CHAPTER NINETEEN

Torres Straits

During the nights of the 27th and 28th of December, the Nautilus left the island of Vanikoro with great speed, and in three days, we had gone over 750 leagues to the southwest.

Early on the 1st of January 1868, Conseil came up to the platform to wish me a happy new year.

"What! Well, thank you, but I do not know if this is, indeed, a happy new year. Do you mean this year will be the end of our time as prisoners, or the year during which we continue on this strange voyage?" I asked my faithful servant.

"I do not know, master. We will certainly see curious things. For the past two months, we have had no time to rest, always being surprised by the new discoveries," Conseil replied.

On the 2nd of January, we had gone 11,340 miles from our starting point. We were now near a dangerous sea passage, quite narrow with many rocky areas, shallow water, and small islands, creating many difficulties for ships passing through. This passage, called the Tones Straits, is almost impossible for ships to pass through, therefore, the Nautilus moved through the narrow waterway quite slowly. The Nautilus was now sailing on the surface of the water, allowing us to observe the sea from the platform. The sea around the submarine was rough, often crashing onto the hidden rocks and small islands through the waterway.

"This is a bad sea!" exclaimed Ned Land, as we watched the sea with great fear. "The captain must be confident in his path through these dangerous waters; if the submarine touches one of those rocks only slightly, we all might be destroyed."

The situation was dangerous, but the submarine seemed to slide through the water easily. Later that day, I felt a great shock as the Nautilus stopped after becoming stuck on a rock. I immediately went to the platform; Captain Nemo was there with some of his crew, examining the problem.

"Has there been an accident?" I asked the captain.

"Yes, there has been an incident," he responded. "We will sail again. Our journey has just begun in these seas. Although the waters of the Pacific Ocean are calm, the strength of the water flows change quickly, and in a few days, we will again sail."

I was quite surprised at the captain's great confidence, but I could not argue with the man. Soon enough, the captain allowed Conseil, Ned Land and I to go for a hunting expedition on a nearby island, while the Nautilus was unable to sail. Ned Land was the most eager, hoping for an opportunity to escape. I, however, worried that exploring a mysterious island, with natives we knew nothing about, may be more dangerous than returning to the Nautilus.

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