Chapter 8. The Bay of Vigo

           TheAtlantic!avastsheetofwaterwhosesuperficialareacoverstwenty-fivemillionsofsquaremiles,thelengthofwhichisninethousandmiles,withameanbreadthoftwothousandsevenhundred—anoceanwhoseparallelwindingshoresembraceanimmensecircumference,wateredbythelargestriversoftheworld,theSt.Lawrence,theMississippi,theAmazon,thePlata,theOrinoco,theNiger,theSenegal,theElbe,theLoire,andtheRhine,whichcarrywaterfromthemostcivilised,aswellasfromthemostsavage,countries!Magnificentfieldofwater,incessantlyploughedbyvesselsofeverynation,shelteredbytheflagsofeverynation,andwhichterminatesinthosetwoterriblepointssodreadedbymariners,CapeHornandtheCapeofTempests.

           TheNautiluswaspiercingthewaterwithitssharpspur,afterhavingaccomplishednearlytenthousandleaguesinthreemonthsandahalf,adistancegreaterthanthegreatcircleoftheearth.Wherewerewegoingnow,andwhatwasreservedforthefuture?TheNautilus,leavingtheStraitsofGibraltar,hadgonefarout.Itreturnedtothesurfaceofthewaves,andourdailywalksontheplatformwererestoredtous.

           Imountedatonce,accompaniedbyNedLandandConseil.Atadistanceofabouttwelvemiles,CapeSt.Vincentwasdimlytobeseen,formingthesouth-westernpointoftheSpanishpeninsula.Astrongsoutherlygalewasblowing.Theseawasswollenandbillowy;itmadetheNautilusrockviolently.Itwasalmostimpossibletokeepone’sfootontheplatform,whichtheheavyrollsoftheseabeatovereveryinstant.Sowedescendedafterinhalingsomemouthfulsoffreshair.