Chapter 4. The Red Sea

           Inthecourseofthedayofthe29thofJanuary,theislandofCeylondisappearedunderthehorizon,andtheNautilus,ataspeedoftwentymilesanhour,slidintothelabyrinthofcanalswhichseparatetheMaldivesfromtheLaccadives.ItcoastedeventheIslandofKiltan,alandoriginallycoraline,discoveredbyVascodaGamain1499,andoneofthenineteenprincipalislandsoftheLaccadiveArchipelago,situatedbetween10°and14°30’N.lat.,and69°50’72"E.long.

           Wehadmade16,220miles,or7,500(French)leaguesfromourstarting-pointintheJapaneseSeas.

           Thenextday(30thJanuary),whentheNautiluswenttothesurfaceoftheoceantherewasnolandinsight.ItscoursewasN.N.E.,inthedirectionoftheSeaofOman,betweenArabiaandtheIndianPeninsula,whichservesasanoutlettothePersianGulf.Itwasevidentlyablockwithoutanypossibleegress.WherewasCaptainNemotakingusto?Icouldnotsay.This,however,didnotsatisfytheCanadian,whothatdaycametomeaskingwhereweweregoing.

           "WearegoingwhereourCaptain’sfancytakesus,MasterNed."

           "Hisfancycannottakeusfar,then,"saidtheCanadian."ThePersianGulfhasnooutlet:and,ifwedogoin,itwillnotbelongbeforeweareoutagain."

           "Verywell,then,wewillcomeoutagain,MasterLand;andif,afterthePersianGulf,theNautiluswouldliketovisittheRedSea,theStraitsofBab-el-mandebaretheretogiveusentrance."