CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

An Underwater Tomb

The way the captain had described the ship, first coldly, but then with great emotion, was curious to me. He had spoken the word, Avenger, with great pride and passion. Perhaps I was never to know this man's former life, but I did know this troubled captain had a terrible hatred for something that would never end.

The Nautilus then rose to the surface, just before I heard a loud sound. I looked at the captain, but he did not move. I went to the platform. Conseil and Ned were already there.

"That sound was a gunshot," said Ned.

I then saw a great ship coming towards the Nautilus.

"That is a warship coming towards us, but I do not know what nation it comes from," Ned explained.

If Captain Nemo allowed that ship to come near him, there was a chance we could be rescued.

"If that ship travels within a mile of us, I am throwing myself in the sea, and I will tell you that you should do the same," the Canadian declared.

Just a few minutes after, we heard more gun shots as the ship began attacking us. "But," I exclaimed, "surely they can see there are men standing here!"

"Perhaps that is the reason they are firing," replied Ned. "They must know the stories from the Abraham Lincoln, when I struck it with a spear. They must be again searching for this Nautilus, more dangerous than a giant sea monster."

The ship continued to shoot, but Captain Nemo did nothing. Ned then attempted to signal the ship to tell them we were not enemies, but the ship continued to shoot.

"Fool!" exclaimed Captain Nemo. "You will soon be hit with their weapons."

Captain Nemo looked terrible when he came to the platform. His face was deadly pale and he did not speak, but rather screamed, throwing his arms at the Canadian.

The captain then forced us to return to the inside of the Nautilus.

"Go down, you and your companions, go down!"

"Sir," I exclaimed, "are you going to attack that ship?"

"Sir, I am going to sink that ship. The attack has begun, so go down now," the captain said coldly.

We had to obey. About fifteen sailors surrounded the captain, looking with hatred toward the attacking ship. I heard the captain declare that he would not sink the ship in the waters where the Avenger lay. He then circled the ship several times, then led it out to sea.

Night arrived. The Nautilus was silent. I decided I should leave when the ship comes close enough; perhaps we would be able to warn its passengers about the terrible enemy waiting nearby.

On the 2nd of June at five o'clock in the morning, the ship began following the Nautilus, but the submarine slowed down, and I knew it would soon attack.

Ned was determined, Conseil was calm, I was nervous. The Nautilus went under the waters, and I knew it would attack the ship at the bottom, which would force the ship to sink rapidly, killing most onboard the ship. I immediately ran to the sitting room. The captain was there. He was looking sadly through the windows.

I then watched as the ship sank with all its passengers. I saw people's lives end in those waters, as they drowned, sinking to the bottom with their ship.

I turned to Captain Nemo, the terrible avenger, and full of hatred. He was still watching through the glass. When the ship was at the bottom of the sea, I continued to watch him.

On the wall with the other paintings was one of a young woman and two little children. Captain Nemo looked at them for a few moments, put his arms up towards them, and began to cry.

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