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

Chapter 107: Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea (38)
Tomorrow is the vernal equinox on March 3. From the vernal equinox in Antarctica, the sun will go down all the way until it is completely submerged under the horizon. That is the long night in the polar circle.The Sun doesn't emerge from the northern horizon until the autumnal equinox, September 21, gradually rising, reaching its highest point on December 9.At this time, the southern ice-like area enters the summer solstice, and then the days gradually shorten and the nights gradually increase.In this way, throughout the year, again and again.

I informed Captain Nemo of my judgment and apprehensions, and he said:

"Your analysis makes sense, professor. If we can't measure the height of the sun tomorrow, we won't be able to measure it again in six months. However, let's think backwards. If it weren't for this voyage, we wouldn't be able to measure the height of the sun on March 3. If the sun comes out in the Antarctic sea tomorrow, it will be easy for us to measure the position.”

"Captain, what's your reason?"

"We measure the sun in the sky on the horizon. If we want to get the exact data, it is very difficult, except at a few specific times, such as summer solstice, vernal equinox, etc. Tomorrow is exactly the vernal equinox. Cut it in half, and I'm at the South Pole."

"Your analysis is quite correct," I said, "however, according to strict mathematical theory, this method is not completely accurate, because the time of the vernal equinox is not necessarily at twelve o'clock in the noon."

"Professor, you are right in theory, but the error produced by my method will not exceed 100 meters. For this planet with a surface area of ​​more than 5 million square kilometers, this 100 meters is really nothing. Good Alright, let's come back tomorrow."

Captain Nemo returned to the ship first, and Conseil and I stayed to continue doing some research.We run up and down the beach and don't want to miss this precious time with our feet on the ground.We got nothing but a seabird's egg.The egg is large, with a pale yellow skin and hieroglyph-like lines and patterns that make it so distinctive that a collector might pay more than 1000 francs for it.I entrusted this treasure to Conseil, who held it carefully in his hands as if he were holding a piece of precious Chinese porcelain.It could be seen that Conseil was very nervous, and his hanging heart was not relaxed until we returned to the boat at five o'clock.

Instead of keeping this piece private, I keep it in a glass case in the showroom for all to admire.After a long day outside, I worked up my appetite. For dinner, I ate a piece of seal liver, which was as delicious as pork liver.When I go to bed, I do the Indian way and pray for a sunny day tomorrow.

March 3 came as scheduled, I got up early and boarded the platform at five in the morning.The captain was already on board, and he said:

"The weather has cleared up, and the possibility of the sun coming out is very high. We will go ashore after breakfast, choose a location, and make preparations for observation in advance."

After making a plan, I went to Ned Land and tried to take him with me. These days he always lives alone.But the Canadian is still stubborn, and his bad temper and silence are increasing by the day.I feel a little sorry, there are too many seals on the shore, and they should have been used to lure this fisherman.

Last night the Nautilus sailed a few nautical miles further south, and we are now a full nautical mile from shore.After breakfast we boarded the dinghy, in which, besides myself, the captain, and two crew members, there were surveying instruments, such as chronographs, telescopes, and barometers.From the small boat, we can see several 500-meter-high pointed peaks standing on the shore.

On the surface of the sea where the boat passed, many whales were leisurely haunting, and they belonged to three types of whales unique to Antarctica.Straight whales have no dorsal fin; humpback whales have many folds in their bellies and a high hump on their backs, but no wings are formed; and finback whales have a tawny body and are one of the liveliest cetaceans.We heard the chirping of these huge monsters from a distance. They were powerfully spraying a column of water mixed with gas high into the sky. Looking from a distance, they seemed to be spraying out bursts of thick smoke.These cetacean mammals play in the quiet waters. In order to avoid overkill and overfishing, the Antarctic waters have become a refuge for these whales.

Our boat docked at nine o'clock. At this time, all the thick clouds in the sky had drifted to the south, the mist on the water gradually dissipated, and the sky became clear and clean.Captain Nemo chose a mountain as his observation point, and in the morning light he led us up.The air was full of the unique sulfur smell of volcanic gas, and we climbed up with difficulty on the sharp volcanic rocks and pumice layers.The captain has lived in the sea for a long time, so he should not be used to stepping on land, but he is light on these steepest slopes, and the wind is under his feet.Compared with him, I am far behind, and even those hunters who are good at chasing goats have to praise him one or two times.

It took us two hours to ascend this porphyry and basalt peak, and when we ascended, a vast ocean appeared in our eyes, and the limit of the northern sky could be clearly seen with the naked eye.Below our feet, there are dazzling ice rinks, and above our heads is a refreshing blue sky.The long-lost sun was already hanging in the northern sky, and its roulette was like a fireball, sliced ​​by the sharp edge of the horizon.The sun reflected on the sea, rippling with beautiful spray bouquets. The "Nautilus" is also clearly visible, it is parked on the sea, like a sleeping cetacean.Behind us, to the east and south, stretched a vast expanse of land, dotted with rocks of various sizes and shapes and tangled masses of ice.

Captain Nemo stood on the top of the mountain and measured the height of the mountain with a barometer. In order to be as accurate as possible, the height of the mountain must also be taken into account.

At fifteen minutes to twelve o'clock, judging from the effect of refraction, the sun is like a round golden plate. It is about to fall into this deserted sea, and sprinkle its last radiance on this desolate land and those who yearn for warmth. Creatures.

Captain Nemo raised the telescope and used the mirror to correct the refraction. I knew he was observing the long diagonal line and the sinking sun.I held the marine chronograph and my heart was beating hard.If it's noon when half of the sun's roulette is hidden, we're standing at the South Pole.

"Twelve o'clock at noon!" I shouted.

"South Pole!" Captain Nemo's serious voice was penetrating. He handed me the telescope. The sun in the mirror was just cut into two equal halves by the horizontal line.

At this time, the sunlight on the peak has gradually faded, and the night began to come from the south of the peak.

Captain Nemo made an unprecedented gesture of affection. He put his hands on my shoulders and said to me excitedly:
"Sir, in 1600, the Dutchman Yerik was blown by waves and storms to 64° south latitude and discovered the South Shetland Islands. On January 1773, 1, the famous Captain Cook arrived at South Shetland along 17° east longitude. Latitude 38°67′; on February 30, 1774, at 2° west longitude, he reached south latitude 30°109′. In 71, the Russian Burlingo was born at 15° south latitude; in 1819, the British cloth Lansfield stopped at 69° south latitude. In the same year, American Morel, I think his account is unreliable, he said that he went all the way south from west longitude 1820°, at 65°42′ south latitude In 70, he was at 14° west longitude and reached 1821° south latitude. In 111, the British Powell reached 66° south latitude and could no longer move forward. In the same year, a seal fisherman— —Britain Weddell, on the west longitude 1825°, has been marching to the south latitude 62°35′, and on the west longitude 72°, reached the south latitude 14°36′. In 74, the British Foster directed the The Turkley' came to the Southern Ocean continent at 15°1829' south latitude and 63°26' west longitude. On February 63, 26, the British Bisgow discovered Enderby at 1831°2' south latitude; On February 1, 68, he discovered Adi Laiyi at 50° south latitude. On February 1832, he discovered Graham at 2°5′ south latitude; At the foot of the iceberg at °67′, he recorded the position of Louis Philippe. Two years later, on January 2, he reached another cusp in the south, at latitude 21°64′S, which he called A. Deli. Eight days later, he arrived at 45°1833′ south latitude, which he named the Claree Coast; Nee discovered Sableden on the borders of the Antarctic Circle; finally, in 62, the Englishman James Ross climbed Mount Erebes and Mount Tirol, January 57, at latitude 1°21′S, He discovered the location of Victoria at 66°30′ east longitude. On the 64rd of the same month, he measured the azimuth of 40° south latitude. On the 1838th, he reached 100°69′ south latitude. On March 1839, 1842, I reached the South Pole, which is 1° south latitude , I am the first person to occupy this land in a real sense!"

"Then, Captain, after whom do you wish to name this land?"

"Professor, my name!"

So saying, Captain Nemo took out a black flag with a gold "N" in the center and unfolded it.Then, he turned around with great pride, facing the last brilliance of the sun on the sea level, and shouted loudly:

"Farewell, sun! Glorious golden ball! Sink down, and sleep to your heart's content in this free sea, and let six months of night cover my new dominion!"

accident or accident
At six o'clock in the morning on March 3, the Nautilus was ready for departure.The dawn of the morning was gradually covered by darkness, and the temperature became very low.The sky is full of stars, and there is a brilliant star in the sky, that is the Pole Star in the Southern Ocean region.

On the surface of the sea, the cold wind is piercing, the ice layer is accumulating more and more, and the sea surface is gradually freezing.Many gray and black ice cubes appeared on the water ahead, which indicated that a new ice layer had formed.During the six months of winter, the seas in Antarctica freeze completely, making it impassable for any ship, including whales.They swim out from under icebergs in search of warmer oceans.As for those penguins, seals and sea lions, their thick fur is enough to withstand the severe cold and strong wind here, so they will continue to stay in this world of ice and snow.In the most severe cold, they will dig burrows in the leeward place and leave the burrows open so that hiding in the burrows will not hinder free breathing.Birds migrate north before the severe cold, and return six months later to breed.Therefore, during this season, mammals are the only hosts of the Antarctic continent.

The ship's storage tanks were filled, and the Nautilus descended slowly, until it reached a depth of a thousand feet, before stopping and leveling off.The sea was stirred up by powerful propellers, and we headed north at fifteen knots an hour.By evening we had reached the base of the iceberg to the north.

To prevent ice in the water from striking the glass, the panels in the Nautilus' saloon were completely closed.I spent a day sorting out my notes. I was busy with my hands, but my mind was always thinking about the situation at the South Pole.In this way, I stood on this place that many ancestors could not reach with all their efforts. I was not exhausted, there was no difficulty and danger, and now I retreated completely, sitting in the warm cabin and enjoying the joy of returning home. All of this is really incredible. .

Will there be anything more fresh and surprising ahead than this?There should be more, the world under the sea will never lack magic!Five and a half months have elapsed since chance put us on board this ship, and we have sailed fourteen thousand miles.During this journey longer than the equator, many novel or terrible events made our trip thrilling and memorable: hunting in the Crespo Forest, stranding in the Torres Strait, coral cemetery, pearl fishing in Ceylon, Arabian submarine tunnel, Sandorlin sea of ​​fire, shipwrecks in Vigo Bay and billions of gold and silver, Atlantis, Antarctica!All these events, like a serial storybook, made my mind unable to rest for a moment after I fell asleep.

At three o'clock in the morning, I was awakened by a violent impact.I immediately sat up, trying to hear what was going on, when suddenly I was thrown out of bed and rolled into the middle of the room.Obviously, the "Nautilus" hit something, and the hull was severely tilted.Fortunately, I was not injured. I calmed down quickly, leaned against the wall panel, walked out the door along the wall, and slowly moved along the corridor to the living room.The electricity was not interrupted, and the lights on the ceiling of the living room were still on, but the tables, chairs and furniture were all down.Fortunately, the lower parts of those glass display cases were nailed firmly to the floor and did not tip over.The hull was leaning heavily to starboard, and the pictures hanging on the port side wall were pasted on embroidered tapestry. The "Nautilus" came to a complete standstill, and I heard footsteps and noisy voices outside the living room, but Captain Nemo did not appear, and just as I was leaving the living room, Ned Land and Conseil entered.

"What happened?" I asked them.

"I don't know, I was just going to ask you," Conseil said.

"Strange!" the Canadian yelled, "I know, the 'Nautilus' must have hit something, judging from its tilt, I think this time is much more serious than the last time in the Torres Strait. There's no way out."

"So," I asked, "are we on the water?"

"I don't know." Conseil said sadly.

"That's easy to ascertain," I said, turning and walking over to the pressure gauge, to my astonishment, which pointed to 360 meters of water.

"What's going on here?" I was completely confused.

"Ask Captain Nemo," said Conseil.

"Where is he?" Ned Land asked.

"Come with me and find him," I said to them.

We went to the library and there was no one there, and we went to the crew quarters by the central staircase, still no one there.I guessed that Captain Nemo might be in the pilot's cage, and what we had to do now was to wait. We went back to the living room, sat down and waited.Let's not talk about how Canadians swear here, he took a good opportunity to lose his temper, and I didn't stop him, let him vent, but didn't answer any of his questions.

After waiting like this for twenty or ten minutes, I strained my ears, trying to hear some of the slightest sounds from the Nautilus, and longed for the roar of the thrusters to resume.At this time, Captain Nemo walked in. He didn't seem to see us, and went straight to the compass. His face was as usual, as if nothing had happened.However, I soon noticed some uneasy expression on his face.He repeatedly looked at the compass and pressure gauge, and pointed his finger on the sea level chart.

I tried my best not to ask questions, for fear of interrupting his train of thought.It wasn't until he turned to me that I asked him in a sentence he said to me in Torres Strait:
"Captain, is this an accident?"

"No," he replied, "professor, this time was an accident."

"Is it serious?"

"It could be serious."

"Will it be dangerous?"

"No."

"Are we on the rocks?"

"Yes."

"How did this happen? We are at the bottom of the sea, where did we hit?"

"Our routes and driving did not make any mistakes, but nature played a joke on us, and it made a fool of itself, which made us unable to foresee and avoid it. Human beings can offend the laws made by man, but they cannot resist the laws of nature .”

Captain Nemo's philosophical descriptions and comments seem very weird in the face of severe reality.His answer baffled me.

"Monsieur Captain," I said, "what caused this accident? Can you tell me more?"

"It was a whole iceberg that just toppled over, right in our shipping lane," he said. "When the lower end of the iceberg was pounded back and forth by the warm water and melted, it became top-heavy and its center of gravity moved up. As a result That is, it will turn its body over and make a big somersault. This is how it is now, a large piece of ice suddenly overturned and hit the 'Nautilus' driving on the bottom of the water. Then the ice group slipped under the hull, with irresistible force Jack up the boat, the ice group lifted the boat to a shallower water layer, and finally leaned against the boat and stopped moving, this is our current situation."

"We drained the tank and floated the Nautilus while the ship regained its balance and we were out of trouble."

"Yes, professor, the crew is doing the work, listen, the pumps are turning in there, look at the pointer on the pressure gauge, it shows we are going up. But at the same time the ice pack will come up with us until the 'parrot The Spiro' is blocked by an obstacle, and our situation may improve."

Regarding the analysis of Captain Nemo, I think there is another possibility. If the ice pack stops with our ship, the ship can be balanced, but at this time, will we be squeezed between the two ice surfaces?
At this time, I would rather keep silent and try to think about our current situation and all possible consequences, while the captain kept watching the pressure gauge. After the "Nautilus" was drained, it only rose about 150 feet, and the problem of dumping on the right side remained unchanged.Suddenly, there was a slight movement on the hull, and the "Nautilus" stood up a little, and the things hanging in the living room obviously returned to their original positions, and the wall panels were also nearly vertical.Neither of us spoke, and my heart was beating wildly.In this way, we felt that the hull of the ship was gradually erected, and the floor under our feet gradually returned to a horizontal plane.

After 10 minutes, "We're up!" I yelled.

"Yes." Captain Nemo clenched his fist, and then hurried to the door of the living room.

"Can we still float up?" I pressed.

"Of course," he replied briefly, "the water in the storage tank has not been drained. After it is drained, the 'Nautilus' will naturally float to the surface of the sea."

(End of this chapter)