CHAPTERONE

TheMonsterfromtheDeep

IamProfessorAronnax.Myjobistostudyeverythingdeadoraliveunderthe sea. I see beautiful and ugly things down there. Bur there is one strangeexperiencethatstaysinmymindlikeanightmare.

Itwas 1867. Some sailors said that they saw a dangerous giantmonsterlivinginthecoldwatersoftheocean.Someshipstriedtofinditandkillit,buttheyneverreturned.

Peoplesaiditlookedlikeawhale."Itwas300feetlong!""Watercameoutofitsback.Itwaslikeabig,underwaterexplosion!"Thelargestwhalewasonly180feetlongandifthesemenwereright,this

was even larger. Iwas famous because Iwas thewriter of a book calledTheMysteriesoftheGreatOceanDepths.WhenthecaptainoftheAmericanshiptheAbrahamLincolndecidedtoleaveandlookforthemonster,heaskedmetogowiththemasanexpert.

Theideawasveryexciting.IinvitedmyfaithfulassistantandgoodfriendConseiltogowithme.Healwayshelpsmetoorganisethenamesandplacesofthewonderfulstrangeseacreaturesthatwefindintheoceansoftheworld.Heacceptedtheinvitationandwegotreadytogo.

The Abraham Lincoln left NewYork harbour on the 3rd of July, 1867.Fivehundredthousandpeopleweretheretosaygoodbye.NedLand,thefamouswhalekiller,wasalsoontheship.Farragut,thecaptainoftheship,wasastrongandbraveman.Whenwefirstmet,heshookmyhandandsmiledatme.

"Don'tworry!Theoceanisn'tbigenoughforboththeseamonsterandme.I'llkillitoritwillkillme...Iknowisthatoneofuswilldie."

Ididn'tlikethisidea,butIdidn'tsayanythingatthetime.Wesailedforthreemonthsandweneversawthecreatureonce.Themenwanted to find and kill the seamonster, but after all this time

everyoneon theshipstarted tobelieve that therewasnomonster.And then, ithappened...

It was night-time and we were 200 miles on the coast of Japan whensuddenlyNedLand,theharpooner,criedout.

"Thereitis!""Don'tloseit.Iwantit,deadoralive!"Themenontheshipbegantorunandshout."Gettheropes!Preparethecannons!"Thecreaturelookedasifitwasasleep.Wecouldseeitbecausetherewasa

strangelightunderthewater.Then,acannonfiredatthemonster.Acannonballhitit,butitdidn'tmove.CaptainFarragutdidn'tknowwhattodo.

"MyGod!Ifacannoncan'tkillthismonster,whatcan?"Justthen,IsawNedLand,withhisharpooninhishands,climbingtothe

frontoftheship.Everyonewatchedhimsilently. Isawtheharpoon leavehishandandhit

the giant creature right in its back. Water shot out of the wound. Its forceknockedmerightoutoftheshipintothedarkcoldocean.

CHAPTERTWO

SavedfromtheOcean

Ifoundmyselfunderwater.ItwasverycoldandItriedhardtogettothetop and breathe.Whenmy head was finally above the waves, I saw that theAbrahamLincolnwasmorethanonehundredfeetaway.

"Help!Help!"Noonecouldhearme.Myclothesfeltheavyinthewater.Ifeltsomething

touch me on the leg. I was terrified. I thought it was a shark, or even themonster!

"Sir, are you all right, sir?" Thank God, it was my faithful assistantConseil.

"Conseil,myboy,whatareyoudoinghere?""When I sawyou fall into thewater, sir, I felt itwasmyduty to follow

you.""Butwhydidyouriskyourlifetosavemine?""Yourlife,sir,ismoreimportantthanmine.""Oh,thankyou.Youareatruefriend.Butwhathappenedtotheship?""I'mafraidthewhalehittheship,sir.Itcan'tturnaround."Itwas true.TheAbrahamLincolnmovedaway fromus. It couldn't turn

back.Itwasdarkandweknewthatwehadtostayinthewaterforthenight.We

hopeddial in themorningsomeonefromtheshipcouldseeus ifwewerestillalive.

Weweretired.Wetriedtohelpeachotherswim.ThemooncameoutfrombehindthecloudsandwesawthatAbrahamLincolnwastoofaraway.Justthen,wefeltwecouldn'tswimanylonger.Atthatmoment,Itouchedsomethinghard.Ithoughtitwasarock,butthenIrealiseditwasmetal.ConseilandIheldontoit.Andthen,weheardavoice:

"Hey,hey,overhere!"ItwasNedLand'svoice,butwecouldn'tseehim.Wetriedtomoveonto

thisstrangemetalobjecttogetclosetohim."It'sme.Ned.NedLand.""Didyoufallintothewatertoo?""I sure did and it was a good thing I landed on this. I landed on the

monster,""Monster?Youmeanwe'reonthemonster?""Yes.Andit'smoving.Only,it'snomonster.It'saship."He was right. What all of us thought was a large whale was a three-

hundredfootlongunderwatership.Nedsatonaplatformwhichwasontopofthe ship.We knocked on the ship's sides, but theywere too thick and no oneheardus.

Weheardthenoiseoftheship'sengine."Ionlyhopeitdoesn'tgounderthewater."ThemysteriousshipbegantosinkbeforeNedfinishedhissentence."Help!Help!Help!"Suddenly the ship stopped sinking.A shortman in strangeblack clothes

openedasecretdooronthetopoftheship.Whenhesawus,heranbackinside,frightened.Twominuteslater,sixlargemenwithblackmaskscameout,tookusbythearmsandtookusdowninsidetheship.

CHAPTERTHREE

InsidetheNautilus

Theytookusthroughalongdarktunnel.Wecouldseenothingaroundus.Theyputusintoadarkroom,thenclosedthedoorbehindus.Alightcameon.Theroomwasempty.Itonlyhadatableandfivechairsinthemiddle.NedLandgotveryangry.

"Theymustn'ttreatmelikethis.Ididn'tdoanythingwrong.I'mgettingoutofhere.Doyouhearme?Iwantout!"

Nedscreamedatthelockeddoor,butnooneansweredhiscall."Don'tuseallyourenergy,MrLand.Wemayneeditlater.""Quite right,Conseil.As usual, you speakwith yourmind and not your

heart."Thedooropenedagainaftersomeminutes.Twomenstoodthereinfront

ofus.Onewastallwithdarkseriouseyes.Theotherwasshort.Helookedatuswithout any interest.The twomenwore blackhats and shoesmade from sealskin.Theirclotheslookedthinandcomfortable.

They spoke a language which I did not understand. I spoke to them inFrench, German and English. I told them our story, but they did not seem tounderstand.MrLandgotangryagain.

"Youlistentome!Youletusoffthisshipor...""There'snoreasontobeangry,MrLand.ItisIwhoshouldbeangrywith

you."ThetallmanwascalmandhespokeperfectEnglish.Hesurprisedallofus,

andwedidn'tsayaword."YouareontheNautilus.Iamitscaptain,andmynameisCaptainNemo.

Thisship,andmyownlife,isasecrettotheoutsideworld.Idonotwanttoseethatworldagain.Ilivehere,underthesea.Youwillstayherewithme,butyouwillhavethesamefreedomeveryoneelseontheshiphas."

"Whatdoesthatmean,Captain?""Thatmeansthatyouarefreetosecallthewonderfulthingsunderthesea.

Noman inyourworld canever see these things. I amsaying,gentlemen, that

youareverylucky!""Youmeanwellnevergohomeagain?That'simpossible!""MrLand, you gaveme no choice. I do notwant anybody to knowmy

secret.Youattackedmyship.Youfoundme.Now,youmustdowhatIsay."NedLandwasnothappyatall.IcanonlysaythatIwasveryinterestedin

thisstrangeman.Wheredidhecomefrom?Whydidheleave"our"world?CaptainNemospoke to theshortman in their strange language, then the

shortmanleftus.Thenhetriedtobefriendly."Youwillnot find lifeon theNautilus sobad.Wehavewonderful food,

andyourroomsareverycomfortable."TheCaptain showedNedandConseil to their rooms,buthe stoppedme

foramoment."Professor,mayIshowyousomething?""Why,ofcourse."CaptainNemo tookmedown to thebottomof theNautilus,where there

wasaroomlikealargemuseum.Ithadpicturesbyfamouspaintersonthewallsandglasscaseswithbeautifulshellsfromthesea.

"I read your book, Professor. You know a lot about sea life. You see. Ienjoysealife."

"Youhavethingsherethatmostpeopleonlyreadabout,Captain.""Well,Ienjoythisroom,butwhatIreallypreferislookingoutthere."The Captain pressed a button and two of the walls opened up. Behind

them, therewere large glasswindows looking out onto the sea.Awhite lightcoming from the ship made everything easy to see. I stood in front of thewindow like a small boy at the zoo, and, believe me, I didn't feel at all likeCaptainNemo'sprisoner.

CHAPTERFOUR

OutsidetheNautilus

TheNautilustravelledunderwaterwatchingthemysteriesoftheocean.TheCaptain andhis crewwere excellent hosts.Theygaveuswonderful

seafoodandwewerefreetovisitanyplacewelikedontheship.WetravellednearthecoastsofAustraliaandPapuaNewGuinea.Ienjoyed

seeingallthestrangesealifeofthesewaters.Ihadenoughinformationtowriteanewbook.ButNedLandwasnothappyontheNautilus.Hewasawhalehunterandhislifewasabovethewater,huntingwhales.

Onemorning,heaskedConseilandmetogotohisroomtotalk."Iwanttotalkaboutourescape.""Our escape?Weareunderwater!Howcanwe escape?" "Notnow.This

shipgoesabovewatereverytwodaystofillitwithcleanair.Whenwerenearland,wehavetotrytoescape."

"Thewatersweareinnowarefullofsharks,MrLand.""I know that, Professor.We'llwait.Whenwe get close to a countrywe

know,we'lltrytoescape.""ButhowwillweleavetheNautilus?"NedLandhadnotimetoanswerthisquestion.Therewasaloudcrash,and

weallfelltothefloor.Thelightswentonandoff,andtheenginestopped.The top of the Nautilus was just above the surface of the water. I saw

CaptainNemoontheplatformoutsidetheship.Theshipwasbetweentwolargerocks,unabletomove.Wehadtowaitsixdaysforthewatertorisebeforetheshipcouldleave.TheCaptaindidn'tseematallworried.

"Theseabroughtushere,theseawilltakeusaway."WewereveryclosetoPapua.Icouldseeitfromtheship.NedLandasked

the Captain if we could go on land and hunt some animals because he didn'twanttoeatfish.CaptainNemoletthethreeofusgo.Thisdidn'tsurprisemeatall.TherewereonlycannibalsonPapua.Wecouldn'tescapebecausetheywouldkillus.

There was a small boat on the Nautilus which we used to get to land.

CaptainNemogaveusgnus,andwewereallexcitedtoreturntolandandfeelfreeagain.

ThebeachofPapuawasbeautiful.Ithadsoftwhitesandand200-foot-tallpalmtrees.Wefoundbananasandcoconuts,andwemadeasmallcampingareafortheday.Somewildanimalscameoutoftheforestandranaway.Conseilwasatfirstfrightened.

"Ithoughttheywerethecannibals.""Don'tworry,Conseil.It'snotyetlunchtime."We all laughed, then continued looking for fruit and vegetables. We

walked through the tropical forest.Wewere so excited by this new adventurethat we forgot where we were walking. We were far from the beach. I feltsomethingsmallhitmyhead.

"IthinkIwashitbyarock.""Arock?""There'sanother!"Suddenly,wesawothersmovingthroughtheforest."Professor,sir,we'renotalone."There were cannibals everywhere. We ran back to the beach. They

followedus.Theycarriedspearsandshoutedinastrangelanguage.Wejumpedintotheboat,leavingallourfoodandgunsbehind.Theygotintothewaterafterus.Someofthemcameintheirownboats.Theythrewspearsatus,buttheyallmissed.WejumpedbackontheNautilusandwentbelow.

I found Captain Nemo in a small room next to the museum. He wasplayingthepiano.

"Captain,therearecannibalsoutsidetheNautilus.""Thesea,Professor,andmusicmakemefeelverypeaceful.""Captain,didyouhearme?""Idid,andthereisnoreasontoworry.TheNautilusisperfectlysafefrom

thoseoutsideit."TheCaptainleftthepianoandwentoutoftheroom.Heandsomeofhis

men went up and opened the outside door of the Nautilus. Several cannibalslookeddowninside.Onetriedtogetin,butwhenhishandtouchedtheship,he

screamed.Anothertriedthesamething,andhealsoscreamed.Soon,allofthemswamaway.

'You see, Professor. There is electricity around that door. Anyone whotouchesitfeelsgreatpain."

I felt terrified. TheCaptain had everything he needed lo protect himselfandhismen.Healsohadeverythingheneededtokeepusprisoners.

CHAPTERFIVE

AnUnderwaterCemetery

TheNautiluswasfinallyfreeoftherocksnearPapua.Wenowtravelledeast,pastAustraliaandintotheIndian Ocean. Life on the ship was normalagain.

Wesometimesstoppedontheoceanfloorandwalkedoutsidetheship.Weworespecialsuits.Theyhadlargeglassheadswithspecialtanksfilledwithair,sowecouldbreathe.

NedLand stillwanted to escape, andhe thought about it everyday.ButnowthatwewereintheIndianOcean,therewasnowheretoescapeto.

Oneafternoon,whiletheNautiluswasonthesurfaceofthewater,Iwentupstairstohavealookoutside.IsawCaptainNemolookingthroughatelescopeatsomethingfaraway.Hesaidsomethingtooneofhismen,andthemanwentdownstairs quickly. The Captain looked very serious. I had a small telescopewithme,soIputituptomyeyetoseewhathewaslookingat.Atthatmoment,Ifeltastronghandknockthetelescopeawayfrommyeye.

"Professor, Iwant you to gobelow.You,MrLand, andMrConseilwillstayinyourroomsuntilIsayyoucanleave."

"MayIaskwhy?""No."Therewasnothingmoretosay.CaptainNemowasupsetaboutsomething,

and he had the power to tell uswhat to do. Iwent tomy roomquietly. Theyservedourdinnerinourrooms.Ifellasleepquickly.WhenIwokeup,Ithoughtthattheyputsomethinginourfoodtomakeussleep.

Thenextafternoon,CaptainNemosuddenlyopenedmydoor.Hecameinwithoneofhismen.Helookedveryworried.

"Professor,doyouknowanythingaboutmedicine?""Doyoumean,amIadoctor?""Yes.""Iknowsomethings.Why?""Ihaveamanwhoneedshelp.Couldyouhavealookathim?"

"Ofcourse."CaptainNemotookmetoaroomwheretherewasamanlyingonabed.

Hehadwhitebandagesonhishead.Therewasbloodonthebandages,andtheman looked very sick. He was cold and white. I told Captain Nemo that hewouldnotlive.TheCaptain'sfacechanged.Helookedverysadandthereweretearsinhiseyes.

"MayIaskwhathappened?"TheCaptainturnedawayfromme."Whatdoesitmatter?Amanwilldie.Isn'tthatenough?"CaptainNemosurprisedme.Attimeshecouldbecoldandserious.Then

hecouldcryforamemberofhiscrew'."Youcango,Professor."Thenextday,IsawtheCaptainontheplatform.Itwasabrightsunnyday.

Ididnotwanttosayanythingaboutthesickman,butIwascurious.Iaskedhimifhewantedtogoforawalkontheoceanfloor.Hesaidyes,soweputoursuitsonandoffwewent.

The Indian Ocean had the most beautiful rocks, plants and fish in theworld.Allofusenjoyeditverymuch.

Itwaslikeacolourfulpictureshow.ButCaptainNemohadanotherreasonforourwalk.Isawthathismencarriedsomethinglongandflatinabag.Theyalso had tools to dig with. Then we arrived at a safe area, with large plantsaround it. They put the bag down and began digging. At that moment, Iunderstoodeverything.Theyweregoingtoburythedeadman.

WhenwereturnedtotheNautilus,ItoldCaptainNemothathismanwassafewherehewas.

"Noteventhesharkscangothere,Captain.""Ormen,Professor."

CHAPTERSIX

TheGiantPearlandtheShark

WetravelledintheIndianOceanfortendays.TheNautilusdidnotseemtohaveanyparticulardirection.IdidnotseeCaptainNemoforsomedaysaftertheman'sdeath.Hestayedlockedinhisroom.Theshipwasquiet.

One dayConseil,NedLand, and Iwere in themuseum room.Wewerelookingthroughtheunderwaterwindowsatthebeautifulfish.IwantedtoknowwhattheothersthoughtofCaptainNemo.Conseilsaid:

"I thinkhe'sascientistwhoneverhadanysuccess.That'swhyhe'shere,underthesea.He'snotfamousandhe'sangryaboutthat."

"Ithinkhe'scrazyandwewilldiehereunlessweescape.""I think you're both wrong. He's angry about something. He is not free

here.Helovesthesea,yes,buthereissomethingmissingfromhislife.Maybeheblamessomeoneforthat,andIthinkhewantstohurtthatperson."

AsIsaidthis,thewallsclosedoverthesidewindowsandCaptainNemowalkedin.

"Wouldyouliketogopearlfishing?Thisistherichestpartoftheworldtofishforpearls."

We all looked at each other and agreed.We were prisoners, but it wasexcitingtoseeallofthemysteriesunderthesea.

TheoceannearIndiahasthousandsofoysters.Thepearlsinsidethemcancosthundredsofdollars.Therearemany sharks in thesewaters, and it's verydangeroustogolookingforpearlsthere.

I didn't like the idea of sharks.We only had small knives to fight themwith.NedLandhadhisharpoonwithhim,buthewasverybusytryingtocollectasmanyoystersashecould.

CaptainNemotookustoasmallcave.Insideit,Isawanoysteroversixfeetwide.Ithadapearlinsideitasbigasacoconut.Iwantedtotakeitbacktotheshipwithus.Itwastheonlyoneofitskindintheworld.ButCaptainNemosaidno.Hewantedthepearltogrow,alonethereinthecave,untilitwastrulythemostfantasticpearlintheworld.

Onthewaybacktotheship,wesawanIndianboyswimmingforpearls.Wehidbehindsomerockssohecouldn'tseeus.Suddenly,alargesharkswamnearby.Theboysawit,butitwastoolate.

CaptainNemoswamawayfromtherocks,withhisknifeinhishand,andbeganfightingwiththeanimal.Theboylookedterrified.

CaptainNemofoughtwiththeshark,andtherewasbloodinthewater.TheCaptainlookedintrouble.Immediately,NedLandattackedandkilledthesharkwith his harpoon.TheCaptainwas safe and Iwas so surprised that I couldn'tmove.

WhenwegotbacktotheNautilus,theCaptainthankedNedLand."Yousavedmylife,MrLand.Thankyou.""Don'tthankme.Ikillsharksandwhalesbecauseit'smyjob.Ididn'tdoit

foryou.""Come,MrLand.That'sahorriblethingtosay.""It'salright,Conseil.IunderstandMrLand."IsawinhisfacethathedidunderstandNedLand.Wewereprisoners.Ned

Land'sonly thoughtwas toescape.CaptainNemounderstoodthat thought.HewouldfeelthesamewayifhewereinNedLand'sposition.

CHAPTERSEVEN

TheLostCity

CaptainNemo tookus north, through the IndianOcean, to theRedSea.But theRedSeahadnoexit.Aswegotcloser toEgypt, Iwentupstairs to theglassroomatthetopoftheship.Itwasdarkoutside.Wewerealongwayunderthesea.CaptainNemoturnedontheoutsidelights.

"Idon'tunderstand,Captain.Thereisnoexithere.Wecannotgothroughtheland."

'Butwecangounderit.Watch!"WemoveddownbelowthecountryofEgypt.Suddenly,Isawalargehole

intherock."Atunnel!""That'sright,Professor.Andwearegoingthrough."TheNautilusshookaswewentthroughthesmalltunnel.Itlookedlikean

oldcave.Then,watersurroundedtheshipandtherewasnomoreland.When Conseil and Ned woke up, I told them that we were in the

MediterraneanSea."Buthow?""Whocareshow?Now'sourchance.Whenwegoupagain,we'regoingto

escape.We'reclosetoEurope,andwecantakethesmallboattogettoland.Doyouagree?"

Icouldnotthinkonlyofmyself.Conseillovedthesea,butIdidnotthinkhewantedtolivehislifethere.NedLandcouldnotescapewithoutourhelp.

"Iagree.Onlytellmewhenyouareready."But theNautilusdidnotgonear thesurfaceof thewateragain for some

time.Infact,wewentfurtherdown.NedLandstayedinhisroom.Ifeltsorryforhim,butIlovedthesea.Formanyhours,Istoodinfrontofthewindowinthemuseum.

WesailedthroughtheMediterraneanSeaandenteredthedeepmysteriousAtlantic Ocean. The ocean became dark, and we continued to go further andfurtherdown.CaptainNemocameintothemuseumasIstudiedtheoceanfloor.

"Ihavealittlesurpriseforyou,Professor."Ashesaidthis,abrightlightappearedfrombehindthemountainofrocks

infrontofus."Whatisit?""Justwatch!"Wecameclosertothelight,andIcouldseetreesontheoceanfloor."That'snotpossible!"TheNautilusmovedupover themountain,andIsawthat the lightcame

from an old underwater volcano. There was no fire, but the hot lava stillproducedlight.

Thelightshoweduspartoftheoceanfloor.Therewerestonehousesandancienttemplesonit.Ididnotunderstandhowsuchthingscouldbethere.

"Itlookslikeacityfromthousandsofyearsago.""Itis.It'sthelostcityofAtlantis!"I looked up atCaptainNemo.He never took his eyes off thewindow. I

lookeddownagain.Soitwastrue,Ithought.Atlantisdidexist,butonlyCaptainNemoknewforsure.

CHAPTEREIGHT

TheGiantSquid

WetravelledthroughtheAtlanticOceandowntotheSouthPole.Wewentundertheiceandcameoutontheotherside.Imaginewhatwesaw-penguins,whales,polarbears,dolphins,icebergs!ItwaslikeadreamandwesawitfromtheinsideoftheNautilus.

We continued up the coast of South America. Finally, we came to thewarmwatersneartheBahamas.Whocouldbeunhappy?Onlyoneperson-NedLand.

Conseil,Ned and Iwere in themuseum, looking out at old stonewalls,5,000feetunderthesea.

"Therearegiantsquidintheholesofthosewalls.""ComeProfessor,youdon'tbelievethat,doyou?""Whatgiantsquid,sir?""Well,thegiantsquidisreallyjustastory.Manypeopleliketotellstories

aboutgiantsquid,butnooneknowsiftheyaretrue.ButIknowonemanwhosaidhesawone."

"Howlongwasit?""Twentyfeet.""Didithaveeighttentacleslikesnakescomingoutofabigroundhead?""Yes.""Anddidithaveamouthandnoselikeabird's?""Yes,why,Conseil?""BecauseIthinkIseeitrightthere."Ilookedoutofthewindow,andtherewasa25-footgiantsquid!Itmoved

closetotheNautilusandithitthewindowwithitslongtentacles.TheNautiluswastoostrongforit,butitwasaveryfrighteningcreature!

Soon,othersmallersquidcamenearthewindow.Theyallwantedtoattackthe ship. They did not know what it was. Suddenly, the Nautilus stopped.CaptainNemocameintothemuseum.

"Issomethingwrong,Captain?""Yes.Oneofthoseuglycreaturesiscaughtinourpropeller.""Whatcanwedo?""Wecantaketheshipup,thentrytofreethemonster."Captain Nemo never thought of danger. He thought nothing could stop

him,hismenorhisship.We all went upstairs. Captain Nemo gave us all axes to cut the squid's

tentaclesiftheyattacked.Onemanwent toopen thedoor to theplatform.Asheopened it, a long

thick tentacle of the giant squid came inside like a snake and pulled themanoutside.Weallranupthestairs.

Outside, six or seven small squid moved along the top of the Nautilus,throwing all their tentacles at the ship and itsmen.We fought themwith ouraxes,butthelargeone,theonewithCaptainNemo'smaninhistentacle,stoodholdingthemanintheair.Themancriedforhelp.

"Help!Help!"IwassurprisedhespokeEnglish.CaptainNemoattackedthegiantsquid

with his axe.He cut off someof its tentacles. I thoughtCaptainNemowouldsavehisman.ThenIsawNedLandwithhisharpooninhishand.IthoughthewasgoingtokilltheCaptain.

"Ned,don't!"But I didn't need to stop him. One of the smaller squid knocked the

harpoonoutofhishandandthrewNeddown.Thesquidwasabouttopullhimintothesea.CaptainNemosawthis,cutoffthesquid'stentacleandsavedNedLand.

"Yousavedmylife!""Didn'tyoudothesameforme?""Yes,but..."CaptainNemodidnotwaitfortheanswer.Heturnedtohelphisownman,

butitwastoolate.Thegiantsquidshotblackinkoutofitsbody,andnoneofuscould see anything.When we cleaned our faces and our eyes, the squid wasgone,takingthemanwithit.

CHAPTERNINE

TheBattle

TheNautiluswasquietagain.Theonlysoundwecouldhearwastheship'sengine.CaptainNemostayedinhislibrary.Ididn'tseehimforseveraldays.Thesame thing happened after the death of one of his men. I thought there wassomething more to this. Maybe Captain Nemo thought that soon all his menwoulddie,andtheNautilusandhissecretwouldbelost.

NedLandcouldnotwaitanylonger."IwantyoutotalktotheCaptain,Professor.Askhimifwecanleave.""Nowisnotthetime,Ned.""Itis.Ifyoudon'tspeaktohim,I'mgoingtodoitmyself.""Alright,Ned,I'lldoit.""When?""Soon.""No,Professor,now!"Ihadnochoice.NedLand lost his temper, and I thoughtCaptainNemo

mightlistentomeandletusgo.I found theCaptain inhis library.He stood and looked at a pictureof a

youngwomanwithtwosmallchildren.Hedidn'thearmegoin.Helookedverysad.Who was this woman?Was it his wife?My leg hit a table and CaptainNemoturnedaround.

"I'msorry,Captain.Icametospeaktoyou.""Notnow,Professor.""I'mafraidit'simportant.""Whatisit?""It'saboutourfreedom.ThemenandIneedtoknowwhatyouplantodo

withus.""Ialreadytoldyou.""Captain,youcan'texpectustostayonthisshipforever!"

"Professor, you found me. I did not find you. No one who enters theNautiluseverleaves.Thereisnothingelsetosay."

SuddenlyIheardavoiceshakinginthatstrangelanguage.Thevoicecamefromanotherroom.ItwasoneoftheCaptain'smen.TheCaptainbecameveryangry."Professor,Iwantyoutogotoyourroom."

I left theCaptain, but I didn't return tomy room. Iwent upstairs to theplatform.ThereIfoundNedandConseil."Sir,it'saship."

Therewasashiptravellingveryfasttowardsus."Hey!We'reoverhere!"NedLandtriedtocalltheshipover.Theshipansweredwithcannonball."They'refiringatus!""Hey!Overhere!Don'tshoot!"Suddenly,NedLandsawCaptainNemo."Iwantallthreeofyoutogotoyourrooms,now!"Theshipcamecloser.

CaptainNemo'smengotreadytofightit."This ismy real enemy.Theykilledmy friendsand family.Now it'smy

turntokillthem."CaptainNemoputablack flagon theNautiluswithayellow"N" in the

centreofit.Weallwentdown,insidetheship,Iwatchedthefightfromtheglasswindow in the museum. The Nautilus shook from the explosions of thecannonballsinthewater,butitwentforward,readytoattacktheenemyship.

TheNautilusmadeaholeinthebottomoftheenemyshipwithitssharpnose. I saw the men on the other ship fall into the water. There was a loudexplosionandthen,silence.

CHAPTERTEN

TheWhirlpool

CaptainNemowasnotthemanIthoughthewas.Ihadrespectforhimasascientist,buthemurderedthosemenontheothership!

After the terrible battlewith the enemy ship, everything on theNautiluswas quiet. I did not see Captain Nemo or any of his men. We travelledunderwater, never coming up except for air. Ned and Conseil stayed in theirrooms.Weallfeltthesame,now,theadventureoftheNautiluswasnotexcitingorinteresting.Itwasuglyanddeadly.Theonlythingwewantedwastoescape.

NedLandcameintomyroomonenightandwokemeup.WewereintheNorth Sea, near the coast of Norway. "Professor, wake up! The boat's ready.Nowisthetime!"

"Canyouseeland?""Yes,abouttwentymilesaway.Wehavetotry!""Iagree.""I'llgoupfirst,Conseilisthere.Waitfortwominutes,thencomeupafter

me. If anyonestopsyou,kill them."NedLandputa fishingknife inmyhandandleft theroom,I lookedaroundonemoretime.Thiswasmyhomeforninemonths.FormostofthattimeIenjoyedit,butnowIhadtoleave.

AsIwalkedthroughthemuseumtothestairs,IheardmusiccomingfromCaptainNemo'slibrary.Ilistenedtohimplayingthepiano,andIthoughtIheardhimsay.

"Enough.Oh,God,enough!"ThosewereCaptainNemo'slastwords.I found Ned Land and Conseil in the small boat on the platform. Ned

worked quickly to set if free. The Nautilus suddenly began to turn round incircles.Themenbelowbegantoshout.

"What'shappening,sir?""Idon'tknow.""Getready.I'malmostfinished."

Suddenly,IthoughtIunderstoodwhatthemenbelowsaidintheirstrangelanguage.TheNautiluswasinawhirlpool.ThewatersoffthecoastofNorwaywere famous for this.Boatswhich sailed into thesewhirlpools never escaped."Whatshallwedo,Professor?"

"Don'tfreetheboat.We'llnevermakeit.""Ican'tholdit.We'regoingto..."I heard a loud "snap". Something hitme on the head and that's the last

thingIremember.I amwriting this now somemonths later: I am safe now.Thewhirlpool

threwourboatawayfromtheNautilus.Somefishermenfoundusandtookustotheshore.

IdonotknowwhathappenedtoCaptainNemoandtheNautilus.Maybehe is still alive, living under the sea. All I know is that we travelled 20,000leaguesunderthesea,fromthePacifictotheIndianOcean,throughtheReelSeaandtheMediterranean,across theAtlanticand to theNorthandSouthPoles. Isaw things that no man from my world will ever see. It was a strange andwonderfuladventure;oneIwillneverforget.

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