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

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Today we'll be continuing 20,000 leagues under the sea by Jules Verne chapter 18 Vanicoro this terrible spectacle was the forerunner of the series of maritime catastrophes that the Nautilus was destined to meet with in its route.

As long as it went through more frequented waters, we often saw the holes of shipwrecked vessels that were rotting in the depths, and deeper down, cannons, bullets, anchors, chains, and a thousand other iron materials eaten up by rust.

However, on the 11 December we sighted the Pomento Islands, the old, dangerous group of Bougainville that extend over a space of 500 leagues at east southeast to west northwest from the island Douchey to that of Lazarev.

This group covers an area of 370 square leagues, and it is formed of 60 groups of islands, among which the gamebier group is remarkable, over which France exercises sway.

These are coral islands, slowly raised but continuous, created by the daily work of polypy.

Then this new island will be joined later on to the neighboring groups, and a fifth continent will stretch from New Zealand and New Caledonia, and from thence to the Marcosas one day, when I was suggesting this theory to Captain Nemo, he replied coldly, the earth does not want new continents, but new men.

Chance had conducted the nautilus towards the island of Claremont.

Tonyer, one of the most curious of the group that was discovered in 1822 by Captain Bell of the Minerva.

I could study now the madriporal system, to which are do the islands in this ocean.

Madropores, which must not be mistaken for corals, have a tissue lined with a calcium crust, and the modifications of its structure have induced Monsieur Milne Edwards, my worthy master, to class them into five sections.

The enema cule that the marine polypus secretes live by millions.

At the bottom of their cells, their calcious deposits become rocks, reefs, and large and small islands.

Here they form a ring surrounding a little inland lake that communicates with the sea by means of gaps.

There they make barriers of reefs, like those on the coasts of New Caledonia and the various Pometon islands.

In other places, like those at Reunion and at Maurice, they raise fringed reefs, hide straight walls near which the depth of the ocean is considerable.

Some cable lengths off the shores of the island of Claremont.

I admire the gigantic work accomplished by these microscopial workers.

These walls are especially the work of those madropores known as milliporis, porites, madropores and Asteris.

These polypy are found particularly in the rough beds of the sea near the surface, and consequently it is from the upper part that they begin their operations, in which they bury themselves by degrees with the debris of the secretions that support them.

Such is at least Darwin's theory, who thus explains the formation of the tolls, a superior theory to my mind, to that given of the foundation of the madriporical works, summits of mountains or volcanoes that are submerged some feet below the level of the sea.

I could observe closely these curious walls, for perpendicularly they were more than 300 yards deep, and our electric sheets lighted up.

This calcitis matter brilliantly.

Replying to a question conceal asked me as to the time these colossal barriers took to be raised, I astonished him much by telling him that learned men reckoned about the 8th of an inch in a hundred years.

Towards evening, Claremont's tanier was lost in the distance, and the route of the Nautilus was sensibly changed.

After having crossed the tropic of Capricorn in 135 degrees longitude, it sailed west northwest, making again for the tropical zone.

Although the summer's sun was very strong, we did not suffer from heat, for at 15 or 20 fathoms below the surface the temperature did not rise above from ten to twelve degrees.

On 15 December, we left to the east the bewitching group of the societies and the graceful Tahiti queen of the Pacific.

I saw in the morning, some miles to the windward, the elevated summits of the island.

These waters furnished our table with excellent fish, mackerel, bonitos, and some varieties of a sea serpent.

On 25 December, the Nautilus sailed into the midst of the New Hebrides, discovered by Quiros in 16 six, and at Boganville, explored in 1768 and to which Cook gave its present name in 1773.

This group is composed principally of nine large islands that form a band of 120 leagues north north south to south southwest, between 15 degrees and two degrees south latitude, and 164 degrees and 168 degrees longitude.

We passed tolerably near the island of Arau that at noon looked a mass of green woods surmounted by a peak of great height.

That day being Christmas Day, ned land seemed to regret sorely the non celebration of Christmas, the family feat of which Protestants are so fond.

I had not seen Captain Nemo for a week when, on the morning of the 27th, he came into the large drawing room, always seeming as if he had seen you 5 minutes before.

I was busily tracing the route of the Nautilus on the planosphere.

The captain came up to me, put his finger on one spot on the chart, and said the single word, venacoro.

The effect was magical.

It was the name of the islands on which La Perose had been lost.

I rose suddenly.

The nautilus has brought us to Vinacoro?

I asked.

Yes, professor, said the captain and I can visit the celebrated islands where the bushol and the astrolab struck, if you like, professor.

When shall we be there?

We are there now, followed by Captain Nemo.

I went up onto the platform and greedily scanned the horizon.

To the northeast, two volcanic islands emerged of unequal size, surrounded by a coral reef that measured 40 miles in circumference.

We were close to Vancoro, really, the one to which Dumont Derville gave the name of Isle de Rick Shroosh, and exactly facing the little harbor of Anao, situated in 16 degrees 4 minutes south latitude and 164 degrees 32 minutes east longitude.

The earth seemed covered with verger.

From the shore to the summits in the interior that were crowned by Mount Capigo, 476ft high.

The nautilus, having passed the outer belt of rocks by a narrow strait, found itself among breakers where the sea was from 30 to 40 fathoms deep under the verdant shade of some mangroves.

I perceived some savages who appeared greatly surprised at our approach.

In a long black body moving between wind and water.

Did they not see some formidable cetacean that they regarded with suspicion?

Just then Captain Nemo asked me what I knew about the wreck of La Perose.

Only what everyone knows, captain, I replied.

And could you tell me what everyone knows about it?

He inquired ironically.

Easily I related to him all that the last works of Dumont Durville had made known works from which the following is a brief account ma prose and his second, Captain Delangel, were sent by Louis XV in 1785 on a voyage of circumnavigation.

They embarked in the corvettes you Sol in the astrolab, neither of which were again heard of.

In 1791 the french government, justly uneasy as to the fate of these two sloops, manned two large merchantmen, the rochers and the esperance which left breast the 28 September under the command of Bruni de Andre Casteau.

Two months after, they learned from Bowen, commander of the Albmarl, that the debris of shipwrecked vessels had been seen on the coasts of New Georgia.

But Deontre Casteau ignored this communication, rather uncertain, besides directed his course towards the Admiralty Islands, mentioned in a report of captain hunters as being the place where La Perose was wrecked.

They sought in vain the Esperants and the recursch passed before Venacoro without stopping there and in fact this voyage was most disastrous, as it cost Deontre Casteau his life and those of two of his lieutenants besides several of his crew.

Captain Dylan, a shrewd old Pacific sailor, was the first to find unmistakable traces of the wrecks.

On 15 May 1824 his vessel, the St.

Patrick, passed close to Decopia, one of the New Hebrides.

There Alasker came alongside in a canoe, sold him the handle of a sword and silver that bore the print of characters engraved on the hilt.

Alasker pretended that six years before, during a stay at Vancoro, he had seen two Europeans that belonged to some vessels that had run aground on reefs.

Some years ago.

Dylan guessed that he meant la Perose, whose disappearance had troubled the whole world.

He tried to get onto Vanicoro, where, according to the Lasker, he would find numerous debris of the wreck, but the winds and tides prevented him.

Dylan returned to Calcutta.

There he interested the asiatic society and the Indian Company in his discovery.

A vessel to which was given the name of the recursion was put at his disposal and he set out 23rd January 1827, accompanied by a french agent the recursch, after touching at several points in the Pacific, cast anchor before Vancoro, 7 July 1827, in that same harbor of Anau where the Nautilus was at this time.

There it collected numerous relics of the wreck, iron utensils, anchors, pulley straps, swivel guns, an 18 pound shot, fragments of astronomical instruments, a piece of crownwork, and a bronze clock bearing this inscription Basin mafate, the mark of the foundry of the arsenal at rest about 1785.

There could be no further doubt.

Dylan, having made all inquiries, stayed at the unlucky place till October.

Then he quitted Vinacoro and directed his course towards New Zealand, put into Calcutta, 7 April 1828, and returned to France, where he was warmly welcomed by Charles X.

But at the same time, without knowing Dylan's movements, Dumont Durville had already set out to find the scene of the wreck, and they had learned from a whaler that some medals in a cross of St.

Louis had been found in the hands of some savages of Louis Sade in New Caledonia.

Dumont Derville, commander of the astrolab, had then sailed, and two months after Dylan had left Vanicoro, he put into Hobertown.

There he learned the results of Dylan's inquiries and found that a certain James Hobbes, second lieutenant of the union of Calcutta, after landing on an island situated eight degrees 18 minutes south latitude and 156 degrees 30 minutes east longitude, had seen some iron bars and red stuffs used by the natives of these parts.

Newmont Derville, much perplexed and not knowing how to credit the reports of low class journals, decided to follow Dylan's track.

On the 10 February 1828, the astrolab appeared off to Copia, and took as guide and interpreter a deserter found on the island, made its way to Vanacoro, cited it on the 12th instant, lay among the reefs until the 14th, and not until the 20th, that he cast anchor within the barrier in the harbor of Anao.

On the 23rd several officers went round the island and brought back some unimportant trifles.

The natives, adopting a system of denials and evasions, refused to take them to the unlucky place.

This ambiguous conduct led them to believe that the natives had ill treated the castaways, and indeed they seemed to fear that Dumont Derville had come to avenge Leparose and his unfortunate crew.

However, on 26, appeased by some presence and understanding that they had no reprisals to fear, they led Monsieur Jacques to the scene of the wreck.

There, in three or four fathoms of water between the reefs of Pacau and Vanau lay anchors, cannons, pigs of lead and iron embedded in the limey concretions.

The large boat and the whaler belonged to the astrolab, were sent to this place, and not without some difficulty.

Their crews hauled up anchor weighing 1800 pounds, a brass gun, some pigs of iron, and two copper swivel guns.

Dumont Derville, questioning the natives, learned, too that la Perose, after losing both his vessels on the reefs of this island, had constructed a smaller boat, only to be lost a second time.

Where no one knew.

But the french government, fearing that Dumont Durville was not acquainted with Dylan's movements, had sent the slute mayonnaise, commanded by Legonart de Tromlin, to Vanicuro, which had been stationed on the west coast of America.

The mayonnaise cast their anchor before Vancouro some months after the departure of the astrolab, but found no new document, but stated that the savages had respected the monument laparos.

That is a substance of what I told Captain Nemo.

So he said, no one knows now where the third vessel perished that was constructed by the castaways on the island of Anacoro.

No one knows.

Captain Nemo said nothing but signed to me to follow him into the large saloon.

The Nautilus sank several yards below the waves, and the panels were opened.

I hastened to the aperture and under the crustaceans of coral covered with fungi, siphonules, alcyons, madripores.

Through myriads of charming fish, gyrelles, glycephridri, pomophrides, diacopes, and hollow sentries, I recognized certain debris that the drags had not been able to tear up.

Iron stirrups, anchors, cannons, bullets, capstone fittings, the stem of a ship, all objects clearly proving the wreck of some vessel and now carpeted with living flowers.

While I was looking on this desolate scene, Captain Nemo said in a sad voice, Commander Le Parose set out 7 December 1785 with his vessels Labisul and the astrolab.

He first cast anchor at Botany Bay, visited the Friendly Isles, knew Caledonia, then directed his course towards Santa Cruz and put into Namuka, one of the hippai group, and his vessel struck on the unknown reefs of Anacoro.

The boo soul, which went first, ran aground on the southerly coast.

The astrolab went to its help and ran aground too.

The first vessel was destroyed almost immediately.

The second, stranded under the wind, resisted.

Some days the natives made the castaways welcome.

They installed themselves in the island and constructed a smaller boat with the debris of the two large ones.

Some sailors stayed willingly at Vinicro.

The others, weak and ill, set out with La Perose.

They directed their course towards the Solomon Islands, and there perished with everything on the westerly coast of the chief island of the group between Cape's deception and satisfaction.

How do you know that?

By this that I found on the spot.

Where was the last rack?

Captain Nemo showed me a tin plate box stamped with the french arms and corroded by saltwater.

He opened it and I saw a bundle of papers, yellow but still readable.

They were the instructions of the naval minister to Commander Laparose, annotated in the margin in Louis XVI's handwriting.

Od is a fine death for a sailor, said Captain Nemo.

At last a coral tomb makes a quiet grave, and I trust that I and my comrades will find no other.

Thank you for joining bite at a time books today while we read a.

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