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

Chapter 112: Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea (43)
The source of the warm Atlantic current, that is, its birthplace, was ascertained by Captain Morley.To be precise, the Warm Current originates in the Gulf of Gasgogne, where its waters begin to form and flow southward, eastward along the equator, all the way to the west coast of Africa.During this process, the water is gradually warmed by the sun in the tropics.The warm current passes through the Atlantic Ocean, and after reaching San Roque on the coast of Brazil, it is divided into two tributaries, one of which flows into the sea where the Lesser Antilles is located, and absorbs as much heat as possible.That's when the Gulf Stream begins to balance sea temperatures, most notably by mixing tropical and arctic waters.In the Gulf of Mexico, the warm current is scorched to a scorching degree, and then runs all the way north along the North American coast, all the way to Newfoundland.Then, pushed by the Davis Strait cold current, it turned westward and flowed back into the Atlantic Ocean.At 43° north latitude, the warm current divides into two branches, one of which, with the help of the northeast monsoon, returns to Gasgogne Bay and the Azor Islands, and the other brings warmth to the coasts of Ireland and Norway, and continues to flow. to Spitzberg.In the sea surface around Spitzberg, its temperature drops to 4°C, forming the free-flowing sea surface of the Arctic Ocean.

At this time, the "Nautilus" was sailing in this warm current of the Atlantic Ocean. After exiting the mouth of the Bahamas Channel, at a place 350 miles wide and [-] meters deep, the speed of the warm current was eight kilometers per hour.This speed becomes slower as you go north. This regularity has its scientific basis. Some people have pointed out that if the speed and direction of the warm current change, the climate in Europe will change accordingly.

At noon, Conseil and I came to the platform.I told him some of the characteristics of the Atlantic Current, and when I had finished I asked him to put his hand in the current.

Conseil followed my instructions strictly. He put his hand into the seawater with a look of surprise on his face, because he didn't feel any heat or cold, and that temperature was the temperature of a human body.

"That's because," I said to him, "when the Gulf Stream comes out of the Gulf of Mexico, its water temperature is no different from the temperature of the human body. The current is like a huge radiator, and it makes the climate on the coast of Europe warm like spring forever. Shrouded in green grass and green leaves. If we are to believe what Molly said, and can collect and use all the heat of the warm current, then the heat it supplies can keep the entire Amazon River or Missouri River at boiling temperature forever. "

At this time, the speed of the warm current is [-] meters per second, and its water flow is very different from the surrounding ones.The water of the warm current specifically rises above the surface of the ocean due to being squeezed, creating a different water level between the warm and cold water.Plus, the warm water is dark and salty, and its unique pure indigo color stands out from the surrounding green waves.While the Nautilus was at the same latitude as the Caroline Islands, the ship's angle of attack entered a warm current.When the propeller on the ship was churning in the sea water, the dividing line between the two types of water flow was clearly divided.A complete biological chain was brought into this current, and the anal fish, which are very common in the Mediterranean Sea, swim in groups in the warm current.

At night, the phosphorescent waters of the warm Atlantic Current rival the searchlights on the Nautilus, especially when the weather is changing and a storm is approaching.

On May 5, we were at the same latitude as the North Caroline Islands, and on the far side of Cape Hatiras.At this time, the width of the warm Atlantic Current is 8 nautical miles and the depth is 210 meters. The "Nautilus" continued to sail casually, and there seemed to be no management and supervision on board.I must admit that, under these circumstances, Ned Land's plan of escape is likely to be realized. I firmly believe that the inhabited coast is full of convenient hiding places for people, and there are many steamboats passing by at sea. The regular ships from New York, or Boston, into the Gulf of Mexico, and the small brigs which carry goods all over the coast of America, we had good hopes of being received by them.Therefore, now is a good opportunity, even if the "Nautilus" is thirty nautical miles away from the coast of the United States of America, it will be fine.

But the sudden bad weather completely broke the plan of the Canadians, the weather became very bad, and we walked into the stormy sea in this area, which is where typhoons and cyclones are produced, and the reason is precisely because of the Atlantic Ocean The thermal itself.In a flimsy boat it would be unwise to fight against roaring waves.Ned Land himself acknowledged this reality, so although he was crazily missing his hometown, and the only way to completely heal him was by escaping, until now, he could only grit his teeth and endure for a while longer.

"The matter must be settled," he said, hastily coming to me one day. "The situation is clear. Your honorable Captain Nemo is determined to leave the land and sail north. Where is he going? But I can take responsibility." I can tell you with all my heart that I've had enough of the bloody hell of Antarctica, so I'm never going to the North Pole with him again."

"Then what do you want to do, Ned? It's impossible to escape at this time!"

"I still have the same idea as before, Professor, we must have a serious talk with the captain. When we passed the coast of your country, you didn't speak to him. Now we are on the coast of my country, I want to talk to him. After that In a few days, the 'Nautilus' will be at the same latitude as New Scotland. There is Newfoundland, and there is a wide bay, and the St. Lawrence River rushes into the bay. What a magnificent view! The St. Lawrence River is my mother The river is where the city of Quebec, where I grew up, is located. When I think of seeing them from a distance, but doing nothing, I am so angry that my hair stands on end. Sir, I would rather jump into this sea water Go, I don’t want to stay in this cage-like cabin anymore, I’m about to suffocate to death!”

I could see that the Canadians had run out of patience.His free-spirited nature could not adapt to this indefinite prison life, his face was getting thinner day by day, and his personality became more and more melancholy.For nearly seven months at sea, he endured far more distress than I did. We got no news from land, and our homesickness grew day by day.In addition, what we can't figure out is that Captain Nemo has become more and more lonely, especially after the battle with the octopus, he has become more taciturn.All of these prompted me to look at the current situation from a different angle, even for myself, I didn't have the enthusiasm I had at the beginning. The "Nautilus" is a more suitable environment for cetaceans and other sea creatures, and only a Flemish like Conseil can comfortably accept the status quo.Given him a pair of gills for breathing, I think he would make a marvelous fish!

"Sir, what do you think?" Seeing that I didn't answer, Ned Land asked again.

"Ned, do you want me to ask Captain Nemo what he plans for the three of us?"

"Yes, sir."

"He has said it very clearly before, do you need to ask again?"

"It is very necessary. I hope to clarify this matter thoroughly this time, Professor. If you feel embarrassed, you can talk to him in my name."

"But it's hard for me to meet him recently. He seems to be avoiding me."

"That's all the more reason, we have to go and see what's going on with him."

"Ned, I'll talk to him."

"When?" The Canadian didn't give me any room.

"When I meet him..."

"In that case, Monsieur Aronnax, will you let me go to him?"

"No, I'll go, tomorrow..."

"Today." Ned Land did not back down.

"Well, today, I'm going to see him." I was forced to go, if the Canadians went by themselves, they would definitely screw up the whole thing.

I made up my mind to have a talk with the captain, and now that I have made up my mind, I will get things over with at once, and I don't like to leave things out for a long time.

I walked back to the room and listened quietly to the voices next door. Footsteps came from the next room, which indicated that the captain was in his room.I should not let go of this rare opportunity. I went to his door and knocked, but got no response.I knocked a few more times, still nothing, so I turned the handle and gently pushed the door open.

I saw Captain Nemo pacing back and forth in the room with a heavy expression on his face, as if he was thinking about something. It must not be a good time to ask him to talk about our affairs, but I have already entered, so I don't want to go back easily.

"Professor, what's the matter?" The captain's tone was a little displeased.

"Yes, I want to talk to you about something." I said calmly.

"what's up?"

"We are very grateful for your hospitality and attention since we came aboard. We have sailed more than 1 miles on the Nautilus for several months. I wonder if you will allow us to leave, Back to..."

"Impossible, sir, never," Captain Nemo said, interrupting me roughly.

"My companions and I will not share any details here. If you want, I can not take the manuscript I wrote. If you can restore our freedom..."

"Freedom?" Nemo said loudly.

"Yes, sir, is liberty. I have come to ask you now, we have been seven months aboard your ship, and I am asking you today, in the name of my companion and myself, if you wish to take us forever Stay on this boat?"

"Mr. Aronnax," said Captain Nemo, "what I want to answer you today is what I said seven months ago. No one who enters the Nautilus can leave it without my permission." .”

"Mr. Captain, what you are doing is simply brutal slavery!"

"Whatever you say."

"Even a slave can reserve the right to restore freedom anytime and anywhere. If an opportunity comes, he will use it as long as he thinks it is good."

"That right," Captain Nemo replied, "is not denied to you. Have I ever bound you?"

The captain folded his hands on his chest, and stared at me fiercely.

"Mr. Captain," I next said to him, "this is the second time we've talked on this subject, and I'm sure you won't like to hear my reasons, which is not what I would like to do. But since we've talked , may as well talk about it once. I repeat here, this is not a question that concerns me alone. The research work I did during the seven-plus months of underwater voyages was a help and a benefit to me. A diversion, a kind of attraction, a kind of enthusiasm, it can make me forget everything. There is one thing that I am like you, that is, I live freely and don't ask others to know. For life, I only have one hope and request, that is, I want to put myself in these Organize the work of the day, put it in a box, let it drift with the wind and waves, and give it to the person who picks it up in the future. After I understand some of the things you have done, I admire you and follow you to complete the seabed I have no dissatisfaction or distress during my trip. But some of your behaviors in other aspects make me feel very complicated and mysterious. It is these unknown things that my companion and I have not understood at all until now. .

"Throughout these seven months, our hearts have sometimes jumped with excitement for your feats, moved by your suffering, inspired by your genius or bravery. But we know that, whether from friends or From the enemy's point of view, even the most basic human sympathy, we have to suppress these feelings and cannot express them. From this feeling, all our feelings involving you become Mystery and strangeness made our situation somewhat unbearable, and it was the same for me, let alone Ned Land. The Canadian was straightforward, his love of liberty, his hatred of slavery, and for that reason And the revenge plan born will have attempts and actions. Have you thought about all these in your heart?"

I stopped talking, and Captain Nemo replied indifferently:
"What Ned Land thinks, intends, and wants to do, just do as he pleases. It has nothing to do with me. I didn't bring him here on my own initiative, and I didn't send him because I was happy. Stay on board. As for you, Professor Aronnax, you are the one who understands all this, even if you don't say anything, you should understand. I have nothing to answer you, and I hope you will talk about it today for the last time. , next time I don’t even want to hear it.”

I tactfully exited the captain's room, and the relationship between the two of us has become tense and complicated since then.Retiring to my room, I related the conversation to my two companions.

"That's good, we know for sure now," Ned Land said, "We can't expect anything more from this cold-blooded man. The 'Nautilus' is approaching Long Island. No matter what the weather is, let's run away."

The weather outside is getting worse and there are signs that a big storm is coming.The clear sky turned a grayish milky color, and dense dark clouds piled up on the horizon, while other low-hanging clouds flew across the air driven by the wind.The sea water was high, rolling up waves like hills.All the seabirds hid and disappeared, except the petrels, who liked to make friends with storms.The pointer of the weather gauge dropped obviously, the temperature in the air was very high, there was a lot of water vapor, and the storm was about to hit violently.

On May 5, when the great storm began, the Nautilus was at the same latitude as Long Island and only a few nautical miles from the waterways of New York.I can describe the force of the storm, because from some queer idea Captain Nemo kept the Nautilus from diving to the bottom of the sea, and let her ride the wind and waves on the surface.

The wind is now blowing from the southwest with a speed of 15 meters per second.At two o'clock in the afternoon, the wind speed increased to 25 meters per second, which is already the speed of the storm.

Captain Nemo braved the wind and waves and stood on the platform. Under the strong wind and waves, he remained motionless, and his waist was tied to the hull of the ship with a rope, which could resist the coming waves.I also stood on the platform, tied myself up with ropes like the captain, observed the storm, and at the same time praised this man who is not afraid of the storm.On the rough sea, patches of huge thick clouds swept by with the wind.Large eddies often appear on the calm sea surface, and the small waves formed in the middle of the vortex no longer leave a trace, only coal-black big waves come overwhelmingly,

A dazzling zigzag of lightning appeared in the sky. I dare not look at it, but Captain Nemo is fearless. He opened his eyes wide and glared at the sky, as if he wanted to suck the soul of the storm.The rumbling thunder filled the sky, and judging from the distance between the thunder and the lightning, the thunder and lightning were not far away from us.The wind blows down from the clouds in the east, passes through the north, west, and south, and returns to the east, in the opposite direction of the cyclonic storm in the northern hemisphere.

Some people call the warm Atlantic current the storm king, and there is some truth to it.Because the warm current is in the upper layer of the sea, the heat brought by it makes the temperature of the air at different heights in the sky different, and finally forms a powerful typhoon.

The wind was still raging, and the heavy rain followed.Captain Nemo's behavior is tantamount to hitting a stone with a pebble. He may want to find a way of death worthy of his status, so he let the wind, rain, thunder, and electricity all attack him.I suddenly felt a terrible jolt, and the Nautilus, under the action of the wave, raised its front horn in the air like a lightning rod, and sent a long string of sparks from its horn.

Exhausted quickly by the storm, I sprawled out on the terrace, pushed back the panels, and descended into the living room.At this time, the violent wind and rain reached the highest point, and the hull swayed from side to side, making it impossible to stand up in the cabin.

In the middle of the night, Captain Nemo returned to the ship. Soon, I heard the water storage tank gradually filled with water, and the "Nautilus" sank slowly below the surface of the sea.

Through the open glass window in the living room, I saw many panicked big fish fleeing under the attack of thunder and lightning, and some fish were killed by the terrible thunder and lightning right in front of my eyes. The "Nautilus" continued to dive. I thought that the place at a depth of 15 meters could always be quiet. Contrary to my prediction, the upper water layer was too affected. We dived to a depth of 50 meters before the sea calmed down.

The bottom of the water is quiet and peaceful. Without what you have seen and experienced with your own eyes, who dares to say that the sea is a world of storms?
47°24′ north latitude, 17°28′ west longitude

After the storm, the "Nautilus" was carried far east by the turbulent sea. Ned originally planned to escape by land near New York or the mouth of the St. Lawrence River, but now this plan had to be dashed.The Canadian was very disappointed. He became as lonely and unreasonable as Captain Nemo.Conseil and I encourage and take care of each other and are together every day.

As I said above, the "Nautilus" was carried by the sea to the east, to be precise, it should be northeast.In the past few days, it sometimes floats on the surface of the water, sometimes dives underwater, and continues to move forward in dense fog.These dense fogs are formed due to the melting of ice and snow, which makes the atmosphere extremely humid. Fog is a taboo for navigation. Many ships encounter heavy fog on the sea surface in this area, and they cannot tell their direction. Collided and sunk!On those dangerous reefs, the sound of the waves beating against the rocks is drowned out by the sound of the wind, and although there are lights on the ships to indicate the direction, they are covered by the fog. Human beings are still extremely fragile in front of the sea.

(End of this chapter)