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Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea - Part 1 - Chapter 3
Episode 31st January 2024 • Bite at a Time Books • Bree Carlile
00:00:00 00:13:02

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

Come with us as we release one bite a day of one of your favorite classic novels, plays & short stories. Bree reads these classics like she reads to her daughter, one chapter a day. If you love books or audiobooks and want something to listen to as you're getting ready, driving to work, or as you're getting ready for bed, check out Bite at a Time Books!

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Transcripts

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San the book and let's see what we can find.

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Take it chapter by chapter, one bite at a time so many adventures and mountains we can climb take it word for word like by line.

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One bite at a time.

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My name is Brie Carlyle and I love to read and wanted to share my passion with listeners like you.

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If you want to know what's coming next and vote on upcoming books, sign up for our newsletter@byetatimebooks.com you'll also find our new t shirts in the shop, including podcast shirts and quote shirts from your favorite classic novels.

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Be sure to follow my show on your favorite podcast platform so you get all the new episodes.

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You can find most of our links in the show notes, but also our website, bytetimebooks.com includes all of the links for our show, including to our Patreon to support the show and YouTube, where we have special behind the narration of the episodes.

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We're part of the Bite at a Time Books productions network.

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If you'd also like to hear what inspired your favorite classic authors to write their novels and what was going on in the world at the time, check out the bite at a Time books behind the story podcast.

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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.

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Today we'll be continuing 20,000 leagues under.

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The Sea by Jules Verne chapter three I form my resolution 3 seconds before the arrival of J.

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B.

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Hobson's letter, I know more thought of pursuing the unicorn than of attempting the passage of the North Sea.

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3 seconds after reading the letter of the Honorable Secretary of Marine, I felt that my true vocation, the sole end of my life, was to chase this disturbing monster and purge it from the world.

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But I had just returned from a fatiguing journey, weary and longing for a pose, I aspired to nothing more than again seeing my country, my friends, my little lodging by the jarden de plants, my dear and precious collections.

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But nothing could keep me back.

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I forgot all fatigue, friends and collections, and accepted without hesitation the offer of the american government.

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Besides, thought I all roads lead back to Europe for my particular benefit, and I will not hurry me towards the coast of France.

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This worthy animal may allow itself to be caught in the seas of Europe for my particular benefit, and I will not bring back less than half a yard of his ivory halberd to the Museum of natural History.

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But in the meanwhile I must seek this narwhal in the north Pacific Ocean, which, to return to France, was taking the road to the antipodes.

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Conceal.

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I called in an impatient voice.

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Concile was my servant, a true, devoted flemish boy who had accompanied me in all my travels.

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I liked him, and he returned the liking well.

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He was phlegmatic by nature, regular from principle, zealous from habit, evancing little disturbance at the different surprises of life, very quick with his hands, and apt at any service required of him, and despite his name, never giving advice even when asked for it.

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Conceal had followed me for the last ten years, wherever science led.

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Not once did he complain of the length of fatigue of a journey, never make an objection to pack his portmanteau for whatever country it might be, or however far away, whether China or Congo.

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Besides all this, he had good health, which defied all sickness, and solid muscles, but no nerves.

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Good morals are understood.

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This boy was 30 years old, and his age to that of his master, as 15 to 20 may be excused for saying that I was 40 years old.

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But conceal had one fault.

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He was ceremonious to a degree, and would never speak to me.

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But in the third person, which was sometimes provoking.

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Conceal, said I again, beginning with feverish hands, to make preparations for my departure.

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Certainly I was sure of this devoted boy.

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As a rule, I never asked him if it were convenient for him or not to follow me in my travels.

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But this time the expedition in question might be prolonged, and the enterprise might be hazardous.

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In pursuit of an animal capable of skinning a frigate as easily as a nutshell.

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Here there was a matter for reflection even to the most impassive man in the world.

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What would conceal, say?

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Conceal.

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I called a third time.

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Conceal appeared.

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Did you call, sir?

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Said he, entering.

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Yes, my boy.

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Make preparations for me and yourself too.

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We leave in 2 hours.

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As you please, sir, replied conceal quietly, not an instant to lose.

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Lock in my trunk all traveling utensils, coats, shirts, and stockings, without counting as many as you can, and make haste.

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And your collection, sir?

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Observed conceal.

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We will think of them by and by.

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What?

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The archaeotherium, the hirokotherium, the orodons, the cheropotamus, and other skins.

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They will keep them at the hotel.

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And your live Babarosa, sir.

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They will feed it during our absence.

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Besides, I will give orders to forward our menagerie to France.

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We are not returning to Paris, then, said conceal.

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Oh, certainly, I answered evasively.

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By making a curve.

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Will the curve, please you, sir?

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Oh, it will be nothing.

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Not quite so direct a road.

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That is all.

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We take our passage in the Abraham Lincoln.

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As you think proper, sir, Cooley replied, conceal.

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You see, my friend, it has to do with the monster, the famous narwhal.

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We're going to purge it from the seas.

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The author of a work in Cordo, in two volumes on the mysteries of the great submarine grounds, cannot forbear embarking with Commander Farragut.

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A glorious mission, but a dangerous one.

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We cannot tell where we may go.

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These animals can be very capricious, but we will go whether or not we've got a captain who is pretty wide awake.

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I opened the credit account for Babarusa and conceal.

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Following, I jumped into a cab.

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Our luggage was transported to the deck of the frigate immediately.

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I hastened on board and asked for Commander Farragut.

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One of the sailors conducted me to the poop, where I found myself in the presence of a good looking officer who held out his hand to me.

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Monsieur Pierre Aranax said he himself replied, I, Commander Farragut.

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You're welcome, professor.

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Your cabin is ready for you.

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I bowed and desired to be conducted to the cabin destined for me.

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The Abraham Lincoln had been well chosen and equipped for her new destination.

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She was a frigate of great speed, fitted with high pressure engines, which admitted a pressure of seven atmospheres.

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Under this, the Abraham Lincoln attained the mean speed of nearly 18 knots and a third an hour, a considerable speed, but nevertheless insufficient to grapple with this gigantic cetacean.

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The interior arrangements of the frigate corresponded to its nautical qualities.

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I was well satisfied with my cabin, which was, in the after part opening upon the gun room.

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We shall be well off here, said.

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Conceal as well, by your honor's leave, as a hermit crab in the shell.

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Of a welk, said Conceal.

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I left conceal to stow our trunks conveniently away and remounted the poop in order to survey the preparations for departure.

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At that moment, Commander Farragut was ordering the last moorings to be cast loose, which held Abraham Lincoln to the pier of Brooklyn.

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So in a quarter of an hour, perhaps less, the frigate would have sailed without me.

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I should have missed this extraordinary, supernatural, and incredible expedition, the recital of which may well meet with some skepticism.

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But Commander Farragut would not lose a day nor an hour in scouring the seas on which the animal had been sighted.

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He sent for the engineer.

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Is the steam full on?

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Asked he.

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Yes, sir, replied the engineer.

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Go ahead.

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Cried Commander Farragut.

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McQuee of Brooklyn, and all that part of New York, bordering on the East river, was crowded with spectators.

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Three cheers burst successively from 500,000 throats.

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Thousands of handkerchiefs were waved above the heads of the compact mass saluting the Abraham Lincoln until she reached the waters of the Hudson at the point of that elongated peninsula which forms the town of New York.

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Then the frigate, following the coast of New Jersey along the right bank of the beautiful river covered with villas, passed between the forts which saluted her with their heaviest guns.

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Abraham Lincoln answered by hoisting the american colors three times, whose 39 stars shone resplendent from the mizen peak.

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Then modifying its speed to take the narrow channel marked by buoys placed in the inner bay formed by Sandy Hook Point, it coasted the long sand beach where some thousands of spectators gave it one final cheer.

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The escort of boats and tenders still followed the frigate and did not leave her until they came abreast of the lightship, whose two lights marked the entrance of New York.

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Channel six bells struck.

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The pilot got into his boat, and rejoined the little schooner which was waiting under our Lee.

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The fires were made up.

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The screw beat the waves more rapidly.

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The frigate skirted the low yellow coast of Long island, and it ate bells.

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After having lost sight in the northwest of the lights of Fire island, she ran at full steam onto the dark waters of the Atlantic.

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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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Don't forget to sign up for our newsletter@bytetimebooks.com, and check out the shop.

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You can check out the show notes or our website, bytetimebooks.com, for the rest of the links for our show.

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We'd love to hear from you on social media as well.

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You our don't take a look in the book and let's see what we can find.

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Take chapter by chapter, one bite at a time so many adventures and mountains we can climb take it word forward, line by line, one bite at a time close.

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