I had no idea how I reached the platform of the Nautilus. Perhaps Ned Land had carried me there.
But the moment I stepped outside, I felt the fresh ocean air fill my lungs. I breathed deeply, taking in the life-giving oxygen that we had been deprived of for so long.
Ned and Conseil stood beside me, almost drunk with happiness from the pure air.
The other unfortunate men who had been trapped in the ice for so long were not as lucky. Their bodies had become too weak from hunger, and even the simplest food caused them suffering.
But we had been well fed. We did not need to worry about that. We could breathe freely, and the fresh breeze alone gave us a feeling of incredible joy.
“Ah!” Conseil cried. “How wonderful this oxygen is! Master does not need to worry. There is enough air for everyone.”
Ned Land said nothing.
He simply opened his mouth wide, breathing in so deeply that he looked like he could frighten even a shark.
Soon our strength returned.
When I looked around, I realized that we were the only ones on the platform. The foreign sailors of the Nautilus were satisfied with the air circulating inside the submarine, and none of them had come outside to enjoy the open atmosphere.
The first words I spoke were words of gratitude toward my two companions.
“Ned, Conseil,” I said, “I owe you both more than I can ever repay. During those final hours of suffering, you kept me alive through your courage and loyalty.”
“My friends, we are connected forever now. I will always remember what you have done for me.”
Ned Land smiled.
“That is good,” he said. “Because I intend to use that debt to my advantage.”
“What do you mean?” Conseil asked.
“I mean that when I escape from this cursed Nautilus, I will take you both with me.”
Conseil looked thoughtful.
“After everything that has happened, are we finally going in the right direction?”
“Yes,” I replied. “We are following the path of the sun. And here, in the southern hemisphere, the sun moves toward the north.”
“That may be true,” Ned said, “but we still need to know whether Captain Nemo is taking us into the Pacific Ocean or the Atlantic Ocean. One leads to busy waters, the other to empty seas.”
I could not answer him.
I feared Captain Nemo intended to complete his journey around the underwater world by crossing into the Pacific and then returning to the seas where the Nautilus could move freely without interference.
We would soon discover his plan.
The Nautilus continued forward at great speed.
Before long, we crossed the Antarctic Circle and changed our course toward Cape Horn.
On March 31st, at seven o’clock in the evening, we reached the waters near the southern tip of America.
At that moment, all our past suffering seemed to disappear.
The terrifying memory of being trapped beneath the ice faded from our minds.
We thought only about the future.
Captain Nemo still did not appear in the drawing-room or on the platform.
But every day, I studied the position marked on the map by the lieutenant. It showed the exact course of the Nautilus.
That evening, I finally saw something that filled me with hope.
We were heading north through the Atlantic Ocean.
The next day, April 1st, the Nautilus rose to the surface shortly before noon.
Land appeared to the west.
It was Tierra del Fuego, the land named by early explorers because they saw countless fires and smoke rising from the native settlements.
The coastline looked low from where we stood, but farther inland, great mountains rose into the sky.
I thought I recognized Mount Sarmiento, a magnificent peak rising about 2,070 yards above sea level.
Its sharp summit was clearly visible against the sky, a sign that the weather was calm and clear.
The Nautilus soon submerged again and approached the coast, which was only a few miles away.
Through the glass windows of the drawing-room, I saw an extraordinary underwater forest.
Long seaweeds, enormous kelp plants, and giant marine grasses covered the ocean floor.
Some of these plants stretched nearly 300 yards long.
They were like enormous underwater ropes, thicker than a person’s thumb and so strong that sailors often used them as natural cables.
Another type of seaweed, called kelp, had leaves several feet long and grew among coral formations.
These underwater gardens provided shelter and food for countless creatures.
Crabs, shellfish, cuttlefish, and many other small animals lived among the plants.
Seals and otters also came here to feast, eating fish and sea plants together.
The Nautilus rushed over this rich underwater world.
By evening, we reached the Falkland Islands.
The next day, I recognized their rugged mountains rising above the horizon.
The sea around these islands was not very deep.
Our nets brought up beautiful sea plants, especially a type of kelp whose roots contained some of the finest mussels in the world.
Large numbers of geese and ducks were caught and soon found their way into the Nautilus‘s kitchen.
When the last peaks of the Falklands disappeared behind us, the Nautilus sank to a depth of about twenty to twenty-five yards and continued along the coast of South America.
Captain Nemo still did not appear.
Until April 3rd, we remained near Patagonia, sometimes traveling underwater and sometimes at the surface.
The submarine passed beyond the enormous mouth of the River Plate.
On April 4th, we were about fifty-six miles from Uruguay.
Our course continued northward, following the winding coast of South America.
Since leaving the waters of Japan, we had traveled about 1,600 miles.
Around eleven o’clock in the morning, we crossed the Tropic of Capricorn along the thirty-seventh meridian and passed Cape Frio.
To Ned Land’s great disappointment, Captain Nemo avoided the coastal waters of Brazil.
The Nautilus moved at incredible speed.
No fish, no matter how fast, and no bird could keep up with us.
The wonders of these tropical seas passed by too quickly for us to study them.
This speed continued for several days.
On the evening of April 9th, we saw Cape San Roque, the easternmost point of South America.
But then the Nautilus changed direction once again.
It descended into the deepest part of an underwater valley stretching between this cape and Sierra Leone on the African coast.
This enormous submarine valley extended beneath the Atlantic.
Its sides rose like gigantic cliffs, thousands of yards high.
According to Captain Nemo’s own underwater maps, the ocean floor here contained mountains and valleys that created a strange and beautiful hidden landscape.
For two days, the Nautilus explored these deep deserted waters.
The submarine’s powerful diving systems allowed it to travel at different depths and examine the underwater terrain.
But on April 11th, it suddenly rose toward the surface.
Land appeared ahead.
We had reached the mouth of the Amazon River, one of the largest rivers in the world.
Its enormous flow of fresh water spread far into the ocean, making the seawater less salty for many miles.
We crossed the equator.
Only twenty miles to the west were the Guianas, French territory where we might have found a chance to escape.
But a strong wind was blowing, and the violent waves made it impossible for any small boat to survive the journey.
Ned Land understood this.
He said nothing.
I also avoided mentioning his escape plans because I did not want to encourage him to attempt something that was almost certain to fail.
Instead, I spent my time studying the amazing creatures brought up by the nets of the Nautilus.
On April 11th and 12th, the submarine remained near the surface.
The nets collected a remarkable variety of marine life.
Among the strange creatures were beautiful coral-like animals, delicate mollusks, and countless fish.
I observed many species that were new or fascinating.
There were transparent sea creatures, strange shellfish, elegant cuttlefish, and unusual squid that ancient naturalists had once grouped with flying fish.
The waters near the Amazon were filled with life.
Among the fish were lamprey-like creatures with greenish heads and silver-spotted bodies, animals carried into the sea by the river currents.
There were also strange rays, sharks with rows of sharp backward-pointing teeth, and fish whose wing-like fins made them resemble bats.
Some had bright golden spots.
Others shone with violet colors like the feathers of a bird.
The variety was endless.
I could continue this list for pages, but even Conseil would have admitted that such details might become tiring.
Still, I must mention one fish that he would never forget.
One of our nets captured a strange flat ray.
Without its tail, it looked like a perfect round disk.
It weighed about twenty ounces.
Its underside was white, while its upper surface was red, decorated with large dark blue spots surrounded by black rings.
Its skin was smooth and shiny.
When we placed it on the platform, it struggled violently.
It twisted and tried to return to the sea.
One final movement nearly sent it overboard.
Conseil rushed forward.
“I cannot let it escape!” he shouted.
Before I could stop him, he grabbed the creature with both hands.
Instantly, his body was thrown backward.
His legs flew into the air, and half his body became numb.
“Master! Master! Help me!”
It was the first time the loyal Conseil had spoken to me so personally.
Ned Land and I quickly pulled him away.
We rubbed his arms until feeling returned.
The poor man had touched a powerful electric ray called the cumana.
In water, which conducts electricity very well, this creature could shock other animals from several yards away.
Its electric organs were enormous, with two main surfaces covering more than twenty-seven square feet.
The following day, April 12th, the Nautilus approached the Dutch coast near the mouth of the Maroni River.
There we saw groups of sea cows gathering together.
They were manatees, relatives of the dugong and the extinct sea cow.
These peaceful and harmless animals were enormous, measuring between eighteen and twenty-one feet long and weighing more than a ton.
I explained to Ned and Conseil that nature had given these creatures an important purpose.
“Like seals,” I said, “they help maintain balance in the oceans. They feed on underwater plants and prevent rivers from becoming blocked by excessive vegetation.”
“Do you know what happened after humans nearly destroyed these useful animals?”
“The plants they once controlled began to grow wildly. When this vegetation decays, it poisons the air and contributes to diseases such as yellow fever, which has devastated these beautiful regions.”
“The tropical seas contain enormous amounts of plant life. Without animals that feed on it, this growth can become dangerous.”
“Some naturalists even believe that if whales and seals disappeared completely, the oceans would become filled with creatures like jellyfish, cuttlefish, and other organisms, turning them into vast centers of decay.”
“The sea needs these great animals. They are like nature’s own cleaning system, keeping the oceans alive.”