A stone fell near us. Then, a second stone fell. It hit a pigeon leg in the hand of Conseil. We all stood up and took our guns. We were ready for an attack. Ned Land asked if the attackers were monkeys. Professor Aronnax said they were savages (people who live in a very simple way, far from cities).
We saw twenty natives with bows and arrows. We ran to our small boat. Ned Land did not want to leave his meat. He carried the pig and the kangaroos with him. We pushed the boat into the water. Many more natives came into the water. They shouted at us. The Nautilus was quiet. No one was on the deck.
Twenty minutes later, we were back on the Nautilus. The doors were open. We went inside the boat. Professor Aronnax went to the large room. Captain Nemo was there. He was playing a large organ (a big musical instrument with keys and pipes). He was very busy with his music. He did not hear Professor Aronnax.
Professor Aronnax touched the hand of Captain Nemo. Captain Nemo looked up. He asked about the hunt. Professor Aronnax told Captain Nemo about the natives. Captain Nemo was not worried. He said there are savages everywhere in the world. He said the Nautilus was safe from them.
Captain Nemo started playing music again. He forgot that Professor Aronnax was in the room. Professor Aronnax went up to the deck. It was night. He saw many fires on the beach. The natives were still there. Professor Aronnax stayed on the deck for several hours. He looked at the stars and the moon.
The night passed quietly. At six o'clock the next morning, Professor Aronnax went to the deck. The sun was coming up. There were many more natives now. There were five or six hundred people. Some natives walked on the coral (hard, colorful rocks under the sea) near the boat.
They were Papuans (people from the island of Papua). They were strong men with white teeth. They had dark skin and woolly hair. Most of the natives wore no clothes. Some women wore skirts made of grass. The leaders wore red and white glass beads. They all had bows and arrows. One leader looked at the Nautilus very closely.
The natives stayed near the Nautilus all morning. They made signs to Professor Aronnax. They wanted him to go to the land. But Professor Aronnax stayed on the boat. Ned Land was angry. He wanted to go back to the island for more meat.
Professor Aronnax and Conseil decided to fish from the boat. They used a drag (a net used to pull things from the bottom of the sea). They found many beautiful shells. Suddenly, Professor Aronnax found a very rare shell. It was a "left shell." Most shells turn to the right, but this shell turned to the left.
Professor Aronnax and Conseil looked at the rare shell. But a native threw a stone. The stone hit the shell and broke it. Professor Aronnax was very sad. Conseil was angry. He took his gun and shot at a native. The bullet hit a metal band on the native's arm. Professor Aronnax told Conseil to stop. A shell is not worth a man's life.
Then, many canoes (small, narrow boats made from trees) surrounded the Nautilus. The natives shot many arrows at the boat. Professor Aronnax went to see Captain Nemo. Captain Nemo was doing math in his room. Professor Aronnax told him about the attack. Captain Nemo was very calm.
Captain Nemo pressed an electric button. He told the crew to close the doors. He said the boat was very strong. Professor Aronnax was still worried. He said they must open the doors tomorrow for fresh air. He thought the natives would enter the boat then. Captain Nemo said he would not hurt the natives.
Captain Nemo and Professor Aronnax talked for a long time. They talked about a famous French sailor named Dumont d’Urville. He was a great explorer. Captain Nemo liked him very much. Then, Captain Nemo said the boat would float tomorrow at 2:40 in the afternoon. Professor Aronnax went to his room.
The next morning, the doors were still closed. The air inside the boat was old. The crew used air from the tanks. Professor Aronnax worked in his room until noon. He did not see Captain Nemo. No one on the boat seemed busy. Everyone was very quiet.
At 2:30, Professor Aronnax went to the large room. In ten minutes, the tide would be high. He felt the boat move against the rocks. Captain Nemo came into the room. He said it was time to start. He gave an order to open the doors. Professor Aronnax was afraid the natives would jump inside.
Professor Aronnax, Ned Land, and Conseil went to the stairs. Many natives were outside the open door. One native touched the metal rail of the stairs. Suddenly, he fell back. He was hit by an invisible power. He screamed and ran away. Other natives tried to enter, but they all fell back.
Ned Land tried to touch the rail too. He fell down immediately. He cried out. He said a thunderbolt (a flash of bright light and power from the sky) hit him. It was not a thunderbolt. It was electricity. Captain Nemo put electricity on the metal rail. It was like a wall of power.
The natives were very afraid. They ran away from the boat. At exactly 2:40, the Nautilus moved. It was free from the rocks. The boat moved slowly into the deep water. The Nautilus was safe. We were moving into the open sea again.