20000 льє під водою

           Wehadthenmadeabout13,000leaguessinceourdeparturefromthehighseasofthePacific.Thebearingsgaveus45°37’S.lat.,and37°53’W.long.ItwasthesamewaterinwhichCaptainDenhamoftheHeraldsounded7,000fathomswithoutfindingthebottom.There,too,LieutenantParker,oftheAmericanfrigateCongress,couldnottouchthebottomwith15,140fathoms.CaptainNemointendedseekingthebottomoftheoceanbyadiagonalsufficientlylengthenedbymeansoflateralplanesplacedatanangleof45°withthewater-lineoftheNautilus.Thenthescrewsettoworkatitsmaximumspeed,itsfourbladesbeatingthewaveswithindescribableforce.Underthispowerfulpressure,thehulloftheNautilusquiveredlikeasonorouschordandsankregularlyunderthewater.

           At7,000fathomsIsawsomeblackishtopsrisingfromthemidstofthewaters;butthesesummitsmightbelongtohighmountainsliketheHimalayasorMontBlanc,evenhigher;andthedepthoftheabyssremainedincalculable.TheNautilusdescendedstilllower,inspiteofthegreatpressure.Ifeltthesteelplatestrembleatthefasteningsofthebolts;itsbarsbent,itspartitionsgroaned;thewindowsofthesaloonseemedtocurveunderthepressureofthewaters.Andthisfirmstructurewoulddoubtlesshaveyielded,if,asitsCaptainhadsaid,ithadnotbeencapableofresistancelikeasolidblock.Wehadattainedadepthof16,000yards(fourleagues),andthesidesoftheNautilusthenboreapressureof1,600atmospheres,thatistosay,3,200lb.toeachsquaretwo-fifthsofaninchofitssurface.

           "Whatasituationtobein!"Iexclaimed."Tooverrunthesedeepregionswheremanhasnevertrod!Look,Captain,lookatthesemagnificentrocks,theseuninhabitedgrottoes,theselowestreceptaclesoftheglobe,wherelifeisnolongerpossible!Whatunknownsightsarehere!Whyshouldwebeunabletopreservearemembranceofthem?"