CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE

The Sea Kingdom

The next day, I was surprised to wake up in my own room. I quickly dressed and went to the platform. Conseil and Ned were waiting for me there. They, too, were surprised to wake up in their room, and we soon realized that Captain Nemo had put something in our food so we would know nothing about what had happened the day before. The Nautilus was quieter than usual that morning, which was quite mysterious. Captain Nemo did not appear.

At two o'clock in the afternoon, I was in the sitting room writing when the captain came in, looking quite nervous. I looked at him; he seemed rather tired, as if he had not slept the night before. He walked around the room quickly, then sat down, picked up a book, then put it down. He seemed quite uneasy. After a long silence, he spoke to me.

"Are you a doctor, Professor Aronnax?"

I was quite surprised to hear such a question.

"Are you a doctor?" he repeated.

"Well," I said, "I was a doctor for several years before entering the museum."

"Very well, will you please examine one of my men? He has become ill."

I knew there was a connection between this illness and the events of the day before, and I was rather interested in the mystery. I followed the captain to the back of the submarine. We walked past a room filled with several beds, and I realized the room was the crew's living space. I was then taken to a room nearby where a man about forty years old lay dying on a bed. He was not only ill, but was wounded; his head was covered in bandages and blood. It was a terrible wound; part of his brain was exposed after being struck with a strong weapon.

"What caused this wound?" I asked.

"A shock to the submarine broke one of the engines, which struck his head, but tell me your opinion on his wound," the captain said nervously.

I was silent for a moment.

"You may speak," said the captain. "This man does not understand French."

"He will be dead in two hours."

"Nothing can save him?"

"Nothing."

I saw tears fill the captain's eyes and a look of great pain on his face.

"You can go now, Professor Aronnax," the captain said after a few moments of silence.

The rest of the day, I could think of nothing but that man with the mysterious wound. The next morning, I met Captain Nemo on the platform. As soon as he saw me, he walked over.

"Professor, I would like to invite you on a walk through the sea."

"With my companions?" I asked.

"If they would like to come."

At eight o'clock in the morning, we went for our second sea adventure. After walking for two hours, we stopped, but there were no sea trees or plants around us. I turned around to see Captain Nemo's men behind us. Ned Land and Conseil were near me. We watched as the men began digging a large hole in the ocean floor. I understood all! This was a burial ground under the sea for the crew of the Nautilus. Soon enough, the wounded man's body was carefully placed in the hole, and his comrades knelt down to pray for their companion. We then returned to the submarine.

After we arrived, I went to the platform; Captain Nemo was soon there, as well.

"So, this man died during the night?" I asked him.

"We will not forget him," he said, beginning to cry. "Our peaceful burial ground is there, over one hundred feet below the surface of the water."

"Your dead comrades sleep quietly, Captain, safe from sharks."

"Yes, sir, safe from sharks and men," the captain said sadly.

(end of section)