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

Chapter 101: Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea (32)
The reddish light in front became stronger and stronger, illuminating the bottom of the sea red.The light source comes from the bottom of the water, which makes me wonder, is that the effect of electricity?Or is it a natural phenomenon that no scholar on earth can explain?Or, a thought popped up in my head, or was it human, burned in a special way?At the bottom of this mysterious water, will you meet the captain's friends, companions and people who need his rescue as before? These people live a life of seclusion like Captain Nemo, and is he here to visit them now?Then there are some poor people who are exiled. They are tired of the oppression and poverty on land and cannot survive, so they come to the bottom of the ocean to seek shelter and pursue a free life.These thoughts related to that group of red light kept coming and going in my head, and I even had a hallucination in front of my eyes, if there is an underwater city dreamed by Captain Nemo here, how exciting and novel it would be !

Ahead appeared a mountain eight hundred feet high, and a whitish light shot down from the top of the mountain, illuminating the path ahead of us.The white light is pure reflective light reflected by the crystals formed by the water layer, and the source of the light, that is, the unguessable light source, is on the other side of the mountain.

Captain Nemo was very familiar with the road under his feet and in front of him. He walked through the stone forest formed on the bottom of the Atlantic Ocean without any hesitation.He must come here often, so he will stride forward and promise not to get lost.I followed him closely, feeling a real sense of security.Looking at his burly back, he looked like a tall god cruising in the sea.

At six o'clock in the morning we reached some of the natural stone barriers of the mountain, and to cross them we had to pass through a large rocky jungle with only difficult paths.

This jungle is actually a dead forest with no life, no leaves, no green, it is some trees that have been mineralized by the chemicals in the sea water.Tall trees stand on the bottom of the sea, densely packed, forming a submerged forest.After turning over a small slope, the environment changed.The pavement underfoot is covered with seaweed and black carapace, and some crustaceans crawl on it.I followed the captain to climb up a big rock, and then stepped over a crooked tree trunk, and accidentally broke the henpania swinging back and forth between the branches. Break in and run away.The captain's footsteps are always firm and powerful, and I am also enthusiastic, following the captain closely without feeling tired.

I was attracted by the trees and rocks of various shapes in the sea, and sighed that I couldn't describe this wonderful scene in words.The red brilliance reflected by the sea water became stronger and stronger. The captain and I climbed over a piece of rocky area. Often, as soon as we passed, the rocks that had been eroded by the sea water fell down in a fan shape, rumbling and collapsing. Voice.There are wide gaps on the left and right sides of the road. It seems that when this sea water was formed, it was cleaned by human wisdom.I have always had a strong thought, that is, will there be residents living in seclusion in the submarine area ahead?

Captain Nemo always chose the upward route, and I followed closely, not to be outdone.The heavy iron cane helped me a lot. In the mountains on the bottom of the sea, there is an abyss next to the path. Once I stumble, I may fall into the deep water and be in danger.I took every step steadily, keeping my spirits high.Sometimes the path is broken, and there is a gap that is not wide, and you have to jump over it; sometimes there is a large tree trunk that is falling and shaking in front of you, and you have to take the risk.I try not to be mindful of the dangers involved, but rather the rugged landscape of the area.Here, there are some huge rocks, the lower part of which has been severely cut, but the whole stone stands up obliquely, which does not conform to the law of balance.Some naturally formed pavilions have peaked walls, like bunkers densely covered with defensive weapons. Under the wonderful support of the water flow, the entire pavilion stands very obliquely on the seabed. If it was on land, it may have collapsed due to gravity. Lost.

At the bottom of the sea, I didn't feel the pressure of the sea. I was very heavy with the equipment, the copper hat, the lead soles and the diving suit. The weight would have weighed on me on land.But due to the buoyancy of the sea, I didn't feel the slightest heaviness. On the rough slopes, I was able to jump forward with ease, as deftly and fast as antelopes and goats.

By this time we had left the Nautilus for two hours.After passing through a clump of trees, about a hundred feet above our heads, was the mountain.Where are we now?Why did the captain bring me here mysteriously?
I thought I should ask him, but I couldn't speak, so I blocked him, tugged at his arm, and spread my hands in question.He shook his head and pointed to the mountain, as if to say:

"It's not far, go on, speed up!"

I had to muster up the courage and follow him to move on.In just a few minutes, we climbed the mountain, which is more than ten meters above the largest rocks.

The terrain here is divided into three steps, the top of which, viewed from our ascending side, rises no more than seven or eight hundred feet above the plain.But viewed from the other side, the top of the mountain is at least fifteen or six hundred feet above the bottom of the Atlantic Ocean.As far as I could see, fifty feet below the peak, a wide crater was erupting with lava filled with sulfurous gases.The crater was between the rocks and the dross, and the magma was like a flowing waterfall of fire, making the sea hot and boiling.To be precise, the submarine volcano is a huge candle in the ocean, illuminating the submarine plain to the far end.

The lava erupted from the submarine crater did not form a flame.Only when exposed to the air on land, the flames will be produced. Under the water, there is a lack of necessary conditions for the production of flames, such as oxygen and effective space.Due to the extremely high temperature of the lava, after contacting seawater, it directly burns the seawater into water vapor, and the surrounding seawater replenishes and sweeps away the gas.Jets of lava flowed all the way to the foot of the mountain, just as when Vesuvius erupted in 79 AD, the scorching lava flow reached the harbor of Gregor on the Bay of Naples.

At this time, Captain Nemo motioned me to look at the side of the foot of the mountain. Against the red light of the crater, I vaguely saw a desolate scene. To be precise, it seemed to be a picture of sunken, toppled and deserted. I suddenly realized that it was not just a picture, but an abandoned city.I saw collapsed roofs, damaged temples, dilapidated arches, and broken stone pillars. From the architectural style, it was somewhat similar to the Tuscan style.In the distance, there are traces of some drainage works, while at close range are the dome-shaped urban elevations, with the vague shape of the Parthenon.Among them are the remnants of some embankments, like an ancient harbor, protecting returning merchant ships and warships.Farther away, all the tall walls have collapsed, and behind them is a wide road.This is like an underwater Pompeii city, and Captain Nemo miraculously resurrected it before my eyes.

Where the hell is this?What city or country is this?I was so excited that I wanted to discuss this issue with the captain immediately, and I wanted to take off the copper hat on my head.

The captain made a stop gesture to me. He picked up a small stone, walked towards the black basalt beside him, and wrote down a word forcefully:

"Atlantis."

There was ecstasy in my heart, Atlantis?Was this highly civilized kingdom that disappeared mysteriously 9000 years ago really discovered by the captain?The ancient city of Meroboti described by Teopombi, the Atlantic continent in Plato's mind, was once denied by Orijani, Thuffel, Youngblick, Donville, Martiberland and Humber, all of them The sinking and disappearance of this ancient legend is described as an illusory story in myths and legends, but at the same time it has been described by Percydones, Pliny, Amien Mechelin, Tiedulian, Engel, Schlier, Recognized by Dunifort, Befon and Davychak.Now, this piece of land is actually appearing in front of my eyes.And I can discern incontrovertible evidence of the misfortune it suffered when it sank!It is this sunken land, outside of Europe, Asia and Africa, inhabited by a powerful Atlantic race, who had many wars with the ancient Greeks.

Plato was the first historian to record the story of Atlantis in his personal works. His "Conversation between Deme and Clytias" was inspired by the poet and legislator Solon, and wrote published works.

As far as I can remember, Solon was talking one day to some wise old men in the city of Sais.He said that the city was 800 years old according to the chronicles inscribed on the sacred wall of the temple in the city.One of these old men tells the history of the city of Athens, which is a thousand years older than Sais.This settlement of the oldest human civilization was once invaded by the Atlantic people, and some urban buildings were destroyed.These Atlantics occupied a vast continent, larger than Asia and Africa put together, and its territory stretched from 1000° north latitude to 12° north latitude.The Atlantic people ruled as far as Egypt, and they wanted to expand their power to Greece, but due to the stubborn resistance of the Greeks, they had to abandon this plan.After several centuries, a catastrophe happened. First, there was a flood and then an earthquake. In just one day and one night, the entire Atlantic Ocean was completely sunk, leaving only Madre, the Azor Islands, and the Canary Islands. , Qingjiao Islands, these islands are the part of the highest peak in Atlantic Ocean emerging from the sea.

Due to the magical arrangement of fate, I am now stepping on the top of a mountain on this great land, and my hands have touched the ancient ruins of 10 years ago, and the place I walked with the captain just now is where these ancient ancestors once opened up. path of.The animal bones and trees from the prehistoric period have long been fossilized, cracked and broken into several pieces under my heavy boots.

I regretted not having set out sooner, so that I would have time to walk down the steep slopes of this mountain, to traverse the vast continent that unites Africa and America, and to visit the great flooded cities.In my eyes, the city of Machimoth, which is brave and aggressive, and the city of Eusebes, which is devout, emerge.The ancestors of this nation lived there for thousands of years, and they must have had the strength to build a stone embankment that could resist any flood.Although they are now resting here forever, maybe one day the eruption of the volcano or the movement of other geological plates will push these sunken ruins back to the surface of the water.Some people pointed out that there are many submarine volcanoes in the Atlantic Ocean in this area. Some ships can feel a special vibration when they pass through the seabed tortured by these volcanoes; The sound of violent clashes of lava; other ships found thrown volcanic ash on the surface of the sea.From here to the equator, it is within the range of the fire in the center of the earth. Who can predict that at a certain moment in the future, due to the volcanic eruption and the accumulation of layers of lava, the volcano will gradually increase in height, and the peak of the volcano will reappear at on the Atlantic Ocean.

Just as I was daydreaming and trying to store all these spectacular scenery in my memory, Captain Nemo stood on the moss-spotted stone tablet, dazed in a daze.Is he thinking about those ancient humans who were swallowed by the flood?Want to discuss the destiny of mankind with them?The eccentric captain is far away from the life circle of modern people. Did he come here to accept the exercise of historical memory?Or throwback to the life of those Atlantic people?I only wish to have the same mind with him, to understand and understand the mysteries of ancient Atlantis!

We stayed at the summit for about an hour, overlooking the vast plains illuminated by the volcanic brilliance.The power and heat of the volcano sometimes make the mountains below tremble violently, and the rumbling sound is carried far away by the sea water, and alternately forms echoes.At this time, the moonlight shone on the sea, casting a few white light rays on the sunken continent.These lights acted as a signal to the captain, and he stood up, took one last look at the vast plain, and motioned to me to return to the Nautilus.

The journey down the mountain was smooth, we quickly walked through the fossil forest, and the lights of the "Nautilus" appeared in front of us, like a star falling in the sea.The captain and I walked straight to the ship without stopping.When we arrived on the boat, the first ray of dawn had already shone on the sea.

seabed coal pit
The next day was February 2th, I woke up very late, tired from the underwater trip last night, I didn't wake up until eleven o'clock in the morning.Anxious to know where the ship was going, I dressed and went to the living room.The compass showed that we were still headed south, at a depth of 20 meters, at a speed of 100 knots.

At this time, Conseil came to the living room, and I told him about the trip to the submarine volcano and Atlantis last night. Through the open panel, he could still see a corner of the mysterious sunken continent.

The "Nautilus" is now traveling in the water layer ten meters above the plains of Atlantis, its speed is very fast, like a balloon blown up by the wind on the land grassland, we are sitting in its living room, The scene of speeding by outside the glass is like being in the compartment of an express train.Among the sights that flashed before our eyes were large boulders of grotesque shapes, groves of plants and animals, and long serpentines standing up from the stones, which were hidden in the carpet of axis grass and pulsatilla. Down.We've also seen chunks of oddly contoured volcanic rock that have been twisted and deformed by the intense heat of the lava from the Earth's core.

The lights of the Nautilus illuminated many of the surrounding scenes, and I began to tell Conseil the history of the Atlanteans.From a purely fantasy perspective, these histories have led Bayi to write many wonderful articles.I told Conseil about the brave battles that took place on this magical continent, and seriously discussed some problems in Atlantis, but Conseil listened absent-mindedly.It didn't take long for me to understand the reason for his indifference to historical subjects. It was because of the countless fish outside the window that attracted his attention.Whenever our boat passed among these schools of fish, Conseil was completely absorbed in the contemplation of taxonomy, and the problems of the real world were isolated from him.Seeing this situation, I simply stopped recalling history, and did ichthyological research with Conseil.

I soon discovered that the fish in this area were not significantly different from those in the Atlantic Ocean which we had previously observed.Among them are the long-bodied gill fishes, usually up to five meters in length, which are vigorous and often jump out of the sea; With triangular sharp teeth, the body color of this shark is light blue or even somewhat transparent, and human eyes can hardly distinguish them in sea water.

Among the bony fishes, Conseil called out many names, there was the pale black sailfish, about three meters long, with a pair of sharp bony spurs in the upper jaw; In the era of living, this kind of animal was called sea dragon.They have sharp spines on their backs, and catching them is a very dangerous job; Griffon has a brown back with small blue stripes, and the outside of the stripes is a frame with golden yellow edges; Their bodies glowed with sky-blue light, and the sunlight reflected them like silvery white spots; finally, flag-shaped hornfish, eight meters long, swam past the boat in groups.They have yellowish fins six feet long and shaped like sickles or long swords.This kind of fish is very brave and daring, and has a variety of food habits, especially seaweed, not small fish.When the male horned fish sees the action of the female horned fish, he will obey immediately, just like a tamed husband in the human world.

While observing these marine animals, I was also keeping an eye on the vast plains under the sea.Due to the ruggedness of the plain ground, the "Nautilus" sometimes had to slow down, sometimes slipped into the narrow and winding waterways formed by many hills, and sometimes rose from the complex landforms. After crossing the obstacles, it would dive again. A few meters, drive quickly.This is reminiscent of a balloon flying in the air, the only difference is that the "Nautilus" is under the control of the navigator's hands.

At four o'clock in the afternoon, the situation on the sea floor changed. The original thick layer of mud with fossilized branches and leaves gradually disappeared and was replaced by more and more stones, which were metamorphic rocks, basaltic tuff, sulfur flint and black flawed stone.This is a typical feature of mountains, and I guess there will be mountains ahead soon.As I expected, in front of the "Nautilus", I saw a high wall appearing in the distance, blocking the way out ahead.Obviously, the top of this high wall is already above the sea.It might be a continent, or at least an island.Such as the Canary Islands or part of the Verdant Islands.On the chart, we couldn't see our position, the captain may have deliberately neglected this, which made it impossible for us to know our position.Is this high wall the end of Atlantis?

When night fell, I continued my observations, Conseil went back to his room to rest, and I stayed alone. The speed of the "Nautilus" was very slow. There were piles of things on the bottom of the sea. I couldn't see what they were. Sometimes our ship would touch these things and even seem to stop on them.Through the transparent sea, I saw some shining stars in the sky, which were six or seven zodiacal constellations arranged in a file.

(End of this chapter)