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Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea
Chapter 25. A NOVEL PROPOSAL OF CAPTAIN NEMO'S
On the 28th of February, at noon the Nautilus came to the surface of the sea in 9 4' N. lat.
There was land in sight about eight miles to the west.
The first thing I noticed was a range of mountains about two thousand feet high, with very unusual shapes.
After taking the bearings, I knew that we were nearing the island of Ceylon, the pearl that hangs from the lobe of the Indian Peninsula.
Captain Nemo and his second appeared at this moment.
The Captain glanced at the map, then he turned to me and said,
"The Island of Ceylon is famous for its pearl-fisheries. Would you like to visit one of them, M. Aronnax?"
"Certainly, Captain."
"Well, it's easy."
"Though, if we see the fisheries, we won't see the fishermen."
"The yearly export hasn't started yet."
"Never mind, I'll give orders to head for the Gulf of Manaar, where we'll arrive tonight."
The Captain said something to his second, who immediately went out.
Soon the Nautilus returned to her native element, and the manometer showed that she was about thirty feet deep.
"Well, sir," said Captain Nemo.
"You and your companions will visit the Bank of Manaar, and if by chance some fisherman is there, we'll see him at work."
"Agreed, Captain!"
"By the way, M. Aronnax, you're not afraid of sharks, are you?"
"Sharks!" I exclaimed.
This question seemed very hard to answer.
"Well?" continued Captain Nemo.
"I admit, Captain, that I'm not yet very familiar with that kind of fish."
"We're used to them," replied Captain Nemo.
In time you'll be too. We'll be armed, and on the way might hunt some. It's interesting. Until tomorrow, sir, and early.
After saying this in a careless tone, Captain Nemo left the saloon.
Now, if you were invited to hunt bears in the mountains of Switzerland, what would you say?
"Very well! Tomorrow we'll go and hunt the bear."
If you were asked to hunt lions in the plains of Atlas, or tigers in the Indian jungles, what would you say?
"Ha! ha! It seems we're going to hunt the tiger or the lion!"
But when you're invited to hunt the shark in its natural element, you might think twice before accepting.
As for me, I passed my hand over my forehead, which was covered with large drops of cold sweat.
"Let's think," I said, "and take our time."
"Hunting otters in underwater forests, like we did on the Island of Crespo, is fine."
"But going up and down at the sea bottom, where you're almost sure to meet sharks, is quite another thing."
"I know people in the Andaman Islands attack sharks with a knife and rope, though few return alive. I'm not one of them, so hesitation seems wise."
At this moment Conseil and the Canadian entered, quite calm and even happy.
They didn't know what was waiting for them.
"Honestly, sir," said Ned Land, "your Captain Nemo, the devil take him, has just made us a very nice offer."
"Ah!" I said, "you know?"
"If it's okay with you, sir,"
"Interrupted Conseil, "The commander of the Nautilus invited us to visit the Ceylon fisheries tomorrow with you, he was kind and gentlemanly.
"He didn't say anything else?"
"Nothing else, sir, except that he'd already talked to you about this little walk."
"Sir," said Conseil, "could you give us some details about the pearl fishery?"
"About the fishing itself," I asked, "or the incidents?"
"About the fishing," replied the Canadian.
"Before we go into the area, it's good to know something about it."
"Very well. Sit down, my friends, and I'll teach you."
Ned and Conseil sat down on an ottoman, and the first thing the Canadian asked was,
"Sir, what's a pearl?"
"My good Ned,"
I answered, "To a poet, a pearl is a tear of the sea."
"To people from the East, it's a drop of dew that has become solid."
"To ladies, it's an oblong jewel that shines like mother-of-pearl and is worn on fingers, necks, or ears."
"For a chemist, it's phosphate and carbonate of lime with some gelatine, and for naturalists it's a sick secretion from the mother-of-pearl organ".
"Branch of molluscs," said Conseil.
"Exactly, my learned Conseil".
Among these shellfish, the ear-shell, the tridacnae, and the turbots can produce pearls.
These are the shellfish that produce mother-of-pearl.
Mother-of-pearl is the blue, bluish, violet, or white substance that lines the inside of their shells.
"Mussels too?" asked the Canadian.
"Yes, mussels from certain waters in Scotland, Wales, Ireland, Saxony, Bohemia, and France."
"Good! From now on, I'll pay attention," replied the Canadian.
"But," I continued, "the mollusc that produces the pearl is the pearl-oyster, the meleagrina margaritifera."
"The pearl is a nacreous formation deposited in a round shape."
"It can be stuck to the oyster's shell or buried in the creature's folds."
"On the shell it is fixed, in the flesh it is loose, and it always has a small hard core, maybe an egg or sand."
"Are many pearls found in the same oyster?" asked Conseil.
"Yes, my boy."
"Some are like a perfect treasure box."
"One oyster has been mentioned, though I doubt it, as having contained no less than a hundred and fifty sharks."
"A hundred and fifty sharks!" exclaimed Ned Land.
"Did I say sharks?" I said quickly.
"I meant to say a hundred and fifty pearls. Sharks wouldn't make sense."
"Certainly not," said Conseil.
"But can you tell us now how they take out these pearls?"
"They do it in different ways."
"When the pearls stick to the shell, the fishermen often pull them off with pincers."
"But the most common way is to lay the oysters on mats of seaweed that cover the banks."
"So they die in the open air."
"After ten days, they're in an advanced state of decay."
"Then they're put into large tanks of sea-water."
"Then they're opened and washed."
"The price of these pearls changes according to their size?" asked Conseil.
"Not only according to their size,"
"I answered, "Not only size, but also shape, water, colour, and shine affect their price.
"That bright, sparkling quality makes them lovely to the eye".
"The most beautiful are called virgin pearls or paragons, and they form alone in the mollusc's tissue".
"They are white, often opaque, and sometimes have the transparency of an opal".
"They are usually round or oval, round ones become bracelets, oval ones become pendants, and the best are sold one by one".
"Those stuck to the oyster's shell are irregular and sold by weight, while small seed-pearls are sold by measure for church embroidery".
"But," said Conseil, "is this pearl-fishery dangerous?"
"No," I answered quickly, "especially if you take certain precautions."
"What does a person risk in such a job?" said Ned Land.
"Swallowing a few mouthfuls of sea-water?"
"As you say, Ned. By the way," I said, trying to copy Captain Nemo's careless tone, "are you afraid of sharks, brave Ned?"
"Me!" replied the Canadian.
"A harpooner by profession? It's my job to make light of them."
"But," I said, "this isn't about fishing for them with an iron hook, you pull them into the ship."
"Then you cut off their tails with a blow from a chopper, cut them open, and throw their heart into the sea"!
"Then, it's about, "
"Exactly."
"In the water?"
"In the water."
"Honestly, with a good harpoon! You know, sir, these sharks are badly made creatures. They turn on their bellies to grab you, and in that time, "
Ned Land had a way of saying "grab" that made my blood run cold.
"Well, and you, Conseil, what do you think of sharks?"
"Me!" said Conseil.
"I'll be honest, sir."
"So much the better," I thought.
"If you, sir, mean to face the sharks, I don't see why your faithful servant shouldn't face them with you."