The Mysterious Island Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea by Captain Grant's Children

Chapter 100: Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea (31)
I had not seen the captain since once near Santorini.Is there a chance to see him again before we leave?I want to see him, but I'm afraid to see him, and I'm worried that my weak performance will be seen through by him.I listened to the next room, but heard nothing.I thought there was no one in the room, so I thought to myself, is this weird person on board?Since we followed him to the pearl field in a small boat that day, my thinking and realm of this man have changed slightly.In spite of what he said, Captain Nemo still retained some kind of relationship with some lands.Did he never leave the Nautilus?Sometimes I don't see him for weeks, what is he doing?Is he cynical and world-weary, so he doesn't want to see people on land?Or had he gone away, on some secret mission of which I had been kept ignorant?All these thoughts, and countless others, came together in my mind.As you can imagine, in the confined underwater space we are in, it is the easiest place to breed random speculation and paranoia, which makes me feel an unbearable irritability.

The waiting for this day seemed endless, and the time passed so slowly.As usual, I ate dinner in my room, and ate carelessly because I had something on my mind.I left the dinner table at seven o'clock, silently counting the time in my mind, and there were still 120 minutes before the nine o'clock meeting with Ned Land.When I think of leaving, my heart beats faster and my breath becomes short of breath. It seems that I am destined not to act like a criminal.Unable to calm down, I decided to go for a walk, hoping that some exercise would have a calming effect on me.The thought that we might die in this daring escape was not very sad.But to think that if our plans were discovered before we left the Nautilus, to think that we would be led before a furious Captain Nemo, or, more embarrassingly, that he would be deeply hurt by our abandonment , It was very painful, and my heart couldn't help beating.

Before I leave, I'm going to the living room one last time.Walking through the corridor, I came to the showroom where I spent countless happy and rewarding hours.Looking at the wealth and treasures on display, I felt like I was on the eve of the Exodus, and that was a strong emotional connection.These treasures and masterpieces of art have gathered a lot of my research energy, but now I have to stay away from them.I turned to look at the glass window in the living room, trying to cast my eyes on the underwater world that I have been amazed countless times, but the glass panel is closed, separating me from this ocean that I have not really experienced. up.

I paced up and down the drawing-room, and approached the corner door which led into the captain's cabin.To my surprise, the door was ajar.I couldn't help stepping back. If Captain Nemo was inside, he might see me.But I couldn't hear the sound inside. I approached carefully and saw that there was no one in the room.I opened the door and walked in. The room was still so simple and serious, with the demeanor of a hermit and eminent monk.On the walls of the room are several copper engravings, which I hadn't noticed when I came here. They are portraits of great figures in history, great thinkers who have always been faithful and devoted their lives to humanity. , they are: Coscius, the hero who fell at the cry of "Poland is over"; Pocharis, the Leonidas of modern Greece; Cornell, the defender of Irish independence; Washington, the United States of America Manin, the patriot of Italy; Lincoln, the president of the United States who overthrew slavery and was eventually assassinated; finally, John Brown, the black emancipation insurrectionist who pioneered the overthrow of slavery. The portraits hanging on the gallows are as terrible as those drawn by Victor Hugo in pencil.

What kind of telepathy and connection can Captain Nemo get from these heroes?From this group of portraits, is it possible for me to discover some secrets of the captain's life?Was he the protector of the oppressed and the liberator of the slave?Was he a hero in the tragic and glorious American Civil War?

While I was meditating, the big clock in the living room suddenly struck eight times, calling me back to reality.I couldn't help trembling all over, as if a hidden eye had seen through the most ulterior secret in my heart, I hurried out of the captain's room and came into the living room.I looked at the compass, and the "Nautilus" was still heading north at a normal speed. The pressure gauge showed that the current water depth was about 60 meters. All conditions and circumstances were favorable to the Canadian plan.

I went back to my room and put on some extra clothes to keep me warm, including sea boots, an otter hat, and a coat with a sealskin lining, in preparation for my escape at sea in an hour.Everything is ready, I wait patiently for the signal to start, but the only sound in my ears is the vibration of the thrusters.I pricked up my ears, paying attention to whether there were any abnormal shouts. If there were any, it meant that Ned Land's plan had been discovered. This process was really tormenting.

It was only a few minutes before nine o'clock sharp, and I pressed my ear to the wall for the sound of the captain's quarters next door.After confirming that there was no sound, I walked out of the room and came to the living room. There was no one in the living room, and it was pitch black.

I opened the door leading to the library, and the light inside was also dim and deserted.I stood close to the door, in the cage facing the central staircase, anxiously awaiting the Canadian's signal.

Suddenly, the vibrating sound of the propeller was significantly reduced, and after a while, there was no sound at all. Whether the "Nautilus" came to a complete stop, whether it was beneficial or unfavorable to Ned Land's plan, I cannot judge for the time being.At this moment, I felt a slight jolt, which indicated that the ship had stopped on the bottom of the Atlantic Ocean.I am very disturbed, the signal from the Canadians has not been sent out for a long time, I want to go out to see the situation, and persuade him to change the plan, because I feel that this stop is completely abnormal, is it for some special mission?I was thinking wildly when the living room door was pushed open.

It was Captain Nemo, who saw me, and asked me directly in an affectionate tone without greetings or formalities:
"Professor, I didn't expect you to be here. I was just looking for you. Are you familiar with the history of Spain?"

Even a well-educated person who knows the history of his country like the back of his hand, in my current state, would feel dizzy, at a loss, and unable to give a normal answer.

"Professor Aronnax?" continued the captain. "Did you hear my question? Do you know the history of Spain?"

"I don't know much." I replied feebly.

"Many scholars lack understanding of the history of this country that is rich in navigators." The captain sat down and said, "Professor, please sit down. I want to tell you a secret about this country."

The captain was very comfortable in an easy chair, and I sat awkwardly in the armchair beside him.

"Professor," he said to me, "you will be interested in this incident, because it answers a question which you cannot explain."

"Okay, captain, I'm all ears." I replied mechanically, not knowing what the captain wanted to say, I thought to myself, maybe it has something to do with our escape plan.

"Professor," said Captain Nemo, "we're going to push the time back to 1702. You know very well that at that time, France was very strong. King Louis XIV thought he was making a little gesture. The Pyrenees Just trembling, he ordered Spain to accept his grandson, the Duke of Anjou, as their new king, Philip V. It is a pity that the grandson of the French king is not a master of state affairs. During his stay in Spain, he did Not very good, the main reason is that there was a conflict with a powerful enemy. This enemy is the alliance just established a year ago by the Netherlands, Austria and the United Kingdom, mainly targeting Philip V. This alliance plans to overthrow Philip V, Then make a prince of Austria king of Spain, and give him a new title——Charles III."

"If Spain wants to resist the conspiracy of this alliance, it may have to fight on both land and sea, so it needs enough soldiers and sailors, which means that it will cost a lot of money to recruit people and build an army. The best source of this money is The Spanish fleet, they brought back a large amount of gold and silver from the Americas. At the end of 1702, the Spanish king anxiously waited for a convoy of transport ships carrying a large amount of gold and silver, which was escorted by a huge fleet of 23 French warships, commanding The officer is Admiral Chateau Renault, unfortunately, the powerful navy of the alliance is patrolling the Atlantic Ocean at this time."

"The destination of this fleet of transport ships should be the port of Cadiz, but when the commander of the French Navy learned that the British fleet was patrolling the waters in this area, he decided to turn the fleet to Vigo Bay."

"Have you understood so far, Professor?"

"I understand."

"Okay, let me continue. The powerful British navy will not sit idly by the French's new actions. The British fleet is aggressively advancing towards Vigo Bay and surrounding this open port. In such a port, the fleet is fortified and It is very difficult to resist the enemy's attack. Although Admiral Renault was outnumbered in strength, he did his best to resist bravely. Later, the admiral found that the fall of the port would happen sooner or later. In order to prevent the British from taking Treasure, he ordered the sinking of the merchant ships full of gold and silver treasure, right at the bottom of Vigo Bay."

"The loss of Philip V was huge, but the British didn't get a big deal. But it's different for us. In this Vigo Bay, we only need to pick up the leftovers. On my seabed map With the coordinates of these shipwrecks, do you now understand how I have infinite wealth of hundreds of millions?"

"What is the treasure on board worth, Captain?"

"Five billion!" Captain Nemo replied. "It used to be under the sea, but now it's all mine."

"Then you are the richest man in the world." I said sarcastically.

"Professor, I don't pay attention to my personal wealth as you think. What I think of is the millions of poor people in the world. How meaningful it is to distribute these wealth to them properly."

"But the wealth is still in your hands, which is of no use to the poor." I didn't want to express this euphemistic meaning, and I felt that it would hurt Captain Nemo's feelings.

"No use?" replied Captain Nemo excitedly. "Then, sir, do you think that the riches I have collected myself are lost? Do you think I have labored so hard to salvage them for myself? Who told you?" You and I don't use them properly? Do you think I don't know that there are countless suffering people and oppressed races in the world? Just like those pearl fishers in the Indian peninsula, there are countless poor people to help and revenge. The bottom of society? Don't you understand?"

Captain Nemo stopped talking at the end, probably because he regretted that he had said too much.Whatever his motives, I don't know the reason for him to go down to the bottom of the sea to seek independence and freedom, but he is first and foremost a sympathetic person!I understand, when the "Nautilus" was sailing in the sea of ​​Crete, Captain Nemo sent millions of gold to whom.

Sunken continent

On the morning of February 2th, the Canadian came into my room. He looked haggard, as if he hadn't slept well, and I was waiting for him to come.

"Professor, things are really bad."

"Yes, Ned, we were very unlucky yesterday."

"It is strange that the eccentric captain stopped the ship just as we were about to carry out the plan."

"That's because Mr. Captain is talking to his bank manager."

"His bank manager?"

"Or his bank, this bank is the sea under our feet, where his wealth is buried. It is safer and more reliable than any national bank vault."

I told the Canadian in detail what had happened last night and why, so that he would understand that the captain's sudden decision was not aimed at us.As a result, Ned Land did not diminish his dissatisfaction in the slightest. He regretted that he did not have the right tools and the right time to visit the battlefield site in Vigo Bay.He said:
"This matter is not over yet. I missed the target with my harpoon yesterday. I will definitely succeed next time. If possible, it will be tonight!"

"Do you know which direction the Nautilus is heading tonight?" I asked.

"I don't know, maybe you can check it out." Ned replied.

"Well, at noon, I will go to the compass in the living room to check the bearing of the ship."

Ned Land went to look for Conseil, and I dressed and went to the living room.The compass showed very unclear, the course was south-southwest, and we were driving with our backs on Europe.

I wrote down the position of the ship on the map, secretly anxious in my heart.At eleven o'clock, the cistern was emptied and the boat resurfaced. I walked up to the platform and saw Ned standing there.

Here, we cannot see any shadow of land, only the surface of the ocean.In the sky, there are a few sailing boats faintly. They must want to catch the wind at Cape Thornlock so as to go to the Cape of Good Hope.At this time, the sky began to darken, and the wind in the sea picked up.

Ned was angry and frustrated. He looked far away, trying to cast his gaze through the fog to the horizon, where he hoped that the land he longed for existed.

At noon, the sun peeked out from the clouds.Taking advantage of the clear weather, I measured the height of the sun.Not long after, the waves on the sea gradually increased, and we returned to the cabin and closed the panels.After an hour, I looked at the map, and the position of the "Nautilus" was shown on the map. We were at 16°17′ west longitude and 33°22′ south latitude, which was 75 kilometers away from the nearest land. Access by dinghy was difficult and our plans had to be delayed.

After dinner, I felt a little stuffy, so I wandered into the living room and saw Captain Nemo sitting in a chair meditating. His eyes lit up when he saw me, and he said:
"Professor, I have something to discuss with you. I wonder if you are interested?"

"Please say."

"For this ocean we are in, can you take a walk under the sea with me?"

I didn't expect that the captain would choose to get out of the "Nautilus" at night. Anyway, I had nothing to do, and it would be interesting to measure the bottom of the Atlantic Ocean with my feet, so I agreed without hesitation.The captain didn't ask my companion to go, but just motioned for him and me to come to the front cabin and asked the crew to help us put on the diving suit.

I learned the lesson from the pearl field last time, and carefully picked up the electric light, which resulted in a comment from the captain:
"We don't need it, Professor."

I don't understand why I don't hold lighting tools in this dark water, but I don't want to ask questions because of the shame. In terms of diving, the captain's opinion is expert.Captain Nemo and I buckled the metal caps, and he gave me an iron cane. After a few minutes, I stepped on the bottom of the Atlantic Ocean, with a water depth of about 300 meters.

It was almost midnight at this time, and the sea was dark. Captain Nemo showed me a faint red mass in the distance, like a faint light, about two nautical miles away from the "Nautilus".What kind of light is this, what substance makes it glow, and why does it shine in sea water?Many questions bother me.Under the light of this twilight, I quickly got used to the semi-darkness underwater, and I also kind of understood why Captain Nemo didn't bring electric lights.

Captain Nemo and I walked close together toward the light, the ground under our feet was flat and gradually rising, and with the help of our walking sticks we were able to make great strides.However, in terms of speed, it is still incomparable with brisk walking on land, because our feet often get stuck in the mud full of seaweed and stones.

I was walking and paying attention to my surroundings. At this time, there was a sound of "swiping" above my head, which was tense and inattentive, and then became a continuous sound. I looked up and found nothing. Later, I realized that it was raining on the sea. It is estimated that the heavy rain will make such a sound.I touched my body instinctively, afraid of getting wet from the rain, and when I realized that I was walking under the water, I couldn't help but smile silently at this weird idea.Wearing a thick diving suit, I don't feel surrounded by water, but walk in an aura that is thicker than air.

After walking for about half an hour, the stones on the ground gradually increased.Some luminescent jellyfish, tiny crustaceans and phosphorescent phytozoans cast faint rays that illuminate the ground.I saw piles of stones covered by billions of phytophytes and kelp formations, forming a slimy carpet of seaweed, on which my feet often stepped, and without the help of an iron walking stick, I I'm afraid I'm going to fall down several times.I turned around and saw the pale white lights of the Nautilus fading away and blurring against the current.

The rocks on the ground just mentioned are arranged in a certain order on the seabed. Why this is so, I cannot explain.On the ground in the distance, there are some huge trenches, extending to far away, their length cannot be estimated.There are also some strange terrains, the existence of which I can hardly imagine.The shoes I wore had heavy lead iron soles, and when I stepped on the road made of sunken ship bones, they made a crisp sound of "snap".I really want to ask the captain, why did he take me on this vast submarine plain on this dark rainy night?It is impossible to talk in the water. The captain and his crew have mastered a sign language for communicating on the bottom of the sea, but unfortunately I don't understand it at all.

(End of this chapter)