Chapter 19. Vanikoro

           Duringthenightofthe27thor28thofDecember,theNautiluslefttheshoresofVanikorowithgreatspeed.Hercoursewassouth-westerly,andinthreedaysshehadgoneoverthe750leaguesthatseparateditfromLaPerouse’sgroupandthesouth-eastpointofPapua.

           Earlyonthe1stofJanuary,1863,Conseiljoinedmeontheplatform.

           "Master,willyoupermitmetowishyouahappyNewYear?"

           "What!Conseil;exactlyasifIwasatParisinmystudyattheJardindesPlantes?Well,Iacceptyourgoodwishes,andthankyouforthem.Only,Iwillaskyouwhatyoumeanbya‘HappyNewYear’underourcircumstances?Doyoumeantheyearthatwillbringustotheendofourimprisonment,ortheyearthatseesuscontinuethisstrangevoyage?"

           "Really,Idonotknowhowtoanswer,master.Wearesuretoseecuriousthings,andforthelasttwomonthswehavenothadtimefordullness.Thelastmarvelisalwaysthemostastonishing;and,ifwecontinuethisprogression,Idonotknowhowitwillend.Itismyopinionthatweshallneveragainseethelike.Ithinkthen,withnooffencetomaster,thatahappyyearwouldbeoneinwhichwecouldseeeverything."

           On2ndJanuarywehadmade11,340miles,or5,250Frenchleagues,sinceourstarting-pointintheJapanSeas.Beforetheship’sheadstretchedthedangerousshoresofthecoralsea,onthenorth-eastcoastofAustralia.OurboatlayalongsomemilesfromtheredoubtablebankonwhichCook’svesselwaslost,10thJune,1770.TheboatinwhichCookwasstruckonarock,and,ifitdidnotsink,itwasowingtoapieceofcoralthatwasbrokenbytheshock,andfixeditselfinthebrokenkeel.

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