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Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea
Chapter 5. AT A VENTURE
The voyage of the Abraham Lincoln was marked by no special incident for a long time.
But one thing happened that showed Ned Land's wonderful skill and proved how much we could trust him.
On the 30th of June, the frigate spoke to some American whalers.
We learned from them that they knew nothing about the narwhal.
But one of them, the captain of the Monroe, knew that Ned Land had joined the Abraham Lincoln.
He asked for Ned's help in chasing a whale they had seen.
Commander Farragut wanted to see Ned Land at work, so he gave him permission to go on board the Monroe.
And luck served our Canadian so well that instead of one whale, he harpooned two with a double blow.
He struck one straight to the heart and caught the other after a few minutes' chase.
Clearly, if the monster ever had to deal with Ned Land's harpoon, I wouldn't bet on the monster.
The frigate moved along the south-east coast of America very quickly.
On the 3rd of July, we were at the opening of the Straits of Magellan, level with Cape Vierges.
But Commander Farragut wouldn't take a difficult passage, Instead, he went around Cape Horn.
The ship's crew agreed with him, and certainly it was possible that they might meet the narwhal in that narrow pass.
Many of the sailors said that the monster couldn't pass there, "that he was too big for that!"
On the 6th of July, about three o'clock in the afternoon, the Abraham Lincoln, fifteen miles to the south, went around the lonely island.
This lost rock at the end of the American continent was named Cape Horn by some Dutch sailors after their home town.
The course was set towards the north-west.
The next day, the frigate's screw was finally beating the waters of the Pacific.
"Keep your eyes open!" the sailors shouted.
And they kept their eyes wide open, watching every ripple of the sea.
Both eyes and glasses, a little dazzled by the thought of two thousand dollars, had no rest at all.
Day and night they watched the surface of the ocean.
Even people who could see in the dark, whose ability multiplies their chances a hundred times, would have had enough to do to win the prize.
I myself, for whom money had no attraction, wasn't the least attentive on board.
I gave only a few minutes to my meals and only a few hours to sleep.
I didn't care about rain or sunshine.
I didn't leave the poop of the ship.
Now I leaned on the netting of the forecastle, now on the taffrail.
I eagerly watched the soft foam that whitened the sea as far as I could see.
And how often did I share the excitement of most of the crew when some playful whale raised its black back above the waves!
The poop of the ship was crowded in a moment.
The cabins poured out a flood of sailors and officers, each with a beating heart and troubled eyes watching the course of the whale.
I looked and looked until I was nearly blind.
Meanwhile, Conseil, always calm, kept repeating in a quiet voice,
"If, sir, you wouldn't squint so much, you'd see better!"
But it was useless excitement! The Abraham Lincoln slowed down and moved towards the animal that was signalled.
It was a simple whale or common cachalot, which soon disappeared in a storm of curses.
But the weather was good, the voyage was happening under the best conditions.
It was then the bad season in Australia.
The July of that area corresponds to our January in Europe.
But the sea was beautiful and easy to watch over a large area.
On the 20th of July, we crossed the tropic of Capricorn at 105 degrees of longitude.
On the 27th of the same month, we crossed the equator on the 110th meridian.
After that, the frigate took a more decided westerly direction and searched the central waters of the Pacific.
Commander Farragut thought, and with reason, that it was better to stay in deep water and keep away from continents or islands.
The beast itself seemed to avoid them, perhaps because there wasn't enough water for him! most of the crew suggested.
The frigate passed at some distance from the Marquesas and the Sandwich Islands, crossed the tropic of Cancer, and headed for the China Seas.
We were on the stage of the monster's last movements.
And to tell the truth, we no longer lived on board.
Hearts beat fast, fearfully preparing themselves for future incurable illness.
The whole ship's crew was suffering from nervous excitement that I can't describe, they couldn't eat, they couldn't sleep.
Twenty times a day, a mistake or an optical illusion by some sailor sitting on the taffrail caused terrible sweating.
And these emotions, repeated twenty times, kept us in such a violent state of excitement that a reaction was unavoidable.
And truly, the reaction soon showed itself.
For three months, during which a day seemed like an age, the Abraham Lincoln covered all the waters of the Northern Pacific.
It chased whales, made sharp turns, changed direction, stopped, put on steam, and often backed up at risk of damaging its machinery.
Not one point of the Japanese or American coast was left unexplored.
The warmest supporters of the enterprise now became its most bitter critics.
The reaction moved from the crew to the captain himself.
And certainly, if it hadn't been for Captain Farragut's strong determination, the frigate would have headed due south.
This useless search couldn't last much longer.
The Abraham Lincoln had nothing to blame itself for.
It had done its best to succeed.
Never had an American ship's crew shown more energy or patience.
Its failure couldn't be blamed on them.
There was nothing left but to return.
This was explained to the commander, the sailors couldn't hide their unhappiness, and the service suffered.
I won't say there was a mutiny on board.
But after a reasonable period of stubbornness, Captain Farragut, like Columbus did, asked for three days' patience.
If the monster didn't appear in three days, the helmsman should give three turns and the Abraham Lincoln would head for Europe's seas.
This promise was made on the 2nd of November.
It had the effect of bringing the ship's crew together again.
The ocean was watched with renewed attention.
Each person wanted one last look to remember, Glasses were used with feverish activity.
It was a great challenge given to the giant narwhal, and he could hardly fail to answer the call and "appear."
Two days passed, the steam was at half pressure.
A thousand schemes were tried to attract the attention and wake up the animal in case it was in those parts.
Large amounts of bacon were dragged behind the ship, to the great satisfaction, I must say, of the sharks.
Small boats went in all directions around the Abraham Lincoln as it lay still, and didn't leave any spot of the sea unexplored.
But the night of the 4th of November arrived without the unveiling of this underwater mystery.
The next day, the 5th of November, at twelve, the delay would, morally speaking, end.
After that time, Commander Farragut, faithful to his promise, would turn the course to the south-east and leave the northern regions of the Pacific forever.
The frigate was then at 31 degrees 15 minutes north latitude and 136 degrees 42 minutes east longitude.
The coast of Japan still remained less than two hundred miles to the leeward.
Night was coming, they had just struck eight bells.
Large clouds covered the face of the moon, which was then in its first quarter.
The sea moved peacefully under the stern of the ship.
At that moment I was leaning forward on the starboard netting.
Conseil, standing near me, was looking straight ahead.
The crew, sitting in the ratlines, examined the horizon, which grew smaller and darker by degrees.
Officers with their night glasses searched the growing darkness.
Sometimes the ocean sparkled under the rays of the moon, which darted between two clouds.
Then all trace of light was lost in the darkness.
Looking at Conseil, I could see that he was feeling a little of the general influence.
At least I thought so, Perhaps for the first time his nerves vibrated with curiosity.
"Come, Conseil," I said, "this is the last chance to get the two thousand dollars."
"May I be permitted to say, sir," replied Conseil.
"That I never counted on getting the prize."
"And if the government of the Union had offered a hundred thousand dollars, it would have been none the poorer."
"You're right, Conseil."
"It's a foolish affair after all, and one we entered too lightly."
"What time lost, what useless emotions!"
"We should have been back in France six months ago."
"In your little room, sir," replied Conseil.
"And in your museum, sir."
"And I'd have already classified all your fossils, sir."
"And the Babiroussa would have been placed in its cage in the Jardin des Plantes and would have drawn all the curious people of the capital!"
"As you say, Conseil. I think we'll be laughed at for our trouble."
"That's quite certain," replied Conseil quietly.
"I think they'll make fun of you, sir. And must I say it?"
"Go on, my good friend."
"Well, sir, you'll only get what you deserve."
"Indeed!"
"When one has the honor of being a scholar like you're, sir, one shouldn't expose oneself to, "
Conseil didn't have time to finish his compliment.
In the middle of general silence, a voice was heard, it was Ned Land shouting,
"Look out there! The very thing we're looking for, on our weather beam!"