CHAPTER THIRTEEN

The Black River

The earth was once covered completely in water, but after some time, the mountaintops began to appear, then islands were seen, which later settled to form the continents of the earth. The shape of the continents allows us to divide the seas into five great bodies of water: the Arctic of the North Pole, the Antarctic of the South Pole, the Indian, the Atlantic, and the Pacific Oceans.

The Pacific Ocean stretches between Asian and America, and is considered to be the quietest of seas, producing a great deal of rain. It was in this ocean that I was introduced to the Nautilus and its mysterious captain.

"Sir," said Captain Nemo, "it is almost noon, we will now go to the surface."

A few minutes later, we were at the surface of the water, I went to the central stairs and walked up to the surface of the ocean. The platform was only three feet out of the water. I noticed that the iron pieces put together to make the covering looked a great deal like the skin of a fish. I now understood why so many ships that had seen the Nautilus, thought it to be a great sea animal. The sea was beautiful. I could see nothing but the ocean, no islands or ships. A great desert of water.

Captain Nemo came to the surface to take observations on our location. I looked at the sea, near the Japanese coast, one last time before returning into the submarine.

"And now, sir, I must attend to the Nautilus and my crew, so I must leave you," said the captain. "We are currently twenty-six fathoms below the surface of the ocean. Here are maps of the oceans of the world. And now, I must go."

For the next hour, I could think of nothing but what captain had told me that morning. I began examining one of the sea maps, showing the various sea rivers of the earth. The sea has large rivers, just as the continents do. These waters are known for their direction, temperature, and color. There are five main sea rivers of the earth: one in the North Atlantic, a second in the South Atlantic, a third in the North Pacific, a fourth in the South Pacific, and a fifth in the Southern Indian Ocean.

On one of the maps, the captain had shown me our location, flowing toward the northeast in one of the many sea rivers, called the Black River. I was examining this map when Conseil and Ned Land walked into the sitting room. They were shocked at what they saw.

"Where are we?" exclaimed the Canadian. "In a museum in Canada?"

"No, my friends," I answered, "you are not in Canada, but rather on the Nautilus 150 feet below the surface of the water."

"But Professor Aronnax," said Ned Land, "can you tell me how many men are onboard? Ten, twenty, fifty, a hundred?"

"I do not know, Mr Land, but we should not attempt to escape right now, as we know very little about the Nautilus and its crew and captain. This submarine is an incredible invention, and we should explore this wonder while we have such an opportunity."

"See!" exclaimed the Canadian, "but we can see nothing in this iron prison!"

Just after Ned Land spoke these words, the room became dark. We then heard the sound of doors sliding, and were astonished to see the sea on each side of us, lit up by the electricity from the Nautilus. We could see for nearly a mile ahead. I cannot describe the beauty I saw through that glass. The three of us stood in silence, unable to take our eyes away from the sights of the sea.

For the next two hours, we watched as the Nautilus was followed by a number of sea creatures, all attracted to the submarine by its powerful electric light. Suddenly, however, there was light again in the sitting room, and the iron doors closed, and we could no longer watch the sea animals pass by. I expected Captain Nemo to return, but he did not. It was now five o'clock.

Ned Land and Conseil returned to their room, and I soon returned to mine. My dinner was ready.

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