Jules Verne - 20,000 Leagues Under the Seas, The Mysterious Island & Around the World in 80 Days

And with a sudden gesture, the captain hid his face in his clenched fists, vainly trying to hold back a sob. Then he added:

“There lies our peaceful cemetery, hundreds of feet beneath the surface of the waves!”

“At least, captain, your dead can sleep serenely there, out of the reach of sharks!”

“Yes, sir,” Captain Nemo replied solemnly, “of sharks and men!”

END OF THE FIRST PART

*Author’s Note: About 106 meters. An English foot is only 30.4 centimeters. German: “Bulletin.” Ed. Author’s Note: A pier is a type of wharf expressly set aside for an individual vessel. Author’s Note: Tenders are small steamboats that assist the big liners. Author’s Note: A Bowie knife is a wide-bladed dagger that Americans are forever carrying around. Author’s Note: A steward is a waiter on board a steamer. Latin: nemo means “no one.” Ed. Latin: “in a class by itself.” Ed. *Author’s Note: And sure enough, there’s now talk of such a discovery, in which a new set of levers generates considerable power. Did its inventor meet up with Captain Nemo? Author’s Note: “Ladyfingers” are small, thin, white clouds with ragged edges. Latin: a spigot “just for that purpose.” Ed. *Latin: “troubled dreams.” Ed. 2 · Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Seas

8 · Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Seas

A Runaway Reef · 9

A Runaway Reef · 11

16 · Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Seas

The Pros and Cons · 17

18 · Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Seas

As Master Wishes · 19

22 · Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Seas

As Master Wishes · 23

28 · Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Seas

Ned Land · 27

30 · Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Seas

At Random! · 29

· Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Seas

At Random! · 31

32 · Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Seas

At Random! · 35

At Random! · 37

42 · Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Seas

At Full Steam · 43

46 · Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Seas

At Full Steam · 47

52 · Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Seas

A Whale of Unknown Species · 53

54 · Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Seas

“Mobilis in Mobili” · 54

“Mobilis in Mobili” · 53

54 · Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Seas

60 · Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Seas

“Mobilis in Mobili” · 61

62 · Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Seas

The Tantrums of Ned Land · 62

The Tantrums of Ned Land · 61

64 · Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Seas

70 · Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Seas

The Tantrums of Ned Land · 69

76 · Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Seas

The Man of the Waters · 77

78 · Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Seas

80 · Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Seas

86 · Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Seas

The Nautilus · 87

94 · Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Seas

Everything through Electricity · 93

96 · Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Seas

Some Figures · 96

Some Figures · 95

102 · Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Seas

Some Figures · 101

Some Figures · 103

112 · Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Seas

The Black Current · 111

The Black Current ·

114 · Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Seas

An Invitation in Writing · 113

Strolling the Plains · 121

122 · Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Seas

Strolling the Plains · 123

124 · Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Seas

Strolling the Plains · 124

Strolling the Plains · 125

126 · Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Seas

130 · Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Seas

An Underwater Forest · 129

94 · Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Seas 94 · Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Seas

131 · Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Seas

140 · Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Seas

Four Thousand Leagues Under the Pacific · 139

148 · Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Seas

Vanikoro · 147

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The Torres Strait ·

The Torres Strait · 149

156 · Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Seas

The Torres Strait · 155

158 · Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Seas

Some Days Ashore · 158

Some Days Ashore · 157

168 · Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Seas

Some Days Ashore · 167

170 · Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Seas

The Lightning Bolts of Captain Nemo · 170

The Lightning Bolts of Captain Nemo · 169

180 · Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Seas

The Lightning Bolts of Captain Nemo · 179

182 · Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Seas

184 · Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Seas

“Aegri Somnia” · 131

186 · Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Seas

190 · Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Seas

“Aegri Somnia” · 189

192 · Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Seas

The Coral Realm · 193

194 · Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Seas

198 · Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Seas

The Coral Realm · 197

Table of Contents

NOW WE BEGIN the second part of this voyage under the seas. The first ended in that moving scene at the coral cemetery, which left a profound impression on my mind. And so Captain Nemo would live out his life entirely in the heart of this immense sea, and even his grave lay ready in its impenetrable depths. There the last sleep of the Nautilus’s occupants, friends bound together in death as in life, would be disturbed by no monster of the deep! “No man either!” the captain had added.

Always that same fierce, implacable defiance of human society!

As for me, I was no longer content with the hypotheses that satisfied Conseil. That fine lad persisted in seeing the Nautilus’s commander as merely one of those unappreciated scientists who repay humanity’s indifference with contempt. For Conseil, the captain was still a misunderstood genius who, tired of the world’s deceptions, had been driven to take refuge in this inaccessible environment where he was free to follow his instincts. But to my mind, this hypothesis explained only one side of Captain Nemo.

In fact, the mystery of that last afternoon when we were locked in prison and put to sleep, the captain’s violent precaution of snatching from my grasp a spyglass poised to scour the horizon, and the fatal wound given that man during some unexplained collision suffered by the Nautilus, all led me down a plain trail. No! Captain Nemo wasn’t content simply to avoid humanity! His fearsome submersible served not only his quest for freedom, but also, perhaps, it was used in lord-knows-what schemes of dreadful revenge.

Right now, nothing is clear to me, I still glimpse only glimmers in the dark, and I must limit my pen, as it were, to taking dictation from events.

But nothing binds us to Captain Nemo. He believes that escaping from the Nautilus is impossible. We are not even constrained by our word of honor. No promises fetter us. We’re simply captives, prisoners masquerading under the name “guests” for the sake of everyday courtesy. Even so, Ned Land hasn’t given up all hope of recovering his freedom. He’s sure to take advantage of the first chance that comes his way. No doubt I will do likewise. And yet I will feel some regret at making off with the Nautilus’s secrets, so generously unveiled for us by Captain Nemo! Because, ultimately, should we detest or admire this man? Is he the persecutor or the persecuted? And in all honesty, before I leave him forever, I want to finish this underwater tour of the world, whose first stages have been so magnificent. I want to observe the full series of these wonders gathered under the seas of our globe. I want to see what no man has seen yet, even if I must pay for this insatiable curiosity with my life! What are my discoveries to date? Nothing, relatively speaking— since so far we’ve covered only 6,000 leagues across the Pacific!