Join Host Bree Carlile as she reads the twenty-fifth chapter of Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea.

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Wherever you listen to podcasts, please note while we try to keep the text as close to the original as possible, some words have been changed to honor the marginalized communities who've identified the words as harmful and to stay in alignment with bite at a time book's brand values today we'll be continuing 20,000 leagues under the sea by Jules Verne chapter.

Two a novel proposal of Captain Nemo's on the 28 February, when at noon the nautilus came to the surface of the sea in nine degrees, four minutes north latitude, there was land inside, about 8 miles to westward.

The first thing I noticed was a range of mountains about 2000ft high, the shapes of which were most capricious.

On taking the bearings, I knew that we were nearing the island of Ceylon, the pearl, which hangs from the lobe of the indian peninsula.

Captain Nemo and his second appeared at this moment.

The captain glanced at the map, then, turning to me, said, the island of Ceylon, noted for its pearl fisheries.

Would you like to visit one of them, Monsieur Aranacs?

Certainly, captain.

Well, the thing is easy though.

If we see the fisheries, we shall not see the fishermen.

The annual exportation has not yet begun.

Never mind.

I give orders to make for the Gulf of Menar, where we shall arrive in the night.

The captain said something to a second, who immediately went out.

Soon the nautilus returned to her native element and the monometer showed that she was about 30ft deep.

Well, sir, said Captain Nemo, you and your companion shall visit the bank of Benar, and if by chance some fisherman should be there, we shall see him at work.

Agreed captain.

By the by, Monsieur Aranax, you are not afraid of sharks?

Sharks.

Exclaimed I.

This question seemed a very hard one.

Well, continued Captain Nemo.

I admit, captain, that I am not yet very familiar with that kind of fish.

We are accustomed to them, replied Captain Nemo, and in time you will be too.

However, we shall be armed and on the road we may be able to hunt some of the tribe.

It is interesting.

So, till tomorrow, sir, and early this said in a careless tone, Captain Nemo left the saloon.

Now, if you were invited to hunt the bear in the mountains of Switzerland, what would you say?

Very well, tomorrow we will go and hunt the bear.

If you were asked to hunt the lion in the plains of Atlas, or the tiger in the indian jungles, what would you say?

Ha ha.

It seems we're going to hunt the tiger or the lion.

When you were invited to hunt the shark in its natural element, you would perhaps reflect before accepting the invitation.

As for myself, I passed my hand over my forehead, on which stood large drops of cold perspiration.

Let us reflect, said I, and take our time hunting otters and submarine forests as we did in the island of Crespo, will pass.

Going up and down at the bottom of the sea, where one is almost certain to meet sharks, is quite another thing.

I know well that in certain countries, particularly in the ademan islands, the negroes never hesitate to attack them with a dagger in one hand and a running noose in the other.

But I also know that few who affront those creatures ever return alive.

However, I am not a negro, and if I were, I think a little hesitation in this case would not be ill timed at this moment.

Conceal and the Canadian entered, quite composed and even joyous, they knew not what awaited them.

Faith, sir, said Ned Land, your Captain Nemo, the devil take him, has just made us a very pleasant offer.

Ah, said I, you know, if agreeable to you, sir, interrupted conceal, the commander of the nautilus has invited us to visit the magnificent Ceylon fisheries tomorrow in your company.

He did it kindly and behaved like a real gentleman.

He said nothing more?

Nothing more, sir, except that he'd already spoken to you of this little walk, sir, said Conceal, would you give us some details of the pearl fishery?

As to the fishing itself, I asked, or the incident's, which on the fishing, replied the Canadian, before entering upon the ground.

It is as well to know something about it.

Very well.

Sit down, my friends, and I will teach you.

Ned.

And conceal seated themselves on an otoman, and the first thing the Canadian asked was, sir, what is a pearl?

My worthy Ned, I answered to the poet, a pearl is the tear of the sea.

To the Orientals it is a drop of dew solidified to the ladies it is the jewel of an oblong shape, of a brilliancy of mother of pearl substance which they wear on their fingers, their necks, or their ears.

For the chemist, it is a mixture of phosphate and carbonate, of lime with a little gelatin.

And lastly, for naturalists, it is simply a morbid secretion of the organ that produces the mother of pearl.

Amongst certain bivalves branch of mollusks said conceal.

Precisely so, my learned conceal.

And amongst these testacea, the earshell, the tridactny, the turbits, in a word, are all those which secrete mother of pearl.

That is, the blue, bluish, violet, or white substance which lines the interior of their shells are capable of producing pearls.

Mussels, too?

Asked the Canadian.

Yes, mussels of certain waters in Scotland, Wales, Ireland, Saxony, Bohemia, and France.

Good for the future I shall pay attention, replied the Canadian, but, I continued, the particular mollusk which secretes the pearl is the pearl oyster, the milegrina magna cardfert, that precious pentadine.

The pearl is nothing but a nucleus formation deposited in a globular form, either adhering to the oyster shell or buried in the folds of the creature on the shell.

It is fast in the flesh.

It is loose, but always has for a kernel a small hard substance, maybe a barren egg, maybe a grain of sand, around which the pearly matter deposits itself year after year, successively, and by thin concentric layers.

Are many pearls found in the same oyster?

Asked conceal?

Yes, my boy.

Some are a perfect casket.

One oyster has been mentioned, though I allow myself to doubt it as having contained no less than a 150 sharks.

A 150 sharks?

Exclaimed ned land.

Did I say sharks?

Said I hurriedly.

I meant to say a 150 pearls.

Sharks would not be sense.

Certainly not, said Conceal.

But will you tell us now by what means they extract these pearls?

They proceed in various ways.

When they adhere to the shell, the fishermen often pull them off with pinchers.

But the most common way is to lay the oyster on mats of the seaweed which covers the banks.

Thus they die in the open air, and at the end of ten days they're in a forward state of decomposition.

They are then plunged into large reservoirs of seawater.

Then they are opened and washed.

The price of these pearls varies according to their size.

Asked conceal not only according to their size, I answered, but also according to their shape, their water, that is, their color, and their luster, that is, that bright and diapered sparkle which makes them so charming to the eye.

The most beautiful are called virgin pearls, or paragons.

They're formed alone in the tissue of the mollusk, are white, often opaque, and sometimes have the transparency of an opal.

They are generally round or oval.

The round are made into bracelets.

The oval independence and being more precious, are sold singly.

Those adhering to the shell of the oyster are more irregular in shape and are sold by weight.

Lastly, in a lower order class, those small pearls known under the name of seed pearls.

They are sold by measure and are especially used in embroidery for church ornaments.

But said conceal.

Is this pearl fishery dangerous?

No, answered quickly, particularly if certain precautions are taken.

What is one risk in such a calling?

Said Ned land, the swallowing us the mouthfuls of seawater.

As you say, Ned.

By the by, said I, trying to take Captain Nemo's careless tone, are you afraid of sharks?

Brave Ned?

I replied.

The Canadian, a harpooner by profession it is my trade to make light of them.

But, said I, it is not a question of fishing for them with an iron swivel, hoisting them into the vessel, cutting off their tails with a blow of a chopper, ripping them up and throwing their heart into the sea.

Then it is a question of precisely in the water.

In the water.

Faith with a good harpoon.

You know, sir, these sharks are ill fashioned beasts.

They turn on their bellies to seize you.

And in that time Ned land had a way of saying seas which made my blood run cold.

Well, and you conceal.

What do you think of sharks?

Me?

Said conceal.

I'll be frank, sir.

So much the better, thought I.

If you, sir, mean to face the sharks, I do not see why your faithful servant should not face them with you.

Thank you for joining bite at a.

Time books today while we read a.

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Again, my name is Brie Carlyle, and I hope you come back tomorrow for the next bite of 20,000 leagues under the sea.

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Take a look the book and let's see what we can find take it chapter by chapter one at a time so many adventures and mountains we can climb take it word for word line by line one bite at a time close.