Orakel Classics
Twenty Thousand Leagues under the Seas
Twenty Thousand Leagues under the Seas by Jules Verne, prepared as a public-domain Orakel edition with 46 chapter-aware companion links.
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CHAPTER I: A SHIFTING REEF
CHAPTER I: A SHIFTING REEF from Twenty Thousand Leagues under the Seas. The year 1866 was signalised by a remarkable incident, a mysterious and puzzling phenomenon, which doubtless no one has yet forgotten. Not to mention rumours which agitated the maritime population and excited the public mind, even in the interior of continents, seafaring men were particularly excited. Merchants, common sailors, captains of vessels, skippers, both of Europe and America, naval officers of all
Open2CHAPTER II: PRO AND CON
CHAPTER II: PRO AND CON from Twenty Thousand Leagues under the Seas. At the period when these events took place, I had just returned from a scientific research in the disagreeable territory of Nebraska, in the United States. In virtue of my office as Assistant Professor in the Museum of Natural History in Paris, the French Government had attached me to that expedition. After six months in Nebraska, I arrived in New York towards the end of March, laden with a precious collection. My
Open3CHAPTER III: I FORM MY RESOLUTION
CHAPTER III: I FORM MY RESOLUTION from Twenty Thousand Leagues under the Seas. Three seconds before the arrival of J. B. Hobson’s letter, I no more thought of pursuing the unicorn than of attempting the passage of the North Sea. Three seconds after reading the letter of the honourable Secretary of Marine, I felt that my true vocation, the sole end of my life, was to chase this disturbing monster, and purge it from the
Open4CHAPTER IV: NED LAND
CHAPTER IV: NED LAND from Twenty Thousand Leagues under the Seas. Captain Farragut was a good seaman, worthy of the frigate he commanded. His vessel and he were one. He was the soul of it. On the question of the cetacean there was no doubt in his mind, and he would not allow the existence of the animal to be disputed on board. He believed in it, as certain good women believe in the leviathan—by faith, not by reason. The monster did exist, and he had sworn to rid the seas of it. He
Open5CHAPTER V: AT A VENTURE
CHAPTER V: AT A VENTURE from Twenty Thousand Leagues under the Seas. The voyage of the Abraham Lincoln was for a long time marked by no special incident. But one circumstance happened which showed the wonderful dexterity of Ned Land, and proved what confidence we might place in
Open6CHAPTER VI: AT FULL STEAM
CHAPTER VI: AT FULL STEAM from Twenty Thousand Leagues under the Seas. At this cry the whole ship’s crew hurried towards the harpooner,—commander, officers, masters, sailors, cabin boys; even the engineers left their engines, and the stokers their
Open7CHAPTER VII: AN UNKNOWN SPECIES OF WHALE
CHAPTER VII: AN UNKNOWN SPECIES OF WHALE from Twenty Thousand Leagues under the Seas. 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
Open8CHAPTER VIII: MOBILIS IN MOBILI
CHAPTER VIII: MOBILIS IN MOBILI from Twenty Thousand Leagues under the Seas. 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
Open9CHAPTER IX: NED LAND’S TEMPERS
CHAPTER IX: NED LAND’S TEMPERS from Twenty Thousand Leagues under the Seas. 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
Open10CHAPTER X: THE MAN OF THE SEAS
CHAPTER X: THE MAN OF THE SEAS from Twenty Thousand Leagues under the Seas. 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
Open11CHAPTER XI: ALL BY ELECTRICITY
CHAPTER XI: ALL BY ELECTRICITY from Twenty Thousand Leagues under the Seas. “Sir,” said Captain Nemo, showing me the instruments hanging on the walls of his room, “here are the contrivances required for the navigation of the Nautilus. Here, as in the drawing-room, I have them always under my eyes, and they indicate my position and exact direction in the middle of the ocean. Some are known to you, such as the thermometer, which gives the internal temperature of the Nautilus; the barometer,
Open12CHAPTER XII: SOME FIGURES
CHAPTER XII: SOME FIGURES from Twenty Thousand Leagues under the Seas. A moment after we were seated on a divan in the saloon smoking. The Captain showed me a sketch that gave the plan, section, and elevation of the Nautilus. Then he began his description in these
Open13CHAPTER XIII: THE BLACK RIVER
CHAPTER XIII: THE BLACK RIVER from Twenty Thousand Leagues under the Seas. The portion of the terrestrial globe which is covered by water is estimated at upwards of eighty millions of acres. This fluid mass comprises two billions two hundred and fifty millions of cubic miles, forming a spherical body of a diameter of sixty leagues, the weight of which would be three quintillions of tons. To comprehend the meaning of these figures, it is necessary to observe that a quintillion is to a
Open14CHAPTER XIV: A NOTE OF INVITATION
CHAPTER XIV: A NOTE OF INVITATION from Twenty Thousand Leagues under the Seas. The next day was the 9th of November. I awoke after a long sleep of twelve hours. Conseil came, according to custom, to know “how I had passed the night,” and to offer his services. He had left his friend the Canadian sleeping like a man who had never done anything else all his life. I let the worthy fellow chatter as he pleased, without caring to answer him. I was pre-occupied by the absence of the Captain during
Open15CHAPTER XV: A WALK ON THE BOTTOM OF THE SEA
CHAPTER XV: A WALK ON THE BOTTOM OF THE SEA from Twenty Thousand Leagues under the Seas. This cell was, to speak correctly, the arsenal and wardrobe of the Nautilus. A dozen diving apparatuses hung from the partition, waiting our
Open16CHAPTER XVI: A SUBMARINE FOREST
CHAPTER XVI: A SUBMARINE FOREST from Twenty Thousand Leagues under the Seas. We had at last arrived on the borders of this forest, doubtless one of the finest of Captain Nemo’s immense domains. He looked upon it as his own, and considered he had the same right over it that the first men had in the first days of the world. And, indeed, who would have disputed with him the possession of this submarine property? What other hardier pioneer would come, hatchet in hand, to cut down the dark
Open17CHAPTER XVII: FOUR THOUSAND LEAGUES UNDER THE PACIFIC
CHAPTER XVII: FOUR THOUSAND LEAGUES UNDER THE PACIFIC from Twenty Thousand Leagues under the Seas. The next morning, the 18th of November, I had quite recovered from my fatigues of the day before, and I went up on to the platform, just as the second lieutenant was uttering his daily
Open18CHAPTER XVIII: VANIKORO
CHAPTER XVIII: VANIKORO from Twenty Thousand Leagues under the Seas. This terrible spectacle was the forerunner of the series of maritime catastrophes that the Nautilus was destined to meet with in its route. As long as it went through more frequented waters, we often saw the hulls of shipwrecked vessels that were rotting in the depths, and deeper down cannons, bullets, anchors, chains, and a thousand other iron materials eaten up by rust. However, on the 11th of December we sighted
Open19CHAPTER XIX: TORRES STRAITS
CHAPTER XIX: TORRES STRAITS from Twenty Thousand Leagues under the Seas. During the night of the 27th or 28th of December, the Nautilus left the shores of Vanikoro with great speed. Her course was south-westerly, and in three days she had gone over the 750 leagues that separated it from La Perouse’s group and the south-east point of
Open20CHAPTER XX: A FEW DAYS ON LAND
CHAPTER XX: A FEW DAYS ON LAND from Twenty Thousand Leagues under the Seas. I was much impressed on touching land. Ned Land tried the soil with his feet, as if to take possession of it. However, it was only two months before that we had become, according to Captain Nemo, “passengers on board the Nautilus,” but, in reality, prisoners of its
Open21CHAPTER XXI: CAPTAIN NEMO’S THUNDERBOLT
CHAPTER XXI: CAPTAIN NEMO’S THUNDERBOLT from Twenty Thousand Leagues under the Seas. We looked at the edge of the forest without rising, my hand stopping in the action of putting it to my mouth, Ned Land’s completing its
Open22CHAPTER XXII: “ÆGRI SOMNIA”
CHAPTER XXII: “ÆGRI SOMNIA” from Twenty Thousand Leagues under the Seas. The following day 10th January, the Nautilus continued her course between two seas, but with such remarkable speed that I could not estimate it at less than thirty-five miles an hour. The rapidity of her screw was such that I could neither follow nor count its revolutions. When I reflected that this marvellous electric agent, after having afforded motion, heat, and light to the Nautilus, still protected her from
Open23CHAPTER XXIII: THE CORAL KINGDOM
CHAPTER XXIII: THE CORAL KINGDOM from Twenty Thousand Leagues under the Seas. The next day I woke with my head singularly clear. To my great surprise, I was in my own room. My companions, no doubt, had been reinstated in their cabin, without having perceived it any more than I. Of what had passed during the night they were as ignorant as I was, and to penetrate this mystery I only reckoned upon the chances of the
Open24CHAPTER I: THE INDIAN OCEAN
CHAPTER I: THE INDIAN OCEAN from Twenty Thousand Leagues under the Seas. We now come to the second part of our journey under the sea. The first ended with the moving scene in the coral cemetery which left such a deep impression on my mind. Thus, in the midst of this great sea, Captain Nemo’s life was passing, even to his grave, which he had prepared in one of its deepest abysses. There, not one of the ocean’s monsters could trouble the last sleep of the crew of the Nautilus, of those
Open25CHAPTER II: A NOVEL PROPOSAL OF CAPTAIN NEMO’S
CHAPTER II: A NOVEL PROPOSAL OF CAPTAIN NEMO’S from Twenty Thousand Leagues under the Seas. On the 28th of February, when at noon the Nautilus came to the surface of the sea, in 9° 4′ N. lat., there was land in sight about eight miles to westward. The first thing I noticed was a range of mountains about two thousand feet high, the shapes of which were most capricious. On taking the bearings, I knew that we were nearing the island of Ceylon, the pearl which hangs from the lobe of the Indian
Open26CHAPTER III: A PEARL OF TEN MILLIONS
CHAPTER III: A PEARL OF TEN MILLIONS from Twenty Thousand Leagues under the Seas. The next morning at four o’clock I was awakened by the steward whom Captain Nemo had placed at my service. I rose hurriedly, dressed, and went into the
Open27CHAPTER IV: THE RED SEA
CHAPTER IV: THE RED SEA from Twenty Thousand Leagues under the Seas. In the course of the day of the 29th of January, the island of Ceylon disappeared under the horizon, and the Nautilus, at a speed of twenty miles an hour, slid into the labyrinth of canals which separate the Maldives from the Laccadives. It coasted even the Island of Kiltan, a land originally coraline, discovered by Vasco da Gama in 1499, and one of the nineteen principal islands of the Laccadive Archipelago,
Open28CHAPTER V: THE ARABIAN TUNNEL
CHAPTER V: THE ARABIAN TUNNEL from Twenty Thousand Leagues under the Seas. That same evening, in 21° 30′ N. lat., the Nautilus floated on the surface of the sea, approaching the Arabian coast. I saw Djeddah, the most important counting-house of Egypt, Syria, Turkey, and India. I distinguished clearly enough its buildings, the vessels anchored at the quays, and those whose draught of water obliged them to anchor in the roads. The sun, rather low on the horizon, struck full on the houses of
Open29CHAPTER VI: THE GRECIAN ARCHIPELAGO
CHAPTER VI: THE GRECIAN ARCHIPELAGO from Twenty Thousand Leagues under the Seas. The next day, the 12th of February, at the dawn of day, the Nautilus rose to the surface. I hastened on to the platform. Three miles to the south the dim outline of Pelusium was to be seen. A torrent had carried us from one sea to another. About seven o’clock Ned and Conseil joined
Open30CHAPTER VII: THE MEDITERRANEAN IN FORTY-EIGHT HOURS
CHAPTER VII: THE MEDITERRANEAN IN FORTY-EIGHT HOURS from Twenty Thousand Leagues under the Seas. The Mediterranean, the blue sea par excellence, “the great sea” of the Hebrews, “the sea” of the Greeks, the “mare nostrum” of the Romans, bordered by orange-trees, aloes, cacti, and sea-pines; embalmed with the perfume of the myrtle, surrounded by rude mountains, saturated with pure and transparent air, but incessantly worked by underground fires; a perfect battlefield in which Neptune and Pluto still dispute the
Open31CHAPTER VIII: VIGO BAY
CHAPTER VIII: VIGO BAY from Twenty Thousand Leagues under the Seas. The Atlantic! a vast sheet of water whose superficial area covers twenty-five millions of square miles, the length of which is nine thousand miles, with a mean breadth of two thousand seven hundred—an ocean whose parallel winding shores embrace an immense circumference, watered by the largest rivers of the world, the St. Lawrence, the Mississippi, the Amazon, the Plata, the Orinoco, the Niger, the Senegal, the Elbe,
Open32CHAPTER IX: A VANISHED CONTINENT
CHAPTER IX: A VANISHED CONTINENT from Twenty Thousand Leagues under the Seas. The next morning, the 19th of February, I saw the Canadian enter my room. I expected this visit. He looked very
Open33CHAPTER X: THE SUBMARINE COAL-MINES
CHAPTER X: THE SUBMARINE COAL-MINES from Twenty Thousand Leagues under the Seas. The next day, the 20th of February, I awoke very late: the fatigues of the previous night had prolonged my sleep until eleven o’clock. I dressed quickly, and hastened to find the course the Nautilus was taking. The instruments showed it to be still toward the south, with a speed of twenty miles an hour and a depth of fifty
Open34CHAPTER XI: THE SARGASSO SEA
CHAPTER XI: THE SARGASSO SEA from Twenty Thousand Leagues under the Seas. That day the Nautilus crossed a singular part of the Atlantic Ocean. No one can be ignorant of the existence of a current of warm water known by the name of the Gulf Stream. After leaving the Gulf of Florida, we went in the direction of Spitzbergen. But before entering the Gulf of Mexico, about 45° of N. lat., this current divides into two arms, the principal one going towards the coast of Ireland and Norway, whilst
Open35CHAPTER XII: CACHALOTS AND WHALES
CHAPTER XII: CACHALOTS AND WHALES from Twenty Thousand Leagues under the Seas. During the nights of the 13th and 14th of March, the Nautilus returned to its southerly course. I fancied that, when on a level with Cape Horn, he would turn the helm westward, in order to beat the Pacific seas, and so complete the tour of the world. He did nothing of the kind, but continued on his way to the southern regions. Where was he going to? To the pole? It was madness! I began to think that the Captain’s
Open36CHAPTER XIII: THE ICEBERG
CHAPTER XIII: THE ICEBERG from Twenty Thousand Leagues under the Seas. The Nautilus was steadily pursuing its southerly course, following the fiftieth meridian with considerable speed. Did he wish to reach the pole? I did not think so, for every attempt to reach that point had hitherto failed. Again, the season was far advanced, for in the Antarctic regions the 13th of March corresponds with the 13th of September of northern regions, which begin at the equinoctial season. On the 14th
Open37CHAPTER XIV: THE SOUTH POLE
CHAPTER XIV: THE SOUTH POLE from Twenty Thousand Leagues under the Seas. I rushed on to the platform. Yes! the open sea, with but a few scattered pieces of ice and moving icebergs—a long stretch of sea; a world of birds in the air, and myriads of fishes under those waters, which varied from intense blue to olive green, according to the bottom. The thermometer marked 3° C. above zero. It was comparatively spring, shut up as we were behind this iceberg, whose lengthened mass was dimly seen
Open38CHAPTER XV: ACCIDENT OR INCIDENT?
CHAPTER XV: ACCIDENT OR INCIDENT? from Twenty Thousand Leagues under the Seas. The next day, the 22nd of March, at six in the morning, preparations for departure were begun. The last gleams of twilight were melting into night. The cold was great, the constellations shone with wonderful intensity. In the zenith glittered that wondrous Southern Cross—the polar bear of Antarctic regions. The thermometer showed 12 below zero, and when the wind freshened it was most biting. Flakes of ice increased
Open39CHAPTER XVI: WANT OF AIR
CHAPTER XVI: WANT OF AIR from Twenty Thousand Leagues under the Seas. Thus around the Nautilus, above and below, was an impenetrable wall of ice. We were prisoners to the iceberg. I watched the Captain. His countenance had resumed its habitual
Open40CHAPTER XVII: FROM CAPE HORN TO THE AMAZON
CHAPTER XVII: FROM CAPE HORN TO THE AMAZON from Twenty Thousand Leagues under the Seas. How I got on to the platform, I have no idea; perhaps the Canadian had carried me there. But I breathed, I inhaled the vivifying sea-air. My two companions were getting drunk with the fresh particles. The other unhappy men had been so long without food, that they could not with impunity indulge in the simplest aliments that were given them. We, on the contrary, had no end to restrain ourselves; we could draw this
Open41CHAPTER XVIII: THE POULPS
CHAPTER XVIII: THE POULPS from Twenty Thousand Leagues under the Seas. For several days the Nautilus kept off from the American coast. Evidently it did not wish to risk the tides of the Gulf of Mexico or of the sea of the Antilles. April 16th, we sighted Martinique and Guadaloupe from a distance of about thirty miles. I saw their tall peaks for an instant. The Canadian, who counted on carrying out his projects in the Gulf, by either landing or hailing one of the numerous boats that
Open42CHAPTER XIX: THE GULF STREAM
CHAPTER XIX: THE GULF STREAM from Twenty Thousand Leagues under the Seas. This terrible scene of the 20th of April none of us can ever forget. I have written it under the influence of violent emotion. Since then I have revised the recital; I have read it to Conseil and to the Canadian. They found it exact as to facts, but insufficient as to effect. To paint such pictures, one must have the pen of the most illustrious of our poets, the author of The Toilers of the
Open43CHAPTER XX: FROM LATITUDE 47° 24′ TO LONGITUDE 17° 28′
CHAPTER XX: FROM LATITUDE 47° 24′ TO LONGITUDE 17° 28′ from Twenty Thousand Leagues under the Seas. In consequence of the storm, we had been thrown eastward once more. All hope of escape on the shores of New York or St. Lawrence had faded away; and poor Ned, in despair, had isolated himself like Captain Nemo. Conseil and I, however, never left each other. I said that the Nautilus had gone aside to the east. I should have said (to be more exact) the north-east. For some days, it wandered first on the surface, and
Open44CHAPTER XXI: A HECATOMB
CHAPTER XXI: A HECATOMB from Twenty Thousand Leagues under the Seas. The way of describing this unlooked-for scene, the history of the patriot ship, told at first so coldly, and the emotion with which this strange man pronounced the last words, the name of the Avenger, the significance of which could not escape me, all impressed itself deeply on my mind. My eyes did not leave the Captain, who, with his hand stretched out to sea, was watching with a glowing eye the glorious wreck.
Open45CHAPTER XXII: THE LAST WORDS OF CAPTAIN NEMO
CHAPTER XXII: THE LAST WORDS OF CAPTAIN NEMO from Twenty Thousand Leagues under the Seas. The panels had closed on this dreadful vision, but light had not returned to the saloon: all was silence and darkness within the Nautilus. At wonderful speed, a hundred feet beneath the water, it was leaving this desolate spot. Whither was it going? To the north or south? Where was the man flying to after such dreadful retaliation? I had returned to my room, where Ned and Conseil had remained silent enough. I felt
Open46CHAPTER XXIII: CONCLUSION
CHAPTER XXIII: CONCLUSION from Twenty Thousand Leagues under the Seas. Thus ends the voyage under the seas. What passed during that night—how the boat escaped from the eddies of the maelstrom—how Ned Land, Conseil, and myself ever came out of the gulf, I cannot
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