CHAPTER SIXTEEN

Want of Air

Therefore, around the Nautilus in every direction was a wall of thick ice. We were prisoners of the iceberg. I watched the captain, who still remained calm.

"Gentlemen," he said quietly, "there are two ways of dying in this situation. The first is to be crushed, and the second is to die without air. Our air supplies will only last for the next two days. Therefore, we have forty-eight hours to attempt an escape from this ice."

The captain then explained that his men would begin attacking the iceberg with axes on the thinnest side. Ned Land then offered his help, and he was soon dressed in a diving suit and helmet, ready to enter the icy waters. Captain Nemo entered the water, as well, to create an opening for the submarine. I went to the sitting room to watch them work, anxious as each moment passed. Before beginning, they used an instrument to discover which of the walls was the thinnest. They discovered that the side walls were nearly forty-five feet thick, while the ceiling was the iceberg itself. The bottom wall, however, was just thirty feet thick, and so decided to dig through this wall. They began immediately and worked for the next two hours before returning. The next crew went out to work; Conseil and I joined them.

When I returned to the Nautilus, I realized there was quite a difference in air between the inside of the submarine and the air I received from the tank I carried as I worked removing the wall of ice. I then discovered that the poisonous gas was filling the air of the Nautilus, as we breathed out. We had not had new air in forty-eight hours.

After working for twelve hours, we had only removed three feet of the wall. To finish this work, we would need five nights and four days to complete the digging, but we only had enough air for two days! And perhaps we would still be buried under another iceberg, after being freed from this one. Our situation was terrible, but each man was determined to do his duty until his death.

During the night, another block of ice was removed, taking away another three-foot thick square. The next morning, however, I noticed that the edges were again freezing, making the hole much smaller. Captain Nemo had noticed this problem, as well, but there was no way to stop the freezing. During the day, I worked a great deal, as I was greatly relieved to be allowed to leave the terrible air of the Nautilus. While working, I was able to breathe the pure air, therefore improving my health until I would again be forced to return to the Nautilus.

The next day, March 26th, I continued my work. The side walls and the lower surface were looking thicker.

"Professor Aronnax, we must attempt something else, or we shall all soon die," the captain said to me that day.

"Yes, but what can we do?" I asked.

After a few moments of silence, he exclaimed, "Boiling water! Yes, if we use the water boilers inside to raise the temperature on the wall, we will be able to remove the ice faster."

"Let us try it," I told him.

We then used the machines that were used to make drinking water from seawater to warm the wall of ice outside the Nautilus. Late that night, the water was raised to one degree centigrade, therefore allowing the sheet of ice to melt somewhat.

The next day, March 27th, we removed eighteen feet of ice, only twelve feet left. The remaining work should take nearly forty-eight hours, though we only had a bit of air left. I could not breathe or move, as the air had become quite poisonous. My brave Conseil, though, showed great courage during this time. We continued to work, and breathed in the pure air as we did.

The next day we worked with great energy, leaving six feet left to remove. But the air inside the submarine was nearly empty. I felt great pain in my head and chest. My companions felt the same. On that day, our sixth after being imprisoned by the ice, the captain decided he would attempt to crash through the remaining ice to escape to the surface.

We waited and listened for the Nautilus to move. Suddenly, the submarine moved towards the last bit of ice, which cracked, and the Nautilus sank. Then, after a few moments, we were sailing towards the surface quickly, going full speed. Meanwhile, I was in the sitting room, hardly able to breathe. I soon was breathing pure air; I then looked over to see Ned and Conseil, my two brave friends, allowing me the last of the air from the tanks. I looked at the clock; it was eleven in the morning. It was the 28th of March. Where was Captain Nemo? Were he and his companions dead? Then, I felt the Nautilus burst through another sheet of ice. The door to the platform was ripped open and we were breathing fresh air.

(end of section)