The captain, Ned Land, and I were then on the poop, eagerly peering through the profound darkness. "Ned Land," asked the commander, "you have often heard the roaring of whales?" "Often, sir; but never such whales the sight of which brought me in two thousand dollars. If I can only approach within four harpoons' length of it!" "But to approach it," said the commander, "I ought to put a whaler at your disposal?" "Certainly, sir." "That will be trifling with the lives of my men." "And mine too," simply said the harpooner. Towards two o'clock in the morning, the burning light reappeared, not less intense, about five miles to windward of the Abraham Lincoln. Notwithstanding the distance, and the noise of the wind and sea, one heard distinctly the loud strokes of the animal's tail, and even its panting breath. It seemed that, at the moment that the enormous narwhal had come to take breath at the surface of the water, the air was engulfed in its lungs, like the steam in the vast cylinders of a machine of two thousand horse-power. "Hum!" thought I, "a whale with the strength of a cavalry regiment would be a pretty whale!" We were on the qui vive till daylight, and prepared for the combat. The fishing implements were laid along the hammock nettings. The second lieutenant loaded the blunder busses, which could throw harpoons to the distance of a mile, and long duck-guns, with explosive bullets, which inflicted mortal wounds even to the most terrible animals. Ned Land contented himself with sharpening his harpoon--a terrible weapon in his hands. At six o'clock day began to break; and, with the first glimmer of light, the electric light of the narwhal disappeared. At seven o'clock the day was sufficiently advanced, but a very thick sea fog obscured our view, and the best spy glasses could not pierce it. That caused disappointment and anger. I climbed the mizzen-mast. Some officers were already perched on the mast-heads. At eight o'clock the fog lay heavily on the waves, and its thick scrolls rose little by little. The horizon grew wider and clearer at the same time. Suddenly, just as on the day before, Ned Land's voice was heard: "The thing itself on the port quarter!" cried the harpooner. Every eye was turned towards the point indicated. There, a mile and a half from the frigate, a long blackish body emerged a yard above the waves. Its tail, violently agitated, produced a considerable eddy. Never did a tail beat the sea with such violence. An immense track, of dazzling whiteness, marked the passage of the animal, and described a long curve. The frigate approached the cetacean. I examined it thoroughly. The reports of the Shannon and of the Helvetia had rather exaggerated its size, and I estimated its length at only two hundred and fifty feet. As to its dimensions, I could only conjecture them to be admirably proportioned. While I watched this phenomenon, two jets of steam and water were ejected from its vents, and rose to the height of 120 feet; thus I ascertained its way of breathing. I concluded definitely that it belonged to the vertebrate branch, class mammalia. The crew waited impatiently for their chief's orders. The latter, after having observed the animal attentively, called the engineer. The engineer ran to him. "Sir," said the commander, "you have steam up?" "Yes, sir," answered the engineer. "Well, make up your fires and put on all steam." Three hurrahs greeted this order. The time for the struggle had arrived. Some moments after, the two funnels of the frigate vomited torrents of black smoke, and the bridge quaked under the trembling of the boilers. The Abraham Lincoln, propelled by her wonderful screw, went straight at the animal. The latter allowed it to come within half a cable's length; then, as if disdaining to dive, it took a little turn, and stopped a short distance off. This pursuit lasted nearly three-quarters of an hour, without the frigate gaining two yards on the cetacean. It was quite evident that at that rate we should never come up with it. "Well, Mr. Land," asked the captain, "do you advise me to put the boats out to sea?" "No, sir," replied Ned Land; "because we shall not take that beast easily." "What shall we do then?" "Put on more steam if you can, sir. With your leave, I mean to post myself under the bowsprit, and, if we get within harpooning distance, I shall throw my harpoon." "Go, Ned," said the captain. "Engineer, put on more pressure." Ned Land went to his post. The fires were increased, the screw revolved forty-three times a minute, and the steam poured out of the valves. We heaved the log, and calculated that the Abraham Lincoln was going at the rate of 18 1/2 miles an hour. But the accursed animal swam at the same speed. For a whole hour the frigate kept up this pace, without gaining six feet. It was humiliating for one of the swiftest sailers in the American navy. A stubborn anger seized the crew; the sailors abused the monster, who, as before, disdained to answer them; the captain no longer contented himself with twisting his beard--he gnawed it. The engineer was called again. "You have turned full steam on?" "Yes, sir," replied the engineer. The speed of the Abraham Lincoln increased. Its masts trembled down to their stepping holes, and the clouds of smoke could hardly find way out of the narrow funnels. They heaved the log a second time. "Well?" asked the captain of the man at the wheel. "Nineteen miles and three-tenths, sir." "Clap on more steam." The engineer obeyed. The manometer showed ten degrees. But the cetacean grew warm itself, no doubt; for without straining itself, it made 19 3/10 miles. What a pursuit! No, I cannot describe the emotion that vibrated through me. Ned Land kept his post, harpoon in hand. Several times the animal let us gain upon it.--"We shall catch it! we shall catch it!" cried the Canadian. But just as he was going to strike, the cetacean stole away with a rapidity that could not be estimated at less than thirty miles an hour, and even during our maximum of speed, it bullied the frigate, going round and round it. A cry of fury broke from everyone! At noon we were no further advanced than at eight o'clock in the morning. The captain then decided to take more direct means. "Ah!" said he, "that animal goes quicker than the Abraham Lincoln. Very well! we will see whether it will escape these conical bullets. Send your men to the forecastle, sir." The forecastle gun was immediately loaded and slewed round. But the shot passed some feet above the cetacean, which was half a mile off. "Another, more to the right," cried the commander, "and five dollars to whoever will hit that infernal beast." An old gunner with a grey beard--that I can see now--with steady eye and grave face, went up to the gun and took a long aim. A loud report was heard, with which were mingled the cheers of the crew. The bullet did its work; it hit the animal, and, sliding off the rounded surface, was lost in two miles depth of sea. The chase began again, and the captain, leaning towards me, said: "I will pursue that beast till my frigate bursts up." "Yes," answered I; "and you will be quite right to do it." I wished the beast would exhaust itself, and not be insensible to fatigue like a steam engine. But it was of no use. Hours passed, without its showing any signs of exhaustion. However, it must be said in praise of the Abraham Lincoln that she struggled on indefatigably. I cannot reckon the distance she made under three hundred miles during this unlucky day, November the 6th. But night came on, and overshadowed the rough ocean. Now I thought our expedition was at an end, and that we should never again see the extraordinary animal. I was mistaken. At ten minutes to eleven in the evening, the electric light reappeared three miles to windward of the frigate, as pure, as intense as during the preceding night. The narwhal seemed motionless; perhaps, tired with its day's work, it slept, letting itself float with the undulation of the waves. Now was a chance of which the captain resolved to take advantage. He gave his orders. The Abraham Lincoln kept up half steam, and advanced cautiously so as not to awake its adversary. It is no rare thing to meet in the middle of the ocean whales so sound asleep that they can be successfully attacked, and Ned Land had harpooned more than one during its sleep. The Canadian went to take his place again under the bowsprit. The frigate approached noiselessly, stopped at two cables' lengths from the animal, and following its track. No one breathed; a deep silence reigned on the bridge. We were not a hundred feet from the burning focus, the light of which increased and dazzled our eyes. At this moment, leaning on the forecastle bulwark, I saw below me Ned Land grappling the martingale in one hand, brandishing his terrible harpoon in the other, scarcely twenty feet from the motionless animal. Suddenly his arm straightened, and the harpoon was thrown; I heard the sonorous stroke of the weapon, which seemed to have struck a hard body. The electric light went out suddenly, and two enormous waterspouts broke over the bridge of the frigate, rushing like a torrent from stem to stern, overthrowing men, and breaking the lashings of the spars. A fearful shock followed, and, thrown over the rail without having time to stop myself, I fell into the sea. CHAPTER VII AN UNKNOWN SPECIES OF WHALE This unexpected fall so stunned me that I have no clear recollection of my sensations at the time. I was at first drawn down to a depth of about twenty feet. I am a good swimmer (though without pretending to rival Byron or Edgar Poe, who were masters of the art), and in that plunge I did not lose my presence of mind. Two vigorous strokes brought me to the surface of the water. My first care was to look for the frigate. Had the crew seen me disappear? Had the Abraham Lincoln veered round? Would the captain put out a boat? Might I hope to be saved? The darkness was intense. I caught a glimpse of a black mass disappearing in the east, its beacon lights dying out in the distance. It was the frigate! I was lost. "Help, help!" I shouted, swimming towards the Abraham Lincoln in desperation. My clothes encumbered me; they seemed glued to my body, and paralysed my movements. I was sinking! I was suffocating! "Help!" This was my last cry. My mouth filled with water; I struggled against being drawn down the abyss. Suddenly my clothes were seized by a strong hand, and I felt myself quickly drawn up to the surface of the sea; and I heard, yes, I heard these words pronounced in my ear: "If master would be so good as to lean on my shoulder, master would swim with much greater ease." I seized with one hand my faithful Conseil's arm. "Is it you?" said I, "you?" "Myself," answered Conseil; "and waiting master's orders." "That shock threw you as well as me into the sea?" "No; but, being in my master's service, I followed him." The worthy fellow thought that was but natural. "And the frigate?" I asked. "The frigate?" replied Conseil, turning on his back; "I think that master had better not count too much on her." "You think so?" "I say that, at the time I threw myself into the sea, I heard the men at the wheel say, `The screw and the rudder are broken.' "Broken?" "Yes, broken by the monster's teeth. It is the only injury the Abraham Lincoln has sustained. But it is a bad look-out for us--she no longer answers her helm." "Then we are lost!" "Perhaps so," calmly answered Conseil. "However, we have still several hours before us, and one can do a good deal in some hours." Conseil's imperturbable coolness set me up again. I swam more vigorously; but, cramped by my clothes, which stuck to me like a leaden weight, I felt great difficulty in bearing up. Conseil saw this. "Will master let me make a slit?" said he; and, slipping an open knife under my clothes, he ripped them up from top to bottom very rapidly. Then he cleverly slipped them off me, while I swam for both of us. Then I did the same for Conseil, and we continued to swim near to each other. Nevertheless, our situation was no less terrible. Perhaps our disappearance had not been noticed; and, if it had been, the frigate could not tack, being without its helm. Conseil argued on this supposition, and laid his plans accordingly. This quiet boy was perfectly self-possessed. We then decided that, as our only chance of safety was being picked up by the Abraham Lincoln's boats, we ought to manage so as to wait for them as long as possible. I resolved then to husband our strength, so that both should not be exhausted at the same time; and this is how we managed: while one of us lay on our back, quite still, with arms crossed, and legs stretched out, the other would swim and push the other on in front. This towing business did not last more than ten minutes each; and relieving each other thus, we could swim on for some hours, perhaps till day-break. Poor chance! but hope is so firmly rooted in the heart of man! Moreover, there were two of us. Indeed I declare (though it may seem improbable) if I sought to destroy all hope--if I wished to despair, I could not. The collision of the frigate with the cetacean had occurred about eleven o'clock in the evening before. I reckoned then we should have eight hours to swim before sunrise, an operation quite practicable if we relieved each other. The sea, very calm, was in our favour. Sometimes I tried to pierce the intense darkness that was only dispelled by the phosphorescence caused by our movements. I watched the luminous waves that broke over my hand, whose mirror-like surface was spotted with silvery rings. One might have said that we were in a bath of quicksilver. Near one o'clock in the morning, I was seized with dreadful fatigue. My limbs stiffened under the strain of violent cramp. Conseil was obliged to keep me up, and our preservation devolved on him alone. I heard the poor boy pant; his breathing became short and hurried. I found that he could not keep up much longer. "Leave me! leave me!" I said to him. "Leave my master? Never!" replied he. "I would drown first." Just then the moon appeared through the fringes of a thick cloud that the wind was driving to the east. The surface of the sea glittered with its rays. This kindly light reanimated us. My head got better again. I looked at all points of the horizon. I saw the frigate! She was five miles from us, and looked like a dark mass, hardly discernible. But no boats! I would have cried out. But what good would it have been at such a distance! My swollen lips could utter no sounds. Conseil could articulate some words, and I heard him repeat at intervals, "Help! help!" Our movements were suspended for an instant; we listened. It might be only a singing in the ear, but it seemed to me as if a cry answered the cry from Conseil. "Did you hear?" I murmured. "Yes! Yes!" And Conseil gave one more despairing cry. This time there was no mistake! A human voice responded to ours! Was it the voice of another unfortunate creature, abandoned in the middle of the ocean, some other victim of the shock sustained by the vessel? Or rather was it a boat from the frigate, that was hailing us in the darkness? Conseil made a last effort, and, leaning on my shoulder, while I struck out in a desperate effort, he raised himself half out of the water, then fell back exhausted. "What did you see?" "I saw----" murmured he; "I saw--but do not talk--reserve all your strength!" What had he seen? Then, I know not why, the thought of the monster came into my head for the first time! But that voice! The time is past for Jonahs to take refuge in whales' bellies! However, Conseil was towing me again. He raised his head sometimes, looked before us, and uttered a cry of recognition, which was responded to by a voice that came nearer and nearer. I scarcely heard it. My strength was exhausted; my fingers stiffened; my hand afforded me support no longer; my mouth, convulsively opening, filled with salt water. Cold crept over me. I raised my head for the last time, then I sank. At this moment a hard body struck me. I clung to it: then I felt that I was being drawn up, that I was brought to the surface of the water, that my chest collapsed--I fainted. It is certain that I soon came to, thanks to the vigorous rubbings that I received. I half opened my eyes. "Conseil!" I murmured. "Does master call me?" asked Conseil. Just then, by the waning light of the moon which was sinking down to the horizon, I saw a face which was not Conseil's and which I immediately recognised. "Ned!" I cried. "The same, sir, who is seeking his prize!" replied the Canadian. "Were you thrown into the sea by the shock to the frigate?" "Yes, Professor; but more fortunate than you, I was able to find a footing almost directly upon a floating island." "An island?" "Or, more correctly speaking, on our gigantic narwhal." "Explain yourself, Ned!" "Only I soon found out why my harpoon had not entered its skin and was blunted." "Why, Ned, why?" "Because, Professor, that beast is made of sheet iron." The Canadian's last words produced a sudden revolution in my brain. I wriggled myself quickly to the top of the being, or object, half out of the water, which served us for a refuge. I kicked it. It was evidently a hard, impenetrable body, and not the soft substance that forms the bodies of the great marine mammalia. But this hard body might be a bony covering, like that of the antediluvian animals; and I should be free to class this monster among amphibious reptiles, such as tortoises or alligators. Well, no! the blackish back that supported me was smooth, polished, without scales. The blow produced a metallic sound; and, incredible though it may be, it seemed, I might say, as if it was made of riveted plates. There was no doubt about it! This monster, this natural phenomenon that had puzzled the learned world, and over thrown and misled the imagination of seamen of both hemispheres, it must be owned was a still more astonishing phenomenon, inasmuch as it was a simply human construction. We had no time to lose, however. We were lying upon the back of a sort of submarine boat, which appeared (as far as I could judge) like a huge fish of steel. Ned Land's mind was made up on this point. Conseil and I could only agree with him. Just then a bubbling began at the back of this strange thing (which was evidently propelled by a screw), and it began to move. We had only just time to seize hold of the upper part, which rose about seven feet out of the water, and happily its speed was not great. "As long as it sails horizontally," muttered Ned Land, "I do not mind; but, if it takes a fancy to dive, I would not give two straws for my life." The Canadian might have said still less. It became really necessary to communicate with the beings, whatever they were, shut up inside the machine. I searched all over the outside for an aperture, a panel, or a manhole, to use a technical expression; but the lines of the iron rivets, solidly driven into the joints of the iron plates, were clear and uniform. Besides, the moon disappeared then, and left us in total darkness. At last this long night passed. My indistinct remembrance prevents my describing all the impressions it made. I can only recall one circumstance. During some lulls of the wind and sea, I fancied I heard several times vague sounds, a sort of fugitive harmony produced by words of command. What was, then, the mystery of this submarine craft, of which the whole world vainly sought an explanation? What kind of beings existed in this strange boat? What mechanical agent caused its prodigious speed? Daybreak appeared. The morning mists surrounded us, but they soon cleared off. I was about to examine the hull, which formed on deck a kind of horizontal platform, when I felt it gradually sinking. "Oh! confound it!" cried Ned Land, kicking the resounding plate. "Open, you inhospitable rascals!" Happily the sinking movement ceased. Suddenly a noise, like iron works violently pushed aside, came from the interior of the boat. One iron plate was moved, a man appeared, uttered an odd cry, and disappeared immediately. Some moments after, eight strong men, with masked faces, appeared noiselessly, and drew us down into their formidable machine. CHAPTER VIII MOBILIS IN MOBILI This forcible abduction, so roughly carried out, was accomplished with the rapidity of lightning. I shivered all over. Whom had we to deal with? No doubt some new sort of pirates, who explored the sea in their own way. Hardly had the narrow panel closed upon me, when I was enveloped in darkness. My eyes, dazzled with the outer light, could distinguish nothing. I felt my naked feet cling to the rungs of an iron ladder. Ned Land and Conseil, firmly seized, followed me. At the bottom of the ladder, a door opened, and shut after us immediately with a bang. We were alone. Where, I could not say, hardly imagine. All was black, and such a dense black that, after some minutes, my eyes had not been able to discern even the faintest glimmer. Meanwhile, Ned Land, furious at these proceedings, gave free vent to his indignation. "Confound it!" cried he, "here are people who come up to the Scotch for hospitality. They only just miss being cannibals. I should not be surprised at it, but I declare that they shall not eat me without my protesting." "Calm yourself, friend Ned, calm yourself," replied Conseil, quietly. "Do not cry out before you are hurt. We are not quite done for yet." "Not quite," sharply replied the Canadian, "but pretty near, at all events. Things look black. Happily, my bowie knife I have still, and I can always see well enough to use it. The first of these pirates who lays a hand on me----" "Do not excite yourself, Ned," I said to the harpooner, "and do not compromise us by useless violence. Who knows that they will not listen to us? Let us rather try to find out where we are." I groped about. In five steps I came to an iron wall, made of plates bolted together. Then turning back I struck against a wooden table, near which were ranged several stools. The boards of this prison were concealed under a thick mat, which deadened the noise of the feet. The bare walls revealed no trace of window or door. Conseil, going round the reverse way, met me, and we went back to the middle of the cabin, which measured about twenty feet by ten. As to its height, Ned Land, in spite of his own great height, could not measure it. Half an hour had already passed without our situation being bettered, when the dense darkness suddenly gave way to extreme light. Our prison was suddenly lighted, that is to say, it became filled with a luminous matter, so strong that I could not bear it at first. In its whiteness and intensity I recognised that electric light which played round the submarine boat like a magnificent phenomenon of phosphorescence. After shutting my eyes involuntarily, I opened them, and saw that this luminous agent came from a half globe, unpolished, placed in the roof of the cabin. "At last one can see," cried Ned Land, who, knife in hand, stood on the defensive. "Yes," said I; "but we are still in the dark about ourselves." "Let master have patience," said the imperturbable Conseil. The sudden lighting of the cabin enabled me to examine it minutely. It only contained a table and five stools. The invisible door might be hermetically sealed. No noise was heard. All seemed dead in the interior of this boat. Did it move, did it float on the surface of the ocean, or did it dive into its depths? I could not guess. A noise of bolts was now heard, the door opened, and two men appeared. One was short, very muscular, broad-shouldered, with robust limbs, strong head, an abundance of black hair, thick moustache, a quick penetrating look, and the vivacity which characterises the population of Southern France. The second stranger merits a more detailed description. I made out his prevailing qualities directly: self-confidence--because his head was well set on his shoulders, and his black eyes looked around with cold assurance; calmness--for his skin, rather pale, showed his coolness of blood; energy--evinced by the rapid contraction of his lofty brows; and courage--because his deep breathing denoted great power of lungs. Whether this person was thirty-five or fifty years of age, I could not say. He was tall, had a large forehead, straight nose, a clearly cut mouth, beautiful teeth, with fine taper hands, indicative of a highly nervous temperament. This man was certainly the most admirable specimen I had ever met. One particular feature was his eyes, rather far from each other, and which could take in nearly a quarter of the horizon at once. This faculty--(I verified it later)--gave him a range of vision far superior to Ned Land's. When this stranger fixed upon an object, his eyebrows met, his large eyelids closed around so as to contract the range of his vision, and he looked as if he magnified the objects lessened by distance, as if he pierced those sheets of water so opaque to our eyes, and as if he read the very depths of the seas. The two strangers, with caps made from the fur of the sea otter, and shod with sea boots of seal's skin, were dressed in clothes of a particular texture, which allowed free movement of the limbs. The taller of the two, evidently the chief on board, examined us with great attention, without saying a word; then, turning to his companion, talked with him in an unknown tongue. It was a sonorous, harmonious, and flexible dialect, the vowels seeming to admit of very varied accentuation. The other replied by a shake of the head, and added two or three perfectly incomprehensible words. Then he seemed to question me by a look. I replied in good French that I did not know his language; but he seemed not to understand me, and my situation became more embarrassing. "If master were to tell our story," said Conseil, "perhaps these gentlemen may understand some words." I began to tell our adventures, articulating each syllable clearly, and without omitting one single detail. I announced our names and rank, introducing in person Professor Aronnax, his servant Conseil, and master Ned Land, the harpooner. The man with the soft calm eyes listened to me quietly, even politely, and with extreme attention; but nothing in his countenance indicated that he had understood my story. When I finished, he said not a word. There remained one resource, to speak English. Perhaps they would know this almost universal language. I knew it--as well as the German language--well enough to read it fluently, but not to speak it correctly. But, anyhow, we must make ourselves understood. "Go on in your turn," I said to the harpooner; "speak your best Anglo-Saxon, and try to do better than I." Ned did not beg off, and recommenced our story. To his great disgust, the harpooner did not seem to have made himself more intelligible than I had. Our visitors did not stir. They evidently understood neither the language of England nor of France. Very much embarrassed, after having vainly exhausted our speaking resources, I knew not what part to take, when Conseil said: "If master will permit me, I will relate it in German." But in spite of the elegant terms and good accent of the narrator, the German language had no success. At last, nonplussed, I tried to remember my first lessons, and to narrate our adventures in Latin, but with no better success. This last attempt being of no avail, the two strangers exchanged some words in their unknown language, and retired. The door shut. "It is an infamous shame," cried Ned Land, who broke out for the twentieth time. "We speak to those rogues in French, English, German, and Latin, and not one of them has the politeness to answer!" "Calm yourself," I said to the impetuous Ned; "anger will do no good." "But do you see, Professor," replied our irascible companion, "that we shall absolutely die of hunger in this iron cage?" "Bah!" said Conseil, philosophically; "we can hold out some time yet." "My friends," I said, "we must not despair. We have been worse off than this. Do me the favour to wait a little before forming an opinion upon the commander and crew of this boat." "My opinion is formed," replied Ned Land, sharply. "They are rascals." "Good! and from what country?" "From the land of rogues!" "My brave Ned, that country is not clearly indicated on the map of the world; but I admit that the nationality of the two strangers is hard to determine. Neither English, French, nor German, that is quite certain. However, I am inclined to think that the commander and his companion were born in low latitudes. There is southern blood in them. But I cannot decide by their appearance whether they are Spaniards, Turks, Arabians, or Indians. As to their language, it is quite incomprehensible." "There is the disadvantage of not knowing all languages," said Conseil, "or the disadvantage of not having one universal language." As he said these words, the door opened. A steward entered. He brought us clothes, coats and trousers, made of a stuff I did not know. I hastened to dress myself, and my companions followed my example. During that time, the steward--dumb, perhaps deaf--had arranged the table, and laid three plates. "This is something like!" said Conseil. "Bah!" said the angry harpooner, "what do you suppose they eat here? Tortoise liver, filleted shark, and beef steaks from seadogs." "We shall see," said Conseil. The dishes, of bell metal, were placed on the table, and we took our places. Undoubtedly we had to do with civilised people, and, had it not been for the electric light which flooded us, I could have fancied I was in the dining-room of the Adelphi Hotel at Liverpool, or at the Grand Hotel in Paris. I must say, however, that there was neither bread nor wine. The water was fresh and clear, but it was water and did not suit Ned Land's taste. Amongst the dishes which were brought to us, I recognised several fish delicately dressed; but of some, although excellent, I could give no opinion, neither could I tell to what kingdom they belonged, whether animal or vegetable. As to the dinner-service, it was elegant, and in perfect taste. Each utensil--spoon, fork, knife, plate--had a letter engraved on it, with a motto above it, of which this is an exact facsimile: MOBILIS IN MOBILI N The letter N was no doubt the initial of the name of the enigmatical person who commanded at the bottom of the seas. Ned and Conseil did not reflect much. They devoured the food, and I did likewise. I was, besides, reassured as to our fate; and it seemed evident that our hosts would not let us die of want. However, everything has an end, everything passes away, even the hunger of people who have not eaten for fifteen hours. Our appetites satisfied, we felt overcome with sleep. "Faith! I shall sleep well," said Conseil. "So shall I," replied Ned Land. My two companions stretched themselves on the cabin carpet, and were soon sound asleep. For my own part, too many thoughts crowded my brain, too many insoluble questions pressed upon me, too many fancies kept my eyes half open. Where were we? What strange power carried us on? I felt--or rather fancied I felt--the machine sinking down to the lowest beds of the sea. Dreadful nightmares beset me; I saw in these mysterious asylums a world of unknown animals, amongst which this submarine boat seemed to be of the same kind, living, moving, and formidable as they. Then my brain grew calmer, my imagination wandered into vague unconsciousness, and I soon fell into a deep sleep. CHAPTER IX NED LAND'S TEMPERS How long we slept I do not know; but our sleep must have lasted long, for it rested us completely from our fatigues. I woke first. My companions had not moved, and were still stretched in their corner. Hardly roused from my somewhat hard couch, I felt my brain freed, my mind clear. I then began an attentive examination of our cell. Nothing was changed inside. The prison was still a prison--the prisoners, prisoners. However, the steward, during our sleep, had cleared the table. I breathed with difficulty. The heavy air seemed to oppress my lungs. Although the cell was large, we had evidently consumed a great part of the oxygen that it contained. Indeed, each man consumes, in one hour, the oxygen contained in more than 176 pints of air, and this air, charged (as then) with a nearly equal quantity of carbonic acid, becomes unbreathable. It became necessary to renew the atmosphere of our prison, and no doubt the whole in the submarine boat. That gave rise to a question in my mind. How would the commander of this floating dwelling-place proceed? Would he obtain air by chemical means, in getting by heat the oxygen contained in chlorate of potash, and in absorbing carbonic acid by caustic potash? Or--a more convenient, economical, and consequently more probable alternative--would he be satisfied to rise and take breath at the surface of the water, like a whale, and so renew for twenty-four hours the atmospheric provision? In fact, I was already obliged to increase my respirations to eke out of this cell the little oxygen it contained, when suddenly I was refreshed by a current of pure air, and perfumed with saline emanations. It was an invigorating sea breeze, charged with iodine. I opened my mouth wide, and my lungs saturated themselves with fresh particles. At the same time I felt the boat rolling. The iron-plated monster had evidently just risen to the surface of the ocean to breathe, after the fashion of whales. I found out from that the mode of ventilating the boat. When I had inhaled this air freely, I sought the conduit pipe, which conveyed to us the beneficial whiff, and I was not long in finding it. Above the door was a ventilator, through which volumes of fresh air renewed the impoverished atmosphere of the cell. I was making my observations, when Ned and Conseil awoke almost at the same time, under the influence of this reviving air. They rubbed their eyes, stretched themselves, and were on their feet in an instant. "Did master sleep well?" asked Conseil, with his usual politeness. "Very well, my brave boy. And you, Mr. Land?" "Soundly, Professor. But, I don't know if I am right or not, there seems to be a sea breeze!" A seaman could not be mistaken, and I told the Canadian all that had passed during his sleep. "Good!" said he. "That accounts for those roarings we heard, when the supposed narwhal sighted the Abraham Lincoln." "Quite so, Master Land; it was taking breath." "Only, Mr. Aronnax, I have no idea what o'clock it is, unless it is dinner-time." "Dinner-time! my good fellow? Say rather breakfast-time, for we certainly have begun another day." "So," said Conseil, "we have slept twenty-four hours?" "That is my opinion." "I will not contradict you," replied Ned Land. "But, dinner or breakfast, the steward will be welcome, whichever he brings." "Master Land, we must conform to the rules on board, and I suppose our appetites are in advance of the dinner hour." "That is just like you, friend Conseil," said Ned, impatiently. "You are never out of temper, always calm; you would return thanks before grace, and die of hunger rather than complain!" Time was getting on, and we were fearfully hungry; and this time the steward did not appear. It was rather too long to leave us, if they really had good intentions towards us. Ned Land, tormented by the cravings of hunger, got still more angry; and, notwithstanding his promise, I dreaded an explosion when he found himself with one of the crew. For two hours more Ned Land's temper increased; he cried, he shouted, but in vain. The walls were deaf. There was no sound to be heard in the boat; all was still as death. It did not move, for I should have felt the trembling motion of the hull under the influence of the screw. Plunged in the depths of the waters, it belonged no longer to earth: this silence was dreadful. I felt terrified, Conseil was calm, Ned Land roared. Just then a noise was heard outside. Steps sounded on the metal flags. The locks were turned, the door opened, and the steward appeared. Before I could rush forward to stop him, the Canadian had thrown him down, and held him by the throat. The steward was choking under the grip of his powerful hand. Conseil was already trying to unclasp the harpooner's hand from his half-suffocated victim, and I was going to fly to the rescue, when suddenly I was nailed to the spot by hearing these words in French: "Be quiet, Master Land; and you, Professor, will you be so good as to listen to me?" CHAPTER X THE MAN OF THE SEAS It was the commander of the vessel who thus spoke. At these words, Ned Land rose suddenly. The steward, nearly strangled, tottered out on a sign from his master. But such was the power of the commander on board, that not a gesture betrayed the resentment which this man must have felt towards the Canadian. Conseil interested in spite of himself, I stupefied, awaited in silence the result of this scene. The commander, leaning against the corner of a table with his arms folded, scanned us with profound attention. Did he hesitate to speak? Did he regret the words which he had just spoken in French? One might almost think so. After some moments of silence, which not one of us dreamed of breaking, "Gentlemen," said he, in a calm and penetrating voice, "I speak French, English, German, and Latin equally well. I could, therefore, have answered you at our first interview, but I wished to know you first, then to reflect. The story told by each one, entirely agreeing in the main points, convinced me of your identity. I know now that chance has brought before me M. Pierre Aronnax, Professor of Natural History at the Museum of Paris, entrusted with a scientific mission abroad, Conseil, his servant, and Ned Land, of Canadian origin, harpooner on board the frigate Abraham Lincoln of the navy of the United States of America." I bowed assent. It was not a question that the commander put to me. Therefore there was no answer to be made. This man expressed himself with perfect ease, without any accent. His sentences were well turned, his words clear, and his fluency of speech remarkable. Yet, I did not recognise in him a fellow-countryman. He continued the conversation in these terms: "You have doubtless thought, sir, that I have delayed long in paying you this second visit. The reason is that, your identity recognised, I wished to weigh maturely what part to act towards you. I have hesitated much. Most annoying circumstances have brought you into the presence of a man who has broken all the ties of humanity. You have come to trouble my existence." "Unintentionally!" said I. "Unintentionally?" replied the stranger, raising his voice a little. "Was it unintentionally that the Abraham Lincoln pursued me all over the seas? Was it unintentionally that you took passage in this frigate? Was it unintentionally that your cannon-balls rebounded off the plating of my vessel? Was it unintentionally that Mr. Ned Land struck me with his harpoon?" I detected a restrained irritation in these words. But to these recriminations I had a very natural answer to make, and I made it. "Sir," said I, "no doubt you are ignorant of the discussions which have taken place concerning you in America and Europe. You do not know that divers accidents, caused by collisions with your submarine machine, have excited public feeling in the two continents. I omit the theories without number by which it was sought to explain that of which you alone possess the secret. But you must understand that, in pursuing you over the high seas of the Pacific, the Abraham Lincoln believed itself to be chasing some powerful sea-monster, of which it was necessary to rid the ocean at any price." A half-smile curled the lips of the commander: then, in a calmer tone: "M. Aronnax," he replied, "dare you affirm that your frigate would not as soon have pursued and cannonaded a submarine boat as a monster?" This question embarrassed me, for certainly Captain Farragut might not have hesitated. He might have thought it his duty to destroy a contrivance of this kind, as he would a gigantic narwhal. "You understand then, sir," continued the stranger, "that I have the right to treat you as enemies?" I answered nothing, purposely. For what good would it be to discuss such a proposition, when force could destroy the best arguments? "I have hesitated some time," continued the commander; "nothing obliged me to show you hospitality. If I chose to separate myself from you, I should have no interest in seeing you again; I could place you upon the deck of this vessel which has served you as a refuge, I could sink beneath the waters, and forget that you had ever existed. Would not that be my right?" "It might be the right of a savage," I answered, "but not that of a civilised man." "Professor," replied the commander, quickly, "I am not what you call a civilised man! I have done with society entirely, for reasons which I alone have the right of appreciating. I do not, therefore, obey its laws, and I desire you never to allude to them before me again!" This was said plainly. A flash of anger and disdain kindled in the eyes of the Unknown, and I had a glimpse of a terrible past in the life of this man. Not only had he put himself beyond the pale of human laws, but he had made himself independent of them, free in the strictest acceptation of the word, quite beyond their reach! Who then would dare to pursue him at the bottom of the sea, when, on its surface, he defied all attempts made against him? What vessel could resist the shock of his submarine monitor? What cuirass, however thick, could withstand the blows of his spur? No man could demand from him an account of his actions; God, if he believed in one--his conscience, if he had one--were the sole judges to whom he was answerable. These reflections crossed my mind rapidly, whilst the stranger personage was silent, absorbed, and as if wrapped up in himself. I regarded him with fear mingled with interest, as, doubtless, OEdiphus regarded the Sphinx. After rather a long silence, the commander resumed the conversation. "I have hesitated," said he, "but I have thought that my interest might be reconciled with that pity to which every human being has a right. You will remain on board my vessel, since fate has cast you there. You will be free; and, in exchange for this liberty, I shall only impose one single condition. Your word of honour to submit to it will suffice." "Speak, sir," I answered. "I suppose this condition is one which a man of honour may accept?" "Yes, sir; it is this: It is possible that certain events, unforeseen, may oblige me to consign you to your cabins for some hours or some days, as the case may be. As I desire never to use violence, I expect from you, more than all the others, a passive obedience. In thus acting, I take all the responsibility: I acquit you entirely, for I make it an impossibility for you to see what ought not to be seen. Do you accept this condition?" Then things took place on board which, to say the least, were singular, and which ought not to be seen by people who were not placed beyond the pale of social laws. Amongst the surprises which the future was preparing for me, this might not be the least. "We accept," I answered; "only I will ask your permission, sir, to address one question to you--one only." "Speak, sir." , , , 1 . 2 3 " , " , " 4 ? " 5 6 " , ; 7 . ' 8 ! " 9 10 " , " , " 11 ? " 12 13 " , . " 14 15 " . " 16 17 " , " . 18 19 ' , , 20 , . 21 , , 22 ' , 23 . , 24 , 25 , 26 - . 27 28 " ! " , " 29 ! " 30 31 , . 32 . 33 , 34 , - , , 35 . 36 - - 37 . 38 39 ' ; , 40 , . ' 41 , 42 , . 43 . 44 45 - . 46 - . ' , 47 . 48 . , , 49 ' : 50 51 " ! " . 52 53 . , 54 , 55 . , , . 56 . , 57 , , 58 . 59 60 . . 61 62 63 , 64 . , 65 . , 66 , 67 ; . 68 , . 69 70 ' . , 71 , . 72 . 73 74 " , " , " ? " 75 76 " , , " . 77 78 " , . " 79 80 . 81 . , 82 , 83 . 84 85 , , 86 . ' 87 ; , , , 88 . 89 90 - , 91 . 92 . 93 94 " , . , " , " 95 ? " 96 97 " , , " ; " 98 . " 99 100 " ? " 101 102 " , . , 103 , , , 104 . " 105 106 " , , " . " , . " 107 108 . , 109 - , 110 . , 111 / . 112 113 . 114 115 , 116 . 117 . ; 118 , , , ; 119 - - . 120 121 . 122 123 " ? " 124 125 " , , " . 126 127 . 128 , 129 . 130 131 . 132 133 " ? " . 134 135 " - , . " 136 137 " . " 138 139 . . 140 , ; , 141 / . 142 143 ! , 144 . , . 145 . - - " ! 146 ! " . , 147 148 , , 149 , . 150 ! 151 152 ' 153 . 154 155 . 156 157 " ! " , " . 158 ! . 159 , . " 160 161 . 162 , . 163 164 " , , " , " 165 . " 166 167 - - - - 168 , . 169 , . 170 171 ; , , 172 , . 173 174 , , , : 175 176 " . " 177 178 " , " ; " . " 179 180 , 181 . . , 182 . 183 184 , 185 . 186 , . 187 , . 188 189 , 190 . . 191 , 192 , , 193 . 194 195 ; , ' , 196 , . 197 . 198 199 . , 200 . 201 202 , 203 . 204 . 205 206 , ' 207 , . ; 208 . 209 , . 210 211 , , 212 , 213 , . 214 , ; 215 , . 216 , 217 , 218 , , . 219 , , 220 , . 221 222 223 224 225 226 227 228 229 . 230 . ( 231 , ) , 232 . 233 . 234 . ? 235 ? ? 236 ? 237 238 . 239 , . 240 ! . 241 242 " , ! " , 243 . 244 245 ; , 246 . 247 248 ! ! 249 250 " ! " 251 252 . ; 253 . 254 , 255 ; , , : 256 257 " , 258 . " 259 260 ' . 261 262 " ? " , " ? " 263 264 " , " ; " ' . " 265 266 " ? " 267 268 " ; , ' , . " 269 270 . 271 272 " ? " . 273 274 " ? " , ; " 275 . " 276 277 " ? " 278 279 " , , 280 , . ' 281 282 " ? " 283 284 " , ' . 285 . - - - 286 . " 287 288 " ! " 289 290 " , " . " , 291 , . " 292 293 ' . 294 ; , , 295 , . . 296 297 " ? " ; , 298 , . 299 , . 300 301 , 302 . 303 304 , . 305 ; , , 306 , . 307 , . 308 - . , 309 ' , 310 . 311 , 312 ; : , 313 , , , 314 . 315 ; , 316 , - . ! 317 ! , 318 . ( ) 319 - - , . 320 321 322 ' . 323 , 324 . , , . 325 326 . 327 , - 328 . 329 . 330 331 ' , . 332 . 333 , . 334 ; . 335 . 336 337 " ! ! " . 338 339 " ? ! " . " . " 340 341 342 . 343 . . 344 . . ! 345 , , 346 . ! 347 348 . 349 ! . 350 , , " ! 351 ! " 352 353 ; . 354 , 355 . 356 357 " ? " . 358 359 " ! ! " 360 361 . 362 363 ! ! 364 , 365 , ? 366 , 367 ? 368 369 , , , 370 , , 371 . 372 373 " ? " 374 375 " - - - - " ; " - - - - 376 ! " 377 378 ? , , 379 ! ! 380 ' ! , 381 . , , 382 , 383 . . 384 ; ; ; 385 , , . 386 . , . 387 388 . : 389 , , 390 - - . 391 392 , 393 . . 394 395 " ! " . 396 397 " ? " . 398 399 , 400 , ' 401 . 402 403 " ! " . 404 405 " , , ! " . 406 407 " ? " 408 409 " , ; , 410 . " 411 412 " ? " 413 414 " , , . " 415 416 " , ! " 417 418 " 419 . " 420 421 " , , ? " 422 423 " , , . " 424 425 ' . 426 , , 427 , . . 428 , , 429 . 430 , ; 431 , 432 . 433 434 , ! , , 435 . ; , 436 , , , 437 . 438 439 ! , 440 , 441 , 442 , 443 . 444 445 , . 446 , ( ) 447 . ' . 448 . 449 450 ( 451 ) , . 452 , 453 , . 454 455 " , " , " ; 456 , , 457 . " 458 459 . 460 , , 461 . , , 462 , ; 463 , , 464 . , , 465 . 466 467 . 468 . 469 . , 470 , 471 . , , , 472 ? 473 ? 474 ? 475 476 . , 477 . , 478 , . 479 480 " ! ! " , . 481 " , ! " 482 483 . , 484 , . 485 , , , 486 . 487 488 , , , 489 , . 490 491 492 493 494 495 496 497 , , 498 . . 499 ? , 500 . , 501 . , , 502 . 503 . , , . 504 , , 505 . 506 507 . , , . , 508 , , 509 . 510 511 , , , 512 . 513 514 " ! " , " 515 . . 516 , 517 . " 518 519 " , , , " , . 520 " . . " 521 522 " , " , " , 523 . . , , 524 . 525 - - - - " 526 527 " , , " , " 528 . 529 ? . " 530 531 . , 532 . , 533 . 534 , . 535 . , 536 , , , 537 . , , 538 , . 539 540 , 541 . 542 , , 543 , . 544 545 . 546 , , 547 , , 548 . 549 550 " , " , , , 551 . 552 553 " , " ; " . " 554 555 " , " . 556 557 . 558 . 559 . . 560 . , 561 , ? . 562 563 , , . 564 565 , , - , , 566 , , , 567 , 568 . 569 570 . 571 : - - - 572 , 573 ; - - , , 574 ; - - ; 575 - - . 576 577 - , 578 . , , , 579 , , , 580 . 581 . , 582 , 583 . 584 585 - - ( ) - - 586 ' . , 587 , 588 , 589 , 590 , . 591 592 , , 593 ' , 594 , . 595 , , 596 , ; , , 597 . , , 598 , 599 . 600 601 , 602 . 603 . 604 605 ; 606 , . 607 608 " , " , " 609 . " 610 611 , , 612 . , 613 , , 614 , . 615 616 , , 617 ; 618 . , . 619 620 , . 621 . - - 622 - - , 623 . , , . 624 625 " , " ; " 626 - , . " 627 628 , . 629 630 , 631 . . 632 . 633 634 , 635 , , : 636 637 " , . " 638 639 , 640 . , , 641 , , 642 . , 643 , . 644 645 . 646 647 " , " , 648 . " , , , 649 , ! " 650 651 " , " ; " . " 652 653 " , , " , " 654 ? " 655 656 " ! " , ; " . " 657 658 " , " , " . 659 . 660 . " 661 662 " , " , . " . " 663 664 " ! ? " 665 666 " ! " 667 668 " , 669 ; 670 . , , , . 671 , 672 . . 673 , , 674 , . , 675 . " 676 677 " , " , 678 " . " 679 680 , . . 681 , , . 682 , . 683 , - - , - - 684 , . 685 686 " ! " . 687 688 " ! " , " ? 689 , , . " 690 691 " , " . 692 693 , , , 694 . , , 695 , 696 - , 697 . , , 698 . , 699 ' . 700 , ; , 701 , , 702 , . 703 - , , . 704 - - , , , - - , 705 , : 706 707 708 709 710 711 . 712 713 . , 714 . , , ; 715 . 716 717 , , , 718 . 719 , . 720 721 " ! , " . 722 723 " , " . 724 725 , 726 . , 727 , , 728 . ? 729 ? - - - - 730 . ; 731 , 732 , , , 733 . , 734 , . 735 736 737 738 739 740 ' 741 742 ; , 743 . . 744 , . 745 746 , , 747 . . 748 . - - 749 , . , , , 750 . . 751 . , 752 . , 753 , , 754 , , ( ) 755 , . 756 757 , 758 . 759 . - ? 760 , 761 , 762 ? - - , , 763 - - 764 , , 765 - ? 766 767 , 768 , 769 , 770 . , . 771 , 772 . 773 774 . - 775 , 776 . 777 . 778 779 , , 780 , . 781 , 782 . 783 784 , 785 , . 786 , , . 787 788 " ? " , . 789 790 " , . , . ? " 791 792 " , . , ' , 793 ! " 794 795 , 796 . 797 798 " ! " . " , 799 . " 800 801 " , ; . " 802 803 " , . , ' , 804 - . " 805 806 " - ! ? - , 807 . " 808 809 " , " , " - ? " 810 811 " . " 812 813 " , " . " , 814 , , . " 815 816 " , , 817 . " 818 819 " , , " , . " 820 , ; 821 , ! " 822 823 , ; 824 . , 825 . , 826 , ; , 827 , 828 . 829 830 ' ; , , 831 . . 832 ; . , 833 . 834 , : 835 . 836 837 , , . 838 839 . . 840 , , . 841 842 , 843 , . 844 . 845 846 ' 847 - , , 848 : 849 850 " , ; , , 851 ? " 852 853 854 855 856 857 858 859 . 860 861 , . , , 862 . 863 , 864 . 865 , , 866 . 867 868 , 869 , . ? 870 ? 871 . 872 873 , , 874 " , " , , " , 875 , , . , , 876 , , 877 . , 878 , . 879 . , 880 , , 881 , , , , 882 883 . " 884 885 . . 886 . 887 , . , 888 , . , 889 - . 890 891 : 892 893 " , , 894 . , , 895 . 896 . 897 . 898 . " 899 900 " ! " . 901 902 " ? " , . 903 " 904 ? 905 ? - 906 ? . 907 ? " 908 909 . 910 , . 911 912 " , " , " 913 . 914 , , 915 . 916 917 . , 918 , 919 - , 920 . " 921 922 - : , : 923 924 " . , " , " 925 ? " 926 927 , 928 . 929 , . 930 931 " , , " , " 932 ? " 933 934 , . 935 , ? 936 937 " , " ; " 938 . , 939 ; 940 , 941 , . 942 ? " 943 944 " , " , " 945 . " 946 947 " , " , , " 948 ! , 949 . , , 950 , ! " 951 952 . 953 , 954 . 955 , , 956 , ! 957 , , 958 , ? 959 960 ? 961 , , ? 962 ; , 963 - - , - - 964 . 965 966 , 967 , , . 968 , , , 969 . 970 971 , . 972 973 " , " , " 974 . 975 , . 976 ; , , 977 . 978 . " 979 980 " , , " . " 981 ? " 982 983 " , ; : , , 984 985 , . , 986 , , . 987 , : , 988 . 989 ? " 990 991 , , , 992 993 . 994 , . 995 996 " , " ; " , , 997 - - . " 998 999 " , . " 1000