4. Ned Land

Commander Farragut was a good sailor, worthy of the frigate that had been entrusted to him.
His ship and he they were one unit, of which he was the soul.
It did not allow the existence of the cetacean was discussed on board, not the least shelter
doubt about it. I thought of it as some good women believe in the leviathan, by faith,
not by reason. He was so sure of his existence as that rid the seas of it. The
he had sworn. It was a gentleman is-specie of Rhodes, one of Gozon Diosdado bus-ca
snake ravaged their island. Or Fa-rragut commander killed the narwhal and the narwhal
He killed the commander Farragut. No compromise.
The officers on board shared the opinion of his boss. You had to hear them talk, discuss,
play, calculate the posi-bilities of a meeting and see them observe the vast exten-sion
Ocean. More than one one volun-tary guard was imposed, which in other circumstances
I had cursed, into the beams of the bunion. And as the sun described its diurnal arc, the
aloft it was full of sailors, as if the bridge burned their feet, that
They manifested most impacien-cia. And why the Abraham Lincoln was still very
far from addressing suspected waters of the Pacific.
The crew was, in fact, eager to find the Unicorn, by harpoon,
hoisted aboard and tear him apart. So he is watching the sea with scrupulous care. The
co-principal Farragut had spoken of a certain sum of two thousand dollars that
embolsaría who was boy or mari-nero, petty or official, sighted the first
animal. Needless to say how the eyes exercised aboard the Abraham Lincoln.
For my part, I will not yield to anyone in care in the obser-vations daily. The frigate
I could have justifiably called Argos. Conseil was the only one among all that
is manifested indifferent to the question before us I apasio-naba and attitude contrasted with the
general enthusiasm that reigned on board.
I said how the commander-do Farragut had carefully equipped his ship,
providing it with the means ade-priate for fishing gigantic cetacean. It would not have been
better armed a whaling. We had all known mills, from the harpoon
projectiles hand until the shotguns and muskets explosive bullets. In
cas-tillo had installed an improved cannon that car-gaba for the bedroom, very
thick walls and very narrow-bore model should appear in the Exhibition
Uni-versal, 1867. This magnificent instrument, love-source-American, sent without
a conical projectile difficulty four kilos at an average distance of ten kilometers.
Abraham Lincoln was not lacking, therefore, no means of destruction. But there was something
even better. He had Ned Land, the King of the harpoon. Ned Land was a Canadian one
unusual dexterity, which had no equal in his movie-roughly office. He had in grade
superlative qualities of skill and nerve, the audacity and cunning.
Very evil had to be a whale, singularly astute-BIA be a sperm whale for
he could escape his harpoon hit.
Ned Land was about forty years old. He was a man of high stature -more than six
ingleses1 feet [L5]? and strongly built. He had a serious look and was slightly
communicative, sometimes violent and very angry when he is thwarted. His person
attracted attention, and especially the power of his look-da giving a unique accent to your
physiognomy.
I think the commander Farragut had been well inspi-rado to hire this man
that, by his eye and his arm, value for the entire crew. I can not find him better
com-pared to that of a powerful telescope that was at once a cannon.
Who says French Canadian says, and little communi-cant that Ned Land was, I must
say it took me some affection, perhaps attracted by my nationality. It was an opportunity for him
to speak, as it was for me to hear, that old Rabelaisian len-gua still in use
cana-dian some provinces. Harpooner's family was originally from Quebec, and
and formed a tribe of fishermen bold at the time that the land belonged to
France.
Gradually, Ned took to talk to me. I liked very much to hear the story of
his adventures in the polar seas. He narrated their fishing hauls and fighting, with a
great natural poetry. Their accounts took an epic way I had to believe to be
listening to Homer's Iliad canadien-be singing of the hyperborean regions.
Now describe this bold companion as currently co-nozco. We are now
old friends, united by the unalterable friendship is born and is founded on evidence
difficult. Ah, my dear Ned! Just I ask still live a hundred years to remind more
time.
What was Ned Land's opinion on the question of the marine monster? I must confess
I did not believe in the unicorn and just who was the only one on board who did not share the
general conviction. Induso avoided talking about it, about which I boarded a day. It was 30
July, ie the three-weeks of our departure, and the frigate was at the height of
Cape Blanco, thirty miles to leeward of the coast of Patagonia. We had already spent
the Tropic of Capricorn-child, and the Strait of Magellan within sete-hundred opened
miles south. Within eight days, the Abraham Lincoln would be in Pacific waters.
It was a wonderful evening, and sitting on the poop speech-Bamos Ned Land and I and a
others, while Mira-Bamos the mysterious sea whose depths have perma-mained
hitherto inaccessible to human eyes. Naturally I took the conversation
giant unicorn, and I stretched out on considerations about the various possibilities
success or failure of our expedition. Then, seeing that Ned Land let me speak, you
I attacked more directly.
How is it possible, Ned, you are not convinced of the existence of the cetacean
we pursue? Do you have particular ra-zones to be so incredulous?
The harpooner looked at me for a few moments before answering, struck his forehead with
hand, a gesture that was habitual, closed his eyes and said to be collected, at last:
? Perhaps, Mr. Aronnax.
? However, Ned, you being a whaling profes-end, you who are familiar
with large marine mammals, whose imagination you should accept the fácilmen-te
huge cetaceans hypothesis seems the less indicates-do ... should you be the last
doubt, in such cir-cumstances.
? You're wrong, Professor. Pass even the vulgar believe in extraordinary comets
through space or the existence of antediluvian monsters that inhabit the inte-rior
the globe, but neither astronomer nor geologist admitted such chimeras. The same applies
the whaler. I perse-guido many cetaceans, I've harpooned a good number of
them, I've killed many, but powerful and well-gun were two or tails
nor their defenses had po-Dido open the metal plates of a steamer.
? And yet, Ned, has shown that cross narval achieved with
tooth boat from side to side.
? Wooden boats perhaps possible, but I have not ever seen. So until no
have proof otherwise, I deny that whales, sperm whales, or unicorns
they can produce this effect.
? Listen, Ned ...
No, professor, no. Everything you want, exception-to that. Maybe an octopus
giant?
? Even less, Ned. The octopus is merely a mollusk, and since this indicates poor
consistency of their flesh. Although I had five hundred feet long, octopus, not
perte-longs to the branch of vertebrates, is completely Harmless-sive for such ships
like the Scotia or the Abraham Lincoln. Must be relegated to the world of fable prowess
the kra-kens or other monsters of that kind.
Then, Mr. Naturalist? Ned Land asked a wry tone, you persist in
admitting the existence of a huge whale?
Yes, Ned, I repeat it with a conviction that rests on the logic of events. I believe in
the existence of a mammal powerfully organized, belonging to the branch of the
vertebrates such as whales, sperm whales and dolphins, and provided with a defense
cornea with an extraordinary penetration force.
? Hum! ? Said the harpooner, shaking his head with ade-man of a man who
He wants to be convinced.
? And look, my good Canadian, that if such an animal exists, if inhabits the depths of
ocean, if frequent liquid layers located several miles below the surface
water, must necessarily have a body whose strength defy all
comparison.
? And why such a powerful body? ? He asked Ned. ? Because we need a force
mante-nerse invaluable in the deep layers and resist their pressure.
? Really? ? Ned, looking at me with eyes half-closed said.
? Certainly, and some figures would easily tested.
? Oh, figures! ? He replied Ned ?. It does what it wants with the figures.
? In business, yes, Ned, but not in mathematics. Escu-che. Admittedly pressure
an atmosphere is repre-sented by the pressure of a water column of thirty two
feet. Actually, the column height would be less, since water is
sea ​​whose density is higher than the fresh water. Well, when you get your-merge,
Ned, as often as thirty-two feet down his body bear a pressure equal
to the atmo-sphere, ie kilograms per square centimeter of its surface.
It follows that two hundred feet that pressure is ten atmospheres hundred
1200 atmospheres to three feet, and a thousand atmospheres, thirty-two thousand feet, ie
about two leagues and a half. Which is to say that if you could achieve that
deep in the ocean, each square centimeter of the surface of your body suffer
pressure thousand kilograms. And you know us-ted, my dear Ned, how many centimeters
do you square surface?
? I ignore it completely, Professor Aronnax.
? A seventeen thousand, approximately.
? So many? Really?
? And, in fact, atmospheric pressure is slightly greater than the weight of one kilogram
per square centimeter, seventeen thousand square centimeters are enduring now
a pressure of seventeen thousand five hundred sixty-eight kilograms.
? Without my knowing it?
? Without noticing. If such pressure will not crush you it's because the air penetrates the
inside of your body with equal pressure. Hence a perfect balance between the
presio-nes interior and exterior, which are neutralized, allowing you to effortlessly endure.
But water is something else.
Yes, I understand? Replied Ned, who was more attentive ?. Because water me
surrounds and penetrates not me.
Exactly, Ned. Thus, thirty-two-feet of low sea surface
you suffer a pressure of seventeen thousand five hundred sixty-eight kilograms; to
three-hundred and twenty feet, ten times that pressure, ie percent five-tenta 1600
Eighty kilograms; two thousand feet to a hundred times that pressure, that is, one million
seven hundred and fifty-six thousand ochocientos kilograms; and thirty-two thousand feet, a thousand
Sometimes this pressure, ie 17.568 million kilograms. In
a word that you would take out ironing as if a steamroller.
-¡Diantre! ? He exclaimed Ned.
? Well, my good Ned, if vertebrates several cen-dreds of meters long and
a proportional volume are maintained at similar depths, with a
your-surface for millions of square centimeters, calculate the pressure that resist in thousands
of millions of kilograms. You calculate what should be the strength of its frame and bone
the power of your body to resist such pressures.
Should they be made? He replied Ned Land? with iron plates eight inches,
aco-nant as frigates.
? As you say, Ned. Now think of the disasters that can cause a mass
launched with such veloci-ty of an express against the hull of a ship.
Yes ... indeed .... maybe? He replied the Canadian, peat-do by these figures, but
want to surrender.
? Well, did I believe?
? I was convinced of one thing, Mr. Naturalist, and that if such animals exist
the bottom of the sea must necessarily be as strong as you say.
? But if there are, stubborn harpooner, how the accident happened you explains
the Scotia?
? Well ... because ... Ned said, hesitating.
? Go!
? Well, because ... that's not true! ? Replied the Cana-dian, repeating, without knowing a
Arago famous reply.
But this reply proved the obstinacy of the harpoon and only that. That day I do not badger him
more. The accident was not deniable Scotia. The hole existed, and there had been that
col-marlo. I do not think that the existence of a hole can ha-collar demonstration
categorical. Now, that hole was not made alone, and since it had not been
produci-do by underwater rocks or underwater artifacts, necesa-sarily had to
I did the piercing instrument of an animal.
And in my opinion, and for all the reasons stated above, this animal belonged
to the branch of the vertebra-dos, to the class of mammals, fish-group, and,
Finally, the order Cetacea. As for the family in which you joined whale
sperm whale or dolphin, in gender was part of that in terms of the species to which
were to ascribe, it was a matter to elucidate post-quently. Had to solve
to dissect this unknown monster; to dissect necessary was to seize him;
and take him, you had to harpoon (which compe-aunt Ned Land); to
harpoon, you had to see him (which co-rrespondía the crew), and had to see it
find (which was incumbent random).