power which is confined in it , the contrivances which enable it to be worked , the powerful agent which propels it , all excite my curiosity to the highest pitch . I see suspended on the walls of this room instruments of whose use I am ignorant . "
" You will find these same instruments in my own room , Professor , where I shall have much pleasure in explaining their use to you . But first come and inspect the cabin which is set apart for your own use . You must see how you will be accommodated on board the Nautilus . "
I followed Captain Nemo who , by one of the doors opening from each panel of the drawing - room , regained the waist . He conducted me towards the bow , and there I found , not a cabin , but an elegant room , with a bed , dressing - table , and several other pieces of excellent furniture .
I could only thank my host .
" Your room adjoins mine , " said he , opening a door , " and mine opens into the drawing - room that we have just quitted . "
I entered the Captain 's room : it had a severe , almost a monkish aspect . A small iron bedstead , a table , some articles for the toilet ; the whole lighted by a skylight . No comforts , the strictest necessaries only .
Captain Nemo pointed to a seat .
" Be so good as to sit down , " he said . I seated myself , and he began thus .
" Sir , " said Captain Nemo , showing me the instruments hanging on the walls of his room , " here are the contrivances required for the navigation of the Nautilus . Here , as in the drawing - room , I have them always under my eyes , and they indicate my position and exact direction in the middle of the ocean . Some are known to you , such as the thermometer , which gives the internal temperature of the Nautilus ; the barometer , which indicates the weight of the air and foretells the changes of the weather ; the hygrometer , which marks the dryness of the atmosphere ; the storm - glass , the contents of which , by decomposing , announce the approach of tempests ; the compass , which guides my course ; the sextant , which shows the latitude by the altitude of the sun ; chronometers , by which I calculate the longitude ; and glasses for day and night , which I use to examine the points of the horizon , when the Nautilus rises to the surface of the waves . "
" These are the usual nautical instruments , " I replied , " and I know the use of them . But these others , no doubt , answer to the particular requirements of the Nautilus . This dial with movable needle is a manometer , is it not ? "
" It is actually a manometer . But by communication with the water , whose external pressure it indicates , it gives our depth at the same time . "
" And these other instruments , the use of which I cannot guess ? "
" Here , Professor , I ought to give you some explanations . Will you be kind enough to listen to me ? "
He was silent for a few moments , then he said : " There is a powerful agent , obedient , rapid , easy , which conforms to every use , and reigns supreme on board my vessel . Everything is done by means of it . It lights , warms it , and is the soul of my mechanical apparatus . This agent is electricity . "
" Electricity ? " I cried in surprise .
" Yes , sir . "
" Nevertheless , Captain , you possess an extreme rapidity of movement , which does not agree well with the power of electricity . Until now , its dynamic force has remained under restraint , and has only been able to produce a small amount of power . "
" Professor , " said Captain Nemo , " my electricity is not everybody ' s. You know what sea - water is composed of . In a thousand grammes are found 96 1 / 2 per cent . of water , and about 2 2 / 3 per cent . of chloride of sodium ; then , in a smaller quantity , chlorides of magnesium and of potassium , bromide of magnesium , sulphate of magnesia , sulphate and carbonate of lime . You see , then , that chloride of sodium forms a large part of it . So it is this sodium that I extract from the sea - water , and of which I compose my ingredients . I owe all to the ocean ; it produces electricity , and electricity gives heat , light , motion , and , in a word , life to the Nautilus . "
" But not the air you breathe ? "
" Oh ! I could manufacture the air necessary for my consumption , but it is useless , because I go up to the surface of the water when I please . However , if electricity does not furnish me with air to breathe , it works at least the powerful pumps that are stored in spacious reservoirs , and which enable me to prolong at need , and as long as I will , my stay in the depths of the sea . It gives a uniform and unintermittent light , which the sun does not . Now look at this clock ; it is electrical , and goes with a regularity that defies the best chronometers . I have divided it into twenty - four hours , like the Italian clocks , because for me there is neither night nor day , sun nor moon , but only that factitious light that I take with me to the bottom of the sea . Look ! just now , it is ten o'clock in the morning . "
" Exactly . "
" Another application of electricity . This dial hanging in front of us indicates the speed of the Nautilus . An electric thread puts it in communication with the screw , and the needle indicates the real speed . Look ! now we are spinning along with a uniform speed of fifteen miles an hour . "
" It is marvelous ! And I see , Captain , you were right to make use of this agent that takes the place of wind , water , and steam . "
" We have not finished , M. Aronnax , " said Captain Nemo , rising . " If you will allow me , we will examine the stern of the Nautilus . "
Really , I knew already the anterior part of this submarine boat , of which this is the exact division , starting from the ship 's head : the dining - room , five yards long , separated from the library by a water - tight partition ; the library , five yards long ; the large drawing - room , ten yards long , separated from the Captain 's room by a second water - tight partition ; the said room , five yards in length ; mine , two and a half yards ; and , lastly a reservoir of air , seven and a half yards , that extended to the bows . Total length thirty five yards , or one hundred and five feet . The partitions had doors that were shut hermetically by means of india - rubber instruments , and they ensured the safety of the Nautilus in case of a leak .
I followed Captain Nemo through the waist , and arrived at the center of the boat . There was a sort of well that opened between two partitions . An iron ladder , fastened with an iron hook to the partition , led to the upper end . I asked the Captain what the ladder was used for .
" It leads to the small boat , " he said .
" What ! have you a boat ? " I exclaimed , in surprise .
" Of course ; an excellent vessel , light and insubmersible , that serves either as a fishing or as a pleasure boat . "
" But then , when you wish to embark , you are obliged to come to the surface of the water ? "
" Not at all . This boat is attached to the upper part of the hull of the Nautilus , and occupies a cavity made for it . It is decked , quite water - tight , and held together by solid bolts . This ladder leads to a man - hole made in the hull of the Nautilus , that corresponds with a similar hole made in the side of the boat . By this double opening I get into the small vessel . They shut the one belonging to the Nautilus ; I shut the other by means of screw pressure . I undo the bolts , and the little boat goes up to the surface of the sea with prodigious rapidity . I then open the panel of the bridge , carefully shut till then ; I mast it , hoist my sail , take my oars , and I am off . "
" But how do you get back on board ? "
" I do not come back , M. Aronnax ; the Nautilus comes to me . "
" By your orders ? "
" By my orders . An electric thread connects us . I telegraph to it , and that is enough . "
" Really , " I said , astonished at these marvels , " nothing can be more simple . "
After having passed by the cage of the staircase that led to the platform , I saw a cabin six feet long , in which Conseil and Ned Land , enchanted with their repast , were devouring it with avidity . Then a door opened into a kitchen nine feet long , situated between the large store - rooms . There electricity , better than gas itself , did all the cooking . The streams under the furnaces gave out to the sponges of platina a heat which was regularly kept up and distributed . They also heated a distilling apparatus , which , by evaporation , furnished excellent drinkable water . Near this kitchen was a bathroom comfortably furnished , with hot and cold water taps .
Next to the kitchen was the berth - room of the vessel , sixteen feet long . But the door was shut , and I could not see the management of it , which might have given me an idea of the number of men employed on board the Nautilus .
At the bottom was a fourth partition that separated this office from the engine - room . A door opened , and I found myself in the compartment where Captain Nemo - - certainly an engineer of a very high order - - had arranged his locomotive machinery . This engine - room , clearly lighted , did not measure less than sixty - five feet in length . It was divided into two parts ; the first contained the materials for producing electricity , and the second the machinery that connected it with the screw . I examined it with great interest , in order to understand the machinery of the Nautilus .
" You see , " said the Captain , " I use Bunsen 's contrivances , not Ruhmkorff ' s. Those would not have been powerful enough . Bunsen 's are fewer in number , but strong and large , which experience proves to be the best . The electricity produced passes forward , where it works , by electro - magnets of great size , on a system of levers and cog - wheels that transmit the movement to the axle of the screw . This one , the diameter of which is nineteen feet , and the thread twenty - three feet , performs about 120 revolutions in a second . "
" And you get then ? "
" A speed of fifty miles an hour . "
" I have seen the Nautilus manoeuvre before the Abraham Lincoln , and I have my own ideas as to its speed . But this is not enough . We must see where we go . We must be able to direct it to the right , to the left , above , below . How do you get to the great depths , where you find an increasing resistance , which is rated by hundreds of atmospheres ? How do you return to the surface of the ocean ? And how do you maintain yourselves in the requisite medium ? Am I asking too much ? "
" Not at all , Professor , " replied the Captain , with some hesitation ; " since you may never leave this submarine boat . Come into the saloon , it is our usual study , and there you will learn all you want to know about the Nautilus . "
A moment after we were seated on a divan in the saloon smoking . The Captain showed me a sketch that gave the plan , section , and elevation of the Nautilus . Then he began his description in these words : " Here , M. Aronnax , are the several dimensions of the boat you are in . It is an elongated cylinder with conical ends . It is very like a cigar in shape , a shape already adopted in London in several constructions of the same sort . The length of this cylinder , from stem to stern , is exactly 232 feet , and its maximum breadth is twenty - six feet . It is not built quite like your long - voyage steamers , but its lines are sufficiently long , and its curves prolonged enough , to allow the water to slide off easily , and oppose no obstacle to its passage . These two dimensions enable you to obtain by a simple calculation the surface and cubic contents of the Nautilus . Its area measures 6,032 feet ; and its contents about 1,500 cubic yards ; that is to say , when completely immersed it displaces 50,000 feet of water , or weighs 1,500 tons . "
" When I made the plans for this submarine vessel , I meant that nine - tenths should be submerged : consequently it ought only to displace nine - tenths of its bulk , that is to say , only to weigh that number of tons . I ought not , therefore , to have exceeded that weight , constructing it on the aforesaid dimensions . "
" The Nautilus is composed of two hulls , one inside , the other outside , joined by T - shaped irons , which render it very strong . Indeed , owing to this cellular arrangement it resists like a block , as if it were solid . Its sides cannot yield ; it coheres spontaneously , and not by the closeness of its rivets ; and its perfect union of the materials enables it to defy the roughest seas . "
" These two hulls are composed of steel plates , whose density is from .7 to .8 that of water . The first is not less than two inches and a half thick and weighs 394 tons . The second envelope , the keel , twenty inches high and ten thick , weighs only sixty - two tons . The engine , the ballast , the several accessories and apparatus appendages , the partitions and bulkheads , weigh 961.62 tons . Do you follow all this ? "
" I do . "
" Then , when the Nautilus is afloat under these circumstances , one - tenth is out of the water . Now , if I have made reservoirs of a size equal to this tenth , or capable of holding 150 tons , and if I fill them with water , the boat , weighing then 1,507 tons , will be completely immersed . That would happen , Professor . These reservoirs are in the lower part of the Nautilus . I turn on taps and they fill , and the vessel sinks that had just been level with the surface . "
" Well , Captain , but now we come to the real difficulty . I can understand your rising to the surface ; but , diving below the surface , does not your submarine contrivance encounter a pressure , and consequently undergo an upward thrust of one atmosphere for every thirty feet of water , just about fifteen pounds per square inch ? "
" Just so , sir . "
" Then , unless you quite fill the Nautilus , I do not see how you can draw it down to those depths . "
" Professor , you must not confound statics with dynamics or you will be exposed to grave errors . There is very little labor spent in attaining the lower regions of the ocean , for all bodies have a tendency to sink . When I wanted to find out the necessary increase of weight required to sink the Nautilus , I had only to calculate the reduction of volume that sea - water acquires according to the depth . "
" That is evident . "
" Now , if water is not absolutely incompressible , it is at least capable of very slight compression . Indeed , after the most recent calculations this reduction is only .000436 of an atmosphere for each thirty feet of depth . If we want to sink 3,000 feet , I should keep account of the reduction of bulk under a pressure equal to that of a column of water of a thousand feet . The calculation is easily verified . Now , I have supplementary reservoirs capable of holding a hundred tons . Therefore I can sink to a considerable depth . When I wish to rise to the level of the sea , I only let off the water , and empty all the reservoirs if I want the Nautilus to emerge from the tenth part of her total capacity . "
I had nothing to object to these reasonings .
" I admit your calculations , Captain , " I replied ; " I should be wrong to dispute them since daily experience confirms them ; but I foresee a real difficulty in the way . "
" What , sir ? "
" When you are about 1,000 feet deep , the walls of the Nautilus bear a pressure of 100 atmospheres . If , then , just now you were to empty the supplementary reservoirs , to lighten the vessel , and to go up to the surface , the pumps must overcome the pressure of 100 atmospheres , which is 1,500 lbs. per square inch . From that a power - - - - " " That electricity alone can give , " said the Captain , hastily . " I repeat , sir , that the dynamic power of my engines is almost infinite . The pumps of the Nautilus have an enormous power , as you must have observed when their jets of water burst like a torrent upon the Abraham Lincoln . Besides , I use subsidiary reservoirs only to attain a mean depth of 750 to 1,000 fathoms , and that with a view of managing my machines . Also , when I have a mind to visit the depths of the ocean five or six miles below the surface , I make use of slower but not less infallible means . "
" What are they , Captain ? "
" That involves my telling you how the Nautilus is worked . "
" I am impatient to learn . "
" To steer this boat to starboard or port , to turn , in a word , following a horizontal plan , I use an ordinary rudder fixed on the back of the stern - post , and with one wheel and some tackle to steer by . But I can also make the Nautilus rise and sink , and sink and rise , by a vertical movement by means of two inclined planes fastened to its sides , opposite the center of flotation , planes that move in every direction , and that are worked by powerful levers from the interior . If the planes are kept parallel with the boat , it moves horizontally . If slanted , the Nautilus , according to this inclination , and under the influence of the screw , either sinks diagonally or rises diagonally as it suits me . And even if I wish to rise more quickly to the surface , I ship the screw , and the pressure of the water causes the Nautilus to rise vertically like a balloon filled with hydrogen . "
" Bravo , Captain ! But how can the steersman follow the route in the middle of the waters ? "
" The steersman is placed in a glazed box , that is raised about the hull of the Nautilus , and furnished with lenses . "
" Are these lenses capable of resisting such pressure ? "
" Perfectly . Glass , which breaks at a blow , is , nevertheless , capable of offering considerable resistance . During some experiments of fishing by electric light in 1864 in the Northern Seas , we saw plates less than a third of an inch thick resist a pressure of sixteen atmospheres . Now , the glass that I use is not less than thirty times thicker . "
" Granted . But , after all , in order to see , the light must exceed the darkness , and in the midst of the darkness in the water , how can you see ? "
" Behind the steersman 's cage is placed a powerful electric reflector , the rays from which light up the sea for half a mile in front . "
" Ah ! bravo , bravo , Captain ! Now I can account for this phosphorescence in the supposed narwhal that puzzled us so . I now ask you if the boarding of the Nautilus and of the Scotia , that has made such a noise , has been the result of a chance rencontre ? "
" Quite accidental , sir . I was sailing only one fathom below the surface of the water when the shock came . It had no bad result . "
" None , sir . But now , about your rencontre with the Abraham Lincoln ? "
" Professor , I am sorry for one of the best vessels in the American navy ; but they attacked me , and I was bound to defend myself . I contented myself , however , with putting the frigate hors de combat ; she will not have any difficulty in getting repaired at the next port . "
" Ah , Commander ! your Nautilus is certainly a marvelous boat . "
" Yes , Professor ; and I love it as if it were part of myself . If danger threatens one of your vessels on the ocean , the first impression is the feeling of an abyss above and below . On the Nautilus men 's hearts never fail them . No defects to be afraid of , for the double shell is as firm as iron ; no rigging to attend to ; no sails for the wind to carry away ; no boilers to burst ; no fire to fear , for the vessel is made of iron , not of wood ; no coal to run short , for electricity is the only mechanical agent ; no collision to fear , for it al