At last, we reached the edge of the forest. It was surely one of the most beautiful parts of Captain Nemo’s enormous underwater world.
He considered this place his own territory, just as the first humans had once claimed the lands of the Earth. And who could challenge him for ownership of this hidden kingdom beneath the waves? Who else would be brave enough to come here with an axe and cut down these mysterious underwater woods?
The forest was made up of huge tree-like plants. The moment we entered beneath their enormous green arches, I was amazed by the strange way their branches grew.
Not a single blade of grass covering the ground, not one branch growing from the trees, was broken or bent. None of them stretched sideways. Everything pointed straight upward toward the surface of the ocean.
Even the thinnest strands of sea plants remained perfectly straight, like iron rods. The seaweed and underwater vines grew in strict vertical lines because of the weight and density of the water around them.
They stood still and motionless, but whenever we pushed them aside with our hands, they immediately returned to their original position.
It was truly a world of perfect vertical growth.
Soon, I became used to this strange landscape and the dim light surrounding us. The ground beneath the forest was covered with sharp rocks, making our path difficult.
The underwater plants seemed incredibly rich and complete. In fact, they appeared even more abundant than those found in the cold Arctic seas or the warm tropical oceans.
At first, I often confused the creatures around me. I mistook animals for plants and plants for animals. But who could blame me? In this strange underwater world, animal life and plant life were so closely connected that even a trained naturalist could easily make mistakes.
These plants grew and reproduced naturally, drawing their strength from the water that surrounded and supported them.
Most of them had no ordinary leaves. Instead, they produced strange blades and shapes in many colors—pink, bright red, green, olive, brown, and golden shades.
I saw fan-shaped pavonaria spreading wide as if they were trying to catch an underwater breeze.
I saw scarlet ceramies, fern-like nereocysti stretching their edible branches fifteen feet high, and clusters of acetabuli whose stems became thicker as they rose upward.
There were countless other sea plants, all without flowers.
A clever naturalist once said:
“Such a strange world! Here the animal kingdom blooms, while the plant kingdom never produces flowers.”
Beneath these underwater trees, which were as large as the forests of the land, deep shadows covered fields of living creatures.
There were true gardens of sea flowers, walls of coral-like animals, and strange creatures that looked like plants but were actually alive.
Some zebrameandrines displayed twisted patterns across their bodies. Yellow caryophylliæ covered the underwater branches.
Small fish flew from branch to branch like hummingbirds among the trees.
Yellow lepisacomthi with sharp jaws, dactylopteri, and monocentrides suddenly rose from the ground like a flock of birds taking flight.
After walking for about an hour, Captain Nemo gave the signal to stop.
I was not disappointed. My legs were beginning to feel heavy, and we rested beneath a group of alariæ. Their long, narrow leaves stretched upward like arrows.
The short rest felt wonderful.
The only thing missing was conversation.
But speaking was impossible. I could not hear anyone, and no one could hear me. So I simply touched my large copper helmet against Conseil’s.
I saw his eyes shining with excitement. To show how happy he was, he shook himself inside his diving suit in the funniest way imaginable.
After four hours of walking, I was surprised that I did not feel terribly hungry.
I could not explain why my stomach felt so calm.
Instead, I felt an overwhelming desire to sleep.
Apparently, this was something that happened to all divers.
My eyes slowly closed behind the thick glass of my helmet, and I fell into a deep sleep. Only our movement had kept me awake before.
Captain Nemo and his strong companion also rested beside us, floating peacefully inside their clear helmets.
They soon followed my example.
I do not know how long I slept.
When I woke, the sun seemed to be moving toward the horizon.
Captain Nemo had already stood up, and I was stretching my tired arms and legs when something unexpected suddenly made me jump to my feet.
A few steps away stood a huge sea spider.
It was nearly three feet tall and stared at me with strange, crossed eyes, ready to attack.
Although my diving suit was thick enough to protect me from its bite, I still felt a wave of fear.
At that moment, Conseil and the sailor from the Nautilus also woke up.
Captain Nemo pointed toward the horrible creature.
His companion struck it with the end of his gun, and the monster fell over. Its enormous claws twisted violently as it struggled.
This frightening encounter reminded me that other, even more dangerous creatures might live in these dark waters.
My diving suit could not protect me from every possible danger.
Until then, I had never considered this.
From that moment, I decided to remain more careful.
I thought this stop would end our journey, but I was wrong.
Instead of returning to the Nautilus, Captain Nemo continued deeper into the underwater forest.
The ground became steeper and steeper, leading us farther into the depths.
At around three o’clock, we reached a narrow valley between two tall vertical cliffs.
We were about seventy-five fathoms beneath the surface.
Thanks to the perfection of our diving equipment, we had reached a depth far beyond what nature seemed to allow ordinary humans to explore.
I estimated the depth at seventy-five fathoms because I had no instrument to measure it.
But I knew that even the strongest sunlight could not reach this far below the ocean surface.
The darkness became thicker.
At a distance of only ten steps, I could see nothing.
I was moving carefully through the darkness when suddenly a bright white light appeared.
Captain Nemo had activated his electric lamp.
His companion did the same, and Conseil and I followed.
By turning a small screw, I connected the wire to the glass spiral of the device.
Immediately, the ocean around us became bright.
Our four lamps illuminated a circle of about thirty-six yards.
Captain Nemo continued forward into the dark forest.
The trees became fewer with every step.
I noticed that plant life disappeared much faster than animal life.
The jellyfish had already left this barren ground, but many other creatures still lived there—corals, small animals, shellfish, and fish.
As we moved through the darkness, I thought our electric lights must surely attract some creatures hiding nearby.
Perhaps they did approach us, but they wisely kept their distance from the hunters.
Several times, I saw Captain Nemo stop.
He raised his gun and waited.
Then, after a few moments, he lowered it and continued walking.
Finally, after about four hours, our incredible journey came to an end.
Before us stood a magnificent wall of rock.
It was a huge mass of granite blocks, forming dark caves and steep cliffs.
There was no way to climb it.
This was the foundation of Crespo Island.
It was land.
Captain Nemo stopped immediately.
With one gesture, he ordered us all to stop.
Although I desperately wanted to climb those rocks, I had no choice but to obey.
This was the end of Captain Nemo’s territory.
He would go no farther.
Beyond this point was a part of the Earth that he was not willing to enter.
We began our return journey.
Captain Nemo once again led the group, guiding us without hesitation.
I noticed that we were not following the same path back to the Nautilus.
The new route was much steeper and therefore much more difficult.
We quickly moved toward the surface.
However, Captain Nemo did not allow us to rise too quickly.
A sudden decrease in pressure could cause serious injuries to a diver’s body.
Slowly, the light returned.
As the sun approached the horizon, the rays of light created strange glowing outlines around everything.
At about ten yards below the surface, we walked among countless small fish.
They were more numerous and more agile than birds flying through the sky.
Yet we saw no creature worth hunting.
Then suddenly Captain Nemo raised his gun.
He followed something moving among the plants.
A shot rang out.
I heard a faint hissing sound.
A creature fell unconscious nearby.
It was a magnificent sea otter.
This animal was the only completely marine quadruped.
It was about five feet long and extremely valuable.
Its fur was brown on top and silver underneath.
Such beautiful fur was highly prized in Russian and Chinese markets.
The animal’s coat was so fine and shiny that it could have been worth a large fortune.
I admired this unusual creature.
It had a rounded head, small ears, bright eyes, white whiskers like a cat, webbed feet, sharp claws, and a thick tail.
Because fishermen hunted these animals constantly, they had become very rare.
They survived mainly in the northern Pacific Ocean, where their numbers were already declining.
Captain Nemo’s companion carried the sea otter over his shoulder, and we continued.
For an hour, we crossed a wide sandy plain.
Sometimes the sand rose close to the surface.
At those places, I could clearly see our reflection above us.
It was like another group walking upside down in the sky of the ocean.
They copied every movement we made, except that their heads pointed downward and their feet pointed upward.
I also noticed another strange sight.
Thick clouds seemed to appear and disappear above us.
But after looking carefully, I understood they were not clouds.
They were caused by groups of plants growing on the seabed.
Their broken tops created white foam patterns on the surface.
I could also see the shadows of large birds flying above the ocean.
Their movements were reflected through the water.
Then I witnessed one of the most impressive shots I had ever seen from a hunter.
A huge bird with enormous wings flew above us.
Captain Nemo’s companion lifted his gun and fired when the bird was only a few yards above the waves.
The creature fell, stunned.
The force of its fall brought it close enough for the hunter to grab.
It was a magnificent albatross.
We continued walking without stopping.
For two more hours, we crossed sandy plains and then fields of seaweed that were extremely difficult to pass through.
I was exhausted.
My strength was almost gone.
Then I saw a faint light shining in the distance.
It was the lamp of the Nautilus.
Within twenty minutes, we would be back on board.
I would finally breathe fresh air again.
My air supply seemed to contain less and less oxygen.
But I had not expected what happened next.
An unexpected encounter delayed our return.
I had fallen several steps behind the others when I suddenly saw Captain Nemo rushing toward me.
With his powerful hand, he pushed me down toward the ground.
His companion did the same to Conseil.
At first, I had no idea what was happening.
Then I saw Captain Nemo lying beside me, completely still.
I lay beneath the protection of a group of seaweed.
When I carefully raised my head, I saw an enormous shape moving past us.
It released a faint glowing light.
My blood turned cold when I recognized the creature.
Two enormous sharks were passing nearby.
They were terrible tintoreas.
Their huge tails moved slowly, and their lifeless eyes stared forward.
Around their mouths were glowing organs that produced a strange light.
They were monsters.
Their powerful jaws could crush a human body instantly.
I do not know whether Conseil stopped to study them.
I certainly did not.
I noticed only their silver-colored bellies and their enormous mouths filled with sharp teeth.
At that moment, I was thinking less like a scientist and more like a possible victim.
Fortunately, these dangerous creatures had poor eyesight.
They passed by without noticing us.
Their rough fins brushed close to our bodies, but we escaped.
It was a danger greater than meeting a tiger face-to-face in a forest.
Half an hour later, guided by the electric lights, we finally reached the Nautilus.
The outer door was already open.
Captain Nemo quickly closed it after we entered the first chamber.
Then he pressed a button.
I heard the pumps begin working.
The water surrounding us slowly disappeared.
Soon, the chamber was completely dry.
The inner door opened, and we entered the changing room.
Removing our diving suits was not easy.
After so many hours without proper food and sleep, I was completely exhausted.
I returned to my room, filled with amazement at this unforgettable journey through the depths of the ocean.