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

Chapter 109: Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea (40)
"I mean, the freezing action of sea water can help us, because the water freezes, it can blast the ice that traps us. Just like it can blast the hardest stone when it is frozen. Ice can destroy people, but if used properly, it can save people too!"

"Captain, your worries are justified. I also think that the resistance of the 'Nautilus' is not enough to deal with the frightening pressure. It is likely to be crushed together with us, and it will be crushed into a steel blade. .”

"Sir, I understand. But we cannot count on the help of nature, we have to rely entirely on ourselves. If we don't want to be crushed, we have to fight this solidification, or eliminate it completely. You have just noticed that not only the two The side ice wall is getting closer, and there is only ten feet of water left on the Nautilus' front or back. The ice is attacking us from four directions."

"How long will the air in the storehouse last us to breathe on board?" I asked.

"The day after tomorrow, the warehouse will be empty!" said the captain palely.

I broke out in cold sweat after hearing this. In fact, I understand this question very well. Should I be surprised by his answer? On March 3, the "Nautilus" dived into the smooth underwater of Antarctica. Today is the 22th. For five full days, the air we live in depends entirely on the storage on the ship, and the breathable air left must be given to the ice-cutters. use.My whole body was enveloped by a natural terror, I seemed to feel that there was no air in my lungs!
Captain Nemo was silent there, without saying a word, apparently thinking of an idea in his mind.But he seemed dissatisfied and wanted to give himself a negative answer.Later, a sentence slipped out of his mouth: "Boiling water."

"What, boiling water?" I asked.

"Yes, it's boiling water. Professor, do you know that our ship is locked in a rather narrow space, if we spray hot boiling water, can it increase the temperature of the seawater in this space and delay the freezing of the water?"

"I think it's okay, let's try it." I affirmed his analysis.

"Come with me, Professor, and we'll try it right away."

The temperature outside was seven degrees below zero. Captain Nemo led me to the kitchen, where there were many complicated distillation apparatuses, which were usually used to distill seawater to supply fresh water for us to drink.The machine is filled with water, and all the power from the battery pack goes into the coiled tubing submerged in the water.After a few minutes, the water boils.Boiled water is fed into the air extractor, and cold water is replenished at the same time. The thermal efficiency of the battery is very high. The cold water sucked in from the sea simply passes through the machine and rolls away as soon as it reaches the air extractor.

Captain Nemo instructed to spray boiling water into the icy water outside. Three hours later, the thermometer outside pointed to minus six degrees, and the temperature rose by one degree.After another two hours, the thermometer read minus four degrees.

I was delighted to see the effect of this method, and examined it from many places, and at last said to the captain, "We shall succeed."

"I think so too," replied the captain, "and now we have no fear of being crushed, and our enemies are only suffocated."

At night, the temperature of the water increased by another degree.The power of boiling water cannot raise the temperature any further. Fortunately, the freezing limit of seawater is five degrees below zero, so as long as the boiling water continues to be released, the seawater will not freeze.

On March 3, we dug out another six meters of ice from this ice nest, leaving four meters of ice.Simple calculations required another forty-eight hours of work, but inside the Nautilus it was impossible to change the air, so the situation was even worse for the day.

On board, the unbearably foul air made it hard for me to breathe.At three o'clock in the afternoon, the painful feeling escalated to the extreme, and the movement of opening my mouth to breathe made my upper and lower jaws crooked.Like a fish thrown on the shore, my lungs are desperately looking for vital oxygen, but the oxygen is getting thinner, and my spirit is in a state of lethargy.I lay down, weak and confused.Faithful Conseil had the same difficulty of breathing and suffered the same torment as I did.He was beside me, holding my hand, encouraging me, and I heard him whispering to himself:

"God, I'd rather not breathe myself and give the professor more air!"

Hearing his words, I was extremely moved, and my eyes were full of tears. This is the true feeling of adversity!
Every minute on the boat felt like a year. When it was my turn to go into the water to dig ice, everyone put on their diving suits quickly and happily, and immediately got off the boat and started working.The shovel was waving on the ice, the arms were sore, and the hands were broken, but it was nothing, the breath in the mouth and nose was fresh air!We can always breathe freely!We are all deeply aware of what is most important to ordinary life.

Although everyone knows the wonderful feeling of working underwater, everyone handed over shifts strictly according to the time, and no one exceeded the designated time.When it's time for the shift, each person passes the tank of pure oxygen to the next person.Captain Nemo is a good example, he strictly observes discipline.He was always the first to hand over the air tank, and calmly returned to the noxious air on board, facing the extremely unfavorable situation, he was not discouraged at all, and he did not utter a word of complaint.

After everyone's concerted efforts, the progress is gradually accelerating, and only the last two meters of ice are left.There is only two meters of ice between us and the free sea, which makes everyone happy.But at the same time, the air in the storage warehouse was almost empty, and some of the remaining air could only be used by the underwater staff, and the air quality on the "Nautilus" dropped sharply.

By the time I got back to the boat, I was almost half-suffocated.The night was so hard that I can't describe it, it's impossible to write about the pain.By the second day, my breathing was blocked, I had a headache and my brain was swollen, and a series of symptoms caused by the lack of oxygen in my brain turned me into a drunkard.My companions were in the same condition as I was, and some crew members were already experiencing shortness of breath and wheezing.

So far, there is still one meter left in the prison made of ice. If we break through this meter, we can escape.Captain Nemo felt that the manual digging was too slow, so he decisively decided to use high-pressure water jets to break through the last layer of ice.He still maintained his usual calmness, his strong faith supported his body and resisted the pain caused by lack of oxygen.He is thinking, planning, and putting into forceful execution.At his command, the hull lightened and it floated from the frozen layer due to the change in gravity.The captain steered it to the wide ice pit drawn by its buoy line.Then, the tank on the boat was filled with water, and the boat was lowered and crashed into the ice pit.

All the crew members retreated to the ship, and the two layers of airtight doors communicating with the outside world were tightly closed.At this time, the "Nautilus" was lying on the ice layer, which was only one meter thick, and many places were drilled through by the detector.

The faucet of the cistern was fully opened, and one hundred cubic meters of water flowed in. The weight of the "Nautilus" increased by one hundred thousand kilograms.

We were all tense, our ears pricked up, our hearts seemed to stop beating, we waited and listened, forgetting the pain, full of hope, but afraid that failure would bring death into this sinking ship.We are gambling, the last throw, whether we can be saved, depends on this last blow.My head was buzzing and my thoughts were clouded, but I heard the Nautilus shudder, and the force of the descent broke the ice, making a strange sound like tearing paper. The sound was the same, really like the sound of nature, the "Nautilus" gradually sank.

"We went through!" Conseil whispered in my ear.

I couldn't speak, I just grabbed his hand weakly, my body twitched involuntarily.

Suddenly, under the weight of the Nautilus, she sank like a cannonball into the water, that is to say, she had broken through the ice and entered free water!
Under the captain's order, all the crew members operated subconsciously, and they all knew what the most important thing to do now was.All power is sent to the water pump, which immediately drains the water from the storage tank.After a few minutes our descent stopped, and soon the pressure gauge indicated that the boat was ascending rapidly.The propellers on the ship were also running at full speed, the steel plates of the hull vibrated happily, and every screw seemed to be cheering after being out of trouble. The "Nautilus" took us all the way to the north.But how long before we surface?Need another day?If that's the case, I'm sure I'm going to die first!I half-lyed on the couch in the library, my face turned purple, my lips turned blue, and I couldn't breathe.Because of the lack of oxygen, my body organs have already failed. I can't see or hear, and I have lost the concept of time in my heart.The muscles in my whole body did not listen to the commands of the brain nerves. I began to feel the call of death, and I knew that I was going to die...

Suddenly, a few breaths of clean air are sent into my lungs, are we back on the surface?Have we crossed the iceberg?no!Those were my two good companions, Ned Land and Conseil, who dragged their weak bodies to rescue me. There was still some air in an air tank, which they did not use, but kept for me.When they were almost suffocated, they were feeding me bit by bit of life. I wanted to push the air box away, but they held down my weak hands, and I was pulled back in time before the gate of hell. To the world.

I looked up at the big clock, eleven o'clock in the morning, this day should be March 3th.Under the water in the Southern Ocean, the "Nautilus" was traveling at an astonishing speed of forty knots per hour, and it was making its final gallop.

Where's Captain Nemo?He didn't fall down did he?Will his companions fall at the same time?The pressure gauge now shows we're only twenty feet above the surface, can't we break through it?
I had the feeling that the Nautilus was about to make such a move, taking a banked bearing, lowering the rear, and raising the forward angle of attack.It can be tilted by simply increasing the amount of water in the tank at the rear of the boat.Then, propelled by its powerful propellers, it rushed up from below the ice rink like a powerful siege machine.After a violent impact, the corner of the attack knocked the ice rink open, then backed up, and rushed towards the cracked ice rink at full speed.Finally, driven by the great impact, it jumped onto the shattered ice ocean.

The panels were opened, snapped, so to speak, and pure air flooded into every corner of the Nautilus' cabin.

From Cape Horn to the Amazon

I can't remember how I got to the platform afterwards, but I think the Canadians and Conseil must have carried me up.I breathed, or rather tasted, the cold, damp air of the sea, while Ned Land and Conseil gasped with their mouths open.If it is a person who has not eaten for a long time, he cannot eat food as much as he wants immediately after receiving assistance.We are on the contrary, because breathing is unrestrained, we can do our best to drive away the stale and dirty air that has stayed in the lungs for the past few days, and replace it with healthy sea breeze with high oxygen content.Yes, it is the sea breeze on the Southern Ocean that brings us this unforgettable pleasure and fascination!

"Professor, how wonderful!" Conseil said, "Oxygen is all there is now, we don't lack it anymore, everyone can breathe hard!"

As for Ned Land, he had no time to talk, but his mouth was open in a way that would scare sharks away.Canadians are like a burning furnace, drawing and blowing the furnace with vigorous breathing.

The effect of oxygen is miraculous, and I feel that my strength has recovered very quickly.I looked around and saw that there were only three of us on the platform, and the other crew members were still in the cabin, and they were all sticking to their jobs.Captain Nemo didn't come out either. The requirements of the "Nautilus" aborigines were very simple, as long as they could breathe the fresh air circulating in the ship, they were satisfied, and no one chose to come out for a breath of air.

My heartfelt gratitude to my two companions was the first thing I said when my mind returned to normal operation.In the final hours before the Nautilus broke through the ice, Ned Land and Conseil risked suffocation, let the last remaining bit of air keep me alive, and take all my thanks It is not an exaggeration to come out and pay for this sacrifice.

"Professor," Ned Land answered me, "does it deserve your solemnity? We don't think there's anything commendable about it, yes, nothing at all. It's just a matter of simple arithmetic. Your life is more valuable than ours, so at that time, we must save you first."

"No, Ned," I replied, "this is a world where all men are equal, and my life is no more valuable than anyone else's. You two are kind and loving people, and neither of you can be better than you!"

"Okay! Professor, stop talking!" The Canadian was a little embarrassed.

"Conseil, my faithful friend, you must have suffered greatly for this."

"To be honest, the professor is right, but I can still hold on. I just took a few breaths of air. I saw the husband fainted, and my mind was empty. I just want to save you, even if I... As Conseil talked, he might feel that he was a bit long-winded, so he stopped before finishing speaking.

"Friends," I said emotionally, "we will always be united, and you have the power to dispose of me at any time..."

"Yes, Professor, I will definitely use this power." The Canadian replied immediately.

"What do you mean, Ned?" Conseil said.

"Don't worry, my friend!" Ned Land continued. "The power I will use is that when I leave the hell of the Nautilus, I will drag the professor with me."

"All right, then, let's get down to business," Conseil said. "Is the current course in favor of our plan?"

"Yes," I replied, "we are now heading in the direction of the sun, which is north."

"Conseil," Ned Land continued, "besides this, we need to know whether we are heading towards the Pacific Ocean or the Atlantic Ocean? This is very important, because it determines whether we are heading in the direction of the crowd Go, or go deep into the desolate and uninhabited ocean?"

What Ned Land said is very important, and I can't tell what Captain Nemo's next plan and direction is.But I do fear that the captain is taking us into the vast Pacific Ocean that connects the coasts of Asia and America.In that way, he will fulfill his wish to travel around the world under the sea, and return to the sea where the "Nautilus" can obtain the most complete freedom.However, for us, the Pacific Ocean represents a place far away from human habitation, and it also represents the complete bankruptcy of Ned Land's plan.

I believe this question will become clear soon. The Nautilus picked up speed after this disaster, and we soon crossed the Antarctic Circle, pointing straight at Cape Horn. At seven o'clock in the evening on March 3, we passed the southernmost tip of South America.

At this point, we have completely forgotten the pain of being trapped under the cold water, and we are only willing to plan for the future.Captain Nemo remained invisible, as usual, and he was not seen in the parlor or on the platform.The first officer is responsible for recording the bearings on the map every day, which allows me to clearly know the sailing route of the "Nautilus".This evening, I saw a satisfactory result, and the direction of the ship was clear, from the Atlantic waterway to the north.I immediately informed the Canadian and Conseil of the result.

"It's really good news. We survived, and good luck is coming, isn't it?" The Canadian's tone was light and cheerful. "But where will the 'Nautilus' go?"

"Then I can't tell, Ned."

"Could it be that this adventurous and exciting captain wanted to venture to the North Pole after arriving in the South Pole? Did he come back from the famous waterway in the northwest?"

"It's hard to say," Conseil replied.

"Well then," said the Canadian, "we can't wait any longer. When the opportunity comes, we will leave immediately."

"Anyway," Conseil added, "Captain Nemo is a remarkable man, and we shall never regret having known him."

"Especially when you leave him after being imprisoned by him for several months!" Ned Land said immediately.

The next day is April 4st, April Fool's Day in the western world. This holiday spread from France to England, and is still used in North America. After the Nautilus came to the surface, a few minutes before noon, we saw the coast appearing at the end of the sea to the west.That is Tierra del Fuego. In the 1th century, when the Portuguese navigator Magellan passed through the strait named after him, he saw countless fireworks rising from the huts of the natives on the island, so he gave it this name.Tierra del Fuego is located at the southernmost tip of the South American continent, forming a vast archipelago. The main island faces the South American continent across the Strait of Magellan.Its area is between 16° and 53° south latitude and between 56°67′ and 50°77′ west longitude. It is 15 meters long and 500 meters wide.Looking at the past, the coast of Tierra del Fuego is not high, but there are mountains and peaks on the island, and the highest point should be Mount Samanthu.The mountain is 4000 meters above sea level. It is a mountain formed by pyramid-shaped schists. The peak is very sharp and towers into the sky.Ned Land told me that the locals and sailors who often pass by here can judge the weather by the appearance of the mountain. If the mountain is covered by clouds and fog, it means bad weather, otherwise it means good weather.At this time, the peak of the mountain was clearly revealed, which proved to be the case.

The "Nautilus" returned to the water, came to the waters very close to the coast, and sailed a few nautical miles along the coast.Through the glass window in the living room, I saw a long sea vine, and a huge black carapace, which is the kind of seaweed with balls.In the Antarctic sea, there is this kind of marine plant.Their fiber bands are viscous, very smooth, up to 300 meters long, thicker than a thumb, very tough, and are good materials for making ship cables.There is also a seaweed called viperia, whose leaves are four feet long. Under the action of coral secretions, they are like a carpet on the bottom of the sea, and countless crustaceans and molluscs, such as crabs, squid, etc., use it to build nests. nest and feed on it.

(End of this chapter)