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20k Leagues under the sea, Jules Verne

part 2, chapter 14-15

CHAPTER XIV THE SOUTH POLE

I rushed on to the platform. Yes! the open sea, with but a few scattered pieces of ice and moving icebergs—a long stretch of sea; a world of birds in the air, and myriads of fishes under those waters, which varied from intense blue to olive green, according to the bottom. The thermometer marked 3° C. above zero. It was comparatively spring, shut up as we were behind this iceberg, whose lengthened mass was dimly seen on our northern horizon.

“Are we at the pole?” I asked the Captain, with a beating heart.

“I do not know,” he replied. “At noon I will take our bearings.”

“But will the sun show himself through this fog?” said I, looking at the leaden sky.

“However little it shows, it will be enough,” replied the Captain.

About ten miles south a solitary island rose to a height of one hundred and four yards. We made for it, but carefully, for the sea might be strewn with banks. One hour afterwards we had reached it, two hours later we had made the round of it. It measured four or five miles in circumference. A narrow canal separated it from a considerable stretch of land, perhaps a continent, for we could not see its limits. The existence of this land seemed to give some colour to Maury’s theory. The ingenious American has remarked that, between the South Pole and the sixtieth parallel, the sea is covered with floating ice of enormous size, which is never met with in the North Atlantic. From this fact he has drawn the conclusion that the Antarctic Circle encloses considerable continents, as icebergs cannot form in open sea, but only on the coasts. According to these calculations, the mass of ice surrounding the southern pole forms a vast cap, the circumference of which must be, at least, 2,500 miles. But the Nautilus, for fear of running aground, had stopped about three cable-lengths from a strand over which reared a superb heap of rocks. The boat was launched; the Captain, two of his men, bearing instruments, Conseil, and myself were in it. It was ten in the morning. I had not seen Ned Land. Doubtless the Canadian did not wish to admit the presence of the South Pole. A few strokes of the oar brought us to the sand, where we ran ashore. Conseil was going to jump on to the land, when I held him back.

“Sir,” said I to Captain Nemo, “to you belongs the honour of first setting foot on this land.”

“Yes, sir,” said the Captain, “and if I do not hesitate to tread this South Pole, it is because, up to this time, no human being has left a trace there.”

Saying this, he jumped lightly on to the sand. His heart beat with emotion. He climbed a rock, sloping to a little promontory, and there, with his arms crossed, mute and motionless, and with an eager look, he seemed to take possession of these southern regions. After five minutes passed in this ecstasy, he turned to us.

“When you like, sir.”

I landed, followed by Conseil, leaving the two men in the boat. For a long way the soil was composed of a reddish sandy stone, something like crushed brick, scoriae, streams of lava, and pumice-stones. One could not mistake its volcanic origin. In some parts, slight curls of smoke emitted a sulphurous smell, proving that the internal fires had lost nothing of their expansive powers, though, having climbed a high acclivity, I could see no volcano for a radius of several miles. We know that in those Antarctic countries, James Ross found two craters, the Erebus and Terror, in full activity, on the 167th meridian, latitude 77° 32′. The vegetation of this desolate continent seemed to me much restricted. Some lichens lay upon the black rocks; some microscopic plants, rudimentary diatomas, a kind of cells placed between two quartz shells; long purple and scarlet weed, supported on little swimming bladders, which the breaking of the waves brought to the shore. These constituted the meagre flora of this region. The shore was strewn with molluscs, little mussels, and limpets. I also saw myriads of northern clios, one-and-a-quarter inches long, of which a whale would swallow a whole world at a mouthful; and some perfect sea-butterflies, animating the waters on the skirts of the shore.

There appeared on the high bottoms some coral shrubs, of the kind which, according to James Ross, live in the Antarctic seas to the depth of more than 1,000 yards. Then there were little kingfishers and starfish studding the soil. But where life abounded most was in the air. There thousands of birds fluttered and flew of all kinds, deafening us with their cries; others crowded the rock, looking at us as we passed by without fear, and pressing familiarly close by our feet. There were penguins, so agile in the water, heavy and awkward as they are on the ground; they were uttering harsh cries, a large assembly, sober in gesture, but extravagant in clamour. Albatrosses passed in the air, the expanse of their wings being at least four yards and a half, and justly called the vultures of the ocean; some gigantic petrels, and some damiers, a kind of small duck, the underpart of whose body is black and white; then there were a whole series of petrels, some whitish, with brown-bordered wings, others blue, peculiar to the Antarctic seas, and so oily, as I told Conseil, that the inhabitants of the Ferroe Islands had nothing to do before lighting them but to put a wick in.

“A little more,” said Conseil, “and they would be perfect lamps! After that, we cannot expect Nature to have previously furnished them with wicks!”

About half a mile farther on the soil was riddled with ruffs’ nests, a sort of laying-ground, out of which many birds were issuing. Captain Nemo had some hundreds hunted. They uttered a cry like the braying of an ass, were about the size of a goose, slate-colour on the body, white beneath, with a yellow line round their throats; they allowed themselves to be killed with a stone, never trying to escape. But the fog did not lift, and at eleven the sun had not yet shown itself. Its absence made me uneasy. Without it no observations were possible. How, then, could we decide whether we had reached the pole? When I rejoined Captain Nemo, I found him leaning on a piece of rock, silently watching the sky. He seemed impatient and vexed. But what was to be done? This rash and powerful man could not command the sun as he did the sea. Noon arrived without the orb of day showing itself for an instant. We could not even tell its position behind the curtain of fog; and soon the fog turned to snow.

“Till to-morrow,” said the Captain, quietly, and we returned to the Nautilus amid these atmospheric disturbances.

The tempest of snow continued till the next day. It was impossible to remain on the platform. From the saloon, where I was taking notes of incidents happening during this excursion to the polar continent, I could hear the cries of petrels and albatrosses sporting in the midst of this violent storm. The Nautilus did not remain motionless, but skirted the coast, advancing ten miles more to the south in the half-light left by the sun as it skirted the edge of the horizon. The next day, the 20th of March, the snow had ceased. The cold was a little greater, the thermometer showing 2° below zero. The fog was rising, and I hoped that that day our observations might be taken. Captain Nemo not having yet appeared, the boat took Conseil and myself to land. The soil was still of the same volcanic nature; everywhere were traces of lava, scoriae, and basalt; but the crater which had vomited them I could not see. Here, as lower down, this continent was alive with myriads of birds. But their rule was now divided with large troops of sea-mammals, looking at us with their soft eyes. There were several kinds of seals, some stretched on the earth, some on flakes of ice, many going in and out of the sea. They did not flee at our approach, never having had anything to do with man; and I reckoned that there were provisions there for hundreds of vessels.

“Sir,” said Conseil, “will you tell me the names of these creatures?”

“They are seals and morses.”

It was now eight in the morning. Four hours remained to us before the sun could be observed with advantage. I directed our steps towards a vast bay cut in the steep granite shore. There, I can aver that earth and ice were lost to sight by the numbers of sea-mammals covering them, and I involuntarily sought for old Proteus, the mythological shepherd who watched these immense flocks of Neptune. There were more seals than anything else, forming distinct groups, male and female, the father watching over his family, the mother suckling her little ones, some already strong enough to go a few steps. When they wished to change their place, they took little jumps, made by the contraction of their bodies, and helped awkwardly enough by their imperfect fin, which, as with the lamantin, their cousins, forms a perfect forearm. I should say that, in the water, which is their element—the spine of these creatures is flexible; with smooth and close skin and webbed feet—they swim admirably. In resting on the earth they take the most graceful attitudes. Thus the ancients, observing their soft and expressive looks, which cannot be surpassed by the most beautiful look a woman can give, their clear voluptuous eyes, their charming positions, and the poetry of their manners, metamorphosed them, the male into a triton and the female into a mermaid. I made Conseil notice the considerable development of the lobes of the brain in these interesting cetaceans. No mammal, except man, has such a quantity of brain matter; they are also capable of receiving a certain amount of education, are easily domesticated, and I think, with other naturalists, that if properly taught they would be of great service as fishing-dogs. The greater part of them slept on the rocks or on the sand. Amongst these seals, properly so called, which have no external ears (in which they differ from the otter, whose ears are prominent), I noticed several varieties of seals about three yards long, with a white coat, bulldog heads, armed with teeth in both jaws, four incisors at the top and four at the bottom, and two large canine teeth in the shape of a fleur-de-lis. Amongst them glided sea-elephants, a kind of seal, with short, flexible trunks. The giants of this species measured twenty feet round and ten yards and a half in length; but they did not move as we approached.

“These creatures are not dangerous?” asked Conseil.

“No; not unless you attack them. When they have to defend their young their rage is terrible, and it is not uncommon for them to break the fishing-boats to pieces.”

“They are quite right,” said Conseil.

“I do not say they are not.”

Two miles farther on we were stopped by the promontory which shelters the bay from the southerly winds. Beyond it we heard loud bellowings such as a troop of ruminants would produce.

“Good!” said Conseil; “a concert of bulls!”

“No; a concert of morses.”

“They are fighting!”

“They are either fighting or playing.”

We now began to climb the blackish rocks, amid unforeseen stumbles, and over stones which the ice made slippery. More than once I rolled over at the expense of my loins. Conseil, more prudent or more steady, did not stumble, and helped me up, saying:

“If, sir, you would have the kindness to take wider steps, you would preserve your equilibrium better.”

Arrived at the upper ridge of the promontory, I saw a vast white plain covered with morses. They were playing amongst themselves, and what we heard were bellowings of pleasure, not of anger.

As I passed these curious animals I could examine them leisurely, for they did not move. Their skins were thick and rugged, of a yellowish tint, approaching to red; their hair was short and scant. Some of them were four yards and a quarter long. Quieter and less timid than their cousins of the north, they did not, like them, place sentinels round the outskirts of their encampment. After examining this city of morses, I began to think of returning. It was eleven o’clock, and, if Captain Nemo found the conditions favourable for observations, I wished to be present at the operation. We followed a narrow pathway running along the summit of the steep shore. At half-past eleven we had reached the place where we landed. The boat had run aground, bringing the Captain. I saw him standing on a block of basalt, his instruments near him, his eyes fixed on the northern horizon, near which the sun was then describing a lengthened curve. I took my place beside him, and waited without speaking. Noon arrived, and, as before, the sun did not appear. It was a fatality. Observations were still wanting. If not accomplished to-morrow, we must give up all idea of taking any. We were indeed exactly at the 20th of March. To-morrow, the 21st, would be the equinox; the sun would disappear behind the horizon for six months, and with its disappearance the long polar night would begin. Since the September equinox it had emerged from the northern horizon, rising by lengthened spirals up to the 21st of December. At this period, the summer solstice of the northern regions, it had begun to descend; and to-morrow was to shed its last rays upon them. I communicated my fears and observations to Captain Nemo.

“You are right, M. Aronnax,” said he; “if to-morrow I cannot take the altitude of the sun, I shall not be able to do it for six months. But precisely because chance has led me into these seas on the 21st of March, my bearings will be easy to take, if at twelve we can see the sun.”

“Why, Captain?”

“Because then the orb of day described such lengthened curves that it is difficult to measure exactly its height above the horizon, and grave errors may be made with instruments.”

“What will you do then?”

“I shall only use my chronometer,” replied Captain Nemo. “If to-morrow, the 21st of March, the disc of the sun, allowing for refraction, is exactly cut by the northern horizon, it will show that I am at the South Pole.”

“Just so,” said I. “But this statement is not mathematically correct, because the equinox does not necessarily begin at noon.”

“Very likely, sir; but the error will not be a hundred yards and we do not want more. Till to-morrow, then!”

Captain Nemo returned on board. Conseil and I remained to survey the shore, observing and studying until five o’clock. Then I went to bed, not, however, without invoking, like the Indian, the favour of the radiant orb. The next day, the 21st of March, at five in the morning, I mounted the platform. I found Captain Nemo there.

“The weather is lightening a little,” said he. “I have some hope. After breakfast we will go on shore and choose a post for observation.”

That point settled, I sought Ned Land. I wanted to take him with me. But the obstinate Canadian refused, and I saw that his taciturnity and his bad humour grew day by day. After all, I was not sorry for his obstinacy under the circumstances. Indeed, there were too many seals on shore, and we ought not to lay such temptation in this unreflecting fisherman’s way. Breakfast over, we went on shore. The Nautilus had gone some miles further up in the night. It was a whole league from the coast, above which reared a sharp peak about five hundred yards high. The boat took with me Captain Nemo, two men of the crew, and the instruments, which consisted of a chronometer, a telescope, and a barometer. While crossing, I saw numerous whales belonging to the three kinds peculiar to the southern seas; the whale, or the English “right whale,” which has no dorsal fin; the “humpback,” with reeved chest and large, whitish fins, which, in spite of its name, do not form wings; and the fin-back, of a yellowish brown, the liveliest of all the cetacea. This powerful creature is heard a long way off when he throws to a great height columns of air and vapour, which look like whirlwinds of smoke. These different mammals were disporting themselves in troops in the quiet waters; and I could see that this basin of the Antarctic Pole serves as a place of refuge to the cetacea too closely tracked by the hunters. I also noticed large medusæ floating between the reeds.

At nine we landed; the sky was brightening, the clouds were flying to the south, and the fog seemed to be leaving the cold surface of the waters. Captain Nemo went towards the peak, which he doubtless meant to be his observatory. It was a painful ascent over the sharp lava and the pumice-stones, in an atmosphere often impregnated with a sulphurous smell from the smoking cracks. For a man unaccustomed to walk on land, the Captain climbed the steep slopes with an agility I never saw equalled and which a hunter would have envied. We were two hours getting to the summit of this peak, which was half porphyry and half basalt. From thence we looked upon a vast sea which, towards the north, distinctly traced its boundary line upon the sky. At our feet lay fields of dazzling whiteness. Over our heads a pale azure, free from fog. To the north the disc of the sun seemed like a ball of fire, already horned by the cutting of the horizon. From the bosom of the water rose sheaves of liquid jets by hundreds. In the distance lay the Nautilus like a cetacean asleep on the water. Behind us, to the south and east, an immense country and a chaotic heap of rocks and ice, the limits of which were not visible. On arriving at the summit Captain Nemo carefully took the mean height of the barometer, for he would have to consider that in taking his observations. At a quarter to twelve the sun, then seen only by refraction, looked like a golden disc shedding its last rays upon this deserted continent and seas which never man had yet ploughed. Captain Nemo, furnished with a lenticular glass which, by means of a mirror, corrected the refraction, watched the orb sinking below the horizon by degrees, following a lengthened diagonal. I held the chronometer. My heart beat fast. If the disappearance of the half-disc of the sun coincided with twelve o’clock on the chronometer, we were at the pole itself.

“Twelve!” I exclaimed.

“The South Pole!” replied Captain Nemo, in a grave voice, handing me the glass, which showed the orb cut in exactly equal parts by the horizon.

I looked at the last rays crowning the peak, and the shadows mounting by degrees up its slopes. At that moment Captain Nemo, resting with his hand on my shoulder, said:

“I, Captain Nemo, on this 21st day of March, 1868, have reached the South Pole on the ninetieth degree; and I take possession of this part of the globe, equal to one-sixth of the known continents.”

“In whose name, Captain?”

“In my own, sir!”

Saying which, Captain Nemo unfurled a black banner, bearing an “N” in gold quartered on its bunting. Then, turning towards the orb of day, whose last rays lapped the horizon of the sea, he exclaimed:

“Adieu, sun! Disappear, thou radiant orb! rest beneath this open sea, and let a night of six months spread its shadows over my new domains!”

CHAPTER XV ACCIDENT OR INCIDENT?

The next day, the 22nd of March, at six in the morning, preparations for departure were begun. The last gleams of twilight were melting into night. The cold was great, the constellations shone with wonderful intensity. In the zenith glittered that wondrous Southern Cross—the polar bear of Antarctic regions. The thermometer showed 120 below zero, and when the wind freshened it was most biting. Flakes of ice increased on the open water. The sea seemed everywhere alike. Numerous blackish patches spread on the surface, showing the formation of fresh ice. Evidently the southern basin, frozen during the six winter months, was absolutely inaccessible. What became of the whales in that time? Doubtless they went beneath the icebergs, seeking more practicable seas. As to the seals and morses, accustomed to live in a hard climate, they remained on these icy shores. These creatures have the instinct to break holes in the ice-field and to keep them open. To these holes they come for breath; when the birds, driven away by the cold, have emigrated to the north, these sea mammals remain sole masters of the polar continent. But the reservoirs were filling with water, and the Nautilus was slowly descending. At 1,000 feet deep it stopped; its screw beat the waves, and it advanced straight towards the north at a speed of fifteen miles an hour. Towards night it was already floating under the immense body of the iceberg. At three in the morning I was awakened by a violent shock. I sat up in my bed and listened in the darkness, when I was thrown into the middle of the room. The Nautilus, after having struck, had rebounded violently. I groped along the partition, and by the staircase to the saloon, which was lit by the luminous ceiling. The furniture was upset. Fortunately the windows were firmly set, and had held fast. The pictures on the starboard side, from being no longer vertical, were clinging to the paper, whilst those of the port side were hanging at least a foot from the wall. The Nautilus was lying on its starboard side perfectly motionless. I heard footsteps, and a confusion of voices; but Captain Nemo did not appear. As I was leaving the saloon, Ned Land and Conseil entered.

“What is the matter?” said I, at once.

“I came to ask you, sir,” replied Conseil.

“Confound it!” exclaimed the Canadian, “I know well enough! The Nautilus has struck; and, judging by the way she lies, I do not think she will right herself as she did the first time in Torres Straits.”

“But,” I asked, “has she at least come to the surface of the sea?”

“We do not know,” said Conseil.

“It is easy to decide,” I answered. I consulted the manometer. To my great surprise, it showed a depth of more than 180 fathoms. “What does that mean?” I exclaimed.

“We must ask Captain Nemo,” said Conseil.

“But where shall we find him?” said Ned Land.

“Follow me,” said I, to my companions.

We left the saloon. There was no one in the library. At the centre staircase, by the berths of the ship’s crew, there was no one. I thought that Captain Nemo must be in the pilot’s cage. It was best to wait. We all returned to the saloon. For twenty minutes we remained thus, trying to hear the slightest noise which might be made on board the Nautilus, when Captain Nemo entered. He seemed not to see us; his face, generally so impassive, showed signs of uneasiness. He watched the compass silently, then the manometer; and, going to the planisphere, placed his finger on a spot representing the southern seas. I would not interrupt him; but, some minutes later, when he turned towards me, I said, using one of his own expressions in the Torres Straits:

“An incident, Captain?”

“No, sir; an accident this time.”

“Serious?”

“Perhaps.”

“Is the danger immediate?”

“No.”

“The Nautilus has stranded?”

“Yes.”

“And this has happened—how?”

“From a caprice of nature, not from the ignorance of man. Not a mistake has been made in the working. But we cannot prevent equilibrium from producing its effects. We may brave human laws, but we cannot resist natural ones.”

Captain Nemo had chosen a strange moment for uttering this philosophical reflection. On the whole, his answer helped me little.

“May I ask, sir, the cause of this accident?”

“An enormous block of ice, a whole mountain, has turned over,” he replied. “When icebergs are undermined at their base by warmer water or reiterated shocks their centre of gravity rises, and the whole thing turns over. This is what has happened; one of these blocks, as it fell, struck the Nautilus, then, gliding under its hull, raised it with irresistible force, bringing it into beds which are not so thick, where it is lying on its side.”

“But can we not get the Nautilus off by emptying its reservoirs, that it might regain its equilibrium?”

“That, sir, is being done at this moment. You can hear the pump working. Look at the needle of the manometer; it shows that the Nautilus is rising, but the block of ice is floating with it; and, until some obstacle stops its ascending motion, our position cannot be altered.”

Indeed, the Nautilus still held the same position to starboard; doubtless it would right itself when the block stopped. But at this moment who knows if we may not be frightfully crushed between the two glassy surfaces? I reflected on all the consequences of our position. Captain Nemo never took his eyes off the manometer. Since the fall of the iceberg, the Nautilus had risen about a hundred and fifty feet, but it still made the same angle with the perpendicular. Suddenly a slight movement was felt in the hold. Evidently it was righting a little. Things hanging in the saloon were sensibly returning to their normal position. The partitions were nearing the upright. No one spoke. With beating hearts we watched and felt the straightening. The boards became horizontal under our feet. Ten minutes passed.

“At last we have righted!” I exclaimed.

“Yes,” said Captain Nemo, going to the door of the saloon.

“But are we floating?” I asked.

“Certainly,” he replied; “since the reservoirs are not empty; and, when empty, the Nautilus must rise to the surface of the sea.”

We were in open sea; but at a distance of about ten yards, on either side of the Nautilus, rose a dazzling wall of ice. Above and beneath the same wall. Above, because the lower surface of the iceberg stretched over us like an immense ceiling. Beneath, because the overturned block, having slid by degrees, had found a resting-place on the lateral walls, which kept it in that position. The Nautilus was really imprisoned in a perfect tunnel of ice more than twenty yards in breadth, filled with quiet water. It was easy to get out of it by going either forward or backward, and then make a free passage under the iceberg, some hundreds of yards deeper. The luminous ceiling had been extinguished, but the saloon was still resplendent with intense light. It was the powerful reflection from the glass partition sent violently back to the sheets of the lantern. I cannot describe the effect of the voltaic rays upon the great blocks so capriciously cut; upon every angle, every ridge, every facet was thrown a different light, according to the nature of the veins running through the ice; a dazzling mine of gems, particularly of sapphires, their blue rays crossing with the green of the emerald. Here and there were opal shades of wonderful softness, running through bright spots like diamonds of fire, the brilliancy of which the eye could not bear. The power of the lantern seemed increased a hundredfold, like a lamp through the lenticular plates of a first-class lighthouse.

“How beautiful! how beautiful!” cried Conseil.

“Yes,” I said, “it is a wonderful sight. Is it not, Ned?”

“Yes, confound it! Yes,” answered Ned Land, “it is superb! I am mad at being obliged to admit it. No one has ever seen anything like it; but the sight may cost us dear. And, if I must say all, I think we are seeing here things which God never intended man to see.”

Ned was right, it was too beautiful. Suddenly a cry from Conseil made me turn.

“What is it?” I asked.

“Shut your eyes, sir! Do not look, sir!” Saying which, Conseil clapped his hands over his eyes.

“But what is the matter, my boy?”

“I am dazzled, blinded.”

My eyes turned involuntarily towards the glass, but I could not stand the fire which seemed to devour them. I understood what had happened. The Nautilus had put on full speed. All the quiet lustre of the ice-walls was at once changed into flashes of lightning. The fire from these myriads of diamonds was blinding. It required some time to calm our troubled looks. At last the hands were taken down.

“Faith, I should never have believed it,” said Conseil.

It was then five in the morning; and at that moment a shock was felt at the bows of the Nautilus. I knew that its spur had struck a block of ice. It must have been a false manœuvre, for this submarine tunnel, obstructed by blocks, was not very easy navigation. I thought that Captain Nemo, by changing his course, would either turn these obstacles or else follow the windings of the tunnel. In any case, the road before us could not be entirely blocked. But, contrary to my expectations, the Nautilus took a decided retrograde motion.

“We are going backwards?” said Conseil.

“Yes,” I replied. “This end of the tunnel can have no egress.”

“And then?”

“Then,” said I, “the working is easy. We must go back again, and go out at the southern opening. That is all.”

In speaking thus, I wished to appear more confident than I really was. But the retrograde motion of the Nautilus was increasing; and, reversing the screw, it carried us at great speed.

“It will be a hindrance,” said Ned.

“What does it matter, some hours more or less, provided we get out at last?”

“Yes,” repeated Ned Land, “provided we do get out at last!”

For a short time I walked from the saloon to the library. My companions were silent. I soon threw myself on an ottoman, and took a book, which my eyes overran mechanically. A quarter of an hour after, Conseil, approaching me, said, “Is what you are reading very interesting, sir?”

“Very interesting!” I replied.

“I should think so, sir. It is your own book you are reading.”

“My book?”

And indeed I was holding in my hand the work on the Great Submarine Depths. I did not even dream of it. I closed the book and returned to my walk. Ned and Conseil rose to go.

“Stay here, my friends,” said I, detaining them. “Let us remain together until we are out of this block.”

“As you please, sir,” Conseil replied.

Some hours passed. I often looked at the instruments hanging from the partition. The manometer showed that the Nautilus kept at a constant depth of more than three hundred yards; the compass still pointed to south; the log indicated a speed of twenty miles an hour, which, in such a cramped space, was very great. But Captain Nemo knew that he could not hasten too much, and that minutes were worth ages to us. At twenty-five minutes past eight a second shock took place, this time from behind. I turned pale. My companions were close by my side. I seized Conseil’s hand. Our looks expressed our feelings better than words. At this moment the Captain entered the saloon. I went up to him.

“Our course is barred southward?” I asked.

“Yes, sir. The iceberg has shifted and closed every outlet.”

“We are blocked up then?”

“Yes.”

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20k-leagues-speedrun · 2 years

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CHAPTER XIV THE SOUTH POLE

“Are we at the pole?” I asked the Captain, with a beating heart.

“I do not know,” he replied. “At noon I will take our bearings.”

“But will the sun show himself through this fog?” said I, looking at the leaden sky.

“However little it shows, it will be enough,” replied the Captain.

“Sir,” said I to Captain Nemo, “to you belongs the honour of first setting foot on this land.”

“Yes, sir,” said the Captain, “and if I do not hesitate to tread this South Pole, it is because, up to this time, no human being has left a trace there.”

“When you like, sir.”

“A little more,” said Conseil, “and they would be perfect lamps! After that, we cannot expect Nature to have previously furnished them with wicks!”

“Till to-morrow,” said the Captain, quietly, and we returned to the Nautilus amid these atmospheric disturbances.

“Sir,” said Conseil, “will you tell me the names of these creatures?”

“They are seals and morses.”

“These creatures are not dangerous?” asked Conseil.

“No; not unless you attack them. When they have to defend their young their rage is terrible, and it is not uncommon for them to break the fishing-boats to pieces.”

“They are quite right,” said Conseil.

“I do not say they are not.”

Two miles farther on we were stopped by the promontory which shelters the bay from the southerly winds. Beyond it we heard loud bellowings such as a troop of ruminants would produce.

“Good!” said Conseil; “a concert of bulls!”

“No; a concert of morses.”

“They are fighting!”

“They are either fighting or playing.”

“If, sir, you would have the kindness to take wider steps, you would preserve your equilibrium better.”

Arrived at the upper ridge of the promontory, I saw a vast white plain covered with morses. They were playing amongst themselves, and what we heard were bellowings of pleasure, not of anger.

“Why, Captain?”

“Because then the orb of day described such lengthened curves that it is difficult to measure exactly its height above the horizon, and grave errors may be made with instruments.”

“What will you do then?”

“Just so,” said I. “But this statement is not mathematically correct, because the equinox does not necessarily begin at noon.”

“Very likely, sir; but the error will not be a hundred yards and we do not want more. Till to-morrow, then!”

“The weather is lightening a little,” said he. “I have some hope. After breakfast we will go on shore and choose a post for observation.”

“Twelve!” I exclaimed.

“The South Pole!” replied Captain Nemo, in a grave voice, handing me the glass, which showed the orb cut in exactly equal parts by the horizon.

I looked at the last rays crowning the peak, and the shadows mounting by degrees up its slopes. At that moment Captain Nemo, resting with his hand on my shoulder, said:

“In whose name, Captain?”

“In my own, sir!”

“Adieu, sun! Disappear, thou radiant orb! rest beneath this open sea, and let a night of six months spread its shadows over my new domains!”

#20k leagues speedrun #20000 leagues under the sea #part 2 chapter 14

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werewolvestolovers · 2 years

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I looked through the Steam Next Fest and there really are some great demos to play this year!

Townseek

Sprout Valley

Research Story

Mineko's Night Market

Pekoe

Aground Zero

I Am Future: Cozy Apocalypse Survival

Boxes: Lost Fragments

The Magical Mixture Mill

Pixelshire

Mika and The Witch's Mountain

Fabledom

Mail Time

Hipster Cafe

NecroNomNomNom: Eldritch Horror Dating

Espresso Tycoon

Book of Hours

Home By The River

Coffee Bar Renovator

Shumi Come Home

Havendock

#indie gaming #cozy games #steam next fest #steam games

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dkplayer · 8 months

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Aground Zero - прокапываем путь на поверхность

Воксельный симулятор колонии и ролевая игра Aground Zero для Linux и Windows ПК от разработчиков из компании Fancy Fish Games. Игра уже доступна в Steam Early Access с 85% положительных отзывов.

https://www.gamebuntu.ru/review/aground-zero-prokapyvaem-put-na-poverhnost/

#steam #выживание #колония #песочница #стратегия #Обзоры

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crimechannels · 10 months

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By • Olalekan Fagbade Governor’s absence, strategy to avoid giving report of one-year stewardship – APC alleges The All Progressives Congress (APC) in Osun State has condemned the continuous absence of the state governor, Ademola Adeleke, in the state Government House, describing it as a strategy to avoid giving report of his one-year stewardship. It will be recalled that the governor's spokesperson, Olawale Rasheed, had in a recent statement claimed that his principal has embarked on a working vacation to Europe and Asia. Mr Rasheed had said that the governor's trip was to finalise partnership deals with investors and development partners. However, the Osun APC, in a statement signed by the Chairman, Tajudeen Lawal on Sunday, condemned Mr Rasheed's claim, saying it is full of contradictions criminally packaged to hide some information. The party claimed that the governor, contrary to Rasheed's statement, has been holidaying in the United States of America in the last two weeks. It said: “Of course, this is a mere prelude to a foundation-laying for excuses that Governor Adeleke would not be physically present in the state for the celebration of his one-year administration coming up tomorrow. “It was reliably gathered that a recorded statement from the governor would be played for the people of the state in lieu of his physical presence tomorrow. “No one can begrudge another for falling sick or nursing an ailment as such is beyond the control of any human being but God Almighty, however, it beholds on those who are holding the people’s mandate in trust to always tell the truth and stand by the truth. “We know very well that Governor Adeleke has absconded from the state so he would not be able to give due account of his stewardship to the people of the state. “Since November 2022, when he came on board, Governor Adeleke has run the state aground with his sheer incompetence, lack of proper education and his zero administrative acumen. “He is afraid to disclose to Osun people how he has mismanaged over N130 billion in revenue accrued to his government in the last one year. “He is afraid to tell them how he has allocated in the supplementary budget over N10 billion for his food, entertainment and office use while parents of UNIOSUN students are struggling to pay increased school fees his regime forced on them to pay. “Governor Adeleke is ashamed to face the Osun people that one year after, his promise of making Osun another Dubai is a fluke. “Adeleke is distraught to face Osun people because he has failed to provide palliative for them in the face of economic hardship occasioned by the removal of fuel subsidy and the N9billion he collected from the Federal Government, his demonic government has looted it. “Adeleke is afraid to face the anger of Osun people that while a serious state like Ogun is investing in Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) buses, which is capable of making the cost of transportation cheaper, Adeleke in a ploy to line his pocket, is putting Osun money in unsustainable diesel-propelled vehicles purchased over 10 years ago.” The Osun APC also claimed that Adeleke would be laying a dangerous precedent with his absence from the first anniversary of his administration on Monday, as it would be the first time that such would happen in the history of the creation of the state.

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linuxgamenews · 8 months

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Build the Perfect Colony with Aground Zero

Aground Zero game will have you mine and build to survive on Linux as well as Windows PC. Fancy Fish Games' imaginative efforts are the driving force behind this exciting venture. Working to make its way onto Steam Early Access soon. Let's talk about something exciting in the world of interactive entertainment. Aground Zero, is due to make its debut on Steam Early Access on January 18th, 2024. This title is an intriguing blend of a colony simulator and a base building RPG, featuring voxel graphics. One of the features is local split-screen multiplayer, allowing you to team up with friends on Linux. Picture this: the Aground Zero world as we know it has ended. You find yourself deep underground, with only a friendly AI companion for company. Your mission? To mine resources, construct a safe haven, and search for other people who have survived. The big question is, can you make it back to the surface, and what awaits you when you do? Starting out, Aground Zero players will experience the challenge of being stranded beneath the earth. Your journey will involve setting up a subterranean base, locating and rescuing fellow survivors, crafting vehicles, and eventually emerging above ground. But that's not all. The team behind the title plans to continually update the experience during Early Access phase (about a year). They're talking about adding the first spacecraft, exploring new areas, and even establishing a base on the moon.

Aground Zero Launch Trailer

youtube

On top of this, the creators have a special event planned for the launch. They'll be hosting a live stream where you can interact with them and watch as they officially release the title into Early Access. You can find more details about this event on their Steam news page. This isn't the first of its kind from Fancy Fish Games. It's actually a 3D spinoff of the successful 2020 title "Aground," known for its pixel-art style and mining/crafting gameplay. While Aground Zero unfolds during the same events as the original, you don't need to be familiar with the previous title to jump into this one. For those who appreciate a great soundtrack, there's more good news. The original music, composed by Chase Bethea, is available for pre-order. And if this all sounds like something you'd like to explore, remember to add it to your wishlist on Steam. This new title promises a mix of mine and build to survive in a unique setting. Whether you're a veteran of the original or new to the series, Aground Zero" is gearing up to offer a fresh and engaging experience. So, mark your calendar for January 18th and get ready to dive into a world of underground adventure and above-ground discovery. So Wishlist to be notified of the Steam Early Access release on Linux and Windows PC.

#aground zero #mine and build #survival #linux #gaming news #fancy fish games #ubuntu #windows #pc #Youtube

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anarchistettin · 11 months

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interesting massive disconnect between "mainstream" media and the actual opinion of the vast majority of people on earth.

I can't recall a time when it's been clearer - I can't recall an issue TV (as it were) didn't bend pretty much instantly to public opinion in some way

the ship is running aground. it's no good development, no good omen! to say "it took blatant genocide to wake people up!" would be naive and aimlessly optimistic at best. it's just bringing antisemitism to the surface in a lot of people - evangelicals unused to having a great excuse to hate Jewish people, which feels more natural to them than singing hosannas to living Israelis. Most arguments are still talking about a "conflict" - as if there's a moral imperative to really explore whether or not you, personally, deserve to be violently murdered by a nation? that's preventing you from escaping your own violent murder?. Many are repeating arguments coined in the 20th century that make zero sense today, but seem unaware of it. Those that have known for a long time what the state of things is vis à vis nations versus subjugates aren't gaining any new insights! They're sounding alarms containing all the same words that antifascists have been using for a century.

There's very little waking up going on!

What's happening is global panic. Loss of coherence + increasingly random action.

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a-solitary-sea-rover-backup · 1 year

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The 2023 Fastnet Race set sail with 430 yachts on July 22 – up from the previous record of 388 that took the last pre-COVID race in 2019.

While pundits were comparing the wind for the 50th edition to that of the last Fastnet Race in 2021, in fact it was gustier with a densely overcast sky, drizzle that built to rain, and enough mist to obscure the mainland.

However, what was consistent was the heinous washing machine sea-state that competitors encountered at the western exit of the Solent at Hurst Narrows, as they passed the Isle of Wight’s most famous landmark, the Needles and beyond. As usual this built increasingly with the ebb tide, especially affecting the smaller yachts.

It was a brutal first night at sea with numerous retirements and many others seeking temporary shelter from the gale force conditions in the English Channel.

By the first morning, 86 had officially retired, comprising 78 across the IRC fleet (the biggest number being 27 in IRC Two) plus two Class40s, two IMOCAs, three MOCRA multihulls and one Ocean 50 trimaran.

In the severe conditions, HM Coastguard reported involvement in 28 incidents, including one sinking. Said the event statement, “At approximately 16:30 yesterday afternoon the Sun Fast 3600 Vari began to take on water southwest of the Needles. Thanks to the swift response of the emergency services both crew members were evacuated to Yarmouth, Isle of Wight and are safe and well. The boat is believed to have sunk although the exact reasons are not yet confirmed.”

Several calls to HM Coastguard were to do with injured crew. Otherwise, four yachts dismasted – Heather Tarr’s Yoyo from Ireland; Nick Martin’s Diablo; Bertrand Daniels’ Mirabelle and Tapio Lehtinen’s Swan 55 yawl Galiana (due to compete in the Ocean Globe Race shortly).

In addition, Azora sustained broken steering, Dulcissima a loss of rigging, while Richard Matthews’ CF520 Oystercatcher XXXV sustained deck failure and Oida ran aground after her anchor dragged.

There were several other incidents in which HM Coastguard was not involved, including the mast foot exploding on Long Courrier who retired to Cowes – the only occasion race veteran and 2015 winner Géry Trentesaux has retired from this race.

Fifteen registered entries didn’t start, including one of the race favorites – Peter Morton’s Maxi 72 Notorious in IRC Super Zero.

Good news did arrive on day two as after a tough first 24 hours, conditions had abated in the English Channel and Celtic Sea. Between Land’s End and the Scilly Isles, there were reports of 17 knots from 250°, dropping to 15 for the second night, with the wind in the western English Channel typically 10-15 knots.

But well ahead of that was François Gabart and his team on the 100-foot SVR Lazartigue as they crossed the finish line at 21:38:27 BST on July 23, setting a new record of 1 day 8 hours 38 minutes 27 seconds, breaking the time set by Franck Cammas and Charles Caudrelier on Maxi Groupe Edmond de Rothschild two years ago by 36 minutes 27 seconds.

The 32m long by 23m wide, foil-borne, flying Ultim trimarans are by far the biggest, fastest offshore race boats on the planet, with the gale force winds making little impression

“It is never easy to leave the Solent and doing it in an Ultim is even more difficult,” admitted Gabart. “Doing it with 400 boats around you is harder still. And if you do it upwind…in 25 knots…! It is not easy! We were happy to make it out of the Solent. I think if there had been more than 30 knots at Hurst, we wouldn’t have done it. After that the waves were strong, but we could still race and in the end, we broke nothing.”

#news #link #Fastnet Race #François Gabart #Ultime #ultim #sailing #racing

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carriewilde · 1 year

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Worldbuilding: Pàro

Since I've officially made my latest story available for pre-order on Amazon Kindle, I thought I'd take the opportunity to talk a little bit about my world-building in the setting where it takes place.

In "Taken by the Pirate Captain," Talyn visits a busy harbor which is part of a larger island nation called Pàro. As an elven aristocrat, she is still dependent on her parents long after reaching adulthood, so she's very sheltered. The mainly orcish residents of Pàro are an exotic mystery to her, but they don't have to be unknown to you!

The nation of Pàro is made up of three large islands surrounded by a little more than a dozen smaller islands, and most of these are inhabited by fishers and sailors, as well as some merchants and even pirates. Everyone who lives in Pàro makes a living off the sea in some way or another. While it was originally settled by orcs, a fair number of humans and even some elves have since come to live on the islands, too. Other races like dwarves and halflings are less common but not unheard-of. The island is mountainous, with rocky coastlines, high cliffs, and treacherous passages where inexperienced crews can easily run aground or crash into underwater rocks and reefs. Fortunately for those who know the region well, lots of caves and small lagoons around the islands are perfect places to set up a home port far from prying eyes.

As a tropical island, Pàro sees plenty of warm, sunny days, but it receives its fair share of storms and typhoons, too. Some of the larger islands do a brisk trade in popular exports like sugar cane, sweet potatoes, pineapple, and other tropical fruits. Spices and textiles are found in markets throughout the islands, too, and fishing is always a bustling industry, especially on some of the smaller islands. Every island has a marketplace of some kind, from small village squares where the locals trade amongst themselves to sprawling bazaars where merchants and ship captains haggle over whole shiploads of cargo, trading with locals or from ship to ship.

Of course, piracy is a lucrative trade, as well. It is not officially endorsed by Pàroin government, but it still remains common enough in the waters on this side of the world - and many of the local authorities are easily persuaded to look the other way. Lots of pirates have their hideouts on the smaller islands, but the boldest crews are not afraid to dock their ships and even set up homes on the larger islands, as well.

While those main ports on the larger islands are usually safe, they are also more expensive with heftier docking fees and taxes. Honest captains looking to save coin on those fees can certainly take a gamble at the smaller ports, but they run a much higher risk of encountering outlaws whenever they do so. It is usually recommended to stick to the larger, more expensive ports - as they're generally much safer overall. At least, as long as you don't do anything too foolish while you're there.

Overall, Pàro is a bustling island nation with ample opportunities for merchants and captains to make their fortunes - as long as they don't mind risking the pirates. Fortunately, the locals will tell you that for every pirate crew to pass through their harbors, dozens more honest merchants have taken the same passage, so your odds of running into trouble are fairly low - but never zero.

Moodboards were made using Adobe Express, with stock photos from pexels and pixabay. For links to the photo listings or questions, please feel free to message me and I'll happily provide the information you're looking for!

#worldbuilding #pirates #orcs and elves #fantasy #queer fantasy stories #fantasy fiction #fantasy romance #writing #writers on tumblr #Pàro #Paro

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ltwilliammowett · 3 years

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Collision Avoidance

Well, it has to be said that in the early days of the Age of Discovery, the risk of collision on the open sea was zero, even if navigation was not yet fully developed and instead of sailing to the Spice Islands, one sailed around the world just because one had made a wrong turn. That didn't change much when navigation improved, because the number of ships on the seas was not yet as high as it had been steadily increasing since the late 18th century. But if it did come to that, there was only one problem, there was no radio communication, and the chances of someone coming to the rescue were purely coincidental. Communication was by line of sight only, so if a ship came over the horizon as one was sinking, it was purely by chance. It could even be that this ship was the enemy, who were more intent on sinking or capturing you than coming to your aid. In the event of two ships approaching each other, there was no need at that time for formal rules of engagement as to who should change course, when and how. It was more the case that some ships carried lighting at night in the form of the star lantern or a mast lantern to signal their presence, but this was only the case in crowded waters, and the reluctance to display lights at night was due to the desire to avoid giving away the ship's presence to the enemy or pirates.

Two fighting vessels in collision off a headland in choppy seas, by D. Tandy 1798-1805 (x)

Collisions in the harbour or in the Navies anchorages, on the other hand, were much more likely, and the rule was, whoever is smaller gets out of the way first. The first larger and more frequent collisions did not occur until the first steamers appeared. While a steamer was much more manoeuvrable than a sailing ship, let alone much smaller than a ship of the line or even an Indianman, these ships were actually required to clear the way, but unfortunately not many adhered to this rule, which led to accidents.

This led to the fact that from the early 19th century onwards various nations introduced "conventions" for the behaviour of ships in the event of a possible collision, such as ships sailing before the wind giving way to ships sailing close to the wind, because ships sailing before the wind have greater room for manoeuvre in choosing the course they can take. These "conventions" were mainly set at national level, and even then they were not binding, but based on what might be called good seamanship. It was recognised that in a situation where each vessel should have some idea of what the other might do, there had to be some form of coherent action to avoid collision. Ships do not collide with such impunity, and both ship owners and insurance companies would like to see some kind of code that would bring order and predictability to a potential collision situation. Before a uniform set of international rules was developed, there were different practices, conventions and informal procedures developed by different maritime nations in different parts of the world.

"Wreck of the 'Scotland'," Harper's Weekly Magazine, December 29,1866

Off the Long Island coast, near Fire Island, the British steamer Scotland bound for Liverpool ran into the smaller vessel Kate Dyer in an evening collision. The Kate Dyer sank in fifteen minutes and the Scotland, having saved seven of the sunken ship's twenty-man crew, tried to make it back to New York Harbor but ran aground in a sinking condition off Sandy Hook, New Jersey. (x)

As a result, there were inconsistencies and even contradictions that led to unintentional collisions. There was also no standardisation of ships' navigation lights for operation in the dark and of navigation marks in the shipping channels, which led to dangerous confusion and ambiguity between ships at risk of collision. With the advent of steam-powered ships in the mid-19th century, the regulations for the navigation of sailing ships had to be supplemented by regulations for the navigation of motor ships. Sailing vessels are limited in their manoeuvrability in that they cannot sail directly to windward or into the eye of the wind and are not readily navigable in calm conditions.

With the advent of steam-powered ships in the mid-19th century, the regulations for the navigation of sailing ships had to be supplemented by regulations for the navigation of motor ships. Sailing vessels are limited in their manoeuvrability in that they cannot sail directly to windward or into the eye of the wind and are not readily navigable in calm conditions. In contrast, steamships could manoeuvre in all 360-degree directions and are manoeuvrable regardless of wind or calm.

Terrific Collision, between the Steamboats Dean Richond and C. Vanderbilt near Rondout, on the Hudson River, Sept 19th 1867 by which the Dean Richmond was sunk, and several lives lost, by Currier and Ives 1867 (x)

In 1840 Trinity House, the British lighthouse authority, in London drew up a set of regulations which were passed by Parliament in 1846. These Trinity House regulations were incorporated into the Steam Navigation Act, and the Admiralty's regulations on the lighting of steamships were incorporated into that Act in 1848. Note that these laws were aimed at steamships, which were coming into more and more use at the time. In the US, Congress included lights for sailing vessels in the regulations for ships in US waters. Ten years later, an Act of Parliament in Britain required coloured sidelights for sailing vessels, and fog signals had to be given by steamships with the ship's whistle and by sailing vessels with the fog horn or bell, while a separate but similar measure was also taken in the United States, although British maritime law was also adopted in what was probably the first attempt to reach international agreement on maritime practice.

French ironclad in collision, by Jean-Antoine-Théodore, Baron Gudin c. 1870 (x)

In 1863, a new set of rules was drawn up by the British Board of Trade in consultation with the French, initially aimed at regulating traffic in the English Channel. A year later, these rules were adopted by more than thirty shipping countries in a large-scale attempt to reach international agreement. In the US they were called 'Rules to Prevent Collisions at Sea'; this is the first time the term has been used. In the UK they became known as 'The Rule of the Road'. Individual countries introduced their own minor changes to the rules, so it was still complicated for navigators to comply with them, but in 1889 the United States convened the first international shipping conference to consider standardisation. this came in 1899 but proper and binding agreement did not come until after the Second World War.

#naval history #collision at sea #age of discovery #age of sail #age of steam

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