Jules Verne

twenty thousand leagues under the sea

Traveling around the world in the depths of the sea

PART ONE

1. FLOATING REEF

The year 1866 was marked by an amazing incident, which is probably still remembered by many. Not to mention the fact that the rumors that circulated in connection with the inexplicable phenomenon in question worried the inhabitants of coastal cities and continents, they also sowed alarm among sailors. Merchants, shipowners, ship captains, skippers both in Europe and America, sailors of the navy of all countries, even the governments of various states of the Old and New Worlds were preoccupied with an event that defies explanation.

The fact is that from some time on, many ships began to meet in the sea some kind of long, phosphorescent, spindle-shaped object, far superior to the whale both in size and speed of movement.

The entries made in the logbooks of different ships are surprisingly similar in describing the appearance of a mysterious creature or object, the unheard-of speed and strength of its movements, as well as the features of its behavior. If it was a cetacean, then, judging by the descriptions, it exceeded in size all the representatives of this order known to science until now. Neither Cuvier, nor Lacepede, nor Dumeril, nor Catrfages would have believed in the existence of such a phenomenon without seeing it with their own eyes, or rather, the eyes of scientists.

Ignoring overly cautious estimates that the notorious creature was no more than two hundred feet long, rejecting obvious exaggerations, according to which it was drawn as some kind of giant - one mile wide, three miles long! - nevertheless, it was necessary to admit, adhering to the golden mean, that the outlandish beast, if only it exists, to a large extent exceeds the dimensions established by modern zoologists.

From the human tendency to believe in all sorts of miracles, it is easy to understand how this unusual phenomenon excited the minds. Some tried to attribute the whole story to the realm of empty rumors, but in vain! The animal still existed; this fact was beyond the slightest doubt.

On July 20, 1866, the Governor-Higinson of the Calcutta and Bernach Steamship Company encountered a huge floating mass five miles off the eastern coast of Australia. Captain Baker thought at first that he had found an uncharted reef; he began to establish its coordinates, but then two columns of water suddenly burst out of the depths of this dark mass and whistled up a hundred and fifty feet into the air. What's the reason? An underwater reef prone to geyser eruptions? Or simply some kind of marine mammal that threw fountains of water out of its nostrils along with the air?

On July 23 of the same year, a similar phenomenon was observed in the waters of the Pacific Ocean from the steamer Cristobal Colon, owned by the Pacific West India Shipping Company. Is it known that any cetacean was able to move with such supernatural speed? Within three days, two steamships - the Governor-Higinson and the Cristobal-Colon - met him at two points on the globe, more than seven hundred nautical leagues apart from one another! [sea league equals 5555 m]

Fifteen days later, two thousand leagues from the aforementioned place, the steamers Helvetia, of the National Steamship Company, and Shanon, of the Royal Mail Steamship Company, on a countertack, met in the Atlantic Ocean on their way between America and Europe, discovered a sea a monster at 42 o 15 "northern latitude and 60 o 35" longitude, west of the Greenwich meridian. By joint observation, it was established by eye that the length of the mammal reaches at least three hundred and fifty English feet [English foot equals 30.4 cm]. They proceeded from the calculation that the "Chanon" and "Helvetia" were smaller than the animal, although both had a hundred meters from the stem to the stern. The largest whales that are found in the Aleutian Islands, and they did not exceed fifty-six meters in length - if at all they reached such sizes!

These reports, one after the other, new reports from the transatlantic steamer Parer, the collision of a monster with the ship Etna, an act drawn up by the officers of the French frigate Normandie, and a detailed report received from Commodore Fitz-James on board " Lord Clyde,” all this seriously alarmed public opinion. In frivolous countries, the phenomenon served as an inexhaustible topic of jokes, but in positive and practical countries, like England, America, Germany, they were keenly interested in it.

In all the capitals, the sea monster became fashionable: songs were sung about him in cafes, they scoffed at him in the newspapers, he was taken out on the stage of theaters. Newspaper ducks had an opportunity to lay eggs of all colors. The magazines began to bring to light all sorts of fantastic giants, ranging from the white whale, the terrible “Moby Dick” of the Arctic countries, to the monstrous octopuses, which are able to entangle a ship with a displacement of five hundred tons with their tentacles and drag it into the depths of the ocean. They pulled out old manuscripts from under a bushel, the works of Aristotle and Pliny, which allowed the existence of sea ​​monsters, the Norwegian stories of Bishop Pontopidan, the messages of Paul Gegged and, finally, the reports of Harington, whose integrity is beyond doubt, who claimed that in 1857, while on board the Castillan, he saw with his own eyes a monstrous sea serpent, which until that time visited only the waters of blessed memory "Constituciónelle".

In learned societies and in the pages of scientific journals, an endless polemical fuss arose between believers and unbelievers. The monstrous animal served as an exciting topic. Journalists, aficionados of science, in their struggle with their witty adversaries, poured streams of ink into this memorable epic; and some of them even shed two or three drops of blood, because because of this sea serpent, it literally came to fights!

This war lasted for six months with varying success. To serious scientific articles in the journals of the Brazilian Geographical Institute, the Royal Academy of Sciences of Berlin, the British Association, the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, to the discussion of the reputable journals "Indian Archipelago", "Cosmos" by Abbé Moigno, "Mitteylungen" by Petermann, to the scientific notes of reputable French and foreign newspapers the tabloids responded with inexhaustible ridicule. Parodying the saying of Linnaeus, cited by one of the opponents of the monster, the magazine wits argued that "nature does not create fools," and conjured their contemporaries not to offend nature, attributing to it the creation of implausible octopuses, sea snakes, various "Moby Dicks" that exist - de only in the frustrated imagination of sailors! Finally, a popular satirical magazine, represented by famous writer, rushing to the sea miracle, like a new Hippolyte, inflicted on him, with general laughter, the last blow with a humorist's pen. Wit has conquered science.

In the first months of 1867, the question of the newly appeared miracle seemed to be buried, and, apparently, it was not to be resurrected. But then new facts became known to the public. It was no longer a matter of solving an interesting scientific problem, but of a serious real danger. The question has taken on a new light. The sea monster has turned into an island, a rock, a reef, but the reef is wandering, elusive, mysterious!

On March 5, 1867, the steamer Moravia, owned by the Montreal Ocean Company, at 27 o 30 "latitude and 72 o 15" longitude, hit at full speed on underwater rocks that were not indicated on any navigation charts. Thanks to a fair wind and a machine of four hundred horsepower, the steamer made thirteen knots. The blow was so strong that, if the ship's hull did not have exceptional strength, the collision would have ended in the death of the steamer and two hundred and thirty-seven people, counting the crew and passengers that she was carrying from Canada.

The collision happened at about five o'clock in the morning, at dawn. The watch officers rushed to the stern. They examined the surface of the ocean in the most thorough manner. But nothing suspicious was noticed, except for a large wave raised on the water surface at a distance of three cables. Having established the coordinates, Moravia continued on its way without obvious signs of an accident. What happened to the ship? On an underwater reef or on the wreck of a broken ship? Nobody knew this. But later, at the dock, when inspecting the underwater part of the ship, it turned out that part of the keel was damaged.

The incident, serious in itself, would probably have been soon forgotten, like many others, if it had not been repeated under the same conditions three weeks later. And due to the fact that the stricken ship was flying the flag of a major power and belonged to an influential shipping company, the accident received wide publicity.

It helps to understand the features of the work summary. "20 Thousand Leagues Under the Sea" is one of the most famous novels by the famous French science fiction writer J. Verne. The author became famous for the fact that in his writings he skillfully combined the genre of science fiction with an exciting action. In his books, an adventurous and adventurous plot organically accompanies a dynamic story, in which outstanding personalities become participants. They overcome difficult obstacles with the strength of their spirit, will and perseverance and in the end achieve what they want.

Jules Verne became a real master of a fascinating plot. 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea is a novel that any modern blockbuster can envy. After all, it has everything: an exciting story that does not let the reader go until the end of the story, interesting characters, a colorful background.

The book begins with a ship sent to the open sea in order to find out the origin of a mysterious creature that sinks ships. On board are the scientist, Professor Aronax, his secretary Conseil, and harpooner Ned Land. During the journey, the ship encounters this mysterious animal. As a result of the push, the three heroes ended up in the open ocean, but they are saved on the surface of a mysterious object, which turned out to be not a monster, but a submarine. Her captain left his friends on board as prisoners, because he did not want the secret of his invention to become known to anyone else.

He himself took refuge from human society and forever fell in love with the ocean, about which he said: "The sea is perpetual motion, and love, and life." He devoted himself entirely to the study of the underwater depths. And in this regard, he quickly found a common language with the professor. The novel "20 Thousand Leagues Under the Sea", whose main characters got the opportunity to make an amazing trip around the world, is dedicated to the description of the underwater world, as well as the adventures of its crew.

Captain Nemo

To understand schoolchildren in the books of J. Verne will help their summary. "20,000 Leagues Under the Sea" is a work that is the best example in the genre of science fiction. The story is told on behalf of Professor Aronaks. Together with his three friends, by chance, he ended up on board a submarine.

However, the main character is her owner, Captain Nemo. This person is mysterious in every way. The author discovered its origin only in the final part of the trilogy (“The Mysterious Island”). However, even without that, this person arouses the interest of readers with the depth of his knowledge, outstanding mind and love of freedom.

So, we learn that he helps the oppressed peoples to fight for independence. And it was not for nothing that Verne put the following phrase in his mouth, imbued with humanistic pathos: “We need new people, not new continents!” However, the captain is cruel in his anger. Revenging for the death of relatives and comrades, he sinks English ships, terrifying many maritime powers.

Professor Aronax

Admirers of the works of J. Verne may be interested in their summary. "20 Thousand Leagues Under the Sea" is an amazing story about how the narrator, along with his assistant Conseil and harpooner Land, got on the submarine "Nautilus".

Once in the position of honorary prisoners of her captain, they nevertheless got the opportunity to make an exciting trip around the world under the ocean and witness unforgettable events. It is thanks to the professor that the reader gets acquainted with the underwater fauna, and also experiences adventures with him: a walk along Atlantis, sea hunting, penetration into the mouth of a volcano, and many others.

To get an idea about the characters in the work in question will help its summary. "20 Thousand Leagues Under the Sea" is a novel whose characters are distinguished by carefully written characters. The personality of the professor causes deep sympathy: he is smart, educated, accommodating. The author puts into his mouth a phrase full of deep humanistic meaning: "Every person, just because he is a person, is worthy of thinking about him."

console

A brief summary helps to understand the features of the characters of the heroes of the work. 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea is a book characters which, in their originality, are not inferior to the plot. Professor Konsel's assistant turned out to be especially colorful. This is a calm and phlegmatic young man who is completely devoted to his master and science.

So, during a shipwreck, he jumped after him into the sea, risking his life. During the journey of the Nautilus, he repeatedly helped his comrades with his advice. This character also carries a comedic load, as he constantly flaunts scientific terms throughout the story. In addition, his composure and equanimity, even at the most critical moments, will make the reader smile more than once.

Ned Land

Jules Verne is one of the most famous science fiction writers. 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea is the best example of science fiction. In addition, the writer gave the reader interesting characters for whom you really want to worry and sympathize with them.

Ned Land is a harpooner who also fell into the sea during a shipwreck. This is a very simple, practical, open person, whose remarks about the adventures taking place with him will make the reader smile more than once: “I do not regret that I had a chance to make an underwater trip. I will remember it with pleasure, but for this it is necessary that it ends. At the same time, he is a very enterprising and energetic man. So, it was he who organized and arranged the escape from the Nautilus.

Place in the work of the author

20,000 Leagues Under the Sea is a novel that is part of an adventure series written by Verne. This is an outstanding work in which the creative principles of the writer found the most total reflection. Perhaps it was in this book that he managed to immerse his reader in the world of science and technology in the most fascinating way. The work "20 Thousand Leagues Under the Sea", whose quotes prove the author's humanistic pathos, still enjoys the love of readers today.

Nemo, captain (Prince Dakkar) - explorer of the deep sea, inventor and owner of the fantastic submarine "Nautilus", which from time to time appears on the surface of the seas, is perceived by everyone as a kind of supernatural and dangerous representative of cetaceans, becoming the object of not only curiosity, but also hunting .

The ship "Abraham Lincoln", which specially went in search of an unknown "animal", is defeated in a fight with him. The miraculously surviving natural scientist Pierre Aronax, his servant Conseil and the whaler Ned Land find themselves on board the Nautilus, become prisoners of N. and travel with him around the world, passing twenty thousand leagues under water; these events form the plot of the novel of the same name. The name of the hero is symbolic (lat. Nemo - nobody). N.'s past is shrouded in mystery, his conflict with society, which led to the final break, and his real name. Escape from the world and the lack of clarity of his motivation, spiritual loneliness, kinship with a powerful element - all this gives the appearance of N. the features of a romantic hero.

The narration is conducted on behalf of Pierre Aronax, who, understanding the whole originality of N.'s personality, tries to be objective. Constantly declared hatred of humanity, which in the mind of N. is identified with the idea of ​​violence and injustice, and his periodically undertaken search for contact with people; passionate love of freedom and deliberate confinement of oneself in the limited space of the Nautilus; sometimes frightening severity, emphasized restraint and moments of spiritual liberation given to playing the organ - such obvious contradictions cannot escape the gaze of a close observer, which is Aronax.

However, the atmosphere of mystery is preserved almost until the end of the story. Only in the last chapters of the novel "The Mysterious Island" does the author shed light on the mystery of N., who turns out to be the omniscient and omnipresent patron of the island, on which the events described, typical of Robinsonade, unfold. N. saved the lives of the inhabitants of the island, who, not guessing to whom they owe their lives, relied on him as a providence. His "Nautilus" found its last refuge in the waters of the Pacific Ocean. Feeling the approach of death, N. decides to reveal himself to people: outbursts of compassion, a desire to help them melted the ice of misanthropy in him.

Telling the story of his life, half of which was spent in voluntary sea imprisonment, N. appears as a spiritual brother of romantic heroes, whose fate is always injustice and persecution. An Indian by origin, brilliantly gifted and having received a versatile education in Europe, Prince Dakkar (such is the true name of N.) led an uprising in his homeland against English rule; the uprising ended in defeat. Death did not spare any of Dakkar's friends and members of his family. Filled with hatred for everything that happens in the world, not knowing what freedom and independence are, he found refuge from the evil done in the world under water, in the depths of the seas.

Nemo, captain (Prince Dakkar) - explorer of the deep sea, inventor and owner of the fantastic submarine "Nautilus", which from time to time appears on the surface of the seas, is perceived by everyone as a kind of supernatural and dangerous representative of cetaceans, becoming the object of not only curiosity, but also hunting . The ship "Abraham Lincoln", which specially went in search of an unknown "animal", is defeated in a fight with him. The miraculously surviving natural scientist Pierre Aronax, his servant Conseil and the whaler Ned Land find themselves on board the Nautilus, become prisoners of N. and travel with him around the world, passing twenty thousand leagues under water; these events form the plot of the novel of the same name. The name of the hero is symbolic (lat. Nemo - nobody). N.'s past is shrouded in mystery, his conflict with society, which led to the final break, and his real name. Escape from the world and the lack of clarity of his motivation, spiritual loneliness, kinship with a powerful element - all this gives the appearance of N. the features of a romantic hero. The narration is conducted on behalf of Pierre Aronax, who, understanding the whole originality of N.'s personality, tries to be objective. Constantly declared hatred of humanity, which in the mind of N. is identified with the idea of ​​violence and injustice, and his periodically undertaken search for contact with people; passionate love of freedom and deliberate confinement of oneself in the limited space of the Nautilus; sometimes frightening severity, emphasized restraint and moments of spiritual liberation given to playing the organ - such obvious contradictions cannot escape the gaze of a close observer, which is Aronax. However, the atmosphere of mystery is preserved almost until the end of the story. Only in the last chapters of the novel "The Mysterious Island" does the author shed light on the mystery of N., who turns out to be the omniscient and omnipresent patron of the island, on which the events described, typical of Robinsonade, unfold. N. saved the lives of the inhabitants of the island, who, not guessing to whom they owe their lives, relied on him as a providence. His "Nautilus" found its last refuge in the waters of the Pacific Ocean. Feeling the approach of death, N. decides to reveal himself to people: outbursts of compassion, a desire to help them melted the ice of misanthropy in him. Telling the story of his life, half of which was spent in voluntary sea imprisonment, N. appears as a spiritual brother of romantic heroes, whose fate is always injustice and persecution. An Indian by origin, brilliantly gifted and having received a versatile education in Europe, Prince Dakkar (such is the true name of N.) led an uprising in his homeland against English rule; the uprising ended in defeat. Death did not spare any of Dakkar's friends and members of his family. Filled with hatred for everything that happens in the world, not knowing what freedom and independence are, he found refuge from the evil done in the world under water, in the depths of the seas.

Jules Verne

"Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea"

Part one

For the first time, sailors saw this “long, phosphorescent, spindle-shaped object” of enormous size in 1866. It moved incredibly fast and spewed powerful jets of water into the air. Scientists considered the object to be a huge sea monster, and journalists and cartoonists turned it into a popular joke.

In 1867, a steamer ran into the “monster”, and a little later it attacked the mail ship itself, making a triangular hole in the bottom of the ship sheathed with sheet iron. It became dangerous to sail the seas. When the largest countries in the world declared that they had not created an underwater vehicle, scientists were finally convinced that the object was a huge cetacean animal. Professor of the Paris Museum, naturalist Pierre Aronax suggested that this is an unusually large narwhal that rose from the ocean abyss and attacked the ship with its sharp horn.

The monster had to be destroyed. For this, the high-speed frigate Abraham Lincoln was equipped. Together with the forty-year-old Aronnax and his faithful, phlegmatic servant Conseil of thirty years old, the best Canadian whaler Ned Land, a tall, strong man with a strong-willed and explosive character, got on the expedition. The ship under the command of Captain Faragut, equipped with the latest technology, headed for the Pacific Ocean, where the "narwhal" was seen in last time.

On the way, the professor and the whaler became friends. The stubborn Ned, the only one of the whole team, did not believe in the existence of the "giant narwhal", considering all the stories about him to be newspaper "ducks". The captain promised 2,000 dollars to the one who first noticed the monster. Dozens of eyes followed the ocean, but the "narwhal" still did not appear. Three months later, the crew of the frigate lost their last hope. At noon on November 5, the captain turned "towards the European seas", and late in the evening, the vigilant Ned Land saw the "narwhal". The captain tried to catch up with the monster all day on November 6, but it eluded, infuriating Faragut and Ned. The iron balls of a special cannon bounced off the skin of the Narwhal. In the evening, the frigate managed to get closer. Ned threw his harpoon, which bounced off the monster's back with a metallic clang. The Narwhal unleashed powerful jets of water onto the deck, which washed the Aronax into the ocean.

Having come to his senses, the professor found next to him the faithful Conseil, who jumped after his master. It was not necessary to count on salvation - the propeller of the frigate was broken, and the ship could not return. After staying on the water for several hours and exhausted, Aronax and Conseil heard someone's voice and swam towards the sound. Soon the professor came across some kind of solid body and lost consciousness. He woke up on the back of a narwhal in the company of a servant and Ned Land. The whaler was thrown into the water upon impact, but he quickly climbed onto the monster's back, which turned out to be iron.

Suddenly the ship started moving. Some time later, his speed increased so much that his friends could hardly stay on the surface. Feeling that the ship was sinking, the friends began to knock on metal sheathing. “Eight burly fellows with covered faces” came out of the hatch and led them inside the submarine.

The captives were locked in a room upholstered with sheet iron. After a while, a tall man entered them, handsome man with a proud posture and a firm, calm look. He pretended not to understand any European language and soon left the room. Friends spent several days in their dungeon. All this time the submarine was in motion, and Ned Land was angry and made plans to escape.

Their confinement was broken by the same handsome man. He spoke to the professor in French and introduced himself as Captain Nemo (Latin for Nobody). The captain intended to give his captives complete freedom within the ship if they would promise not to interfere in his affairs. Aronnax realized "that a terrible secret was hidden in this man's past." He severed all ties with the earth. His captives were doomed to the same.

Nemo's ship, the Nautilus, was built according to the plans of the captain. Parts of the Nautilus made in different countries, were put together in Captain Nemo's own shipyard. The boat was powered by electrical energy obtained from huge sodium batteries. The ship's crew received everything necessary for life from the ocean. Even clothing fabrics were made from algae. The Nautilus rose to the surface only to determine its location, renew its air supply and hunt in a special waterproof boat, which was stored under an external ledge on the ship's hull. Having received a promise from friends, Nemo showed Aronax all the wonders of the Nautilus, including a spacious library and a salon-museum with the wonders of the deep sea. The captain took the professor a cabin next to his and offered to participate in his scientific research. The captives did not communicate with the crew of the ship - the sailors spoke some kind of artificial language and were completely devoted to the captain. Nemo considered the crew of the Nautilus to be his family.

Nemo was going to circumnavigate the Earth's oceans. Having determined his location for the last time, he sank the ship to 50 meters and sluggishly headed east-northeast along the Kuro-Sivo (Black River). On that day, November 8, friends first saw the wonders of the deep through the thick crystal windows of the Nautilus, which were closed with iron shutters and opened for several hours a day. On November 10, Aronax began to keep a diary on seaweed paper.

Five days later, the professor and his companions received a written invitation from Nemo to hunt in the forests of the island of Crespo. Ned Land immediately thought of escaping, but to his dismay the hunt turned out to be underwater. The harpooner did not dare to put on a rubber suit with a copper helmet, equipped with a cylinder of compressed air and a lighting apparatus. Together with Nemo and the silent members of his team, Aronax went hunting with the faithful Conseil, not a step behind the owner. The scientist was amazed by this underwater walk through the algae forest. Nemo showed miracles of accuracy, killing an albatross hovering above the water with an air gun. The friends returned to the Nautilus after shooting a sea otter and narrowly avoiding the sharks.

In the weeks that followed, the professor saw Nemo very rarely. Every morning, the Nautilus surfaced to determine the coordinates, and in the afternoon the captain opened the shutters on the windows. On November 26, the submarine crossed the Tropic of Cancer, passed the Sandwich Islands and headed southeast past Hawaii and the Marquesas Islands. All these archipelagos Aronax saw only from a distance. After passing the Tropic of Capricorn, the Nautilus turned west-northwest and passed the island of Tahiti. By this time, the ship had traveled 8,100 miles.

On January 4, the Nautilus approached the Torres Strait, which separated Australia from New Guinea. Many ships perished in this dangerous strait, but Nemo decided to pass through it and ran aground near the island of Gweboroara. Calling this incident "accidental interference", the captain began to calmly wait for the full moon on January 9, during which a strong tide would begin and remove the submarine from the shallows. Aronax doubted that the tide would help, but Ned was sure that the Nautilus would no longer have to plow the oceans.

Taking advantage of the forced parking, friends asked to go ashore, where they stocked up on fresh meat, which Ned missed so much. Their hunt, which lasted several days, was interrupted by a crowd of bloodthirsty natives. Friends were forced to hide from them on the Nautilus. Overcoming fear, the Papuans attacked the submarine. Despite Nemo's calmness, friends gathered to fight the cannibals, but at that time the tide began, and the Nautilus rose from its coral bed. "The ship headed for the Indian Ocean.

Nemo was constantly working scientific research. Talking about the study of density sea ​​water, the captain mentioned the Mediterranean Sea. Aronax concluded that Nemo also happens in densely populated areas. On January 18, the Nautilus did not sink for a long time - Nemo seemed to be waiting for someone in the middle of the desert ocean. Through a telescope, Aronax noticed a ship on the horizon, but then the captain knocked the telescope out of his hands and demanded to fulfill his promise. Friends had to comply. So that they would not see anything superfluous, sleeping pills were mixed into their food.

Waking up, the professor met with Nemo, who asked him to provide medical assistance to the wounded from the Nautilus team. The sailor's skull was broken, and Aronax could not help him in any way. The unfortunate man was buried at the bottom of the ocean, where Captain Nemo built a small cemetery for his loved ones.

Part two

After this strange incident, Aronax was at a loss: who was the mysterious Captain Nemo - a scientist, an unrecognized genius, or an avenger. Friends still remained prisoners of the Nautilus, but the freedom-loving Ned Land did not lose hope of escaping from the underwater dungeon. Aronax, on the other hand, wanted to complete his round-the-world trip and finish his new scientific work. Conseil also took considerable pleasure in doing his favorite thing - the classification of the inhabitants of the underwater world.

January 26 "Nautilus" crossed the equator, and January 28 approached the island of Ceylon. Here Nemo arranged for his friends a walk along the pearly shallows of the Gulf of Manara. There were many sharks in this bay, so the professor accepted the captain's invitation without enthusiasm, but did not dare to refuse, thereby admitting his cowardice. To his surprise, neither Ned nor Conseil was alarmed by the news of the sharks. Guns this time were not allocated to friends - Nemo armed them only with daggers. First of all, the captain took his companions to an underwater grotto and showed a huge shell in which a pearl the size of a coconut was ripening. Nemo grew this jewel for his museum.

Coming out of the grotto, the satellites saw how a shark attacked an Indian, a pearl diver. Nemo charged at her with a knife. A fight ensued. The wounded shark crushed the captain with its carcass and opened its mouth full of terrible teeth. At this moment, Ned Land killed the spear fish, which he prudently took with him, and saved Captain Nemo's life. Bringing the Hindu to his senses, the captain gave him the pearls collected during the walk. Aronach noticed that compassion had not yet died in Nemo. In response, the captain declared that he would always be the protector of the oppressed.

On February 7, the ship passed the Gulf of Aden and entered the Red Sea, from which, according to Aronax, there was only one way out. Nemo, however, intended to cross from the Red Sea to the Mediterranean through a passage known only to him, located under the Isthmus of Suez. The captain named it the Arabian Tunnel. Ned Land, skeptical as always, nevertheless hoped to get into the Mediterranean and escape.

Nemo made the passage through the tunnel on the night of February 11th. The transition was witnessed by Aronax, kindly invited to the captain's cabin, protruding above the Nautilus hull and protected by thick crystal glasses. The passage through the tunnel, illuminated by the ship's powerful searchlight, took several minutes. In the morning, seeing Port Said in the distance, Ned again spoke of escape, but the professor did not want to part with the Nautilus and the opportunity to explore the inaccessible corners of the oceans. Conseil agreed with Aronnax, and Ned was outnumbered. The harpooner believed that Nemo would not let them go of his own free will and made the professor promise to run away at the first opportunity. Ned wanted to get under the boat's watertight casing and come up with it when the Nautilus was close to habitable shore.

On February 14, Aronnax noticed that the captain was waiting for something. Watching over marine life, the professor noticed a swimmer who turned out to be an acquaintance of the captain. Seeing him, he took out gold bars from the safe, filled a large chest with them and wrote the address in Greek. Mighty sailors pulled him out of the saloon, and soon a boat set sail from the Nautilus.

Nemo did not like the Mediterranean Sea, and the Nautilus crossed it in 48 hours. The ship's speed was so great that Ned had to forget about escaping. On February 18, the submarine entered the Atlantic Ocean. The harpooner decided not to wait until the Nautilus left the inhabited places, and scheduled an escape for the evening. Finding no peace, Aronax went into the captain's cabin, the walls of which were decorated with portraits of freedom fighters. The professor had a thought: was Nemo financing some kind of revolution?

The captain prevented the escape of friends. He invited Aronax to take a walk to the sunken Spanish galleon full of gold. The professor realized that the captain had inexhaustible sources of wealth. The next morning, the Nautilus was far from the shores of Europe. On the evening of February 19, Aronax was waiting for a new underwater walk. For a long time he climbed after Nemo along the rocks, in the crevices of which giant crabs were waiting for their prey, through a forest of petrified trees. Behind the rocks was an active volcano, the light of which illuminated a huge, once inhabited plain. It was Atlantis. The incredible walk of the Aronnax continued all night.

On the morning of February 21, the Nautilus entered the underwater grotto of a desert island. This was his secret haven. A cave with a small lake, where the ship ended up, was formed inside an extinct volcano. Here Nemo stocked up with coal, indispensable in the production of sodium for electric batteries. While the sailors were loading coal, the friends explored the cave, but they did not find a ground exit from it.

Leaving the island, the Nautilus crossed the Sargasso Sea and turned south. By March 13, the ship had traveled 13,000 leagues. Friends had a chance to sink to the bottom of the Atlantic Ocean, and returning to the surface to watch how a flock of predatory sperm whales attacked a herd of whales. Standing up for these harmless animals, Nemo, with the help of a sharp spire on the nose of the Nautilus, destroyed almost all predators.

Ned Land was burdened by the journey. He hoped that, having reached the South Pole, the captain would turn back into the Pacific Ocean and head for the inhabited shores. March 14 travelers saw the first accumulation of ice. On March 18, when the Nautilus was completely frozen over, Nemo told Aronnax that he intended to get to the geographic south pole by swimming under the ice. The professor enthusiastically took up the idea, and the skeptic Ned shrugged his shoulders and locked himself in his cabin.

Nemo's experience was a success. March 19 "Nautilus" rose to the surface near a small island, separated by a narrow strait from an unknown mainland. The sky was cloudy, then a snowstorm began, and Nemo was able to determine the coordinates on March 21, at the last moment of the polar day. The ship was indeed at the geographic south pole of the Earth. The captain hoisted a black flag on the island with the letter "N" embroidered in gold.

On the way back, the Nautilus got into trouble: a huge iceberg capsized and trapped the ship in an ice trap. The team began to cut through one of the walls of the ice corridor. Ned Land, Aronax and Conseil participated in the rescue work along with Captain Nemo. Meanwhile, the water in the trap began to freeze, the walls of the ice tunnel shrinking, threatening to crush the Nautilus. The captain solved this problem by heating the water in the submarine's tanks and mixing boiling water with the icy water of the trap. Shortly before the end of work, the Nautilus ran out of air. In an effort to escape from a painful death, Nemo raised the ship and broke through the remaining layer of ice with it. Ned and Conseil did their best to prolong the professor's life, but Aronax was already in agony from suffocation when the ship rose to the surface.

March 31 "Nautilus" passed Cape Horn and turned into the Atlantic Ocean. To the annoyance of Ned Land, the ship passed Brazil at a very high speed. The chance to escape was again lost. The escape to the coast of French Guiana had to be canceled due to a severe storm. The friends had been prisoners of the Nautilus for six months, having sailed 17,000 leagues in that time. Aronax noticed that Captain Nemo had changed, became sullen, unsociable and hid in his cabin for most of the day.

On April 20, the Nautilus team had to repel an attack by giant squids. The horny jaws of one of the monsters got stuck in the propeller of the vessel, and the crew had to arm themselves with axes to clear the surface of the submarine from cephalopods. During the fight, one of the sailors of the Nautilus was killed. Ned was also in mortal danger, but Nemo saved him, thereby paying his debt.

For ten days Nemo yearned for his dead comrade. On May 1, the ship returned to its previous course and sailed north along the Gulf Stream. Ned Land forced Aronnax to speak frankly with the captain. The professor did not want his scientific work to be buried under water, which Nemo said. In response, the captain showed the scientist a small, non-sinking apparatus, which will contain all the work after the death of Nemo. The device will be thrown into the ocean, and someday the professor's notes will get to people. “He who entered the Nautilus will not leave it,” Nemo added. The matter was resolved, and the friends decided to flee when the ship passed near Long Island. However, a storm prevented them from realizing the plan again.

The storm threw the ship far from the coast, and Ned Land was completely desperate. Passing along the underwater plateau on which the transatlantic telegraph cable rested, the Nautilus turned south. On June 1, Nemo found the place where the rebel ship "Avenger" from the fleet of the French Republic sank. Honoring the memory of this freedom fighter, Nemo's ship rose to the surface and was fired upon by guns from an unknown armored ship. Ned Land tried to signal for help, which angered Nemo. The captain sank the ship, taking revenge on the enemy who took away his "fatherland, wife, children, father and mother" from him, although Aronax tried to prevent him from destroying innocent lives. Then Nemo fell to his knees before the portrait of a young woman with two children and sobbed bitterly.

Now the Nautilus moved mostly under water, and Nemo did not leave his cabin. The ship was left unattended, and Ned decided to run, seeing some land on the horizon. The fugitives got into the boat, and then the Nautilus landed in the Maelstrom - a terrible whirlpool off the coast of Norway. Friends wanted to return, but the boat was torn off from the submarine. Aronax hit his head and lost consciousness.

The professor woke up in a fisherman's hut from the Lofoten Islands, next to his friends. No one else heard about the Nautilus, but the professor did not forget about the journey of 20 thousand leagues and published his notes. retold Yulia Peskovaya

Part one

In 1866, a strange object was first noticed by sailors. He moved at great speed, so scientists suggested that this is a sea monster that needs to be caught. Navigation on the seas became quite dangerous.

An item resembling a monster must be destroyed. The frigate "Abraham Lincoln" was equipped for this operation. Aronax, his servant Conseil and the best Canadian whaler Ned Land were sent on the expedition. Very soon, the professor and the whaler found a common language, but Ned did not believe in the existence of a "giant narwhal." For a long time, no one could find the monster, but on November 5, the sharp-sighted Ned Land saw the "narwhal". Trying to catch up with him, the monster brought powerful jets of water onto the deck, Aronax ended up in the ocean. Conseil rushed to his aid, but the ship could not return. After some time, they were on the solid body of the "narwhal", the back of the monster was iron.

Once inside the submarine, the captives were locked in a dungeon, where they spent several days. Ned Land was angry and did not lose hope of escaping. They were soon visited by a handsome man who introduced himself as Captain Nemo. The Nautilus rose to the surface only when a new portion of air was required.

Very soon, the hostages saw the beauty of the underwater world. Some time later, Nemo invited his companions to hunt. Ned Land immediately plans an escape, but to his dismay, the hunt was underwater. Nemo spent whole days doing various studies, about which his friends promised to keep silent.

Part two

After all the events, Aronax did not know what to think: who is the mysterious Captain Nemo - a scientist, a genius, or an avenger. Ned Land continued to make plans to escape, and Aronnax wanted to stay here until the end of the journey. On January 28, he approached the island of Ceylon, where he showed his friends a pearl shell. Nemo raised her for his museum.

On February 11, Nemo makes the transition through the tunnel, which took only a few minutes. The harpooner kept dreaming of escaping, he was definitely sure that Nemo would never let him go, so he made the professor promise: at the first opportunity, they would run away together. Whenever Ned Land was about to run, something always interfered with him: a strong storm, sharks, a captain, the speed of a submarine when crossing the Mediterranean Sea. Nemo owned enormous wealth.

Vsore "Nautilus" falls into an ice trap. Everyone fought with all their might for survival. After the squid attack, the sailor dies and Ned almost dies, Nemo comes to his aid.

For more than a week, Nemo yearned for his comrade, after which Ned Land forced Aronax to speak frankly with the captain. As a result, it turned out that all the works after the death of Nemo will be placed in a special apparatus that will be in the ocean. Soon no one looked after the ship and Ned decided to run. At this time, a terrible whirlpool begins, they wanted to return, but it was too late - the boat was torn off from the submarine. The Nautilus was never seen again, and the professor published notes 20,000 leagues long.

Compositions

Captain Nemo's "Nautilus" is not only a literary phenomenon Jules Verne "Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea"