Таємничий острів

           Duringmanyyearsthisstrangebeingvisitedeveryocean,frompoletopole.Outcastoftheinhabitedearthintheseunknownworldshegatheredincalculabletreasures.ThemillionslostintheBayofVigo,in1702,bythegalleonsofSpain,furnishedhimwithamineofinexhaustiblericheswhichhedevotedalways,anonymously,infavorofthosenationswhofoughtfortheindependenceoftheircountry.

           (ThisreferstotheresurrectionoftheCandiotes,whowere,in

           fact,largelyassistedbyCaptainNemo.)

           Forlong,however,hehadheldnocommunicationwithhisfellow-creatures,when,duringthenightofthe6thofNovember,1866,threemenwerecastonboardhisvessel.TheywereaFrenchprofessor,hisservant,andaCanadianfisherman.Thesethreemenhadbeenhurledoverboardbyacollisionwhichhadtakenplacebetweenthe"Nautilus"andtheUnitedStatesfrigate"AbrahamLincoln,"whichhadchasedher.

           CaptainNemolearnedfromthisprofessorthatthe"Nautilus,"takennowforagiganticmammalofthewhalespecies,nowforasubmarinevesselcarryingacrewofpirates,wassoughtforineverysea.

           Hemighthavereturnedthesethreementotheocean,fromwhencechancehadbroughtthemincontactwithhismysteriousexistence.Insteadofdoingthishekeptthemprisoners,andduringsevenmonthstheywereenabledtobeholdallthewondersofavoyageoftwentythousandleaguesunderthesea.

           Oneday,the22ndofJune,1867,thesethreemen,whoknewnothingofthepasthistoryofCaptainNemo,succeededinescapinginoneofthe"Nautilus’s"boats.