Chapter 113: Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea (44)
When we dived into the water, we could clearly see the scene of the seabed in this area. The situation was really like a battlefield. The losers were lying there quietly. Some ships were completely decayed or covered by marine plants. Some were quite new, their iron parts and copper bottoms reflecting the brilliance of our searchlights.Tragedy happens almost every few days when these ships sink with their passengers and crew, and their sacrifices serve as a silent reminder that we must avoid those dangerous places—Race Point, St. Paul Island, and the Island of America Gap, St. Lawrence Estuary.

On the 5th of May we reached the southernmost point of the Newfoundland Reef.Reef veins are formed by alluvial seawater and consist of a large pile of organic remains and detritus.The warm Atlantic current goes all the way north from the equator, while the cold current goes south from the North Pole along the American coast. They carry the stone rocks washed down by the avalanche of ice and snow and the skeletons of tens of millions of dead fish, molluscs or plant insects, and accumulate here. Over time, a hidden reef vein was formed.

The water in the reefs of Newfoundland is not very deep, no more than a few hundred meters at most.But a little further south, the sea bottom suddenly subsides, forming a cave as deep as 3000 meters.Here, the warm Atlantic current is enlarged, the water flow is completely dispersed, the speed is also reduced, the temperature gradually drops, and it completely becomes the sea.

The "Nautilus" passed through this sea area, causing the fish that saw this huge monster for the first time to flee in panic. Here I list some representative species.There are hard-finned sea hares, about one meter in length, with gray-black backs and orange-yellow abdomens. This kind of fish sticks to monogamy and sets an example for other fish of the same kind, but it has not been popularized or imitated; Naco, it is a green crisp fish, the fish tastes very delicious; there are round and big eyes of carak, they have a dog-like head; there is odd-shaped crucian carp, which is slender like a snake , is an oviparous fish; there is a goby, also called a river sandfish, about two decimeters in length, and the whole body is black; The speed is so fast that they can swim all the way to the arctic waters; the nets of the "Nautilus" also caught a terrible, fierce, powerful and fleshy fish. This fish has spines on its head and needles on its fins, just like the ocean. The scorpion in it is two to three meters long.They are the sworn enemies of the odd-shaped crucian carp, cod, and salmon, and are classified as the barbed eels of the northern seas, with hideous warts and chestnut-colored and red-coloured bodies. The crew of the "Nautilus" had a hard time catching the fish.Because this fish has a special gill cover structure, the respiratory organs are preserved after exposure to dry air, so once they leave the sea, they can still live for a while.

In addition to the above introductions, there are also some bush fishes, which are small fish in the Arctic Ocean and are used to swimming with ships for a long time.The silvery billfish is a specialty of the North Atlantic.I also saw eaglefish animals, they are a kind of squid, and they especially like to live in the water in this area. There are so many species on the reefs of Newfoundland, it is impossible to see and beat them all. .

People will say that the turtle is a fish in the mountains, because Newfoundland is a mountain under the sea.Conseil could not help sighing when the "Nautilus" opened a passage through the crowded ranks of the carp.

"What a big group of turtles!" he said. "I thought turtle fishes belonged to the same class as butterfly fishes and boot soles, and they all belonged to flat bodies."

"You're thinking wrong!" I corrected. "Catfish are only flat in the grocery store, where the seller cuts them in half and sells them. Under water, they are as flat as widower fish." Like other species, the body is spindle-shaped, which is conducive to moving quickly through the water."

"Professor, your analysis is right," Conseil said. "Look, there are so many of them! Like dark clouds! Or like worker ants in an ant's nest!"

"Conseil, if the turtles don't have their natural enemies, the hatfish and humans, there might be more of them! Do you know how many eggs are laid in a female turtle?"

"I'll just talk to Dali," Conseil replied, "50."

"Wrong, you underestimate them. They are eleven million, my dear Conseil."

"Ten thousand and one million? Unless I calculate it myself, I will never believe it."

"Conseil, you can do the math. Then you can quickly trust my figures. The French, the British, the Americans, the Danes, and the Norwegians, all of them catch catfish by the thousands , the amount of fish consumed is so huge. If this fish did not have this amazing fecundity, we would have lost sight of them in the sea. In the United Kingdom and the United States alone, about [-] boats go to catch turtles every year. Fish, these ships are manned by [-] sailors. An average ship can catch [-] fish a year, a total of [-] million fish. The situation on the coast of Norway is similar."

"For what?" Conseil asked.

"It's those 100 million eggs, but I want to remind you one thing in particular."

"what?"

"That is, if all the eggs were able to grow, the total population of carp would be sufficient to meet the needs of the UK, US and Norway."

As we passed the reefs of Newfoundland, I could clearly see that each boat in the water ahead had a dozen or so long lines lowered from both sides, with two hundred barb-type baits on each Each end of the silk is hooked to a small anchor, and a line attached to a buoy pulls it above the water. The Nautilus steered deftly among the wires.

The "Nautilus" did not stop, it went straight to 42° north latitude.This is on the same latitude as Newfoundland's St. John's Harbor and Inner Harbor, the terminus of countless power lines that traverse the bottom of the Atlantic Ocean.

The "Nautilus" did not continue north, it turned east, and seemed to want to follow the submarine power line.These wires have to be wound on some reef highlands, just like the poles on land.These reef plateaus have been probed many times, and there are clear records marking their elevations and elevations.

On May 5th, we were about 17 nautical miles away from the inner port, and at a depth of 800 meters, I saw the wires placed on the seabed. Before I reminded Conseil, he directly recognized the thick wires as It was a huge sea snake, and he wanted to classify it in his usual way.I corrected Conseil's point of view in time, and at the same time, in order not to annoy him too much, I told him the process of laying this submarine power line.

In order to carry out telegraph communication between countries on all continents, the first submarine wire was successfully laid between 1857 and 1858. However, due to lack of experience, this wire could not be used after transmitting more than 400 telegrams. In 1863, engineers built a new line, [-] kilometers long and [-] tons in weight, which was shipped and laid by the Great Eastern, but this grand plan failed.

On May 5, the "Nautilus" dived to a depth of 25 meters, where the laying work failed and the power line was interrupted.This point was about 830 eight nautical miles off the coast of Ireland, when it was discovered that the telegraph communication with Europe had been lost at two o'clock in the afternoon, and the ship's electricians decided to cut the wire before bringing it up.At eleven o'clock that night, they pulled up the damaged part of the wire, made a repair and connection again, and put the wire back to the bottom of the sea, and the telegram was unblocked that day.But within a few days, the wire broke again, and this time it was impossible to retrieve it from the bottom of the sea.

The Americans who advocated the laying of submarine power lines did not stop because of this. The bold Sirius Ferti invested all his property in this cause, and he issued a new method of raising shares.When the new stock funds were fully raised, a most advanced submarine power line was equipped at that time.The conductive steel wire is wrapped in the rubber, which is completely isolated from the water. The outer rubber is wrapped with a fiber belt to protect the whole body. Finally, it is wrapped with a metal sleeve, which seems to be foolproof. On July 1866, 7, the "Great Orient" set sail and once again took on the task of laying submarine wires.

At first, the laying work went fairly smoothly, and the new wiring was strong and durable.But then, accidents happened, and on several occasions, when the electricians had unwound the wires for installation, they discovered that a newly driven nail had damaged the copper wire inside and rendered it non-conductive. Captain Anderson of the Great Eastern called a conference of his men and engineers to work out a solution to the matter.After the meeting, they posted a notice saying that if someone tried to make trouble again and was caught on the spot, the captain had the right to immediately throw the prisoner into the sea without going through any trial procedures.After that, no one dared to try the law again.

On July 7, the "Great Eastern" had successfully installed the submarine wires to the seabed eight kilometers away from Newfoundland.At this time, someone sent a telegram from Ireland to the captain, saying that Prussia and Austria had signed an armistice agreement after the war in Salvador. On the 23th, the "Great Orient" installed the wires to the bottom of the inner port in the dense fog, which means that all the laying work has been successfully completed.The first submarine telegram was sent from young America to old Europe. There were a few words in the telegram: "Glory to the merciful God in heaven, and peace to the good people on earth."

I can't imagine that the submarine power line laid in the past can still maintain its original appearance. This solid long snake lies on the seabed made of shell remains, and the outermost layer is full of foraminifera. Because the outermost layer of the wire is sealed It was coated with a stone-like glue to protect it from burrowing molluscs.It quietly sticks to its mission and is not affected by any storms. The telegram from America to Europe can be successfully transmitted in only [-] seconds.The durability of this submarine wire is due to the layer of gum coating, which becomes stronger when soaked in seawater, and strongly protects the wire inside.

The location of the subsea wire was well chosen, wrapping around the reef without sinking all the way into the deep water where it could be snapped off. The "Nautilus" followed the wire to the deepest water bottom, where it was 430 meters deep, and the wire lay there without any trace of being dragged.Then we come to the site where an accident happened during the laying in 1863.

The seabed here is a wide valley with an area of ​​120 kilometers. There is a 2000-meter-high cliff on the east side of the valley.The water here is very deep. Even if Mont Blanc is placed here, the top of the mountain will not be exposed to the water.We came to this valley on May 5th, when the "Nautilus" was only 26 kilometers from Ireland.I thought to myself, is Captain Nemo going north to the British Isles?No, he would order to sail south, back into the European sea.

When I was thinking in my heart, I saw a vague shadow in the sea ahead, which was a sunken ship.I tried my best to search the historical records in my mind, trying to find out the origin of this ship.Suddenly, beside me, I heard Captain Nemo's slow voice say:
"The ship was originally called the 'Maasai'. It was equipped with 74 cannons and was launched in 1762. On August 1778, 8, it was commanded by La Poiape Vertulio, and 'Press Dun' fought bravely. On July 13, 1779, it captured Grenada with the fleet of Admiral Desdan. On September 7, 4, it participated in the naval battle of Earl Grass in the Czech Sabek Bay. The French Republic changed its name in 1781. On April 9 of the same year, it joined the fleet commanded by Villare Joajos, escorting a convoy of wheat convoys commanded by American Admiral Sanvan Stabile. On September 5th and 1792th of the Republic Era, this fleet and the British fleet encountered at sea. Professor, today is June 4, 16, exactly 11 years ago, at this same place, 12°1868 north latitude ', longitude 6°1' W. After a heroic battle, the three mainmasts of this warship were unfortunately broken. The sea flooded into the cabin broken by the gunfire, and a third of the crew on board lost combat effectiveness. At last, The captain would rather die than surrender to the British. He sank to the bottom of the sea with 74 six sailors and the ship, and nailed the flag to the stern. sunk."

"Is it the 'Revenge'?" I called.

"Yes! Sir, 'Revenge'! What a powerful name!" whispered Captain Nemo, arms folded.

killing field

Looking at the wreckage of the heroic battleship in front of him, and listening to Captain Nemo's narration of historical events in his unique way, his tone was gentle at first, but when he said the last few words, he was already full of excitement and enthusiasm. Pride.The name of the "Revenge" was uttered from Captain Nemo's mouth, which added a lot of inexplicable meaning and attracted my attention.At the same time, the patriotic behavior of this battleship also deeply shocked me. My eyes were always on the captain, trying to read more things from him.Captain Nemo stretched out his hands to the sea, and gazed for a long time at the wreck of the glorious battleship with bright eyes.

Maybe I will never know who he is, where he came from, and where he is going, but the position of this person in my heart is becoming clearer and clearer. He is knowledgeable, but he is not a scholar who immerses himself in research. The "Nautilus", after many trials of life and death, traveled around the underwater world, but such a person lives alone and chooses a life of idle clouds and wild cranes.It was not an ordinary cynicism that shut Captain Nemo and his companions in the Nautilus, but an extraordinary, deep-rooted hatred that could not be weakened by time.Whether this hatred will also turn the Nautilus into a new Revenge, I'm sure it won't be long before we know.

The "Nautilus" slowly floated to the surface of the sea, and the image of the "Revenge" gradually blurred, and finally disappeared completely from my vision.Soon after, surrounded by gently swaying waves, we were on the surface.

Suddenly, there was a slight explosion in the distance, and I looked at the captain, who was motionless.

"Captain?" I said.

He was silent and did not answer.

I went from the living room to the terrace, where Conseil and the Canadian were already there.

"Where did the explosion come from?" I asked them.

"It was a cannon shot, a gunboat," Ned Land replied.

At this time, a steamboat appeared in the distant water vapor, and it was heading towards the "Nautilus".She was picking up power and was catching up quickly, only six nautical miles away.

"Ned, what kind of ship is that?"

"From the height of her rigging and rigging and masts," the Canadian replied, "I'll bet it's a man-of-war, and she's trying to catch us up, and if the Nautilus doesn't surrender, she'll shoot us down with her guns." Sink!"

"Ned," Conseil said, "will it hurt the Nautilus? Will the Nautilus conduct an underwater attack? Can the guns on the battleship reach the surface of the sea?"

"Ned," I said, "can you recognize which country this ship belongs to?"

"No," he answered, "sir, the ship is not ensigned, so I cannot recognize it. But I am sure it is definitely a battleship."

For 15 minutes we watched the big ship coming towards us.I don't believe it recognized the Nautilus from such a distance, or that the men on board the battleship knew what the submarine was for.The Canadian soon recognized it, and told me it was a large man-of-war, with powerful horns and two iron decks for protection.I saw bursts of thick black smoke coming out of the two chimneys on the ship, and the sails on the ship were densely packed and intertwined with the sail racks.No flag was hoisted on the ship, and I could not see the color of its signal pennant, except that it fluttered like a ribbon in the sea wind.The ship had locked on to the Nautilus, which was approaching rapidly, and if Captain Nemo would allow it to approach, we would have a once-in-a-lifetime chance of escape.

"Professor, here is our chance," Ned Land said excitedly, "If the ship sails one nautical mile away from us, I will jump into the sea. I suggest you jump with me."

I did not answer the Canadian's offer, but continued to watch the boat, which grew larger and larger in our eyes.I think whether it is a British ship, a French ship, an American ship, or a Russian ship, if we can escape, the people on board will welcome us.

"Professor, you haven't forgotten, have you?" Conseil said with concern, "The last time we swam in the sea, you can completely trust me. If sir thinks it is appropriate to escape with Ned, I will be responsible for carrying him on his back." to that ship."

Just as I was about to answer, a puff of white smoke rose from the front of the battleship. A few seconds later, something fell into the sea water next to the "Nautilus", splashing high water. There was a loud explosion.

"How could they shoot at us!" I was puzzled.

"Brave people!" whispered the Canadian, "they don't think of us as castaways eager to get out of this cage!"

"Professor...that's right," Conseil swung down the water splashed by another cannonball, "please forgive me, sir, they thought we were narwhals, and they were shooting narwhals with cannons."

"But they also want to see clearly," I shouted, "how can there be three people standing on the narwhal?"

"I have a strong feeling that they're not hunting narwhals!" Ned Land replied coldly, staring at me.

(End of this chapter)

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