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Chapter 7. The Mediterranean in Forty-Eight Hours

           "Then,"saidConseil,"weshallhavetimetofinishourjourneythatis,ifNedLanddoesnotinterferewithit."

           AndConseil,reassured,returnedtothestudyofthebank,whichtheNautiluswasskirtingatamoderatespeed.

           Duringthenightofthe16thand17thFebruarywehadenteredthesecondMediterraneanbasin,thegreatestdepthofwhichwas1,450fathoms.TheNautilus,bytheactionofitscrew,sliddowntheinclinedplanesandburieditselfinthelowestdepthsofthesea.

           Onthe18thofFebruary,aboutthreeo’clockinthemorning,wewereattheentranceoftheStraitsofGibraltar.Thereonceexistedtwocurrents:anupperone,longsincerecognised,whichconveysthewatersoftheoceanintothebasinoftheMediterranean;andalowercounter-current,whichreasoninghasnowshowntoexist.Indeed,thevolumeofwaterintheMediterranean,incessantlyaddedtobythewavesoftheAtlanticandbyriversfallingintoit,wouldeachyearraisethelevelofthissea,foritsevaporationisnotsufficienttorestoretheequilibrium.Asitisnotso,wemustnecessarilyadmittheexistenceofanunder-current,whichemptiesintothebasinoftheAtlanticthroughtheStraitsofGibraltarthesurpluswatersoftheMediterranean.Afactindeed;anditwasthiscounter-currentbywhichtheNautilusprofited.Itadvancedrapidlybythenarrowpass.ForoneinstantIcaughtaglimpseofthebeautifulruinsofthetempleofHercules,buriedintheground,accordingtoPliny,andwiththelowislandwhichsupportsit;andafewminuteslaterwewerefloatingontheAtlantic.

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