A Pearl Of Ten Millions

: PART TWO

The next morning at four o'clock I was awakened by the steward whom

Captain Nemo had placed at my service. I rose hurriedly, dressed, and

went into the saloon.



Captain Nemo was awaiting me.



"M. Aronnax," said he, "are you ready to start?"



"I am ready."



"Then please to follow me."



"And my companions, Captain?"



They have been told and are waiting."



"Are we not to put on our diver's dresses?" asked I.



"Not yet. I have not allowed the Nautilus to come too near this coast,

and we are some distance from the Manaar Bank; but the boat is ready,

and will take us to the exact point of disembarking, which will save us

a long way. It carries our diving apparatus, which we will put on when

we begin our submarine journey."



Captain Nemo conducted me to the central staircase, which led on the

platform. Ned and Conseil were already there, delighted at the idea of

the "pleasure party" which was preparing. Five sailors from the

Nautilus, with their oars, waited in the boat, which had been made fast

against the side.



The night was still dark. Layers of clouds covered the sky, allowing

but few stars to be seen. I looked on the side where the land lay, and

saw nothing but a dark line enclosing three parts of the horizon, from

south-west to north west. The Nautilus, having returned during the

night up the western coast of Ceylon, was now west of the bay, or

rather gulf, formed by the mainland and the Island of Manaar. There,

under the dark waters, stretched the pintadine bank, an inexhaustible

field of pearls, the length of which is more than twenty miles.



Captain Nemo, Ned Land, Conseil, and I took our places in the stern of

the boat. The master went to the tiller; his four companions leaned on

their oars, the painter was cast off, and we sheered off.



The boat went towards the south; the oarsmen did not hurry. I noticed

that their strokes, strong in the water, only followed each other every

ten seconds, according to the method generally adopted in the navy.

Whilst the craft was running by its own velocity, the liquid drops

struck the dark depths of the waves crisply like spats of melted lead.

A little billow, spreading wide, gave a slight roll to the boat, and

some samphire reeds flapped before it.



We were silent. What was Captain Nemo thinking of? Perhaps of the

land he was approaching, and which he found too near to him, contrary

to the Canadian's opinion, who thought it too far off. As to Conseil,

he was merely there from curiosity.



About half-past five the first tints on the horizon showed the upper

line of coast more distinctly. Flat enough in the east, it rose a

little to the south. Five miles still lay between us, and it was

indistinct owing to the mist on the water. At six o'clock it became

suddenly daylight, with that rapidity peculiar to tropical regions,

which know neither dawn nor twilight. The solar rays pierced the

curtain of clouds, piled up on the eastern horizon, and the radiant orb

rose rapidly. I saw land distinctly, with a few trees scattered here

and there. The boat neared Manaar Island, which was rounded to the

south. Captain Nemo rose from his seat and watched the sea.



At a sign from him the anchor was dropped, but the chain scarcely ran,

for it was little more than a yard deep, and this spot was one of the

highest points of the bank of pintadines.



"Here we are, M. Aronnax," said Captain Nemo. "You see that enclosed

bay? Here, in a month will be assembled the numerous fishing boats of

the exporters, and these are the waters their divers will ransack so

boldly. Happily, this bay is well situated for that kind of fishing.

It is sheltered from the strongest winds; the sea is never very rough

here, which makes it favourable for the diver's work. We will now put

on our dresses, and begin our walk."



I did not answer, and, while watching the suspected waves, began with

the help of the sailors to put on my heavy sea-dress. Captain Nemo and

my companions were also dressing. None of the Nautilus men were to

accompany us on this new excursion.



Soon we were enveloped to the throat in india-rubber clothing; the air

apparatus fixed to our backs by braces. As to the Ruhmkorff apparatus,

there was no necessity for it. Before putting my head into the copper

cap, I had asked the question of the Captain.



"They would be useless," he replied. "We are going to no great depth,

and the solar rays will be enough to light our walk. Besides, it would

not be prudent to carry the electric light in these waters; its

brilliancy might attract some of the dangerous inhabitants of the coast

most inopportunely."



As Captain Nemo pronounced these words, I turned to Conseil and Ned

Land. But my two friends had already encased their heads in the metal

cap, and they could neither hear nor answer.



One last question remained to ask of Captain Nemo.



"And our arms?" asked I; "our guns?"



"Guns! What for? Do not mountaineers attack the bear with a dagger in

their hand, and is not steel surer than lead? Here is a strong blade;

put it in your belt, and we start."



I looked at my companions; they were armed like us, and, more than

that, Ned Land was brandishing an enormous harpoon, which he had placed

in the boat before leaving the Nautilus.



Then, following the Captain's example, I allowed myself to be dressed

in the heavy copper helmet, and our reservoirs of air were at once in

activity. An instant after we were landed, one after the other, in

about two yards of water upon an even sand. Captain Nemo made a sign

with his hand, and we followed him by a gentle declivity till we

disappeared under the waves.



Over our feet, like coveys of snipe in a bog, rose shoals of fish, of

the genus monoptera, which have no other fins but their tail. I

recognized the Javanese, a real serpent two and a half feet long, of a

livid colour underneath, and which might easily be mistaken for a

conger eel if it were not for the golden stripes on its side. In the

genus stromateus, whose bodies are very flat and oval, I saw some of

the most brilliant colours, carrying their dorsal fin like a scythe; an

excellent eating fish, which, dried and pickled, is known by the name

of Karawade; then some tranquebars, belonging to the genus

apsiphoroides, whose body is covered with a shell cuirass of eight

longitudinal plates.



The heightening sun lit the mass of waters more and more. The soil

changed by degrees. To the fine sand succeeded a perfect causeway of

boulders, covered with a carpet of molluscs and zoophytes. Amongst the

specimens of these branches I noticed some placenae, with thin unequal

shells, a kind of ostracion peculiar to the Red Sea and the Indian

Ocean; some orange lucinae with rounded shells; rockfish three feet and

a half long, which raised themselves under the waves like hands ready

to seize one. There were also some panopyres, slightly luminous; and

lastly, some oculines, like magnificent fans, forming one of the

richest vegetations of these seas.



In the midst of these living plants, and under the arbours of the

hydrophytes, were layers of clumsy articulates, particularly some

raninae, whose carapace formed a slightly rounded triangle; and some

horrible looking parthenopes.



At about seven o'clock we found ourselves at last surveying the

oyster-banks on which the pearl-oysters are reproduced by millions.



Captain Nemo pointed with his hand to the enormous heap of oysters; and

I could well understand that this mine was inexhaustible, for Nature's

creative power is far beyond man's instinct of destruction. Ned Land,

faithful to his instinct, hastened to fill a net which he carried by

his side with some of the finest specimens. But we could not stop. We

must follow the Captain, who seemed to guide him self by paths known

only to himself. The ground was sensibly rising, and sometimes, on

holding up my arm, it was above the surface of the sea. Then the level

of the bank would sink capriciously. Often we rounded high rocks

scarped into pyramids. In their dark fractures huge crustacea, perched

upon their high claws like some war-machine, watched us with fixed

eyes, and under our feet crawled various kinds of annelides.



At this moment there opened before us a large grotto dug in a

picturesque heap of rocks and carpeted with all the thick warp of the

submarine flora. At first it seemed very dark to me. The solar rays

seemed to be extinguished by successive gradations, until its vague

transparency became nothing more than drowned light. Captain Nemo

entered; we followed. My eyes soon accustomed themselves to this

relative state of darkness. I could distinguish the arches springing

capriciously from natural pillars, standing broad upon their granite

base, like the heavy columns of Tuscan architecture. Why had our

incomprehensible guide led us to the bottom of this submarine crypt? I

was soon to know. After descending a rather sharp declivity, our feet

trod the bottom of a kind of circular pit. There Captain Nemo stopped,

and with his hand indicated an object I had not yet perceived. It was

an oyster of extraordinary dimensions, a gigantic tridacne, a goblet

which could have contained a whole lake of holy-water, a basin the

breadth of which was more than two yards and a half, and consequently

larger than that ornamenting the saloon of the Nautilus. I approached

this extraordinary mollusc. It adhered by its filaments to a table of

granite, and there, isolated, it developed itself in the calm waters of

the grotto. I estimated the weight of this tridacne at 600 lb. Such

an oyster would contain 30 lb. of meat; and one must have the stomach

of a Gargantua to demolish some dozens of them.



Captain Nemo was evidently acquainted with the existence of this

bivalve, and seemed to have a particular motive in verifying the actual

state of this tridacne. The shells were a little open; the Captain

came near and put his dagger between to prevent them from closing; then

with his hand he raised the membrane with its fringed edges, which

formed a cloak for the creature. There, between the folded plaits, I

saw a loose pearl, whose size equalled that of a coco-nut. Its globular

shape, perfect clearness, and admirable lustre made it altogether a

jewel of inestimable value. Carried away by my curiosity, I stretched

out my hand to seize it, weigh it, and touch it; but the Captain

stopped me, made a sign of refusal, and quickly withdrew his dagger,

and the two shells closed suddenly. I then understood Captain Nemo's

intention. In leaving this pearl hidden in the mantle of the tridacne

he was allowing it to grow slowly. Each year the secretions of the

mollusc would add new concentric circles. I estimated its value at

L500,000 at least.



After ten minutes Captain Nemo stopped suddenly. I thought he had

halted previously to returning. No; by a gesture he bade us crouch

beside him in a deep fracture of the rock, his hand pointed to one part

of the liquid mass, which I watched attentively.



About five yards from me a shadow appeared, and sank to the ground.

The disquieting idea of sharks shot through my mind, but I was

mistaken; and once again it was not a monster of the ocean that we had

anything to do with.



It was a man, a living man, an Indian, a fisherman, a poor devil who, I

suppose, had come to glean before the harvest. I could see the bottom

of his canoe anchored some feet above his head. He dived and went up

successively. A stone held between his feet, cut in the shape of a

sugar loaf, whilst a rope fastened him to his boat, helped him to

descend more rapidly. This was all his apparatus. Reaching the

bottom, about five yards deep, he went on his knees and filled his bag

with oysters picked up at random. Then he went up, emptied it, pulled

up his stone, and began the operation once more, which lasted thirty

seconds.



The diver did not see us. The shadow of the rock hid us from sight.

And how should this poor Indian ever dream that men, beings like

himself, should be there under the water watching his movements and

losing no detail of the fishing? Several times he went up in this way,

and dived again. He did not carry away more than ten at each plunge,

for he was obliged to pull them from the bank to which they adhered by

means of their strong byssus. And how many of those oysters for which

he risked his life had no pearl in them! I watched him closely; his

manoeuvres were regular; and for the space of half an hour no danger

appeared to threaten him.



I was beginning to accustom myself to the sight of this interesting

fishing, when suddenly, as the Indian was on the ground, I saw him make

a gesture of terror, rise, and make a spring to return to the surface

of the sea.



I understood his dread. A gigantic shadow appeared just above the

unfortunate diver. It was a shark of enormous size advancing

diagonally, his eyes on fire, and his jaws open. I was mute with

horror and unable to move.



The voracious creature shot towards the Indian, who threw himself on

one side to avoid the shark's fins; but not its tail, for it struck his

chest and stretched him on the ground.



This scene lasted but a few seconds: the shark returned, and, turning

on his back, prepared himself for cutting the Indian in two, when I saw

Captain Nemo rise suddenly, and then, dagger in hand, walk straight to

the monster, ready to fight face to face with him. The very moment the

shark was going to snap the unhappy fisherman in two, he perceived his

new adversary, and, turning over, made straight towards him.



I can still see Captain Nemo's position. Holding himself well

together, he waited for the shark with admirable coolness; and, when it

rushed at him, threw himself on one side with wonderful quickness,

avoiding the shock, and burying his dagger deep into its side. But it

was not all over. A terrible combat ensued.



The shark had seemed to roar, if I might say so. The blood rushed in

torrents from its wound. The sea was dyed red, and through the opaque

liquid I could distinguish nothing more. Nothing more until the moment

when, like lightning, I saw the undaunted Captain hanging on to one of

the creature's fins, struggling, as it were, hand to hand with the

monster, and dealing successive blows at his enemy, yet still unable to

give a decisive one.



The shark's struggles agitated the water with such fury that the

rocking threatened to upset me.



I wanted to go to the Captain's assistance, but, nailed to the spot

with horror, I could not stir.



I saw the haggard eye; I saw the different phases of the fight. The

Captain fell to the earth, upset by the enormous mass which leant upon

him. The shark's jaws opened wide, like a pair of factory shears, and

it would have been all over with the Captain; but, quick as thought,

harpoon in hand, Ned Land rushed towards the shark and struck it with

its sharp point.



The waves were impregnated with a mass of blood. They rocked under the

shark's movements, which beat them with indescribable fury. Ned Land

had not missed his aim. It was the monster's death-rattle. Struck to

the heart, it struggled in dreadful convulsions, the shock of which

overthrew Conseil.



But Ned Land had disentangled the Captain, who, getting up without any

wound, went straight to the Indian, quickly cut the cord which held him

to his stone, took him in his arms, and, with a sharp blow of his heel,

mounted to the surface.



We all three followed in a few seconds, saved by a miracle, and reached

the fisherman's boat.



Captain Nemo's first care was to recall the unfortunate man to life

again. I did not think he could succeed. I hoped so, for the poor

creature's immersion was not long; but the blow from the shark's tail

might have been his death-blow.



Happily, with the Captain's and Conseil's sharp friction, I saw

consciousness return by degrees. He opened his eyes. What was his

surprise, his terror even, at seeing four great copper heads leaning

over him! And, above all, what must he have thought when Captain Nemo,

drawing from the pocket of his dress a bag of pearls, placed it in his

hand! This munificent charity from the man of the waters to the poor

Cingalese was accepted with a trembling hand. His wondering eyes

showed that he knew not to what super-human beings he owed both fortune

and life.



At a sign from the Captain we regained the bank, and, following the

road already traversed, came in about half an hour to the anchor which

held the canoe of the Nautilus to the earth.



Once on board, we each, with the help of the sailors, got rid of the

heavy copper helmet.



Captain Nemo's first word was to the Canadian.



"Thank you, Master Land," said he.



"It was in revenge, Captain," replied Ned Land. "I owed you that."



A ghastly smile passed across the Captain's lips, and that was all.



"To the Nautilus," said he.



The boat flew over the waves. Some minutes after we met the shark's

dead body floating. By the black marking of the extremity of its fins,

I recognised the terrible melanopteron of the Indian Seas, of the

species of shark so properly called. It was more than twenty-five feet

long; its enormous mouth occupied one-third of its body. It was an

adult, as was known by its six rows of teeth placed in an isosceles

triangle in the upper jaw.



Whilst I was contemplating this inert mass, a dozen of these voracious

beasts appeared round the boat; and, without noticing us, threw

themselves upon the dead body and fought with one another for the

pieces.



At half-past eight we were again on board the Nautilus. There I

reflected on the incidents which had taken place in our excursion to

the Manaar Bank.



Two conclusions I must inevitably draw from it--one bearing upon the

unparalleled courage of Captain Nemo, the other upon his devotion to a

human being, a representative of that race from which he fled beneath

the sea. Whatever he might say, this strange man had not yet succeeded

in entirely crushing his heart.



When I made this observation to him, he answered in a slightly moved

tone:



"That Indian, sir, is an inhabitant of an oppressed country; and I am

still, and shall be, to my last breath, one of them!"



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