Join Host Bree Carlile as she reads the forty-third 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 20.

From latitude 42 degrees 24 minutes to longitude 17 degrees 28 minutes.

In consequence of the storm, we had been thrown eastward once more.

All hope of escape on the shores of New York or St.

Lawrence had faded away, and poor Ned, in despair, had isolated himself like Captain Nemo.

Conceal and I, however, never left each other.

I said that the Nautilus had gone aside to the east, I should have said, to be more exact, the northeast.

For some days it wandered first on the surface and then beneath it, amid those fogs so dreaded by sailors.

What accidents are due to these thick fogs?

What shocks upon these reefs when the wind drowns?

The breaking of the waves?

What collisions between vessels, in spite of their warning lights, whistles, and alarm bells.

And the bottoms of these seas look like a field of battle where still lie all the conquered of the ocean, some old and already encrusted, others fresh and reflecting from their iron bands and copper plates.

The brilliancy of our lantern.

On the 15 May, we were at the extreme south of the bank of Newfoundland.

This bank consists of alluvia, or large heaps of organic matter, brought either from the equator by the Gulf stream, or from the north Pole by the countercurrent of cold water which skirts the american coast.

There also were heaped up those erratic blocks, which are carried along by the broken ice, and close by a vastronal house of mollusks, which perish here by millions.

The depth of the sea is not great at Newfoundland, not more than some hundreds of fathoms, but towards the south is a depression of 1500 fathoms.

There the Gulf Stream widens.

It loses some of its speed and some of its temperature, but it becomes the sea.

It was on the 17 May, about 500 miles from Hart's content, at a depth of more than 1400 fathoms, that I saw the electric cable lying on the bottom, concealed to whom I had not mentioned.

It thought at first that it was a gigantic sea serpent.

But I undeceived the worthy fellow, and by way of consolation, related several particulars in the laying of this cable.

The first one was laid in the years 1857 and 1858, but after transmitting about 400 telegrams, would not act any longer.

In 1863, the engineers constructed another one, measuring 2000 miles in length, weighing 4500 tons, which was embarked on the Great Eastern.

This attempt also failed on 25 May.

The Nautilus, being at a depth of more than 1918 fathoms, was on the precise spot where the rupture occurred which ruined the enterprise.

It was within 638 miles of the coast of Ireland, and at 02:30 in the afternoon, they discovered that communication with Europe had ceased.

The electricians on board resolved to cut the cable before fishing it up, and at 11:00 at night they had recovered the damaged part.

They made another point and spliced it, and it was once more submerged.

But some days after, it broke again, and in the depths of the ocean could not be recaptured.

The Americas, however, were not discouraged.

Cyrus Field, the bold promoter of the enterprise, as he had sunk all its own fortune, set a new subscription on foot, which was at once answered.

And another cable was constructed on better principles.

The bundles of conducting wires were each enveloped in gutter percha and protected by a wading of hemp contained in a metallic covering.

The Great Eastern sailed on 13 July 1866.

The operation worked well, but one incident occurred several times.

In unrolling the cable, they observed that nails had recently been forced into it, evidently with the motive of destroying it.

Captain Anderson, the officers and engineers consulted together and had it posted up that if the offender was surprised.

On board, he would be thrown without further trial into the sea.

From that time, the criminal attempt was never repeated.

On 23 July, the Great Eastern was not more than 500 miles from Newfoundland when they telegraphed from Ireland.

The news of the armistice concluded between Prussia and Austria.

After Sadowa on the 27th, in the midst of heavy fogs, they reached the port of heart's content.

The enterprise was successfully terminated, and for its first dispatch, young America addressed old Europe in these words of wisdom so rarely understood.

Glory to God in the highest, and on earth, peace, goodwill towards men.

I did not expect to find the electric cable in its primitive state, such as it was.

On leaving the manufacturing, the long serpent, covered with the remains of shells bristling with four minifarae, was encrusted with a strong coating which served as a protection against all boring mollusks.

It lay quietly sheltered from the motions of the sea and under a favorable pressure for the transmission of the electric spark which passes from Europe to America in 00:32 of a second.

Doubtless this cable will last for a great length of time, for they find that the gut of Persia covering is improved by the seawater.

Besides, on this level so well chosen, the cable is never so deeply submerged as it cause it to break.

The Nautilus followed it to the lowest depth, which was more than 2212 fathoms, and there it lay without any anchorage.

And then we reached the spot where the accident had taken place in 1863.

The bottom of the ocean then formed a valley about 100 miles broad in which Mont Blanc might have been placed without its summit appearing above the waves.

This valley is closed at the east by a perpendicular wall more than 2000 yards high.

We arrived there on the 28 May, and the Nautilus was then not more than 120 miles from Ireland.

Was Captain Nemo going to land on the British Isles?

No.

To my great surprise, he made for the south once more, coming back towards european seas.

In rounding the Emerald Isle, for one instant, I caught sight of cape Clear and the light which guides the thousands of vessels leaving Glasgow or Liverpool.

An important question then arose in my mind.

Did the Nautilus dare entangle itself in the Manch Ned?

Land, who had reappeared since we had been nearing land, did not cease to question me.

How could I answer?

Captain Nemo remained invisible after having shown the Canadian a glimpse of american shores.

Was he going to show me the coast of France?

But the Nautilus was still going southward.

On the 30 May, it passed inside of Land's End between the extreme point of England and the silly Isles, which were left to starboard.

If we wish to enter the monch, he must go straight to the east.

He did not do so.

During the whole of the 31 May.

The Nautilus described a series of circles on the water, which greatly interested me.

It seemed to be seeking a spot it had some trouble in finding.

At noon, Captain Nemo himself came to work the ship's log.

He spoke no word to me, but seemed gloomier than ever.

What could sadden him thus?

Was it his proximity to european shores?

Had he some recollections of his abandoned country?

If not, what did he feel remorse or regret?

For a long while, this thought haunted my mind, and I had a kind of presentiment that, before long, chance would betray the captain's secrets.

The next day, the 1 June, the nautilus continued the same process.

It was evidently seeking some particular spot in the ocean.

Captain Nemo took the sun's altitude, as he had done the day before.

The sea was beautiful, the sky clear.

About 8 miles to the east, a large steam vessel could be discerned on the horizon.

No flag fluttered from its mast, and I could not discover its nationality.

Some minutes before the sun passed the meridian, Captain Nemo took his sextant and watched with great attention.

The perfect rest of the water greatly helped the operation.

The nautilus was motionless.

It neither rolled nor pitched.

I was on the platform when the altitude was taken, and the captain pronounced these words, it is here.

He turned and went below.

Had he seen the vessel, which was changing its course and seemed to be nearing us?

I could not tell.

I returned to the saloon, the panels closed.

I heard the hissing of the water in the reservoirs, the nautilus began to sink, following a vertical line, for its screw communicated no motion to it.

Some minutes later, it stopped at a depth of more than 420 fathoms.

Resting on the ground, the luminous ceiling was darkened.

Then the panels were opened, and through the glass I saw the sea brilliantly illuminated by the rays of our lantern.

For at least half a mile round us, I looked to the port side and saw nothing but an immensity of quiet waters.

But to starboard, on the bottom, appeared a large protuberance, which at once attracted my attention.

One would have thought it a ruin, buried under a coating of white shells, much resembling a covering of snow.

Upon examining the mass attentively, I could recognize the ever thickening form of vessel bear of its masts, which must have sunk.

It certainly belonged to past times.

This wreck, to be thus encrusted with the lime of the water, must already be able to count many years past at the bottom of the ocean.

What was this vessel?

Why did the Nautilus visit its tomb?

Could it have been aught but a shipwreck which had drawn it under the water?

I knew not what to think when near me in a slow voice I heard Captain Nemo say.

At one time this ship was called the Marseille.

It carried 74 guns and was launched in 1762.

In 1778, the 13 August commanded by Le Pope Vertrux, it fought boldly against the preston in 1779.

On the 4 July it was at the taking of Granada with a squadron of Admirable Estang in 1781.

On the 5 September it took part in the Battle of De Gras in Chesapeake Bay.

In 1794 the French Republic changed its name on the 16 April.

In the same year it joined the squadron of Villarre Jerome at breast, being entrusted with the escort of a cargo of corn coming from America under the commander of Admiral van Stable.

On the 11th and 12th of Preroll of the second year, the squadron fell in with an english vessel.

Sir, today is the 13th Preroll, the 1 June 1868.

It is now 74 years ago, day for day, on this very spot in latitude 47 degrees 24 minutes, longitude 17 degrees 28 minutes, that this vessel, after fighting heroically, losing its three masts with the water in its hold and the third of its crew disabled, preferred sinking with its 356 sailors to surrendering and nailing its colors to the poop, disappeared under the waves to the cry of long live the republic.

The Avenger.

I exclaimed.

Yes, sir, the Avenger.

A good name, muttered Captain Nemo, crossing his arms.

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

Bite of one of your favorite classics.

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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