20000 лье под водой

Chapter 16. Shortage of Air

           Hadwerisentothesurfaceofthewaves?Werewefreeoftheiceberg?No!NedandConseil,mytwobravefriends,weresacrificingthemselvestosaveme.Someparticlesofairstillremainedatthebottomofoneapparatus.Insteadofusingit,theyhadkeptitforme,and,whiletheywerebeingsuffocated,theygavemelife,dropbydrop.Iwantedtopushbackthething;theyheldmyhands,andforsomemomentsIbreathedfreely.Ilookedattheclock;itwaseleveninthemorning.Itoughttobethe28thofMarch.TheNautiluswentatafrightfulpace,fortymilesanhour.Itliterallytorethroughthewater.WherewasCaptainNemo?Hadhesuccumbed?Werehiscompanionsdeadwithhim?Atthemomentthemanometerindicatedthatwewerenotmorethantwentyfeetfromthesurface.Amereplateoficeseparatedusfromtheatmosphere.Couldwenotbreakit?Perhaps.InanycasetheNautiluswasgoingtoattemptit.Ifeltthatitwasinanobliqueposition,loweringthestern,andraisingthebows.Theintroductionofwaterhadbeenthemeansofdisturbingitsequilibrium.Then,impelledbyitspowerfulscrew,itattackedtheice-fieldfrombeneathlikeaformidablebattering-ram.Itbrokeitbybackingandthenrushingforwardagainstthefield,whichgraduallygaveway;andatlast,dashingsuddenlyagainstit,shotforwardsontheice-field,thatcrushedbeneathitsweight.ThepanelwasopenedonemightsaytornoffandthepureaircameininabundancetoallpartsoftheNautilus.

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