Chapter 34
CHAPTER X. THE UNDERWATER COALFIELDS. The next day, February 20th, I overslept. I was so exhausted from the night before, I didn't get up until 11 o'clock. I dressed quickly. I hurried to find out the Nautilus's heading. The instruments indicated that it was running southward at a speed of 20 miles per hour and a depth of 100 meters. Konsei entered. I described our nocturnal excursion to him, and since the panels were open,
he could still catch a glimpse of this submerged continent. In fact, the Nautilus was skimming only ten meters over the soil of these Atlantis plains. The ship scudded along like an air balloon borne by the wind over some prairie on land,
but it would be more accurate to say that we sat in the lounge as if we were riding in a coach on an express train. as for the foregrounds passing before our eyes they were fantastically carved rocks forests of trees that had crossed over from the vegetable kingdom into the mineral kingdom their motionless silhouettes sprawling beneath the waves there were also stony masses buried beneath carpets of excedia and sea anemone bristling with long vertical water-plants then strangely contoured blocks of lava that testified to all the fury of those plutonic developments while this bizarre scenery was glittering under our electric beams i told conse the story of the atlanteans who had inspired the old french scientist jean bailey to write so many entertaining albeit utterly fictitious pages
editor's note bailey believed that atlantis was located at the north pole i told the lad about the wars of these heroic people i discussed the questions of atlantis with the fervor of a man who no longer had any doubts but conse was so distracted he barely heard me and his lack of interest in any commentary on this historical topic was soon explained in essence numerous fish had caught his eye and when fish passed by conse vanishes into his world of classifying and leaves real life behind in which case i could only tag along and resume our ichthyological research even so these atlantic fish were not noticeably different from those that we had observed earlier there were rays of gigantic size five meters long and with muscles so powerful they could leap above the waves sharks of various species including a fifteen-foot glaucous shark with sharp triangular teeth and so transparent it was almost invisible
amid the waters brown lantern sharks prism shaped humitan sharks armored with protuberant hides sturgeons resembling their relatives in the mediterranean trumpet snouted pipe-fish a foot and a half long yellowish brown with small gray fins and no teeth or tongue unreeling like slim supple snakes among bony fish conse noticed some blackish marlin three meters long with a sharp sword jutting from the upper jaw bright-colored weavers known in aristotle's day as sea-dragons and whose dorsal stingers made them quite dangerous to pick up then dolphin fish with brown backs striped in blue and edged in gold handsome dorados moon-like opahs that look like azure disks but which the sun's rays turn into spots of silver finally eight-metre swordfish from the genus exivius swimming in schools sporting yellowish sickle-shaped fins and six-foot broadswords stalwart animals plant-eaters rather than fish-eaters
obeying the tiniest signals from their females like henpecked husbands but while observing these different specimens of marine fauna i didn't stop examining the long plains of atlantis sometimes an unpredictable irregularity in the sea-floor would force the nautilus to slow down and then it would glide into the narrow channels between the hills with a satian's dexterity if the labyrinth became hopelessly tangled the submersible would rise above it like an airship and after clearing the obstacle it would resume its speedy course just a few metres above the ocean floor it was an enjoyable and impressive way of navigating that did indeed recall the manoeuvres of an airship ride with the major differences that the nautilus faithfully obeyed the hands of its helmsman the terrain consisted mostly of thick slime mixed with petrified branches but it changed little by little near four o'clock in the afternoon it grew rockier and seemed to be strewn with pudding-stones and a basaltic gravel called tuff
together with bits of lava and sulphurous obsidian i expected these long plains to change into mountain regions and in fact as the nautilus was executing certain turns i noticed that the southerly horizon was blocked by a high wall that seemed to close off every exit its summit obviously poked above the level of the ocean it had to be a continent or at least an island either one of the canaries or one of the cape verde islands our bearings hadn't been marked on the chart perhaps deliberately and i had no idea what our position was in any case this wall seemed to signal the end of atlantis of which all in all we had crossed only a small part nightfall didn't interrupt my observations i was left to myself conce had repaired to his cabin the nautilus slowed down hovering above the muddled masses on the sea-floor sometimes grazing them as if wanting to come to rest sometimes rising unpredictably to the surface of the waves then i glimpsed a few bright constellations through the crystal waters specifically five or six of those zodiacal stars trailing from the tail-end of orion
i would have stayed longer at my window marvelling at these beauties of sea and sky but the panels closed just then the nautilus had arrived at the perpendicular face of that high wall how the ship would manoeuvre i hadn't a guess i repaired to my stateroom the nautilus did not stir i fell asleep with the firm intention of waking up in just a few hours but it was eight o'clock the next day when i returned to the lounge i stared at the pressure gauge it told me that the nautilus was afloat on the surface of the ocean furthermore i heard the sound of footsteps on the platform yet there were no rolling movements to indicate the presence of waves undulating above me i climbed as far as the hatch it was open but instead of the broad daylight i was expecting i found that i was surrounded by total darkness where were we had i been mistaken was it still night no not one star was twinkling and night-time is never so utterly black i wasn't sure what to think when a voice said to me is that you professor
ah captain nemo i replied where are we underground professor underground i exclaimed and the nautilus is still floating it always floats but i don't understand wait a little while our beacon is about to go on and if you want some light on the subject you'll be satisfied i set foot on the platform and waited the darkness was so profound i couldn't even see captain nemo however looking at the zenith directly overhead i thought i caught sight of a feeble glimmer a sort of twilight filtering through a circular hole just then the beacon suddenly went on and its intense brightness made that hazy light vanish this stream of electricity dazzled my eyes and after momentarily shutting them i looked around the nautilus was stationary it was floating next to an embankment shaped like a wharf as for the water now buoying the ship it was a lake completely encircled by an inner wall about two miles in diameter hence six miles around
its level as indicated by the pressure gauge would be the same as the outside level because some connection had to exist between this lake and the sea slanting inward over their base these high walls converged to form a vault shaped like an immense upside-down funnel that measured five hundred or six hundred metres in height at its summit there gaped the circular opening through which i had detected that faint glimmer obviously daylight before more carefully examining the interior features of this enormous cavern and before deciding if it was the work of nature or human kind i went over to captain nemo where are we i said in the very heart of an extinct volcano the captain answered me a volcano whose interior was invaded by the sea after some convulsion in the earth while you were sleeping professor the nautilus entered this lagoon through a natural channel that opens ten meters below the surface of the ocean this is our home port secure convenient secret and sheltered against the winds from any direction
along the coasts of your continents or islands show me any off-shore mooring that can equal this safe refuge for withstanding the fury of hurricanes indeed i replied here you're in perfect safety captain nemo who could reach you in the heart of a volcano but i don't see an opening at its summit yes its crater a crater formerly filled with lava steam and flames but which now lets in this life giving air we're breathing but which volcanic mountain is this i asked it's one of the many islets with which the sea is strewn for ships a mere reef for us an immense cavern i discovered it by chance and chance served me well but couldn't some one enter through the mouth of its crater no more than i could exit through it you can climb about a hundred feet up the inner base of this mountain but then the walls overhang they lean too far in to be scaled i can see captain that nature is your obedient servant any time or any place you're safe on this lake and nobody else can visit its waters but what's the purpose of this refuge the nautilus doesn't need a harbor
no professor but it needs electricity to run batteries to generate its electricity sodium to feed its batteries coal to make its sodium and coal fields from which to dig its coal now then right at this spot the sea covers entire forests that sank under water in prehistoric times to-day turned to stone transformed into carbon fuel they offer me inexhaustible coal mines so captain your men practise the trade of miners here precisely these mines extend under the waves like the coal-fields at newcastle here dressed in diving suits pick and mattock in hand my men go out and dig this carbon fuel for which i don't need a single mine on land when i burn this combustible to produce sodium the smoke escaping from the mountain's crater gives it the appearance of a still active volcano and will we see your companions at work no not at least not this time because i am eager to continue our under-water tour of the world accordingly i'll rest content with drawing on my reserve stock of sodium
we'll stay here long enough to load it on board in other words a single work day then we'll resume our voyage so professor aranax if you'd like to explore this cavern and circle its lagoon seize the day i thanked the captain and went to look for my two companions who hadn't yet left their cabin i invited them to follow me not telling them where we were they climbed on to the platform conse whom nothing could startle saw it as a perfectly natural thing to fall asleep under the waves and wake up under a mountain but ned land had no idea in his head other than to see if this cavern offered some way out after breakfast near ten o'clock we went down on to the embankment so here we are back on shore conse said i'd hardly call this ashore the canadian replied and besides we aren't on it but under it a sandy beach unfolded before us measuring five hundred feet at its widest point between the waters of the lake and the foot of the mountain's walls
via this strand you could easily circle the lake but the base of these high walls consisted of broken soil over which there lay picturesque piles of volcanic blocks and enormous pumice stones all these crumbling masses were covered with an enamel polished by the action of underground fires and they glistened under the stream of electric light from our beacon stirred up by our footsteps the mica-rich dust on this beach flew into the air like a cloud of sparks the ground rose appreciably as it moved away from the sand-flats by the waves and we soon arrived at some long winding gradients genuinely steep paths that allowed us to climb little by little but we had to tread cautiously in the midst of putting stones that weren't cemented together and our feet kept skidding on glassy tracheite made of feldspar and quartz crystals the volcanic nature of this enormous pit was apparent all around us i ventured to comment on it to my companions can you picture i asked them
what this funnel must have been like when it was filled with boiling lava and the level of that incandescent liquid rose right to the mountain's mouth like cast-iron up the insides of a furnace i can picture it perfectly conse replied but will master tell me why this huge smelter suspended operations and how it is that an oven was replaced by the tranquil waters of a lake in all likelihood conse because some convulsion created an opening below the surface of the ocean the opening that serves as a passageway for nautilus then the waters of the atlantic rushed inside the mountain there ensued a dreadful struggle between the elements of fire and water a struggle ending in king neptune's favor but many centuries have passed since then and this submerged volcano has changed into a peaceful cavern that's fine ned land answered i accept the explanation but in our personal interest i'm sorry this opening the professor mentions wasn't made above sea-level but ned my friend conse answered
if it weren't an underwater passageway the nautilus couldn't enter it and i might add mr land i said that the waters wouldn't have rushed under the mountain and the volcano would still be a volcano so you'd have nothing to be sorry about our climb continued the gradients got steeper and narrower sometimes they were cut across by deep pits that had to be cleared masses of overhanging rock had to be gotten around you slid on your knees you crept on your belly but helped by the canadian's strength and conseil's dexterity we overcame every obstacle at an elevation of about thirty metres the nature of the terrain changed without becoming any easier putting stones and tracheite gave way to black basaltic rock here lying in slabs all swollen with blisters there shaped like actual prisms and arranged into a series of columns that supported the springings of this immense vault a wonderful sample of natural architecture then among this basaltic rock there snaked long hardened lava flows
inlaid with veins of bituminous coal and in places covered by wide carpets of sulphur the sunshine coming through the crater had grown stronger shedding a hazy light over all the volcanic waste forever buried in the heart of this distinct mountain but when we had ascended to an elevation of about two hundred and fifty feet we were stopped by insurmountable obstacles the converging inside walls changed into overhangs and our climb into a circular stroll at this topmost level the vegetable kingdom began to challenge the mineral kingdom shrubs and even a few trees emerged from the crevices in the walls i recognized some spurges that let their caustic purgative sap treagle out there were helotropes very remiss at living up to their sun worshipping reputations since no sunlight ever reached them their clusters of flowers drooped sadly their colours and scents were faded here and there chrysanthemums sprouted timidly at the feet of aloes with long sad sickly leaves but between these lava flows i spotted little violets that still gave off a subtle fragrance and i confess that i inhaled it with delight
the soul of a flower is its scent and those splendid water-plants flowers of the sea have no souls we had arrived at the foot of a sturdy clump of dragon-trees which were splitting the rocks with exertions of their muscular roots when ned land exclaimed oh sir a hive a hive i answered with a gesture of utter disbelief yes a hive the canadian repeated with bees buzzing around i went closer and was forced to recognize the obvious at the mouth of a hole cut in the trunk of a dragon tree there swarmed thousands of these ingenious insects so common to all the canary islands where their output is especially prized naturally enough the canadian wanted to lay in a supply of honey and it would have been ill-mannered of me to say no he mixed sulphur with some dry leaves set them on fire with a spark from his tinder-box and proceeded to smoke the bees out little by little the buzzing died down and the disembowelled hive yielded several pounds of sweet honey
ned land stuffed his haversack with it when i've mixed this honey with our bread-fruit batter he told us i'll be ready to serve you a delectable piece of cake but of course conse put in it will be gingerbread i'm all for gingerbread i said but let's resume this fascinating stroll at certain turns in the trail we were going along the lake appeared in its full expanse the ship's beacon lit up that whole placid surface which experienced neither ripples nor undulations the nautilus lay perfectly still on its platform and on the embankment crewmen were bustling around black shadows that stood out clearly in the midst of the luminous air just then we went around the highest ridge of these rocky foothills that supported the vault then i saw that bees weren't the animal kingdom's only representatives inside this volcano here and in the shadows birds of prey soared and whirled flying away from nests pursed on tips of rock
there were sparrow-hawks with white bellies and screeching kestrels with all the speed their stilt-like legs could muster fine fat bustards scampered over the slopes i'll let the reader decide whether the canadian's appetite was aroused by the sight of this tasty game and whether he regretted having no rifle in his hands he tried to make stones do the work of bullets and after several fruitless attempts he managed to wound one of these magnificent bustards to say he risked his life twenty times in order to capture this bird is simply the unadulterated truth but he fared so well the animal went into his sack to join the honeycombs by then we were forced to go back down to the beach because the ridge had become impossible above us the yawning crater looked like the wide mouth of a well
from where we stood the sky was pretty easy to see and i watched clouds race by dishevelled by the west wind letting tatters of mist trail over the mountain's summit proof positive that those clouds kept at a moderate altitude because this volcano didn't rise more than eighteen hundred feet above the level of the ocean half an hour after the canadian's latest exploits we were back on the inner beach there the local flora was represented by a wide carpet of samphire a small umbelliferous plant that keeps quite nicely which also boasts the names glasswort saxifrage and sea-fennel conce picked up a couple bunches as for the local fauna it included thousands of crustaceans of every type lobsters hermit crabs prawns
mysid shrimps daddy-long-legs rock crabs and a prodigious number of sea-shells such as cowries murek snails and limpets in this locality there gaped the mouth of a magnificent cave my companions and i took great pleasure in stretching out on its fine-grained sand fire had polished the sparkling enamel of its inner walls sprinkled all over with mica-rich dust ned land tapped these walls and tried to probe their thickness i couldn't help smiling our conversation then turned to his everlasting escape plans and without going too far i felt i could offer him this hope captain nemo had gone down south only to replenish his sodium supplies so i hoped he would now hug the coasts of europe and america which would allow the canadian to try again with a greater chance of success we were stretched out in this delightful cave for an hour our conversation lively at the outset then languished a definite drowsiness overcame us
since i saw no good reason to resist the call of sleep i fell into a heavy doze i dreamed one doesn't choose his dreams that my life had been reduced to the vegetating existence of a simple mollusk it seemed to me that this cave made up my double valve shell suddenly conce's voice startled me awake get up get up shouted the fine lad what is it i asked in a sitting position the water's coming up to us i got back on my feet like a torrent the sea was rushing into our retreat and since we definitely were not mollusks we had to clear out in a few seconds we were safe on top of the cave what happened conse asked some new phenomenon not quite my friends i replied it was the tide merely the tide which well-nigh caught us by surprise just as it did sir walter scott's hero
the ocean outside is rising and by a perfectly natural law of balance the level of this lake is also rising we've gotten off with a mild dunking let's go change clothes on the nautilus three-quarters of an hour later we had completed our circular stroll and were back on board just then the crewmen finished loading the sodium supplies and the nautilus could have departed immediately but captain nemo gave no orders would he wait for nightfall and exit through his under-water passageway in secrecy perhaps be that as it may by the next day the nautilus had left its home port and was navigating well out from any shore a few metres beneath the waves of the atlantic chapter ten recording by teresa sheridan
