November 3, 2023 • 26 mins
"20,000 Leagues Under the Sea" is a classic science fiction adventure novel written by the French author Jules Verne. First published in 1870, the novel is set in the 19th century and follows the thrilling journey of Captain Nemo and his remarkable submarine, the Nautilus.The story is narrated by Professor Pierre Aronnax, a renowned marine biologist who, along with his loyal servant Conseil and harpoonist Ned Land, is taken aboard the Nautilus after their ship is attacked and sunk by an enigmatic and reclusive captain known as Captain Nemo. Nemo is a mysterious and enigmatic character who shuns contact with the outside world and chooses to live beneath the sea, exploring its depths in his advanced and technologically advanced submarine.As the protagonists join Nemo on his undersea adventures, they discover a breathtaking and fantastical world beneath the waves. They encounter a wide variety of marine life, explore hidden underwater landscapes, and even witness the lost city of Atlantis. The novel explores themes of exploration, the wonders of the natural world, and the consequences of unchecked technology."20,000 Leagues Under the Sea" is not only an exciting adventure story but also a reflection on the relationship between humanity and nature, as well as the ethical dilemmas posed by scientific and technological progress. Jules Verne's vivid descriptions of the undersea world and the captivating character of Captain Nemo have made this novel a timeless classic in the genre of science fiction and adventure literature. It continues to captivate readers with its sense of wonder and imagination, as well as its exploration of the mysteries of the deep sea.
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(00:01):
This is a LibriVox recording. AllLibriVox recordings are in the public domain.
For more information or to volunteer,please visit LibriVox dot org. Twenty thousand
Leagues under the Seas by Jules Verne, second part, Chapter nineteen. The
Gulf stream this dreadful scene on Apriltwenty none of us will ever be able
(00:25):
to forget. I wrote it upin a state of intense excitement. Later
I reviewed my narrative. I readit to Conseil and the Canadian. They
found it accurate in detailed, butdeficient in impact. To convey such sights,
it would take the pen of ourmost famous poet, Victor Hugo,
author of The Toilers of the Sea. As I said, Captain Nemo wept
(00:50):
while staring at the waves. Hisgrief was immense. This was the second
companion he had lost since we hadcome aboard. And what a way to
die. Smashed, strangled, crushedby the fearsome arms of a devilfish ground
between its iron mandibles. This friendwould never rest with his companions in the
(01:11):
placid waters of their coral cemetery.As for me, what had harrowed my
heart in the thick of this strugglewas the despairing yell given by this unfortunate
man forgetting his regulation language. Thispoor Frenchman had reverted to speaking his own
mother tongue, to fling out onesupreme plea. Among the Nautilus's crew allied
(01:34):
body and soul with Captain Nemo,and likewise, fleeing from human contact,
I had found a fellow countryman.Was he the only representative of France in
this mysterious alliance obviously made up ofindividuals from different nationalities. This was just
one more of those insoluble problems thatkept welling up in my mind. Captain
(01:57):
Nemo re entered his stateroom, andI saw no more of him for a
good while. But how sad,despairing and irresolute he must have felt,
to judge from this ship whose soulhe was, which reflected his every mood.
The Nautilus no longer kept to afixed heading. It drifted back and
forth, riding with the waves likea corpse. Its propeller had been disentangled,
(02:21):
but was barely put to use.It was navigating at random. It
couldn't tear itself away from the settingof this last struggle, from this sea
that had devoured one of its own. Ten days went by in this way.
It was only on May one thatthe Nautilus openly resumed its northbound course.
(02:43):
After raising the Bahamas at the mouthof Old Bahama Channel, we then
went with the current of the sea'sgreatest river, which has its own banks,
fish, and temperature. I meanthe Gulf Stream. It is indeed
a river that runs independently through themiddle of the Atlantic, its waters never
mixing with the ocean's waters. It'sa salty river, saltier than the sea
(03:07):
surrounding it. Its average depth isthree thousand feet, its average width sixty
miles. In certain localities, itscurrent moves at a speed of four kilometers
per hour. The unchanging volume ofits waters is greater than that of all
the world's rivers combined, as discoveredby Commander Maury. The true source of
(03:29):
the Gulf Stream, its starting point, if you prefer, is located in
the Bay of Biscay. There,its waters, still weak in temperature and
color, begin to form. Itgoes down south, skirts Equatorial Africa,
warms its waves in the rays ofthe torrid zone, crosses the Atlantic,
(03:50):
reaches Cape Sauroch on the coast ofBrazil and forks into two branches, one
going to the Caribbean Sea for furthersaturation with heat particles. Then entrusted with
restoring the balance between hot and coldtemperatures and with mixing tropical and northern waters,
the Gulf Stream begins to play itsstabilizing role, attaining a white heat
(04:13):
in the Gulf of Mexico. Itheads north up the American coast, advances
as far as Newfoundland, swerves awayunder the thrust of a cold current from
the Davis Strait, and resumes itsocean course by going along a great circle
of the Earth on a rum line. It then divides into two arms near
the forty third parallel. One,helped by the northeast trade winds, returns
(04:35):
to the Bay of Biscay and theAzores. The other washes the shores of
Ireland in Norway with lukewarm water,goes beyond Spitzbergen, where its temperature falls
to four degrees centigrade, and fashionsthe open sea at the Pole. It
was on this oceanic river that theNautilus was then navigating, leaving Old Bahama
(04:57):
Channel, which is fourteen leagues wideby three hundred fifty meters deep. The
Gulf Stream moves at the rate ofeight kilometers per hour. Its speed steadily
decreases as it advances northward, andwe must pray that this steadiness continues,
because, as experts agree, ifits speed and direction were to change,
the climates of Europe would undergo disturbanceswhose consequences are incalculable. Near noon,
(05:24):
I was on the platform with Conseil. I shared with him the relevant details
on the Gulf Stream. When myexplanation was over, I invited him to
dip his hands into its current.Conseil did so, and he was quite
astonished to experience no sensation of eitherhot or cold. That comes, I
told him from the water temperature ofthe Gulf Stream, which as it leaves
(05:46):
the Gulf of Mexico is barely differentfrom your blood temperature. This gulf stream
is a huge heat generator that enablesthe coasts of Europe to be ducked in
eternal greenery. And if come outand Amory is correct, were one to
harness the full warmth of this current, it would supply enough heat to keep
molten a river of iron sowder asbig as the Amazon or the Missouri.
(06:13):
Just then the Gulf Stream's speed wastwo point two five meters per second.
So distinct is its current from thesurrounding sea, its confined waters stand out
against the ocean and operate on adifferent level from the colder waters. Murky
as well, and very rich insaline material, their pure indigo contrasts with
(06:34):
the green waves surrounding them. Moreover, their line of demarcation is so clear
that abreast of the Carolinas, theNautilus's spur cut the waves of the Gulf
Stream while its propeller was still churningthose belonging to the ocean. This current
swept along with it a whole hostof moving creatures. Argonauts so common in
(06:57):
the Mediterranean, voyaged here in schoolthe large numbers. Among cartilaginous fish,
the most remarkable were rays, whoseultra slender tails made up nearly a third
of the body, which was shapedlike a huge diamond twenty five feet long.
Then little one meter sharks, thehead large, the snout short and
(07:18):
rounded, the teeth sharp and arrangedin several rows, the body seemingly covered
with scales. Among bony fish,I noted grizzled grass unique to these seas,
deep water gilt head whose iris hasa fiery gleam one meter croakers whose
large mouths bristle with small teeth inwhich let out thin cries. Black rudderfish
(07:43):
like those of already discussed blue doradosaccented with gold and silver, Rainbow hued
parrotfish that can rival the loveliest tropicalbirds in coloring. Banded blennies with triangular
heads, bluish flounder without scales,toad fish covered with a cross wise yellow
band in the shape of a Greektea, swarms of little freckled gobies stippled
(08:07):
with brown spots, lungfish with silverheads and yellow tails, various specimens of
salmon mullet with slim figures and asoftly glowing radiance that lessipade dedicated to the
memory of his wife. And finally, the American cavalla, a handsome fish
decorated by every honorary order, bedizenedwith their every ribbon, frequenting the shores
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of this great nation, where ribbonsand orders are held in such low esteem.
I might add that during the night, the Gulf stream's phosphorescent waters rivaled
the electric glow of our beacon,especially in the stormy weather that frequently threatened
us. On May eighth, whileabreast of North Carolina, we were across
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from Cape Hatteras once more. Therethe Gulf Stream is seventy five miles wide
and two hundred ten meters deep.The Nautilus continued to wander at random,
seemingly all supervision had been jettisoned.Under these conditions, I admit that we
could easily have gotten away. Infact, the populous shores offered ready refuge
(09:13):
everywhere. The sea was blowed continuouslyby the many steamers providing service between the
Gulf of Mexico and New York orBoston, and it was crossed night and
day by little schooners engaged in coastaltrade over various points on the American shore.
We could hope to be picked up. So it was a promising opportunity
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despite the thirty miles that separated theNautilus from these Union coasts. But one
distressing circumstance totally thwarted the Canadian's plans. The weather was thoroughly foul. We
were approaching waterways where storms are commonplace, the very homeland of tornadoes and cyclones,
specifically engendered by the Gulf Stream's current. To face a frequently raging sea
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in a frail skiff was a raceto certain disaster. Ned Land conceded this
himself, so he champed at thebit, in the grip of an intense
homesickness that could be cured only byour escape. Sir, he told me
that day it's got to stop.I want to get to the bottom of
this. Your Nemo's veering away fromshore and heading up north. But believe
(10:24):
you me, I had my fillat the south pole, and I'm not
going with him to the north pole. Oh what can we do? Ned
since it isn't feasible to escape rightnow. I keep coming back to my
idea. We've got to talk tothe captain. When we were in your
own country Seas, you didn't saya word. Now that we are in
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mine, I intend to speak up. Before a few days are out.
I figure the Nautilus will lie abreastof Nova Scotia, and from there to
Newfoundland is the mouth of a largegulf, and the Saint Lawrence empties into
that gulf. And the Saint Lawrenceis my own river, the river running
by Quebec, my hometown. Andwhen I think about all this, my
gorge rises and my hair stands onend. Honestly, Sir, I'd rather
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jump overboard. I can't stay hereany longer. I'm suffocating. The Canadian
was obviously at the end of hispatience. His vigorous nature couldn't adapt to
this protracted imprisonment. His facial appearancewas changing by the day, his moods
grew gloomier and gloomier. I hada sense of what he was suffering,
because I also was gripped by homesickness. Nearly seven months had gone by without
(11:37):
our having any news from shore.Moreover, Captain Nemo's reclusiveness, his changed
disposition, and especially his total silencesince the battle with the Devilfish all made
me see things in a different light. I no longer felt the enthusiasm of
our first days on board. Youneeded to be Flemish like Conseils to accept
(12:00):
these circumstances living in a habitat designedfor cetaceans and other denizens of the deep.
Truly, if that gallant lad hadowned gills instead of lungs, I
think he would have made an outstandingfish. Well, Sir, ned Land
went on, seeing that I hadn'treplied, Well, ned you want me
(12:22):
to ask Captain Nemo what he intendsto do with us. Yes, sir,
even though he has already made thatclear. Yes, I want it's
settled once and for all. Speakjust for me, strictly on my behalf,
if you want. But I rarelyencounter him. He positively avoids me,
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all the more reason you should golook him up. I'll confer with
him. Ned When the Canadian askedinsistently, when I encounter him, Professor
Aronnax, would you like me togo find him myself? No, let
me do it tomorrow to day,ned Land said, so be it,
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I'll see him to day, Ianswered the Canadian, who, if he
took action himself, would certainly haveruined everything. I was left to myself.
His request granted, I decided todispose of it immediately. I like
things over and done with. Ire entered my stateroom. From there I
could hear movements inside Captain Nemo's quarters. I couldn't pass up this chance for
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an encounter. I knocked on hisdoor. I received no reply. I
knocked again, then try the knob. The door opened. I entered.
The captain was there. He wasbending over his work table and hadn't heard
me. Determined not to leave withoutquestioning him. I drew closer. He
looked up sharply with a frowning brow, and said, in a pretty stern
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tone, Oh, it's you.What do you want to speak with?
You? Captain? But I'm busy, Sir, I'm at work. I
give you the freedom to enjoy yourprivacy, can't I have the same for
myself. This reception was less thanencouraging, but I was determined to give
as good as I got, Sir, I said coolly, I need to
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speak with you on a matter thatsimply can't wait. Whatever could that be,
sir? He replied sarcastically. Haveyou made some discovery that has escaped
me? Has the sea yielded upsome novel secret to you? We were
miles apart, but before I couldreply, he showed me a manuscript open
(14:41):
on the table and told me ina more serious tone, here, Professor
Aronnax, is a manuscript written inseveral languages. It contains a summary of
my research under the sea, andGod willing it won't perish with me signed
with my name, complete with mylife story. This manuscript will be in
closed in a small, unsinkable contrivance. The last surviving man on the nautilus
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will throw this contrivance into the sea, and it will go wherever the waves
carry it. The man's name,his life's story, written by himself,
so the secret of his existence mightsome day be unveiled. But just then
I saw this announcement only as alead in to my topic, Captain,
I replied, I am all praisefor this idea you are putting into effect.
(15:30):
The fruits of your research must notbe lost. But the methods you
are using strike me as primitive.Who knows where the winds will take that
contrivance into whose hands it may fall. Can't you find something better? Can't
you or one of your men?Never, sir, the captain said,
swiftly, interrupting me. But mycompanions and I would be willing to safeguard
(15:54):
this manuscript. And if you giveus back our freedom, your freedom,
Captain Nemo put in, standing up, Yes, sir, and that's the
subject on which I wanted to conferwith you. For seven months we've been
aboard your vessel, and I askyou to day, in the name of
my companions as well as myself,if you intend to keep us here forever.
(16:17):
Professor Aronnax Captain Nemo said, I'llanswer you to day, just as
I did seven months ago. Whoeverboards the Nautilus must never leave it.
What you're inflicting on us is outrightslavery. Call it anything you like,
But every slave has the right torecover his freedom by any worth while available
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means. Who has denied you thatright? Captain Nemo replied, did I
ever try to bind you with yourword of honor? The captain stared at
me, crossing his arms. Sir, I told him to take up this
subject a second time would be distastefulto both of us, So let'sish what
we've started. I repeat, itisn't just for myself that I raise this
(17:04):
issue. To me, research isa relief, a potent diversion, an
enticement, a passion that can makeme forget everything else. Like you,
I'm a man neglected and unknown,living in the faint hope that some day
I can pass on to future generationsthe fruits of my labors, figuratively speaking,
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by means of some contrivance left tothe luck of winds and waves.
In short, I can admire youand comfortably go with you while playing a
role I only partly understand, butI still catch glimpses of other aspects of
your life that are surrounded by involvementsand secrets that alone on board, my
companions and I can't share. Andeven when our hearts could beat with yours,
(17:49):
moved by some of your griefs,or stirred by your deeds of courage
and genius, we've had to stifleeven the slightest token of that sympathy that
are at the sight of something fineand good, whether it comes from friend
or enemy. All right, thenit's this feeling of being alien to your
deepest concerns that makes our situation unacceptable, impossible, even impossible for me,
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but especially for ned Land. Everyman, by virtue of his very humanity,
deserves fair treatment. Have you consideredhow a love of freedom and hatred
of slavery could lead to plans ofvengeance in a temperament like the Canadians?
What he might think attempt endeavor Ifell silent, Captain Nemo stood up.
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Ned Land can think attempt or endeavoranything he wants. What difference is it
to me? I didn't go lookingfor him. I don't keep him on
board for my pleasure. As foryou, Professor, Aronnax, You're a
man able to understand anything, evensilence. I have nothing more to say
to you. Let this first timeyou've come to discuss the subject also be
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the last, because the second timeI won't even listen. I withdrew.
From that day forward, our positionwas very strained. I reported this conversation
to my two companions. Now weknow Ned said that we can't expect a
thing from this man. The nautilusis nearing Long Island. We'll escape no
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matter what the weather. But theskies became more and more threatening. There
were conspicuous signs of a hurricane onthe way. The atmosphere was turning white
and milky. Slender sheaves of seriousclouds were followed on the horizon by layers
of nimbo cumulus. Other low cloudsfled swiftly. The sea grew towering,
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inflated by long swells. Every birdhad disappeared, except a few petrels friends
of the storms. The barometer fellsignificantly, indicating a tremendous tension in the
surrounding haze. The mixture in ourstorm glass decomposed under the influence of the
electric city charging the air. Astruggle of the Elements was approaching. The
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storm burst during the daytime of Maythirteenth, just as the Nautilus was cruising
abreast of Long Island, a fewmiles from the Narrows to Upper New York
Bay. I'm able to describe thisstruggle of the Elements because Captain Nemo didn't
flee into the ocean depths. Instead, from some inexplicable whim he decided to
brave it out on the surface.The wind was blowing from the southwest,
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initially a stiff breeze, in otherwords, with the speed of fifteen meters
per second, which built to twentyfive meters near three o'clock in the afternoon.
This is the figure for major storms. Unshaken by these squalls, Captain
Nemo stationed himself on the platform.He was lashed around the waist to withstand
the monstrous breakers foaming over the deck. I hoisted and attached myself to the
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same place, dividing my wonderment betweenthe storm and this incomparable man who faced
head on the raging sea was sweptwith huge, tattered clouds, drenched by
the waves. I saw no moreof the small intervening billows that form in
the troughs of the big crests justlong, soot colored undulations, with crests
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so compact they didn't foam. Theykept growing taller. They were spurring each
other on the nautilus, sometimes lyingon its side, sometimes standing on end
like a mast, rolled and pitchedfrightfully. Near five o'clock a torrential rain
fell, but it lulled neither windnor sea. The hurricane was unleashed at
(21:34):
a speed of forty five meters persecond, hence almost forty leagues per hour.
Under these conditions, houses topple,roof tiles, puncture doors, iron
railings, snap in two and twentyfour pounder cannons relocate, And yet in
the midst of this turmoil, anautilus lived up to that saying of an
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expert engineer, a well constructed hullcan defy any sea. This submersible was
no resisting rock that waves could demolish. It was a steel spindle, obediently
in motion, without rigging or masting, and able to brave their fury with
impunity. Meanwhile, I was carefullyexamining these unleashed breakers. They measured up
(22:19):
to fifteen meters in height over alength of one hundred fifty to one hundred
seventy five metres, and the speedof their propagation, half that of the
wind, was fifteen meters per second. Their volume and power increased with the
depth of the waters. I thenunderstood the role played by these waves,
which trap air in their flanks andrelease it in the depths of the sea
(22:41):
where its oxygen brings life. Theirutmost pressure, it has been calculated,
can build to three thousand kilograms onevery square foot of surface they strike.
It was such waves in the Hebridesthat repositioned a stone block weighing eighty four
thousand pounds. It was their relativesin the tidal wave on December twenty three,
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eighteen fifty four, that toppled partof the Japanese city of Tokyo,
then went that same day at sevenhundred kilometers per hour to break on the
beaches of America. After nightfall,the storm grew in intensity, as in
the eighteen sixty cyclone on Reunion Island. The barometer fell to seven hundred ten
millimeters. At the close of day, I saw a big ship passing on
(23:27):
the horizon, struggling painfully. Itlay too at half steam in an effort
to hold steady on the waves.It must have been a steamer on one
of those lines out of New Yorkto Liverpool or le have. It soon
vanished into the shadows. At teno'clock in the evening, the skies caught
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on fire. The air was streakedwith violent flashes of lightning. I couldn't
stand this brightness, but Captain Nemostared straight at it, as if to
inhale the spirit of the storm.A dreadful noise filled the air, a
complicated noise made up of the roarof crashing breakers, the howl of the
wind, claps of thunder. Thewind shifted to every point of the horizon,
(24:11):
and the cyclone left the east toreturn there after, passing through north
west and south, moving in theopposite direction of revolving storms in the southern
hemisphere. Oh that Gulf stream,it truly lives up to its nickname,
the lord of storms. All byitself. It creates these fearsome cyclones through
the difference in temperature between its currentsand the superimposed layers of air. The
(24:36):
rain was followed by a downpour offire. Droplets of water changed into exploding
tufts. You would have thought CaptainNemo was courting a death worthy of himself,
seeking to be struck by lightning.In one hideous pitching movement, the
Nautilus reared its steel spur into theair like a lightning rod, and I
saw long sparks shoot down. Itshattered. At the end of my strength,
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I slid flat on my belly tothe hatch. I opened it and
went below to the lounge. Bythen the storm had reached its maximum intensity.
It was impossible to stand upright insidethe nautilus. Captain Nemo re entered
near midnight. I could hear theballast tanks filling little by little, and
the nautilus sank gently beneath the surfaceof the waves. Through the lounge's open
(25:23):
windows, I saw large, frightenedfish passing like phantoms in the fiery waters.
Some were struck by lightning right beforemy eyes. The nautilus kept descending.
I thought it would find calm againat fifteen meters down. No,
the upper strata were too violently agitated. It needed to sink to fifty meters,
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searching for a resting place in thebowels of the sea. But once
there, what tranquility we found?What silence? What peace? All around
us. Who would have known thata dreadful hurricane was then unleashed on the
surface of this ocean? End ofChapter nineteen, recorded by Eric Dennison June
(26:07):
twenty eight, two thousand six,Gardner, Massachusetts,
This is a LibriVox recording. AllLibriVox recordings are in the public domain.
For more information or to volunteer,please visit LibriVox dot org. Twenty thousand
Leagues under the Seas by Jules Verne, second part, Chapter nineteen. The
Gulf stream this dreadful scene on Apriltwenty none of us will ever be able
(00:25):
to forget. I wrote it upin a state of intense excitement. Later
I reviewed my narrative. I readit to Conseil and the Canadian. They
found it accurate in detailed, butdeficient in impact. To convey such sights,
it would take the pen of ourmost famous poet, Victor Hugo,
author of The Toilers of the Sea. As I said, Captain Nemo wept
(00:50):
while staring at the waves. Hisgrief was immense. This was the second
companion he had lost since we hadcome aboard. And what a way to
die. Smashed, strangled, crushedby the fearsome arms of a devilfish ground
between its iron mandibles. This friendwould never rest with his companions in the
(01:11):
placid waters of their coral cemetery.As for me, what had harrowed my
heart in the thick of this strugglewas the despairing yell given by this unfortunate
man forgetting his regulation language. Thispoor Frenchman had reverted to speaking his own
mother tongue, to fling out onesupreme plea. Among the Nautilus's crew allied
(01:34):
body and soul with Captain Nemo,and likewise, fleeing from human contact,
I had found a fellow countryman.Was he the only representative of France in
this mysterious alliance obviously made up ofindividuals from different nationalities. This was just
one more of those insoluble problems thatkept welling up in my mind. Captain
(01:57):
Nemo re entered his stateroom, andI saw no more of him for a
good while. But how sad,despairing and irresolute he must have felt,
to judge from this ship whose soulhe was, which reflected his every mood.
The Nautilus no longer kept to afixed heading. It drifted back and
forth, riding with the waves likea corpse. Its propeller had been disentangled,
(02:21):
but was barely put to use.It was navigating at random. It
couldn't tear itself away from the settingof this last struggle, from this sea
that had devoured one of its own. Ten days went by in this way.
It was only on May one thatthe Nautilus openly resumed its northbound course.
(02:43):
After raising the Bahamas at the mouthof Old Bahama Channel, we then
went with the current of the sea'sgreatest river, which has its own banks,
fish, and temperature. I meanthe Gulf Stream. It is indeed
a river that runs independently through themiddle of the Atlantic, its waters never
mixing with the ocean's waters. It'sa salty river, saltier than the sea
(03:07):
surrounding it. Its average depth isthree thousand feet, its average width sixty
miles. In certain localities, itscurrent moves at a speed of four kilometers
per hour. The unchanging volume ofits waters is greater than that of all
the world's rivers combined, as discoveredby Commander Maury. The true source of
(03:29):
the Gulf Stream, its starting point, if you prefer, is located in
the Bay of Biscay. There,its waters, still weak in temperature and
color, begin to form. Itgoes down south, skirts Equatorial Africa,
warms its waves in the rays ofthe torrid zone, crosses the Atlantic,
(03:50):
reaches Cape Sauroch on the coast ofBrazil and forks into two branches, one
going to the Caribbean Sea for furthersaturation with heat particles. Then entrusted with
restoring the balance between hot and coldtemperatures and with mixing tropical and northern waters,
the Gulf Stream begins to play itsstabilizing role, attaining a white heat
(04:13):
in the Gulf of Mexico. Itheads north up the American coast, advances
as far as Newfoundland, swerves awayunder the thrust of a cold current from
the Davis Strait, and resumes itsocean course by going along a great circle
of the Earth on a rum line. It then divides into two arms near
the forty third parallel. One,helped by the northeast trade winds, returns
(04:35):
to the Bay of Biscay and theAzores. The other washes the shores of
Ireland in Norway with lukewarm water,goes beyond Spitzbergen, where its temperature falls
to four degrees centigrade, and fashionsthe open sea at the Pole. It
was on this oceanic river that theNautilus was then navigating, leaving Old Bahama
(04:57):
Channel, which is fourteen leagues wideby three hundred fifty meters deep. The
Gulf Stream moves at the rate ofeight kilometers per hour. Its speed steadily
decreases as it advances northward, andwe must pray that this steadiness continues,
because, as experts agree, ifits speed and direction were to change,
the climates of Europe would undergo disturbanceswhose consequences are incalculable. Near noon,
(05:24):
I was on the platform with Conseil. I shared with him the relevant details
on the Gulf Stream. When myexplanation was over, I invited him to
dip his hands into its current.Conseil did so, and he was quite
astonished to experience no sensation of eitherhot or cold. That comes, I
told him from the water temperature ofthe Gulf Stream, which as it leaves
(05:46):
the Gulf of Mexico is barely differentfrom your blood temperature. This gulf stream
is a huge heat generator that enablesthe coasts of Europe to be ducked in
eternal greenery. And if come outand Amory is correct, were one to
harness the full warmth of this current, it would supply enough heat to keep
molten a river of iron sowder asbig as the Amazon or the Missouri.
(06:13):
Just then the Gulf Stream's speed wastwo point two five meters per second.
So distinct is its current from thesurrounding sea, its confined waters stand out
against the ocean and operate on adifferent level from the colder waters. Murky
as well, and very rich insaline material, their pure indigo contrasts with
(06:34):
the green waves surrounding them. Moreover, their line of demarcation is so clear
that abreast of the Carolinas, theNautilus's spur cut the waves of the Gulf
Stream while its propeller was still churningthose belonging to the ocean. This current
swept along with it a whole hostof moving creatures. Argonauts so common in
(06:57):
the Mediterranean, voyaged here in schoolthe large numbers. Among cartilaginous fish,
the most remarkable were rays, whoseultra slender tails made up nearly a third
of the body, which was shapedlike a huge diamond twenty five feet long.
Then little one meter sharks, thehead large, the snout short and
(07:18):
rounded, the teeth sharp and arrangedin several rows, the body seemingly covered
with scales. Among bony fish,I noted grizzled grass unique to these seas,
deep water gilt head whose iris hasa fiery gleam one meter croakers whose
large mouths bristle with small teeth inwhich let out thin cries. Black rudderfish
(07:43):
like those of already discussed blue doradosaccented with gold and silver, Rainbow hued
parrotfish that can rival the loveliest tropicalbirds in coloring. Banded blennies with triangular
heads, bluish flounder without scales,toad fish covered with a cross wise yellow
band in the shape of a Greektea, swarms of little freckled gobies stippled
(08:07):
with brown spots, lungfish with silverheads and yellow tails, various specimens of
salmon mullet with slim figures and asoftly glowing radiance that lessipade dedicated to the
memory of his wife. And finally, the American cavalla, a handsome fish
decorated by every honorary order, bedizenedwith their every ribbon, frequenting the shores
(08:31):
of this great nation, where ribbonsand orders are held in such low esteem.
I might add that during the night, the Gulf stream's phosphorescent waters rivaled
the electric glow of our beacon,especially in the stormy weather that frequently threatened
us. On May eighth, whileabreast of North Carolina, we were across
(08:52):
from Cape Hatteras once more. Therethe Gulf Stream is seventy five miles wide
and two hundred ten meters deep.The Nautilus continued to wander at random,
seemingly all supervision had been jettisoned.Under these conditions, I admit that we
could easily have gotten away. Infact, the populous shores offered ready refuge
(09:13):
everywhere. The sea was blowed continuouslyby the many steamers providing service between the
Gulf of Mexico and New York orBoston, and it was crossed night and
day by little schooners engaged in coastaltrade over various points on the American shore.
We could hope to be picked up. So it was a promising opportunity
(09:35):
despite the thirty miles that separated theNautilus from these Union coasts. But one
distressing circumstance totally thwarted the Canadian's plans. The weather was thoroughly foul. We
were approaching waterways where storms are commonplace, the very homeland of tornadoes and cyclones,
specifically engendered by the Gulf Stream's current. To face a frequently raging sea
(10:01):
in a frail skiff was a raceto certain disaster. Ned Land conceded this
himself, so he champed at thebit, in the grip of an intense
homesickness that could be cured only byour escape. Sir, he told me
that day it's got to stop.I want to get to the bottom of
this. Your Nemo's veering away fromshore and heading up north. But believe
(10:24):
you me, I had my fillat the south pole, and I'm not
going with him to the north pole. Oh what can we do? Ned
since it isn't feasible to escape rightnow. I keep coming back to my
idea. We've got to talk tothe captain. When we were in your
own country Seas, you didn't saya word. Now that we are in
(10:46):
mine, I intend to speak up. Before a few days are out.
I figure the Nautilus will lie abreastof Nova Scotia, and from there to
Newfoundland is the mouth of a largegulf, and the Saint Lawrence empties into
that gulf. And the Saint Lawrenceis my own river, the river running
by Quebec, my hometown. Andwhen I think about all this, my
gorge rises and my hair stands onend. Honestly, Sir, I'd rather
(11:11):
jump overboard. I can't stay hereany longer. I'm suffocating. The Canadian
was obviously at the end of hispatience. His vigorous nature couldn't adapt to
this protracted imprisonment. His facial appearancewas changing by the day, his moods
grew gloomier and gloomier. I hada sense of what he was suffering,
because I also was gripped by homesickness. Nearly seven months had gone by without
(11:37):
our having any news from shore.Moreover, Captain Nemo's reclusiveness, his changed
disposition, and especially his total silencesince the battle with the Devilfish all made
me see things in a different light. I no longer felt the enthusiasm of
our first days on board. Youneeded to be Flemish like Conseils to accept
(12:00):
these circumstances living in a habitat designedfor cetaceans and other denizens of the deep.
Truly, if that gallant lad hadowned gills instead of lungs, I
think he would have made an outstandingfish. Well, Sir, ned Land
went on, seeing that I hadn'treplied, Well, ned you want me
(12:22):
to ask Captain Nemo what he intendsto do with us. Yes, sir,
even though he has already made thatclear. Yes, I want it's
settled once and for all. Speakjust for me, strictly on my behalf,
if you want. But I rarelyencounter him. He positively avoids me,
(12:45):
all the more reason you should golook him up. I'll confer with
him. Ned When the Canadian askedinsistently, when I encounter him, Professor
Aronnax, would you like me togo find him myself? No, let
me do it tomorrow to day,ned Land said, so be it,
(13:09):
I'll see him to day, Ianswered the Canadian, who, if he
took action himself, would certainly haveruined everything. I was left to myself.
His request granted, I decided todispose of it immediately. I like
things over and done with. Ire entered my stateroom. From there I
could hear movements inside Captain Nemo's quarters. I couldn't pass up this chance for
(13:33):
an encounter. I knocked on hisdoor. I received no reply. I
knocked again, then try the knob. The door opened. I entered.
The captain was there. He wasbending over his work table and hadn't heard
me. Determined not to leave withoutquestioning him. I drew closer. He
looked up sharply with a frowning brow, and said, in a pretty stern
(13:56):
tone, Oh, it's you.What do you want to speak with?
You? Captain? But I'm busy, Sir, I'm at work. I
give you the freedom to enjoy yourprivacy, can't I have the same for
myself. This reception was less thanencouraging, but I was determined to give
as good as I got, Sir, I said coolly, I need to
(14:20):
speak with you on a matter thatsimply can't wait. Whatever could that be,
sir? He replied sarcastically. Haveyou made some discovery that has escaped
me? Has the sea yielded upsome novel secret to you? We were
miles apart, but before I couldreply, he showed me a manuscript open
(14:41):
on the table and told me ina more serious tone, here, Professor
Aronnax, is a manuscript written inseveral languages. It contains a summary of
my research under the sea, andGod willing it won't perish with me signed
with my name, complete with mylife story. This manuscript will be in
closed in a small, unsinkable contrivance. The last surviving man on the nautilus
(15:05):
will throw this contrivance into the sea, and it will go wherever the waves
carry it. The man's name,his life's story, written by himself,
so the secret of his existence mightsome day be unveiled. But just then
I saw this announcement only as alead in to my topic, Captain,
I replied, I am all praisefor this idea you are putting into effect.
(15:30):
The fruits of your research must notbe lost. But the methods you
are using strike me as primitive.Who knows where the winds will take that
contrivance into whose hands it may fall. Can't you find something better? Can't
you or one of your men?Never, sir, the captain said,
swiftly, interrupting me. But mycompanions and I would be willing to safeguard
(15:54):
this manuscript. And if you giveus back our freedom, your freedom,
Captain Nemo put in, standing up, Yes, sir, and that's the
subject on which I wanted to conferwith you. For seven months we've been
aboard your vessel, and I askyou to day, in the name of
my companions as well as myself,if you intend to keep us here forever.
(16:17):
Professor Aronnax Captain Nemo said, I'llanswer you to day, just as
I did seven months ago. Whoeverboards the Nautilus must never leave it.
What you're inflicting on us is outrightslavery. Call it anything you like,
But every slave has the right torecover his freedom by any worth while available
(16:41):
means. Who has denied you thatright? Captain Nemo replied, did I
ever try to bind you with yourword of honor? The captain stared at
me, crossing his arms. Sir, I told him to take up this
subject a second time would be distastefulto both of us, So let'sish what
we've started. I repeat, itisn't just for myself that I raise this
(17:04):
issue. To me, research isa relief, a potent diversion, an
enticement, a passion that can makeme forget everything else. Like you,
I'm a man neglected and unknown,living in the faint hope that some day
I can pass on to future generationsthe fruits of my labors, figuratively speaking,
(17:25):
by means of some contrivance left tothe luck of winds and waves.
In short, I can admire youand comfortably go with you while playing a
role I only partly understand, butI still catch glimpses of other aspects of
your life that are surrounded by involvementsand secrets that alone on board, my
companions and I can't share. Andeven when our hearts could beat with yours,
(17:49):
moved by some of your griefs,or stirred by your deeds of courage
and genius, we've had to stifleeven the slightest token of that sympathy that
are at the sight of something fineand good, whether it comes from friend
or enemy. All right, thenit's this feeling of being alien to your
deepest concerns that makes our situation unacceptable, impossible, even impossible for me,
(18:14):
but especially for ned Land. Everyman, by virtue of his very humanity,
deserves fair treatment. Have you consideredhow a love of freedom and hatred
of slavery could lead to plans ofvengeance in a temperament like the Canadians?
What he might think attempt endeavor Ifell silent, Captain Nemo stood up.
(18:38):
Ned Land can think attempt or endeavoranything he wants. What difference is it
to me? I didn't go lookingfor him. I don't keep him on
board for my pleasure. As foryou, Professor, Aronnax, You're a
man able to understand anything, evensilence. I have nothing more to say
to you. Let this first timeyou've come to discuss the subject also be
(19:00):
the last, because the second timeI won't even listen. I withdrew.
From that day forward, our positionwas very strained. I reported this conversation
to my two companions. Now weknow Ned said that we can't expect a
thing from this man. The nautilusis nearing Long Island. We'll escape no
(19:21):
matter what the weather. But theskies became more and more threatening. There
were conspicuous signs of a hurricane onthe way. The atmosphere was turning white
and milky. Slender sheaves of seriousclouds were followed on the horizon by layers
of nimbo cumulus. Other low cloudsfled swiftly. The sea grew towering,
(19:41):
inflated by long swells. Every birdhad disappeared, except a few petrels friends
of the storms. The barometer fellsignificantly, indicating a tremendous tension in the
surrounding haze. The mixture in ourstorm glass decomposed under the influence of the
electric city charging the air. Astruggle of the Elements was approaching. The
(20:04):
storm burst during the daytime of Maythirteenth, just as the Nautilus was cruising
abreast of Long Island, a fewmiles from the Narrows to Upper New York
Bay. I'm able to describe thisstruggle of the Elements because Captain Nemo didn't
flee into the ocean depths. Instead, from some inexplicable whim he decided to
brave it out on the surface.The wind was blowing from the southwest,
(20:29):
initially a stiff breeze, in otherwords, with the speed of fifteen meters
per second, which built to twentyfive meters near three o'clock in the afternoon.
This is the figure for major storms. Unshaken by these squalls, Captain
Nemo stationed himself on the platform.He was lashed around the waist to withstand
the monstrous breakers foaming over the deck. I hoisted and attached myself to the
(20:52):
same place, dividing my wonderment betweenthe storm and this incomparable man who faced
head on the raging sea was sweptwith huge, tattered clouds, drenched by
the waves. I saw no moreof the small intervening billows that form in
the troughs of the big crests justlong, soot colored undulations, with crests
(21:14):
so compact they didn't foam. Theykept growing taller. They were spurring each
other on the nautilus, sometimes lyingon its side, sometimes standing on end
like a mast, rolled and pitchedfrightfully. Near five o'clock a torrential rain
fell, but it lulled neither windnor sea. The hurricane was unleashed at
(21:34):
a speed of forty five meters persecond, hence almost forty leagues per hour.
Under these conditions, houses topple,roof tiles, puncture doors, iron
railings, snap in two and twentyfour pounder cannons relocate, And yet in
the midst of this turmoil, anautilus lived up to that saying of an
(21:56):
expert engineer, a well constructed hullcan defy any sea. This submersible was
no resisting rock that waves could demolish. It was a steel spindle, obediently
in motion, without rigging or masting, and able to brave their fury with
impunity. Meanwhile, I was carefullyexamining these unleashed breakers. They measured up
(22:19):
to fifteen meters in height over alength of one hundred fifty to one hundred
seventy five metres, and the speedof their propagation, half that of the
wind, was fifteen meters per second. Their volume and power increased with the
depth of the waters. I thenunderstood the role played by these waves,
which trap air in their flanks andrelease it in the depths of the sea
(22:41):
where its oxygen brings life. Theirutmost pressure, it has been calculated,
can build to three thousand kilograms onevery square foot of surface they strike.
It was such waves in the Hebridesthat repositioned a stone block weighing eighty four
thousand pounds. It was their relativesin the tidal wave on December twenty three,
(23:03):
eighteen fifty four, that toppled partof the Japanese city of Tokyo,
then went that same day at sevenhundred kilometers per hour to break on the
beaches of America. After nightfall,the storm grew in intensity, as in
the eighteen sixty cyclone on Reunion Island. The barometer fell to seven hundred ten
millimeters. At the close of day, I saw a big ship passing on
(23:27):
the horizon, struggling painfully. Itlay too at half steam in an effort
to hold steady on the waves.It must have been a steamer on one
of those lines out of New Yorkto Liverpool or le have. It soon
vanished into the shadows. At teno'clock in the evening, the skies caught
(23:48):
on fire. The air was streakedwith violent flashes of lightning. I couldn't
stand this brightness, but Captain Nemostared straight at it, as if to
inhale the spirit of the storm.A dreadful noise filled the air, a
complicated noise made up of the roarof crashing breakers, the howl of the
wind, claps of thunder. Thewind shifted to every point of the horizon,
(24:11):
and the cyclone left the east toreturn there after, passing through north
west and south, moving in theopposite direction of revolving storms in the southern
hemisphere. Oh that Gulf stream,it truly lives up to its nickname,
the lord of storms. All byitself. It creates these fearsome cyclones through
the difference in temperature between its currentsand the superimposed layers of air. The
(24:36):
rain was followed by a downpour offire. Droplets of water changed into exploding
tufts. You would have thought CaptainNemo was courting a death worthy of himself,
seeking to be struck by lightning.In one hideous pitching movement, the
Nautilus reared its steel spur into theair like a lightning rod, and I
saw long sparks shoot down. Itshattered. At the end of my strength,
(25:00):
I slid flat on my belly tothe hatch. I opened it and
went below to the lounge. Bythen the storm had reached its maximum intensity.
It was impossible to stand upright insidethe nautilus. Captain Nemo re entered
near midnight. I could hear theballast tanks filling little by little, and
the nautilus sank gently beneath the surfaceof the waves. Through the lounge's open
(25:23):
windows, I saw large, frightenedfish passing like phantoms in the fiery waters.
Some were struck by lightning right beforemy eyes. The nautilus kept descending.
I thought it would find calm againat fifteen meters down. No,
the upper strata were too violently agitated. It needed to sink to fifty meters,
(25:45):
searching for a resting place in thebowels of the sea. But once
there, what tranquility we found?What silence? What peace? All around
us. Who would have known thata dreadful hurricane was then unleashed on the
surface of this ocean? End ofChapter nineteen, recorded by Eric Dennison June
(26:07):
twenty eight, two thousand six,Gardner, Massachusetts,
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