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

Chapter 104: Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea (35)
"Conseil, I understand your method," I said. "Your calculation method is not difficult, but the calculation result will not be very accurate."

"It doesn't matter, just do the math." Ned Land insisted.

"Well, I can do the math," I said, "that a person normally consumes one hundred liters of oxygen in the air an hour, and twenty-four hundred liters of air in a day. Now let us find that the Nautilus has How many twenty-four hundred liters of air."

"Exactly," Conseil said.

"Then," I went on, "the volume of the Nautilus is 150 tons. If one ton is converted into a volume of [-] liters, then this means that the ship contains [-] million liters of air. Divide by [-] liters. Four hundred can get the result." I used a pencil to calculate on paper.

"The result is 620 five, which means that the air on board can be used by 620 five people to breathe for a day."

"620 five, 620 five." Ned Land murmured.

"That means," I went on, "that the three of us make up less than one per cent of the total."

"Six hundred is too many for the three of us," Conseil said in a low voice.

"Ned, my friend, we can only endure and endure."

"It's not patience," Conseil said, "it's resignation."

"However," I said again, "Captain Nemo cannot always go south. When he reaches the icebergs on the Antarctic continent, he will stop and turn to the sea inhabited by humans. At that time, we will find another opportunity to implement Ned Lan's plan."

The Canadian touched the top of his head helplessly, shook his head, and left without saying a word.

"It seems to me, sir," said Conseil, "that poor Ned can't stand the life on the ship anymore. He's always thinking about his past life, looking forward to the day when he will be free, and this makes him even stronger. Suffering. He regrets boarding this boat, and he even feels sad and sad about it. We must persuade him and help him. He is really lifeless on this boat. He is not like you, you are a Scholars can study knowledge quietly. Canadians are different, he is not interested in these beautiful creatures in the sea, his request is to step on land and eat in his favorite restaurant."

I understand the circumstances, the Canadian is used to a life of freedom and adventure, and he cannot stand the monotony of being on a ship.At sea, few things could bring him to his senses.Fortunately, on this day, an accidental incident brought back the good times of Ned Land's harpooner days.

At eleven o'clock in the morning, a school of whales appeared in the sea around the "Nautilus".It is not unusual for whales to appear in this place. When these gentle animals are attacked by humans, they will choose to hide in the sparsely populated high-latitude bipolar seas.

Whales have played an important role in helping humans conquer the oceans and discover new lands.In ancient times, material poverty drove fishermen to chase and hunt whales, an animal that can provide a lot of meat and oil, such as the ancient Gisk people, Yasduri people, and the British and Dutch who have the title of maritime power .When they were chasing whales, they forgot the danger of the sea and chased them from one end of the earth to the other regardless of the hardships of the long voyage.

My two companions and I were sitting on the platform. It was autumn in the Antarctic waters, the climate was pleasant, and the sea was calm.The Canadian suddenly stood up and pointed to a whale in the eastern sea. We followed the direction of his finger and saw the gray-black back of the whale. It was about five nautical miles away from us, sinking into the water and then surfacing again.

"It's a pity," Ned Land stomped his feet. "If I were on a whaling ship, I would have been lucky enough to meet this whale. Look at how huge this whale is. The jets of water sprayed from its nostrils showed its incomparable strength, it is hateful, how could I be tied to this boat made of steel plates?"

"Ned," I said, "you haven't forgotten about being a harpooner?"

"Sir, the harpooner never forgets his job, which is an irresistibly passionate job."

"Have you ever hunted whales around here?"

"No, I've only hunted whales in the Arctic Ocean, which is around the Bering Strait and the Davis Strait."

"So you're not very familiar with Antarctic whales. You've been hunting regular beluga whales, which wouldn't dare venture across the warm equatorial waters to the southern hemisphere."

"Professor, what do you mean?" The Canadian's tone was full of doubts.

"I just told the facts."

"Okay, let's talk about the facts. Let me tell you that just two and a half years ago, near Greenland at 65° north latitude, I caught a whale with a harpoon in it. It was a white whale. The harpoon used by fishing boats in Ling Strait. I would like to ask, how did the whale swim across when it was stabbed in the west of North America and then died in the northeast of North America? Is it not so far away? Around Cape Horn or the Cape of Good Hope?"

"This is a very practical and interesting question," said Conseil. "I would also like to hear your explanation of the matter, sir."

"Dear friends, you know that whales are regional animals. Different species choose different living areas, and generally they don't stray far from their habitual places. If, as Ned Land said, , there is a whale from the Bering Strait to the Davis Strait, the reason is simple, it will never circle the equator southwards, there must be a communication channel between these two oceans, just between Asia and America By the coast."

"Do you want me to believe that explanation?" said the Canadian playfully, with one eye closed.

"We should trust the professor's words," said Conseil with great sincerity.

"Then," the Canadian flipped through his back, "you said just now that I haven't hunted whales in the Antarctic sea, do you think I don't know the species of whales here?"

"I just said that, Ned."

"Ned, if you want to know them, wouldn't it make you more knowledgeable?" Conseil smoothed things over for me.

"Look! It's coming towards us!" The Canadian didn't continue the embarrassing topic, and focused all his attention on the whale. "It's coming over, it's teasing us, it's insulting a A professional harpooner, he is cunning and knows we have no weapons against him!"

Ned stamped his feet as he shouted, his arms flailing as if clutching a harpoon.

"Professor, are the whales in the Antarctic as big as the ones in the Arctic?" the Canadian asked respectfully.

"Almost, Ned."

"Did you know, Professor, that I have personally seen super-giant whales that are a hundred feet long. It is said that the whales of Hulamoc and Ongarik in the Aleutian Islands are more than 150 feet long."

"I think that's a rumor," I analyzed calmly. "These animals are just aquatic cetaceans with dorsal fins. They are divided into two suborders, the balbiidae and the cetaceae. The largest blue whale is only 30 meters long. About a hundred feet."

"This big thing," Ned Land said excitedly, keeping his eyes on the sea, "it's approaching again, and it's not far from the Nautilus."

"It's approaching again, not one, but ten, no, there are more than 20, a whole group. What should I do? I can't help it, my hands and feet are trapped!" The Canadian shouted excitedly .

"My friend," Conseil advised him, "why don't you ask the captain for permission to hunt."

As soon as Conseil finished speaking, the Canadian ran back to the cabin to find Captain Nemo.After a while, both of them came to the platform. The captain looked at the group of whales, which were one nautical mile away from us, and said:
"These are Antarctic fin whales, and they'll bring home a whole whaling fleet."

"Captain," asked the Canadian, "may I hunt one of them, don't you forget, I used to be a harpooner."

"I don't see any advantage in hunting for pleasure," said Captain Nemo. "We don't need whale oil and meat on board."

"But, Mr. Captain," the Canadian insisted, "didn't you ask us to hunt that dugong in the Red Sea?"

"That was to stock my ship with fresh meat, and now I just want to kill them for fun. When facing these animals, humans have the privilege of killing them, but on my ship, this kind of animal is not allowed. The pastime of hunting life. They are good, harmless, inoffensive Antarctic whales, like the white whales of the Arctic. Mr. Lan, your colleagues have committed a deed that the world can blame. They put the whole The whales in Baffin Bay were all hunted, they just harpooned and gunned down a class of animals from the taxonomy of species. Those whales were unlucky enough, even if you didn't harpoon them, big head Whales, dog sharks, saw sharks and the like are threatening their lives at all times."

You can imagine how ugly the Canadian's face was when the captain was talking.Talking about the protection of marine animals with an old fisherman is undoubtedly playing the piano with the cow.Ned Land squinted at the captain with disdain in his eyes.I have to admit that what the captain said is reasonable, unrestrained hunting will sooner or later make this blue ocean barren and boring.

Ned Land turned away, ignored the captain's admonition, and hummed a marching song boredly.Captain Nemo looked at the large group of whales in front of him, and said to me with a little worry:

"Besides human beings, gentle animals like whales have many natural enemies. This group of whales will soon encounter a group of robbers. Mr. Aronnax, you see those gray gray animals in action on the sea six miles away. Is it a black spot? My worries have been misfortune."

Captain Nemo went on to say, "That's a big headed whale, a very aggressive animal. I once encountered a large group of two or three hundred. They are the super hunters of the sea, more ferocious and brutal than sharks. It is impossible to eliminate them." Incorrect."

When Ned Land heard this, he turned around excitedly: "Captain, can I go and play with these big head whales, even if it is to protect these Antarctic fin whales."

"Mr. Lan, you'd better not take any chances. The harpoon alone won't be able to deal with these robbers. The Nautilus is the best weapon. It has a steel horn. I think it is as sharp as Mr. Lan's harpoon. "The Canadian shrugged his shoulders and used the horn of the ship to fight the whale, which is unheard of!"

"Professor Aronnax, I want to show you a hunting activity that you have never seen before. There is no need for mercy for these vicious guys. They are nothing but a biting mouth and a pair of sharp teeth. "

It is very appropriate to describe the humpback whale with its mouth and teeth. The body of this animal can reach up to 25 meters, and its big head can account for one-third of the entire body length.The weapon of the big head whale is far more than that of the fin whale. It has 25 thick teeth, a single tooth is cylindrical or conical, [-] centimeters long and weighs two kilograms.The big head whale is not useless. There are three to four hundred kilograms of precious whale oil hidden in the cartilaginous cavity on the top of its head.

This group of monsters had already seen the group of fin whales and was always ready to attack. This was bound to be a one-sided battle, not only because the fin whales had a gentle temperament and no fighting power, but also because the big head whales could dive underwater for a longer period of time to attack.

Time is ticking, and now is the time to call the rescue.I sat in front of the glass window of the living room with Conseil and Ned Land, while the captain was already at the navigator's side, manipulating the "Nautilus", a weapon of war.I feel the thrusters suddenly accelerate, and the battle begins.

When the "Nautilus" arrived, the big-headed whale and the fin whale were already fighting together. The "Nautilus" first intercepted the group of big-headed monsters, separated them from the fin whale, and then wiped them out individually.At first, these big head whales didn't care when they saw something new and new, but soon they were frightened by the fierce attack of the "Nautilus".

Under the personal command of Captain Nemo, the "Nautilus" turned into a sharp harpoon that would kill anyone who stands in its way. Every attack of Chongjiao will leave behind two wriggling corpses.We were dumbfounded at this one-sided massacre, and even Ned Land, who was indifferent at the beginning, became elated.Big head whales are not idle people either, they also desperately attacked us, some slammed the sides of the ship with their big tails, some slammed into the hull of the ship, several times, ten or twelve big head whales united together, trying to take their bodies to flatten the Nautilus.In the glass windows, we see their large mouths baring sharp teeth, and their small, angry eyes.Ned Land couldn't help himself anymore, and ran to the window, threatened them with his fists, and cursed them.I think they've got our boat under control, like pigs with their ears bitten by dogs.But this is a confrontation between steel and flesh after all, the "Nautilus" didn't care, just speeding up, throwing and dragging them, dragging them, bringing them to the upper layer of sea water, regardless of their huge weight, regardless of their desperate bite.It kills one whale and then rushes to the other. Even if the big head whale is scared and swims into the deep water, we will dive and chase it. The big head whale surfaced and we followed suit.There are a lot of fighting moves at the angle of attack, including frontal collision, side piercing, or cutting, or tearing, and the Antarctic sea has become Shura's hell field.

The waves on the sea are rolling, and we can hear the sharp whistling of these big head whales and their unique snoring when we stay in the boat.The usually calm and clear water was turned into a big pool of blood and silt by their tails.

The battle lasted for an hour, and the last surviving whales scattered and fled, the sea became calm again, the "Nautilus" floated to the surface, the hatch opened, and we hurried to the platform.

The sea is littered with mangled whale carcasses. Even the most violent explosion would not blow up so many whales to such a miserable state. These huge fleshy clumps were torn and crumbled, revealing blood-red muscles and white layers of fat , We are like standing in the morgue of big head whales. These corpses have gray-blue backs, white bellies, and huge bumps on their bodies. They are all parasites in the ocean.Captain Nemo also came among us, and he said:
"Mr. Lan, how are you doing?"

"Mr. Captain," replied the Canadian, whose enthusiasm had faded by now, "very well, the Nautilus is prodigiously powerful under your command, but I am not a butcher, I am only a fisherman, and all this is just It's just a massacre."

"A massacre, but against these black apples," replied the captain, "and the Nautilus was not a massacre."

"I like my harpoon better!" the Canadian insisted.

"Each man has his own weapon," said the captain, staring at Ned Land.

I was worried that Ned Land would lose his temper or take some drastic action, which would definitely have bad consequences.But Ned Land's anger was turned when he saw the Nautilus approaching a fin whale.

The unfortunate fin whale failed to escape the attack of the humphead whale, which has a flattened head, typical of black Antarctic whales.Anatomically, this fin whale is fundamentally different from common beluga and North Cappi whales in that the seven spines in its neck are connected, and it has two more ribs than its northern counterparts .This is a female whale. Its abdomen is full of wounds bitten by a big head whale, and it died because of its severe injuries.

Captain Nemo steered the "Nautilus" to the carcass of the fin whale. Two experienced crew members on board went up to the whale and took out all the milk from the mother's teat, which weighed two or three tons.

In the evening, in the living room, the captain handed me a cup of steaming whale milk. I was a little hesitant about this drink that I had never tasted before. The captain assured me that the taste of the drink was very good, very similar to that of milk. And nutritious.

I tasted it, and the captain was right, it was delicious.This batch of whale milk was well preserved and used to make cheese and butter, which greatly enriched the ship's menu.

Since then, however, I have been a little worried about the Canadian, whose attitude towards the captain has grown worse, and I have decided to keep a close eye on him.

iceberg
The Nautilus continued heading south, the direction it had been heading for days.The ship is traveling along the 50° west longitude, and the speed is very fast. Is Captain Nemo going to the Antarctic Circle?I don't think so, because so far no one has managed to reach this pole of the earth.Moreover, it is not the season now. March 3th in the Antarctic Ocean is equivalent to September 13th in the Arctic Ocean. It is considered autumn. The further you go, the lower the daytime temperature will be.

On March 3th, we entered the area at 14° south latitude. The sky was clear. I stood on the platform and looked at the sea in the distance. I saw ice blocks floating on the water.It was some twenty to twenty-five feet of gray ice, forming many floating reefs. If it was an ordinary ship, it was almost impossible to avoid a direct collision with them.Ned Land, who had been to the Arctic Ocean, was familiar with this kind of iceberg, but Conseil and I were seeing it for the first time.In the southern sky, there is a large snow-white ice belt. The British whalers described it like this: "The dazzling ice belt, no matter how thick the clouds are, it will not make it black." A large expanse of ice floe or ice sheet.

Not long after, larger ice cubes appeared ahead, and the ice cubes reflected different brilliance as the clouds and fog in the sky changed.Some ice cubes showed green streaks on the surface, as if they had been painted with copper sulfate.Other ice cubes resemble giant amethyst crystals, allowing light to penetrate the surface while bouncing sparkles off the facets of the crystal.The further south we went, the more floating ice islands grew in size.Antarctic birds nest in thousands upon thousands of flocks on icebergs, including petrels, chess birds and sea ducks, whose "cheeping and chirping" calls are unbearable to us.Some birds even took the "Nautilus" as a whale carcass, flew to it, pecked at the steel plate with their beaks, and made a "dang-dang" sound.

When the "Nautilus" sailed in the ice, Captain Nemo would often go to the platform to carefully observe the deserted sea.

(End of this chapter)