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Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea
Chapter 26. A PEARL OF TEN MILLIONS
The next morning at four o'clock I was awakened by the steward whom Captain Nemo had placed at my service.
I rose quickly, dressed, and went into the saloon.
Captain Nemo was waiting for me at the far end of the saloon, calm.
"M. Aronnax," he said, "are you ready to start?"
"I'm ready."
"Then please follow me."
"And my companions, Captain?"
"They've been told and are waiting."
"Are we not going to put on our diver's dresses?" I asked.
"Not yet," Captain Nemo said.
"I haven't allowed the Nautilus to come too near this coast, and we're some distance from the Manaar Bank," he added.
"But the boat is ready and will take us to the exact landing point, carrying our diving equipment to put on when we begin the underwater journey".
Captain Nemo led me to the central staircase, which went up to the platform.
Ned and Conseil were already there, delighted at the idea of the "pleasure trip" that was being prepared.
Five sailors from the Nautilus, with their oars, waited in the boat, which had been tied against the side.
The night was still dark, Layers of clouds covered the sky, letting only a few stars be seen.
I looked toward the land and saw nothing but a dark line enclosing three parts of the horizon, from south-west to north-west.
The Nautilus had returned during the night up the western coast of Ceylon.
It 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 pearl bank, an endless field of pearls, more than twenty miles long.
Captain Nemo, Ned Land, Conseil, and I took our places in the back of the boat.
The master went to the tiller, his four companions leaned on their oars.
The rope was released, and we moved away.
The boat went toward the south, the oarsmen didn't hurry.
I noticed that their strokes, strong in the water, only followed each other every ten seconds, according to the method used in the navy.
While the boat moved by its own speed, the drops of water struck the dark waves sharply like splashes of melted lead.
A small wave, spreading wide, gave a slight roll to the boat, and some seaweed flapped before it.
We were silent, What was Captain Nemo thinking of?
Perhaps of the land he was approaching, which he found too near to him, opposite to the Canadian's opinion, who thought it too far off.
As for Conseil, he was just there out of curiosity.
About half past five, the first colors on the horizon showed the upper line of coast more clearly.
It was flat enough in the east, but rose a little to the south.
Five miles still lay between us, and it was unclear because of the mist on the water.
At six o'clock it suddenly became daylight, with that speed typical of tropical regions, which know neither dawn nor twilight.
The sun's rays pierced the curtain of clouds piled up on the eastern horizon, and the bright sun rose quickly.
I saw land clearly, with a few trees scattered here and there.
The boat neared Manaar Island, which curved around 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 barely ran, because it was little more than a yard deep.
This spot was one of the highest points of the pearl bank.
"Here we're, M. Aronnax," said Captain Nemo.
"Do you see that enclosed bay?"
"Here, in a month, the many fishing boats of the exporters will gather, and these are the waters their divers will search so bravely."
"Luckily, this bay is well placed for that kind of fishing."
"It's sheltered from the strongest winds."
"The sea is never very rough here, which makes it good for the diver's work."
"We'll now put on our dresses and begin our walk."
I didn't answer, and while watching the suspicious waves, I 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 come with us on this new trip.
Soon we were covered up to our necks in rubber clothing.
The air equipment was fixed to our backs with straps.
As for the Ruhmkorff lamps, there was no need for them.
Before putting my head into the copper helmet, I had asked the Captain about it.
"They'd be useless," he replied.
"We're not going to any great depth, and the sun's rays will be enough to light our walk."
"Besides, it wouldn't be wise to carry the electric light in these waters."
"Its brightness might attract some of the dangerous creatures of the coast at the worst possible time."
As Captain Nemo said these words, I turned to Conseil and Ned Land.
But my two friends had already put on their metal helmets, and they could neither hear nor answer.
One last question remained to ask Captain Nemo.
"And our weapons?" I asked.
"Our guns?"
Guns? Don't mountain men attack bears with a knife? Isn't steel more reliable than lead? Take this blade, put it in your belt, we'll start.
I looked at my companions, seeing their faces pale and stunned.
They were armed like us, moreover Ned Land waved an enormous harpoon he had placed in the boat before leaving the Nautilus.
Then, following the Captain's example, I let myself be dressed in the heavy copper helmet, and our air tanks were immediately turned on.
An instant later, we landed one after the other in about two yards of water on a flat sand.
Captain Nemo made a sign with his hand, and we followed him down a gentle slope until we disappeared under the waves.
Over our feet, like groups of birds in a swamp, rose shoals of fish of the genus monoptera, which have no other fins but their tail.
I recognized the Javanese, it was a real snake, two and a half feet long, with a pale color underneath.
If not for the golden stripes on its side, it could easily be mistaken for a conger eel.
In the genus stromateus, whose bodies are very flat and oval, I saw some of the most brilliant colors, carrying their back fin like a scythe.
They're excellent eating fish, which, dried and pickled, are known by the name Karawade.
Then there were some tranquebars, belonging to the genus apsiphoroides, whose body is covered with a shell armor of eight long plates.
The rising sun lit the mass of water more and more.
The ground changed slowly, the fine sand was replaced by a perfect path of boulders, covered with a carpet of molluscs and zoophytes.
Among them I noticed placenae with thin uneven shells, a kind of ostracion found only in the Red Sea and Indian Ocean.
There were orange lucinae and rockfish three and a half feet long that rose under the waves like hands ready to grab.
There were also some panopyres, slightly glowing, and finally some oculines, like beautiful fans, forming one of the richest plant life of these seas.
In the middle of these living plants and under the shelter of the water plants were layers of clumsy crustaceans.
There were particularly some raninae, whose shell formed a slightly rounded triangle, and some horrible-looking parthenopes.
At about seven o'clock, we finally found ourselves looking at the oyster beds where pearl oysters are produced by the millions.
Captain Nemo pointed with his hand to the enormous pile of oysters.
And I could well understand that this mine was endless, because Nature's creative power is far beyond man's instinct to destroy.
Ned Land, true to his instinct, quickly filled a net that he carried by his side with some of the finest examples.
But we couldn't stop, we had to follow the Captain, who seemed to guide himself by paths known only to him.
The ground was clearly rising, and sometimes, when I held up my arm, it was above the surface of the sea.
Then the level of the bank would drop unpredictably.
Often we went around high rocks shaped like pyramids.
In their dark cracks huge crustaceans, on high claws like war machines, watched us with fixed eyes, and worms crawled underfoot.
At this moment, a large cave opened before us, dug into a beautiful pile of rocks and covered with all the thick growth of underwater plants.
At first it seemed very dark to me.
The sun's rays seemed to fade by degrees, until their weak light became nothing more than drowned light.
Captain Nemo entered, we followed, My eyes soon got used to this relative darkness.
I could see the arches rising unevenly from natural pillars, standing wide on their granite base, like the heavy columns of Tuscan architecture.
Why had our mysterious guide led us to the bottom of this underwater cave?
I'd soon find out, After going down a rather steep slope, our feet touched the bottom of a kind of round pit.
There Captain Nemo stopped, and with his hand pointed to an object I hadn't yet seen.
It was an oyster of extraordinary size, a giant tridacne.
It was a cup that could have held a whole lake of holy water.
This basin was more than two and a half yards wide.
It was therefore larger than the one in the Nautilus saloon, I approached this extraordinary mollusc.
It stuck by its threads to a table of granite, and there, alone, it grew in the calm waters of the cave.
I estimated the weight of this tridacne at 600 pounds.
Such an oyster would contain 30 pounds of meat, and one would need the stomach of a giant to eat several dozen of them.
Captain Nemo clearly knew about the existence of this bivalve, and seemed to have a special reason for checking the current state of this tridacne.
The shells were slightly open, the Captain came near and put his dagger between them to stop them from closing.
Then with his hand he lifted the membrane with its fringed edges, which formed a cloak for the creature.
There, between the folded layers, I saw a loose pearl, whose size equaled that of a coconut.
Its round shape, perfect clarity, and wonderful shine made it a jewel of priceless value.
Carried away by curiosity, I reached out my hand to grab it, weigh it, and touch it.
But the Captain stopped me, made a sign of refusal, and quickly pulled out his dagger.
The two shells closed suddenly, I then understood Captain Nemo's intention.
By leaving this pearl hidden in the mantle of the tridacne, he was letting it grow slowly.
Each year, the secretions of the mollusc would add new circular layers.
I estimated its value at least 500,000 pounds.
After ten minutes, Captain Nemo stopped suddenly.
I thought he had stopped to turn back.
No, With a gesture, he told us to crouch beside him in a deep crack in the rock.
His hand pointed to one part of the watery mass, which I watched carefully.
About five yards from me, a shadow appeared and sank to the ground.
The worrying thought of sharks shot through my mind, but I was mistaken.
Once again, it wasn't a monster of the ocean that we had to deal with.
It was a man, a living man, an Indian, a fisherman, a poor soul who, I suppose, had come to collect before the harvest.
I could see the bottom of his canoe anchored a few feet above his head.
He dived and came up again and again.
A stone held between his feet, shaped like a sugar-loaf, and a rope to his boat helped him sink faster.
This small stone and rope were all the simple equipment he used for diving.
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 again, which lasted thirty seconds.
The diver didn't see us, the shadow of the rock hid us from his sight.
How could this poor Indian imagine that men like himself would be underwater watching his movements and noting every detail of his fishing?
Several times he went up like this and dived again.
He didn't take away more than ten oysters each time, because he had to pull them from the bank, where they stuck with their strong threads.
And how many of those oysters, for which he risked his life, had no pearl in them!
I watched him closely, his movements were regular, and for half an hour, no danger seemed to threaten him.
I was beginning to get used to the sight of this interesting fishing.
Suddenly, as the Indian was on the ground, I saw him make a gesture of terror.
He rose and jumped to return to the surface of the sea.
I understood his fear, a giant shadow appeared just above the unlucky diver.
It was a shark of enormous size, coming diagonally, its eyes on fire and its jaws open.
I was speechless with horror and unable to move.
The hungry creature shot toward the Indian.
He threw himself to one side to avoid the shark's fins, but its tail struck his chest and knocked him to the ground.
This scene lasted only a few seconds.
The shark returned, turned on its back, and prepared to cut the Indian in two, when I saw Captain Nemo rise suddenly.
Then, dagger in hand, he walked straight toward the monster, ready to fight face to face with it.
The very moment the shark was about to bite the unlucky fisherman in two, it saw its new enemy, turned over, and came straight toward him.
I can still see Captain Nemo's position.
Holding himself steady, he waited for the shark with amazing calmness.
When it rushed at him, he threw himself to one side with wonderful speed, avoiding the shock, and buried his dagger deep into its side.
But it wasn't over yet, a terrible fight began.
The shark seemed to roar, if I can say that.
Blood rushed in streams from its wound.
The sea turned red, and through the unclear liquid I could see nothing more.
I saw the fearless Captain hanging onto one of the creature's fins.
He struggled hand to hand with the monster.
He hit his enemy again and again, but still couldn't give a final blow.
The shark's struggles shook the water with such force that the movement threatened to knock me over.
I wanted to go to the Captain's help, but I was frozen to the spot with horror and couldn't move.
I saw his wild eyes, I saw the different stages of the fight.
The Captain fell to the ground, knocked over by the enormous mass that leaned on him.
The shark's jaws opened wide, like a pair of factory shears, and it would have been all over for the Captain.
But, quick as thought, harpoon in hand, Ned Land rushed toward the shark and struck it with its sharp point.
The waves were filled with a mass of blood.
They rocked under the shark's movements, which beat them with indescribable fury.
Ned Land hadn't missed his aim, it was the monster's death rattle.
Struck to the heart, it struggled in terrible convulsions, the shock of which knocked over Conseil.
Ned Land had freed the Captain, the Captain got up without any wound.
He went straight to the Indian and quickly cut the rope.
Then he took the man in his arms.
With a sharp push of his heel, he rose 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 bring the unlucky man back to life, I didn't think he could succeed.
I hoped so, because the poor creature's time underwater wasn't long, but the blow from the shark's tail might have killed him.
Luckily, with the Captain's and Conseil's strong rubbing, I saw consciousness return slowly.
He opened his eyes, What was his surprise, his terror even, at seeing four large copper heads leaning over him!
What must he have thought when Captain Nemo pulled a bag of pearls from his pocket and placed it in his hand!
This generous gift from the man of the waters to the poor Ceylonese was accepted with a trembling hand.
His wondering eyes showed that he didn't know what superhuman beings he owed both fortune and life to.
The Captain gave a sign, we returned to the bank and followed the path we had taken.
In about half an hour, we reached the anchor that held the Nautilus's boat to the ground.
Once on board, we each, with the help of the sailors, took off the heavy copper helmet.
Captain Nemo's first word was to the Canadian.
"Thank you, Master Land," he said.
"It was for revenge, Captain," replied Ned Land.
"I owed you that."
A pale smile passed across the Captain's lips, and that was all.
"To the Nautilus," he said.
The boat flew over the waves, a few minutes later, we met the shark's dead body floating.
By the black marking on the ends of its fins, I recognized the terrible melanopteron of the Indian Seas, the species of shark so properly named.
It was more than twenty-five feet long.
Its enormous mouth took up 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.
While I was looking at this lifeless mass, a dozen of these hungry beasts appeared around the boat.
Without noticing us, they threw themselves onto the dead body and fought with each other for the pieces.
At half past eight, we were back on board the Nautilus.
There I thought about the events that had taken place during our trip to the Manaar Bank.
I had to draw two conclusions from it.
One was about the unmatched courage of Captain Nemo.
The other was about his devotion to a human being, a representative of that race from which he had fled beneath the sea.
Whatever he might say, this strange man hadn't yet succeeded in completely 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'm still, and will be, to my last breath, one of them!"