menu_book Chapter 38

chapter thirty eight of twenty thousand leagues under the sea twenty thousand leagues under the sea by jules verne translated by f p walter chapter thirty eight the south pole i rushed up on to the platform yes open sea barely a few sparse floes some moving icebergs a sea stretching into the distance host of birds in the air and midrids of fish under the waters which varied from intense blue to olive green depending on the depth the thermometer marked three degrees centigrade it was as if a comparative springtime had been locked up behind the ice-bank whose distant masses were outlined on the northern horizon are we at the pole i asked the captain my heart pounding i've no idea he answered me at noon we'll fix our position but will the sun show through the mist i said staring at the grayish sky no matter how faintly it shines it will be enough for me the captain replied

to the south ten miles from the nautilus a solitary islet rose to a height of two hundred metres we proceeded toward it but cautiously because the sea could have been strewn with reefs in an hour we had reached the islet two hours later we had completed a full circle around it it measured four to five miles in circumference a narrow channel separated it from the considerable shore perhaps a continent whose limits we couldn't see the existence of this shore seemed to bear out commander maury's hypothesis in essence this ingenious american has noted that between the south pole and the sixtieth parallel the sea is covered with floating ice of dimensions much greater than any found in the north atlantic from this fact he drew the conclusion that the antarctic circle must contain considerable shores since icebergs can't form on the high seas but only along coastlines according to his calculations this frozen mass enclosing the southernmost pole forms a vast ice-cap whose width must reach four thousand kilometers meanwhile to avoid running aground

the nautilus halted three cable lengths from a strand crowned by superb piles of rocks the skiff was launched to sea two crewmen carrying instruments the captain concile and i were on board it was ten o'clock in the morning i hadn't seen dead land no doubt in the presence of the south pole the canadian hated having to eat his words a few strokes of the oar brought the skiff to the sand where it ran aground just as concile was about to jump ashore i held him back sir i told captain nemo to you belongs the honour of first setting foot on this shore yes sir the captain replied and if i have no hesitation in treading this polar soil it's because no human being until now has left a footprint here so saying he leaped lightly on to the sand his heart must have been throbbing with intense excitement he scaled an overhanging rock that ended in a small promontory and there mute and motionless with crossed arms and blazing eyes he seemed to be laying claim to these southernmost regions after spending five minutes in this trance he turned to us whenever you're ready sir he called to me i got out concile at my heels leaving the two men in the skiff

over an extensive area the soil consisted of that igneous gravel called tuff reddish in color as if made from crushed bricks the ground was covered with slag lava flows and pumice stones its volcanic origin was unmistakable in certain localities thin smoke-holes gave off a sulphurous odour showing that the inner fires still kept their wide-ranging power nevertheless when i scaled a high escarpment i could see no volcanoes within a radius of several miles in these antarctic districts as is well known sir james clark ross has found the equators of mount emberus and mount terror in fully active condition on the one hundred sixty seventh meridian at latitude seventy seven degrees thirty two minutes the vegetation on this desolate continent struck me as quite limited a few lichens of the species usnea melanoccinathra sprawled over the black rocks the whole meagre flora of this region consisted of certain microscopic buds rudimentary diatoms made up of a type of cell positioned between two quartz rich shells plus long purple and crimson fucus plants buoyed by small air bladders and washed up on the coast by the surf

the beach was strewn with mollusks small muscles limpets smooth heart-shaped cackles and especially some sea butterflies with oblong membrane filled bodies whose heads are formed from two round lobes i also saw midrids of those northernmost sea butterflies three centimeters long which a baleen whale can swallow by the thousands in one gulp the open waters at the shore line were alive with these delightful petropods true butterflies of the sea among other zoophytes present in these shallows there were a few coral tree forms that according to sir james carlark ross lived in these an arctic seas at depths as great as one thousand metres then small alchion coral belonging to the species pelagisia also a large number of starfish unique to these climes plus some feather stars spangling the sand but it was in the air that life was superabundant there various species of birds flew and fluttered by the thousands deafening us with their calls crowding the rocks other fowl watched without fear as we passed and pressed familiarly against our feet these were auks as agile and supple in water where they are sometimes mistaken for fast

as they are clumsy and heavy on land they uttered outlandish calls and participated in numerous public assemblies that featured much noise but little action among other fowl i noted some sheath-bills from the waiting bird family the size of pigeons white in color the beak short and conical the eyes framed by red circles conciel laid in a supply of them because when they are properly cooked these winged creatures make a pleasant dish in the air there pass sooty albatross with four-metre wingspans birds aptly dubbed vultures of the ocean also gigantic petrels including several with arching wings enthusiastic eaters of seal that are known as squabrontojusos or ospreys and cape pigeons a sort of small duck the tops of their bodies black and white in short a whole series of petrels some whitish with wings trimmed and browned others blue and exclusive to these antarctic seas the former so oily i told the inhabitants of the faro islands simply fit the bird with a wick and then light it up with that minor addition concile replied these fowls would make perfect lamps after this we should insist that nature equip them with wicks in advance

half a mile further on the ground was completely riddled with penguin nests egg-laying burrows from which numerous birds emerged later captain nemo had hundreds of them hunted because their black flesh is highly edible they braid like donkeys the size of a goose with slate-colored bodies white undersides and lemon-colored neck bands these animals let themselves be stoned to death without making any effort to get away meanwhile the mists didn't clear and by eleven o'clock the sun still hadn't made an appearance its absence disturbed me without it no sights were possible then how could we tell whether we had reached the pole when i joined captain nemo i found him leaning silently against a piece of rock and staring at the sky he seemed impatient baffled but what could we do this daring and powerful man couldn't control the sun as he did the sea noon arrived without the orb of day appearing for a single instant you couldn't even find its hiding-place behind the curtain of mists and soon this mist began to condense into snow until to-morrow the captain said simply and we went back to the nautilus amid flurries in the air

during our absence the nets had been spread and i observed with fascination the fish just hauled on board the antarctic seas serve as a refuge for an extremely large number of migratory fish that flee from storms in the subpolar zones in truth only to slide down the gullets of porpoises and seals i noted some one decimeter southern bullhead a species of whitish cartilaginous fish overrun with bluish-gray stripes and armed with stings then some antarctic rabbit fish three feet long the body very slender the skin a smooth silver white the head rounded the top side furnished with three fins the snout ended in a trunk that curved back toward the mouth i sampled his flesh but found it tasteless despite concile's views which were very largely approving the blizzard lasted until the next day it was impossible to stay on the platform from the lounge where i was writing up the incidents of this excursion to the polar continent i could hear the calls of petrel and albatross cavorting in the midst of the turmoil the nautilus didn't stay idle and cruising along the coast it advanced some ten miles further south amid the half light left by the sun as it skimmed the edge of the horizon the next day march twentieth it stopped snowing

the cold was a little more brisk the thermometer marked minus two degrees centigrade the mist had cleared and on that day i hoped our noon sights could be accomplished since captain nemo hadn't yet appeared only conciel and i were taken ashore by the skiff the soil's nature was still the same volcanic traces of lava slag and balsatic rock were everywhere but i couldn't find the crater that had vomited them up there as yonder midrids of birds enlivened this part of the polar continent but they had to share their dominion with huge herds of marine animals that looked at us with gentle eyes these were seals of various species some stretched out on the ground others lying on drifting ice floes several leaving or re-entering the sea having never dealt with man they didn't run off at our approach and i counted enough of them thereabouts to provision a couple hundred ships ye gods conseil said it's fortunate that ned land didn't come with this why so because that madcap hunter would kill every animal here every animal baby overstating it but in truth i doubt we could keep our canadian friend from harpooning some of these magnificent cestations which would be an affront to captain nemo since he hates to slay harmless beasts needlessly

he's right certainly concile but tell me haven't you finished classifying these superb specimens of marine fauna master is well aware concile replied that i'm not seasoned in practical application when master has told me these animals names their seals and walruses two genera our scholarly concile hastened to say that belong to the family pinnipidae order carnivoriae group unguclata subclass mondelthea class mammamilia branch vertebrata very nice concile i replied but these two genera of seals and walruses are each divided into species and if i am not mistaken we now have a chance to actually look at them it was eight o'clock in the morning we had four hours to ourselves before the sun could be productively observed i guided our steps toward a huge bay that made a crescent-shaped incision in the granite cliffs along the beach there all about us i swear that the shores and ice-floes were crowded with marine animals as far as the eye could see and i involuntarily looked around for old proteus that mythological shepherd who guarded king neptune's immense flocks

to be specific these were seals they formed distinct male and female groups the father watching over his family the mother suckling her little ones the stronger youngsters emancipated a few paces away when these mammals wanted to relocate they moved in little jumps made by contracting their bodies clumsily helped by their imperfectly developed flippers which as with their manatee relatives form actual forearms in the water their ideal element i must say these animals swim wonderfully thanks to their flexible back-bones narrow pelvises close-cropped hair and webbed feet resting on shore they assumed extremely graceful positions consequently their gentle features their sensitive expressions equal to those of the loveliest women their soft limpid eyes their charming poses led the ancients to glorify them by metamorphosing the males into sea gods and the females into mermaids i drew conciel's attention to the considerable growth of the cerebrile lobes found in these intelligent

no mammal except man has more abundant cerebral matter accordingly seals are quite capable of being educated they make good pets and together with certain other naturalists i think these animals can be properly trained to perform yeoman service as hunting dogs for fishermen most of these seals were sleeping on the rocks or the sand among those properly termed seals which have no external ears unlike sea lions whose ears protrude i observed several varieties of the species stenoirinicus three metres long with white hair bull-dog heads and armed with ten teeth in each jaw four incisors in both the upper and lower plus two big canines shaped like the fleur-de-lis among them slithered some sea elephants a type of seal with a short flexible trunk these are the giants of the species with a circumference of twenty feet and a length of ten meters they didn't move as we approached are these animals dangerous concile asked me only if they're attacked i replied but when these giant seals defend their little ones their fury is dreadful and it isn't rare for them to smash a fisherman's long-boat to bits

they're within their rights concile answered i don't say nay two miles further on we were stopped by a promontory that screened the bay from southerly winds it dropped straight down to the sea and surf formed against it from beyond this ridge there came fearsome billows such as a herd of cattle might produce gracious concile put in a choir of bulls no i said a choir of walruses are they fighting with each other either fighting or playing with all due respect to master this we must see then see it we must concile and there we were climbing those blackish rocks amid sudden landslides and over stones slippery with ice more than once i took a tumble at the expense of my backside concile more conscious or more stable barely faltered and would help me up saying if master's legs would kindly adopt a wider stance master will keep his balance arriving at the topmost ridge of this promontory i could see vast white plains covered with walruses these animals were playing among themselves they were howling not in anger but in glee

walruses resemble seals in the shape of their bodies and the arrangement of their limbs but their lower jaws lack canines and incisors and as for their upper canines they consist of two tusks eighty centimeters long with a circumference of thirty three centimeters at the socket made of solid ivory without styrations harder than elephant tusks and less prone to yellowing these teeth are in great demand accordingly walruses are the victims of a mindless hunting that soon will destroy them all since their hunters indiscriminately slaughter pregnant females and youngsters and over four thousand individuals are destroyed annually passing near these unusual animals i could examine them at my leisure since they didn't stir their hides were rough and heavy a tan color leaning toward a reddish brown their coats were short and less than abundant some were four meters long more tranquil and less fearful than their modern relatives they posted no synatols on guard duty at the approaches to their camp-site after examining this community of walruses i decided to return in my tracks

it was eleven o'clock and if captain nemo found conditions favorable for taking his sights i wanted to be present at the operation but i held no hopes that the sun would make an appearance that day it was hidden from our eyes by clouds squeezed together on the horizon apparently the jealous orb didn't want to reveal this inaccessible spot on the globe to any human being yet i decided to return to the nautilus we went along a steep narrow path that ran over the cliff's summit by eleven thirty we had arrived at our landing-place the beach skiff had brought the captain ashore i stopped him standing on a chunk of balsit his instruments were beside him his eyes were focused on the northern horizon along which the sun was sweeping in its extended arc i found a place near him and waited without speaking noon arrived and just as the day before the sun didn't put in an appearance it was sheer bad luck our noon sights were still lacking if we couldn't obtain them to-morrow we could finally have to give up any hope of fixing our position in essence it was precisely march twentieth to-morrow the twenty first was the day of the equinox the sun would disappear below the horizon for six months not counting refraction and after its disappearance the long polar night would begin following the september equinox the sun had emerged above the northerly horizon

rising in long spirals until december twenty first at that time the summer solstice of these southernmost districts the sun had started back down and to-morrow it would cast its last rays i shared my thoughts and fears with captain nemo you're right professor aranax he told me if i can't take the sun's altitude to-morrow i won't be able to try again for another six months but precisely because sailor's luck has led me into these seas on march twenty first it will be easier to get our bearings if the noon-day sun does appear before our eyes why easy captain because when the orb of day sweeps in such long spirals it's difficult to measure its exact altitude above the horizon and our instruments are open to committing serious errors then what can you do i use only my chronometer captain nemo answered me at noon to-morrow march twenty first if after counting for refraction the sun's disc is cut exactly in half by the northern horizon that will mean i'm at the south pole right i said nevertheless it isn't mathematically exact proof because the equinox needn't fall precisely at noon no doubt sir but the air will be under a hundred metres and that's close enough for us until to-morrow then

captain nemo went back on board concile and i stayed behind until five o'clock surveying the beach observing and studying the only unusual object i picked up was an ox egg of remarkable size for which a collector would have paid more than one thousand francs its cream-colored tint plus the streaks and markings that decorated it like so many hieroglyphics made it a rare trinket i placed it in concile's hand and holding it like a precious porcelain from china that cautious sure-frooted lad got it back to the nautilus in one piece there i put this rare egg inside one of the glass cases in the museum i ate supper feasting with appetite on an excellent piece of seal liver whose flavour reminded me of pork then i went to bed but not without praying like a good hindu for the favours of the radiant orb the next day march twenty first bright and early at five o'clock in the morning i climbed on to the platform i found captain nemo there the weather is clearing a bit he told me i have high hopes after breakfast we'll make our way ashore and choose an observation post this issue settled i went to find ned land i wanted to take him with me the obstinate canadian refused and i could clearly see that his tight-lipped mood and his bad temper were growing by the day

under the circumstances i ultimately wasn't sorry that he refused in truth there were too many seals ashore and it could never do to expose this impulsive fisherman to such temptations breakfast over i made my way ashore the nautilus had gone a few more miles during the night it lay well out a good league from the coast which was crowned by a sharp peak four hundred to five hundred metres high in addition to me the skiff carried captain nemo two crewmen and the instruments in other words a chronometer a spy-glass and a barometer during our crossing i saw numerous baleen whales belonging to the three species unique to these southernmost seas the bowhead whale or right whale according to english which has no dorsal fin the humpback whale from the genus ballantopratera in other words winged whales beasts with wrinkled bellies and huge whitish fins that genus name regardless do not yet form wings and the finback whales yellowish brown the swiftest of all cessations this powerful animal is audible from far away when it sends up towering spouts of air and steam

herds of these different mammals were playing about in the tranquil waters and i could easily see that this antarctic polar basin now served as a refuge for these cestations too relentlessly pursued by hunters i also noted long whitish strips of sulps a type of mollusk found in clusters and some jellyfish of large size that swayed in the eddies of the billows by nine o'clock we had pulled up to the shore the sky was growing brighter clouds were fleeing to the south mists were rising from the cold surface of the water captain nemo headed toward the peak which he no doubt planned to make his observatory it was an arduous climb over sharp lava and pumice stones in the midst of air often reeking with sulphurous fumes from the smoke-holes for a man out of practice at treading land the captain scaled the steepest slopes with a supple agility i could not equal and which would have been envied by hunters of pyrenees mountain goats it took us two hours to reach the summit of this half-crystal half balsut peak from there our eyes scanned a vast sea which scrawled its boundary line firmly against the background of the northern sky

at our feet dazzling tracts of white over our heads a pale azure clear of mist north of us the sun's disc like a ball of fire already cut into by the edge of the horizon from the heart of the waters jets of liquid rising like hundreds of magnificent bouquets far off like a sleeping cessation the nautilus behind us to the south and east an immense shore a chaotic heap of rocks and ice whose limits we couldn't see arriving at the summit of this peak captain nemo carefully determined its elevation by means of his barometer since he had to take this factor into account in his noon sights at eleven forty five the sun by then seen only by refraction looked like a golden disk dispersing its last rays over this deserted continent and down to those seas not yet ploughed by the ships of man captain nemo had brought a spy-glass with a reticular eye-piece which corrected the sun's refraction by means of a mirror and he used it to observe the orb sinking little by little along a very extended diagonal that reached below the horizon i held a chronometer my heart was pounding mightily if the lower half of the sun's disk disappeared just as the chronometer said noon we were right at the pole

noon i called the south pole captain nemo replied in a solemn voice handing me the spy-glass which showed the orb of day cut into two exactly equal parts by the horizon i stared at the last rays wreathing this peak while shadows were gradually climbing its gradients just then reaching his hand on my shoulder captain nemo said to me in sixteen hundred sir the dutchman gertig was swept by storms and currents reaching latitude sixty four degrees south and discovering the south shetland islands on january seventeenth seventeen seventy three the famous captain cook went along the thirty eighth meridian arriving at latitude sixty seven degrees thirty minutes and on january thirtieth seventeen seventy four along the hundred ninth meridian he reached latitude seventy one degrees fifteen minutes in eighteen nineteen the russian bellinghausen lay on the sixty ninth parallel and in eighteen twenty one on the sixty six that longitude one hundred eleven degrees west

in eighteen twenty the englishman bransfield stopped at sixty five degrees that same year the american morell whose reports are dubious went along the forty second meridian finding open sea at latitude seventy degrees fourteen minutes in eighteen twenty five the englishman powell was unable to get beyond sixty two degrees that same year a humble sea fisherman the englishman whedell went as far as latitude seventy two degrees fourteen minutes on the thirty fifth meridian and as far as seventy four degrees fifteen minutes on the thirty sixth in eighteen twenty nine the englishman forster commander of the chanicleer laid claim to the antarctic continent in latitude sixty three degrees twenty six minutes and longitude sixty six degrees twenty six minutes on february first eighteen thirty one the englishman discovered enderby land at latitude sixty eight degrees fifty minutes adelaide land at latitude sixty seven degrees on february fifth eighteen thirty two and graham land at latitude sixty four degrees forty five minutes on february twenty first in eighteen thirty eight the frenchman dumont duvril stopped at the ice bank in latitude sixty two degrees fifty seven minutes sighting the lewis philip peninsula

on january twenty first two years later at a new southerly position of sixty six degrees thirty minutes he named the adadly coast and eight days later the claire coast at sixty four degrees forty minutes in eighteen thirty eight the american wilkes advanced as far as the sixty-ninth parallel on the one hundredth meridian in eighteen thirty nine the englishman balligny discovered the sabrina coast at the edge of the polar circle lastly on january twelfth eighteen forty two with his ships the erebus and the terror the englishman sir james clark ross found victoria land in latitude seventy degrees fifty six minutes and longitude one hundred seventy one degrees seven minutes east on the twenty third of that same month he reached the seventy fourth parallel a position denoting the farthest south contained until then on the twenty seventh he lay at seventy six degrees eight minutes on the twenty eighth at seventy seven degrees thirty two minutes on february second at seventy eight degrees four minutes and late in eighteen forty two he returned to seventy one degrees but couldn't get beyond it well now in eighteen sixty eight on this twenty first day of march i myself captain nemo have reached the south pole at ninety degrees

and i hereby claim this entire part of the globe equal to one-sixth of the known continents in the name of which sovereign captain in my own name sir so saying captain nemo unfurled a black flag bearing a gold n on its quartered bunting then turning toward the orb of day whose last rays were licking at the sun's horizon farewell o sun he called disappear o radiant orb retire beneath this open sea and let six months of night spread their shadows over my new domains chapter thirty eight recording by rick cornwall