7. A whale of unknown species

 

The surprise caused by such an unexpected fall did not deprive me of my distinct impression
sensations.
I fall immersed to a depth of twenty feet. Without intending to match me
Byron and Edgar Poe, who are masters swimming, I think I can say I'm good
nothing-dor. Why not dive made me lose my head, and two strong heels me
They were returned to the sea surface. My first thought was to look with eyes frigate.
Did the crew would have noticed my disappearance? He had hauling aboard the
Abraham Lincoln? Had the commander boot-do Farragut a boat in my
Look-da? Could he wait for my salvation?
It was deep darkness. I glimpsed a black mass disappearing eastward and whose
position lights were disappearing in the distance. It was the frigate. I felt lost.
? Help! Help! ? I yelled, as he swam toward despair-mately Abraham
Lincoln, embarrassed by my ro-pas that stuck to my body by water, paralyzed my
movements. I was going down ... I choked.
? Help!
It was the last thing that I exhaled. My mouth filled with water. I struggled, I sucked by the
abyss.
Suddenly I was seized by a vigorous hand to me violently back
surface, and I heard, yes, I heard these shovel-bras pronounced in my ear:
? If the Lord would kindly lean on my shoulder, I would swim more easily.
My hand grabbed the arm of my loyal Conseil.
? You! It's you!
? Myself? Responded ?, under the command of the Lord.
? We precipitated the crash of the sea while to me?
? No. But as I am at the service of the Lord, I followed the Lord.
Good boy found that natural.
? And the ship?
? The frigate! ? You replied Conseil, turning Espal-das ?. I think Mr. do well
not to count on it.
? What did you say?
? I say that at the moment I threw the sea, heard that the helmsmen shouting: "They have
broken propeller and rudder! ".
? Broken?
? Yes; destroyed by the tooth monster. It is the only fault, I think, that has undergone the
Abraham Lincoln. But des-nately for us is a fault that prevents it
go-bernarse.
? Then we are lost.
? Possibly? He replied Conseil, most tran-quilidad ?. But we still have a
few hours by Delan-te, and within hours a lot can happen.
The Conseil's imperturbable coolness gave me encouragement. I swam more vigorously, but,
bothered by my clothes that oppressed me like a barrel cellos, had great
diffi-culties to sustain afloat. Conseil realized.
? Let me give Mr. incision.
And with a knife he tore my clothes up and down in one swift movement. Then I
He freed of my clothes with great skill, as I swam for both. In my turn I proceeded to
provide identical service to Conseil, and continue "surfing" side by side.
Our situation was terrible. Perhaps no one would have noticed our
disappearance, and even if he had not gone unnoticed, the frigate, deprived of government, not
po-DRIA come in search of us. only we could count on their boats.
Based on this hypothesis, Conseil coldly reasoned and made a consistent plan. What
the extraordinary nature of this phlegmatic boy, he felt at home there!
Since our only chance of salvation was to be picked up by the boats of the
Abraham Lincoln, it was decided that we should organize ourselves so that we could
espe-rarlos as long as possible. I decided then that we gave our divi-
forces to no-mind simultaneously, exhaust them and so arranged that one of us
remain motionless, lying on his back with arms crossed and legs extended,
while the other would swim propelling forward. This task should not tug
Prolon-gated more than ten minutes, and relieving each other so we could swim for several hours
and stay even until dawn.
Weak possibility, but the hope is so strongly rooted in the heart of
man! In addition, we were two. And finally, I can say, as unlikely as that
parez-ca, although trying to destroy me all illusion, even-that I strive for
despair, I could not get it.
The collision of the frigate and the cetacean had occurred about eleven o'clock at night.
I figured then that we should na-giving for about eight hours until sunrise.
Opera-tion rigorously practicable with our relay-you. The sea, pretty
bonancible, us little fatigued. Sometimes I tried to penetrate the thick look
darkness broken only phosphorescence nues-ters caused by movements.
Those who watched des-made light waves in my hands and whose shimmering layer
It formed as a film livid hues. It had said it-tabamos
immersed in a bath of mercury.
Towards one o'clock I was already fully exte-tinued, with rigid limbs
by the effect of a saw-slow cramps. Conseil had to hold me, and from that
our preservation time weighed only so-ber him. Suddenly I heard her gasp poor
boy. His breathing became short and quick, and that made me realize that no po-DRIA
and resist much longer.
? Let me! Let me! ? I told.
? Leave the Lord! Never! Before I drown me. I drown before him.
The moon appeared at the time, between the edges of a thick cloud the wind
impelled eastward. The su-surface sea shimmered under its rays. The beneficent light
rea-it Nimo our forces. I could lift your head and scan the horizon. I saw the frigate, to
about five miles from us, as a barely recognizable dark mass. But there was not
a boat in sight.
I wanted to scream. ? To what, at such a distance! My lips swollen-two did not miss any
sound. Conseil could articulate some words, and shouting repeatedly:
? Help! Help!
Suspended for a moment our movements, is-cuchamos. And maybe it was one of
those ringing in the ear causes the congested blood, but I found that a
He answered the cry from Conseil.
? Have you heard? ? I muttered.
-Yes! Yes!
And Conseil launched into space another desperate call.
There was no mistaking. A human voice was responding to ours! It was the voice
some left in the ocean unfortunate, that of another crash victim
suffered by the ship? Or came the voice of a boat from the frigate, calling on the
darkness?
Conseil made a supreme effort and, leaning on my shoulder, while I drew strength
one last convulsive-sion, he stood half out of the water on the seed on
Next, exhausted.
? Did you see anything?
? I have seen ... I have seen .... murmured ?, but never mind ..., we retain all our
forces ...
What could he have seen? So I do not know how or why, I was struck for the first time
Monster memory. But what that voice ...? These days the refuge and Jonah in
the belly of the whale.
Conseil began to tow me. Occasionally Levan-taba head, looked at each other and
uttered a cry of recog-ment responded to that voice, ever closer. I
ape-nas could hear her now reached the end of my tether. I could feel they were separating
the fingers; my hands obe-not me and I said and denied a foothold; mouth,
open convulsively, he filled with water; cold invading my bones. I raised
head and sank last time ... At that moment, ran into a hard body, and I
I grabbed him. I felt I retreated and drew me to the surface. My lungs
They descongestionaron, and I fainted ...
Soon I came to, thanks to vigorous frictions that roamed my body. I opened
the eyes.
? Conseil! ? I muttered.
? He called the Lord? ? Conseil said.
In the faint light of the moon descending on the horizon I saw a figure that was not to
Conseil and I recognized immediately.
? Ned! ? I exclaimed.
? In person, sir, the same, which is running behind the earned premiums? Replied
Canadian.
? Also the sea rushed him the shock of the frigate?
Yes, professor, but more fortunate than you, I could walk almost immediately take
on a floating island.
? An island?
Or, to put it more accurately, on his gi-gantesco narwhal.
? Explain yourself, Ned.
? As soon I could understand why my harpoon will not hurt and nicked his skin.
? Why, Ned, why?
? Because this beast, professor, is made of steel.
I'm here to take stock of my impressions, my memories revive and control my
own assertions.
Canadian's last words had been a co-Vuel my brain. I quickly
I hoisted to the top of the being or semi-submerged object that served us shelter and goal-pee
foot. It was obviously a hard body, impene-trable, not the soft substance that
shaped mass of large marine mammals. But that could be a hard body
animal-like bony shell antediluvia-nos, which would classify me
Repti-monster among them amphibians, such as turtles and alligators.
Well, no. The blackish back that supported me was smooth, polished, without overlaps.
Responded to shocks with a metallic sound, and, incredible as it was, it seemed
Indeed, what I say, it was done with screwed-das plates.
Doubt was no longer possible. The animal, monster, natural phenom-enon that had intrigued
the scientific world around the world and excited and misled the imagination of marine
in both hemispheres was, he had to admit, even more amazing phenomenon, a
phenomenon created by the hand of man.
The discovery of the existence of be more fabulous, of being more mythological, there would
I could surprise both high and entan my reason as he had done. That
the wonder comes from the Creator, it seems simple. But ha-collar suddenly under the eyes
impossible, mysterious and huma-finely made, it is something to shipwreck reason.
And there was no hesitation possible. We were, effectively-mind, lying on the surface
a sort of submarine boat whose shape, as far as could be judged by what it
saw, was that of a huge fish of steel. Ned Land you-nia and formed their opinion about it,
and Conseil and I hubi-mos to share it with him.
? But since it? I said ?, This device contains a mechanism of transport and
crew to manio-brarlo.
? Course? Replied the harpooner yet ?, and I live three hours ago
this floating island without its tri-dling has yet shown signs of life.
? Has not moved during all this time?
? That's right, Professor Aronnax. Left rocked by the waves, without any other movement.
? But we know, without doubt, which it is provided with a large
speed. However, for this speed produ-cir you need a machine and do
this fun-vide a machinist. From all this I conclude that ... this-we saved!
? Hum! ? Exclaimed Ned Land, doubtfully.
At the same time, and as corroboration of my argument, a noise was heard
from the rear end of the strange device, whose drive was
clear-mind a propeller, and put in motion. We hardly Tuvi-time
hold on to their top emerging from the water in about eighty centimeters.
Afortunadamen-te, its speed was not excessive.
-While Navigate horizontally? Muttered Ned Land? I have no objection, but
as give by sumer-girse I not give two dollars for my skin.
And yet it could give less. It is thus made to communicate with beings urgent
locked inside the ma-chine. I looked on the surface thereof an opening,
a hatch, a "manhole" to use ex-pressure technique. But lines
screws, solidly-fi xed in the joints of the plates, were continuous and uniform.
The moon disappeared at that time and we fell into a deep darkness. It was necessary
wait for the day to consider ways of penetration inside the boat
submarine.
So our salvation depended solely on the ca-pricho of the mysterious
crew who ran the unit. If they decided to dive, we would be lost. Excepted
Here, I did not doubt the possibility of entering rela-tion with them. Well, in fact,
not produce for themselves the air, was that ascendiesen ne¿esario occasionally to
ocean surface to replenish their supply of Molecule-breathable. Hence the
there need for an opening to put in communication the interior of the vessel
with the atmosphere.
Already it had to rule out completely any hope of being saved by Commander
Farragut then we went westward at a speed that, while relatively
moderate, I considered no less than a dozen miles per hour. The propeller churning the water with
Math-ca one regularly, and sometimes phosphorescent foam emerged launching a large-
height.
Around four o'clock increased speed. It was very difficult to resist as
giddy up, especially when the waves broke us up. Fortunately,
Ned found a ring attached to the surface of the device, which could cling to
security.
Finally he ended the terrible night, which my memory has been preserved all
impressions. Only one detail was printed on it. During certain times of
calm sea and wind repeatedly thought I heard vague sounds, sort of
fugitive harmony produced by distant chords. What, then, the mystery of that
underwater sails-ing vainly sought the explanation of the world? What beings
They are living in this strange boat? What mechanical agent allowed him to navigate with a
prodigious veloci-ty?
It was day. The morning mists surrounded us, but soon tear. Me
carefully-prepared to examine the device surface mind that on top
pre-sat a sort of horizontal platform, when I realized that the boat
Inmer movement began sion.
? Hey! Bloody hell! ? Cried Ned Land, while kicking the
iron sound ?. Ábrannos, na-vegantes inhospitable!
But it was difficult to be heard amidst the deafening buzz of the propeller.
Fortunately, he stopped the movement of immersion.
Suddenly, there was inside the boat noise fittings, which preceded the
opening an iron by a man who appeared uttered a strange cry before
soon disappear.
A few moments later, eight very strong men, with the veiled face appeared
the opening and silent-RECITED we introduced in his formidable machine.