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

Chapter 73: Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea (4)
"So, biologist," Ned Land said in a rather teasing tone, "are you an animal that insists on the existence of giant cetaceans?"

"Yes, Ned Land, I can repeat with certainty that my belief is based on fact. I believe that there exists in the sea a mammal with a particularly solid body structure, like the fin whale, the humpback whale, or the Like dolphins, belonging to the vertebrate phylum, it has a horny tusk with very strong penetrating power."

"Hmph!" The harpooner snorted while shaking his head, showing an expression of disbelief.

"Attention, my honest Canadian," I went on, "if such an animal exists, if it lives at the bottom of the ocean, if it is to live at a depth of several miles from the surface of the water, then it must With a solid body structure, the degree of solidity must be unmatched."

"Why such a strong body structure?" Ned Land asked.

"To live in very deep water and to withstand the pressure of the water, there must be an immeasurably great strength."

"Really?" Ned Land looked at me and blinked.

"It is true, and a few figures will prove it to you without difficulty."

"Ah!" replied Ned Land. "Numbers! A man can make numbers say what he wants!"

"Ned Land, please listen to me. These are realistic figures. We all know that the pressure of a column of water at a height of thirty-two feet represents one atmosphere. In reality, the column of water will not be that high, because we are talking about It is sea water, which is denser than fresh water. Well, Ned Land, when you dive into the water, you go deeper than 32 feet, and your body is subjected to a corresponding multiple of the atmospheric pressure, that is, Each square centimeter of the surface of your body bears the same multiple of kilograms of pressure. From this, it can be deduced that at a depth of 32 feet, the pressure is ten atmospheres; at a depth of 320 feet, the pressure is one hundred atmospheres; At a depth of [-] feet, that is to say, about two and a half miles, the pressure is one thousand atmospheres. This means that if you dive to the depth of the ocean, you will be subjected to pressure for every square centimeter of your body. A ton or so of pressure. But, my brave Ned Land, do you know how many square centimeters your body covers?"

"I don't know, never thought about it, Mr. Aronnax."

"Let me tell you, it has an area of ​​seventeen thousand square centimeters."

"There are so many?"

"In fact, one atmosphere of air pressure is slightly higher than the weight of one kilogram per square centimeter, and the area of ​​560 square centimeters on your body is under a pressure of [-] kilograms at this moment."

"Why didn't I feel it at all?"

"You don't feel it yourself. The reason why you are not crushed by such a weight is because the air enters your body at equal pressure. In this way, the internal and external pressures are balanced and cancel each other out, so you You can take that pressure with relative ease. But in water, that's not the case at all."

"It makes sense, I understand." Ned Land replied, and his expression became more focused, "Because the water surrounds me, but never enters my body."

"That's right, Ned Land. So, at 32 feet below the bottom of the sea, you're going to experience a pressure of 560 kilograms; A pressure of 320 kilograms; at 17 feet below the sea floor, this pressure is increased a hundred times to a pressure of 680 kilograms; finally, at 170 feet below the sea floor , This pressure is increased by a thousand times to a pressure of 560 tons, that is to say, you will become a meatloaf, just like being pulled out from under the iron plate of a hydraulic press!"

"My God!" cried Ned Land.

"Well, my brave harpooner, if a vertebrate with a length of several hundred meters and a huge body inhabits such depths, then the pressure on their bodies with an area of ​​millions of square centimeters, It will be calculated in tens of billions of kilograms. Please calculate how strong their skeletons and bodies need to be to withstand such a large pressure?"

Ned Land said, "Then their bodies are made of eight-inch-thick steel plates, like ironclad battleships."

"Just as you said, Ned Land, now think about the damage that such a big thing will cause if it crashes into a ship at a fast speed."

The above numbers made the Canadian shaken, "Yes... maybe... indeed." He muttered, but still refused to admit defeat.

"Well, should you believe me this time?"

"One thing you have convinced me, Mr. Biologist, is that, if there are such animals living under the sea, they must be as strong as you say."

"But, dear harpooner expert, you are a stubborn fellow. If there were no such animals under the sea, how would you explain what happened to the Scotia?"

"Maybe..." Ned Land said hesitantly.

"Go on!"

"Because...it's not true!" In desperation, the Canadian inadvertently named Arago Arago (1790-1855), a French writer and the author of "Global World".a famous saying.

But that was an answer that said nothing but the obstinacy of the harpooner.I didn't say anything more to him that day. The Scotia accident is beyond doubt.The hole that was knocked out in the bottom of the boat is real, and this hole also needs to be repaired. Of course, I don't think that there is a hole to explain the problem, but it is definitely not there for no reason.Since it wasn't knocked out by a reef, it must have been made by some kind of hard, sharp weapon on an animal.

Summarizing all the reasoning above, I think this animal belongs to the phylum Vertebrate, the class Mammalia, and the order Fish, that is, cetaceans.As for which family it belongs to, whether it is Cetaceae or Dolphinidae, which genus and which species should be included, it will not be clear until the future.If we want to solve this problem, we must dissect this mysterious monster.To dissect it is to catch it; to catch it is to harpoon it, a task none other than Ned Land.To harpoon him one had to spot it, and that required the effort of the crew; to see it one had to meet it, and it all depended on luck.

risky action
During the days when the "Lincoln" was sailing, no accident happened.However, one thing that happened let us see Ned Landau's strong ability, and it also showed that it was right to fully trust him.

On June 6, the "Lincoln" inquired about the narwhal from the American whaling fleet in the Marouin Sea, and learned that they had never encountered it.But one of them, the captain of the whaler of the Monroe, heard that Ned Land was on board the Lincoln, and asked his help in hunting down a whale that had been found.Captain Farragut wanted to see Ned Land's skills very much, so he agreed with him to go on board the "Monroe".I saw our Canadian friend throw a double fork, and one fork directly pierced the whale's heart. What's more, Ned Land was so lucky that he found another whale. After a few minutes of chasing , which also captures it.

I'll wager that if the monster we're hunting ever comes across Ned Land, it has little chance of escaping.

The battleship was traveling at an astonishing speed along the southeastern coast of America. On July 7, we reached the entrance of the Strait of Magellan, which is at the same latitude as the Virgin Gorge.But Captain Farragut was unwilling to sail in this tortuous strait, and he let the warship go around Cape Horn.

The crew unanimously agreed with Captain Farragut's proposition.Indeed, how could that narwhal meet us in this narrow channel?Most sailors thought that the monster's body was too big, and this strait couldn't accommodate it at all, so it was certain that the monster would not pass through this strait.

On July 7, at about three o'clock in the afternoon, the "Lincoln" circled the isolated island from fifteen nautical miles to the south.This is a rock stretching out at the southern tip of the American continent. The Dutch sailors called it Cape Horn after their hometown.Now, our ship is heading northwest. Tomorrow, the wheels of the battleship will stir the waters of the Pacific Ocean.

"Attention! Keep your eyes open! Keep your eyes open!" the sailors on the "Lincoln" kept shouting.

They all tried to keep their eyes open.Really, my eyes are a little dazzled, and I was tempted by the two thousand dollar bonus and refused to rest for a moment.People on board keep an eye on the sea day and night, and those who suffer from day blindness are more likely to get the bonus because they are better able to see in the dark.

I also pay attention to the sea from the boat, but I am not tempted to do so by money.Except for a few minutes to eat and a few hours to sleep, I stayed on deck no matter the sun or rain.Sometimes I leaned on the bow coaming, sometimes I leaned on the stern railing, staring intently at the endless waves.It happened several times that I shared the excitement of the whole crew when a wayward whale exposed its gray back to the waves.The deck of the battleship was immediately crowded, and sailors and officers poured out from under the tents like a stream of water. Everyone was excited and their eyes were shining, watching every move of the whale.My eyes were fixed on the sea, so dizzy that I couldn't even see anything.And Conseil always repeated to me in a calm tone as if nothing happened:

"Perhaps he could see better if his eyes were not opened too wide!"

In the end, the bamboo basket fetched water in vain, and the joy was in vain!So the "Lincoln" changed its direction and chased after the animal it found. It turned out to be a very common fin whale or a common bighead whale. After a while, these cetaceans disappeared amid everyone's cursing!
This is the season of bad weather in the southern hemisphere, and July in this area is about the same as January in our Europe.The weather has been great.The sea is calm, and people can see far away at a glance, and the big ships are sailing in this fine weather.

Ned Land was still skeptical about dealing with this monster. He would only go on deck when it was his turn to watch over it. He didn't even take a look at the ocean the rest of the time, but when he found the whale exception.This stubborn Canadian has super eyesight. He could have been of great help when observing the ocean. However, out of twelve hours, he spent eight hours in the cabin reading or sleeping .I have scolded him countless times for his indifference and indifference.

"Forget it, Monsieur Aronnax," he said, "there's nothing there, we're just running around aimlessly. If there were any monsters in the sea, do you think we're really lucky enough to Did you see it? I heard that this unfindable monster has reappeared in the northern seas of the Pacific Ocean. Someone has seen it. I am willing to believe it. However, it has been two months since I saw it. According to what you said, this narwhal has a very strange temper, and it is impossible for it to stay in one sea area for a long time! It moves very fast and is mysterious. Besides, professor, you know better than I do To be clearer, nature does nothing to contradict itself, it never makes an animal that is naturally fast move slow. So, if such an animal existed, it would have run away long ago! "

I didn't know how to answer what he said, and after hearing what he said, I couldn't answer.We are indeed acting blindly and our opportunities are limited.But, do we have another way?None of the sailors on board, however, ventured to bet that there was no narwhal, that it would not appear, and that no one ever doubted the success of the matter.

On July 7, we crossed the Tropic of Capricorn from the 20° east longitude line. On July 105, we crossed the equator again from the 7° east longitude line.Then, our warship headed westward all the way to the central waters of the Pacific Ocean.

Captain Farragut's idea is very reasonable. He thinks that our ship should go to the deep water, away from the mainland and islands, where this monster always seems to hide.Doing so might increase the chances of encountering monsters. "Perhaps the sea water close to the land is too shallow. This monster thinks it won't be able to hold it!" the boatswain said.After adding coal, the battleship increased its horsepower, passed through the Pamotu Islands, the Marquesas Islands, and the Hawaiian Islands, crossed the Tropic of Cancer on the 132° east longitude line, and sailed to the waters of China.

We're finally at the place where this monster has been frequenting lately!To tell the truth, the whole crew was not able to live a life on the ship. They didn't eat or sleep, and everyone's nerves were tense.There was a commotion a dozen times a day, caused by the miscalculation or misreading of the sailors on the lookout.This continuous turmoil makes people's spirits more tense, so that they cannot help but have a reaction.And my heartbeat is getting worse and worse, maybe I will get an incurable blood tumor in the future, the degree of discomfort is beyond words.

The "Lincoln" sailed all over the northern Pacific Ocean in three months.And in these three months, one day is really equal to a century.At the cost of breaking machinery and wasting power, our warship searched from the shores of Japan to America, sometimes rushing at the whales she found, sometimes turning sharply, sometimes veering suddenly, sometimes stopping abruptly.However, we saw nothing but the vast silent sea!Not to mention the flying away reefs, hidden underwater islands, sunken broken ships, huge narwhals, and any mysterious things, none of which were found!
As a result, a reaction began to take place on the battleship.The first is that everyone is discouraged, opening a gap for suspicion.Then, another emotion arose on board, three points of shame and seven points of anger were the factors that caused this emotion.It's so stupid to stare at a fantasy, but it's more annoying!All of a year's worth of solid arguments collapsed, and everyone thought about eating and sleeping and making up for the time they'd lost because of their stupidity.

The human mind is inherently fluid, prone to jumping from one extreme to the other.Those who had been the most supportive of the expedition were now suddenly the most vehement opponents, and the repercussions took place in the bilge, from the warehouse keeper's station to the officers' mess in the ship's staff. Come.It is certain that if Captain Farragut's attitude was not particularly firm, the ship would have turned around and sailed south.

However, the "Lincoln" has done its best, and has done what it should do. This kind of useless search can no longer be dragged on for a long time, and there is really nothing to blame. With such great patience and Enthusiasm has never been shown by the personnel sent by the US Navy to this ship. The responsibility for the failure is not on them, and now they can only return.

The proposal to return was submitted to the captain.The captain disagreed and still insisted on his opinion.The sailors no longer concealed their dissatisfaction, and were unwilling to do a good job in the affairs of the ship.I dare not say that there will be a riot on board, but after persisting for seven or eight days, Captain Farragut, like Columbus back then, asked everyone to be patient for another three days.If the monster does not appear within three days, the helmsman will turn the bow, and the "Lincoln" will sail to European waters.

This promise was made on November 11, and its effect was first to restore the failure mentality of the entire crew.Everyone began to concentrate on observing the movement of the ocean again.Everyone gets to take one last look at the ocean in honor of the expedition.The binoculars were used non-stop, the final challenge to the giant narwhal.For this subpoena to "appear in court", it can no longer find any reason to refuse to appear in court.

Two days have passed. The "Lincoln" was driving slowly on the ocean at a low speed.On the surface of the sea where this animal might be present, everything was tried to attract its attention or to stimulate its dull nerves.There are large pieces of bacon dragging behind the battleship, but I think this satisfies the desire of those sharks. When the "Lincoln" stopped advancing, it immediately put down many small boats, patrolled and searched around the battleship, and spared nowhere on the ocean.However, until the night of November 11, the mystery of this potential undersea monster has not been lifted.

At noon on November 11th, that is, tomorrow will be the deadline.Just after noon, Captain Farragut was about to fulfill his promise to make the battleship leave the northern waters of the Pacific Ocean and sail southeast.

At this time, our ship was in the sea at 31°15' north latitude and 136°42' east longitude.The Japanese archipelago lies less than two hundred miles or so below us.The ship's clock had just struck eight.As night fell, dark clouds covered the first quarter moon, and the sea rippled slowly behind the ship.

At this time, I was leaning against the starboard coaming of the bow, and Conseil was standing beside me, looking forward.The sailors climbed on top of the beams and gazed carefully at the shrinking and darkening horizon.The sky is getting darker and the visibility is getting smaller and smaller. The officers hold the binoculars used at night and search the darker and darker ocean.Moonlight occasionally shoots out from the gaps in the clouds, casting a silver light on the dark sea.Then, the dark clouds covered the moon again, the moonlight disappeared, and it was dark again.

(End of this chapter)