The year 1866 was marked by a bizarre development , an unexplained and downright inexplicable phenomenon that surely no one has forgotten . Without getting into those rumors that upset civilians in the seaports and deranged the public mind even far inland , it must be said that professional seamen were especially alarmed . Traders , shipowners , captains of vessels , skippers , and master mariners from Europe and America , naval officers from every country , and at their heels the various national governments on these two continents , were all extremely disturbed by the business .
In essence , over a period of time several ships had encountered " an enormous thing " at sea , a long spindle - shaped object , sometimes giving off a phosphorescent glow , infinitely bigger and faster than any whale .
The relevant data on this apparition , as recorded in various logbooks , agreed pretty closely as to the structure of the object or creature in question , its unprecedented speed of movement , its startling locomotive power , and the unique vitality with which it seemed to be gifted . If it was a cetacean , it exceeded in bulk any whale previously classified by science . No naturalist , neither Cuvier nor Lacepede , neither Professor Dumeril nor Professor de Quatrefages , would have accepted the existence of such a monster sight unseen - - specifically , unseen by their own scientific eyes .
Striking an average of observations taken at different times - - rejecting those timid estimates that gave the object a length of 200 feet , and ignoring those exaggerated views that saw it as a mile wide and three long - - you could still assert that this phenomenal creature greatly exceeded the dimensions of anything then known to ichthyologists , if it existed at all .
Now then , it did exist , this was an undeniable fact ; and since the human mind dotes on objects of wonder , you can understand the worldwide excitement caused by this unearthly apparition . As for relegating it to the realm of fiction , that charge had to be dropped .
In essence , on July 20 , 1866 , the steamer Governor Higginson , from the Calcutta & Burnach Steam Navigation Co. , encountered this moving mass five miles off the eastern shores of Australia .
Captain Baker at first thought he was in the presence of an unknown reef ; he was even about to fix its exact position when two waterspouts shot out of this inexplicable object and sprang hissing into the air some 150 feet . So , unless this reef was subject to the intermittent eruptions of a geyser , the Governor Higginson had fair and honest dealings with some aquatic mammal , until then unknown , that could spurt from its blowholes waterspouts mixed with air and steam .
Similar events were likewise observed in Pacific seas , on July 23 of the same year , by the Christopher Columbus from the West India & Pacific Steam Navigation Co. Consequently , this extraordinary cetacean could transfer itself from one locality to another with startling swiftness , since within an interval of just three days , the Governor Higginson and the Christopher Columbus had observed it at two positions on the charts separated by a distance of more than 700 nautical leagues .
Fifteen days later and 2,000 leagues farther , the Helvetia from the Compagnie Nationale and the Shannon from the Royal Mail line , running on opposite tacks in that part of the Atlantic lying between the United States and Europe , respectively signaled each other that the monster had been sighted in latitude 42 degrees 15 ' north and longitude 60 degrees 35 ' west of the meridian of Greenwich . From their simultaneous observations , they were able to estimate the mammal 's minimum length at more than 350 English feet ; this was because both the Shannon and the Helvetia were of smaller dimensions , although each measured 100 meters stem to stern . Now then , the biggest whales , those rorqual whales that frequent the waterways of the Aleutian Islands , have never exceeded a length of 56 meters - - if they reach even that .
One after another , reports arrived that would profoundly affect public opinion : new observations taken by the transatlantic liner Pereire , the Inman line 's Etna running afoul of the monster , an official report drawn up by officers on the French frigate Normandy , dead - earnest reckonings obtained by the general staff of Commodore Fitz - James aboard the Lord Clyde . In lighthearted countries , people joked about this phenomenon , but such serious , practical countries as England , America , and Germany were deeply concerned .
In every big city the monster was the latest rage ; they sang about it in the coffee houses , they ridiculed it in the newspapers , they dramatized it in the theaters . The tabloids found it a fine opportunity for hatching all sorts of hoaxes . In those newspapers short of copy , you saw the reappearance of every gigantic imaginary creature , from " Moby Dick , " that dreadful white whale from the High Arctic regions , to the stupendous kraken whose tentacles could entwine a 500 - ton craft and drag it into the ocean depths . They even reprinted reports from ancient times : the views of Aristotle and Pliny accepting the existence of such monsters , then the Norwegian stories of Bishop Pontoppidan , the narratives of Paul Egede , and finally the reports of Captain Harrington - - whose good faith is above suspicion - - in which he claims he saw , while aboard the Castilian in 1857 , one of those enormous serpents that , until then , had frequented only the seas of France 's old extremist newspaper , The Constitutionalist .
An interminable debate then broke out between believers and skeptics in the scholarly societies and scientific journals . The " monster question " inflamed all minds . During this memorable campaign , journalists making a profession of science battled with those making a profession of wit , spilling waves of ink and some of them even two or three drops of blood , since they went from sea serpents to the most offensive personal remarks .
For six months the war seesawed . With inexhaustible zest , the popular press took potshots at feature articles from the Geographic Institute of Brazil , the Royal Academy of Science in Berlin , the British Association , the Smithsonian Institution in Washington , D.C. , at discussions in The Indian Archipelago , in Cosmos published by Father Moigno , in Petermann 's Mittheilungen , and at scientific chronicles in the great French and foreign newspapers . When the monster 's detractors cited a saying by the botanist Linnaeus that " nature doesn't make leaps , " witty writers in the popular periodicals parodied it , maintaining in essence that " nature does not make lunatics , " and ordering their contemporaries never to give the lie to nature by believing in krakens , sea serpents , " Moby Dicks , " and other all - out efforts from drunken seamen . Finally , in a much - feared satirical journal , an article by its most popular columnist finished off the monster for good , spurning it in the style of Hippolytus repulsing the amorous advances of his stepmother Phaedra , and giving the creature its quietus amid a universal burst of laughter . Wit had defeated science .
During the first months of the year 1867 , the question seemed to be buried , and it did not seem due for resurrection , when new facts were brought to the public 's attention . But now it was no longer an issue of a scientific problem to be solved , but a quite real and serious danger to be avoided . The question took an entirely new turn . The monster again became an islet , rock , or reef , but a runaway reef , unfixed and elusive .
On March 5 , 1867 , the Moravian from the Montreal Ocean Co. , lying during the night in latitude 27 degrees 30 ' and longitude 72 degrees 15 ' , ran its starboard quarter afoul of a rock marked on no charts of these waterways . Under the combined efforts of wind and 400 - horsepower steam , it was traveling at a speed of thirteen knots . Without the high quality of its hull , the Moravian would surely have split open from this collision and gone down together with those 237 passengers it was bringing back from Canada .
This accident happened around five o'clock in the morning , just as day was beginning to break . The officers on watch rushed to the craft 's stern . They examined the ocean with the most scrupulous care . They saw nothing except a strong eddy breaking three cable lengths out , as if those sheets of water had been violently churned . The site 's exact bearings were taken , and the Moravian continued on course apparently undamaged . Had it run afoul of an underwater rock or the wreckage of some enormous derelict ship ? They were unable to say . But when they examined its undersides in the service yard , they discovered that part of its keel had been smashed .
This occurrence , extremely serious in itself , might perhaps have been forgotten like so many others , if three weeks later it had not been reenacted under identical conditions . Only , thanks to the nationality of the ship victimized by this new ramming , and thanks to the reputation of the company to which this ship belonged , the event caused an immense uproar .
No one is unaware of the name of that famous English shipowner , Cunard . In 1840 this shrewd industrialist founded a postal service between Liverpool and Halifax , featuring three wooden ships with 400 - horsepower paddle wheels and a burden of 1,162 metric tons . Eight years later , the company 's assets were increased by four 650 - horsepower ships at 1,820 metric tons , and in two more years , by two other vessels of still greater power and tonnage . In 1853 the Cunard Co. , whose mail - carrying charter had just been renewed , successively added to its assets the Arabia , the Persia , the China , the Scotia , the Java , and the Russia , all ships of top speed and , after the Great Eastern , the biggest ever to plow the seas . So in 1867 this company owned twelve ships , eight with paddle wheels and four with propellers .
If I give these highly condensed details , it is so everyone can fully understand the importance of this maritime transportation company , known the world over for its shrewd management . No transoceanic navigational undertaking has been conducted with more ability , no business dealings have been crowned with greater success . In twenty - six years Cunard ships have made 2,000 Atlantic crossings without so much as a voyage canceled , a delay recorded , a man , a craft , or even a letter lost . Accordingly , despite strong competition from France , passengers still choose the Cunard line in preference to all others , as can be seen in a recent survey of official documents . Given this , no one will be astonished at the uproar provoked by this accident involving one of its finest steamers .
On April 13 , 1867 , with a smooth sea and a moderate breeze , the Scotia lay in longitude 15 degrees 12 ' and latitude 45 degrees 37 ' . It was traveling at a speed of 13.43 knots under the thrust of its 1,000 - horsepower engines . Its paddle wheels were churning the sea with perfect steadiness . It was then drawing 6.7 meters of water and displacing 6,624 cubic meters .
At 4:17 in the afternoon , during a high tea for passengers gathered in the main lounge , a collision occurred , scarcely noticeable on the whole , affecting the Scotia 's hull in that quarter a little astern of its port paddle wheel .
The Scotia had not run afoul of something , it had been fouled , and by a cutting or perforating instrument rather than a blunt one . This encounter seemed so minor that nobody on board would have been disturbed by it , had it not been for the shouts of crewmen in the hold , who climbed on deck yelling : " We are sinking ! We are sinking ! "
At first the passengers were quite frightened , but Captain Anderson hastened to reassure them . In fact , there could be no immediate danger . Divided into seven compartments by watertight bulkheads , the Scotia could brave any leak with impunity .
Captain Anderson immediately made his way into the hold . He discovered that the fifth compartment had been invaded by the sea , and the speed of this invasion proved that the leak was considerable . Fortunately this compartment did not contain the boilers , because their furnaces would have been abruptly extinguished .
Captain Anderson called an immediate halt , and one of his sailors dived down to assess the damage . Within moments they had located a hole two meters in width on the steamer 's underside . Such a leak could not be patched , and with its paddle wheels half swamped , the Scotia had no choice but to continue its voyage . By then it lay 300 miles from Cape Clear , and after three days of delay that filled Liverpool with acute anxiety , it entered the company docks .
The engineers then proceeded to inspect the Scotia , which had been put in dry dock . They could not believe their eyes . Two and a half meters below its waterline , there gaped a symmetrical gash in the shape of an isosceles triangle . This breach in the sheet iron was so perfectly formed , no punch could have done a cleaner job of it . Consequently , it must have been produced by a perforating tool of uncommon toughness - - plus , after being launched with prodigious power and then piercing four centimeters of sheet iron , this tool had needed to withdraw itself by a backward motion truly inexplicable .
This was the last straw , and it resulted in arousing public passions all over again . Indeed , from this moment on , any maritime casualty without an established cause was charged to the monster 's account . This outrageous animal had to shoulder responsibility for all derelict vessels , whose numbers are unfortunately considerable , since out of those 3,000 ships whose losses are recorded annually at the marine insurance bureau , the figure for steam or sailing ships supposedly lost with all hands , in the absence of any news , amounts to at least 200 !
Now then , justly or unjustly , it was the " monster " who stood accused of their disappearance ; and since , thanks to it , travel between the various continents had become more and more dangerous , the public spoke up and demanded straight out that , at all cost , the seas be purged of this fearsome cetacean .
During the period in which these developments were occurring , I had returned from a scientific undertaking organized to explore the Nebraska badlands in the United States . In my capacity as Assistant Professor at the Paris Museum of Natural History , I had been attached to this expedition by the French government . After spending six months in Nebraska , I arrived in New York laden with valuable collections near the end of March . My departure for France was set for early May . In the meantime , then , I was busy classifying my mineralogical , botanical , and zoological treasures when that incident took place with the Scotia .
I was perfectly abreast of this question , which was the big news of the day , and how could I not have been ? I had read and reread every American and European newspaper without being any farther along . This mystery puzzled me . Finding it impossible to form any views , I drifted from one extreme to the other . Something was out there , that much was certain , and any doubting Thomas was invited to place his finger on the Scotia 's wound .
When I arrived in New York , the question was at the boiling point . The hypothesis of a drifting islet or an elusive reef , put forward by people not quite in their right minds , was completely eliminated . And indeed , unless this reef had an engine in its belly , how could it move about with such prodigious speed ?
Also discredited was the idea of a floating hull or some other enormous wreckage , and again because of this speed of movement .
So only two possible solutions to the question were left , creating two very distinct groups of supporters : on one side , those favoring a monster of colossal strength ; on the other , those favoring an " underwater boat " of tremendous motor power .
Now then , although the latter hypothesis was completely admissible , it could not stand up to inquiries conducted in both the New World and the Old . That a private individual had such a mechanism at his disposal was less than probable . Where and when had he built it , and how could he have built it in secret ?
Only some government could own such an engine of destruction , and in these disaster - filled times , when men tax their ingenuity to build increasingly powerful aggressive weapons , it was possible that , unknown to the rest of the world , some nation could have been testing such a fearsome machine . The Chassepot rifle led to the torpedo , and the torpedo has led to this underwater battering ram , which in turn will lead to the world putting its foot down . At least I hope it will .
But this hypothesis of a war machine collapsed in the face of formal denials from the various governments . Since the public interest was at stake and transoceanic travel was suffering , the sincerity of these governments could not be doubted . Besides , how could the assembly of this underwater boat have escaped public notice ? Keeping a secret under such circumstances would be difficult enough for an individual , and certainly impossible for a nation whose every move is under constant surveillance by rival powers .
So , after inquiries conducted in England , France , Russia , Prussia , Spain , Italy , America , and even Turkey , the hypothesis of an underwater Monitor was ultimately rejected .
And so the monster surfaced again , despite the endless witticisms heaped on it by the popular press , and the human imagination soon got caught up in the most ridiculous ichthyological fantasies .
After I arrived in New York , several people did me the honor of consulting me on the phenomenon in question . In France I had published a two - volume work , in quarto , entitled The Mysteries of the Great Ocean Depths . Well received in scholarly circles , this book had established me as a specialist in this pretty obscure field of natural history . My views were in demand . As long as I could deny the reality of the business , I confined myself to a flat " no comment . " But soon , pinned to the wall , I had to explain myself straight out . And in this vein , " the honorable Pierre Aronnax , Professor at the Paris Museum , " was summoned by The New York Herald to formulate his views no matter what .
I complied . Since I could no longer hold my tongue , I let it wag . I discussed the question in its every aspect , both political and scientific , and this is an excerpt from the well - padded article I published in the issue of April 30 .
" Therefore , " I wrote , " after examining these different hypotheses one by one , we are forced , every other supposition having been refuted , to accept the existence of an extremely powerful marine animal . "
" The deepest parts of the ocean are totally unknown to us . No soundings have been able to reach them . What goes on in those distant depths ? What creatures inhabit , or could inhabit , those regions twelve or fifteen miles beneath the surface of the water ? What is the constitution of these animals ? It 's almost beyond conjecture . "
" However , the solution to this problem submitted to me can take the form of a choice between two alternatives . "
" Either we know every variety of creature populating our planet , or we do not . "
" If we do not know every one of them , if nature still keeps ichthyological secrets from us , nothing is more admissible than to accept the existence of fish or cetaceans of new species or even new genera , animals with a basically ' cast - iron ' constitution that inhabit strata beyond the reach of our soundings , and which some development or other , an urge or a whim if you prefer , can bring to the upper level of the ocean for long intervals . "
" If , on the other hand , we do know every living species , we must look for the animal in question among those marine creatures already cataloged , and in this event I would be inclined to accept the existence of a giant narwhale . "
" The common narwhale , or sea unicorn , often reaches a length of sixty feet . Increase its dimensions fivefold or even tenfold , then give this cetacean a strength in proportion to its size while enlarging its offensive weapons , and you have the animal we are looking for . It would have the proportions determined by the officers of the Shannon , the instrument needed to perforate the Scotia , and the power to pierce a steamer 's hull . "
" In essence , the narwhale is armed with a sort of ivory sword , or lance , as certain naturalists have expressed it . It 's a king - sized tooth as hard as steel . Some of these teeth have been found buried in the bodies of baleen whales , which the narwhale attacks with invariable success . Others have been wrenched , not without difficulty , from the undersides of vessels that narwhales have pierced clean through , as a gimlet pierces a wine barrel . The museum at the Faculty of Medicine in Paris owns one of these tusks with a length of 2.25 meters and a width at its base of forty - eight centimeters ! "
" All right then ! Imagine this weapon to be ten times stronger and the animal ten times more powerful , launch it at a speed of twenty miles per hour , multiply its mass times its velocity , and you get just the collision we need to cause the specified catastrophe . "
" So , until information becomes more abundant , I plump for a sea unicorn of colossal dimensions , no longer armed with a mere lance but with an actual spur , like ironclad frigates or those warships called ' rams , ' whose mass and motor power it would possess simultaneously . "
" This inexplicable phenomenon is thus explained away - - unless it 's something else entirely , which , despite everything that has been sighted , studied , explored and experienced , is still possible ! "
These last words were cowardly of me ; but as far as I could , I wanted to protect my professorial dignity and not lay myself open to laughter from the Americans , who when they do laugh , laugh raucously . I had left myself a loophole . Yet deep down , I had accepted the existence of " the monster . "
My article was hotly debated , causing a fine old uproar . It rallied a number of supporters . Moreover , the solution it proposed allowed for free play of the imagination . The human mind enjoys impressive visions of unearthly creatures . Now then , the sea is precisely their best medium , the only setting suitable for the breeding and growing of such giants - - next to which such land animals as elephants or rhinoceroses are mere dwarves . The liquid masses support the largest known species of mammals and perhaps conceal mollusks of incomparable size or crustaceans too frightful to contemplate , such as 100 - meter lobsters or crabs weighing 200 metric tons ! Why not ? Formerly , in prehistoric days , land animals ( quadrupeds , apes , reptiles , birds ) were built on a gigantic scale . Our Creator cast them using a colossal mold that time has gradually made smaller . With its untold depths , couldn't the sea keep alive such huge specimens of life from another age , this sea that never changes while the land masses undergo almost continuous alteration ? Could not the heart of the ocean hide the last - remaining varieties of these titanic species , for whom years are centuries and centuries millennia ?
But I must not let these fantasies run away with me ! Enough of these fairy tales that time has changed for me into harsh realities . I repeat : opinion had crystallized as to the nature of this phenomenon , and the public accepted without argument the existence of a prodigious creature that had nothing in common with the fabled sea serpent .
Yet if some saw it purely as a scientific problem to be solved , more practical people , especially in America and England , were determined to purge the ocean of this daunting monster , to insure the safety of transoceanic travel . The industrial and commercial newspapers dealt with the question chiefly from this viewpoint . The Shipping & Mercantile Gazette , the Lloyd 's List , France 's Packetboat and Maritime & Colonial Review , all the rags devoted to insurance companies - - who threatened to raise their premium rates - - were unanimous on this point .
Public opinion being pronounced , the States of the Union were the first in the field . In New York preparations were under way for an expedition designed to chase this narwhale . A high - speed frigate , the Abraham Lincoln , was fitted out for putting to sea as soon as possible . The naval arsenals were unlocked for Commander Farragut , who pressed energetically forward with the arming of his frigate .
But , as it always happens , just when a decision had been made to chase the monster , the monster put in no further appearances . For two months nobody heard a word about it . Not a single ship encountered it . Apparently the unicorn had gotten wise to these plots being woven around it . People were constantly babbling about the creature , even via the Atlantic Cable ! Accordingly , the wags claimed that this slippery rascal had waylaid some passing telegram and was making the most of it .
So the frigate was equipped for a far - off voyage and armed with fearsome fishing gear , but nobody knew where to steer it . And impatience grew until , on June 2 , word came that the Tampico , a steamer on the San Francisco line sailing from California to Shanghai , had sighted the animal again , three weeks before in the northerly seas of the Pacific .
This news caused intense excitement . Not even a 24 - hour breather was granted to Commander Farragut . His provisions were loaded on board . His coal bunkers were overflowing . Not a crewman was missing from his post . To cast off , he needed only to fire and stoke his furnaces ! Half a day 's delay would have been unforgivable ! But Commander Farragut wanted nothing more than to go forth .
I received a letter three hours before the Abraham Lincoln left its Brooklyn pier ; the letter read as follows :
Pierre Aronnax , Professor at the Paris Museum , Fifth Avenue Hotel , New York .
Sir : If you would like to join the expedition on the Abraham Lincoln , the government of the Union will be pleased to regard you as France 's representative in this undertaking . Commander Farragut has a cabin at your disposal .
Very cordially yours , J.B. Hobson , Secretary of the Navy .
Three seconds before the arrival of J.B. Hobson 's letter , I no more dreamed of chasing the unicorn than of trying for the Northwest Passage . Three seconds after reading this letter from the honorable Secretary of the Navy , I understood at last that my true vocation , my sole purpose in life , was to hunt down this disturbing monster and rid the world of it .
Even so , I had just returned from an arduous journey , exhausted and badly needing a rest . I wanted nothing more than to see my country again , my friends , my modest quarters by the Botanical Gardens , my dearly beloved collections ! But now nothing could hold me back . I forgot everything else , and without another thought of exhaustion , friends , or collections , I accepted the American government 's offer .
" Besides , " I mused , " all roads lead home to Europe , and our unicorn may be gracious enough to take me toward the coast of France ! That fine animal may even let itself be captured in European seas - - as a personal favor to me - - and I will bring back to the Museum of Natural History at least half a meter of its ivory lance ! "
But in the meantime I would have to look for this narwhale in the northern Pacific Ocean ; which meant returning to France by way of the Antipodes .
" Conseil ! " I called in an impatient voice .
Conseil was my manservant . A devoted lad who went with me on all my journeys ; a gallant Flemish boy whom I genuinely liked and who returned the compliment ; a born stoic , punctilious on principle , habitually hardworking , rarely startled by life 's surprises , very skillful with his hands , efficient in his every duty , and despite his having a name that means " counsel , " never giving advice - - not even the unsolicited kind !
From rubbing shoulders with scientists in our little universe by the Botanical Gardens , the boy had come to know a thing or two . In Conseil I had a seasoned specialist in biological classification , an enthusiast who could run with acrobatic agility up and down the whole ladder of branches , groups , classes , subclasses , orders , families , genera , subgenera , species , and varieties . But there his science came to a halt . Classifying was everything to him , so he knew nothing else . Well versed in the theory of classification , he was poorly versed in its practical application , and I doubt that he could tell a sperm whale from a baleen whale ! And yet , what a fine , gallant lad !
For the past ten years , Conseil had gone with me wherever science beckoned . Not once did he comment on the length or the hardships of a journey . Never did he object to buckling up his suitcase for any country whatever , China or the Congo , no matter how far off it was . He went here , there , and everywhere in perfect contentment . Moreover , he enjoyed excellent health that defied all ailments , owned solid muscles , but had not a nerve in him , not a sign of nerves - - the mental type , I mean .
The lad was thirty years old , and his age to that of his employer was as fifteen is to twenty . Please forgive me for this underhanded way of admitting I had turned forty .
But Conseil had one flaw . He was a fanatic on formality , and he only addressed me in the third person - - to the point where it got tiresome .
" Conseil ! " I repeated , while feverishly beginning my preparations for departure .
To be sure , I had confidence in this devoted lad . Ordinarily , I never asked whether or not it suited him to go with me on my journeys ; but this time an expedition was at issue that could drag on indefinitely , a hazardous undertaking whose purpose was to hunt an animal that could sink a frigate as easily as a walnut shell ! There was good reason to stop and think , even for the world 's most emotionless man . What would Conseil say ?
" Conseil ! " I called a third time .
Conseil appeared .
" Did master summon me ? " he said , entering .
" Yes , my boy . Get my things ready , get yours ready . We are departing in two hours . "
" As master wishes , " Conseil replied serenely .
" We haven't a moment to lose . Pack as much into my trunk as you can , my traveling kit , my suits , shirts , and socks , do not bother counting , just squeeze it all in - - and hurry ! "
" What about master 's collections ? " Conseil ventured to observe .
" We will deal with them later . "
" What ! The archaeotherium , hyracotherium , oreodonts , cheiropotamus , and master 's other fossil skeletons ? "
" The hotel will keep them for us . "
" What about master 's live babirusa ? "
" They will feed it during our absence . Anyhow , we'll leave instructions to ship the whole menagerie to France . "
" Then we are not returning to Paris ? " Conseil asked .
" Yes , we are ... certainly ... , " I replied evasively , " but after we make a detour . "
" Whatever detour master wishes . "
" Oh , it 's nothing really ! A route slightly less direct , that 's all . We are leaving on the Abraham Lincoln . "
" As master thinks best , " Conseil replied placidly .
" You see , my friend , it 's an issue of the monster , the notorious narwhale . We are going to rid the seas of it ! The author of a two - volume work , in quarto , on The Mysteries of the Great Ocean Depths has no excuse for not setting sail with Commander Farragut . It 's a glorious mission but also a dangerous one ! We do not know where it will take us ! These beasts can be quite unpredictable ! But we are going just the same ! We have a commander who 's game for anything ! "
" What master does , I will do , " Conseil replied .
" But think it over , because I don't want to hide anything from you . This is one of those voyages from which people do not always come back ! "
" As master wishes . "
A quarter of an hour later , our trunks were ready . Conseil did them in a flash , and I was sure the lad had not missed a thing , because he classified shirts and suits as expertly as birds and mammals .
The hotel elevator dropped us off in the main vestibule on the mezzanine . I went down a short stair leading to the ground floor . I settled my bill at that huge counter that was always under siege by a considerable crowd . I left instructions for shipping my containers of stuffed animals and dried plants to Paris , France . I opened a line of credit sufficient to cover the babirusa and , Conseil at my heels , I jumped into a carriage .
For a fare of twenty francs , the vehicle went down Broadway to Union Square , took Fourth Ave . to its junction with Bowery St. , turned into Katrin St. and halted at Pier 34 . There the Katrin ferry transferred men , horses , and carriage to Brooklyn , that great New York annex located on the left bank of the East River , and in a few minutes we arrived at the wharf next to which the Abraham Lincoln was vomiting torrents of black smoke from its two funnels .
Our baggage was immediately carried to the deck of the frigate . I rushed aboard . I asked for Commander Farragut . One of the sailors led me to the afterdeck , where I stood in the presence of a smart - looking officer who extended his hand to me .
" Professor Pierre Aronnax ? " he said to me .
" The same , " I replied . " Commander Farragut ? "
" In person . Welcome aboard , professor . Your cabin is waiting for you . "
I bowed , and letting the commander attend to getting under way , I was taken to the cabin that had been set aside for me .
The Abraham Lincoln had been perfectly chosen and fitted out for its new assignment . It was a high - speed frigate furnished with superheating equipment that allowed the tension of its steam to build to seven atmospheres . Under this pressure the Abraham Lincoln reached an average speed of 18.3 miles per hour , a considerable speed but still not enough to cope with our gigantic cetacean .
The frigate 's interior accommodations complemented its nautical virtues . I was well satisfied with my cabin , which was located in the stern and opened into the officers ' mess .
" We will be quite comfortable here , " I told Conseil .
" With all due respect to master , " Conseil replied , " as comfortable as a hermit crab inside the shell of a whelk . "
I left Conseil to the proper stowing of our luggage and climbed on deck to watch the preparations for getting under way .
Just then Commander Farragut was giving orders to cast off the last moorings holding the Abraham Lincoln to its Brooklyn pier . And so if I ' d been delayed by a quarter of an hour or even less , the frigate would have gone without me , and I would have missed out on this unearthly , extraordinary , and inconceivable expedition , whose true story might well meet with some skepticism .
But Commander Farragut did not want to waste a single day , or even a single hour , in making for those seas where the animal had just been sighted . He summoned his engineer .
" Are we up to pressure ? " he asked the man .
" Aye , sir , " the engineer replied .
" Go ahead , then ! " Commander Farragut called .
At this order , which was relayed to the engine by means of a compressed - air device , the mechanics activated the start - up wheel . Steam rushed whistling into the gaping valves . Long horizontal pistons groaned and pushed the tie rods of the drive shaft . The blades of the propeller churned the waves with increasing speed , and the Abraham Lincoln moved out majestically amid a spectator - laden escort of some 100 ferries and tenders .
The wharves of Brooklyn , and every part of New York bordering the East River , were crowded with curiosity seekers . Departing from 500,000 throats , three cheers burst forth in succession . Thousands of handkerchiefs were waving above these tightly packed masses , hailing the Abraham Lincoln until it reached the waters of the Hudson River , at the tip of the long peninsula that forms New York City .
The frigate then went along the New Jersey coast - - the wonderful right bank of this river , all loaded down with country homes - - and passed by the forts to salutes from their biggest cannons . The Abraham Lincoln replied by three times lowering and hoisting the American flag , whose thirty - nine stars gleamed from the gaff of the mizzen sail ; then , changing speed to take the buoy - marked channel that curved into the inner bay formed by the spit of Sandy Hook , it hugged this sand - covered strip of land where thousands of spectators acclaimed us one more time .
The escort of boats and tenders still followed the frigate and only left us when we came abreast of the lightship , whose two signal lights mark the entrance of the narrows to Upper New York Bay .
Three o'clock then sounded . The harbor pilot went down into his dinghy and rejoined a little schooner waiting for him to leeward . The furnaces were stoked ; the propeller churned the waves more swiftly ; the frigate skirted the flat , yellow coast of Long Island ; and at eight o'clock in the evening , after the lights of Fire Island had vanished into the northwest , we ran at full steam onto the dark waters of the Atlantic .
Commander Farragut was a good seaman , worthy of the frigate he commanded . His ship and he were one . He was its very soul . On the cetacean question no doubts arose in his mind , and he did not allow the animal 's existence to be disputed aboard his vessel . He believed in it as certain pious women believe in the leviathan from the Book of Job - - out of faith , not reason . The monster existed , and he had vowed to rid the seas of it . The man was a sort of Knight of Rhodes , a latter - day Sir Dieudonne of Gozo , on his way to fight an encounter with the dragon devastating the island . Either Commander Farragut would slay the narwhale , or the narwhale would slay Commander Farragut . No middle of the road for these two .
The ship 's officers shared the views of their leader . They could be heard chatting , discussing , arguing , calculating the different chances of an encounter , and observing the vast expanse of the ocean . Voluntary watches from the crosstrees of the topgallant sail were self - imposed by more than one who would have cursed such toil under any other circumstances . As often as the sun swept over its daily arc , the masts were populated with sailors whose feet itched and couldn't hold still on the planking of the deck below ! And the Abraham Lincoln 's stempost had not even cut the suspected waters of the Pacific .
As for the crew , they only wanted to encounter the unicorn , harpoon it , haul it on board , and carve it up . They surveyed the sea with scrupulous care . Besides , Commander Farragut had mentioned that a certain sum of $ 2,000.00 was waiting for the man who first sighted the animal , be he cabin boy or sailor , mate or officer . I will let the reader decide whether eyes got proper exercise aboard the Abraham Lincoln .
As for me , I did not lag behind the others and I yielded to no one my share in these daily observations . Our frigate would have had fivescore good reasons for renaming itself the Argus , after that mythological beast with 100 eyes ! The lone rebel among us was Conseil , who seemed utterly uninterested in the question exciting us and was out of step with the general enthusiasm on board .
As I said , Commander Farragut had carefully equipped his ship with all the gear needed to fish for a gigantic cetacean . No whaling vessel could have been better armed . We had every known mechanism , from the hand - hurled harpoon , to the blunderbuss firing barbed arrows , to the duck gun with exploding bullets . On the forecastle was mounted the latest model breech - loading cannon , very heavy of barrel and narrow of bore , a weapon that would figure in the Universal Exhibition of 1867 . Made in America , this valuable instrument could fire a four - kilogram conical projectile an average distance of sixteen kilometers without the least bother .
So the Abraham Lincoln was not lacking in means of destruction . But it had better still . It had Ned Land , the King of Harpooners .
Gifted with uncommon manual ability , Ned Land was a Canadian who had no equal in his dangerous trade . Dexterity , coolness , bravery , and cunning were virtues he possessed to a high degree , and it took a truly crafty baleen whale or an exceptionally astute sperm whale to elude the thrusts of his harpoon .
Ned Land was about forty years old . A man of great height - - over six English feet - - he was powerfully built , serious in manner , not very sociable , sometimes headstrong , and quite ill - tempered when crossed . His looks caught the attention , and above all the strength of his gaze , which gave a unique emphasis to his facial appearance .
Commander Farragut , to my thinking , had made a wise move in hiring on this man . With his eye and his throwing arm , he was worth the whole crew all by himself . I can do no better than to compare him with a powerful telescope that could double as a cannon always ready to fire .
To say Canadian is to say French , and as unsociable as Ned Land was , I must admit he took a definite liking to me . No doubt it was my nationality that attracted him . It was an opportunity for him to speak , and for me to hear , that old Rabelaisian dialect still used in some Canadian provinces . The harpooner 's family originated in Quebec , and they were already a line of bold fishermen back in the days when this town still belonged to France .
Little by little Ned developed a taste for chatting , and I loved hearing the tales of his adventures in the polar seas . He described his fishing trips and his battles with great natural lyricism . His tales took on the form of an epic poem , and I felt I was hearing some Canadian Homer reciting his Iliad of the High Arctic regions .
I am writing of this bold companion as I currently know him . Because we've become old friends , united in that permanent comradeship born and cemented during only the most frightful crises ! Ah , my gallant Ned ! I ask only to live 100 years more , the longer to remember you !
And now , what were Ned Land 's views on this question of a marine monster ? I must admit that he flatly didn't believe in the unicorn , and alone on board , he did not share the general conviction . He avoided even dealing with the subject , for which one day I felt compelled to take him to task .
During the magnificent evening of June 25 - - in other words , three weeks after our departure - - the frigate lay abreast of Cabo Blanco , thirty miles to leeward of the coast of Patagonia . We had crossed the Tropic of Capricorn , and the Strait of Magellan opened less than 700 miles to the south . Before eight days were out , the Abraham Lincoln would plow the waves of the Pacific .
Seated on the afterdeck , Ned Land and I chatted about one thing and another , staring at that mysterious sea whose depths to this day are beyond the reach of human eyes . Quite naturally , I led our conversation around to the giant unicorn , and I weighed our expedition 's various chances for success or failure . Then , seeing that Ned just let me talk without saying much himself , I pressed him more closely .
" Ned , " I asked him , " how can you still doubt the reality of this cetacean we are after ? Do you have any particular reasons for being so skeptical ? "
The harpooner stared at me awhile before replying , slapped his broad forehead in one of his standard gestures , closed his eyes as if to collect himself , and finally said : " Just maybe , Professor Aronnax . "
" But Ned , you are a professional whaler , a man familiar with all the great marine mammals - - your mind should easily accept this hypothesis of an enormous cetacean , and you ought to be the last one to doubt it under these circumstances ! "
" That 's just where you are mistaken , professor , " Ned replied . " The common man may still believe in fabulous comets crossing outer space , or in prehistoric monsters living at the earth 's core , but astronomers and geologists do not swallow such fairy tales . It 's the same with whalers . I've chased plenty of cetaceans , I've harpooned a good number , I've killed several . But no matter how powerful and well armed they were , neither their tails or their tusks could puncture the sheet - iron plates of a steamer . "
" Even so , Ned , people mention vessels that narwhale tusks have run clean through . "
" Wooden ships maybe , " the Canadian replied . " But I've never seen the like . So till I have proof to the contrary , I will deny that baleen whales , sperm whales , or unicorns can do any such thing . "
" Listen to me , Ned - - "
" No , no , professor . I will go along with anything you want except that . Some gigantic devilfish maybe ... ? "
" Even less likely , Ned . The devilfish is merely a mollusk , and even this name hints at its semiliquid flesh , because it 's Latin meaning soft one . The devilfish does not belong to the vertebrate branch , and even if it were 500 feet long , it would still be utterly harmless to ships like the Scotia or the Abraham Lincoln . Consequently , the feats of krakens or other monsters of that ilk must be relegated to the realm of fiction . "
" So , Mr. Naturalist , " Ned Land continued in a bantering tone , " you will just keep on believing in the existence of some enormous cetacean ... ? "
" Yes , Ned , I repeat it with a conviction backed by factual logic . I believe in the existence of a mammal with a powerful constitution , belonging to the vertebrate branch like baleen whales , sperm whales , or dolphins , and armed with a tusk made of horn that has tremendous penetrating power . "
" Humph ! " the harpooner put in , shaking his head with the attitude of a man who does not want to be convinced .
" Note well , my fine Canadian , " I went on , " if such an animal exists , if it lives deep in the ocean , if it frequents the liquid strata located miles beneath the surface of the water , it needs to have a constitution so solid , it defies all comparison . "
" And why this powerful constitution ? " Ned asked .
" Because it takes incalculable strength just to live in those deep strata and withstand their pressure . "
" Oh really ? " Ned said , tipping me a wink .
" Oh really , and I can prove it to you with a few simple figures . "
" Bosh ! " Ned replied . " You can make figures do anything you want ! "
" In business , Ned , but not in mathematics . Listen to me . Let 's accept that the pressure of one atmosphere is represented by the pressure of a column of water thirty - two feet high . In reality , such a column of water would not be quite so high because here we are dealing with salt water , which is denser than fresh water . Well then , when you dive under the waves , Ned , for every thirty - two feet of water above you , your body is tolerating the pressure of one more atmosphere , in other words , one more kilogram per each square centimeter on your body 's surface . So it follows that at 320 feet down , this pressure is equal to ten atmospheres , to 100 atmospheres at 3,200 feet , and to 1,000 atmospheres at 32,000 feet , that is , at about two and a half vertical leagues down . Which is tantamount to saying that if you could reach such a depth in the ocean , each square centimeter on your body 's surface would be experiencing 1,000 kilograms of pressure . Now , my gallant Ned , do you know how many square centimeters you have on your bodily surface ? "
" I have not the foggiest notion , Professor Aronnax . "
" About 17,000 . "
" As many as that ? "
" Yes , and since the atmosphere 's pressure actually weighs slightly more than one kilogram per square centimeter , your 17,000 square centimeters are tolerating 17,568 kilograms at this very moment . "
" Without my noticing it ? "
" Without your noticing it . And if you are not crushed by so much pressure , it 's because the air penetrates the interior of your body with equal pressure . When the inside and outside pressures are in perfect balance , they neutralize each other and allow you to tolerate them without discomfort . But in the water it 's another story . "
" Yes , I see , " Ned replied , growing more interested . " Because the water surrounds me but does not penetrate me . "
" Precisely , Ned . So at thirty - two feet beneath the surface of the sea , you will undergo a pressure of 17,568 kilograms ; at 320 feet , or ten times greater pressure , it 's 175,680 kilograms ; at 3,200 feet , or 100 times greater pressure , it 's 1,756,800 kilograms ; finally , at 32,000 feet , or 1,000 times greater pressure , it 's 17,568,000 kilograms ; in other words , you ' d be squashed as flat as if you ' d just been yanked from between the plates of a hydraulic press ! "
" Fire and brimstone ! " Ned put in .
" All right then , my fine harpooner , if vertebrates several hundred meters long and proportionate in bulk live at such depths , their surface areas make up millions of square centimeters , and the pressure they undergo must be assessed in billions of kilograms . Calculate , then , how much resistance of bone structure and strength of constitution they ' d need in order to withstand such pressures ! "
" They ' d need to be manufactured , " Ned Land replied , " from sheet - iron plates eight inches thick , like ironclad frigates . "
" Right , Ned , and then picture the damage such a mass could inflict if it were launched with the speed of an express train against a ship 's hull . "
" Yes ... indeed ... maybe , " the Canadian replied , staggered by these figures but still not willing to give in .
" Well , have I convinced you ? "
" You've convinced me of one thing , Mr. Naturalist . That deep in the sea , such animals would need to be just as strong as you say - - if they exist . "
" But if they do not exist , my stubborn harpooner , how do you explain the accident that happened to the Scotia ? "
" It 's maybe ... , " Ned said , hesitating .
" Go on ! "
" Because ... it just could not be true ! " the Canadian replied , unconsciously echoing a famous catchphrase of the scientist Arago .
But this reply proved nothing , other than how bullheaded the harpooner could be . That day I pressed him no further . The Scotia 's accident was undeniable . Its hole was real enough that it had to be plugged up , and I don't think a hole 's existence can be more emphatically proven . Now then , this hole didn't make itself , and since it had not resulted from underwater rocks or underwater machines , it must have been caused by the perforating tool of some animal .
Now , for all the reasons put forward to this point , I believed that this animal was a member of the branch Vertebrata , class Mammalia , group Pisciforma , and finally , order Cetacea . As for the family in which it would be placed ( baleen whale , sperm whale , or dolphin ) , the genus to which it belonged , and the species in which it would find its proper home , these questions had to be left for later . To answer them called for dissecting this unknown monster ; to dissect it called for catching it ; to catch it called for harpooning it - - which was Ned Land 's business ; to harpoon it called for sighting it - - which was the crew 's business ; and to sight it called for encountering it - - which was a chancy business .
For some while the voyage of the Abraham Lincoln was marked by no incident . But one circumstance arose that displayed Ned Land 's marvelous skills and showed just how much confidence we could place in him .
Off the Falkland Islands on June 30 , the frigate came in contact with a fleet of American whalers , and we learned that they had not seen the narwhale . But one of them , the captain of the Monroe , knew that Ned Land had shipped aboard the Abraham Lincoln and asked his help in hunting a baleen whale that was in sight . Anxious to see Ned Land at work , Commander Farragut authorized him to make his way aboard the Monroe . And the Canadian had such good luck that with a right - and - left shot , he harpooned not one whale but two , striking the first straight to the heart and catching the other after a few minutes ' chase !
Assuredly , if the monster ever had to deal with Ned Land 's harpoon , I would not bet on the monster .
The frigate sailed along the east coast of South America with prodigious speed . By July 3 we were at the entrance to the Strait of Magellan , abreast of Cabo de las Virgenes . But Commander Farragut was unwilling to attempt this tortuous passageway and maneuvered instead to double Cape Horn .
The crew sided with him unanimously . Indeed , were we likely to encounter the narwhale in such a cramped strait ? Many of our sailors swore that the monster could not negotiate this passageway simply because " he is too big for it ! "
Near three o'clock in the afternoon on July 6 , fifteen miles south of shore , the Abraham Lincoln doubled that solitary islet at the tip of the South American continent , that stray rock Dutch seamen had named Cape Horn after their hometown of Hoorn . Our course was set for the northwest , and the next day our frigate 's propeller finally churned the waters of the Pacific .
" Open your eyes ! Open your eyes ! " repeated the sailors of the Abraham Lincoln .
And they opened amazingly wide . Eyes and spyglasses ( a bit dazzled , it is true , by the vista of $ 2,000.00 ) did not remain at rest for an instant . Day and night we observed the surface of the ocean , and those with nyctalopic eyes , whose ability to see in the dark increased their chances by fifty percent , had an excellent shot at winning the prize .
As for me , I was hardly drawn by the lure of money and yet was far from the least attentive on board . Snatching only a few minutes for meals and a few hours for sleep , come rain or come shine , I no longer left the ship 's deck . Sometimes bending over the forecastle railings , sometimes leaning against the sternrail , I eagerly scoured that cotton - colored wake that whitened the ocean as far as the eye could see ! And how many times I shared the excitement of general staff and crew when some unpredictable whale lifted its blackish back above the waves . In an instant the frigate 's deck would become densely populated . The cowls over the companionways would vomit a torrent of sailors and officers . With panting chests and anxious eyes , we each would observe the cetacean 's movements . I stared ; I stared until I nearly went blind from a worn - out retina , while Conseil , as stoic as ever , kept repeating to me in a calm tone : " If master 's eyes would kindly stop bulging , master will see farther ! "
But what a waste of energy ! The Abraham Lincoln would change course and race after the animal sighted , only to find an ordinary baleen whale or a common sperm whale that soon disappeared amid a chorus of curses !
However , the weather held good . Our voyage was proceeding under the most favorable conditions . By then it was the bad season in these southernmost regions , because July in this zone corresponds to our January in Europe ; but the sea remained smooth and easily visible over a vast perimeter .
Ned Land still kept up the most tenacious skepticism ; beyond his spells on watch , he pretended that he never even looked at the surface of the waves , at least while no whales were in sight . And yet the marvelous power of his vision could have performed yeoman service . But this stubborn Canadian spent eight hours out of every twelve reading or sleeping in his cabin . A hundred times I chided him for his unconcern .
" Bah ! " he replied . " Nothing 's out there , Professor Aronnax , and if there is some animal , what chance would we have of spotting it ? can not you see we are just wandering around at random ? People say they've sighted this slippery beast again in the Pacific high seas - - I am truly willing to believe it , but two months have already gone by since then , and judging by your narwhale 's personality , it hates growing moldy from hanging out too long in the same waterways ! It 's blessed with a terrific gift for getting around . Now , professor , you know even better than I that nature doesn't violate good sense , and she wouldn't give some naturally slow animal the ability to move swiftly if it had not a need to use that talent . So if the beast does exist , it 's already long gone ! "
I had no reply to this . Obviously we were just groping blindly . But how else could we go about it ? All the same , our chances were automatically pretty limited . Yet everyone still felt confident of success , and not a sailor on board would have bet against the narwhale appearing , and soon .
On July 20 we cut the Tropic of Capricorn at longitude 105 degrees , and by the 27 th of the same month , we had cleared the equator on the 110 th meridian . These bearings determined , the frigate took a more decisive westward heading and tackled the seas of the central Pacific . Commander Farragut felt , and with good reason , that it was best to stay in deep waters and keep his distance from continents or islands , whose neighborhoods the animal always seemed to avoid - - " No doubt , " our bosun said , " because there is not enough water for him ! " So the frigate kept well out when passing the Tuamotu , Marquesas , and Hawaiian Islands , then cut the Tropic of Cancer at longitude 132 degrees and headed for the seas of China .
We were finally in the area of the monster 's latest antics ! And in all honesty , shipboard conditions became life - threatening . Hearts were pounding hideously , gearing up for futures full of incurable aneurysms . The entire crew suffered from a nervous excitement that it 's beyond me to describe . Nobody ate , nobody slept . Twenty times a day some error in perception , or the optical illusions of some sailor perched in the crosstrees , would cause intolerable anguish , and this emotion , repeated twenty times over , kept us in a state of irritability so intense that a reaction was bound to follow .
And this reaction wasn't long in coming . For three months , during which each day seemed like a century , the Abraham Lincoln plowed all the northerly seas of the Pacific , racing after whales sighted , abruptly veering off course , swerving sharply from one tack to another , stopping suddenly , putting on steam and reversing engines in quick succession , at the risk of stripping its gears , and it did not leave a single point unexplored from the beaches of Japan to the coasts of America . And we found nothing ! Nothing except an immenseness of deserted waves ! Nothing remotely resembling a gigantic narwhale , or an underwater islet , or a derelict shipwreck , or a runaway reef , or anything the least bit unearthly !
So the reaction set in . At first , discouragement took hold of people 's minds , opening the door to disbelief . A new feeling appeared on board , made up of three - tenths shame and seven - tenths fury . The crew called themselves " out - and - out fools " for being hoodwinked by a fairy tale , then grew steadily more furious ! The mountains of arguments amassed over a year collapsed all at once , and each man now wanted only to catch up on his eating and sleeping , to make up for the time he had so stupidly sacrificed .
With typical human fickleness , they jumped from one extreme to the other . Inevitably , the most enthusiastic supporters of the undertaking became its most energetic opponents . This reaction mounted upward from the bowels of the ship , from the quarters of the bunker hands to the messroom of the general staff ; and for certain , if it had not been for Commander Farragut 's characteristic stubbornness , the frigate would ultimately have put back to that cape in the south .
But this futile search couldn't drag on much longer . The Abraham Lincoln had done everything it could to succeed and had no reason to blame itself . Never had the crew of an American naval craft shown more patience and zeal ; they were not responsible for this failure ; there was nothing to do but go home .
A request to this effect was presented to the commander . The commander stood his ground . His sailors couldn't hide their discontent , and their work suffered because of it . I am unwilling to say that there was mutiny on board , but after a reasonable period of intransigence , Commander Farragut , like Christopher Columbus before him , asked for a grace period of just three days more . After this three - day delay , if the monster had not appeared , our helmsman would give three turns of the wheel , and the Abraham Lincoln would chart a course toward European seas .
This promise was given on November 2. It had the immediate effect of reviving the crew 's failing spirits . The ocean was observed with renewed care . Each man wanted one last look with which to sum up his experience . Spyglasses functioned with feverish energy . A supreme challenge had been issued to the giant narwhale , and the latter had no acceptable excuse for ignoring this Summons to Appear !
Two days passed . The Abraham Lincoln stayed at half steam . On the offchance that the animal might be found in these waterways , a thousand methods were used to spark its interest or rouse it from its apathy . Enormous sides of bacon were trailed in our wake , to the great satisfaction , I must say , of assorted sharks . While the Abraham Lincoln heaved to , its longboats radiated in every direction around it and did not leave a single point of the sea unexplored . But the evening of November 4 arrived with this underwater mystery still unsolved .
At noon the next day , November 5 , the agreed - upon delay expired . After a position fix , true to his promise , Commander Farragut would have to set his course for the southeast and leave the northerly regions of the Pacific decisively behind .
By then the frigate lay in latitude 31 degrees 15 ' north and longitude 136 degrees 42 ' east . The shores of Japan were less than 200 miles to our leeward . Night was coming on . Eight o'clock had just struck . Huge clouds covered the moon 's disk , then in its first quarter . The sea undulated placidly beneath the frigate 's stempost .
Just then I was in the bow , leaning over the starboard rail . Conseil , stationed beside me , stared straight ahead . Roosting in the shrouds , the crew examined the horizon , which shrank and darkened little by little . Officers were probing the increasing gloom with their night glasses . Sometimes the murky ocean sparkled beneath moonbeams that darted between the fringes of two clouds . Then all traces of light vanished into the darkness .
Observing Conseil , I discovered that , just barely , the gallant lad had fallen under the general influence . At least so I thought . Perhaps his nerves were twitching with curiosity for the first time in history .
" Come on , Conseil ! " I told him . " Here 's your last chance to pocket that $ 2,000.00 ! "
" If master will permit my saying so , " Conseil replied , " I never expected to win that prize , and the Union government could have promised $ 100,000.00 and been none the poorer . "
" You are right , Conseil , it turned out to be a foolish business after all , and we jumped into it too hastily . What a waste of time , what a futile expense of emotion ! Six months ago we could have been back in France - - "
" In master 's little apartment , " Conseil answered . " In master 's museum ! And by now I would have classified master 's fossils . And master 's babirusa would be ensconced in its cage at the zoo in the Botanical Gardens , and it would have attracted every curiosity seeker in town ! "
" Quite so , Conseil , and what 's more , I imagine that people will soon be poking fun at us ! "
" To be sure , " Conseil replied serenely , " I do think they will have fun at master 's expense . And must it be said ... ? "
" It must be said , Conseil . "
" Well then , it will serve master right ! "
" How true ! "
" When one has the honor of being an expert as master is , one must not lay himself open to - - "
Conseil did not have time to complete the compliment . In the midst of the general silence , a voice became audible . It was Ned Land 's voice , and it shouted : " Ahoy ! There 's the thing in question , abreast of us to leeward ! "
At this shout the entire crew rushed toward the harpooner - - commander , officers , mates , sailors , cabin boys , down to engineers leaving their machinery and stokers neglecting their furnaces . The order was given to stop , and the frigate merely coasted .
By then the darkness was profound , and as good as the Canadian 's eyes were , I still wondered how he could see - - and what he had seen . My heart was pounding fit to burst .
But Ned Land was not mistaken , and we all spotted the object his hand was indicating .
Two cable lengths off the Abraham Lincoln 's starboard quarter , the sea seemed to be lit up from underneath . This was no mere phosphorescent phenomenon , that much was unmistakable . Submerged some fathoms below the surface of the water , the monster gave off that very intense but inexplicable glow that several captains had mentioned in their reports . This magnificent radiance had to come from some force with a great illuminating capacity . The edge of its light swept over the sea in an immense , highly elongated oval , condensing at the center into a blazing core whose unbearable glow diminished by degrees outward .
" It 's only a cluster of phosphorescent particles ! " exclaimed one of the officers .
" No , sir , " I answered with conviction . " Not even angel - wing clams or salps have ever given off such a powerful light . That glow is basically electric in nature . Besides ... look , look ! It 's shifting ! It 's moving back and forth ! It 's darting at us ! "
A universal shout went up from the frigate .
" Quiet ! " Commander Farragut said . " Helm hard to leeward ! Reverse engines ! "
Sailors rushed to the helm , engineers to their machinery . Under reverse steam immediately , the Abraham Lincoln beat to port , sweeping in a semicircle .
" Right your helm ! Engines forward ! " Commander Farragut called .
These orders were executed , and the frigate swiftly retreated from this core of light .
My mistake . It wanted to retreat , but the unearthly animal came at us with a speed double our own .
We gasped . More stunned than afraid , we stood mute and motionless . The animal caught up with us , played with us . It made a full circle around the frigate - - then doing fourteen knots - - and wrapped us in sheets of electricity that were like luminous dust . Then it retreated two or three miles , leaving a phosphorescent trail comparable to those swirls of steam that shoot behind the locomotive of an express train . Suddenly , all the way from the dark horizon where it had gone to gather momentum , the monster abruptly dashed toward the Abraham Lincoln with frightening speed , stopped sharply twenty feet from our side plates , and died out - - not by diving under the water , since its glow did not recede gradually - - but all at once , as if the source of this brilliant emanation had suddenly dried up . Then it reappeared on the other side of the ship , either by circling around us or by gliding under our hull . At any instant a collision could have occurred that would have been fatal to us .
Meanwhile I was astonished at the frigate 's maneuvers . It was fleeing , not fighting . Built to pursue , it was being pursued , and I commented on this to Commander Farragut . His face , ordinarily so emotionless , was stamped with indescribable astonishment .
" Professor Aronnax , " he answered me , " I don't know what kind of fearsome creature I am up against , and I do not want my frigate running foolish risks in all this darkness . Besides , how should we attack this unknown creature , how should we defend ourselves against it ? Let 's wait for daylight , and then we'll play a different role . "
" You've no further doubts , commander , as to the nature of this animal ? "
" No , sir , it 's apparently a gigantic narwhale , and an electric one to boot . "
" Maybe , " I added , " it 's no more approachable than an electric eel or an electric ray ! "
" Right , " the commander replied . " And if it has their power to electrocute , it 's surely the most dreadful animal ever conceived by our Creator . That 's why I will keep on my guard , sir . "
The whole crew stayed on their feet all night long . No one even thought of sleeping . Unable to compete with the monster 's speed , the Abraham Lincoln slowed down and stayed at half steam . For its part , the narwhale mimicked the frigate , simply rode with the waves , and seemed determined not to forsake the field of battle .
However , near midnight it disappeared , or to use a more appropriate expression , " it went out , " like a huge glowworm . Had it fled from us ? We were duty bound to fear so rather than hope so . But at 12:53 in the morning , a deafening hiss became audible , resembling the sound made by a waterspout expelled with tremendous intensity .
By then Commander Farragut , Ned Land , and I were on the afterdeck , peering eagerly into the profound gloom .
" Ned Land , " the commander asked , " you've often heard whales bellowing ? "
" Often , sir , but never a whale like this , whose sighting earned me $ 2,000.00 . "
" Correct , the prize is rightfully yours . But tell me , is not that the noise cetaceans make when they spurt water from their blowholes ? "
" The very noise , sir , but this one 's way louder . So there can be no mistake . There 's definitely a whale lurking in our waters . With your permission , sir , " the harpooner added , " tomorrow at daybreak we'll have words with it . "
" If it 's in a mood to listen to you , Mr. Land , " I replied in a tone far from convinced .
" Let me get within four harpoon lengths of it , " the Canadian shot back , " and it had better listen ! "
" But to get near it , " the commander went on , " I ' d have to put a whaleboat at your disposal ? "
" Certainly , sir . "
" That would be gambling with the lives of my men . "
" And with my own ! " the harpooner replied simply .
Near two o'clock in the morning , the core of light reappeared , no less intense , five miles to windward of the Abraham Lincoln . Despite the distance , despite the noise of wind and sea , we could distinctly hear the fearsome thrashings of the animal 's tail , and even its panting breath . Seemingly , the moment this enormous narwhale came up to breathe at the surface of the ocean , air was sucked into its lungs like steam into the huge cylinders of a 2,000 - horsepower engine .
" Hmm ! " I said to myself . " A cetacean as powerful as a whole cavalry regiment - - now that 's a whale of a whale ! "
We stayed on the alert until daylight , getting ready for action . Whaling gear was set up along the railings . Our chief officer loaded the blunderbusses , which can launch harpoons as far as a mile , and long duck guns with exploding bullets that can mortally wound even the most powerful animals . Ned Land was content to sharpen his harpoon , a dreadful weapon in his hands .
At six o'clock day began to break , and with the dawn 's early light , the narwhale 's electric glow disappeared . At seven o'clock the day was well along , but a very dense morning mist shrank the horizon , and our best spyglasses were unable to pierce it . The outcome : disappointment and anger .
I hoisted myself up to the crosstrees of the mizzen sail . Some officers were already perched on the mastheads .
At eight o'clock the mist rolled ponderously over the waves , and its huge curls were lifting little by little . The horizon grew wider and clearer all at once .
Suddenly , just as on the previous evening , Ned Land 's voice was audible .
" There 's the thing in question , astern to port ! " the harpooner shouted .
Every eye looked toward the point indicated .
There , a mile and a half from the frigate , a long blackish body emerged a meter above the waves . Quivering violently , its tail was creating a considerable eddy . Never had caudal equipment thrashed the sea with such power . An immense wake of glowing whiteness marked the animal 's track , sweeping in a long curve .
Our frigate drew nearer to the cetacean . I examined it with a completely open mind . Those reports from the Shannon and the Helvetia had slightly exaggerated its dimensions , and I put its length at only 250 feet . Its girth was more difficult to judge , but all in all , the animal seemed to be wonderfully proportioned in all three dimensions .
While I was observing this phenomenal creature , two jets of steam and water sprang from its blowholes and rose to an altitude of forty meters , which settled for me its mode of breathing . From this I finally concluded that it belonged to the branch Vertebrata , class Mammalia , subclass Monodelphia , group Pisciforma , order Cetacea , family ... but here I could not make up my mind . The order Cetacea consists of three families , baleen whales , sperm whales , dolphins , and it 's in this last group that narwhales are placed . Each of these families is divided into several genera , each genus into species , each species into varieties . So I was still missing variety , species , genus , and family , but no doubt I would complete my classifying with the aid of Heaven and Commander Farragut .
The crew were waiting impatiently for orders from their leader . The latter , after carefully observing the animal , called for his engineer . The engineer raced over .
" Sir , " the commander said , " are you up to pressure ? "
" Aye , sir , " the engineer replied .
" Fine . Stoke your furnaces and clap on full steam ! "
Three cheers greeted this order . The hour of battle had sounded . A few moments later , the frigate 's two funnels vomited torrents of black smoke , and its deck quaked from the trembling of its boilers .
Driven forward by its powerful propeller , the Abraham Lincoln headed straight for the animal . Unconcerned , the latter let us come within half a cable length ; then , not bothering to dive , it got up a little speed , retreated , and was content to keep its distance .
This chase dragged on for about three - quarters of an hour without the frigate gaining two fathoms on the cetacean . At this rate , it was obvious that we would never catch up with it .
Infuriated , Commander Farragut kept twisting the thick tuft of hair that flourished below his chin .
" Ned Land ! " he called .
The Canadian reported at once .
" Well , Mr. Land , " the commander asked , " do you still advise putting my longboats to sea ? "
" No , sir , " Ned Land replied , " because that beast will not be caught against its will . "
" Then what should we do ? "
" Stoke up more steam , sir , if you can . As for me , with your permission I will go perch on the bobstays under the bowsprit , and if we can get within a harpoon length , I will harpoon the brute . "
" Go to it , Ned , " Commander Farragut replied . " Engineer , " he called , " keep the pressure mounting ! "
Ned Land made his way to his post . The furnaces were urged into greater activity ; our propeller did forty - three revolutions per minute , and steam shot from the valves . Heaving the log , we verified that the Abraham Lincoln was going at the rate of 18.5 miles per hour .
But that damned animal also did a speed of 18.5 .
For the next hour our frigate kept up this pace without gaining a fathom ! This was humiliating for one of the fastest racers in the American navy . The crew were working up into a blind rage . Sailor after sailor heaved insults at the monster , which could not be bothered with answering back . Commander Farragut was no longer content simply to twist his goatee ; he chewed on it .
The engineer was summoned once again .
" You are up to maximum pressure ? " the commander asked him .
" Aye , sir , " the engineer replied .
" And your valves are charged to ... ? "
" To six and a half atmospheres . "
" Charge them to ten atmospheres . "
A typical American order if I ever heard one . It would have sounded just fine during some Mississippi paddle - wheeler race , to " outstrip the competition ! "
" Conseil , " I said to my gallant servant , now at my side , " you realize that we'll probably blow ourselves skyhigh ? "
" As master wishes ! " Conseil replied .
All right , I admit it : I did wish to run this risk !
The valves were charged . More coal was swallowed by the furnaces . Ventilators shot torrents of air over the braziers . The Abraham Lincoln 's speed increased . Its masts trembled down to their blocks , and swirls of smoke could barely squeeze through the narrow funnels .
We heaved the log a second time .
" Well , helmsman ? " Commander Farragut asked .
" 19.3 miles per hour , sir . "
" Keep stoking the furnaces . "
The engineer did so . The pressure gauge marked ten atmospheres . But no doubt the cetacean itself had " warmed up , " because without the least trouble , it also did 19.3 .
What a chase ! No , I can not describe the excitement that shook my very being . Ned Land stayed at his post , harpoon in hand . Several times the animal let us approach .
" We are overhauling it ! " the Canadian would shout .
Then , just as he was about to strike , the cetacean would steal off with a swiftness I could estimate at no less than thirty miles per hour . And even at our maximum speed , it took the liberty of thumbing its nose at the frigate by running a full circle around us ! A howl of fury burst from every throat !
By noon we were no farther along than at eight o'clock in the morning .
Commander Farragut then decided to use more direct methods .
" Bah ! " he said . " So that animal is faster than the Abraham Lincoln . All right , we'll see if it can outrun our conical shells ! Mate , man the gun in the bow ! "
Our forecastle cannon was immediately loaded and leveled . The cannoneer fired a shot , but his shell passed some feet above the cetacean , which stayed half a mile off .
" Over to somebody with better aim ! " the commander shouted . " And $ 500.00 to the man who can pierce that infernal beast ! "
Calm of eye , cool of feature , an old gray - bearded gunner - - I can see him to this day - - approached the cannon , put it in position , and took aim for a good while . There was a mighty explosion , mingled with cheers from the crew .
The shell reached its target ; it hit the animal , but not in the usual fashion - - it bounced off that rounded surface and vanished into the sea two miles out .
" Oh drat ! " said the old gunner in his anger . " That rascal must be covered with six - inch armor plate ! "
" Curse the beast ! " Commander Farragut shouted .
The hunt was on again , and Commander Farragut leaned over to me , saying : " I will chase that animal till my frigate explodes ! "
" Yes , " I replied , " and nobody would blame you ! "
We could still hope that the animal would tire out and not be as insensitive to exhaustion as our steam engines . But no such luck . Hour after hour went by without it showing the least sign of weariness .
However , to the Abraham Lincoln 's credit , it must be said that we struggled on with tireless persistence . I estimate that we covered a distance of at least 500 kilometers during this ill - fated day of November 6. But night fell and wrapped the surging ocean in its shadows .
By then I thought our expedition had come to an end , that we would never see this fantastic animal again . I was mistaken .
At 10:50 in the evening , that electric light reappeared three miles to windward of the frigate , just as clear and intense as the night before .
The narwhale seemed motionless . Was it asleep perhaps , weary from its workday , just riding with the waves ? This was our chance , and Commander Farragut was determined to take full advantage of it .
He gave his orders . The Abraham Lincoln stayed at half steam , advancing cautiously so as not to awaken its adversary . In midocean it 's not unusual to encounter whales so sound asleep they can successfully be attacked , and Ned Land had harpooned more than one in its slumber . The Canadian went to resume his post on the bobstays under the bowsprit .
The frigate approached without making a sound , stopped two cable lengths from the animal and coasted . Not a soul breathed on board . A profound silence reigned over the deck . We were not 100 feet from the blazing core of light , whose glow grew stronger and dazzled the eyes .
Just then , leaning over the forecastle railing , I saw Ned Land below me , one hand grasping the martingale , the other brandishing his dreadful harpoon . Barely twenty feet separated him from the motionless animal .
All at once his arm shot forward and the harpoon was launched . I heard the weapon collide resonantly , as if it had hit some hard substance .
The electric light suddenly went out , and two enormous waterspouts crashed onto the deck of the frigate , racing like a torrent from stem to stern , toppling crewmen , breaking spare masts and yardarms from their lashings .
A hideous collision occurred , and thrown over the rail with no time to catch hold of it , I was hurled into the sea .
Although I was startled by this unexpected descent , I at least have a very clear recollection of my sensations during it .
At first I was dragged about twenty feet under . I am a good swimmer , without claiming to equal such other authors as Byron and Edgar Allan Poe , who were master divers , and I did not lose my head on the way down . With two vigorous kicks of the heel , I came back to the surface of the sea .
My first concern was to look for the frigate . Had the crew seen me go overboard ? Was the Abraham Lincoln tacking about ? Would Commander Farragut put a longboat to sea ? Could I hope to be rescued ?
The gloom was profound . I glimpsed a black mass disappearing eastward , where its running lights were fading out in the distance . It was the frigate . I felt I was done for .
" Help ! Help ! " I shouted , swimming desperately toward the Abraham Lincoln .
My clothes were weighing me down . The water glued them to my body , they were paralyzing my movements . I was sinking ! I was suffocating ... !
" Help ! "
This was the last shout I gave . My mouth was filling with water . I struggled against being dragged into the depths ....
Suddenly my clothes were seized by energetic hands , I felt myself pulled abruptly back to the surface of the sea , and yes , I heard these words pronounced in my ear : " If master would oblige me by leaning on my shoulder , master will swim with much greater ease . "
With one hand I seized the arm of my loyal Conseil .
" You ! " I said . " You ! "
" Myself , " Conseil replied , " and at master 's command . "
" That collision threw you overboard along with me ? "
" Not at all . But being in master 's employ , I followed master . "
The fine lad thought this only natural !
" What about the frigate ? " I asked .
" The frigate ? " Conseil replied , rolling over on his back . " I think master had best not depend on it to any great extent ! "
" What are you saying ? "
" I am saying that just as I jumped overboard , I heard the men at the helm shout , ' Our propeller and rudder are smashed ! ' "
" Smashed ? "
" Yes , smashed by the monster 's tusk ! I believe it 's the sole injury the Abraham Lincoln has sustained . But most inconveniently for us , the ship can no longer steer . "
" Then we are done for ! "
" Perhaps , " Conseil replied serenely . " However , we still have a few hours before us , and in a few hours one can do a great many things ! "
Conseil 's unflappable composure cheered me up . I swam more vigorously , but hampered by clothes that were as restricting as a cloak made of lead , I was managing with only the greatest difficulty . Conseil noticed as much .
" Master will allow me to make an incision , " he said .
And he slipped an open clasp knife under my clothes , slitting them from top to bottom with one swift stroke . Then he briskly undressed me while I swam for us both .
I then did Conseil the same favor , and we continued to " navigate " side by side .
But our circumstances were no less dreadful . Perhaps they hadn't seen us go overboard ; and even if they had , the frigate - - being undone by its rudder - - could not return to leeward after us . So we could count only on its longboats .
Conseil had coolly reasoned out this hypothesis and laid his plans accordingly . An amazing character , this boy ; in midocean , this stoic lad seemed right at home !
So , having concluded that our sole chance for salvation lay in being picked up by the Abraham Lincoln 's longboats , we had to take steps to wait for them as long as possible . Consequently , I decided to divide our energies so we would not both be worn out at the same time , and this was the arrangement : while one of us lay on his back , staying motionless with arms crossed and legs outstretched , the other would swim and propel his partner forward . This towing role was to last no longer than ten minutes , and by relieving each other in this way , we could stay afloat for hours , perhaps even until daybreak .
Slim chance , but hope springs eternal in the human breast ! Besides , there were two of us . Lastly , I can vouch - - as improbable as it seems - - that even if I had wanted to destroy all my illusions , even if I had been willing to " give in to despair , " I could not have done so !
The cetacean had rammed our frigate at about eleven o'clock in the evening . I therefore calculated on eight hours of swimming until sunrise . A strenuous task , but feasible , thanks to our relieving each other . The sea was pretty smooth and barely tired us . Sometimes I tried to peer through the dense gloom , which was broken only by the phosphorescent flickers coming from our movements . I stared at the luminous ripples breaking over my hands , shimmering sheets spattered with blotches of bluish gray . It seemed as if we ' d plunged into a pool of quicksilver .
Near one o'clock in the morning , I was overcome with tremendous exhaustion . My limbs stiffened in the grip of intense cramps . Conseil had to keep me going , and attending to our self - preservation became his sole responsibility . I soon heard the poor lad gasping ; his breathing became shallow and quick . I did not think he could stand such exertions for much longer .
" Go on ! Go on ! " I told him .
" Leave master behind ? " he replied . " Never ! I will drown before he does ! "
Just then , past the fringes of a large cloud that the wind was driving eastward , the moon appeared . The surface of the sea glistened under its rays . That kindly light rekindled our strength . I held up my head again . My eyes darted to every point of the horizon . I spotted the frigate . It was five miles from us and formed no more than a dark , barely perceptible mass . But as for longboats , not a one in sight !
I tried to call out . What was the use at such a distance ! My swollen lips would not let a single sound through . Conseil could still articulate a few words , and I heard him repeat at intervals : " Help ! Help ! "
Ceasing all movement for an instant , we listened . And it may have been a ringing in my ear , from this organ filling with impeded blood , but it seemed to me that Conseil 's shout had received an answer back .
" Did you hear that ? " I muttered .
" Yes , yes ! "
And Conseil hurled another desperate plea into space .
This time there could be no mistake ! A human voice had answered us ! Was it the voice of some poor devil left behind in midocean , some other victim of that collision suffered by our ship ? Or was it one of the frigate 's longboats , hailing us out of the gloom ?
Conseil made one final effort , and bracing his hands on my shoulders , while I offered resistance with one supreme exertion , he raised himself half out of the water , then fell back exhausted .
" What did you see ? "
" I saw ... , " he muttered , " I saw ... but we must not talk ... save our strength ... ! "
What had he seen ? Then , lord knows why , the thought of the monster came into my head for the first time ... ! But even so , that voice ... ? Gone are the days when Jonahs took refuge in the bellies of whales !
Nevertheless , Conseil kept towing me . Sometimes he looked up , stared straight ahead , and shouted a request for directions , which was answered by a voice that was getting closer and closer . I could barely hear it . I was at the end of my strength ; my fingers gave out ; my hands were no help to me ; my mouth opened convulsively , filling with brine ; its coldness ran through me ; I raised my head one last time , then I collapsed ....
Just then something hard banged against me . I clung to it . Then I felt myself being pulled upward , back to the surface of the water ; my chest caved in , and I fainted ....
For certain , I came to quickly , because someone was massaging me so vigorously it left furrows in my flesh . I half opened my eyes ....
" Conseil ! " I muttered .
" Did master ring for me ? " Conseil replied .
Just then , in the last light of a moon settling on the horizon , I spotted a face that was not Conseil 's but which I recognized at once .
" Ned ! " I exclaimed .
" In person , sir , and still after his prize ! " the Canadian replied .
" You were thrown overboard after the frigate 's collision ? "
" Yes , professor , but I was luckier than you , and right away I was able to set foot on this floating islet . "
" Islet ? "
" Or in other words , on our gigantic narwhale . "
" Explain yourself , Ned . "
" It 's just that I soon realized why my harpoon got blunted and could not puncture its hide . "
" Why , Ned , why ? "
" Because , professor , this beast is made of boilerplate steel ! "
At this point in my story , I need to get a grip on myself , reconstruct exactly what I experienced , and make doubly sure of everything I write .
The Canadian 's last words caused a sudden upheaval in my brain . I swiftly hoisted myself to the summit of this half - submerged creature or object that was serving as our refuge . I tested it with my foot . Obviously it was some hard , impenetrable substance , not the soft matter that makes up the bodies of our big marine mammals .
But this hard substance could have been a bony carapace , like those that covered some prehistoric animals , and I might have left it at that and classified this monster among such amphibious reptiles as turtles or alligators .
Well , no. The blackish back supporting me was smooth and polished with no overlapping scales . On impact , it gave off a metallic sonority , and as incredible as this sounds , it seemed , I swear , to be made of riveted plates .
No doubts were possible ! This animal , this monster , this natural phenomenon that had puzzled the whole scientific world , that had muddled and misled the minds of seamen in both hemispheres , was , there could be no escaping it , an even more astonishing phenomenon - - a phenomenon made by the hand of man .
Even if I had discovered that some fabulous , mythological creature really existed , it would not have given me such a terrific mental jolt . It 's easy enough to accept that prodigious things can come from our Creator . But to find , all at once , right before your eyes , that the impossible had been mysteriously achieved by man himself : this staggers the mind !
But there was no question now . We were stretched out on the back of some kind of underwater boat that , as far as I could judge , boasted the shape of an immense steel fish . Ned Land had clear views on the issue . Conseil and I could only line up behind him .
" But then , " I said , " does this contraption contain some sort of locomotive mechanism , and a crew to run it ? "
" Apparently , " the harpooner replied . " And yet for the three hours I've lived on this floating island , it has not shown a sign of life . "
" This boat has not moved at all ? "
" No , Professor Aronnax . It just rides with the waves , but otherwise it has not stirred . "
" But we know that it 's certainly gifted with great speed . Now then , since an engine is needed to generate that speed , and a mechanic to run that engine , I conclude : we are saved . "
" Humph ! " Ned Land put in , his tone denoting reservations .
Just then , as if to take my side in the argument , a bubbling began astern of this strange submersible - - whose drive mechanism was obviously a propeller - - and the boat started to move . We barely had time to hang on to its topside , which emerged about eighty centimeters above water . Fortunately its speed was not excessive .
" So long as it navigates horizontally , " Ned Land muttered , " I've no complaints . But if it gets the urge to dive , I would not give $ 2.00 for my hide ! "
The Canadian might have quoted a much lower price . So it was imperative to make contact with whatever beings were confined inside the plating of this machine . I searched its surface for an opening or a hatch , a " manhole , " to use the official term ; but the lines of rivets had been firmly driven into the sheet - iron joins and were straight and uniform .
Moreover , the moon then disappeared and left us in profound darkness . We had to wait for daylight to find some way of getting inside this underwater boat .
So our salvation lay totally in the hands of the mysterious helmsmen steering this submersible , and if it made a dive , we were done for ! But aside from this occurring , I didn't doubt the possibility of our making contact with them . In fact , if they did not produce their own air , they inevitably had to make periodic visits to the surface of the ocean to replenish their oxygen supply . Hence the need for some opening that put the boat 's interior in contact with the atmosphere .
As for any hope of being rescued by Commander Farragut , that had to be renounced completely . We were being swept westward , and I estimate that our comparatively moderate speed reached twelve miles per hour . The propeller churned the waves with mathematical regularity , sometimes emerging above the surface and throwing phosphorescent spray to great heights .
Near four o'clock in the morning , the submersible picked up speed . We could barely cope with this dizzying rush , and the waves battered us at close range . Fortunately Ned 's hands came across a big mooring ring fastened to the topside of this sheet - iron back , and we all held on for dear life .
Finally this long night was over . My imperfect memories will not let me recall my every impression of it . A single detail comes back to me . Several times , during various lulls of wind and sea , I thought I heard indistinct sounds , a sort of elusive harmony produced by distant musical chords . What was the secret behind this underwater navigating , whose explanation the whole world had sought in vain ? What beings lived inside this strange boat ? What mechanical force allowed it to move about with such prodigious speed ?
Daylight appeared . The morning mists surrounded us , but they soon broke up . I was about to proceed with a careful examination of the hull , whose topside formed a sort of horizontal platform , when I felt it sinking little by little .
" Oh , damnation ! " Ned Land shouted , stamping his foot on the resonant sheet iron . " Open up there , you antisocial navigators ! "
But it was difficult to make yourself heard above the deafening beats of the propeller . Fortunately this submerging movement stopped .
From inside the boat , there suddenly came noises of iron fastenings pushed roughly aside . One of the steel plates flew up , a man appeared , gave a bizarre yell , and instantly disappeared .
A few moments later , eight strapping fellows appeared silently , their faces like masks , and dragged us down into their fearsome machine .
This brutally executed capture was carried out with lightning speed . My companions and I had no time to collect ourselves . I do not know how they felt about being shoved inside this aquatic prison , but as for me , I was shivering all over . With whom were we dealing ? Surely with some new breed of pirates , exploiting the sea after their own fashion .
The narrow hatch had barely closed over me when I was surrounded by profound darkness . Saturated with the outside light , my eyes could not make out a thing . I felt my naked feet clinging to the steps of an iron ladder . Forcibly seized , Ned Land and Conseil were behind me . At the foot of the ladder , a door opened and instantly closed behind us with a loud clang .
We were alone . Where ? I could not say , could barely even imagine . All was darkness , but such utter darkness that after several minutes , my eyes were still unable to catch a single one of those hazy gleams that drift through even the blackest nights .
Meanwhile , furious at these goings on , Ned Land gave free rein to his indignation .
" Damnation ! " he exclaimed . " These people are about as hospitable as the savages of New Caledonia ! All that 's lacking is for them to be cannibals ! I would not be surprised if they were , but believe you me , they will not eat me without my kicking up a protest ! "
" Calm yourself , Ned my friend , " Conseil replied serenely . " Don't flare up so quickly ! We are not in a kettle yet ! "
" In a kettle , no , " the Canadian shot back , " but in an oven for sure . It 's dark enough for one . Luckily my Bowie knife has not left me , and I can still see well enough to put it to use . The first one of these bandits who lays a hand on me - - "
" Don't be so irritable , Ned , " I then told the harpooner , " and do not ruin things for us with pointless violence . Who knows whether they might be listening to us ? Instead , let 's try to find out where we are ! "
I started moving , groping my way . After five steps I encountered an iron wall made of riveted boilerplate . Then , turning around , I bumped into a wooden table next to which several stools had been set . The floor of this prison lay hidden beneath thick , hempen matting that deadened the sound of footsteps . Its naked walls did not reveal any trace of a door or window . Going around the opposite way , Conseil met up with me , and we returned to the middle of this cabin , which had to be twenty feet long by ten wide . As for its height , not even Ned Land , with his great stature , was able to determine it .
Half an hour had already gone by without our situation changing , when our eyes were suddenly spirited from utter darkness into blinding light . Our prison lit up all at once ; in other words , it filled with luminescent matter so intense that at first I could not stand the brightness of it . From its glare and whiteness , I recognized the electric glow that had played around this underwater boat like some magnificent phosphorescent phenomenon . After involuntarily closing my eyes , I reopened them and saw that this luminous force came from a frosted half globe curving out of the cabin 's ceiling .
" Finally ! It 's light enough to see ! " Ned Land exclaimed , knife in hand , staying on the defensive .
" Yes , " I replied , then ventured the opposite view . " But as for our situation , we are still in the dark . "
" Master must learn patience , " said the emotionless Conseil .
This sudden illumination of our cabin enabled me to examine its tiniest details . It contained only a table and five stools . Its invisible door must have been hermetically sealed . Not a sound reached our ears . Everything seemed dead inside this boat . Was it in motion , or stationary on the surface of the ocean , or sinking into the depths ? I could not tell .
But this luminous globe hadn't been turned on without good reason . Consequently , I hoped that some crewmen would soon make an appearance . If you want to consign people to oblivion , you do not light up their dungeons .
I was not mistaken . Unlocking noises became audible , a door opened , and two men appeared .
One was short and stocky , powerfully muscled , broad shouldered , robust of limbs , the head squat , the hair black and luxuriant , the mustache heavy , the eyes bright and penetrating , and his whole personality stamped with that southern - blooded zest that , in France , typifies the people of Provence . The philosopher Diderot has very aptly claimed that a man 's bearing is the clue to his character , and this stocky little man was certainly a living proof of this claim . You could sense that his everyday conversation must have been packed with such vivid figures of speech as personification , symbolism , and misplaced modifiers . But I was never in a position to verify this because , around me , he used only an odd and utterly incomprehensible dialect .
The second stranger deserves a more detailed description . A disciple of such character - judging anatomists as Gratiolet or Engel could have read this man 's features like an open book . Without hesitation , I identified his dominant qualities - - self - confidence , since his head reared like a nobleman 's above the arc formed by the lines of his shoulders , and his black eyes gazed with icy assurance ; calmness , since his skin , pale rather than ruddy , indicated tranquility of blood ; energy , shown by the swiftly knitting muscles of his brow ; and finally courage , since his deep breathing denoted tremendous reserves of vitality .
I might add that this was a man of great pride , that his calm , firm gaze seemed to reflect thinking on an elevated plane , and that the harmony of his facial expressions and bodily movements resulted in an overall effect of unquestionable candor - - according to the findings of physiognomists , those analysts of facial character .
I felt " involuntarily reassured " in his presence , and this boded well for our interview .
Whether this individual was thirty - five or fifty years of age , I could not precisely state . He was tall , his forehead broad , his nose straight , his mouth clearly etched , his teeth magnificent , his hands refined , tapered , and to use a word from palmistry , highly " psychic , " in other words , worthy of serving a lofty and passionate spirit . This man was certainly the most wonderful physical specimen I had ever encountered . One unusual detail : his eyes were spaced a little far from each other and could instantly take in nearly a quarter of the horizon . This ability - - as I later verified - - was strengthened by a range of vision even greater than Ned Land ' s. When this stranger focused his gaze on an object , his eyebrow lines gathered into a frown , his heavy eyelids closed around his pupils to contract his huge field of vision , and he looked ! What a look - - as if he could magnify objects shrinking into the distance ; as if he could probe your very soul ; as if he could pierce those sheets of water so opaque to our eyes and scan the deepest seas ... !
Wearing caps made of sea - otter fur , and shod in sealskin fishing boots , these two strangers were dressed in clothing made from some unique fabric that flattered the figure and allowed great freedom of movement .
The taller of the two - - apparently the leader on board - - examined us with the greatest care but without pronouncing a word . Then , turning to his companion , he conversed with him in a language I did not recognize . It was a sonorous , harmonious , flexible dialect whose vowels seemed to undergo a highly varied accentuation .
The other replied with a shake of the head and added two or three utterly incomprehensible words . Then he seemed to question me directly with a long stare .
I replied in clear French that I wasn't familiar with his language ; but he did not seem to understand me , and the situation grew rather baffling .
" Still , master should tell our story , " Conseil said to me . " Perhaps these gentlemen will grasp a few words of it ! "
I tried again , telling the tale of our adventures , clearly articulating my every syllable , and not leaving out a single detail . I stated our names and titles ; then , in order , I introduced Professor Aronnax , his manservant Conseil , and Mr. Ned Land , harpooner .
The man with calm , gentle eyes listened to me serenely , even courteously , and paid remarkable attention . But nothing in his facial expression indicated that he understood my story . When I finished , he did not pronounce a single word .
One resource still left was to speak English . Perhaps they would be familiar with this nearly universal language . But I only knew it , as I did the German language , well enough to read it fluently , not well enough to speak it correctly . Here , however , our overriding need was to make ourselves understood .
" Come on , it 's your turn , " I told the harpooner . " Over to you , Mr. Land . Pull out of your bag of tricks the best English ever spoken by an Anglo - Saxon , and try for a more favorable result than mine . "
Ned needed no persuading and started our story all over again , most of which I could follow . Its content was the same , but the form differed . Carried away by his volatile temperament , the Canadian put great animation into it . He complained vehemently about being imprisoned in defiance of his civil rights , asked by virtue of which law he was hereby detained , invoked writs of habeas corpus , threatened to press charges against anyone holding him in illegal custody , ranted , gesticulated , shouted , and finally conveyed by an expressive gesture that we were dying of hunger .
This was perfectly true , but we had nearly forgotten the fact .
Much to his amazement , the harpooner seemed no more intelligible than I had been . Our visitors did not bat an eye . Apparently they were engineers who understood the languages of neither the French physicist Arago nor the English physicist Faraday .
Thoroughly baffled after vainly exhausting our philological resources , I no longer knew what tactic to pursue , when Conseil told me : " If master will authorize me , I will tell the whole business in German . "
" What ! You know German ? " I exclaimed .
" Like most Flemish people , with all due respect to master . "
" On the contrary , my respect is due you . Go to it , my boy . "
And Conseil , in his serene voice , described for the third time the various vicissitudes of our story . But despite our narrator 's fine accent and stylish turns of phrase , the German language met with no success .
Finally , as a last resort , I hauled out everything I could remember from my early schooldays , and I tried to narrate our adventures in Latin . Cicero would have plugged his ears and sent me to the scullery , but somehow I managed to pull through . With the same negative result .
This last attempt ultimately misfiring , the two strangers exchanged a few words in their incomprehensible language and withdrew , not even favoring us with one of those encouraging gestures that are used in every country in the world . The door closed again .
" This is outrageous ! " Ned Land shouted , exploding for the twentieth time . " I ask you ! We speak French , English , German , and Latin to these rogues , and neither of them has the decency to even answer back ! "
" Calm down , Ned , " I told the seething harpooner . " Anger will not get us anywhere . "
" But professor , " our irascible companion went on , " can not you see that we could die of hunger in this iron cage ? "
" Bah ! " Conseil put in philosophically . " We can hold out a good while yet ! "
" My friends , " I said , " we must not despair . We've gotten out of tighter spots . So please do me the favor of waiting a bit before you form your views on the commander and crew of this boat . "
" My views are fully formed , " Ned Land shot back . " They are rogues ! "
" Oh good ! And from what country ? "
" Roguedom ! "
" My gallant Ned , as yet that country isn't clearly marked on maps of the world , but I admit that the nationality of these two strangers is hard to make out ! Neither English , French , nor German , that 's all we can say . But I am tempted to think that the commander and his chief officer were born in the low latitudes . There must be southern blood in them . But as to whether they are Spaniards , Turks , Arabs , or East Indians , their physical characteristics do not give me enough to go on . And as for their speech , it 's utterly incomprehensible . "
" That 's the nuisance in not knowing every language , " Conseil replied , " or the drawback in not having one universal language ! "
" Which would all go out the window ! " Ned Land replied . " Don't you see , these people have a language all to themselves , a language they've invented just to cause despair in decent people who ask for a little dinner ! Why , in every country on earth , when you open your mouth , snap your jaws , smack your lips and teeth , isn't that the world 's most understandable message ? From Quebec to the Tuamotu Islands , from Paris to the Antipodes , does not it mean : I am hungry , give me a bite to eat ! "
" Oh , " Conseil put in , " there are some people so unintelligent by nature ... "
As he was saying these words , the door opened . A steward entered . He brought us some clothes , jackets and sailor 's pants , made out of a fabric whose nature I did not recognize . I hurried to change into them , and my companions followed suit .
Meanwhile our silent steward , perhaps a deaf - mute , set the table and laid three place settings .
" There 's something serious afoot , " Conseil said , " and it bodes well . "
" Bah ! " replied the rancorous harpooner . " What the devil do you suppose they eat around here ? Turtle livers , loin of shark , dogfish steaks ? "
" We will soon find out ! " Conseil said .
Overlaid with silver dish covers , various platters had been neatly positioned on the table cloth , and we sat down to eat . Assuredly , we were dealing with civilized people , and if it hadn't been for this electric light flooding over us , I would have thought we were in the dining room of the Hotel Adelphi in Liverpool , or the Grand Hotel in Paris . However , I feel compelled to mention that bread and wine were totally absent . The water was fresh and clear , but it was still water - - which wasn't what Ned Land had in mind . Among the foods we were served , I was able to identify various daintily dressed fish ; but I couldn't make up my mind about certain otherwise excellent dishes , and I could not even tell whether their contents belonged to the vegetable or the animal kingdom . As for the tableware , it was elegant and in perfect taste . Each utensil , spoon , fork , knife , and plate , bore on its reverse a letter encircled by a Latin motto , and here is its exact duplicate : Mobilis In Mobili N.
Moving within the moving element ! It was a highly appropriate motto for this underwater machine , so long as the preposition in is translated as within and not upon . The letter N was no doubt the initial of the name of that mystifying individual in command beneath the seas !
Ned and Conseil had no time for such musings . They were wolfing down their food , and without further ado I did the same . By now I felt reassured about our fate , and it seemed obvious that our hosts did not intend to let us die of starvation .
But all earthly things come to an end , all things must pass , even the hunger of people who have not eaten for fifteen hours . Our appetites appeased , we felt an urgent need for sleep . A natural reaction after that interminable night of fighting for our lives .
" Ye gods , I will sleep soundly , " Conseil said .
" Me , I am out like a light ! " Ned Land replied .
My two companions lay down on the cabin 's carpeting and were soon deep in slumber .
As for me , I gave in less readily to this intense need for sleep . Too many thoughts had piled up in my mind , too many insoluble questions had arisen , too many images were keeping my eyelids open ! Where were we ? What strange power was carrying us along ? I felt - - or at least I thought I did - - the submersible sinking toward the sea 's lower strata . Intense nightmares besieged me . In these mysterious marine sanctuaries , I envisioned hosts of unknown animals , and this underwater boat seemed to be a blood relation of theirs : living , breathing , just as fearsome ... ! Then my mind grew calmer , my imagination melted into hazy drowsiness , and I soon fell into an uneasy slumber .
I have no idea how long this slumber lasted ; but it must have been a good while , since we were completely over our exhaustion . I was the first one to wake up . My companions were not yet stirring and still lay in their corners like inanimate objects .
I had barely gotten up from my passably hard mattress when I felt my mind clear , my brain go on the alert . So I began a careful reexamination of our cell .
Nothing had changed in its interior arrangements . The prison was still a prison and its prisoners still prisoners . But , taking advantage of our slumber , the steward had cleared the table . Consequently , nothing indicated any forthcoming improvement in our situation , and I seriously wondered if we were doomed to spend the rest of our lives in this cage .
This prospect seemed increasingly painful to me because , even though my brain was clear of its obsessions from the night before , I was feeling an odd short - windedness in my chest . It was becoming hard for me to breathe . The heavy air was no longer sufficient for the full play of my lungs . Although our cell was large , we obviously had used up most of the oxygen it contained . In essence , over an hour 's time a single human being consumes all the oxygen found in 100 liters of air , at which point that air has become charged with a nearly equal amount of carbon dioxide and is no longer fit for breathing .
So it was now urgent to renew the air in our prison , and no doubt the air in this whole underwater boat as well .
Here a question popped into my head . How did the commander of this aquatic residence go about it ? Did he obtain air using chemical methods , releasing the oxygen contained in potassium chlorate by heating it , meanwhile absorbing the carbon dioxide with potassium hydroxide ? If so , he would have to keep up some kind of relationship with the shore , to come by the materials needed for such an operation . Did he simply limit himself to storing the air in high - pressure tanks and then dispense it according to his crew 's needs ? Perhaps . Or , proceeding in a more convenient , more economical , and consequently more probable fashion , was he satisfied with merely returning to breathe at the surface of the water like a cetacean , renewing his oxygen supply every twenty - four hours ? In any event , whatever his method was , it seemed prudent to me that he use this method without delay .
In fact , I had already resorted to speeding up my inhalations in order to extract from the cell what little oxygen it contained , when suddenly I was refreshed by a current of clean air , scented with a salty aroma . It had to be a sea breeze , life - giving and charged with iodine ! I opened my mouth wide , and my lungs glutted themselves on the fresh particles . At the same time , I felt a swaying , a rolling of moderate magnitude but definitely noticeable . This boat , this sheet - iron monster , had obviously just risen to the surface of the ocean , there to breathe in good whale fashion . So the ship 's mode of ventilation was finally established .
When I had absorbed a chestful of this clean air , I looked for the conduit - - the " air carrier , " if you prefer - - that allowed this beneficial influx to reach us , and I soon found it . Above the door opened an air vent that let in a fresh current of oxygen , renewing the thin air in our cell .
I had gotten to this point in my observations when Ned and Conseil woke up almost simultaneously , under the influence of this reviving air purification . They rubbed their eyes , stretched their arms , and sprang to their feet .
" Did master sleep well ? " Conseil asked me with his perennial good manners .
" Extremely well , my gallant lad , " I replied . " And how about you , Mr. Ned Land ? "
" Like a log , professor . But I must be imagining things , because it seems like I am breathing a sea breeze ! "
A seaman could not be wrong on this topic , and I told the Canadian what had gone on while he slept .
" Good ! " he said . " That explains perfectly all that bellowing we heard , when our so - called narwhale lay in sight of the Abraham Lincoln . "
" Perfectly , Mr. Land . It was catching its breath ! "
" Only I've no idea what time it is , Professor Aronnax , unless maybe it 's dinnertime ? "
" Dinnertime , my fine harpooner ? I ' d say at least breakfast time , because we've certainly woken up to a new day . "
" Which indicates , " Conseil replied , " that we've spent twenty - four hours in slumber . "
" That 's my assessment , " I replied .
" I will not argue with you , " Ned Land answered . " But dinner or breakfast , that steward will be plenty welcome whether he brings the one or the other . "
" The one and the other , " Conseil said .
" Well put , " the Canadian replied . " We deserve two meals , and speaking for myself , I will do justice to them both . "
" All right , Ned , let 's wait and see ! " I replied . " It 's clear that these strangers don't intend to let us die of hunger , otherwise last evening 's dinner would not make any sense . "
" Unless they are fattening us up ! " Ned shot back .
" I object , " I replied . " We have not fallen into the hands of cannibals . "
" Just because they don't make a habit of it , " the Canadian replied in all seriousness , " doesn't mean they do not indulge from time to time . Who knows ? Maybe these people have gone without fresh meat for a long while , and in that case three healthy , well - built specimens like the professor , his manservant , and me - - - "
" Get rid of those ideas , Mr. Land , " I answered the harpooner . " And above all , do not let them lead you to flare up against our hosts , which would only make our situation worse . "
" Anyhow , " the harpooner said , " I am as hungry as all Hades , and dinner or breakfast , not one puny meal has arrived ! "
" Mr. Land , " I answered , " we have to adapt to the schedule on board , and I imagine our stomachs are running ahead of the chief cook 's dinner bell . "
" Well then , we'll adjust our stomachs to the chef 's timetable ! " Conseil replied serenely .
" There you go again , Conseil my friend ! " the impatient Canadian shot back . " You never allow yourself any displays of bile or attacks of nerves ! You are everlastingly calm ! You ' d say your after - meal grace even if you did not get any food for your before - meal blessing - - and you ' d starve to death rather than complain ! "
" What good would it do ? " Conseil asked .
" Complaining doesn't have to do good , it just feels good ! And if these pirates - - I say pirates out of consideration for the professor 's feelings , since he does not want us to call them cannibals - - if these pirates think they are going to smother me in this cage without hearing what cusswords spice up my outbursts , they've got another think coming ! Look here , Professor Aronnax , speak frankly . How long do you figure they will keep us in this iron box ? "
" To tell the truth , friend Land , I know little more about it than you do . "
" But in a nutshell , what do you suppose is going on ? "
" My supposition is that sheer chance has made us privy to an important secret . Now then , if the crew of this underwater boat have a personal interest in keeping that secret , and if their personal interest is more important than the lives of three men , I believe that our very existence is in jeopardy . If such is not the case , then at the first available opportunity , this monster that has swallowed us will return us to the world inhabited by our own kind . "
" Unless they recruit us to serve on the crew , " Conseil said , " and keep us here - - "
" Till the moment , " Ned Land answered , " when some frigate that 's faster or smarter than the Abraham Lincoln captures this den of buccaneers , then hangs all of us by the neck from the tip of a mainmast yardarm ! "
" Well thought out , Mr. Land , " I replied . " But as yet , I do not believe we've been tendered any enlistment offers . Consequently , it 's pointless to argue about what tactics we should pursue in such a case . I repeat : let 's wait , let 's be guided by events , and let 's do nothing , since right now there 's nothing we can do . "
" On the contrary , professor , " the harpooner replied , not wanting to give in . " There is something we can do . "
" Oh ? And what , Mr. Land ? "
" Break out of here ! "
" Breaking out of a prison on shore is difficult enough , but with an underwater prison , it strikes me as completely unworkable . "
" Come now , Ned my friend , " Conseil asked , " how would you answer master 's objection ? I refuse to believe that an American is at the end of his tether . "
Visibly baffled , the harpooner said nothing . Under the conditions in which fate had left us , it was absolutely impossible to escape . But a Canadian 's wit is half French , and Mr. Ned Land made this clear in his reply .
" So , Professor Aronnax , " he went on after thinking for a few moments , " you have not figured out what people do when they can not escape from their prison ? "
" No , my friend . "
" Easy . They fix things so they stay there . "
" Of course ! " Conseil put in . " Since we are deep in the ocean , being inside this boat is vastly preferable to being above it or below it ! "
" But we fix things by kicking out all the jailers , guards , and wardens , " Ned Land added .
" What 's this , Ned ? " I asked . " You ' d seriously consider taking over this craft ? "
" Very seriously , " the Canadian replied .
" It 's impossible . "
" And why is that , sir ? Some promising opportunity might come up , and I don't see what could stop us from taking advantage of it . If there are only about twenty men on board this machine , I do not think they can stave off two Frenchmen and a Canadian ! "
It seemed wiser to accept the harpooner 's proposition than to debate it . Accordingly , I was content to reply : " Let such circumstances come , Mr. Land , and we'll see . But until then , I beg you to control your impatience . We need to act shrewdly , and your flare - ups will not give rise to any promising opportunities . So swear to me that you will accept our situation without throwing a tantrum over it . "
" I give you my word , professor , " Ned Land replied in an unenthusiastic tone . " No vehement phrases will leave my mouth , no vicious gestures will give my feelings away , not even when they do not feed us on time . "
" I have your word , Ned , " I answered the Canadian .
Then our conversation petered out , and each of us withdrew into his own thoughts . For my part , despite the harpooner 's confident talk , I admit that I entertained no illusions . I had no faith in those promising opportunities that Ned Land mentioned . To operate with such efficiency , this underwater boat had to have a sizeable crew , so if it came to a physical contest , we would be facing an overwhelming opponent . Besides , before we could do anything , we had to be free , and that we definitely were not . I did not see any way out of this sheet - iron , hermetically sealed cell . And if the strange commander of this boat did have a secret to keep - - which seemed rather likely - - he would never give us freedom of movement aboard his vessel . Now then , would he resort to violence in order to be rid of us , or would he drop us off one day on some remote coast ? There lay the unknown . All these hypotheses seemed extremely plausible to me , and to hope for freedom through use of force , you had to be a harpooner .
I realized , moreover , that Ned Land 's brooding was getting him madder by the minute . Little by little , I heard those aforesaid cusswords welling up in the depths of his gullet , and I saw his movements turn threatening again . He stood up , pacing in circles like a wild beast in a cage , striking the walls with his foot and fist . Meanwhile the hours passed , our hunger nagged unmercifully , and this time the steward did not appear . Which amounted to forgetting our castaway status for much too long , if they really had good intentions toward us .
Tortured by the growling of his well - built stomach , Ned Land was getting more and more riled , and despite his word of honor , I was in real dread of an explosion when he stood in the presence of one of the men on board .
For two more hours Ned Land 's rage increased . The Canadian shouted and pleaded , but to no avail . The sheet - iron walls were deaf . I didn't hear a single sound inside this dead - seeming boat . The vessel had not stirred , because I obviously would have felt its hull vibrating under the influence of the propeller . It had undoubtedly sunk into the watery deep and no longer belonged to the outside world . All this dismal silence was terrifying .
As for our neglect , our isolation in the depths of this cell , I was afraid to guess at how long it might last . Little by little , hopes I had entertained after our interview with the ship 's commander were fading away . The gentleness of the man 's gaze , the generosity expressed in his facial features , the nobility of his bearing , all vanished from my memory . I saw this mystifying individual anew for what he inevitably must be : cruel and merciless . I viewed him as outside humanity , beyond all feelings of compassion , the implacable foe of his fellow man , toward whom he must have sworn an undying hate !
But even so , was the man going to let us die of starvation , locked up in this cramped prison , exposed to those horrible temptations to which people are driven by extreme hunger ? This grim possibility took on a dreadful intensity in my mind , and fired by my imagination , I felt an unreasoning terror run through me . Conseil stayed calm . Ned Land bellowed .
Just then a noise was audible outside . Footsteps rang on the metal tiling . The locks were turned , the door opened , the steward appeared .
Before I could make a single movement to prevent him , the Canadian rushed at the poor man , threw him down , held him by the throat . The steward was choking in the grip of those powerful hands .
Conseil was already trying to loosen the harpooner 's hands from his half - suffocated victim , and I had gone to join in the rescue , when I was abruptly nailed to the spot by these words pronounced in French : " Calm down , Mr. Land ! And you , professor , kindly listen to me ! "
It was the ship 's commander who had just spoken .
At these words Ned Land stood up quickly . Nearly strangled , the steward staggered out at a signal from his superior ; but such was the commander 's authority aboard his vessel , not one gesture gave away the resentment that this man must have felt toward the Canadian . In silence we waited for the outcome of this scene ; Conseil , in spite of himself , seemed almost fascinated , I was stunned .
Arms crossed , leaning against a corner of the table , the commander studied us with great care . Was he reluctant to speak further ? Did he regret those words he had just pronounced in French ? You would have thought so .
After a few moments of silence , which none of us would have dreamed of interrupting : " Gentlemen , " he said in a calm , penetrating voice , " I speak French , English , German , and Latin with equal fluency . Hence I could have answered you as early as our initial interview , but first I wanted to make your acquaintance and then think things over . Your four versions of the same narrative , perfectly consistent by and large , established your personal identities for me . I now know that sheer chance has placed in my presence Professor Pierre Aronnax , specialist in natural history at the Paris Museum and entrusted with a scientific mission abroad , his manservant Conseil , and Ned Land , a harpooner of Canadian origin aboard the Abraham Lincoln , a frigate in the national navy of the United States of America . "
I bowed in agreement . The commander hadn't put a question to me . So no answer was called for . This man expressed himself with perfect ease and without a trace of an accent . His phrasing was clear , his words well chosen , his facility in elocution remarkable . And yet , to me , he did not have " the feel " of a fellow countryman .
He went on with the conversation as follows : " No doubt , sir , you've felt that I waited rather too long before paying you this second visit . After discovering your identities , I wanted to weigh carefully what policy to pursue toward you . I had great difficulty deciding . Some extremely inconvenient circumstances have brought you into the presence of a man who has cut himself off from humanity . Your coming has disrupted my whole existence . "
" Unintentionally , " I said .
" Unintentionally ? " the stranger replied , raising his voice a little . " Was it unintentionally that the Abraham Lincoln hunted me on every sea ? Was it unintentionally that you traveled aboard that frigate ? Was it unintentionally that your shells bounced off my ship 's hull ? Was it unintentionally that Mr. Ned Land hit me with his harpoon ? "
I detected a controlled irritation in these words . But there was a perfectly natural reply to these charges , and I made it .
" Sir , " I said , " you are surely unaware of the discussions that have taken place in Europe and America with yourself as the subject . You do not realize that various accidents , caused by collisions with your underwater machine , have aroused public passions on those two continents . I will spare you the innumerable hypotheses with which we've tried to explain this inexplicable phenomenon , whose secret is yours alone . But please understand that the Abraham Lincoln chased you over the Pacific high seas in the belief it was hunting some powerful marine monster , which had to be purged from the ocean at all cost . "
A half